Spatial relationship indication technology based on beam steering

Abstract

The present disclosure includes a method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium for wireless communications, for determining, at a first node, first beam direction information for a second node to select one or more beams for beam training with a third node; determining, at the first node, second beam direction information for the third node to select one or more beams for beam training with the second node; sending the first beam direction information to the second node; and sending the second beam direction information to the third node.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 948,032, filed on December 13, 2019, entitled “TECHNIQUES FOR SPATIAL RELATION INDICATION BASED ON BEAM ORIENTATION,” and U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 119,498, filed on December 11, 2020, entitled “TECHNIQUES FOR SPATIAL RELATION INDICATION BASED ON BEAM ORIENTATION,” the entire contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems and, more particularly, to spatial relationship indication based on beam steering.

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunication services, such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources. Examples of such multiple access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems.

[0005] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate at a city, country, regional, and even global level. An example telecommunication standard is 5G New Radio (NR). 5G NR is part of the continued mobile broadband evolution promulgated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to meet new requirements associated with latency, reliability, security, scalability (e.g., with the Internet of Things (IoT)), and other requirements. 5G NR includes services associated with enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC). Some aspects of 5G NR may be based on the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. There is a need to further improve 5G NR technology. These improvements also apply to other multiple access technologies and telecommunication standards that employ these technologies. Due to the growing demand for wireless communications, there is a need to improve the efficiency of wireless communication network technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects and is neither intended to identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

[0007] One example embodiment includes a method of wirelessly communicating at a first node, comprising determining, at the first node, first beam direction information for a second node to select one or more beams for beam training with a third node. The method may also include determining, at the first node, second beam direction information for the third node to select one or more beams for beam training with the second node. The method may also include sending the first beam direction information to the second node. The method may also include sending the second beam direction information to the third node.

[0008] Another example embodiment includes an apparatus corresponding to a first node for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising a memory and at least one processor in communication with the memory. The at least one processor may be configured to determine, at the first node, first beam direction information for a second node to select one or more beams for beam training with a third node. The at least one processor may be configured to determine, at the first node, second beam direction information for the third node to select one or more beams for beam training with the second node. The at least one processor may be configured to send the first beam direction information to the second node. The at least one processor may be configured to send the second beam direction information to the third node.

[0009] Another example embodiment includes an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus may include means for determining, at a first node, first beam direction information for a second node to select one or more beams for beam training with a third node. The apparatus may also include means for determining, at the first node, second beam direction information for the third node to select one or more beams for beam training with the second node. The apparatus may also include means for transmitting the first beam direction information to the second node. The apparatus may also include means for transmitting the second beam direction information to the third node.

[0010] Another example embodiment includes a computer-readable medium storing computer code executable by a processor for wireless communication at a network entity, the computer code including code for: determining, at a first node, first beam direction information for a second node to select one or more beams for beam training with a third node; determining, at the first node, second beam direction information for the third node to select one or more beams for beam training with the second node; sending the first beam direction information to the second node; and sending the second beam direction information to the third node.

[0011] In some aspects, the beam steering information may include at least one of a beam shape and a beam direction, or a beam shape and a beam direction relative to a beam associated with a reference signal.

[0012] In some aspects, the second node corresponds to a gNB and the third node corresponds to a user equipment (UE), and wherein the first beam steering information indicates a beam shape and a beam direction from the gNB to the UE and indicates to the gNB a beam selection for beam training with the UE, and wherein the second beam steering information indicates a beam shape and a beam direction from the UE to the gNB and indicates to the UE another beam selection scheme for beam training with the gNB.

[0013] In some aspects, the second node corresponds to the first UE and the third node corresponds to the second UE, and wherein the first beam direction information indicates a beam shape and a beam direction from the first UE to the second UE and indicates to the first UE a beam selection for beam training with the second UE, and the second beam direction information indicates a beam shape and a beam direction from the second UE to the first UE and indicates to the second UE another beam selection scheme for beam training with the first UE.

[0014] In some aspects, the method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium may further determine a beam direction, wherein determining the beam direction comprises: receiving location information of the second node and the third node; and identifying the beam direction as an absolute beam direction corresponding to a defined angular direction independent of a current beam of the second node or the third node, or a relative beam direction relative to the current beam of the second node or the third node based on the location information.

[0015] In some aspects, the location information is received from a location management function or directly from the second node and the third node, and wherein the location information corresponds to three-dimensional positioning information.

[0016] In some aspects, identifying the beam direction as the relative beam direction of the first beam steering information is further based on a two-dimensional or three-dimensional angular difference between an angle from the second node to the first node and an angle from the second node to the third node.

[0017] In some aspects, identifying the beam direction as the relative beam direction of the second beam steering information is further based on a two-dimensional or three-dimensional angular difference between an angle from the third node to the first node and an angle from the third node to the second node.

[0018] In some aspects, the method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium may also enable, by the first node, to determine, based on beam-related information from the second node, the direction of a current serving beam used by the second node to communicate with the first node to fine-tune the relative beam direction of the first beam direction information.

[0019] In some aspects, the method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium may also enable the first node to determine, based on beam-related information from the third node, the direction of a current serving beam used by the third node to communicate with the first node to fine-tune the relative beam direction of the second beam direction information.

[0020] In some aspects, the method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium may further determine a beam shape for a first beam orientation based at least on one of a path loss or interference consideration for a second node, wherein the beam shape corresponds to a beam width or beam shape information including side-lope suppression or beam gain in a defined spherical direction; and determine a beam shape for a second beam orientation based at least on one of a path loss or interference consideration for a third node, wherein the beam shape corresponds to a beam width or beam shape information including side-lope suppression or beam gain in a defined spherical direction.

[0021] In some aspects, the first beam orientation information triggers the second node to select one or more beams for beam training with the third node based at least on a current orientation of the second node.

[0022] In some aspects, the second beam orientation information triggers the third node to select one or more beams for beam training with the second node based at least on a current orientation of the third node.

[0023] In some aspects, the first beam direction information and the second beam direction information are sent via one or more of downlink control information (DCI), radio resource control (RRC) signaling, or medium access control (MAC) control elements (MAC-CEs), or via one or more of sidelink equivalents.

[0024] In some aspects, at least a portion of the first beam direction information or the second beam direction information is sent on an uplink or downlink communication channel corresponding to a Uu interface, or an equivalent corresponding to a sidelink interface, and wherein the first beam direction information or the second beam direction information is sent to a relay node.

[0025] To accomplish the foregoing and related ends, one or more aspects comprise the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the accompanying drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of one or more aspects. However, these features are indicative of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the various aspects may be employed, and this description is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and an access network.

[0027] Figure 2A 、 Figure 2B 、 Figure 2C and Figure 2D 5G / NR frame, DL channels within a 5G / NR subframe, and UL channels within a second 5G / NR frame and 5G / NR subframe, respectively.

[0028] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a base station and a user equipment (UE) in an access network.

[0029] Figure 4 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication, and more particularly, is a flow chart of default path loss reference signal determination for PUCCH and SRS.

[0030] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a UE according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a base station according to aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The detailed description set forth below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings is intended to serve as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configuration in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring such concepts.

