Beam switching gap

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for beam switching gaps. A base station (BS) may send an allocation of a beam switching gap including at least one symbol based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of a user equipment (UE) to a UE. The UE and the BS may then communicate using the allocation. The allocation may also be based on a reporting capability of the UE. The allocation may also be based on capabilities of the BS. The beam switching gap may be allocated explicitly or implicitly.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Application No. 17 / 066,950, filed on October 9, 2020, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 913,473, entitled “Beam Switching Gap,” filed on October 10, 2019, both of which are assigned to their assignees, and the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to wireless communications and, more particularly, to techniques for beam switching gaps. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services, such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies to support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, etc.). Examples of such multiple access systems include 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, Advanced LTE (LTE-A) systems, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems or Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) systems, and Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) systems, among others.

[0005] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate at municipal, national, regional and even global levels. New radio (e.g., 5G NR) is an example of an emerging telecommunication standard. NR is a set of enhancements to the LTE mobile standard promulgated by 3GPP. NR aims to better support mobile broadband Internet access by improving spectrum efficiency, reducing costs, improving services, utilizing new spectrum, and better integrating with other open standards using OFDMA with cyclic prefix (CP) on downlink (DL) and uplink (UL). To this end, NR supports beamforming, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology and carrier aggregation.

[0006] However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, further improvements to NR and LTE technologies are needed. Preferably, these improvements should be applicable to other multiple access technologies and the telecommunication standards that employ them. Summary of the invention

[0007] The systems, methods, and devices of the present disclosure each have multiple aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of the present disclosure as expressed by the appended claims, some features will now be briefly discussed. After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading the section entitled "Detailed Description of the Invention," one will understand how the features of the present disclosure provide advantages including beam switching gaps that can be dynamically configured / indicated and can be at least one symbol in length, for example, to accommodate high frequency ranges and / or larger subcarrier spacings (SCS).

[0008] One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure can be implemented in a method for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE). The method generally includes receiving from a base station (BS) an allocation including at least one symbol beam switching gap based at least in part on an SCS of the UE. The method generally includes communicating with the BS using the allocation.

[0009] One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure can be implemented in a method for wireless communication by a BS. The method generally includes sending an allocation including at least one symbol beam switching gap based at least in part on an SCS of the UE to a UE. The method generally includes communicating with the UE using the allocation.

[0010] Aspects of the present disclosure provide apparatus, processors, and computer-readable media for executing the methods described herein.

[0011] To achieve the foregoing and related ends, one or more aspects include features fully described below and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the accompanying drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of one or more aspects. However, these features represent only a few of the many ways in which the principles of the various aspects may be employed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] In order that the manner in which the above-mentioned features of the present disclosure are understood in detail, a more specific description briefly summarized above may be obtained by reference to various aspects, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings only illustrate certain typical aspects of the present disclosure and are therefore not to be considered as limiting the scope thereof, as the description may admit of other equally effective aspects.

[0013] Figure 1 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example telecommunications system in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 2 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating designs of exemplary base stations (BSs) and user equipment (UEs) in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 3is a table illustrating exemplary subcarrier spacings (SCSs) and corresponding cyclic prefixes (CPs) and symbol durations according to certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating example operations of wireless communications by a UE in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 5 Example transmissions using the same beam without beam switching gaps are shown in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 6 Example transmissions using different beams with beam switching gaps are shown in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 7 is a flow chart illustrating example operations of wireless communications by a BS in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 8 Example transmissions using different beams without beam switching gaps in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure are shown.

[0021] Fig. 9 Example transmissions using different beams with beam switching gaps are shown in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Fig.10 A call flow diagram illustrating example message exchanges between a UE and a BS to communicate using multiple beams based on beam exchange gaps in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0023] Fig.11 A communication device according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown that may include various components configured to perform operations of the techniques disclosed herein.

[0024] Fig.12 A communication device according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown that may include various components configured to perform operations of the techniques disclosed herein.

[0025] To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in one aspect may be beneficially utilized on other aspects without specific recitation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Various aspects of the present disclosure provide apparatus, methods, processing systems, and computer-readable media for communicating between a user equipment (UE) and a network entity (e.g., a base station such as a gNodeB) using beam switching gaps to allow the UE and the network entity to quickly switch between different beams for communication between the UE and the network entity.

[0027] In some systems, such as millimeter wave (mmW) in new radio (5G NR), different transmissions use different beams (e.g., different transmit beams and / or different receive beams). A device such as a base station (BS) or user equipment (UE) may need some time to switch beams (e.g., time for switching, activating / deactivating, and / or retuning radio frequency (RF) components). In some systems, the configured cyclic prefix (CP) covers the time for switching beams. However, in some cases, the CP may not provide enough time for beam switching. For example, when the subcarrier spacing (SCS) or tone spacing is larger (e.g., this may be the case in higher frequency ranges that can be used for NR), the corresponding symbol duration becomes shorter. As a result, the CP length also becomes shorter and may not be sufficient for beam switching.

[0028] Therefore, aspects of the present disclosure provide beam switching gaps. The beam switching gaps may be separate from the CP, may be dynamically allocated (eg, configured / indicated), and may take into account, for example, UE capabilities, BS capabilities, and SCS. The beam switching gaps may be allocated explicitly or implicitly.

[0029] The following description provides an example of a beam switching gap in a communication system and does not limit the scope, applicability or examples set forth in the claims. Without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the functions and arrangements of the elements discussed may be changed. Various examples may appropriately omit, replace or add various processes or components. For example, the described method may be performed in an order different from that described, and various steps may be added, omitted or combined. In addition, the features described with respect to some examples may be combined in some other examples. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein may be used to implement a device or practice method. In addition, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover such a device or method that is practiced using other structures, functions, or structures and functions in addition to or different from the various aspects of the present disclosure set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of the claims. The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "as an example, instance or illustration". Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be interpreted as being preferred or advantageous over other aspects.

[0030] Generally, any number of wireless networks can be deployed in a given geographic area. Each wireless network can support a specific radio access technology (RAT) and can operate on one or more frequencies. RAT can also be referred to as a radio technology, air interface, etc. Frequency can also be referred to as a carrier, subcarrier, channel, tone, subband, etc. Each frequency can support a single RAT in a given geographic area to avoid interference between wireless networks of different RATs.

[0031] The techniques described herein can be used for various wireless networks and wireless technologies. For clarity, although terms commonly associated with 3G, 4G and / or new radio (e.g., 5G NR) wireless technologies are used herein to describe various aspects, various aspects of the present disclosure can be applied to other communication systems based on generations.

[0032] NR access can support various wireless communication services, such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) for wide bandwidth (e.g., 80MHz or higher), millimeter wave (mmW) for high carrier frequency (e.g., 25GHz or higher), massive machine type communication MTC (mMTC) for non-backward compatible MTC technology, and / or mission critical ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC). These services may include latency and reliability requirements. These services may also have different transmission time intervals (TTIs) to meet their respective quality of service (QoS) requirements. In addition, these services can coexist in the same subframe.

