Configuration for Sidelink Beam Management

Abstract

The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses for supporting configurations for sidelink beam management. In some cases, a base station may determine sidelink beams for beam sweeping and instruct a user equipment (UE) which sidelink beams to use. The base station may determine the sidelink beams for beam sweeping based on reports sent from the UE. In other cases, the UE may determine sidelink transmit beams for beam sweeping based on: UE capabilities, beam inputs from a receiving UE, or the base station determining which beams will be used and allocating resources for that beam sweeping. Additionally or alternatively, the base station may determine a portion of the sidelink beams for beam sweeping, and in addition to the beams indicated by the base station, the UE may also determine a portion of the sidelink beams that will be used for beam sweeping.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference

[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 941,674, titled "Configurations for Sidelink Beam Management," filed on November 27, 2019, by Akkarakaran et al., and U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 103,630, titled "Configurations for Sidelink Beam Management," filed on November 24, 2020, by Akkarakaran et al., each of which is assigned to the assignee of this application. Technical Field

[0003] The following generally relates to wireless communications and, more particularly, to configurations for sidelink beam management.

[0004] Background

[0005] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcasts, and the like. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multi-access systems include fourth-generation (4G) systems (such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems) and fifth-generation (5G) systems, which may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ various technologies, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA, or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multi-access communication system may include one or more base stations or one or more network access nodes, each of which simultaneously supports communication for multiple communication devices, which may otherwise be referred to as user equipment (UE).

[0006] A UE may use beamforming techniques to communicate with a base station or another UE. A UE may have multiple panels (e.g., antenna modules, antenna arrays) that are used to form communication beams (e.g., receive beams or transmit beams) for communicating with a base station or another UE. In some cases, a UE may communicate with other UEs via a sidelink channel.

[0007] Summary

[0008] The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatus for supporting configurations for sidelink beam management. Generally, the described techniques provide beamforming and beam management for sidelink communication. In some cases, a base station may determine sidelink beams for beam training and instruct a UE as to which sidelink beams to use. The base station may determine sidelink beams for beam training based on a report (or message) sent from the UE. The beam report may include beam sweeping capabilities, and in some cases, the UE may determine sidelink transmit beams for beam sweeping based on these beam sweeping capabilities, beam inputs from a receiving UE, or the base station determining which beams will be used and allocating resources for that beam sweeping. Additionally or alternatively, the base station may determine a portion of the sidelink beams for beam sweeping, and in addition to the beams indicated by the base station, the UE may also determine a portion of the sidelink beams that will be used for beam sweeping.

[0009] A method for wireless communication at a first UE is described. The method may include: transmitting a report to a base station, the report indicating beam sweeping capabilities of the first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE; receiving from the base station a beam sweeping configuration for the sidelink communication link based on the beam sweeping capabilities indicated by the first UE; and performing a beam sweeping procedure with the second UE based on the beam sweeping configuration.

[0010] An apparatus for wireless communication at a first UE is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: transmit a report to a base station, the report indicating beam sweeping capabilities of the first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE; receive from the base station a beam sweeping configuration for the sidelink communication link based on the beam sweeping capabilities indicated by the first UE; and perform a beam sweeping procedure with the second UE based on the beam sweeping configuration.

[0011] Another device for wireless communication at a first UE is described. The device may include means for: transmitting a report to a base station, the report indicating beam sweeping capabilities of the first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE; receiving from the base station a beam sweeping configuration for the sidelink communication link based on the beam sweeping capabilities indicated by the first UE; and performing a beam sweeping procedure with the second UE based on the beam sweeping configuration.

[0012] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a first UE is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor for: transmitting a report to a base station, the report indicating a beam sweeping ability of the first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE; receiving, from the base station, a beam sweeping configuration for the sidelink communication link based on the beam sweeping ability indicated by the first UE; and performing a beam sweeping procedure with the second UE based on the beam sweeping configuration.

[0013] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, transmitting a report indicating the beam sweeping ability of the first UE may include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for transmitting the number of antenna panels of the first UE. In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, transmitting a report indicating the beam sweeping ability of the first UE may include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for transmitting the number of antenna elements per antenna panel of the first UE.

[0014] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, transmitting a report indicating the beam sweeping ability of the first UE may include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for transmitting the type of oscillator associated with one or more antenna elements of the first UE.

[0015] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, transmitting a report indicating the beam sweeping ability of the first UE may include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for transmitting the relative orientation of a plurality of antenna panels of the first UE.

[0016] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, transmitting a report indicating the beam sweeping ability of the first UE may include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for transmitting form factor information of the first UE, where the form factor information includes an indication of: a form factor change of the first UE, a change in the relative position of one or more antenna panels based on the form factor of the first UE, the current form factor of the first UE, one or more external attachments of the first UE, or any combination thereof.

[0017] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, transmitting a report indicating the beam sweeping ability of the first UE may include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for transmitting UE capabilities of the first UE, where the UE capabilities include an indication of: support for slot-based reception, symbol-based reception, slot-based transmission, symbol-based transmission, the number of beam switches per slot, or any combination thereof.

[0018] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, receiving a beam sweep configuration may include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for receiving a beam sweep configuration via downlink control information (DCI), radio resource control (RRC) signaling, or media access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE).

[0019] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, receiving a beam sweep configuration may include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for receiving an indication of a set of transmit beams to be used for a beam sweep procedure for a first UE.

[0020] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, performing a beam sweep procedure with a second UE may include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for: transmitting reference signals to the second UE via a set of transmit beams; transmitting a measurement report of the beam sweep procedure based on the reference signals, where the measurement report includes measurement information associated with the reference signals; and receiving, in response to the measurement report, an indication of the next one or more transmit beams for subsequent use in the beam sweep procedure from a base station.

[0021] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for: receiving an indication of a transmit beam based on a measurement report, and performing a second beam sweep procedure using the transmit beam based on the indication.

[0022] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for: determining a set of transmit beams for a beam sweep procedure for a first UE; transmitting an indication of the set of transmit beams to a base station; and receiving, in response to the indication, a beam sweep configuration that includes time-frequency resources for the set of transmit beams for the beam sweep procedure.

[0023] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, a beam sweep configuration indicates time-frequency resources of a set of transmit beams for a beam sweep procedure for a first UE, and the beam sweep procedure may be performed using the indicated time-frequency resources.

[0024] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for the following actions: transmitting a request to a base station to use a first number of transmit beams in a beam sweeping procedure; and receiving, in response to the request, a beam sweeping configuration that includes a second number of transmit beams for the beam sweeping procedure. In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the first number may be the same as the second number.

[0025] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the first number may be based on the number of beam switches that a first UE can perform within a transmission time interval.

[0026] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for the following actions: determining a set of transmit beams for a first UE for a beam sweeping procedure; determining, for the set of transmit beams, a requested beam sweeping pattern that includes transmit beam repetitions for beam sweeping at a second UE; and transmitting the requested beam sweeping pattern to a base station for performing the beam sweeping procedure.

[0027] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for the following actions: receiving, in response to the requested beam sweeping pattern, a beam sweeping configuration that includes time-frequency resources for the set of transmit beams for the beam sweeping procedure according to the beam sweeping pattern.

[0028] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, receiving the beam sweeping configuration may include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for the following actions: receiving an indication of a first subset of transmit beams of a first UE that will be used for the beam sweeping procedure, selecting a second subset of transmit beams of the first UE that will be used for the beam sweeping procedure, and performing the beam sweeping procedure using the first subset of transmit beams and the second subset of transmit beams.

[0029] A method for wireless communication at a base station is described. The method may include: receiving a report from a first UE that indicates the beam sweeping capabilities of the first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE; determining a beam sweeping configuration for the sidelink communication link based on the beam sweeping capabilities indicated by the first UE; and transmitting the beam sweeping configuration to the first UE for a beam sweeping procedure between the first UE and the second UE.

[0030] Describes an apparatus for wireless communication at a base station. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: receive a report from a first UE, the report indicating a beam sweeping capability of the first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE; determine a beam sweeping configuration for the sidelink communication link based on the beam sweeping capability indicated by the first UE; and transmit the beam sweeping configuration to the first UE for a beam sweeping procedure between the first UE and the second UE.

[0031] Describes another device for wireless communication at a base station. The device may include means for: receiving a report from a first UE, the report indicating a beam sweeping capability of the first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE; determining a beam sweeping configuration for the sidelink communication link based on the beam sweeping capability indicated by the first UE; and transmitting the beam sweeping configuration to the first UE for a beam sweeping procedure between the first UE and the second UE.

[0032] Describes a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a base station. The code may include instructions executable by a processor for: receiving a report from a first UE, the report indicating a beam sweeping capability of the first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE; determining a beam sweeping configuration for the sidelink communication link based on the beam sweeping capability indicated by the first UE; and transmitting the beam sweeping configuration to the first UE for a beam sweeping procedure between the first UE and the second UE.

[0033] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, receiving a report indicating the beam sweeping capability of the first UE may include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving the number of antenna panels of the first UE.

[0034] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, receiving a report indicating the beam sweeping capability of the first UE may include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving the number of antenna elements per antenna panel of the first UE.

[0035] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, receiving a report indicating the beam sweeping capability of the first UE may include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving the type of oscillator associated with one or more antenna elements of the first UE.

[0036] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, receiving a report indicating the beam sweeping capabilities of a first UE may include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for receiving the relative orientation of a plurality of antenna panels of the first UE.

[0037] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, receiving a report indicating the beam sweeping capabilities of a first UE may include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for receiving form factor information of the first UE, where the form factor information includes an indication of any of: a change in the form factor of the first UE, a change in the relative positions of one or more antenna panels based on the form factor of the first UE, the current form factor of the first UE, one or more external attachments of the first UE, or any combination thereof.

[0038] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, receiving a report indicating the beam sweeping capabilities of a first UE may include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for receiving UE capabilities of the first UE, where the UE capabilities include an indication of any of: support for slot-based reception, symbol-based reception, slot-based transmission, symbol-based transmission, the number of beam switches per slot, or any combination thereof.

[0039] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, transmitting a beam sweeping configuration may include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for: transmitting the beam sweeping configuration via DCI, RRC signaling, or MAC-CE.

[0040] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, transmitting a beam sweeping configuration may include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for transmitting an indication of a set of transmit beams of the first UE that will be used for a beam sweeping procedure.

[0041] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for: receiving a measurement report of the beam sweeping procedure based on the indication, where the measurement report includes measurement information associated with one or more reference signals as part of the beam sweeping procedure; and transmitting a next transmit beam to the first UE in response to the measurement report, the next transmit beam for subsequent use in the beam sweeping procedure.

[0042] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for the following actions: receiving a measurement report of a beam sweeping procedure from a first UE or a second UE, and transmitting an indication of a transmit beam for a second beam sweeping procedure based on the measurement report.

[0043] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for the following actions: receiving an indication of a set of transmit beams of a first UE for a beam sweeping procedure from the first UE, and transmitting a beam sweeping configuration for the set of transmit beams for the beam sweeping procedure in a beam sweeping configuration.

[0044] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the beam sweeping configuration includes time-frequency resources of a set of transmit beams of a first UE for a beam sweeping procedure.

[0045] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for the following actions: receiving a request from a first UE to use a first number of transmit beams for a beam sweeping procedure, and transmitting a second number of transmit beams for the beam sweeping procedure in a beam sweeping configuration based on the request.

[0046] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the first number may be the same as the second number. In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the first number may be based on the number of beam switching times that the first UE can perform within a transmission time interval.

[0047] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for the following actions: receiving a requested beam sweeping mode for performing a beam sweeping procedure from a first UE, the requested beam sweeping mode including transmit beam repetitions for beam sweeping at a second UE; and transmitting a beam sweeping configuration in response to a control message.

[0048] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the beam sweeping configuration includes time-frequency resources of the requested beam sweeping mode for the beam sweeping procedure.

[0049] A method for wireless communication at a receiving UE is described. The method may include: receiving, via the sidelink communication link, reference signals from a transmitting UE as part of a beam training procedure for the sidelink communication link; and transmitting, based on the reference signals, a measurement report of a beam sweeping procedure to a base station or the transmitting UE, where the measurement report includes measurement information associated with the reference signals.