[0033] Several aspects of telecommunication systems will now be presented with reference to various apparatuses and methods. These apparatuses and methods will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, components, circuits, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively, "elements"). These elements may be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0034] For example, an element or any part of an element or any combination of elements can be implemented as a "processing system" including one or more processors. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, systems on chip (SoCs), baseband processors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gating logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functions described throughout this disclosure. One or more processors in a processing system can execute software. Software can be broadly interpreted as referring to instructions, instruction sets, codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable programs, execution threads, processes, functions, etc., whether referring to software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or other.

[0035] Thus, in one or more example embodiments, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, these functions may be stored on a computer-readable medium or encoded as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media. A storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, a combination of the above-mentioned types of computer-readable media, or any other medium that can be used to store computer-executable code in the form of instructions or data structures accessible to a computer.

[0036] This aspect relates to spatial relationship indication based on beam orientation. Specifically, the initial beam can be identified via a beam scanning process (e.g., during a synchronization / random access channel (RACH) process, which can be similar to a beam training process similar to P1) and can be further optimized through beam training by optimizing beam scanning (e.g., using a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) on the downlink and / or a sounding reference signal (SRS) on the uplink). For example, on the downlink, the beam training process can be defined according to the P1 / P2 / P3 phases. For example, during P1, the gNB can scan all corresponding wide beams (e.g., using a synchronization signal block (SSB)), and the UE can scan all corresponding wide beams to find the best transmit and receive wide beams. During P2, the gNB can scan all narrow beams from the best transmit beam of P1, and the UE can measure them using the best receive wide beam from P1 to find the best narrow beam for transmission.

[0037] For transmit and receive channels (physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), etc.), the beam or beams to be used may be indicated as one (or more) of the above-identified beams (e.g., SSB or CSI-RS and / or SRS). Specifically, quasi-co-location (QCL) Type-D may be defined to indicate a spatial relationship or beam. If two channels and / or reference signals are QCL-enabled via Type-D, they may use the same beam (i.e., the same spatial relationship). For DL ​​channels, the beam may be indicated by a transmit configuration indication (TCI) with QCL Type-D, indicating which reference signal (e.g., SSB / CSI-RS) may be used to determine the transmit beam on the downlink. For uplink channels, the beam is indicated by a SpatialRelationInfo indication, indicating which reference signal (e.g., SSB / CSI-RS or SRS) may be used to determine the transmit beam on the uplink. Alternatively, the TCI framework can also be extended to the uplink to optionally include other QCL types in addition to QCL Type-D, which is equivalent to SpatialRelationInfo. Therefore, since the transmitter may not know the beam shape and / or codebook of the receiver, it may be desirable to select the actual beam shape and beam codebook, and vice versa.

[0038] Therefore, when side information (e.g., UE / gNB 3D location or current orientation or beam-related information) is available, in order to reduce beam training latency and resource overhead, the present invention inputs beam orientation information into the beam training process during normal communication or before the RACH process between two nodes, where the beam orientation information includes the beam shape and beam direction from one node to the other. For example, instead of indicating the beam corresponding to the reference signal (e.g., SSB / CSI-RS and / or SRS), the beam orientation can be indicated, where the beam orientation can be identified by the beam shape and beam direction. In some aspects, the two approaches described above are combined, for example, the beam shape and direction relative to the indicated beam (i.e., the beam corresponding to the reference signal).

[0039] Specifically, in an embodiment, the first node may determine first beam direction information for the second node to select one or more beams for beam training with the third node, determine second beam direction information for the third node to select one or more beams for beam training with the second node, send the first beam direction information to the second node, and send the second beam direction information to the third node.

[0040] Figure 1 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and access network 100 configured to select resources in a resource selection window. The wireless communication system (also known as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) includes a base station 102, a UE 104, an evolved packet core (EPC) 160, and another core network 190 (e.g., a 5G core (5GC)).

[0041] In certain aspects, UE 104 can be configured to operate communication component 198 and / or configuration component 240 to determine first beam direction information for the second node to select one or more beams for beam training with a third node, determine second beam direction information for the third node to select one or more beams for beam training with the second node, send the first beam direction information to the second node, and send the second beam direction information to the third node.

[0042] In one example, a serving gNB (e.g., base station 102a) may be communicating with a first UE (e.g., UE 104a), but the UE may be handed over to a second gNB (e.g., base station 102b). The serving gNB may notify the first UE of beam steering information, a beam shape, and a beam direction pointing from the first UE to the second gNB. The serving gNB may also notify the second gNB of beam steering information, a beam shape, and a beam direction pointing from the second gNB to the first UE. In some aspects, if P1-like beam training for RACH is implemented, the serving gNB does not need to notify the second gNB of beam steering information (i.e., beam shape and beam direction pointing from the second gNB to the first UE). This may be because the second gNB has many other UEs, and the corresponding SSB beam scanning (i.e., a P1-like beam training procedure for UEs performing RACH) cannot be reduced for the first UE alone. In the above example, handover latency and resource overhead may be reduced.

[0043] In another example, when a first UE (e.g., UE 104a) and a second UE (e.g., base station 102b) may be engaged in an active communication session, and the first UE and a third UE (e.g., UE 104c) may also be engaged in an active communication session, the third UE may wish to participate in the active communication session with the second UE. In some aspects, the first UE may notify the second UE of beam steering information, a beam shape, and a beam direction pointing in a direction from the second UE to the third UE. In some aspects, the first UE may notify the third UE of the beam steering information, a beam shape, and a beam direction pointing in a direction from the third UE to the second UE. In the above example, establishment of sidelink communication between the second UE and the third UE may be accelerated, and resource overhead may be reduced.

[0044] In another example, a serving gNB (e.g., base station 102a) may communicate with a first UE (e.g., UE 104a) and a second UE (e.g., UE 102b), and the first UE may then request to communicate with the second UE. In some aspects, the serving gNB may notify the first UE of beam steering information, a beam shape, and a beam direction pointing from the first UE to the second UE. In some aspects, the gNB may notify the second UE of beam steering information, a beam shape, and a beam direction pointing from the second UE to the first UE. In the above example, establishment of sidelink communication between the first UE and the second UE may be accelerated, and resource overhead may be reduced.

[0045] In some aspects, this embodiment can be applied to at least three nodes (e.g., including UEs and / or gNBs), or any combination (e.g., three UEs). Further, this embodiment can be applied to transmission and / or reception of any communication channel (Uu, sidelink, etc.).

[0046] To determine the beam direction, the gNB may initially obtain three-dimensional positioning information for the second gNB and the first UE. For example, if the Location Management Function (LMF) is collocated with the gNB, the LMF in the RAN may be used to obtain local positioning. Otherwise, the gNB may request positioning information from the LMF. In some aspects, if the second gNB and the first UE know their respective three-dimensional positions, the gNB may obtain the positioning information from the second gNB and the first UE, respectively.