[0033] Some wireless networks use orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) on the downlink and single carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly called tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. In general, modulation symbols are sent in the frequency domain with OFDM and in the time domain with SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. The system bandwidth can also be divided into subbands.

[0034] 5G NR can use OFDM with a cyclic prefix (CP) on both the uplink and downlink, and includes support for half-duplex operation using time division duplex (TDD). A subframe can be 1ms, but the basic transmission time interval (TTI) can be called a time slot. A subframe contains a variable number of time slots (e.g., 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, ... time slots), depending on the subcarrier spacing (SCS). An NR resource block (RB) can be 12 consecutive frequency subcarriers. NR can support a basic SCS of 15KHz, and other subcarrier spacings can be defined relative to the basic SCS, such as 30kHz, 60kHz, 120kHz, 240kHz, etc. The symbol and time slot lengths are proportional to the SCS. The CP length also depends on the SCS. 5G NR can also support beamforming, and the beam direction can be dynamically configured. Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission with precoding can also be supported. In some examples, MIMO configurations in the DL can support up to 8 transmit antennas with multi-layer DL transmissions of up to 8 streams and up to 2 streams per UE. In some examples, multi-layer transmissions with up to 2 streams per UE can be supported. Aggregation of multiple cells with up to 8 serving cells can be supported.

[0035] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication network 100 is shown in which various aspects of the present disclosure may be performed. For example, the wireless communication network 100 may be a NR system (e.g., a 5G NR network).

[0036] like Figure 1 As shown, the wireless communication network 100 may include multiple base stations (BSs) 110a-z (each base station is also individually referred to as BS 110 or collectively referred to as BS 110 herein) and other network entities. BS 110 may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area (sometimes referred to as a "cell"), which may be stationary or may move based on the location of the mobile BS 110. In some examples, BS 110 may be interconnected with each other and / or to one or more other BSs or network nodes (not shown) in the wireless communication network 100 via various types of backhaul interfaces (e.g., direct physical connections, wireless connections, virtual networks, etc.) using any suitable transport network. Figure 1In the example shown, BSs 110a, 110b, and 110c may be macro BSs of macro cells 102a, 102b, and 102c, respectively. BS 110x may be a pico BS of pico cell 102x. BSs 110y and 110z may be femto BSs of femto cells 102y and 102z, respectively. A BS may support one or more cells. BS 110 communicates with user equipment (UE) 120a-y (each UE is also individually referred to as UE 120 or collectively referred to as UE 120 herein) in wireless communication network 100. UE 120 (e.g., 120x, 120y, etc.) may be dispersed throughout wireless communication network 100, and each UE 120 may be fixed or mobile.

[0037] According to certain aspects, BS 110 and UE 120 may be configured for beam switching gaps. Figure 1 As shown, BS 110a includes a beam switching gap manager 112. According to aspects of the present disclosure, beam switching gap manager 112 can be configured to send an allocation including at least one symbol beam switching resolution to UE 120a based at least in part on the SCS of UE 120a, and communicate with UE 120a using the allocation. In some examples, beam switching gap manager 112 can also allocate beam switching gaps based on capabilities reported from UE 120a and / or based on capabilities of BS 110a. In some examples, beam switching gap manager 112 can explicitly or implicitly allocate beam switching gaps to UE 120a. Figure 1 As shown, UE 120a includes a beam switching gap manager 122. According to aspects of the present disclosure, beam switching gap manager 122 may be configured to receive an allocation of at least one symbol beam switching gap from BS 110a based at least in part on an SCS of UE 120a and communicate with BS 110 using the allocation.

[0038] The wireless communication network 100 may also include a relay station (e.g., relay station 110r), also known as a relay, etc., which receives transmissions of data and / or other information from an upstream station (e.g., BS 110a or UE 120r) and sends transmissions of data and / or other information to a downstream station (e.g., UE 120 or BS 110), or relays transmissions between UEs 120 to facilitate communication between devices.

[0039] A network controller 130 may couple to a set of BSs 110 and provide coordination and control for these BSs 110. The network controller 130 may communicate with the BSs 110 via a backhaul. The BSs 110 may also communicate with each other (eg, directly or indirectly) via a wireless or wired backhaul.

[0040] Figure 2 BS 110a and UE 120a (eg, Figure 1 00) which may be used to implement various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0041] At BS 110a, a transmit processor 220 may receive data from a data source 212 and control information from a controller / processor 240. The control information may be for a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), a physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH), a physical hybrid ARQ indicator channel (PHICH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a group common PDCCH (GC PDCCH), etc. The data may be for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), etc. A medium access control (MAC)-control element (MAC-CE) is a MAC layer communication structure that may be used for control command exchange between wireless nodes. For example, a base station may transmit a MAC CE to a user equipment (UE) to cause the UE to enter a discontinuous reception (DRX) mode, thereby reducing power consumption of the UE. The MAC-CE may be carried in a shared channel, such as a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), or a physical sidelink shared channel. The MAC-CE may also be used to transmit information that facilitates communication, such as information about buffer status and available power headroom.

[0042] The processor 220 may process (e.g., encode and symbol map) data and control information to obtain data symbols and control symbols, respectively. The transmit processor 220 may also generate reference symbols, such as for a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a cell-specific reference signal (CRS). If applicable, the transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on ​​data symbols, control symbols, and / or reference symbols, and may provide an output symbol stream to a modulator (MOD) 232a-232t. Each modulator 232 may process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator may also process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and up-convert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The downlink signals from modulators 232a-232t may be transmitted via antennas 234a-234t, respectively.

[0043] At UE 120a, antennas 252a-252r may receive downlink signals from BS 110a and may provide received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) in transceivers 254a-254r, respectively. Each demodulator 254 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) a respective received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator may also process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 256 may obtain received symbols from all demodulators 254a-254r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols when applicable, and provide detected symbols. A receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for UE 120a to a data sink 260, and provide decoding control information to a controller / processor 280.

[0044] On the uplink, at the UE 120a, a transmit processor 264 may receive and process data from a data source 262 (e.g., for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)) and control information (e.g., for a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)) from a controller / processor 280. The transmit processor 264 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)). The symbols from the transmit processor 264 may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 266, if applicable, further processed by a demodulator in a transceiver 254a-254r (e.g., for SC-FDM, etc.), and transmitted to the BS 110a. At the BS 110a, the uplink signal from the UE 120a may be received by the antenna 234, processed by the modulator 232, detected by the MIMO detector 236, if applicable, and further processed by the receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and control information sent by the UE 120a. The receive processor 238 may provide decoded data to a data sink 239 and decoded control information to a controller / processor 240 .

[0045] Memories 242 and 282 may store data and program codes for BS 110a and UE 120a, respectively.A scheduler 244 may schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink.