[0050] An apparatus for wireless communication at a receiving UE is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatus: to receive, via the sidelink communication link, reference signals from a transmitting UE as part of a beam training procedure for the sidelink communication link; and to transmit, based on the reference signals, a measurement report of a beam sweeping procedure to a base station or the transmitting UE, where the measurement report includes measurement information associated with the reference signals.

[0051] Another device for wireless communication at a receiving UE is described. The device may include means for: receiving, via the sidelink communication link, reference signals from a transmitting UE as part of a beam training procedure for the sidelink communication link; and transmitting, based on the reference signals, a measurement report of a beam sweeping procedure to a base station or the transmitting UE, where the measurement report includes measurement information associated with the reference signals.

[0052] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a receiving UE is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor for: receiving, via the sidelink communication link, reference signals from a transmitting UE as part of a beam training procedure for the sidelink communication link; and transmitting, based on the reference signals, a measurement report of a beam sweeping procedure to a base station or the transmitting UE, where the measurement report includes measurement information associated with the reference signals.

[0053] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the measurement report includes one or more reference signals communicated on the sidelink communication link and an associated received beam for each of the one or more reference signals. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0055] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system supporting configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0056] Figure 2 An example of a wireless communication system supporting configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0057] Figure 3 An example of a process flow supporting configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0058] Figure 4 and Figure 5 A block diagram of a device supporting configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0059] Figure 6 A block diagram of a communication manager supporting configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0060] Figure 7 A diagram of a system including a device supporting configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0061] Figure 8 and Figure 9 A block diagram of a device supporting configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0062] Figure 10 A block diagram of a communication manager supporting configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0063] Figure 11 A diagram of a system including a device supporting configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0064] Figures 12 to 16 A flowchart illustrating a method supporting configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0065] Detailed Description

[0066] A wireless communication system may support both an access link and a sidelink for communication between wireless devices. The access link may refer to a communication link between a UE and a base station. For example, the access link may support uplink signaling, downlink signaling, connection procedures, etc. The sidelink may refer to any communication link between similar wireless devices (e.g., a communication link between UEs, a backhaul communication link between base stations, etc.). It should be noted that although the various examples provided herein are discussed with respect to UE sidelink devices, such sidelink techniques may be used for any type of wireless device that uses sidelink communication. For example, the sidelink may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, message relaying, discovery signaling, beacon signaling, or any combination of these or other signals transmitted over-the-air from one wireless device to one or more other wireless devices.

[0067] As the demand for sidelink communication increases (e.g., due to the growing V2X demand for autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles, D2D communication between Internet of Things (IoT) devices, factory automation, etc.), techniques for efficiently and reliably enhancing the throughput and reliability of sidelink channels are desired. Techniques such as those discussed in various aspects of the present disclosure provide beam management for sidelink communication. The base station and the UE may perform beam training procedures, which may include beam sweeping procedures for sidelink communication.

[0068] In some cases, the base station may determine sidelink beams (e.g., transmit beams or receive beams) for UE beam training and instruct the UE which sidelink beams to use. The base station may determine the sidelink beams for beam training based on reports sent from the UE. The report may include the beam sweeping capabilities of the UE, and in some cases, the UE may determine the sidelink transmit beams for beam sweeping based on these beam sweeping capabilities, beam inputs from receiving UEs, or the base station determining which beams will be used and allocating resources for that beam sweeping. Additionally or alternatively, the base station may determine a portion of the sidelink beams for beam sweeping, and in addition to the beams indicated by the base station, the UE may also determine a portion of the sidelink beams to be used for beam sweeping.

[0069] Certain aspects of the subject matter described herein may be implemented to achieve one or more advantages. The described techniques may support advantages such as improved sidelink beam management, reduced signaling overhead, and increased reliability. As such, the supported techniques may include improved network operation and, in some examples, may enhance network efficiency and other benefits.

[0070] Aspects of the present disclosure are initially described in the context of a wireless communication system. Additionally, aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated by additional wireless communication systems, examples of beam sweeping configurations, and process flows. Aspects of the present disclosure are further illustrated and described by and with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts related to configurations for sidelink beam management.

[0071] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system 100 supporting configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The wireless communication system 100 may include one or more base stations 105, one or more UEs 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network, an LTE-A Pro network, or a New Radio (NR) network. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may support enhanced broadband communication, ultra-reliable (e.g., mission-critical) communication, low latency communication, communication with low-cost and low-complexity devices, or any combination thereof.

[0072] Each base station 105 can be dispersed throughout a geographic area to form a wireless communication system 100 and can be different forms of devices or devices with different capabilities. The base station 105 and the UE 115 can perform wireless communication via one or more communication links 125. Each base station 105 can provide a coverage area 110, and the UE 115 and the base station 105 can establish one or more communication links 125 over the coverage area 110. The coverage area 110 can be an example of a geographic area over which the base station 105 and the UE 115 can support signal communication according to one or more radio access technologies.

[0073] Each UE 115 can be dispersed throughout the coverage area 110 of the wireless communication system 100, and each UE 115 can be stationary or mobile, or stationary and mobile at different times. The UE 115 can be different forms of devices or devices with different capabilities. Some example UEs 115 are illustrated in Figure 1 . The UEs 115 described herein can be capable of communicating with various types of devices (such as other UEs 115, base stations 105, or network equipment (e.g., core network nodes, relay devices, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, or other network equipment)), as Figure 1 shown in.

[0074] Each base station 105 can communicate with the core network 130 or with each other or both. For example, the base station 105 can interface with the core network 130 via one or more backhaul links 120 (e.g., via S1, N2, N3, or other interfaces). The base stations 105 can communicate with each other directly (e.g., directly between the base stations 105) or indirectly (e.g., via the core network 130), or directly and indirectly over the backhaul links 120 (e.g., via X2, Xn, or other interfaces). In some examples, the backhaul link 120 can be or include one or more wireless links.

[0075] One or more of the base stations 105 described herein can include or can be referred to by those of ordinary skill in the art as a base transceiver station, radio base station, access point, radio transceiver, B node, evolved B node (eNB), next-generation B node, or gigabit B node (any of which can be referred to as a gNB), home B node, home evolved B node, or other suitable terms.

[0076] The UE 115 may include or may be referred to as a mobile device, wireless device, remote device, handheld device, or subscriber device, or some other suitable term, where the "device" may also be referred to as a unit, station, terminal, or client, etc. The UE 115 may also include or be referred to as a personal electronic device, such as a cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet computer, laptop computer, or personal computer. In some examples, the UE 115 may include or be referred to as a wireless local loop (WLL) station, Internet of Things (IoT) device, Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or machine type communication (MTC) device, etc., which may be implemented in various objects such as electrical appliances, vehicles, meters, etc.

[0077] The UE 115 described herein may be capable of communicating with various types of devices, such as other UE 115s that may sometimes act as relays, as well as the base station 105 and network equipment including macro eNBs or gNBs, small cell eNBs or gNBs, relay base stations, etc., as Figure 1 shown.

[0078] The UE 115 and the base station 105 may communicate wirelessly with each other via one or more communication links 125 on one or more carriers. The term "carrier" may refer to a set of radio frequency spectrum resources that have a defined physical layer structure for supporting the communication link 125. For example, the carrier for the communication link 125 may include a portion (e.g., bandwidth part (BWP)) of the radio frequency spectrum band that operates according to one or more physical layer channels for a given radio access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR). Each physical layer channel may carry acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information), control signaling for coordinating carrier operation, user data, or other signaling. The wireless communication system 100 may support communicating with the UE 115 using carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation. The UE 115 may be configured to have multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation may be used in conjunction with both frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) component carriers.

[0079] In some examples (e.g., in a carrier aggregation configuration), the carrier may also have acquisition signaling or control signaling for coordinating the operation of other carriers. The carrier may be associated with a frequency channel (e.g., evolved universal mobile telecommunications system terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) absolute radio frequency channel number (EARFCN)) and may be positioned according to a channel raster for discovery by the UE 115. The carrier may operate in a stand-alone mode in which initial acquisition and connection may be performed by the UE 115 via the carrier, or the carrier may operate in a non-stand-alone mode in which the connection is anchored using a different carrier (e.g., different carriers of the same or different radio access technologies).

[0080] The communication link 125 shown in the wireless communication system 100 may include an uplink transmission from the UE 115 to the base station 105, or a downlink transmission from the base station 105 to the UE 115. A carrier may carry downlink or uplink communication (e.g., in FDD mode), or may be configured to carry both downlink communication and uplink communication (e.g., in TDD mode).

[0081] A carrier may be associated with a particular bandwidth of the radio frequency spectrum, and in some examples, the carrier bandwidth may be referred to as the "system bandwidth" of the carrier or the wireless communication system 100. For example, the carrier bandwidth may be one of several determined bandwidths of a carrier of a particular radio access technology (e.g., 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, or 80 megahertz (MHz)). Devices of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., the base station 105, the UE 115, or both) may have a hardware configuration that supports communication on a particular carrier bandwidth, or may be configurable to support communication on one of the carrier bandwidths in a carrier bandwidth set. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may include a base station 105 or a UE 115 that supports simultaneous communication via carriers associated with multiple carrier bandwidths. In some examples, each served UE 115 may be configured to operate on a portion (e.g., a subband, a BWP) or all of the carrier bandwidth.

[0082] The signal waveform transmitted on a carrier may include multiple subcarriers (e.g., using a multi-carrier modulation (MCM) technique such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM)). In a system that employs an MCM technique, a resource element may include one symbol period (e.g., the duration of one modulated symbol) and one subcarrier, where the symbol period and the subcarrier spacing are inversely related. The number of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme, the coding rate of the modulation scheme, or both). Thus, the more resource elements the UE 115 receives and the higher the order of the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate of the UE 115 can be. Wireless communication resources may refer to a combination of radio frequency spectrum resources, time resources, and spatial resources (e.g., spatial layers or beams), and using multiple spatial layers may further increase the data rate or data integrity of communication with the UE 115.

[0083] Support one or more parameter designs for a carrier, where the parameter design may include subcarrier spacing (Δf) and cyclic prefix. The carrier can be divided into one or more BWPs with the same or different parameter designs. In some examples, UE 115 can be configured with multiple BWPs. In some examples, a single BWP for a carrier can be active at a given time, and the communication for UE 115 can be limited to one or more active BWPs.

[0084] The time interval of base station 105 or UE 115 can be expressed as a multiple of a basic time unit, and the basic time unit can refer to, for example, the sampling period T s = 1 / (Δf max ·N f ) seconds, where Δf max can represent the maximum supported subcarrier spacing, and N f can represent the maximum supported discrete Fourier transform (DFT) size. The time intervals of communication resources can be organized according to radio frames each having a specified duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms)). Each radio frame can be identified by a system frame number (SFN) (e.g., ranging from 0 to 1023).

[0085] Each frame can include a plurality of consecutively numbered subframes or time slots, and each subframe or time slot can have the same duration. In some examples, a frame can be divided (e.g., in the time domain) into subframes, and each subframe can be further divided into several time slots. Alternatively, each frame can include a variable number of time slots, and the number of time slots can depend on the subcarrier spacing. Each time slot can include several symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of the cyclic prefix added before each symbol period). In some wireless communication systems 100, a time slot can be further divided into multiple mini - slots containing one or more symbols. Excluding the cyclic prefix, each symbol period can contain one or more (e.g., N f ones) sampling periods. The duration of the symbol period can depend on the subcarrier spacing or the operating frequency band.

[0086] A subframe, time slot, mini - slot, or symbol can be the smallest scheduling unit (e.g., in the time domain) of wireless communication system 100 and can be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI). In some examples, the TTI duration (e.g., the number of symbol periods in the TTI) can be variable. Additionally or alternatively, the smallest scheduling unit of wireless communication system 100 can be dynamically selected (e.g., in bursts of shortened TTI (sTTI)).