[0047] The gNB can then determine the beam direction from the first UE to the second gNB and from the second gNB to the first UE based on the three-dimensional position. For example, the beam direction can be indicated as absolute (e.g., using azimuth and elevation, such as 10 degrees northeast elevation), or relative to the receive / transmit beam direction being used by the first UE (e.g., 20 degrees more elevation than the UE receive beam corresponding to the first gNB's SSB beam). For absolute indication, the UE may need to determine its current orientation (e.g., based on sensor directionality). For relative indication, the UE may need to determine its current orientation (e.g., based on sensor directionality).

[0048] In some aspects, the relative direction may be derived by the 3D angular difference between the first UE-to-gNB angle and the first UE-to-second gNB angle. Thus, the first gNB may not need to know the current orientation of the UE. In some aspects (e.g., the current UE beam serving gNB1 is not directly pointing at gNB1), gNB1 may need to know (a) the current UE orientation and (b) UE beam-related information (e.g., the direction of each UE beam per panel under the UE LCS, where LCS = Local Coordinate System) to determine the direction of the current UE beam serving gNB1 in order to fine-tune the relative 3D angle (e.g., by adding a 3D offset to the angular difference estimated as above).

[0049] To determine the beam shape, for example, the gNB may make such a determination based on the estimated path loss for the first UE (e.g., a narrower beam to compensate for higher path loss). The gNB may also determine the beam shape based on interference considerations (e.g., using a narrower beam if many other UEs are served in a similar geographic area). The beam shape may correspond to a beam width, or in some aspects, to sidelobe suppression, or beam gain in certain spherical directions.

[0050] In an example procedure, a first gNB may request a second gNB to report its orientation and / or its three-dimensional positioning information. The first gNB may also request a first UE to report its orientation (e.g., periodically or upon request from a command of the first gNB) and / or three-dimensional positioning information. The first gNB may determine that the first UE will be handed over to the second gNB (e.g., due to coverage or overload of the first gNB). As described herein, the first gNB may determine a beam direction and a beam shape. Before the UE accesses the second gNB via the RACH, the first gNB may inform the first UE of the beam orientation information (i.e., the beam shape and the beam direction from the first UE to the second gNB) in a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

[0051] Based on the beam orientation information from the first gNB and its current orientation, the first UE can select one or more beams to scan and listen to the synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of the second gNB to access the second gNB via RACH. This reduces P1-like beam training (e.g., as part of the first UE's RACH access to the second gNB) because the first UE's beam set for beam scanning is reduced. In some cases, the first UE and the second gNB may be able to skip P1-like beam training for RACH procedures, such as line-of-sight (LOS), accurate directional three-dimensional positioning information. The first gNB can inform the second gNB of the beam orientation information (i.e., beam shape and direction from the second gNB to the first UE). The second gNB can configure the UE with a P2 narrow beam (e.g., using a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS)). As a result, handover latency and resource overhead can be reduced.

[0052] In some embodiments, side information signaling (e.g., UE / gNB 3D positioning or current orientation or beam-related information) may be sent via an appropriate protocol / interface. For example, the gNB may periodically or on-demand obtain the 3D positioning of the first UE from the location management function via NR Positioning Protocol A (PPa). The second UE may periodically or on-demand obtain the 3D positioning of the first UE from the first UE via a sidelink (e.g., data payload, SL MAC-CE / PUSCH equivalent). The first UE may periodically or on-demand report its current orientation information to the gNB via the Uu interface (e.g., MAC-CE / PUSCH) or upon the gNB's request. The first UE may periodically or on-demand report its current orientation information to the second UE via a sidelink (e.g., SL MAC-CE / PUSCH equivalent). The first UE may report its beam-related information (e.g., panel, codebook / beam) to the gNB via the Uu interface. The first UE may report its beam-related information (e.g., panel, codebook / beam) to the second UE via a sidelink interface.

[0053] In some embodiments, the beam steering information may be sent as a beam steering indication (beam shape plus beam direction) or within a beam steering indication. For example, a quasi-co-location (QCL) type indication, where the spatial information may be indicated by an absolute beam shape plus beam direction, rather than by a QCL-D source (i.e., CSI-RS / SSB or SRS), or a QCL-D source (i.e., CSI-RS / SSB or SRS) and a relative beam shape plus beam direction relative to the QCL-D source, or if the entity determining the beam shape plus beam direction has all beam-related information (e.g., all panels and codebook / beam information), the beam steering indication may be defined as a beam index in the entire codebook pool (e.g., indicating one or more beams).

[0054] For the Uu interface, the downlink channel may support a Transmit Configuration Indication (TCI) state to indicate the above QCL type. For the uplink channel, an attribute similar to the spatial relationship information may be supported to indicate the above QCL type. For the sidelink interface, the TCI state and / or an attribute similar to the spatial relationship information may be supported to indicate the above QCL type. The beam direction indication (e.g., beam shape plus beam direction) may be carried in the RRC / Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) / Downlink Control Information (DCI) (e.g., if over Uu) or the SL RRC / MAC-CE / DCI equivalent (e.g., if over sidelink).

[0055] In some embodiments, quantization of the beam direction indication can be supported. For example, the resolution (e.g., number of bits) of the beam direction angle and beam width can be fixed preset or preconfigured. The beam shape and direction can be indicated as an index into a fixed list of possible beam shapes and beam directions, respectively. The device can select the beam that best matches the requested shape and direction from its codebook pool. Alternatively, if the requester has access to the device's entire codebook, the requester can send a beam index to the device to indicate the beam shape plus the beam direction.

[0056] Accordingly, in certain aspects, the network entity 102 (eg, a base station) may be configured to operate the communication component 199 and / or the configuration component 241 to facilitate communications with the UE 104 .

[0057] Base stations 102 may include macro cells (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cells (low-power cellular base stations). Macro cells include base stations. Small cells include femto cells, pico cells, and micro cells.

[0058] A base station 102 configured for 4G LTE (collectively referred to as the Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) may be connected to the EPC 160 via a backhaul link 132 (e.g., an S1 interface). A base station 102 configured for 5G NR (collectively referred to as the Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN)) may be connected to the core network 190 via a backhaul link 184. The base station 102 may perform one or more of the following functions, among other things: transmission of user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, radio access network (RAN) sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and device tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. Base stations 102 may communicate with each other via backhaul links 134 (eg, an X2 interface) directly or indirectly (eg, via EPC 160 or core network 190). Backhaul links 132, 134, and 184 may be wired or wireless.

[0059] Base stations 102 can communicate wirelessly with UEs 104. Each base station 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. There can be overlapping geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell 102' can have a coverage area 110' that overlaps with the coverage area 110 of one or more macro base stations 102. A network that includes both small cells and macro cells can be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network can also include a Home Evolved Node B (eNB) (HeNB), which can provide service to a restricted group called a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG). The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 can include uplink (UL) (also known as reverse link) transmissions from the UE 104 to the base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also known as forward link) transmissions from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 can use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link can be over one or more carriers. Base stations 102 / UEs 104 may use spectrum with up to Y MHz (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100, 400 MHz, etc.) of bandwidth per carrier, allocated in carrier aggregation for a total of up to Yx MHz (x component carriers) for transmission in each direction. These carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., DL may be allocated more or fewer carriers than UL). Component carriers may include a primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. The primary component carrier may be referred to as a primary cell (PCell), and the secondary component carriers may be referred to as a secondary cell (SCell).

