Selection of information to include with group-based reporting

Abstract

A UE configured to report resources (such as beams) to a base station may not be aware of the context or purpose for which the UE is reporting such resources. Since different resources may provide different performance and / or quality when used in different contexts, the resources reported by the UE may provide lower quality and / or performance in one context relative to some other unreported resources. In order to improve resource reporting by the UE, the UE may be informed of the operating mode and / or criteria based on which the UE may select the resources to be reported. The UE may report such selected resources to the base station in a group-based beam report. The base station may then configure communications with the UE based on the reported resources.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. application serial number 17 / 125,886, filed on December 17, 2020, and entitled “SELECTION OF INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION WITH GROUP-BASED REPORTING,” and U.S. provisional application serial number 62 / 951,927, filed on December 20, 2019, and entitled “ENHANCED GROUP BASED BEAM REPORTING,” the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to communication systems, and more particularly, to beam management for communications between a base station and user equipment. Background Art

[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, region, and even global level. An example telecommunication standard is 5G New Radio (NR). 5G NR is part of the continued mobile broadband evolution released by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to meet new requirements associated with latency, reliability, security, scalability (for example, in conjunction 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 for further improvements to 5G NR technology. These improvements may also be applicable to other multiple access technologies and telecommunication standards that employ these technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following is a brief 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 will be presented later.

[0007] Various wireless communication networks, such as access networks of 5G New Radio (NR), can provide communications between base stations and user equipment (UEs) in the millimeter wave (mmW) spectrum (e.g., potentially including some near-mmW ranges). Accordingly, the base station and the UE can be configured for beamformed communications using directional beams. For example, a beam pair link can be established between the base station and the UE, comprising a transmit beam of the base station paired with a receive beam of the UE, or vice versa.

[0008] To improve link performance (e.g., reliability, low latency, etc.) and / or increase throughput, beamformed communications between a base station and a UE may include multi-beam transmission and reception, which may be simultaneous. For example, two or more transmit beams of a base station may be paired with two or more receive beams of a UE (or vice versa) for simultaneous transmission / reception. Multi-beam transmission / reception may, for example, provide macrodiversity for multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) communications and / or increase throughput (e.g., relative to communications on a single beam pair link).

[0009] Multi-beam transmission / reception can be configured by the base station for a channel (e.g., a joint channel) between the base station and the UE. For example, the UE can be configured to use one or more spatial filters, such as multiple simultaneous spatial filters. The base station can rely on some measurement information provided by the UE to configure such multi-beam transmission / reception. For example, the UE can be configured to provide one or more individual measurements for one or more transmit / receive beam pairs.

[0010] In order to utilize joint quasi-co-location (QCL) for simultaneous transmission / reception on the data channel, the base station may configure the UE for group-based beam reporting, wherein the UE reports up to two different resource indicators (RIs) per reporting setting, wherein each RI corresponds to a transmit beam of the base station, which is paired with a receive beam of the UE. For example, the RIs may include a CSI-RS RI (e.g., referred to as CRI) for reporting based on a corresponding channel state information (CSI) reference signal (CSI-RS) received on the beam and / or an SSB RI (e.g., referred to as SSBRI) for reporting based on a corresponding synchronization signal block (SSB) received on the beam. The UE may simultaneously receive CSI-RS resources and / or SSB resources, for example, using a single beam or using multiple simultaneous beams.

[0011] In the case of group-based beam reporting, the UE may report a representative beam (e.g., one CRI and / or SSBRI) having at least one measurement value that is relatively "best" (e.g., highest, largest, etc.) relative to other measurement values corresponding to other beams. For example, the UE may report a layer 1 (L1) reference signal received power (RSRP) value and / or an L1 signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) value measured based on at least one CSI-RS and / or SSB received on the representative beam. In some aspects, the UE may use up to a first number of bits (e.g., seven bits) to report the measurement value corresponding to the representative beam.

[0012] In addition, the UE may report at least one other beam (e.g., another CRI and / or SSBRI), where the at least one beam has at least one measurement value that is relatively "better" (e.g., higher, larger, etc.) relative to other measurement values corresponding to the other beams (except for the best measurement value corresponding to the representative beam). For example, the UE may report another RSRP value measured from another CSI-RS and / or SSB received on another beam, where the other RSRP value is relatively better than other RSRP values measured for the other beams, but is not better than the RSRP value measured for the representative beam.

[0013] In some aspects, a UE may use up to a first number of bits (e.g., seven bits) to report a measurement value corresponding to a representative beam. For example, the first number of bits may indicate an RSRP value corresponding to the representative beam, which may be the best RSRP value among all RSRP values corresponding to the beam via which the UE receives CSI-RS and / or SSB measured by the UE to obtain the RSRP value. However, the UE may use a second number of bits (e.g., four bits) to report at least one other measurement value corresponding to at least one other beam different from the representative beam, the second number of bits being less than the first number of bits. The second number of bits may be used to indicate a differential measurement value (e.g., differential RSRP), for example relative to a measurement value corresponding to the representative beam (and transmitted using the first number of bits).