[0046] The controller / processor 280 and / or other processors and modules at the UE 120a may perform or direct the execution of processes for the techniques described herein. Figure 2As shown, according to various aspects described herein, the controller / processor 240 of the BS 110a has a beam switching gap manager 241, which can be configured to send an allocation of at least one symbol beam switching gap based at least in part on the SCS of the UE 120a to the UE 120a and communicate with the UE 120a using the allocation. Figure 2 As shown, according to various aspects described herein, the controller / processor 280 of the UE 120a has a beam switching gap manager 241, which can be configured to receive an allocation of at least one symbol beam switching gap based at least in part on the SCS of the UE 120a from the BS 110a and use the allocation to communicate with the BS 110. Although shown at the controller / processor, other components of the UE 120a and the BS 110a can be used to perform the operations described herein.

[0047] As described above, aspects of the present disclosure relate to beam switching gaps. As described above, the UE and / or BS may require time to switch beams (e.g., approximately 0.1 μs). The time to switch beams may be based on the capabilities of the device. For example, a UE and / or BS with lower capabilities may require a longer time to switch beams, while a UE and / or BS with higher capabilities may require a shorter time to switch beams.

[0048] Figure 3 3 is a table 300 showing exemplary SCSs and corresponding CP lengths and symbol durations according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 3 As shown, the CP length can be inversely proportional to the SCS, such that a smaller SCS is associated with a longer CP length, and vice versa, and can be applicable to communications on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0049] As mentioned above, in some systems, the CP may be used to cover the time for switching beams used for communication between the UE and the base station. For example, in the frequency range (FR2) mmW with 60kHz or 120kHz SCS, the CP lengths are 1.725μs and 0.5625μs, respectively (e.g. Figure 3 s beam switching duration, since the CP lengths used for 60kHz and 120kHz SCSs are significantly longer than the 0.1μs beam switching duration. However, in some cases, the CP length may not provide enough time for beam switching. For example, in some systems, such as high-band systems (e.g., mmW systems operating above 52.6GHz), a larger SCS may be used, corresponding to a shorter symbol duration and CP length. Figure 3As shown, for an SCS of 480 kHz, the CP length is 0.14656 μs, while for an SCS of 3840 kHz, the CP length is reduced to 0.01832 μs. Therefore, for higher SCSs, the CP length may not be sufficient to cover the beam switching duration, and the entire symbol may be required to cover the beam switching duration in which different beams are used for communication between the UE and the base station.

[0050] Therefore, techniques and apparatus for beam switching gaps are needed.

[0051] Example Beam Switching Gap

[0052] Thus, aspects of the present disclosure provide a beam switching gap that can be used to allow switching of beams used for communication between a UE and a base station (BS). The beam switching gap can be separate from the CP. In some cases, the beam switching gap may occupy an entire symbol or even more than one symbol. As discussed in more detail below, beam switching can be dynamically allocated. For example, taking into account the subcarrier spacing (SCS), the reported beam switching capability of the UE, and / or the beam switching capability of the BS, the BS can allocate resources for the beam switching gap to the user equipment (UE). In some examples, the BS can explicitly or implicitly allocate the beam switching gap.

[0053] Figure 4 4 is a flow chart illustrating example operations 400 for wireless communication according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. Operations 400 may be performed, for example, by a UE (e.g., UE 120a in wireless communication network 100). Operations 400 may be implemented as a processor (e.g., Figure 2 In addition, the communication may be performed, for example, via one or more antennas (e.g., Figure 2 The antenna 252 of the UE supports sending and receiving signals by the UE in operation 400. In some aspects, the sending and / or receiving of signals by the UE can be implemented via a bus interface of one or more processors (e.g., controller / processor 280) to obtain and / or output signals.

[0054] Operations 400 may begin at 405 by receiving, from a BS, an allocation including at least one symbol beam switching gap based at least in part on an SCS of a UE.

[0055] According to certain aspects, an allocation including a beam switching gap may be determined based on beam switching capability information provided by the UE to the BS. The beam switching capability information may be provided to the BS, for example, in a capability information message, a capability report, or other uplink signaling from the UE to the BS. For example, a capability report sent by the UE may indicate whether a full-symbol (or multi-symbol) beam switching gap is requested.

[0056] In some examples, the UE may indicate that a beam switching gap is requested for sequential transmission or reception using different beams. Figure 5 As shown, for subsequent transmissions 504, 506 (eg, transmitted on the uplink or received on the downlink) using the same beam 508, the UE 120 may transmit or receive the transmission without a beam switching gap.

[0057] like Figure 6 As shown, for subsequent transmissions 604, 606 (e.g., transmitted on the uplink or received on the downlink) using different beams 608, 610, respectively, the UE 120 may transmit or receive a transmission using a beam switching gap 612 to change from the beam 608 used for the transmission 604 (e.g., the UE RX beam for DL ​​transmission or the UE TX beam for UL transmission) to the beam 610 used for the transmission 606 (e.g., the UE RX beam for DL ​​transmission or the UE TX beam for UL transmission). For example, the beam switching gap 612 may be the duration of one or more beams based on the speed at which the UE may switch beams. For example, low-capability UEs (e.g., low-power UEs, or UEs with a limited number of transmit / receive chains) may switch beams more slowly than other UEs (e.g., UEs with multiple transmit / receive chains). Therefore, the beam switching gaps allocated to these low-capability UEs may be longer in duration than the beam switching gaps allocated to other UEs that are not so limited.

[0058] In some examples, the uplink transmission is a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission. In some examples, the downlink transmission is a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission. As will be discussed in more detail below, the allocation of beam switching gaps can also be based on the capabilities of the BS.

[0059] The beam switching gap can be configured for any combination of uplink and downlink transmissions and any combination of data and control channels. For example, the beam switching gap can be configured so that a first beam is used for a channel and a second beam (to which the communication is switched during the beam switching gap) is used for the same channel. That is, different beams can be used for subsequent communications on the same channel (e.g., for the first and second transmissions on the PUSCH, the first and second transmissions on the PDSCH, the first and second transmissions on the PUCCH, or the first and second transmissions on the PDCCH). In another example, the beam switching gap can be configured so that the first beam can be used for communication using the first channel, and the second beam (to which the communication is switched during the beam switching gap) can be used for communication using the second channel. The first and second channels can be channels used for communication in the same direction but carrying different types of data (e.g., the first channel can be PUSCH and the second channel can be PUCCH, or vice versa).

[0060] According to certain aspects, the beam switching gap may be allocated by explicit indication. For example, the BS may indicate the allocation in the downlink control information (DCI) with a time domain resource allocation (TDRA) field indicating one of a plurality of radio resource control (RRC) TDRA configurations. In some embodiments, the one of the indicated plurality of RRC TDRA configurations may be one of a plurality of TDRA configurations defined in a TDRA table or one of a plurality of TDRA configurations defined by a TDRA configuration configured at the UE.