[0087] Physical channels can be multiplexed on a carrier according to various techniques. The physical control channel and the physical data channel can be multiplexed on a downlink carrier using, for example, one or more of time division multiplexing (TDM) techniques, frequency division multiplexing (FDM) techniques, or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques. A control region (e.g., a control resource set (CORESET)) for the physical control channel can be defined by the number of symbol periods and can extend across the system bandwidth of the carrier or a subset of the system bandwidth. One or more control regions (e.g., CORESETs) can be configured for a set of UEs 115. For example, one or more of the UEs 115 can monitor or search for a control region for control information according to one or more search space sets, and each search space set can include one or more control channel candidates in one or more aggregation levels arranged in a cascaded manner. The aggregation level for a control channel candidate can refer to the number of control channel resources (e.g., control channel elements (CCEs)) associated with the encoded information for a control information format having a given payload size. The search space set can include a common search space set configured to send control information to multiple UEs 115 and a UE-specific search space set for sending control information to a specific UE 115.

[0088] Each base station 105 can provide communication coverage via one or more cells (e.g., macro cells, small cells, hotspots, or other types of cells, or any combination thereof). The term "cell" can refer to a logical communication entity for communicating with a base station 105 (e.g., on a carrier) and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), a virtual cell identifier (VCID), or others) for differentiating adjacent cells. In some examples, a cell can also refer to a geographic coverage area 110 or a portion of the geographic coverage area 110 (e.g., a sector) on which the logical communication entity operates. The scope of such cells can vary from a smaller area (e.g., a structure, a subset of a structure) to a larger area depending on various factors such as the capabilities of the base station 105. For example, a cell can be or include a building, a subset of a building, or an external space between or overlapping with the geographic coverage area 110, and other examples.

[0089] Macro cells generally cover a relatively large geographical area (e.g., with a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unconstrained access by UEs 115 having a service subscription with the network provider that supports the macro cell. Small cells may be associated with lower power base stations 105 (compared to macro cells), and small cells may operate in the same or different (e.g., licensed, unlicensed) frequency bands as macro cells. Small cells may provide unconstrained access to UEs 115 having a service subscription with the network provider, or may provide constrained access to UEs 115 associated with the small cell (e.g., UEs 115 in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs 115 associated with users in a home or office). A base station 105 may support one or more cells and may also support communication on one or more cells using one or more component carriers.

[0090] In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells and may be configured with different cells according to different protocol types that may provide access for different types of devices (e.g., MTC, narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB)).

[0091] In some examples, the base station 105 may be movable and thus provide communication coverage for a mobile geographical coverage area 110. In some examples, different geographical coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, but different geographical coverage areas 110 may be supported by the same base station 105. In other examples, overlapping geographical coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by different base stations 105. The wireless communication system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous network in which different types of base stations 105 use the same or different radio access technologies to provide coverage for various geographical coverage areas 110.

[0092] The wireless communication system 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the base stations 105 may have similar frame timings, and transmissions from different base stations 105 may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the base stations 105 may have different frame timings, and in some examples, transmissions from different base stations 105 may not be aligned in time. The techniques described herein may be used for synchronous or asynchronous operation.

[0093] Some UEs 115 (such as MTC or IoT devices) can be low-cost or low-complexity devices and can provide automated communication between machines (e.g., via machine-to-machine (M2M) communication). M2M communication or MTC can refer to data communication technologies that allow devices to communicate with each other or with the base station 105 without human intervention. In some examples, M2M communication or MTC can include communication from devices integrated with sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay such information to a central server or application, which utilizes the information or presents the information to a person interacting with the application. Some UEs 115 can be designed to collect information or implement automated behavior of machines or other devices. Examples of applications for MTC devices include: smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wilderness survival monitoring, weather and geographical event monitoring, queue management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based commercial charging.

[0094] Some UEs 115 can be configured to operate in power-saving modes, such as half-duplex communication (e.g., a mode that supports one-way communication via transmission or reception but not simultaneous transmission and reception). In some examples, half-duplex communication can be performed at a reduced peak rate. Other power-saving techniques for UEs 115 include entering a deep sleep power-saving mode when not participating in active communication, operating on a limited bandwidth (e.g., according to narrowband communication), or a combination of these techniques. For example, some UEs 115 can be configured for operation using a narrowband protocol type associated with a defined portion or range within a carrier, within a guard band of the carrier, or outside the carrier (e.g., a set of subcarriers or resource blocks (RBs)).

[0095] The wireless communication system 100 can be configured to support ultra-reliable communication or low-latency communication or various combinations thereof. For example, the wireless communication system 100 can be configured to support ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) or mission-critical communication. The UE 115 can be designed to support ultra-reliable, low-latency, or critical functions (e.g., mission-critical functions). Ultra-reliable communication can include private communication or group communication and can be supported by one or more mission-critical services (such as mission-critical push-to-talk (MCPTT), mission-critical video (MCVideo), or mission-critical data (MCData)). Support for mission-critical functions can include prioritization of services, and mission-critical services can be used for public safety or general commercial applications. The terms ultra-reliable, low-latency, mission-critical, and ultra-reliable low-latency can be used interchangeably herein.

[0096] In some examples, UE 115 may also be able to communicate directly with other UEs 115 over a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 135 (e.g., using peer-to-peer (P2P) or D2D protocols). One or more UEs 115 utilizing D2D communication may be within the geographic coverage area 110 of base station 105. Other UEs 115 in such a group may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of base station 105 or may be unable to receive transmissions from base station 105 for other reasons. In some examples, groups of UEs 115 communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system where each UE 115 transmits to every other UE 115 in the group. In some examples, base station 105 facilitates the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication is performed between UEs 115 without involving base station 105.

[0097] In some systems, D2D communication link 135 may be an example of a communication channel (such as a sidelink communication channel) between vehicles (e.g., UE 115). In some examples, vehicles may communicate using vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, or some combination of these communications. Vehicles may signal information related to traffic conditions, signal scheduling, weather, safety, emergencies, or any other information related to the V2X system. In some examples, vehicles in a V2X system may communicate with roadside infrastructure (such as roadside units), or with the network, or with both, using vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication via one or more network nodes (e.g., base station 105).

[0098] Core network 130 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. Core network 130 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC), and the EPC or 5GC may include at least one control plane entity that manages access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), an access and mobility management function (AMF)), and at least one user plane entity that routes packets or interconnects to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or a user plane function (UPF)). The control plane entity may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions such as the mobility, authentication, and bearer management of UEs 115 served by base station 105 associated with core network 130. User IP packets may be passed through the user plane entity, which may provide IP address allocation and other functions. The user plane entity may be connected to network operator IP services 150. Network operator IP services 150 may include access to the Internet, an intranet, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), or a packet-switched streaming service.

[0099] Some network devices (such as base station 105) may include sub-components, such as access network entity 140, which may be an example of an access node controller (ANC). Each access network entity 140 may communicate with respective UEs 115 via one or more other access network transmission entities 145, which may be referred to as radio heads, intelligent radio heads, or transmit / receive points (TRPs). Each access network transmission entity 145 may include one or more antenna panels. In some configurations, various functions of each access network entity 140 or base station 105 may be distributed across various network devices (e.g., radio heads and ANCs) or combined into a single network device (e.g., base station 105).

[0100] The wireless communication system 100 may operate using one or more frequency bands, typically in the range of 300 megahertz (MHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz). Generally, the 300 MHz to 3 GHz division is known as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) division or the decimeter band, because the wavelengths are in the range of approximately one decimeter to one meter in length. UHF waves may be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features, but these waves can sufficiently penetrate various structures for macrocells to serve UEs 115 located indoors. Compared to transmissions using smaller frequencies and longer waves in the high frequency (HF) or very high frequency (VHF) portions of the spectrum below 300 MHz, UHF wave transmissions may be associated with smaller antennas and shorter ranges (e.g., less than 100 kilometers).

[0101] The wireless communication system 100 may also operate in the super-high frequency (SHF) division of the spectrum from 3 GHz to 30 GHz (also known as the centimeter band) or in the extremely high frequency (EHF) division of the spectrum (e.g., from 30 GHz to 300 GHz) (also known as the millimeter band). In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may support millimeter wave (mmW) communications between UEs 115 and base stations 105, and the EHF antennas of the corresponding devices may be smaller and more closely spaced than UHF antennas. In some examples, this may facilitate the use of antenna arrays within the devices. However, the propagation of EHF transmissions may experience even greater atmospheric attenuation and shorter ranges than SHF or UHF transmissions. The techniques disclosed herein may be employed across transmissions using one or more different frequency divisions, and the use of frequency bands designated across these frequency divisions may vary by country or regulatory authority.

[0102] The wireless communication system 100 can utilize both licensed and unlicensed radio frequency bands. For example, the wireless communication system 100 can employ licensed-assisted access (LAA), LTE-unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technologies, or NR technologies in an unlicensed band (such as the 5 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band). When operating in an unlicensed radio frequency band, devices (such as base station 105 and UE 115) can employ carrier sensing for collision detection and avoidance. In some examples, operations in the unlicensed band can be coordinated with a component carrier operating in a licensed band based on a carrier aggregation configuration (e.g., LAA). Operations in the unlicensed spectrum can include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, P2P transmissions, or D2D transmissions, etc.

[0103] Base station 105 or UE 115 can be equipped with multiple antennas, which can be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication, or beamforming. The antennas of base station 105 or UE 115 can be located within one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels that can support MIMO operations or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays can be co-located at an antenna assembly (such as an antenna tower). In some examples, the antennas or antenna arrays associated with base station 105 can be located at different geographical locations. Base station 105 can have an antenna array that has several rows and columns of antenna ports for beamforming that base station 105 can use to support communication with UE 115. Similarly, UE 115 can have one or more antenna arrays that can support various MIMO or beamforming operations. Additionally or alternatively, an antenna panel can support radio frequency beamforming for signals transmitted via an antenna port.

[0104] Base station 105 or UE 115 can use MIMO communication to utilize multipath signal propagation and improve spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers. Such techniques can be referred to as spatial multiplexing. For example, a transmitting device can transmit multiple signals via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Similarly, a receiving device can receive multiple signals via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Each of the multiple signals can be referred to as a separate spatial stream and can carry bits associated with the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams (e.g., different codewords). Different spatial layers can be associated with different antenna ports for channel measurement and reporting. MIMO techniques include single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO), where multiple spatial layers are transmitted to the same receiving device; and multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO), where multiple spatial layers are transmitted to multiple devices.

[0105] Beamforming, which may also be referred to as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception, is a signal processing technique that can be used at a transmitting device or a receiving device (e.g., base station 105, UE 115) to shape or steer an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam, a receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitting device and the receiving device. Beamforming can be achieved by combining signals communicated via the antenna elements of an antenna array such that some signals propagating in a particular orientation relative to the antenna array experience constructive interference while other signals experience destructive interference. Adjusting the signals communicated via the antenna elements can include the transmitting device or the receiving device applying an amplitude offset, a phase offset, or both to the signals carried via the antenna elements associated with the device. The adjustments associated with each antenna element can be defined by a set of beamforming weights associated with a particular orientation (e.g., relative to the antenna array of the transmitting device or the receiving device, or relative to some other orientation).

[0106] The base station 105 or the UE 115 can use beam sweeping techniques as part of beamforming operations. For example, the base station 105 can use multiple antennas or antenna arrays (e.g., antenna panels) to perform beamforming operations for directional communication with the UE 115. Some signals (e.g., synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) can be transmitted by the base station 105 multiple times in different directions. For example, the base station 105 can transmit signals according to different sets of beamforming weights associated with different transmission directions. Transmissions in different beam directions can be used (e.g., by the transmitting device such as the base station 105 or the receiving device such as the UE 115) to identify the beam direction used by the base station 105 for later transmission or reception.

[0107] Some signals (such as data signals associated with a particular receiving device) can be transmitted by the base station 105 in a single beam direction (e.g., the direction associated with the receiving device such as the UE 115). In some examples, the beam direction associated with transmission in a single beam direction can be determined based on signals transmitted in one or more beam directions. For example, the UE 115 can receive one or more signals transmitted by the base station 105 in different directions and can report to the base station 105 an indication of the signal that the UE 115 receives with the highest signal quality or other acceptable signal quality.