[0060] Certain UEs 104 may communicate with each other using device-to-device (D2D) communication links 158. The D2D communication links 158 may use the DL / UL WWAN spectrum. The D2D communication links 158 may use one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), and a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH). The D2D communication may be performed via various wireless D2D communication systems, such as, for example, FlashLinQ, WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, LTE, or NR.

[0061] The wireless communication system may also include a Wi-Fi access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 in the 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum via a communication link 154. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the STA 152 / AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) prior to communication to determine whether the channel is available.

[0062] Small cell 102' can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in the unlicensed spectrum, small cell 102' can employ NR and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum used by Wi-Fi AP 150. Small cell 102' employing NR in the unlicensed spectrum can improve access network coverage and / or increase access network capacity.

[0063] Base station 102, whether a small cell 102' or a large cell (e.g., a macro base station), can include an eNB, a gNodeB (gNB), or another type of base station. Some base stations, such as gNB 180, can operate in the traditional sub-6 GHz spectrum, millimeter wave (mmW) frequencies, and / or near-mmW frequencies for communicating with UE 104. When gNB 180 operates in mmW or near-mmW frequencies, gNB 180 can be referred to as a mmW base station. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a portion of the RF spectrum in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a frequency range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz, with wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this frequency band can be referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW can extend down to frequencies of 3 GHz with wavelengths of 100 mm. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz and is also known as centimeter waves. Communications using the mmW / near-mmW radio frequency bands (e.g., 3 GHz–300 GHz) have extremely high path loss and short range. The mmW base station 180 may utilize beamforming 182 with the UE 104 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range.

[0064] Base station 180 may transmit beamformed signals in one or more transmit directions 182′ to UE 104. UE 104 may receive beamformed signals from base station 180 in one or more receive directions 182″. UE 104 may also transmit beamformed signals in one or more transmit directions to base station 180. Base station 180 may receive beamformed signals in one or more receive directions from UE 104. Base station 180 / UE 104 may perform beam training to determine optimal receive and transmit directions for each of base station 180 / UE 104. The transmit direction and receive direction of base station 180 may be the same or different. The transmit direction and receive direction of UE 104 may be the same or different.

[0065] EPC 160 may include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a Serving Gateway 166, a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) Gateway 168, a Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BM-SC) 170, and a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway 172. MME 162 may communicate with a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 174. MME 162 is a control node that handles signaling between UE 104 and EPC 160. Generally, MME 162 provides bearer and connection management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transmitted through Serving Gateway 166, which itself is connected to PDN Gateway 172. PDN Gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. PDN Gateway 172 and BM-SC 170 are connected to IP Services 176. IP Services 176 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), PS streaming services, and / or other IP services. The BM-SC 170 may provide functionality for MBMS user service provisioning and delivery. The BM-SC 170 may serve as the entry point for content providers' MBMS transmissions, may be used to authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services within a public land mobile network (PLMN), and may be used to schedule MBMS transmissions. The MBMS Gateway 168 may be used to distribute MBMS services to base stations 102 belonging to a Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) area broadcasting a specific service, and may be responsible for session management (start / stop) and collecting charging information related to eMBMS.

[0066] The core network 190 may include an access and mobility management function (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, a session management function (SMF) 194, and a user plane function (UPF) 195. The AMF 192 may communicate with a unified data management (UDM) 196. The AMF 192 is a control node that handles signaling between the UE 104 and the core network 190. Typically, the AMF 192 provides QoS flow and session management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transported through the UPF 195. The UPF 195 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The UPF 195 is connected to the IP services 197. The IP services 197 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), PS streaming services, and / or other IP services.

[0067] A base station may also be referred to as a gNB, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), access point, base transceiver station, radio base station, radio transceiver, transceiver functionality, basic service set (BSS), extended service set (ESS), transmit reception point (TRP), or some other suitable terminology. Base station 102 provides an access point for UE 104 to EPC 160 or core network 190. Examples of UE 104 include a cellular phone, a smartphone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a satellite radio, a global positioning system, a multimedia device, a video device, a digital audio player (e.g., an MP3 player), a camera, a game console, a tablet, a smart device, a wearable device, a vehicle, an electric meter, a gas pump, a large or small kitchen appliance, a healthcare device, an implant, a sensor / actuator, a display, or any other similarly functional device. Some UEs 104 may be referred to as IoT devices (e.g., a parking meter, a gas pump, a toaster, a vehicle, a heart monitor, etc.). UE 104 may also be referred to as a station, a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology.

[0068] Figures 2A to 2D Included are diagrams of example frame structures and resources that may be used in communications between base station 102, UE 104, and / or secondary UE (or sidelink UE) 110 as described in this disclosure. Figure 2A FIG200 is a diagram illustrating an example of a first subframe within a 5G NR frame structure. Figure 2B FIG230 is a diagram illustrating an example of DL channels within a 5G NR subframe. Figure 2C FIG250 is a diagram illustrating an example of a second subframe within a 5G NR frame structure. Figure 2D 280 is a diagram illustrating an example of UL channels within a 5G NR subframe. The 5G NR frame structure may be FDD, where, for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), subframes within that subcarrier set are dedicated to either DL or UL, or TDD, where, for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), subframes within that subcarrier set are dedicated to both DL and UL. Figure 2A 、 Figure 2CIn the example provided, the 5G NR frame structure is assumed to be TDD, subframe 4 is configured with time slot format 28 (primarily DL), where D is DL, U is UL, and X is flexible between DL / UL, and subframe 3 is configured with time slot format 34 (primarily UL). Although subframes 3 and 4 are shown as having time slot formats 34 and 28, respectively, any particular subframe can be configured with any of the various available time slot formats 0-61. Time slot formats 0 and 1 are DL and UL, respectively. Other time slot formats 2-61 include a mix of DL, UL and flexible symbols. The UE is configured with the time slot format (dynamically through DL control information (DCI), or semi-statically / statically through radio resource control (RRC) signaling) via the received time slot format indicator (SFI). Please note that the following description of infra also applies to the 5G NR frame structure that is TDD.

[0069] Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels. A frame (10 ms) may be divided into 10 equally sized subframes (1 ms). Each subframe may include one or more time slots. A subframe may also include mini-slots, which may include 7, 4, or 2 symbols. Depending on the slot configuration, each slot may include 7 or 14 symbols. For slot configuration 0, each slot may include 14 symbols, while for slot configuration 1, each slot may include 7 symbols. The symbols on the DL may be cyclic prefix (CP) OFDM (CP-OFDM) symbols. The symbols on the UL may be CP-OFDM symbols (for high throughput scenarios) or discrete Fourier transform (DFT) spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbols (also known as single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) symbols) (for power-limited scenarios; limited to single stream transmission). The number of slots within a subframe is based on the slot configuration and parameter set. For slot configuration 0, different parameter sets μ0 to 5 allow 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 slots per subframe, respectively. For slot configuration 1, different parameter sets 0 to 2 allow 2, 4, and 8 slots per subframe, respectively. Therefore, for slot configuration 0 and parameter set μ, there are 14 symbols / slot and 2 μ timeslots / subframes. The subcarrier spacing and symbol length / duration are functions of the parameter set. The subcarrier spacing can be equal to 2 μ *15kHz, where μ is a parameter set 0 to 5. Therefore, the subcarrier spacing for parameter set μ=0 is 15kHz, and the subcarrier spacing for parameter set μ=5 is 480kHz. The symbol length / duration is inversely proportional to the subcarrier spacing. Figures 2A to 2D An example is provided for slot configuration 0 with 14 symbols per slot and parameter set μ = 0 with 1 slot per subframe. The subcarrier spacing is 15 kHz and the symbol duration is approximately 66.7 μs.