[0061] The entries in the TDRA table (or equation) can configure multiple symbols of uplink or downlink transmission. The TDRA table can have up to 16 rows. Each row in the TDRA can configure the start and length indicator value (SLIV) for transmission (e.g., for PUSCH or PDSCH). The DCI (e.g., in the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)) can carry uplink and / or downlink grants for UEs. Each row in the TDRA can configure a K2 value (e.g., using 3 bits) to indicate the delay between the DCI and the scheduled uplink transmission (for UL TDRA), or a K0 value (e.g., using 2 bits) to indicate the delay between the DCI and the scheduled downlink transmission (for DL ​​TDRA). Therefore, the DCI can indicate a row index (e.g., using 5 bits) from the TDRA table, indicating K0 / K2 and SLIV values. In some examples, SLIV can be jointly encoded. For example, for a given length L and a starting symbol S, the value in the TDRA table can be calculated according to the following equation. If (L-1)<7, then RIV=14(L-1)+S. Otherwise (ie, if (L-1)>=7), RIV=14(14-L+1)+(14-1-S).

[0062] According to certain aspects, when allocating a beam switching gap, the number of symbols indicated by the DCI can be reduced by at least one symbol. In some examples, the SLIV field in the DCI indicates a reduction in length of at least one symbol to allocate a beam switching gap. In some examples, when the CP is sufficient for beam switching, the CP (or CP extension) can be used.

[0063] According to certain aspects, two different SLIV combinations may be used (e.g., configured in a TDRA table and may be indicated by a DCI). A first SLIV of the different SLIV combination generally includes the last symbol, and a second SLIV of the different SLIV combination generally does not include the last symbol. When the next allocation (e.g., an adjacent or subsequent transmission) uses the same beam, the SLIV that includes the last symbol is generally used, so the beam switching gap is not used. When the next allocation uses a different beam, the SLIV that does not include the last symbol is generally used, so the beam switching gap is used to switch beams between communications.

[0064] In some examples, two different SLIVs may be defined. For example, a first SLIV field is used when at least one symbol beam switching gap is not allocated, and a separate second SLIV field is used when at least one symbol beam switching gap is allocated. In some examples, a single SLIV field is used for assignment, and one bit in the DCI indicates whether the last at least one symbol is included.

[0065] According to certain aspects, beam switching gaps may be implicitly indicated.

[0066] According to certain aspects, side information may be used to determine whether a beam switching gap is allocated. In some examples, for the downlink, the last at least one symbol may be punctured. In some examples, the UE may detect a grant to determine whether a beam switching gap is allocated. In some examples, when there is another grant indicating that the same beam is used for adjacent time domain resources after the time domain resources allocated by the first grant, the UE determines that no beam switching gap is allocated in the time domain resources allocated by the first grant. In some examples, when there is another grant indicating that different beams are used for adjacent time domain resources after the time domain resources allocated by the first grant, the UE determines that a beam switching gap is allocated in the time domain resources allocated by the first grant. In some examples, when no other grant is received for allocating time domain resources after the adjacent time domain resources allocated by the first grant, the UE determines that a beam switching gap is allocated in the time domain resources allocated by the first grant.

[0067] According to certain aspects, when a beam switching gap is allocated, the UE may demodulate the downlink transmission and zero the log likelihood ratio (LLR) collected for the resource element (RE) in at least one symbol. For example, the UE performs normal demodulation (e.g., assuming that the symbol is correctly transmitted). If the UE determines (e.g., is informed or discovers) that the next symbol does not involve beam switching, the UE may zero the LLR collected for the RE in the last symbol.

[0068] According to certain aspects, the UE does not receive any demodulation reference signal (DMRS) or DCI in the beam switching gap.

[0069] According to certain aspects, the UE is not assigned a beam switching gap, but the UE still uses at least one symbol for beam switching. As discussed in more detail below, in this case, the BS may zero the LLR in the at least one symbol.

[0070] In some examples, beam switching gaps may be allocated between control resource sets (CORESETs) of time division multiplexing (TDM).

[0071] In some examples, if there is beam switching, a beam switching gap may be allocated to PDSCH after CORESET.

[0072] The UE communicates with the BS using the allocation at 410. For example, the UE may switch beams during at least one symbol in a first uplink or downlink transmission for a second uplink or downlink transmission.

[0073] Figure 7 700 for wireless communication in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. Operations 700 may be performed, for example, by a BS (e.g., such as BS 110a in wireless communication network 100). Operations 700 may be complementary operations to operations 400 performed by the BS to a UE. Operations 700 may be implemented as a process performed on one or more processors (e.g., Figure 2 In addition, the software components executed and run on the controller / processor 240 of the system can be transmitted through one or more antennas (e.g., Figure 2 The antenna 234 of the BS supports the transmission and reception of signals by the BS in operation 700. In some aspects, the transmission and / or reception of signals by the BS may be implemented via a bus interface of one or more processors (e.g., controller / processor 240) to obtain and / or output signals.

[0074] Operations 700 may begin at 705 by sending to a UE an allocation of at least one symbol beam switching gap based at least in part on an SCS of the UE. For example, based on the SCS, the BS may determine the length of the CP and whether the CP is sufficient for beam switching.

[0075] According to certain aspects, the BS receives beam switching capability information from the UE. When the BS receives the beam switching capability information from the UE, the allocation of the beam switching gap can be further based on the beam switching capability information. For example, based on the capability information, the BS can determine how long the UE needs to perform beam switching, and can take it into account when determining whether the CP is sufficient or whether a beam switching gap should be allocated.

[0076] According to certain aspects, the allocation of at least one symbol beam switching gap to a UE is also based on the beam switching capability of the BS. For example, the BS capability to support the beam switching gap may not be known to or provided to the UE; however, the BS may consider its capability when determining whether to allocate the beam switching gap to one or more UEs served by the BS. In some examples, the beam switching capability of the BS is based on the number of active users (e.g., in a cell) and the number of antenna panels at the BS. For example, if Figure 8 As shown, with two antenna panels 254a, 254b, BS 110 uses one of antenna panels 254a to serve UE 120a using a first beam 802, and prepares the other antenna panel 254b for subsequent scheduled communications with UE 120b using a different beam 804 (or for the same UE 120a using a different beam 804). In this case, there is no need to use beam switching gaps, as different antenna panels can be used for communications using different beams. Fig. 9 As shown, for more active users (e.g., 120a-120d), the two antenna panel BS 110 uses beam switching gaps to switch beams 902, 904 to serve multiple active users. Therefore, if beam switching gaps are used, the BS can allocate gaps in RRC configuration or dynamic scheduling.

[0077] As described above, the beam switching gap may be allocated by explicit indication, for example, using a DCI with a TDRA field. Two SLIV fields may be used, or one SLIV field may be used, wherein the DCI bit of the SLIV field indicates whether a beam switching gap is allocated.

[0078] As described above, the beam switching gap may be implicitly indicated.

[0079] The BS may send a grant to one or more UEs to indicate whether a beam switching gap is allocated. In some examples, the BS sends a first grant to the UE to allocate a first time domain resource using a beam, and sends a second grant to allocate an adjacent second time domain resource using the same beam, to indicate that a beam switching gap is not allocated in the first time domain resource allocated by the first grant. In some examples, the BS sends a first grant to the UE to allocate a first time domain resource using a beam, and sends a second grant to allocate an adjacent second time domain resource using a different beam, to indicate that a beam switching gap is allocated in the first time domain resource allocated by the first grant.