[0108] In some examples, transmissions performed by a device (e.g., by base station 105 or UE 115) may be carried out using multiple beam directions, and the device may use a combination of digital precoding or radio frequency beamforming to generate a combined beam for transmission (e.g., from base station 105 to UE 105). UE 115 may report feedback indicating precoding weights for one or more beam directions, and the feedback may correspond to a configured number of beams across the system bandwidth or one or more subbands. Base station 105 may transmit reference signals that may be precoded or unencoded (e.g., cell-specific reference signal (CRS), channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS)). UE 115 may provide feedback for beam selection, which may be a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) or codebook-based feedback (e.g., multi-panel type codebook, linear combination type codebook, port selection type codebook). Although these techniques are described with reference to signals transmitted by base station 105 in one or more directions, UE 115 may use similar techniques for transmitting signals multiple times in different directions (e.g., for identifying beam directions used by UE 115 for subsequent transmissions or receptions) or for transmitting signals in a single direction (e.g., for transmitting data to a receiving device).

[0109] A receiving device (e.g., UE 115) may attempt multiple receive configurations (e.g., directional listening) when receiving various signals (such as synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) from base station 105. For example, the receiving device may attempt multiple receive directions by: receiving via different antenna subarrays, processing received signals according to different antenna subarrays, receiving according to different sets of receive beamforming weights (e.g., different directional listening weight sets) applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array, or processing received signals according to different sets of receive beamforming weights applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array, any of which may be referred to as "listening" according to different receive configurations or receive directions. In some examples, the receiving device may use a single receive configuration to receive along a single beam direction (e.g., when receiving a data signal). The single receive configuration may be aligned in a beam direction determined based on listening according to different receive configuration directions (e.g., a beam direction determined to have the highest signal strength, highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or other acceptable signal quality based on listening according to multiple beam directions).

[0110] The wireless communication system 100 can be a packet-based network that operates according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, the communication of the bearer or Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer can be IP-based. The Radio Link Control (RLC) layer can perform packet segmentation and reassembly for communication over logical channels. The Media Access Control (MAC) layer can perform priority handling and multiplex logical channels into transport channels. The MAC layer can also use error detection techniques, error correction techniques, or both to support retransmissions at the MAC layer to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol layer can provide the establishment, configuration, and maintenance of an RRC connection that supports radio bearers for user plane data between the UE 115 and the base station 105 or the core network 130. At the physical layer, transport channels can be mapped to physical channels.

[0111] The UE 115 and the base station 105 can support retransmissions of data to increase the likelihood that the data is successfully received. Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback is a technique for increasing the likelihood that data is correctly received over the communication link 125. HARQ can include a combination of error detection (e.g., using Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)), Forward Error Correction (FEC), and retransmissions (e.g., Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ)). HARQ can improve the throughput of the MAC layer in poor radio conditions (e.g., low signal-to-noise ratio conditions). In some examples, a device can support simultaneous slot HARQ feedback, where the device can provide HARQ feedback for data received in a previous symbol in a particular slot during that slot. In other cases, the device can provide HARQ feedback in a subsequent slot or according to some other time interval.

[0112] In some cases, the base station 105 can determine sidelink beams for beam training of the UE 115 and instruct the UE 115 as to which sidelink beams to use. The base station 105 can determine the sidelink beams for beam training based on reports sent from the UE 115. The beam report can include the beam sweeping capabilities of the UE 115, which can include antenna panel positions, antenna panel orientations, dynamic shape factors, or other UE capabilities (such as the number of beam switches that can be performed in a slot, support for slot-based reception, symbol-based reception, slot-based transmission, or symbol-based transmission, etc.). In some cases, the UE 115 can determine sidelink transmit beams for beam sweeping based on the beam sweeping capabilities of the UE 115, beam inputs from the receiving UE 115, or the base station 105 determining which beams will be used and allocating resources for that beam sweeping. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 105 can determine a portion of the sidelink beams for beam sweeping, and in addition to the beams indicated by the base station 105, the UE 115 can also determine a portion of the sidelink beams that will be used for beam sweeping.

[0113] Figure 2 An example of a wireless communication system 200 that supports configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is described. In some examples, the wireless communication system 200 may implement aspects of the wireless communication system 100. In some examples, the wireless communication system 200 may include UE 115-a, UE 115-b, and base station 105-a, which may be examples of the UE 115 and base station 105 described with reference to Figure 1 One or more of these UEs 115 may communicate with the base station 105-a using corresponding access links 205 (e.g., the Uu interface). In this example, the base station 105-a may communicate with the UE 115-a via the access link 205-a and may communicate with the UE 115-b via the access link 205-b.

[0114] UE 115-a and UE 115-b may communicate via the sidelink 210 using beamformed or directed transmissions and non-beamformed transmissions. For example, UE 115-a may send a transmission to UE 115-b using the beamformed transmit beam 215, which may be one of several transmit beams (such as transmit beams 215-a, 215-b, and 215-c) used by the base station 105-a. UE 115-b may receive the transmission from UE 115-a using the beamformed receive beam 220, which may be one of several receive beams (such as receive beams 220-a, 220-b, and 220-c) used by UE 115-b.

[0115] In some examples, the base station 105-a may be considered a controlling UE, where the controlling UE acts as a scheduling entity for sidelink communication with the UE 115. That is, sidelink communication may be controlled (e.g., coordinated, scheduled, allocated, etc.) by the controlling UE with respect to the sidelink communication performed between UE 115-a and UE 115-b. Accordingly, the controlling UE may schedule and allocate appropriate resources and communicate these resources to the UE 115. In some cases, when the controlling UE and UE 115-a (e.g., and one or more other UEs served or otherwise controlled by the controlling UE) are outside the base station coverage, the base station 105-a may be considered the controlling UE (e.g., such as a programmable logic controller (PLC) in an industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) scenario). The controlling UE may thus be designated as the master UE or anchor UE and may act as a scheduling entity for the UE 115 and any other UEs controlled by the controlling UE.

[0116] UE 115-a or UE 115-b may transmit reports 225-a and 225-b indicating the beam sweeping capabilities of UE 115-a or UE 115-b to base station 105-a. In some examples, the UE beam sweeping capabilities may indicate slot-based reception, symbol-based reception, slot-based transmission, symbol-based transmission, or the number of beam switches per slot. In some examples, the UE beam sweeping capabilities may indicate the number of receive beams that UE 115-a and / or UE 115-b are capable of receiving per transmission time interval (e.g., per symbol, per slot, etc.). In some examples, the UE beam sweeping capabilities may indicate the number of transmit beams that UE 115-a and / or UE 115-b are capable of using for transmission per transmission time interval (e.g., per symbol, per slot, etc.). In some examples, the UE beam sweeping capabilities may include static parameters and dynamic parameters. The static parameters may include parameters that UE 115 may report to base station 105-a, such as the number of antenna panels, the number of antenna elements per antenna panel, or the type of element associated with one or more antenna elements (e.g., patch or dipole). The dynamic parameters may include parameters with updated results that UE 115 may dynamically report to base station 105-a, such as the relative orientation of the antenna panels on the device (e.g., UE 115-a or UE 115-b). The orientation of the antenna panels on UE115-a or UE 115-b may be attributed to the antenna being located at the corner of the device, along the edge of the device, or having a dynamic form factor. The dynamic form factor (e.g., UE 115-a or UE 115-b is a foldable device) may indicate a change in the handset form factor (e.g., being folded or unfolded), or the position of the antenna panels on each sub-part of the device (e.g., two parts of the device that are folded relative to each other). Additionally or alternatively, the dynamic form factor may indicate an additional external attachment (e.g., a card reader, headphones, etc.).

[0117] In some examples, base station 105-a may determine a beam sweeping configuration for UE 115-a and UE 115-b based on beam reports 225-a and 225-b or the potential interference between the configured beams and Uu traffic. UE 115-a and UE 115-b may perform a beam training procedure based on the beam sweeping configuration. The beam training procedure includes a training mode 1 procedure, a training mode 2 procedure, or a training mode 3 procedure. In some examples, the beam training procedure may include a beam sweeping procedure.

[0118] In the training mode 1 procedure, the base station 105-a may determine the sidelink transmit beam and / or receive beam for beam training by UE 115-a and UE 115-b. For example, the base station 105-a may select the sidelink beam for beam training based on beam reports (e.g., configuration parameters in the beam reports). In some examples (such as mobile scenarios), the base station 105-a may determine the beam sweep configuration (e.g., sidelink transmit or receive beam) based on the dynamic parameters of UE 115-a or UE 115-b (such as the current orientation (e.g., variable or current form factor)). The base station 105-a may send the beam sweep configuration to UE 115-a via downlink control information (DCI), RRC signaling, or MAC control element (MAC-CE). The base station 105-a may transmit an indication of the set of transmit beams (e.g., transmit beams 215-a, 215-b, and 215-c) that UE 115-a will use during the beam sweep procedure.

[0119] During the beam sweep procedure, UE 115-a and UE 115-b may send the measurement results of the beam sweep procedure to the base station 105-a in one or more measurement reports. The measurement report may include measurement information associated with one or more reference signals as part of the beam sweep procedure. The base station 105-a may use the measurement results to determine the next transmit beam (or input beam) for subsequent use in the beam sweep procedure and send an indication of the transmit beam to UE 115-a. UE 115-a may perform a second beam sweep procedure using the transmit beam based on the indication.

[0120] In the training mode 2 procedure, UE 115-a and UE 115-b may determine the sidelink transmit and / or receive beams to be used for beam training based on the beamforming capabilities of UE 115-a and / or UE 115-b. UE 115-a and UE 115-b may send an indication of the number of requested sidelink beams to base station 105-a, and base station 105-a may schedule time-frequency resources for the indicated number of sidelink beams. UE 115-a and UE 115-b may determine sidelink beams based on the one or more beam reports including, for example, static and dynamic configuration parameters. In some cases, UE 115-a and UE 115-b may determine the number of sidelink beams and request the determined number of sidelink beams from base station 105-a without sending beam reports 225-a or 225-b. UE 115-a may send a control message to base station 105-a that indicates a set of transmit beams having a requested beam sweep pattern including transmit beam repetitions for beam sweeping at UE 115-b. In some cases, the UE may request a specific ordering of the transmit beam sweep relative to the transmit beam repetitions in the control message. Transmit beam repetitions may be used, for example, for receive beam sweeping. In some cases, UE 115-a and UE 115-b may determine the number of sidelink transmit and / or receive beams to be requested based on the number of beam switches that UE 115-a and UE 115-b are capable of performing within a transmission time interval (such as within a time slot).

[0121] During the beam sweep procedure, the sidelink transmitting UE 115 (e.g., UE 115-a) may use beam input information from the receiving UE 115 (e.g., UE 115-b) when selecting a beam. UE 115-b may send the beam input information to UE 115-a via sidelink 210 (e.g., sidelink RRC, sidelink control information (SCI), or MAC-CE). In some examples, base station 105-a may send the beam input information to UE 115-a (e.g., in DCI).

[0122] In a training mode 3 procedure (e.g., a mix of training modes 1 and 2), base station 105-a, UE 115-a, or UE 115-b may determine sidelink transmit or receive beams. For example, base station 105-a may determine a portion of the sidelink transmit or receive beams for UE beam training (e.g., according to training mode 1), and UE 115-a or UE 115-b may determine a portion of the sidelink transmit or receive beams for UE beam training (e.g., according to training mode 2). In some examples, base station 105-a may determine a list of transmit or receive beams from which UE 115-a or UE 115-b may select for communication. In other examples, base station 105-a may determine a transmit or receive beam list, and UE 115-a or UE 115-b may select a portion of the list and determine a beam.

[0123] In some examples, during a beam sweep procedure, a transmitting UE (e.g., UE 115-a) may transmit reference signals to a receiving UE via sidelink 210. UE 115-b may send a measurement report of the beam sweep procedure to base station 105-a or UE 115-a based on the reference signals, where the measurement report includes measurement information associated with these reference signals. In some examples, the measurement report includes one or more reference signals communicated on sidelink 210 and the associated receive beams (e.g., receive beams 220-a, 220-b, and 220-c) for each of the one or more reference signals.