[0070] The resource grid can be used to represent the frame structure. Each time slot consists of a resource block (RB) (also called a physical RB (PRB)) that extends over 12 consecutive subcarriers. The resource grid is divided into multiple resource elements (REs). The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0071] like Figure 2A As shown, some REs carry reference (pilot) signals (RS) for the UE. RSs may include demodulation RSs (DM-RSs) (denoted as R for one specific configuration, where 100x is the port number, but other DM-RS configurations are also possible) and channel state information reference signals (CSI-RSs) for channel estimation at the UE. RSs may also include beamforming RSs (BRSs), beam optimization RSs (BRRSs), and phase tracking RSs (PT-RSs).

[0072] Figure 2B Examples of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame are shown. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries DCI within one or more control channel elements (CCEs), each CCE includes nine RE groups (REGs), and each REG includes four consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol. The primary synchronization signal (PSS) can be within symbol 2 of a specific subframe of the frame. The UE 104 uses the PSS to determine the subframe / symbol timing and the physical layer identity. The secondary synchronization signal (SSS) can be within symbol 4 of a specific subframe of the frame. The UE uses the SSS to determine the physical layer cell identity group number and the radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and the physical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine the physical cell identity (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the position of the above-mentioned DM-RS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the master information block (MIB) can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form a synchronization signal (SS) / PBCH block. The MIB provides a number of RBs and a system frame number (SFN) in the system. The Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information not sent through the PBCH (such as System Information Blocks (SIBs)), and paging messages.

[0073] like Figure 2CAs shown, some REs carry DM-RSs (denoted as R for one specific configuration, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) used for channel estimation at the base station. The UE can send DM-RSs for the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and DM-RSs for the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). The PUSCH DM-RS can be sent in the first one or two symbols of the PUSCH. The PUCCH DM-RS can be sent in different configurations, depending on whether a short PUCCH or a long PUCCH is sent, and on the specific PUCCH format used. Although not shown, the UE can send a sounding reference signal (SRS). The base station can use the SRS for channel quality estimation to enable frequency-dependent scheduling on the UL.

[0074] Figure 2D Examples of various UL channels within a subframe of a frame are shown. In one configuration, the PUCCH may be positioned as indicated. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), rank indicator (RI), and HARQ ACK / NACK feedback. The PUSCH carries data and may additionally be used to carry buffer status reports (BSRs), power headroom reports (PHRs), and / or UCI.

[0075] Figure 33 is a block diagram of a base station 310 communicating with a UE 350 in an access network, wherein base station 310 may be an example embodiment of base station 102, and wherein UE 350 may be an example embodiment of UE 104. In the DL, IP packets from EPC 160 may be provided to a controller / processor 375. Controller / processor 375 implements layer 3 and layer 2 functionality. Layer 3 includes a radio resource control (RRC) layer, and layer 2 includes a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. The controller / processor 375 provides RRC layer functions associated with broadcasting of system information (e.g., MIB, SIB), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-radio access technology (RAT) mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression, security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions associated with transmission of upper layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0076] The transmit (TX) processor 316 and receive (RX) processor 370 implement layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on the transmission channel, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of the transmission channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. The TX processor 316 handles the mapping to the signal group based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols can then be divided into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to an OFDM subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., a pilot) in the time and / or frequency domain, and then combined using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM stream is spatially precoded to produce multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator 374 may be used to determine coding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimates may be derived from a reference signal and / or channel condition feedback transmitted by the UE 350. Each spatial stream may then be provided to a different antenna 320 via a separate transmitter 318TX. Each transmitter 318TX may modulate an RF carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0077] At the UE 350, each receiver 354RX receives a signal via its corresponding antenna 352. Each receiver 354RX recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides this information to a receive (RX) processor 356. The TX processor 368 and the RX processor 356 implement layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. The RX processor 356 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE 350. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 350, they can be combined into a single OFDM symbol stream by the RX processor 356. The RX processor 356 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. By determining the most likely signal constellation point transmitted by the base station 310, the symbols and reference signals on each subcarrier are recovered and demodulated. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates calculated by the channel estimator 358. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally sent on the physical channel by base station 310. The data and control signals are then provided to controller / processor 359, which performs layer 3 and layer 2 functions.

[0078] The controller / processor 359 may be associated with a memory 360 that stores program codes and data. The memory 360 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. In the UL, the controller / processor 359 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the EPC 160. The controller / processor 359 is also responsible for error detection using ACK and / or NACK protocols to support HARQ operations.

[0079] Similar to the functions described in conjunction with the DL transmission of the base station 310, the controller / processor 359 provides RRC layer functions associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions associated with transmission of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto TBs, demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0080] The TX processor 368 may select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and facilitate spatial processing using channel estimates derived by the channel estimator 358 from a reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 310. The spatial streams generated by the TX processor 368 may be provided to different antennas 352 via separate transmitters 354TX. Each transmitter 354TX may modulate an RF carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0081] UL transmissions are processed at base station 310 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver functionality at UE 350. Each receiver 318RX receives a signal through its respective antenna 320. Each receiver 318RX recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to an RX processor 370.

[0082] The controller / processor 375 may be associated with a memory 376 that stores program codes and data. The memory 376 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. In the UL, the controller / processor 375 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 350. The IP packets from the controller / processor 375 may be provided to the EPC 160. The controller / processor 375 is also responsible for supporting HARQ operations using error detection using ACK and / or NACK protocols.

[0083] At least one of the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller / processor 359 may be configured to perform operations related to Figure 1 Aspects related to the communication component 198.

[0084] At least one of the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375 may be configured to perform operations related to Figure 1 Aspects related to the communication component 199.

[0085] Figure 4 400 is a flow chart of a method for wireless communication at a first node. The method may be performed by a UE (e.g., UE 104; apparatus 350; controller / processor 359, which may include memory 360; processor 512, which may include memory 516, modem 540, and may be the entire UE 104 or a component of the UE 104, such as TX processor 368, RX processor 356, and / or transceiver 502) in conjunction with communication component 198 / configuration component 240.

[0086] At 402, method 400 includes determining, at a first node, first beam direction information for a second node to select one or more beams for beam training with a third node. In one aspect, UE 104 and / or communication component 198 / configuration component 240 may be configured to determine, at the first node, first beam direction information for the second node to select one or more beams for beam training with the third node. Thus, UE 104 and / or communication component 198 / configuration component 240, for example, in conjunction with controller / processor 359 (which may include memory 360), processor 512 (which may include memory 516), modem 540, TX processor 368, and transceiver 502, may define means for determining, at the first node, first beam direction information for the second node to select one or more beams for beam training with the third node.