[0080] In some examples, the BS does not allocate beam switching gaps. DL symbols may be punctured and the UE processes zeroed LLRs. In some examples, the UE uses beam switching in the last symbol and the BS processes zeroed LLRs.

[0081] According to certain aspects, the BS does not schedule or send any DMRS or DCI in the beam switching gap (eg, does not piggyback DCI on the PDSCH).

[0082] In some examples, the BS allocates beam switching gaps between CORESETs performing TDM. In some examples, if there is beam switching, the BS allocates beam switching gaps to PDSCH after the CORESET.

[0083] The BS communicates with the UE using the allocation at 710. For example, the BS may switch beams during at least one symbol in a first uplink (eg, PUSCH) or downlink (eg, PDSCH) transmission for a second uplink or downlink transmission.

[0084] Fig.10 A call flow diagram illustrates exemplary messages that may be exchanged between the UE 1002 and the BS 1004 to configure beam switching gaps and to communicate with each other (eg, perform uplink and downlink communications) based on the beam switching gaps.

[0085] As shown, UE 1002 may send beam switching capability information 1010 to BS 1004. The beam switching capability information 1010 may include, for example, an indication of the number of symbols that the UE is requesting for beam switching gaps to allow the UE to switch beams to communicate with the BS. In another example, the beam switching capability information 1010 may indicate whether the beam switching gaps are requested for sequential transmission or sequential reception using different beams.

[0086] At block 1012, the BS 1004 determines a beam switching gap for the UE. The BS 1004 may determine the beam switching gap, for example, based at least on the SCS of the UE 1002. As discussed, the SCS of the UE 1002 and an associated CP length associated with the SCS of the UE 1002 may be used to determine whether to allocate a beam switching gap (e.g., of one or more symbols) to the UE. For example, in the case where the CP length of a given SCS is greater than 0.1 μs, the BS may determine that a beam switching gap does not need to be allocated to the UE. However, for a larger SCS with a CP length less than 0.1 μs, the BS may determine to allocate a beam switching gap (of one or more symbols) to the UE. In some aspects, the BS 1004 may further determine the beam switching gap for the UE based on capability information sent to the BS 1004 in the beam switching capability information 1010. For example, the BS 1004 may determine whether a beam switching gap is allocated to the UE 1002 based on the amount of time the UE needs to switch beams (e.g., as indicated in the beam switching capability information 1010). If the beam switching can be completed within the amount of time indicated in the beam switching capability information 1010, the BS 1004 may determine that a beam switching gap does not need to be allocated to the UE; otherwise, the BS 1004 may determine that a beam switching gap of one or more symbols may be allocated to the UE.

[0087] Subsequently, the BS 1004 may send a beam switching gap allocation 1014 to the UE 1002. The beam switching gap allocation 1014 generally indicates to the UE 1002 when a beam used for uplink and / or downlink communications with the BS 1004 may be switched from a first beam to a second beam. As discussed, the beam switching gap indicated in the beam switching gap allocation 1014 may indicate that no beam switching gap is allocated (e.g., when beam switching may not be completed within the CP length of the SCS for the UE 1002 or within the amount of time the UE needs to switch beams), or indicate that one or more symbols are allocated for a beam switching gap (e.g., when beam switching may not be completed within the CP length of the SCS for the UE 1002 or within the amount of time the UE needs to switch beams).

[0088] The UE 1002 may use the first beam to perform communication 1016. The communication 1016 using the first beam may be uplink and / or downlink communication performed over a plurality of symbols before the time when the beam is switched for communication between the UE 1002 and the BS 1004.

[0089] After performing communication on symbols prior to the time to switch beams for communication between the UE 1002 and the BS 1004, the UE and the BS may switch transmit and / or receive beams based on the beam switching gap allocation at blocks 1018 and 1020, respectively. As discussed, the UE 1002 and the BS 1004 may switch beams by switching a single antenna from a first beam direction to a second beam direction, or by switching from communicating using a first antenna to communicating using a second antenna (the first antenna is configured to communicate using a first set of beams and the second antenna is configured to communicate using a second set of beams). The time taken to switch beams may fit within the CP (where no beam switching gap is allocated) or within one or more symbols allocated for the beam switching gap (e.g., where the amount of time required to switch beams exceeds the CP length of the SCS used by the UE 1002). Subsequently, the UE 1002 may perform communication 1022 using the second beam.

[0090] Fig.11 A communication device 1100 is shown that may include various components (eg, corresponding to functional components) configured to perform operations of the techniques disclosed herein, such as Figure 4 The communication device 1100 includes a processing system 1102 coupled to a transceiver 1108 (e.g., a transmitter and / or a receiver). The transceiver 1108 is configured to transmit and receive signals, such as the various signals described herein, for the communication device 1100 via an antenna 1110. The processing system 1102 may be configured to perform processing functions for the communication device 1100, including processing signals received and / or transmitted by the communication device 1100.

[0091] The processing system 1102 includes a processor 1104 coupled to a computer-readable medium / memory 1112 via a bus 1106. In some aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 1112 is configured to store instructions (e.g., computer-executable code) that, when executed by the processor 1104, cause the processor 1104 to perform Figure 4The operations shown, or other operations for performing the various techniques for beam switching gaps discussed herein. In certain aspects, according to aspects of the present disclosure, the computer-readable medium / memory 1112 stores code 1114 for receiving from a BS an allocation of at least one symbol beam switching gap based at least in part on an SCS of a UE; and code 1116 for communicating with the BS using the allocation. In certain aspects, the processor 1104 has circuitry configured to implement the code stored in the computer-readable medium / memory 1112. According to aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 1104 includes circuitry 1118 for receiving from a BS an allocation of at least one symbol beam switching gap based at least in part on an SCS of a UE; and circuitry 1120 for communicating with the BS using the allocation.

[0092] Fig.12 A communication device 1200 is shown that may include various components (eg, corresponding to functional components) configured to perform operations for the techniques disclosed herein, such as Figure 7 The communication device 1200 includes a processing system 1202 coupled to a transceiver 1208 (e.g., a transmitter and / or a receiver). The transceiver 1208 is configured to transmit and receive signals, such as the various signals described herein, for the communication device 1200 via an antenna 1210. The processing system 1202 may be configured to perform processing functions for the communication device 1200, including processing signals received and / or transmitted by the communication device 1200.

[0093] The processing system 1202 includes a processor 1204 coupled to a computer readable medium / memory 1212 via a bus 1206. In some aspects, the computer readable medium / memory 1212 is configured to store instructions (e.g., computer executable code) that, when executed by the processor 1204, cause the processor 1204 to perform Figure 7 The operations shown, or other operations for performing the various techniques for beam switching gaps discussed herein. In certain aspects, according to aspects of the present disclosure, the computer-readable medium / memory 1212 stores code 1214 for sending an allocation of at least one symbol beam switching gap based at least in part on the SCS of the UE to the UE; and code 1216 for communicating with the UE using the allocation. In certain aspects, the processor 1204 has circuits configured to implement the code stored in the computer-readable medium / memory 1212. According to aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 1204 includes circuits 1218 for sending an allocation of at least one symbol beam switching gap based at least in part on the SCS of the UE to the UE; and circuits 1220 for communicating with the UE using the allocation.