[0124] Figure 3 An example of a process flow 300 supporting configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. In some examples, process flow 300 may implement aspects of wireless communication system 100 or 200. In some examples, process flow 300 may include UE 115-c, UE 115-d, and base station 105-b, which may be examples of UE 115 and base station 105 as described with reference to Figure 1 and Figure 2 the UE 115 and base station 105 described.

[0125] At 305, UE 115-c may transmit a report to base station 105-b that indicates the beam sweeping capabilities of UE 115-c for a sidelink communication link between UE 115-c and UE 115-d. The report may include the number of antenna panels of UE 115-c, the number of antenna elements per antenna panel of UE 115-c, the type of element associated with one or more antenna elements of UE 115-c, the relative orientation of the multiple antenna panels of UE 115-c, the form factor information of UE 115-c (e.g., where the form factor information includes an indication of a change in the form factor of UE 115-c), a change in the relative position of one or more antenna panels based on the form factor of UE 15-a, the current form factor of UE 115-c, one or more external attachments of UE 115-c, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the report may include other beam sweeping capabilities of the UE, such as UE capabilities, including an indication of support for slot-based reception, symbol-based reception, slot-based transmission, symbol-based transmission, the number of beam switches per slot, or any combination thereof.

[0126] In some examples, UE 115-c may determine a set of transmit beams of UE 115-c for a beam sweeping procedure, determine a requested beam sweeping pattern that includes transmit beam repetitions for beam sweeping at UE 115-d for the set of transmit beams, and transmit the requested beam sweeping pattern to base station 105-b in a control message for performing the beam sweeping procedure. Base station 105-b may transmit a beam sweeping configuration in response to the control message.

[0127] At 310, base station 105-b may determine a beam sweeping configuration for the sidelink communication link based on the beam sweeping capabilities indicated by UE 115-c. In some examples, UE 115-c may determine a set of transmit beams of UE 115-c for a beam sweeping procedure, transmit an indication of the set of transmit beams to base station 105-b, and receive a beam sweeping configuration from base station 105-b in response to the indication, where the beam sweeping configuration includes a time-frequency source for the set of transmit beams for the beam sweeping procedure. The beam sweeping configuration may indicate the time-frequency resources of the set of transmit beams of UE 115-c for the beam sweeping procedure, and UE 115-c may use the indicated time-frequency resources to perform the beam sweeping procedure.

[0128] In some examples, UE 115-c may transmit a request to use a first number of transmit beams in a beam sweeping procedure to base station 105-b and receive a beam sweeping configuration in response to the request, where the beam sweeping configuration includes a second number of transmit beams for the beam sweeping procedure. In some cases, the first number may be the same as the second number, or the first number may be based on the number of beam switches that UE 115-c is capable of performing within a transmission time interval.

[0129] At 315, base station 105-a may transmit the beam sweeping configuration to UE 115-c for a beam sweeping procedure between UE 115-c and UE 115-d. In some examples, UE 115-c may receive the beam sweeping configuration via DCI, RRC signaling, or MAC-CE. In some examples, base station 105-b may receive an indication of the set of transmit beams of UE 115-c that will be used for the beam sweeping procedure. In some examples, UE 115-c may receive a beam sweeping configuration in response to a requested beam sweeping mode, where the beam sweeping configuration includes time-frequency resources of a set of transmit beams for the beam sweeping procedure according to the beam sweeping mode.

[0130] In some examples, UE 115-c receiving the beam sweeping configuration may include: receiving an indication of a first subset of transmit beams of UE 115-c that will be used for the beam sweeping procedure, selecting a second subset of transmit beams of UE 115-c that will be used for the beam sweeping procedure, and performing the beam sweeping procedure using the first and second subsets of transmit beams.

[0131] At 320, UE 115-c may perform a beam sweeping procedure with UE 115-d based on the beam sweeping configuration. In some examples, performing the beam sweeping procedure with UE 115-d may include: transmitting a reference signal to UE 115-c via a set of transmit beams; transmitting a measurement report of the beam sweeping procedure based on the reference signals, where the measurement report includes measurement information associated with the reference signals; and receiving an indication of the next or multiple transmit beams from base station 105-b in response to the measurement report for subsequent use in the beam sweeping procedure.

[0132] In some examples, UE 115-c or UE 115-d may transmit a measurement report of the beam sweeping procedure to base station 105-b, receive an indication of a transmit beam from base station 105-b based on the measurement report, and perform a second beam sweeping procedure using the transmit beam based on the indication.

[0133] At 325, UE 115-d may: receive a reference signal from UE 115-c via the sidelink communication link as part of a beam training procedure for the sidelink communication link.

[0134] At 330, UE 115-d may transmit a measurement report of the beam sweeping procedure to base station 105-b or UE 115-c based on these reference signals, where the measurement report includes measurement information associated with these reference signals. In some examples, the measurement report may include one or more reference signals communicated on a sidelink communication link and an associated receive beam for each of the one or more reference signals.

[0135] Figure 4 FIG. 400 is a block diagram illustrating a device 405 supporting configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Device 405 may be an example of aspects of UE 115 as described herein. Device 405 may include a receiver 410, a communication manager 415, and a transmitter 420. Device 405 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0136] The receiver 410 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to configurations for sidelink beam management, etc.). The information may be passed to other components of device 405. The receiver 410 may be an example of aspects of transceiver 720 described with reference to Figure 7 The receiver 410 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna array.

[0137] The communication manager 415 may: transmit a report to a base station that indicates a beam sweeping capability of a first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE; receive, from the base station, a beam sweeping configuration for the sidelink communication link based on the beam sweeping capability indicated by the first UE; and perform a beam sweeping procedure with the second UE based on the beam sweeping configuration. The communication manager 415 may also: receive, as part of a beam training procedure for the sidelink communication link, reference signals from a transmitting UE via the sidelink communication link; and transmit a measurement report of the beam sweeping procedure to the base station or the transmitting UE based on the reference signals, where the measurement report includes measurement information associated with the reference signals. The communication manager 415 may be an example of aspects of communication manager 710 described herein.

[0138] The communication manager 415 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, code executed by a processor (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communication manager 415 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0139] The communication manager 415 or its sub-components may be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of the functions are implemented by one or more physical components at different physical locations. In some examples, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the communication manager 415 or its sub-components may be separate and distinct components.

[0140] In some examples, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the communication manager 415 or its sub-components may be combined with one or more other hardware components, including but not limited to input / output (I / O) components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0141] The transmitter 420 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device 405. In some examples, the transmitter 420 may co-reside in a transceiver module with the receiver 410. For example, the transmitter 420 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 720 described with reference to Figure 7 The transmitter 420 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna array.

[0142] In some examples, the communication manager 415 may be implemented as an integrated circuit or chipset for a mobile device modem, and the receiver 410 and transmitter 420 may be implemented as analog components (e.g., amplifiers, filters, antennas) coupled to the mobile device modem to enable wireless transmission and reception on one or more frequency bands.

[0143] The communication manager 415 as described herein may be implemented to achieve one or more potential advantages. One implementation may allow the device 405 to receive a beam sweep configuration for a sidelink communication link with another device. The device 405 may perform a beam sweep procedure with the other device based on the beam sweep configuration. Such a beam sweep procedure may improve reliability and reduce latency during sidelink communication.

[0144] Based on techniques for implementing sidelink beam management as described herein, (e.g., controlling the receiver 410, the transmitter 420, or as described with reference to Figure 7The processor of UE 115 (of the transceiver 720 described) may improve reliability and reduce signaling overhead in sidelink communication.

[0145] Figure 5 FIG. 500 is a block diagram of a device 505 supporting configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The device 505 may be an example of aspects of the device 405 or UE 115 described herein. The device 505 may include a receiver 510, a communication manager 515, and a transmitter 540. The device 505 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0146] The receiver 510 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to configurations for sidelink beam management, etc.). The information may be passed to other components of the device 505. The receiver 510 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 720 described Figure 7 herein. The receiver 510 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna array.

[0147] The communication manager 515 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 415 described herein. The communication manager 515 may include a reporting transmitter 520, a beam sweep configuration receiver 525, a beam sweep procedure manager 530, and a reference signal receiver 535. The communication manager 515 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 710 described herein.

[0148] The reporting transmitter 520 may transmit a report to a base station that indicates the beam sweep capabilities of a first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE.

[0149] The beam sweep configuration receiver 525 may receive, from the base station, a beam sweep configuration for the sidelink communication link based on the beam sweep capabilities indicated by the first UE.

[0150] The beam sweep procedure manager 530 may perform a beam sweep procedure with the second UE based on the beam sweep configuration.

[0151] The reference signal receiver 535 may: receive, as part of a beam training procedure for the sidelink communication link, a reference signal from a transmitting UE via the sidelink communication link.

[0152] The reporting transmitter 520 may transmit, to the base station or the transmitting UE, a measurement report of the beam sweep procedure based on the reference signal, where the measurement report includes measurement information associated with the reference signals.

[0153] Transmitter 540 may transmit signals generated by other components of device 505. In some examples, transmitter 540 may be co-located with receiver 510 in a transceiver module. For example, transmitter 540 may be an example of aspects of transceiver 720 described with reference to Figure 7 Transmitter 540 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna array.

[0154] In some examples, communication manager 515 may be implemented as an integrated circuit or chipset for a mobile device modem, and receiver 510 and transmitter 540 may be implemented as analog components (e.g., amplifiers, filters, antennas) coupled to the mobile device modem to enable wireless transmission and reception on one or more frequency bands.

[0155] As described herein, communication manager 515 may be implemented to achieve one or more potential advantages. One implementation may allow device 505 to receive a beam sweep configuration for a sidelink communication link with another device. Device 505 may perform a beam sweep procedure with the other device based on the beam sweep configuration. Such a beam sweep procedure may improve reliability and reduce latency during sidelink communication.

[0156] Based on techniques for implementing sidelink beam management as described herein, (e.g., controlling receiver 510, transmitter 540, or transceiver 720 as described with reference to Figure 7 ), a processor of UE 115 may improve reliability and reduce signaling overhead in sidelink communication.

[0157] Figure 6 Block diagram 600 illustrates communication manager 605 supporting configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Communication manager 605 may be an example of aspects of communication manager 415, communication manager 515, or communication manager 710 described herein. Communication manager 605 may include a reporting transmitter 610, a beam sweep configuration receiver 615, a beam sweep procedure manager 620, a transmit beam component 625, and a reference signal receiver 630. Each of these modules may communicate directly or indirectly with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0158] Reporting transmitter 610 may transmit a report to a base station that indicates a beam sweep capability of a first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE. In some examples, reporting transmitter 610 may transmit a measurement report of a beam sweep procedure to a base station or a transmitting UE based on reference signals, where the measurement report includes measurement information associated with the reference signals.

[0159] In some examples, the reporting transmitter 610 may transmit the number of antenna panels of the first UE. In some examples, the reporting transmitter 610 may transmit the number of antenna elements per antenna panel of the first UE. In some examples, the reporting transmitter 610 may transmit the type of oscillator associated with one or more antenna elements of the first UE. In some examples, the reporting transmitter 610 may transmit the relative orientation of multiple antenna panels of the first UE.

[0160] In some examples, the reporting transmitter 610 may transmit form factor information of the first UE, where the form factor information includes an indication of any of the following: a change in the form factor of the first UE, a change in the relative positions of one or more antenna panels based on the form factor of the first UE, the current form factor of the first UE, one or more external attachments of the first UE, or any combination thereof.

[0161] In some examples, the reporting transmitter 610 may transmit UE capabilities of the first UE, where the UE capabilities include an indication of any of the following: support for slot-based reception, symbol-based reception, slot-based transmission, symbol-based transmission, the number of beam switches per slot, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the reporting transmitter 610 may transmit a measurement report of a beam sweeping procedure to the base station.

[0162] In some cases, the measurement report includes one or more reference signals communicated on a sidelink communication link and an associated received beam for each of the one or more reference signals.

[0163] The beam sweeping configuration receiver 615 may receive a beam sweeping configuration for the sidelink communication link from the base station based on the beam sweeping capabilities indicated by the first UE. In some examples, the beam sweeping configuration receiver 615 may receive the beam sweeping configuration via DCI, RRC signaling, or MAC-CE. In some examples, the beam sweeping configuration receiver 615 may receive an indication of a set of transmit beams of the first UE that will be used for the beam sweeping procedure.