[0087] At 404, method 400 includes determining, at the first node, second beam direction information for the third node to select one or more beams for beam training with the second node. In one aspect, UE 104 and / or communication component 198 / configuration component 240 may be configured to determine, at the first node, second beam direction information for the third node to select one or more beams for beam training with the second node. Thus, UE 104 and / or communication component 198 / configuration component 240, for example, in conjunction with controller / processor 359 (which may include memory 360), processor 512 (which may include memory 516), modem 540, RX processor 356, and transceiver 502, may define means for determining, at the first node, second beam direction information for the third node to select one or more beams for beam training with the second node.

[0088] At 406, method 400 includes sending the first beam direction information to the second node. In one aspect, UE 104 and / or communication component 198 / configuration component 240 can be configured to send the first beam direction information to the second node. Thus, UE 104 and / or communication component 198 / configuration component 240, for example, in conjunction with controller / processor 359 (which can include memory 360), processor 512 (which can include memory 516), modem 540, RX processor 356, and transceiver 502, can define means for sending the first beam direction information to the second node.

[0089] At 408, method 400 includes transmitting the second beam direction information to the third node. In one aspect, UE 104 and / or communication component 198 / configuration component 240 can be configured to transmit the second beam direction information to the third node. Thus, UE 104 and / or communication component 198 / configuration component 240, for example, in conjunction with controller / processor 359 (which can include memory 360), processor 512 (which can include memory 516), modem 540, RX processor 356, and transceiver 502 can define means for transmitting the second beam direction information to the third node.

[0090] In some aspects, the beam steering information may include at least one of a beam shape and a beam direction, or a beam shape and a beam direction relative to a beam associated with a reference signal. For example, the beam shapes in the first beam steering information and the second beam steering information may be different, such that one may be for the second node and the other for the third node.

[0091] In some aspects, the second node may correspond to a gNB and the third node may correspond to a UE, and wherein the first beam steering information may indicate a beam shape and a beam direction from the gNB to the UE and may indicate to the gNB a beam selection scheme for beam training with the UE, and the second beam steering information may indicate a beam shape and a beam direction from the UE to the gNB and indicate to the UE another beam selection scheme for beam training with the gNB.

[0092] In some aspects, the second node may correspond to the first UE and the third node may correspond to the second UE, and the first beam direction information may indicate a beam shape and a beam direction from the first UE to the second UE, and indicate to the first UE a beam selection scheme for beam training with the second UE, and the second beam direction information indicates a beam shape and a beam direction from the second UE to the first UE, and indicate to the second UE another beam selection scheme for beam training with the first UE.

[0093] Method 400 may also optionally include determining a beam direction, wherein determining the beam direction includes receiving position information of the second node and the third node, and based on the position information, identifying the beam direction as an absolute beam direction corresponding to a defined angular direction that is independent of a current beam of the second node or the third node, or a relative beam direction relative to the current beam of the second node or the third node.

[0094] In some aspects, the location information may be received from the location management function or directly from the second node and the third node, and wherein the location information may correspond to three-dimensional positioning information.

[0095] In some aspects, identifying the beam direction as the relative beam of the second beam direction information can also be based on a two-dimensional or three-dimensional angular difference between an angle from the third node to the first node and an angle from the third node to the second node. For example, the angular difference can be an azimuth angle or an elevation angle or both.

[0096] In some aspects, identifying the beam direction as the relative beam of the second beam direction information is further based on a two-dimensional or three-dimensional angular difference between an angle from the third node to the first node and an angle from the third node to the second node. For example, the angular difference can be an azimuth or an elevation or both.

[0097] The method 400 may also optionally include determining, by the first node, a direction of a current serving beam used by the third node to communicate with the first node based on the beam-related information from the third node to estimate the relative beam direction.

[0098] Method 400 may also optionally include determining a beam shape based on at least one of path loss or interference information of the third node, wherein the beam shape may correspond to a beam width or beam shape information including sidelobe suppression or beam gain in a defined spherical direction.

[0099] The method 400 may also optionally include determining, by the first node, a direction of a current serving beam used by the third node to communicate with the first node based on the beam-related information from the third node to fine-tune a relative beam direction of the second beam direction information.

[0100] In some aspects, the first beam orientation information may trigger the second node to select one or more beams for beam training with the third node based at least on the current orientation.

[0101] In some aspects, the second beam orientation information may trigger the third node to select one or more beams for beam training with the second node based on at least the current orientation. Two types of orientations may be present: (1) beam orientation information including a beam shape and a beam direction that may be used for beam selection, and (2) a UE / gNB orientation defined as a three-dimensional rotation angle relative to a reference antenna coordinate system.

[0102] In some aspects, the first beam direction information and the second beam direction information are sent via one or more of DCI, RRC signaling or MAC-CE, uplink control information (UCI), or via one or more sidelink equivalents.

[0103] In some aspects, at least a portion of the first beam direction information and / or the second beam direction information is transmitted over an uplink or downlink communication channel corresponding to a Uu interface, or an equivalent corresponding to a sidelink interface. In some aspects, the beam direction information may be transmitted to a relay node. The relay node may then transmit the first beam direction information and / or the second beam direction information to the second node or the third node, respectively.

[0104] In some aspects, the first node may correspond to the second node or the third node. Additionally, the second node may correspond to the third node.

[0105] refer to Figure 5 , an example of an embodiment of the UE 104 may include various components, some of which have been described above and are further described herein, including components such as one or more processors 512 and memory 516 and a transceiver 502 in communication via one or more buses 544, which may operate in conjunction with a modem 540 and / or a communication component 198 for prioritizing uplink transmissions in NR-U.

[0106] In one aspect, the one or more processors 512 may include the modem 540 and / or may be part of the modem 540 using one or more modem processors. Thus, various functions associated with the communication component 198 may be included in the modem 540 and / or the processor 512 and, in one aspect, may be performed by a single processor, while in other aspects, different functions may be performed by a combination of two or more different processors. For example, in one aspect, the one or more processors 512 may include any one or any combination of a modem processor, a baseband processor, a digital signal processor, a transmit processor, a receiver processor, or a transceiver processor associated with the transceiver 502. In other aspects, some features of the one or more processors 512 and / or the modem 540 associated with the communication component 198 may be performed by the transceiver 502.

[0107] In addition, the memory 516 can be configured to store data used herein and / or local versions of the applications 575 or the communication component 542 and / or one or more subcomponents thereof executed by the at least one processor 512. The memory 516 can include any type of computer-readable medium usable by a computer or the at least one processor 512, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), tape, magnetic disk, optical disk, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and any combination thereof. In one aspect, for example, the memory 516 can be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores one or more computer-executable codes and / or data associated therewith for the communication component 198 and / or one or more subcomponents thereof defined when the UE 104 is operating the at least one processor 512 to execute the communication component 198 and / or one or more subcomponents thereof.