[0094] The techniques described herein may be used for various wireless communication technologies, such as NR (e.g., 5G NR), 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA), Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), and other networks. The terms "network" and "system" are often used interchangeably. A CDMA network may implement wireless technologies such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), cdma2000, and the like. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variants of CDMA. cdma2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95, and IS-856 standards. A TDMA network may implement wireless technologies such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). OFDMA networks can implement wireless technologies such as NR (e.g. 5G RA), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDMA, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). LTE and LTE-A are versions of UMTS that use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, and GSM are described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP). cdma2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). NR is an emerging wireless communication technology under development.

[0095] In 3GPP, the term "cell" can refer to the coverage area of ​​a Node B (NB) and / or a NB subsystem serving the coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used. In NR systems, the terms "cell" and BS, next-generation Node B (gNB or gNodeB), access point (AP), distributed unit (DU), carrier or transmit receive point (TRP) can be used interchangeably. BSs can provide communication coverage for macro cells, pico cells, femto cells and / or other types of cells. Macro cells typically cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and can allow unrestricted access to UEs with service subscriptions. Pico cells can cover relatively small geographic areas and can allow unrestricted access to UEs with service subscriptions. Femto cells can cover relatively small geographic areas (e.g., homes) and can allow UEs associated with femto cells (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs of users in a home, etc.) to have restricted access. BSs for macro cells can be referred to as macro BSs. BSs for pico cells can be referred to as pico BSs. BSs for femto cells can be referred to as femto BSs or home BSs.

[0096] UE may also be referred to as a mobile station, a terminal, an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a station, a customer premises equipment (CPE), a cellular phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet computer, a camera, a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a home appliance, a medical device or medical equipment, a biometric sensor / device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, smart clothing, smart glasses, a smart wristband, smart jewelry (e.g., a smart ring, a smart bracelet, etc.)), an entertainment device (e.g., a music device, a video device, a satellite radio, etc.), a vehicle component or sensor, a smart meter / sensor, an industrial manufacturing device, a global positioning system device, or any other suitable device configured to communicate via a wireless or wired medium. Some UEs may be considered machine type communication (MTC) devices or evolved MTC (eMTC) devices. MTC and eMTC UEs include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, location tags, etc., which can communicate with a BS, another device (e.g., a remote device), or some other entity. For example, a wireless node can provide connectivity to a network (e.g., a wide area network such as the Internet or a cellular network) via a wired or wireless communication link. Some UEs can be considered Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which can be narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) devices.

[0097] In some examples, access to the air interface can be scheduled. The scheduling entity (e.g., BS) allocates resources for communication between some or all devices and equipment within its service area or cell. The scheduling entity can be responsible for scheduling, allocating, reconfiguring and releasing resources for one or more subordinate entities. That is, for scheduled communications, the subordinate entity utilizes the resources allocated by the scheduling entity. The base station is not the only entity that can act as a scheduling entity. In some examples, the UE can act as a scheduling entity and can schedule resources for one or more subordinate entities (e.g., one or more other UEs), and other UEs can use the resources scheduled by the UE for wireless communication. In some examples, the UE can be used as a scheduling entity in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network and / or a mesh network. In the mesh network example, in addition to communicating with the scheduling entity, the UEs can also communicate directly with each other.

[0098] In some examples, two or more slave entities (e.g., UEs) can communicate with each other using side link signals. Real-world applications of such side link communications may include public safety, proximity services, UE-to-network relay, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, Internet of Everything (IoE) communications, IoT communications, mission-critical grids, and / or various other suitable applications. Generally, a side link signal may refer to a signal that is communicated from one slave entity (e.g., UE1) to another slave entity (e.g., UE2) without relaying the communication through a scheduling entity (e.g., UE or BS), even if the scheduling entity is also used for scheduling and / or control purposes. In some examples, licensed spectrum can be used to communicate side link signals (unlike wireless local area networks that typically use unlicensed spectrum).

[0099] The method disclosed herein includes one or more steps or actions for implementing the method. Without departing from the scope of the claims, the method steps and / or actions can be interchangeable with each other. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or actions is specified, the order and / or use of specific steps and / or actions can be modified without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0100] As used herein, a phrase referring to "at least one" of a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. For example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc, as well as any combination with multiples of the same elements (e.g., aa, aaa, aab, aac, abb, acc, bb, bbb, bbc, cc, and ccc or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

[0101] As used herein, the term "determine" includes a variety of actions. For example, "determine" may include computing, calculating, processing, deriving, investigating, searching (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), determining, etc. In addition, "determine" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), etc. In addition, "determine" may include solving, selecting, choosing, establishing, etc.

[0102] The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the various aspects shown herein, but to conform to the full scope consistent with the language of the claims, wherein, unless otherwise specified, the elements mentioned in the singular are not intended to represent "one and only one", but "one or more". Unless otherwise explicitly stated, the term "some" refers to one or more. All structural and functional equivalents of the elements throughout the various aspects described in this disclosure are known or will be known to those of ordinary skill in the art, are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be covered by the claims. In addition, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public, regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly stated in the claims. The claims are not interpreted according to 35 U.S.C. § 112 (f), unless the element is explicitly stated using the phrase "unit for...", or in the case of a method claim, the phrase "step for..." is used to state the element.

[0103] The various operations of the above method can be performed by any suitable unit capable of performing the corresponding function. The unit may include various hardware and / or software components and / or modules, including but not limited to circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or processors. Generally, in the case of the operations shown in the figure, these operations may have corresponding corresponding functional components with similar numbers.

[0104] A general purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device (PLD), discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof for performing the functions described herein may implement or execute the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the present disclosure. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in an alternative example, the processor may be any commercially available processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors and a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0105] If implemented in hardware, an exemplary hardware configuration may include a processing system in a wireless node. The processing system may be implemented using a bus architecture. Depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of the processing system, the bus may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges. The bus may link various circuits together, including a processor, a machine-readable medium, and a bus interface. The bus interface may be used to connect a network adapter, etc., to the processing system via the bus. The network adapter may be used to implement the signal processing functions of the PHY layer. In a user terminal (see Figure 1 ), a user interface (e.g., keyboard, display, mouse, joystick, etc.) may also be connected to the bus. The bus may also link various other circuits known in the art, such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, etc., and therefore will not be described further. The processor may be implemented with one or more general and / or special purpose processors. Examples include microprocessors, microcontrollers, DSP processors, and other circuits that can execute software. Those skilled in the art will recognize how to best implement the described functionality for the processing system depending on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the entire system.