[0014] For example, the differential measurement value may indicate a difference between the measurement values corresponding to the other beams and the best measurement value corresponding to the representative beam. The differential measurement value may be transmitted using a smaller number of bits (e.g., four bits) than the best measurement value (e.g., transmitted using seven bits). In some aspects, the differential measurement value may be transmitted as a number of intervals (e.g., increments, steps, etc.) that are less than the best measurement value. For example, if the best measurement value is -50 decibel milliwatts (dBm), the other (e.g., next best) measurement value is -60 dBm, and the amount of intervals (e.g., step size) is 2 dBm, then the differential measurement value for the other beams may be reported by the UE as a value of 5 because -50 dBm - (2 dBm) (5) = -50 - 10 dBm = -60 dBm.

[0015] The grouping of beams (e.g., based on CRI and / or SSBRI) and the measurements associated therewith (e.g., corresponding RSRP and / or SINR values) may be intended for simultaneous transmission / reception utilizing joint QCL on a data channel. For example, the UE is configured to send a group-based beam report for a group of n beams, the beam report individually identifying each of the n beams (e.g., via corresponding CRI and / or SSBRI) and indicating at least one corresponding measurement value (e.g., RSRP and / or SINR value) corresponding to each of the n beams. In other words, the group-based beam report may identify a group of beams, each of which may be selected by the UE for the group based on the corresponding individual quality of each of the beams, such as when used as a separate link, for paired SISO, etc., rather than when used for MIMO communication, for joint channels, for multi-beam TX / RX, etc.

[0016] However, a transmit / receive beam pair that has satisfactory (e.g., acceptable, "good," meets at least one threshold, etc.) individual measurements (e.g., for paired SISO) may not necessarily achieve a satisfactory link when jointly configured with at least one other transmit / receive beam for multi-beam transmission / reception. For example, a transmission scheme configured for multi-beam transmission / reception may cause some transmit / receive beam pairs that are satisfactory for paired SISO to be unsatisfactory when jointly configured with at least one other beam pair for multi-beam transmission / reception.

[0017] Therefore, if a UE configured for group-based beam reporting reports certain beams with "good" individual measurement values (e.g., individual RSRP and / or individual SINR values that meet a threshold) for the base station to use for configuring communications, the base station may configure multi-beam transmission / reception with the UE in an ambiguous, erroneous, inefficient, and / or unsatisfactory manner (e.g., failing to meet one or more performance, throughput, and / or latency conditions that were originally guaranteed for some use cases). For example, if the base station configures multi-beam transmission / reception with the UE based on a group of beams reported based on individual components and / or individual measurement values (e.g., for a SISO scheme), the base station may erroneously or unsatisfactorily configure precoding, multiplexing, transport blocks, codewords, modulation schemes, coding rates, and / or other parameters associated with multi-beam transmission / reception.

[0018] In view of the above, there is a need for a method for reporting applicable and / or useful resources (e.g., a set (or multiple sets) of beams and / or other frequency and / or time resources) in addition to paired SISO. The present disclosure provides various techniques and solutions for a UE to report resources (e.g., beams) that can be used by a base station to accurately and / or satisfactorily configure multi-beam transmission / reception.

[0019] Potentially, the UE can be configured to perform CSI reporting for joint QCL (e.g., in addition to CSI reporting for individual beams). However, such additional joint QCL CSI reporting may incur some additional latency and / or overhead.

[0020] Thus, the present disclosure describes various techniques and solutions for reporting beam information that can be used for multi-beam transmission and reception, wherein the UE determines (e.g., selects, identifies, etc.) resources for reporting based on a specific operating mode for transmission / reception, and the resources can be spatial, temporal, and / or frequency. The operating mode may include one or more of the following: a multiplexing scheme, a use case, and / or other variables associated with communication between a base station and the UE. For example, the UE may be configured to select beams and / or other resources based on whether the operating mode for transmission / reception includes the following: a time division multiplexing (TDM) mode, a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) mode, a spatial division multiplexing (SDM) mode, an enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) use case, an ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) use case, and / or another mode, use case, scheme, etc. for such communication. For example, the UE may be configured to report information associated with one or more of the following: spatial resources including one or more beams, time resources including symbols, time slots, and / or subframes, and / or frequency resources including subcarriers and / or bandwidth portions.

[0021] In some aspects, the UE may determine the resources for reporting based on criteria. For example, the criteria may be based on one or more of the following: channel capacity, mutual information, effective (joint) channel, and / or other information that may indicate joint QCL properties. In some further aspects, the UE may additionally report some measurement information corresponding to the determined resources, such as RSRP and / or SINR.

[0022] In some aspects of the present disclosure, a base station may configure a UE for reporting, for example, by sending information indicating an operating mode for sending / receiving and / or criteria on which determination of resources for reporting may be based; thus, the UE may determine resources for reporting based on the information indicating the operating mode and / or criteria received from the base station.