[0108] The transceiver 502 may include at least one receiver 506 and at least one transmitter 508. The receiver 506 may include hardware and / or software executable by a processor for receiving data, the code including instructions and stored in a memory (e.g., a computer-readable medium). For example, the receiver 506 may be a radio frequency (RF) receiver. In one aspect, the receiver 506 may receive signals transmitted by at least one base station 102. Additionally, the receiver 506 may process such received signals and may also obtain signal measurements such as, but not limited to, Ec / Io, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), reference signal received power (RSRP), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), etc. The transmitter 508 may include hardware and / or software executable by a processor for transmitting data, the code including instructions and stored in a memory (e.g., a computer-readable medium). Suitable examples of the transmitter 508 may include, but are not limited to, an RF transmitter.

[0109] Furthermore, in one aspect, the UE 104 may include an RF front end 588 that may operate in communication with the one or more antennas 565 and the transceiver 502 to receive and transmit radio transmissions, e.g., wireless communications transmitted by at least one base station 102 or wireless transmissions transmitted by the UE 104. The RF front end 588 may be connected to the one or more antennas 565 and may include one or more low noise amplifiers (LNAs) 590, one or more switches 592, one or more power amplifiers (PAs) 598, and one or more filters 596 for transmitting and receiving RF signals.

[0110] In one aspect, the LNAs 590 can amplify the received signal at a desired output level. In one aspect, each LNA 590 can have a specified minimum and maximum gain value. In one aspect, the RF front end 588 can use one or more switches 592 to select a specific LNA 590 and its specified gain value based on the desired gain value for a particular application.

[0111] Furthermore, for example, the RF front end 588 can utilize one or more PAs 598 to amplify the RF output signal at a desired output power level. In one aspect, each PA 598 can have a specified minimum and maximum gain value. In one aspect, the RF front end 588 can utilize one or more switches 592 to select a specific PA 598 and its specified gain value based on the desired gain value for a particular application.

[0112] Furthermore, for example, the RF front end 588 can use one or more filters 596 to filter a received signal to obtain an input RF signal. Similarly, in one aspect, for example, a corresponding filter 596 can be used to filter the output from a corresponding PA 598 to produce an output signal for transmission. In one aspect, each filter 596 can be connected to a specific LNA 590 and / or PA 598. In one aspect, based on a configuration specified by the transceiver 502 and / or the processor 512, the RF front end 588 can use one or more switches 592 to select a transmit path or a receive path that uses a specified filter 596, LNA 590, and / or PA 598.

[0113] Thus, the transceiver 502 can be configured to transmit and receive wireless signals via the RF front end 588 through the one or more antennas 565. In one aspect, the transceiver can be tuned to operate at a specified frequency so that the UE 104 can communicate with, for example, one or more base stations 102 or one or more cells associated with the one or more base stations 102. For example, in one aspect, the modem 540 can configure the transceiver 502 to operate at a specified frequency and power level based on the UE configuration of the UE 104 and the communication protocol used by the modem 540.

[0114] In one aspect, the modem 540 can be a multi-band multi-mode modem that can process digital data and communicate with the transceiver 502 so that the digital data is sent and received using the transceiver 502. In one aspect, the modem 540 can be multi-band and can be configured to support multiple frequency bands for a specific communication protocol. In one aspect, the modem 540 can be multi-mode and configured to support multiple operating networks and communication protocols. In one aspect, the modem 540 can control one or more components of the UE 104 (e.g., the RF front end 588, the transceiver 502) to enable transmission and / or reception of signals from the network based on a specified modem configuration. In one aspect, the modem configuration can be based on the mode of the modem and the frequency band used. In another aspect, the modem configuration can be based on UE configuration information associated with the UE 104 provided by the network during cell selection and / or cell reselection.

[0115] In one aspect, processor 512 may correspond to Figure 3 Similarly, the memory 516 may correspond to the one or more processors described in conjunction with the UE. Figure 3 The memory described by the UE in .

[0116] refer to Figure 6 , one example of an implementation of a base station 62 (e.g., a base station 62 as described above) may include various components, some of which have been described above, but including components that communicate via one or more buses 644, such as one or more processors 612 and memory 616 and a transceiver 602, which may operate in conjunction with a modem 640 and a communication component 199 for communicating reference signals.

[0117] As described above, the transceiver 602, receiver 606, transmitter 608, one or more processors 612, memory 616, applications 675, bus 644, RF front end 688, LNA 690, switch 692, filter 696, PA 698, and one or more antennas 665 may be the same as or similar to corresponding components of the UE 64, but configured or otherwise programmed for base station operation as opposed to UE operation.

[0118] In one aspect, processor 612 may correspond to Figure 3 Similarly, the memory 616 may correspond to the one or more processors described in conjunction with the base station. Figure 3 The memory of the base station description in.

[0119] The Appendix is ​​included as a part of this application and provides additional details related to various aspects of the disclosure.

[0120] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the disclosed process / flowchart is illustrative of an exemplary method. Based on design preferences, it should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the process / flowchart can be rearranged. In addition, some blocks can be combined or omitted. The attached method claims present the elements of the various blocks in an exemplary order and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0121] The foregoing description is provided to enable anyone skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Accordingly, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but rather to the full scope consistent with the claim language, wherein, unless otherwise specified, references to singular elements do not mean "one and only one," but rather "one or more." As used herein, the word "exemplary" means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Unless otherwise specified, the term "some" refers to one or more. Combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C," "one or more of A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B, and C," "one or more of A, B, and C," and "A, B, C, or any combination thereof" include any combination of A, B, and / or C, and may include multiples of A, multiples of B, or multiples of C. Specifically, combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C," "one or more of A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B, and C," "one or more of A, B, and C," and "A, B, C, or any combination thereof" may be A only, B only, C only, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, wherein any such combination may include one or more members of A, B, or C. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Furthermore, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is expressly recited in the claims. The words "module," "mechanism," "element," "device," etc. are not intended to replace the word "component." Thus, no claim element is to be construed as part-plus-function unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase "component for..."

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication at a first node, comprising: determining, at the first node, first beam steering information for a second node to select one or more beams for beam training with a third node; determining, at the first node, second beam steering information for the third node to select one or more beams for beam training with the second node, wherein the first beam steering information includes a first beam shape and the second beam steering information includes a second beam shape; identifying the first beam shape based on at least one of path loss or interference considerations for the second node, wherein the first beam shape corresponds to a beam width or beam shape information including sidelobe suppression or beam gain in defined spherical directions; identifying the second beam shape based on at least one of path loss or interference considerations for the third node, wherein the second beam shape corresponds to a beam width or beam shape information including sidelobe suppression or beam gain in defined spherical directions; sending the first beam direction information to the second node; and The second beam direction information is sent to the third node.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first beam direction information and the second beam direction information include at least one of the following: Beam direction, said first beam shape and said beam direction relative to a beam associated with a reference signal, or The second beam shape and the beam direction relative to the beam associated with a reference signal.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The second node corresponds to a gNB, and the third node corresponds to a user equipment (UE), and wherein the first beam steering information indicates the first beam shape and the beam direction from the gNB to the UE, and indicates to the gNB a beam selection for beam training with the UE, and the second beam steering information indicates the second beam shape and the beam direction from the UE to the gNB, and indicates to the UE another beam selection scheme for beam training with the gNB.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The second node corresponds to a first UE, and the third node corresponds to a second UE, and wherein the first beam direction information indicates the first beam shape and the beam direction from the first UE to the second UE, and indicates to the first UE a beam selection for beam training with the second UE, and the second beam direction information indicates the second beam shape and the beam direction from the second UE to the first UE, and indicates to the second UE another beam selection scheme for beam training with the first UE.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining the beam direction, wherein Determining the beam direction includes: receiving location information of the second node and the third node; and Based on the position information, the beam direction is identified as an absolute beam direction corresponding to a defined angular direction independent of a current beam of the second node or the third node, or a relative beam direction relative to the current beam of the second node or the third node.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The location information is received from a location management function or directly from the second node and the third node, and wherein the location information corresponds to three-dimensional positioning information.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein: Identifying the beam direction as the relative beam direction of the first beam steering information is further based on a two-dimensional or three-dimensional angular difference between an angle from the second node to the first node and an angle from the second node to the third node.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein Identifying the beam direction as the relative beam direction of the second beam steering information is further based on a two-dimensional or three-dimensional angular difference between an angle from the third node to the first node and an angle from the third node to the second node.