[0106] If implemented in software, the function may be stored on a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language or other, software should be broadly interpreted as instructions, data or a combination thereof. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, which include any media that facilitates the transfer of computer programs from one place to another. The processor may be responsible for managing the bus and general processing, including executing software modules stored on a machine-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium may be coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. In an alternative example, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor. As an example, the machine-readable medium may include a transmission line, a carrier modulated by data and / or a computer-readable storage medium on which instructions are stored and separated from a wireless node, all of which may be accessed by the processor through a bus interface. Alternatively or in addition, the machine-readable medium or any part thereof may be integrated into the processor, such as a case where a cache and / or a general register file may be provided. Examples of machine-readable storage media may include, for example, RAM (random access memory), flash memory, ROM (read only memory), PROM (programmable read only memory), EPROM (erasable programmable read only memory), EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read only memory), registers, magnetic disks, optical disks, hard drives, or any other suitable storage media, or any combination thereof. Machine-readable media may be embodied in a computer program product.

[0107] A software module may include a single instruction or many instructions, and may be distributed across several different code segments, between different programs, and across multiple storage media. A computer-readable medium may include multiple software modules. A software module includes instructions that, when executed by a device such as a processor, cause a processing system to perform various functions. A software module may include a sending module and a receiving module. Each software module may reside in a single storage device or be distributed in multiple storage devices. For example, when a triggering event occurs, a software module may be loaded from a hard drive into a RAM. During the execution of a software module, a processor may load some instructions into a cache to increase access speed. One or more cache lines may then be loaded into a general register file for execution by the processor. When the function of a software module is mentioned below, it should be understood that such a function is implemented by the processor when executing instructions from the software module.

[0108] In addition, any connection may be properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, wireless and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, wireless and microwave are included in the definition of the medium. As used herein, disk and disc include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Optical disks, where magnetic disks typically reproduce data magnetically, and optical disks use lasers to reproduce data optically. Thus, in some aspects, computer-readable media may include non-transitory computer-readable media (e.g., tangible media). Additionally, for other aspects, computer-readable media may include transitory computer-readable media (e.g., signals). Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0109] Thus, certain aspects may include a computer program product for performing the operations presented herein. For example, such a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium having instructions stored (and / or encoded) thereon, the instructions being executable by one or more processors to perform the operations described herein, such as for performing the operations described herein and Figure 4 and / or Figure 7 The operations shown in the instructions.

[0110] In addition, it should be understood that the modules and / or other appropriate units for performing the methods and techniques described herein can be downloaded and / or otherwise obtained by the user terminal and / or base station when applicable. For example, such a device can be coupled to a server to facilitate the transfer of the unit for performing the methods described herein. Alternatively, the various methods described herein can be provided via a storage unit (e.g., RAM, ROM, a physical storage medium such as a compact disc (CD) or a floppy disk), so that the user terminal and / or base station can obtain the various methods when the storage unit is coupled or provided to the device. In addition, any other suitable technology for providing the methods and techniques described herein to the device can be used.

[0111] It is to be understood that the claims are not limited to the precise configuration and components illustrated above. Various modifications, changes and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the methods and apparatus described above without departing from the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), include: Receiving, from a base station (BS), an allocation including at least one symbol beam switching gap based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of the UE, wherein receiving, from the BS, the allocation including the at least one symbol beam switching gap comprises: detecting one or more grants from the BS; When there is another grant indicating to use the same beam for adjacent time domain resources subsequent to the time domain resources allocated by the first grant, determining not to allocate the at least one symbol beam switching gap in the time domain resources allocated by the first grant; and Determining to allocate the at least one symbol beam switching gap in the time domain resources allocated by the first grant is performed in the following circumstances: the presence of another grant indicating use of a different beam for the adjacent time domain resources subsequent to the time domain resources allocated by the first grant, or not receiving another grant for allocating the time domain resource subsequent to the adjacent time domain resource allocated by the first grant; and Communicating with the BS using the allocation.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: include: Beam switching capability information is provided to the BS, wherein the allocating includes the at least one symbol beam switching gap further based on the beam switching capability information.

3. The method according to claim 1, in, Communicating with the BS using the allocation includes switching a beam for a second uplink or downlink transmission during the at least one symbol beam switching interval in a first uplink or downlink transmission.

4. The method according to claim 3, in, The first uplink or downlink transmission comprises a transmission on a channel using a first beam, and the second uplink or downlink transmission comprises a transmission on the channel using a second beam.

5. The method according to claim 3, in, The first uplink or downlink transmission comprises a transmission on a shared channel, and the second uplink or downlink transmission comprises a transmission on a control channel.

6. The method according to claim 3, in, The uplink transmission comprises a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission, and the downlink transmission comprises a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission.

7. The method according to claim 1, in, The allocation from the BS includes downlink control information (DCI) having a radio resource control (RRC) time domain resource allocation (TDRA) field indicating one of a plurality of RRC TDRA configurations.

8. The method according to claim 7, in: The TDRA configuration configures the number of symbols used for uplink or downlink transmission; and When the at least one symbol beam switching gap is allocated, the number of symbols is reduced by at least one symbol.

9. The method according to claim 8, in, The number of symbols is indicated by the Start and Length Indicator Value (SLIV) field in the TDRA.

10. The method according to claim 9, in, The first SLIV field is used when the at least one symbol beam switching slot is not allocated, and the separate second SLIV field is used when the at least one symbol beam switching slot is allocated.

11. The method according to claim 9, in, A single SLIV field is used, and a bit in the DCI indicates whether the at least one symbol is included.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: include: demodulate downlink transmissions; as well as When the at least one symbol beam switching gap is allocated, a log likelihood ratio (LLR) for a resource element (RE) in at least one symbol is zeroed.

13. A method for wireless communication by a base station (BS), include: Sending to a user equipment (UE) an allocation including at least one symbol beam switching gap based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of the UE, wherein sending the allocation comprises: sending, to the UE, a first grant for allocating a first time domain resource using a beam and a second grant for allocating an adjacent second time domain resource using the same beam, to indicate that the at least one symbol beam switching gap is not allocated in the first time domain resource allocated by the first grant; and sending, to the UE, the first grant for allocating a first time domain resource using the beam and the second grant for allocating an adjacent second time domain resource using a different beam, to indicate that the at least one symbol beam switching gap is allocated in the first time domain resource allocated by the first grant; and Communicating with the UE using the allocation.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: include: Beam switching capability information is received from the UE, wherein sending the allocation including the at least one symbol beam switching gap is also based at least in part on the beam switching capability information.

15. The method according to claim 13, in, Communicating with the UE using the allocation includes switching a beam for a second uplink or downlink transmission during the at least one symbol beam switching interval in a first uplink or downlink transmission.

16. The method according to claim 15, in, The first uplink or downlink transmission comprises transmission on a channel using a first beam, and the second uplink or downlink transmission comprises transmission on the channel using a second beam.

17. The method according to claim 15, in, The first uplink or downlink transmission comprises a transmission on a shared channel, and the second uplink or downlink transmission comprises a transmission on a control channel.

18. The method according to claim 15, in, The uplink transmission comprises a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission, and the downlink transmission comprises a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission.