[0164] In some examples, the reporting transmitter 610 may transmit a measurement report of the beam sweeping procedure based on reference signals, where the measurement report includes measurement information associated with the reference signals.

[0165] In some examples, the beam sweeping configuration receiver 615 may receive an indication of the next or more transmit beams from the base station in response to the measurement report, where the next or more transmit beams are for subsequent use in the beam sweeping procedure.

[0166] In some examples, the beam sweeping configuration receiver 615 may receive a beam sweeping configuration in response to the indication, where the beam sweeping configuration includes time-frequency resources of a set of transmit beams for the beam sweeping procedure.

[0167] In some examples, the beam sweep configuration receiver 615 may receive a beam sweep configuration in response to a request, the beam sweep configuration including a second number of transmit beams for a beam sweep procedure. In some cases, the first number is the same as the second number. In some cases, the first number is based on the number of beam switches that the first UE can perform within a transmission time interval.

[0168] The beam sweep procedure manager 620 may perform a beam sweep procedure with a second UE based on the beam sweep configuration. In some examples, the beam sweep procedure manager 620 may transmit a reference signal to the second UE via a set of transmit beams. In some examples, the beam sweep procedure manager 620 may perform a second beam sweep procedure using the transmit beam based on the indication.

[0169] In some examples, the beam sweep procedure manager 620 may perform a beam sweep procedure using first and second subsets of transmit beams. In some cases, the beam sweep configuration indicates the time-frequency resources of the set of transmit beams of the first UE for the beam sweep procedure. In some cases, the beam sweep procedure is performed using the indicated time-frequency resources.

[0170] The reference signal receiver 630 may: receive a reference signal from a transmitting UE via the sidelink communication link as part of a beam training procedure for the sidelink communication link.

[0171] The transmit beam component 625 may receive an indication of a transmit beam based on a measurement report. In some examples, the transmit beam component 625 may determine a set of transmit beams of the first UE for a beam sweep procedure. In some examples, the transmit beam component 625 may transmit an indication of the set of transmit beams to the base station. In some examples, the transmit beam component 625 may transmit a request to use the first number of transmit beams in the beam sweep procedure to the base station.

[0172] In some examples, the transmit beam component 625 may determine a requested beam sweep pattern for the set of transmit beams that includes transmit beam repetitions for beam sweeping at a second UE. In some examples, the transmit beam component 625 may transmit the requested beam sweep pattern to the base station for performing the beam sweep procedure.

[0173] In some examples, the transmit beam component 625 may receive a beam sweep configuration in response to the requested beam sweep pattern, the beam sweep configuration including the time-frequency resources of the set of transmit beams for the beam sweep procedure according to the beam sweep pattern.

[0174] In some examples, the transmit beam component 625 may receive an indication of a first subset of transmit beams for a first UE that will be used for a beam sweep procedure. In some examples, the transmit beam component 625 may select a second subset of transmit beams for the first UE that will be used for the beam sweep procedure.

[0175] Figure 7 FIG. shows a diagram of a system 700 including a device 705 that supports configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The device 705 may be an example of or include components of the device 405, the device 505, or the UE 115 as described herein. The device 705 may include components for bi-directional voice and data communication including components for transmitting and receiving communications including a communication manager 710, an I / O controller 715, a transceiver 720, an antenna 725, a memory 730, and a processor 740. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses, such as bus 745.

[0176] The communication manager 710 may: transmit a report to a base station that indicates beam sweep capabilities of a first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE; receive from the base station a beam sweep configuration for the sidelink communication link based on the beam sweep capabilities indicated by the first UE; and perform a beam sweep procedure with the second UE based on the beam sweep configuration. The communication manager 710 may also: receive, as part of a beam training procedure for the sidelink communication link, reference signals from a transmitting UE via the sidelink communication link; and transmit a measurement report of the beam sweep procedure to the base station or the transmitting UE based on the reference signals, where the measurement report includes measurement information associated with the reference signals.

[0177] The I / O controller 715 may manage input and output signals of the device 705. The I / O controller 715 may also manage peripheral devices not integrated into the device 705. In some instances, the I / O controller 715 may represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some instances, the I / O controller 715 may utilize an operating system, such as or another known operating system. In other instances, the I / O controller 715 may represent or interact with a modem, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, or similar device. In some instances, the I / O controller 715 may be implemented as part of a processor. In some instances, a user may interact with the device 705 via the I / O controller 715 or via hardware components controlled by the I / O controller 715.

[0178] The transceiver 720 can perform two-way communication via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links, as described above. For example, the transceiver 720 can represent a wireless transceiver and can perform two-way communication with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 720 can also include a modem to modulate packets and provide the modulated packets to the antenna for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the antenna.

[0179] In some cases, the wireless device can include a single antenna 725. However, in some cases, the device can have more than one antenna 725, which can be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions.

[0180] The memory 730 can include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The memory 730 can store computer-readable, computer-executable code 735 that includes instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the various functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 730 can particularly include a BIOS that can control basic hardware or software operations, such as interactions with peripheral components or devices.

[0181] The processor 740 can include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processors, DSPs, central processing units (CPUs), microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGAs, programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, the processor 740 can be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, the memory controller can be integrated into the processor 740. The processor 740 can be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 730) to cause the device 705 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting configurations for sidelink beam management).

[0182] The code 735 can include instructions for implementing aspects of the present disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communication. The code 735 can be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or other types of memory. In some cases, the code 735 may not be directly executable by the processor 740, but can cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein.

[0183] Figure 8 Block diagram 800 shows a device 805 that supports configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The device 805 can be an example of aspects of the base station 105 described herein. The device 805 can include a receiver 810, a communication manager 815, and a transmitter 820. The device 805 can also include a processor. Each of these components can be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0184] The receiver 810 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to the configuration for sidelink beam management, etc.). The information may be passed to other components of the device 805. The receiver 810 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1120 described with reference to Figure 11 The receiver 810 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna array.

[0185] The communication manager 815 may: receive a report from a first UE, the report indicating a beam sweeping capability of the first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE; determine a beam sweeping configuration for the sidelink communication link based on the beam sweeping capability indicated by the first UE; and transmit the beam sweeping configuration to the first UE for a beam sweeping procedure between the first UE and the second UE. The communication manager 815 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 1110 described herein.

[0186] The communication manager 815 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, code executed by a processor (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communication manager 815 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0187] The communication manager 815 or its sub-components may be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of the functions are implemented by one or more physical components at different physical locations. In some examples, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the communication manager 815 or its sub-components may be separate and distinct components. In some examples, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the communication manager 815 or its sub-components may be combined with one or more other hardware components, including but not limited to I / O components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0188] The transmitter 820 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device 805. In some examples, the transmitter 820 may be co-located with the receiver 810 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 820 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1120 described with reference to Figure 11 The transmitter 820 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna array.

[0189] Figure 9FIG. 900 is a block diagram illustrating a device 905 that supports configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The device 905 may be an example of aspects of a device 805 or a base station 105 as described herein. The device 905 may include a receiver 910, a communication manager 915, and a transmitter 935. The device 905 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0190] The receiver 910 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to configurations for sidelink beam management, etc.). The information may be passed to other components of the device 905. The receiver 910 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1120 described with reference to Figure 11 The receiver 910 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna array.

[0191] The communication manager 915 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 815 as described herein. The communication manager 915 may include a report receiver 920, a beam sweep configuration manager 925, and a beam sweep configuration transmitter 930. The communication manager 915 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 1110 as described herein.

[0192] The report receiver 920 may receive a report from a first UE that indicates the beam sweep capabilities of the first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE.

[0193] The beam sweep configuration manager 925 may determine a beam sweep configuration for the sidelink communication link based on the beam sweep capabilities indicated by the first UE.

[0194] The beam sweep configuration transmitter 930 may transmit the beam sweep configuration to the first UE for a beam sweep procedure between the first UE and the second UE.

[0195] The transmitter 935 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device 905. In some examples, the transmitter 935 may be co-located with the receiver 910 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 935 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1120 described with reference to Figure 11 The transmitter 935 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna array.

[0196] Figure 10FIG. 1000 is a block diagram of a communication manager 1005 supporting configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The communication manager 1005 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 815, communication manager 915, or communication manager 1110 described herein. The communication manager 1005 may include a reporting receiver 1010, a beam sweep configuration manager 1015, a beam sweep configuration transmitter 1020, and a transmit beam component 1025. Each of these modules may communicate directly or indirectly with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0197] The reporting receiver 1010 may receive a report from a first UE indicating the beam sweep capabilities of the first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE. In some examples, the reporting receiver 1010 may receive the number of antenna panels of the first UE. In some examples, the reporting receiver 1010 may receive the number of antenna elements per antenna panel of the first UE. In some examples, the reporting receiver 1010 may receive the type of element associated with one or more antenna elements of the first UE. In some examples, the reporting receiver 1010 may receive the relative orientation of multiple antenna panels of the first UE.

[0198] In some examples, the reporting receiver 1010 may receive form factor information of the first UE, where the form factor information includes an indication of any of: a change in the form factor of the first UE, a change in the relative position of one or more antenna panels based on the form factor of the first UE, the current form factor of the first UE, one or more external attachments of the first UE, or any combination thereof.

[0199] In some examples, the reporting receiver 1010 may receive UE capabilities of the first UE, where the UE capabilities include an indication of any of: support for slot-based reception, symbol-based reception, slot-based transmission, symbol-based transmission, the number of beam switches per slot, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the reporting receiver 1010 may receive a measurement report of a beam sweep procedure from the first UE or the second UE.

[0200] The beam sweep configuration manager 1015 may determine a beam sweep configuration for the sidelink communication link based on the beam sweep capabilities indicated by the first UE. In some examples, the beam sweep configuration manager 1015 may transmit the beam sweep configuration via DCI, RRC signaling, or MAC-CE.

[0201] In some examples, the beam sweep configuration manager 1015 may transmit an indication of a transmit beam set of the first UE that will be used for the beam sweep procedure.

[0202] In some examples, the reporting receiver 1010 may, based on the indication, generate a measurement report for the beam sweeping procedure, where the measurement report includes measurement information associated with one or more reference signals as part of the beam sweeping procedure.

[0203] In some examples, the beam sweeping configuration manager 1015 may, in response to the measurement report, transmit a next transmit beam to the first UE for subsequent use in the beam sweeping procedure. In some examples, the beam sweeping configuration manager 1015 may transmit, in a beam sweeping configuration, a beam sweeping configuration for a set of transmit beams used for the beam sweeping procedure.

[0204] In some examples, the beam sweeping configuration manager 1015 may receive, from the first UE, a request to use a first number of transmit beams for the beam sweeping procedure. In some examples, the beam sweeping configuration manager 1015 may, based on the request, transmit, in the beam sweeping configuration, a second number of transmit beams for the beam sweeping procedure. In some cases, the beam sweeping configuration indicates time-frequency resources for the set of transmit beams of the first UE used for the beam sweeping procedure. In some cases, the first number is the same as the second number. In some cases, the first number is based on the number of beam switches that the first UE can perform within a transmission time interval.

[0205] The beam sweeping configuration transmitter 1020 may transmit a beam sweeping configuration to the first UE for a beam sweeping procedure between the first UE and the second UE.

[0206] The transmit beam component 1025 may, based on the measurement report, transmit an indication of a transmit beam for a second beam sweeping procedure.

[0207] In some examples, the transmit beam component 1025 may receive, from the first UE, an indication of the set of transmit beams of the first UE used for the beam sweeping procedure.

[0208] In some examples, the transmit beam component 1025 may receive, from the first UE, a requested beam sweeping mode for performing the beam sweeping procedure, where the requested beam sweeping mode includes transmit beam repetitions for beam sweeping at the second UE.

[0209] In some examples, the transmit beam component 1025 may transmit a beam sweeping configuration in response to a control message. In some cases, the beam sweeping configuration includes time-frequency resources for the requested beam sweeping mode for the beam sweeping procedure.