9. The method according to claim 5 also includes determining, by the first node, the direction of a current serving beam used by the second node to communicate with the first node based on beam-related information from the second node to fine-tune the relative beam direction of the first beam direction information.

10. The method according to claim 5 also includes determining, by the first node, a direction of a current serving beam used by the third node to communicate with the first node based on beam-related information from the third node to fine-tune the relative beam direction of the second beam direction information.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first beam orientation information triggers the second node to select one or more beams for beam training with the third node based at least on a current orientation of the second node.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein The second beam orientation information triggers the third node to select one or more beams for beam training with the second node based at least on a current orientation of the third node.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first beam direction information and the second beam direction information are sent via one or more of downlink control information DCI, radio resource control RRC signaling or media access control MAC control element MAC-CE, uplink control information UCI, or via one or more of side link equivalents.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein At least a portion of the first beam direction information or the second beam direction information is sent on an uplink or downlink communication channel corresponding to a Uu interface or an equivalent corresponding to a side link interface, and wherein the first beam direction information or the second beam direction information is sent to a relay node.

15. An apparatus corresponding to a first node for wireless communication, comprising: transceiver; a memory configured to store instructions; as well as at least one processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: determining, at the first node, first beam steering information for a second node to select one or more beams for beam training with a third node; determining, at the first node, second beam steering information for the third node to select one or more beams for beam training with the second node, wherein the first beam steering information includes a first beam shape and the second beam steering information includes a second beam shape; identifying the first beam shape based on at least one of path loss or interference considerations for the second node, wherein the first beam shape corresponds to a beam width or beam shape information including sidelobe suppression or beam gain in defined spherical directions; identifying the second beam shape based on at least one of path loss or interference considerations for the third node, wherein the second beam shape corresponds to a beam width or beam shape information including sidelobe suppression or beam gain in defined spherical directions; sending the first beam direction information to the second node; and The second beam direction information is sent to the third node.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein The first beam direction information and the second beam direction information include at least one of the following: Beam direction, said first beam shape and said beam direction relative to a beam associated with a reference signal, or The second beam shape and the beam direction relative to the beam associated with a reference signal.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein The second node corresponds to a gNB, and the third node corresponds to a user equipment (UE), and wherein the first beam steering information indicates the first beam shape and the beam direction from the gNB to the UE, and indicates to the gNB a beam selection for beam training with the UE, and the second beam steering information indicates the second beam shape and the beam direction from the UE to the gNB, and indicates to the UE another beam selection scheme for beam training with the gNB.

18. The device according to claim 16, wherein The second node corresponds to a first UE, and the third node corresponds to a second UE, and wherein the first beam direction information indicates the first beam shape and the beam direction from the first UE to the second UE, and indicates to the first UE a beam selection for beam training with the second UE, and the second beam direction information indicates the second beam shape and the beam direction from the second UE to the first UE, and indicates to the second UE another beam selection scheme for beam training with the first UE.

19. The device according to claim 16, wherein The at least one processor is further configured to determine the beam direction, and wherein, to determine the beam direction, the at least one processor is further configured to: receiving location information of the second node and the third node; and Based on the position information, the beam direction is identified as an absolute beam direction corresponding to a defined angular direction independent of a current beam of the second node or the third node, or a relative beam direction relative to the current beam of the second node or the third node.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein The location information is received from a location management function or directly from the second node and the third node, and wherein the location information corresponds to three-dimensional positioning information.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein The beam direction is also identified as the relative beam direction of the first beam direction information based on a two-dimensional or three-dimensional angle difference between an angle from the second node to the first node and an angle from the second node to the third node.

22. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein The beam direction is also identified as the relative beam direction of the second beam direction information based on a two-dimensional or three-dimensional angle difference between an angle from the third node to the first node and an angle from the third node to the second node.

23. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein The at least one processor is further configured to determine, by the first node, a direction of a current serving beam used by the second node to communicate with the first node based on beam-related information from the second node to fine-tune the relative beam direction of the first beam steering information.

24. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein The at least one processor is further configured to determine, by the first node, a direction of a current serving beam used by the third node to communicate with the first node based on beam-related information from the third node to fine-tune the relative beam direction of the second beam steering information.

25. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein The first beam orientation information triggers the second node to select one or more beams for beam training with the third node based at least on a current orientation of the second node.

26. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein The second beam orientation information triggers the third node to select one or more beams for beam training with the second node based at least on a current orientation of the third node.

27. An apparatus corresponding to a first node for wireless communication, comprising: means for determining, at the first node, first beam steering information for a second node to select one or more beams for beam training with a third node; means for determining, at the first node, second beam steering information for the third node to select one or more beams for beam training with the second node, wherein the first beam steering information comprises a first beam shape and the second beam steering information comprises a second beam shape; means for identifying the first beam shape based on at least one of path loss or interference considerations for the second node, wherein the first beam shape corresponds to a beam width or beam shape information including sidelobe suppression or beam gain in defined spherical directions; means for identifying the second beam shape based on at least one of path loss or interference considerations for the third node, wherein the second beam shape corresponds to a beam width or beam shape information including sidelobe suppression or beam gain in defined spherical directions; means for sending said first beam steering information to said second node; and means for sending said second beam direction information to said third node.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer code executable by a processor of a first node for wireless communication, the computer code comprising code for: determining, at the first node, first beam steering information for a second node to select one or more beams for beam training with a third node; determining, at the first node, second beam steering information for the third node to select one or more beams for beam training with the second node, wherein the first beam steering information includes a first beam shape and the second beam steering information includes a second beam shape; identifying the first beam shape based on at least one of path loss or interference considerations for the second node, wherein the first beam shape corresponds to a beam width or beam shape information including sidelobe suppression or beam gain in defined spherical directions; identifying the second beam shape based on at least one of path loss or interference considerations for the third node, wherein the second beam shape corresponds to a beam width or beam shape information including sidelobe suppression or beam gain in defined spherical directions; sending the first beam direction information to the second node; and The second beam direction information is sent to the third node.

29. A computer program product comprising computer-readable instructions, wherein: When the computer-readable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor is caused to perform the method for performing wireless communication according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

Images