19. The method according to claim 13, in, The sending of the allocation including the at least one symbol beam switching gap to the UE is also based on a beam switching capability of the BS.

20. The method according to claim 19, in, The beam switching capability of the BS is based on the number of active users and the number of antenna panels at the BS.

21. The method according to claim 13, in, The allocation includes downlink control information (DCI) having a radio resource control (RRC) time domain resource allocation (TDRA) field indicating a TDRA configuration.

22. The method according to claim 21, in: The TDRA configuration configures the number of symbols used for uplink or downlink transmission; and When the at least one symbol beam switching gap is allocated, the number of symbols is reduced by at least one symbol.

23. The method according to claim 22, in, The number of symbols is indicated by the start and length indicator value (SLIV).

24. The method according to claim 23, in, The first SLIV field is used when the at least one symbol beam switching slot is not allocated, and the separate second SLIV field is used when the at least one symbol beam switching slot is allocated.

25. The method according to claim 23, in, A single SLIV field is used, and a bit in the DCI indicates whether the at least one symbol beam switching gap is included.

26. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: include: Scheduling of a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) and downlink control information (DCI) is avoided in the at least one symbol beam switching gap.

27. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: include: When the at least one symbol beam switching gap is not allocated, a log likelihood ratio (LLR) for a resource element (RE) in at least one symbol is zeroed.

28. A device, include: Memory; as well as at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to: Receiving from a base station (BS) an allocation comprising at least one symbol beam switching gap based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of the apparatus, wherein, to receive the allocation from the BS, the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to: detecting one or more grants from the BS; When there is another grant indicating to use the same beam for adjacent time domain resources subsequent to the time domain resources allocated by the first grant, determining not to allocate the at least one symbol beam switching gap in the time domain resources allocated by the first grant; and Determining to allocate the at least one symbol beam switching gap in the time domain resources allocated by the first grant is performed in the following circumstances: the presence of another grant indicating use of a different beam for the adjacent time domain resources subsequent to the time domain resources allocated by the first grant, or not receiving another grant for allocating the time domain resource subsequent to the adjacent time domain resource allocated by the first grant; and Communicating with the BS using the allocation.

29. The device according to claim 28, in, The processor is further configured to provide beam switching capability information to the BS, wherein the allocating includes the at least one symbol beam switching gap further based on the beam switching capability information.

30. The device according to claim 28, in, The processor is configured to communicate with the BS using the allocation by switching a beam during at least one symbol in a first uplink or downlink transmission for a second uplink or downlink transmission.

31. The device according to claim 28, in, The allocation from the BS includes downlink control information (DCI) having a radio resource control (RRC) time domain resource allocation (TDRA) field indicating one of a plurality of RRC TDRA configurations.

32. A device, include: Memory; as well as at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to: transmitting to a user equipment (UE) an allocation comprising at least one symbol beam switching gap based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of the UE, wherein, to transmit the allocation to the UE, the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to: Sending, to the UE, a first grant for allocating a first time domain resource using a beam and a second grant for allocating an adjacent second time domain resource using the same beam, to indicate that the at least one symbol beam switching gap is not allocated in the first time domain resource allocated by the first grant; as well as sending, to the UE, the first grant for allocating a first time domain resource using the beam and the second grant for allocating an adjacent second time domain resource using a different beam, to indicate that the at least one symbol beam switching gap is allocated in the first time domain resource allocated by the first grant; and Communicating with the UE using the allocation.

33. The device according to claim 32, in, The processor is further configured to receive beam switching capability information from the UE, and wherein the processor is configured to send the allocation based at least in part on the beam switching capability information.

34. The device according to claim 32, in, The processor is configured to communicate with the UE using the allocation by switching a beam during at least one symbol in a first uplink or downlink transmission for a second uplink or downlink transmission.

35. The device according to claim 32, in, The allocation includes downlink control information (DCI) having a radio resource control (RRC) time domain resource allocation (TDRA) field indicating a TDRA configuration.

36. A device, include: Means for receiving, from a base station (BS), an allocation comprising at least one symbol beam switching gap based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of the apparatus, wherein the means for receiving, from the BS, the allocation comprising the at least one symbol beam switching gap comprises: means for detecting one or more grants from the BS; means for determining not to allocate the at least one symbol beam switching gap in the time domain resources allocated by the first grant when there is another grant indicating to use the same beam for adjacent time domain resources subsequent to the time domain resources allocated by the first grant; and means for determining to allocate the at least one symbol beam switching gap in the time domain resources allocated by the first grant under the following circumstances: the presence of another grant indicating use of a different beam for the adjacent time domain resources subsequent to the time domain resources allocated by the first grant, or not receiving another grant for allocating the time domain resource subsequent to the adjacent time domain resource allocated by the first grant; and Means for communicating with the BS using the allocation.

37. A device, include: Means for sending to a user equipment (UE) an allocation comprising at least one symbol beam switching gap based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of the UE, wherein the means for sending to the UE the allocation comprises: means for sending, to the UE, a first grant for allocating a first time domain resource using a beam and a second grant for allocating an adjacent second time domain resource using the same beam, to indicate that the at least one symbol beam switching gap is not allocated in the first time domain resource allocated by the first grant; and means for transmitting, to the UE, the first grant for allocating a first time domain resource using the beam and the second grant for allocating an adjacent second time domain resource using a different beam, to indicate allocating the at least one symbol beam switching gap in the first time domain resource allocated by the first grant; and means for communicating with the UE using the allocation.

38. A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer executable code stored thereon, the computer executable code, when executed by a processor, performing operations for wireless communications by a user equipment (UE), include: Receiving, from a base station (BS), an allocation including at least one symbol beam switching gap based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of the UE, wherein receiving, from the BS, the allocation including the at least one symbol beam switching gap comprises: detecting one or more grants from the BS; When there is another grant indicating to use the same beam for adjacent time domain resources subsequent to the time domain resources allocated by the first grant, determining not to allocate the at least one symbol beam switching gap in the time domain resources allocated by the first grant; and Determining to allocate the at least one symbol beam switching gap in the time domain resources allocated by the first grant is performed in the following circumstances: the presence of another grant indicating use of a different beam for the adjacent time domain resources subsequent to the time domain resources allocated by the first grant, or not receiving another grant for allocating the time domain resource subsequent to the adjacent time domain resource allocated by the first grant; and Communicating with the BS using the allocation.

39. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable code which, when executed by a processor, performs operations for wireless communications by a base station, include: Sending to a user equipment (UE) an allocation comprising at least one symbol beam switching gap based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of the UE, wherein sending the allocation to the UE comprises: sending, to the UE, a first grant for allocating a first time domain resource using a beam and a second grant for allocating an adjacent second time domain resource using the same beam, to indicate that the at least one symbol beam switching gap is not allocated in the first time domain resource allocated by the first grant; and sending, to the UE, the first grant for allocating a first time domain resource using the beam and the second grant for allocating an adjacent second time domain resource using a different beam, to indicate that the at least one symbol beam switching gap is allocated in the first time domain resource allocated by the first grant; and Communicating with the UE using the allocation.

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