[0210] Figure 11FIG. 1100 shows a system 1100 including a device 1105 that supports configurations for sidelink beam management, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Device 1105 may be an example of or include components of device 805, device 905, or base station 105 as described herein. Device 1105 may include components for two-way voice and data communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including a communication manager 1110, a network communication manager 1115, a transceiver 1120, an antenna 1125, a memory 1130, a processor 1140, and an inter-station communication manager 1145. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses, such as bus 1150.

[0211] The communication manager 1110 may: receive a report from a first UE indicating the beam sweeping capabilities of the first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE; determine a beam sweeping configuration for the sidelink communication link based on the beam sweeping capabilities indicated by the first UE; and transmit the beam sweeping configuration to the first UE for a beam sweeping procedure between the first UE and the second UE.

[0212] The network communication manager 1115 may manage communication with the core network (e.g., via one or more wired backhaul links). For example, the network communication manager 1115 may manage the delivery of data communications for client devices, such as one or more UEs 115.

[0213] The transceiver 1120 may communicate bi-directionally via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links, as described above. For example, the transceiver 1120 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 1120 may also include a modem to modulate packets and provide the modulated packets to the antenna for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the antenna.

[0214] In some instances, the wireless device may include a single antenna 1125. However, in some instances, the device may have more than one antenna 1125, which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions.

[0215] The memory 1130 may include RAM, ROM, or a combination thereof. The memory 1130 may store computer-readable code 1135 including instructions that, when executed by a processor (e.g., processor 1140), cause the device to perform various functions described herein. In some instances, the memory 1130 may particularly include a BIOS that may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interactions with peripheral components or devices.

[0216] Processor 1140 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., a general-purpose processor, DSP, CPU, microcontroller, ASIC, FPGA, programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 1140 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some cases, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 1140. Processor 1140 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 1130) to cause device 1105 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting configurations for sidelink beam management).

[0217] The inter-station communication manager 1145 may manage communication with other base stations 105 and may include a controller or scheduler for collaboratively controlling communication with UE 115 with other base stations 105. For example, the inter-station communication manager 1145 may coordinate the scheduling of transmissions to UE 115 for various interference mitigation techniques such as beamforming or joint transmission. In some examples, the inter-station communication manager 1145 may provide an X2 interface within the LTE / LTE-A wireless communication network technology to provide communication between base stations 105.

[0218] Code 1135 may include instructions for implementing aspects of the present disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communication. Code 1135 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or other types of memory. In some cases, code 1135 may not be directly executed by processor 1140, but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein.

[0219] Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating a method 1200 for supporting configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown. Operations of method 1200 may be implemented by UE 115 or its components as described herein. For example, operations of method 1200 may be performed by a communication manager as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 Additional or alternative, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the following functions.

[0220] At 1205, the UE may transmit a report to the base station, the report indicating the beam sweeping capabilities of a first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE. The operation of 1205 may be performed in accordance with the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1205 may be performed by a report transmitter as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7

[0221] ​At 1210, the UE may receive from the base station a beam sweep configuration for a sidelink communication link based on the beam sweep capabilities indicated by the first UE. The operations of 1210 may be performed in accordance with the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1210 may be performed by a beam sweep configuration receiver as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 as described.

[0222] At 1215, the UE may perform a beam sweep procedure with a second UE based on the beam sweep configuration. The operations of 1215 may be performed in accordance with the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1215 may be performed by a beam sweep procedure manager as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 as described.

[0223] Figure 13 FIG. 1300 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for supporting configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of method 1300 may be implemented by a UE 115 or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1300 may be performed by a communication manager as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 as described. In some examples, the UE may execute an instruction set to control functional elements of the UE to perform the following functions. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the following functions.

[0224] At 1305, the UE may transmit a report to the base station, the report indicating the beam sweep capabilities of the first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and the second UE. The operations of 1305 may be performed in accordance with the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1305 may be performed by a report transmitter as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 as described.

[0225] At 1310, the UE may receive from the base station a beam sweep configuration for a sidelink communication link based on the beam sweep capabilities indicated by the first UE. The operations of 1310 may be performed in accordance with the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1310 may be performed by a beam sweep configuration receiver as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 as described. At 1315, the UE may receive the beam sweep configuration via DCI, RRC signaling, or MAC-CE. The operations of 1315 may be performed in accordance with the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1315 may be performed by a beam sweep configuration receiver as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 as described.

[0226] At 1320, the UE may perform a beam sweep procedure with a second UE based on the beam sweep configuration. The operations of 1320 may be performed in accordance with the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1320 may be performed by a beam sweep procedure manager as described with reference toFigures 4 to 7 performed by the described beam sweep procedure manager.

[0227] Figure 14 FIG. 1400 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 1400 for supporting configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Operations of method 1400 may be implemented by a base station 105 or components thereof as described herein. For example, operations of method 1400 may be performed by a communication manager as referred to Figures 8 to 11 and described. In some examples, the base station may execute an instruction set to control functional elements of the base station to perform the following functions. Additionally or alternatively, the base station may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the following functions.

[0228] At 1405, the base station may receive a report from a first UE that indicates a beam sweep capability of the first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE. The operation of 1405 may be performed in accordance with the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1405 may be performed by a report receiver as referred to Figures 8 to 11 and described.

[0229] At 1410, the base station may determine a beam sweep configuration for the sidelink communication link based on the beam sweep capability indicated by the first UE. The operation of 1410 may be performed in accordance with the methods described herein.

[0230] In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1410 may be performed by a beam sweep configuration manager as referred to Figures 8 to 11 and described.

[0231] At 1415, the base station may transmit the beam sweep configuration to the first UE for a beam sweep procedure between the first UE and the second UE. The operation of 1415 may be performed in accordance with the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1415 may be performed by a beam sweep configuration transmitter as referred to Figures 8 to 11 and described.

[0232] Figure 15 FIG. 1500 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 1500 for supporting configurations for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Operations of method 1500 may be implemented by a base station 105 or components thereof as described herein. For example, operations of method 1500 may be performed by a communication manager as referred to Figures 8 to 11 and described. In some examples, the base station may execute an instruction set to control functional elements of the base station to perform the following functions. Additionally or alternatively, the base station may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the following functions.

[0233] At 1505, the base station may receive a report from a first UE, the report indicating the beam sweeping capabilities of the first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE. The operations of 1505 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1505 may be performed by a report receiver as described with reference to Figures 8 to 11 as described.

[0234] At 1510, the base station may receive form factor information of the first UE, where the form factor information includes an indication of any of: a change in the form factor of the first UE, a change in the relative positions of one or more antenna panels based on the form factor of the first UE, the current form factor of the first UE, one or more external attachments of the first UE, or any combination thereof. The operations of 1510 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1510 may be performed by a report receiver as described with reference to Figures 8 to 11 as described.

[0235] At 1515, the base station may determine a beam sweeping configuration for the sidelink communication link based on the beam sweeping capabilities indicated by the first UE. The operations of 1515 may be performed according to the methods described herein.

[0236] In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1515 may be performed by a beam sweeping configuration manager as described with reference to Figures 8 to 11 as described.

[0237] At 1520, the base station may transmit the beam sweeping configuration to the first UE for a beam sweeping procedure between the first UE and the second UE. The operations of 1520 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1520 may be performed by a beam sweeping configuration transmitter as described with reference to Figures 8 to 11 as described.

[0238] Figure 16 A flowchart illustrating a method 1600 supporting configuration for sidelink beam management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The operations of method 1600 may be implemented by a UE 115 or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1600 may be performed by a communication manager as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 as described. In some examples, the UE may execute an instruction set to control functional elements of the UE to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0239] At 1605, the UE may: as part of a beam training procedure for a sidelink communication link, receive a reference signal from a transmitting UE via the sidelink communication link. The operations at 1605 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations at 1605 may be performed by a reference signal receiver as described in reference Figures 4 to 7 as described.

[0240] At 1610, the UE may transmit a measurement report of a beam sweeping procedure to a base station or a transmitting UE based on the reference signal, where the measurement report includes measurement information associated with the reference signals. The operations at 1610 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations at 1610 may be performed by a report transmitter as described in reference Figures 4 to 7 as described.

[0241] Note that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, and the operations and steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and other implementations are possible. In addition, aspects from two or more methods may be combined.

[0242] Although aspects of LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR systems may be described for example purposes and LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR terms may be used in most of the description, the techniques described herein may also be applied to networks other than LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR networks. For example, the described techniques may be applied to various other wireless communication systems such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, and other systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.

[0243] The information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different arts and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout this description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0244] The various illustrative blocks and components described in this disclosure can be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, CPU, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any 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, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0245] The functions described herein can be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions can be stored on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. Other examples and implementations fall within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described herein can be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof executed by a processor. The features implementing the functions can also be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of the functions are implemented at different physical locations.

[0246] Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A non-transitory storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general or special purpose computer. By way of example and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disc (CD) ROM or other optical disc storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general or special purpose computer, or a general or special purpose processor. Similarly, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a web site, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of computer-readable medium. As used herein, disk and disc include CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc, where disks usually reproduce data magnetically and discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above media are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0247] As used herein, including in the claims, the "or" used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items accompanied by language such as "at least one of" or "one or more of") indicates an inclusive listing so that, for example, the listing of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should not be construed as reciting a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step described as "based on condition A" may be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should be construed in the same manner as the phrase "at least partially based on".

[0248] In the figures, similar components or features may have the same reference numeral. Additionally, each of the same type of components may be distinguished by following the reference numeral with a dash and a second identifier that differentiates between similar components. If only the first reference numeral is used in the specification, the description may apply to any one of the similar components having the same first reference numeral regardless of the second reference numeral, or any other subsequent reference numerals.

[0249] The description set forth herein in connection with the figures describes example configurations and does not represent all examples that may be implemented or fall within the scope of the claims. The term "example" as used herein means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration" and does not mean "superior to" or "better than" other examples. This detailed description includes specific details to provide an understanding of the described technologies. However, the technologies may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

[0250] The description provided herein is to enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication at a first user equipment (UE), comprising: Transmitting a report indicating the beam sweeping capability of the first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE; Receiving a signal indicating a configuration of a sidelink beam sweeping procedure for the sidelink communication link between the first UE and the second UE, at least partially based on the beam sweeping capability of the first UE, the configuration indicating time-frequency resources of a transmit beam set of the first UE for the sidelink beam sweeping procedure; And Performing the sidelink beam sweeping procedure with the second UE, at least partially based on the configuration, using the transmit beam set and the indicated time-frequency resources.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein transmitting the report indicating the beam sweeping capability of the first UE comprises: Transmitting an indication of the number of antenna panels of the first UE.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein transmitting the report indicating the beam sweeping capability of the first UE comprises: Transmitting an indication of the number of antenna elements per antenna panel of the first UE.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein transmitting the report indicating the beam sweeping capability of the first UE comprises: Transmitting an indication of the type of antenna element associated with one or more antenna elements of the first UE.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein transmitting the report indicating the beam sweeping capability of the first UE comprises: Transmitting an indication of the relative orientation of a plurality of antenna panels of the first UE.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein transmitting the report indicating the beam sweeping capability of the first UE comprises: Transmitting form factor information of the first UE, wherein the form factor information comprises an indication of any of the following: a change in the form factor of the first UE, a change in the relative position of one or more antenna panels based on the form factor of the first UE, the current form factor of the first UE, one or more external attachments of the first UE, or any combination thereof.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein transmitting the report indicating the beam sweeping capability of the first UE comprises: Transmitting an indication of the UE capabilities of the first UE, wherein the indication of the UE capabilities comprises an indication of any of the following: support for slot-based reception, symbol-based reception, slot-based transmission, symbol-based transmission, the number of beam switches per slot, or any combination thereof.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein receiving the signal indicating the configuration of the sidelink beam sweeping procedure comprises: Receiving the signal indicating the configuration via downlink control information (DCI), radio resource control (RRC) signaling, or media access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE).

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein receiving the signal indicating the configuration of the sidelink beam sweeping procedure comprises: Receiving an indication of the transmit beam set of the first UE to be used for the sidelink beam sweeping procedure.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein performing the sidelink beam sweeping procedure with the second UE comprises: transmitting a reference signal to the second UE via the transmit beam set of the first UE and the indicated time-frequency resources; transmitting a measurement report of the sidelink beam sweeping procedure based at least in part on the reference signal, wherein the measurement report includes measurement information associated with the reference signal; and receiving an indication of the next one or more transmit beams in response to the measurement report, the next one or more transmit beams for subsequent use in the sidelink beam sweeping procedure.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: transmitting a measurement report of the sidelink beam sweeping procedure; receiving an indication of a transmit beam based at least in part on the measurement report; and performing a second sidelink beam sweeping procedure using the transmit beam based at least in part on the indication.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: determining a transmit beam set of the first UE for the sidelink beam sweeping procedure; transmitting an indication of the transmit beam set; and receiving a signal indicating a configuration of the sidelink beam sweeping procedure in response to the indication.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: transmitting a request to use a first number of transmit beams for the sidelink beam sweeping procedure; and receiving a signal indicating a configuration of the sidelink beam sweeping procedure in response to the request, the configuration including a second number of transmit beams for the sidelink beam sweeping procedure.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first number is the same as the second number.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first number is at least in part based on the number of beam switches that the first UE can perform within a transmission time interval.

16. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: determining a transmit beam set of the first UE for the sidelink beam sweeping procedure; determining a beam sweeping pattern for the transmit beam set, the beam sweeping pattern including a repetition of transmit beams for beam sweeping at the second UE; and transmitting an indication of the beam sweeping pattern for performing the sidelink beam sweeping procedure.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising: receiving a signal indicating a configuration of the sidelink beam sweeping procedure in response to the beam sweeping pattern, the configuration indicating time-frequency resources of the transmit beam set of the first UE for the sidelink beam sweeping procedure according to the beam sweeping pattern.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein receiving a signal indicating a configuration of the sidelink beam sweeping procedure comprises: receiving an indication of a first subset of transmit beams of the first UE that will be used for the sidelink beam sweeping procedure; selecting a second subset of transmit beams of the first UE that will be used for the sidelink beam sweeping procedure; and Use the first set of transmission beams and the second set of transmission beams to perform the sidelink beam sweeping procedure with the second UE.

19. A method for wireless communication at a network device, comprising: Receiving a report from a first user equipment (UE), the report indicating the beam sweeping capabilities of the first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE, the report including an indication of the relative orientation of a plurality of antenna panels of the first UE; And Transmitting a signal to the first UE, the signal indicating a configuration of a sidelink beam sweeping procedure for the sidelink communication link between the first UE and the second UE that is at least partially based on the beam sweeping capabilities of the first UE, the configuration indicating time-frequency resources of a set of transmission beams of the first UE for the sidelink beam sweeping procedure.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving the report indicating the beam sweeping capabilities of the first UE comprises: Receiving an indication of the number of antenna panels of the first UE.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving the report indicating the beam sweeping capabilities of the first UE comprises: Receiving an indication of the number of antenna elements per antenna panel of the first UE.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving the report indicating the beam sweeping capabilities of the first UE comprises: Receiving an indication of the type of antenna element associated with one or more antenna elements of the first UE.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving the report indicating the beam sweeping capabilities of the first UE comprises: Receiving an indication of the relative orientation of a plurality of antenna panels of the first UE.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving the report indicating the beam sweeping capabilities of the first UE comprises: Receiving form factor information of the first UE, wherein the form factor information includes an indication of any of: a change in the form factor of the first UE, a change in the relative position of one or more antenna panels based on the form factor of the first UE, the current form factor of the first UE, one or more external attachments of the first UE, or any combination thereof.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving the report indicating the beam sweeping capabilities of the first UE comprises: Receiving an indication of the UE capabilities of the first UE, wherein the indication of the UE capabilities includes an indication of any of: support for slot-based reception, symbol-based reception, slot-based transmission, symbol-based transmission, the number of beam switches per slot, or any combination thereof.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein transmitting the signal indicating the configuration of the sidelink beam sweeping procedure comprises: Transmitting the signal indicating the configuration via downlink control information (DCI), radio resource control (RRC) signaling, or media access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE).

27. The method according to claim 19, wherein transmitting a signal indicating a configuration of the sidelink beam sweeping procedure comprises: Transmitting an indication of the set of transmit beams for the sidelink beam sweeping procedure to be used by the first UE.

28. The method according to claim 27, further comprising: Receiving a measurement report of the sidelink beam sweeping procedure at least in part based on the indication, wherein the measurement report includes measurement information associated with one or more reference signals as part of the sidelink beam sweeping procedure; And Transmitting a next transmit beam to the first UE in response to the measurement report, the next transmit beam for subsequent use in the sidelink beam sweeping procedure.

29. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: Receiving a measurement report of the sidelink beam sweeping procedure from the first UE or the second UE; And Transmitting an indication of a transmit beam for a second sidelink beam sweeping procedure at least in part based on the measurement report.

30. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: Receiving an indication of the set of transmit beams for the sidelink beam sweeping procedure of the first UE from the first UE; And Transmitting a signal indicating a configuration of the set of transmit beams for the sidelink beam sweeping procedure of the first UE at least in part based on receiving the indication.

31. The method according to claim 30, further comprising: Receiving a request from the first UE to use a first number of transmit beams for the sidelink beam sweeping procedure; And Transmitting an indication of using a second number of transmit beams for the sidelink beam sweeping procedure in the configuration at least in part based on the request.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein the first number is the same as the second number.

33. The method according to claim 31, wherein the first number is at least in part based on the number of beam switches that the first UE can perform within a transmission time interval.

34. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: Receiving a beam sweeping pattern for performing the sidelink beam sweeping procedure from the first UE, the beam sweeping pattern including a repetition of transmit beams for beam sweeping at the second UE; And Transmitting a signal indicating the configuration in response to the beam sweeping pattern.

35. The method according to claim 34, wherein the indicated time-frequency resources are for the beam sweeping pattern of the sidelink beam sweeping procedure.

36. A method for wireless communication at a second user equipment (UE), comprising: Transmitting a report to a network device or a first UE, the report indicating a beam sweeping capability of the second UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and the second UE, the report including an indication of a relative orientation of a plurality of antenna panels of the second UE; As part of a sidelink beam sweeping procedure for the sidelink communication link between the first UE and the second UE, receive one or more reference signals from the first UE via a receive beam set on the time-frequency resources of the sidelink communication link according to the configuration of the sidelink beam sweeping procedure and at least partially based on the beam sweeping capabilities of the second UE, where the configuration indicates the time-frequency resources for the sidelink beam sweeping procedure; and transmit a measurement report of the sidelink beam sweeping procedure to the network device or the first UE at least partially based on the one or more reference signals, where the measurement report includes measurement information associated with the one or more reference signals.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein the measurement report includes measurements of the one or more reference signals and the associated receive beams of the receive beam set for each of the one or more reference signals.

38. An apparatus for wireless communication at a first user equipment (UE), comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: transmit a report indicating the beam sweeping capabilities of the first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE; receive a signal indicating a configuration of a sidelink beam sweeping procedure for the sidelink communication link between the first UE and the second UE at least partially based on the beam sweeping capabilities of the first UE, where the configuration indicates the time-frequency resources of the transmit beam set of the first UE for the sidelink beam sweeping procedure; and perform the sidelink beam sweeping procedure with the second UE at least partially based on the configuration using the transmit beam set and the indicated time-frequency resources.

39. The apparatus according to claim 38, wherein the instructions for transmitting the report indicating the beam sweeping capabilities of the first UE are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: transmit an indication of the number of antenna panels of the first UE.

40. The apparatus according to claim 38, wherein the instructions for transmitting the report indicating the beam sweeping capabilities of the first UE are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: transmit an indication of the number of antenna elements per antenna panel of the first UE.

41. The apparatus according to claim 38, wherein the instructions for transmitting the report indicating the beam sweeping capabilities of the first UE are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: transmit an indication of the type of antenna elements associated with one or more antenna elements of the first UE.

42. The apparatus according to claim 38, wherein the instructions for transmitting the report indicating the beam sweeping capabilities of the first UE are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: transmit an indication of the relative orientation of a plurality of antenna panels of the first UE.

43. The apparatus according to claim 38, wherein instructions for transmitting the report indicating the beam sweeping capability of the first UE are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: Transmit form factor information of the first UE, where the form factor information includes an indication of any of: a form factor change of the first UE, a change in relative position of one or more antenna panels based on the form factor of the first UE, the current form factor of the first UE, one or more external attachments of the first UE, or any combination thereof.

44. The apparatus according to claim 38, wherein instructions for transmitting the report indicating the beam sweeping capability of the first UE are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: Transmit an indication of the UE capabilities of the first UE, where the indication of the UE capabilities includes an indication of any of: support for slot-based reception, symbol-based reception, slot-based transmission, symbol-based transmission, the number of beam switches per time slot, or any combination thereof.

45. An apparatus for wireless communication at a first user equipment (UE), comprising: A processor; A memory coupled to the processor; And Instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the method according to any one of claims 8-18.

46. An apparatus for wireless communication at a network device, comprising: A processor; A memory coupled to the processor; And Instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: Receive a report from a first user equipment (UE), the report indicating the beam sweeping capability of the first UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and a second UE, the report including an indication of the relative orientation of a plurality of antenna panels of the first UE; And Transmit a signal to the first UE, the signal indicating a configuration of a sidelink beam sweeping procedure for the first UE and the second UE that is at least partially based on the beam sweeping capability of the first UE, the configuration indicating time-frequency resources of a transmit beam set for the sidelink beam sweeping procedure, where the sidelink beam sweeping procedure is for the sidelink communication link.

47. The apparatus according to claim 46, wherein instructions for receiving the report indicating the beam sweeping capability of the first UE are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: Receive an indication of the number of antenna panels of the first UE.

48. The apparatus according to claim 46, wherein instructions for receiving the report indicating the beam sweeping capability of the first UE are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: Receive an indication of the number of antenna elements per antenna panel of the first UE.

49. The apparatus according to claim 46, wherein instructions for receiving the report indicating the beam sweeping capability of the first UE are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: Receive an indication of the type of antenna element associated with one or more antenna elements of the first UE.

50. The apparatus according to claim 46, wherein instructions for receiving the report indicating the beam sweeping capability of the first UE are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: Receive an indication of the relative orientation of a plurality of antenna panels of the first UE.

51. The apparatus according to claim 46, wherein instructions for receiving the report indicating the beam sweeping capability of the first UE are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: Receive form factor information of the first UE, where the form factor information includes an indication of any of the following: a change in the form factor of the first UE, a change in the relative positions of one or more antenna panels based on the form factor of the first UE, the current form factor of the first UE, one or more external accessories of the first UE, or any combination thereof.

52. The apparatus according to claim 46, wherein instructions for receiving the report indicating the beam sweeping capability of the first UE are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: Receive an indication of the UE capabilities of the first UE, where the indication of the UE capabilities includes an indication of any of the following: support for slot-based reception, symbol-based reception, slot-based transmission, symbol-based transmission, the number of beam switches per slot, or any combination thereof.

53. An apparatus for wireless communication at a network device, comprising: A processor; A memory coupled to the processor; And Instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the method according to any one of claims 26-35.

54. An apparatus for wireless communication at a second user equipment (UE), comprising: A processor; A memory coupled to the processor; And Instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: Transmit a report to a network device or a first UE, the report indicating the beam sweeping capability of the second UE for a sidelink communication link between the first UE and the second UE, the report including an indication of the relative orientation of a plurality of antenna panels of the second UE; As part of a sidelink beam sweeping procedure for the sidelink communication link between the first UE and the second UE, receive one or more reference signals from the first UE via a receive beam set on time-frequency resources of the sidelink communication link according to the configuration of the sidelink beam sweeping procedure and at least partially based on the beam sweeping capability of the second UE, the configuration indicating the time-frequency resources for the sidelink beam sweeping procedure; And Transmit a measurement report of the sidelink beam sweeping procedure to the network device or the first UE at least partially based on the reference signals, where the measurement report includes measurement information associated with the one or more reference signals.

55. The apparatus according to claim 54, wherein the measurement report includes measurements of the one or more reference signals and the associated receive beams of the receive beam set for each of the one or more reference signals.

Images