[0023] In some aspects of the present disclosure, a first method, a first computer-readable medium, and a first apparatus are described. For example, the first apparatus can be implemented in a UE. The first apparatus can be configured to determine at least one operating mode associated with communicating with a base station on a joint channel, the joint channel comprising two or more beam pairs between the first apparatus and the base station. The first apparatus can also be configured to determine at least one resource associated with the communication with the base station on the joint channel based on the at least one operating mode. The first apparatus can then be configured to send a group-based report associated with the joint channel to the base station, and the group-based report can include information indicating the at least one resource.

[0024] In some other aspects of the present disclosure, a second method, a second computer-readable medium, and a second apparatus are described. For example, the second apparatus can be implemented in a base station. The second apparatus can be configured to determine at least one operating mode associated with communicating with a UE on a joint channel, the joint channel comprising two or more beam pairs between the second apparatus and the UE. The second apparatus can also be configured to send information indicating the at least one operating mode to the UE. The second apparatus can then be configured to receive a group-based report from the UE, the group-based report comprising at least one resource associated with the joint channel based on the at least one operating mode.

[0025] To accomplish the foregoing and related objectives, 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 some 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 access network according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 2A is a diagram illustrating an example of a first frame according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 2B is a diagram illustrating an example of DL channels within a subframe according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 2C is a diagram illustrating an example of a second frame according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 2D is a diagram illustrating an example of UL channels within a subframe according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a base station and a user equipment (UE) in an access network according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example access network including a base station and a UE according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 5 is a call flow diagram illustrating an example communication flow between a base station and a UE according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 6 is a flow chart of an example method of wireless communication that may be performed using a UE and / or device in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 7 is a flow chart of an example method of wireless communication that may be performed using a base station and / or other apparatus according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an example apparatus according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating another example of a hardware implementation for another example apparatus according to various aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] 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 configurations with which the concepts described herein may be practiced. For the purpose of providing a comprehensive understanding of each concept, the detailed description includes specific details. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring such concepts.

[0039] In order to improve link performance and to increase throughput, wireless communication between a base station and a user equipment (UE) can use multi-beam transmission (TX) and reception (RX) (TX / RX). The use of multiple beams can use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology to provide macro diversity and higher rates. Beam grouping and group-based beam reporting can support simultaneous reception at the UE, for example, using the same spatial filter or different spatial filters at the receiver (e.g., the UE). In some examples, the UE can use multi-beam simultaneous TX / RX. In other examples, the UE can use multi-beam non-simultaneous TX / RX. For example, the UE can employ time division multiplexing (TDM) to use multiple beams for non-simultaneous transmission / reception.

[0040] When configured jointly with at least one other beam pair (e.g., for simultaneous TX / RX), a beam pair that individually provides satisfactory (e.g., acceptable, threshold met or exceeded, "good", etc.) performance and / or channel quality may result in potentially unsatisfactory performance and / or joint channel quality (e.g., unacceptable, threshold not met or below, "poor", etc.). For example, two pairs of TX / RX beams that have satisfactory pairwise measurements for single-input single-output (SISO) may be potentially unsuitable when configured jointly with at least one other beam pair for some transmission schemes (such as some MIMO and / or other multi-beam schemes).

[0041] However, in some implementations, the base station may configure the UE for reporting, such as channel state information (CSI) reporting (e.g., group-based beam reporting or other group-based reporting), without providing the UE with information associated with the channel that the base station intends to configure based on the UE report, such as the scheme (e.g., multiplexing mode, MIMO scheme, joint transmission scheme, etc.), the purpose (e.g., use case), and / or other variables / parameters to be configured by the base station based on the UE report. As a result, the UE may not know whether certain resources (e.g., one or more beams, one or more measurements, etc.) indicated by the report made by the UE are suitable for the intended configuration made by the base station. In other words, the UE may not know whether the sent report provides resources that enable the base station to configure a channel with good quality and / or performance.

[0042] For example, a report sent by a UE (such as a group-based beam report and / or other CSI report) may include a set of individual reports (e.g., each corresponding to a set of beams), where each individual report is based on a corresponding reference signal received power (RSRP) and / or signal-to-noise and interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) (e.g., corresponding to a corresponding beam), without regard to the context in which the base station may use the reported set of beams. The context in which the set of beams may be used may include at least one scheme (e.g., multiplexing mode, MIMO scheme, joint transmission scheme, etc.), purpose (e.g., use case), and / or other variables / parameters to be configured by the base station based on the sent report. Thus, a report (e.g., a set of individual reports) may indicate a set of beams that is unsuitable and / or unsatisfactory for the context in which the base station may configure the set of beams. However, the base station may still use (or attempt to use) the report received from the UE to configure communication with the UE on a channel (e.g., a joint channel) (e.g., even if the reported set of beams may be unsuitable and / or unsatisfactory for the intended configuration by the base station), which may result in ambiguous and / or unsatisfactory communication configuration by the base station, and may further result in the failure to meet the performance, throughput, latency and / or quality conditions originally expected for some schemes, purposes, variables / parameters, etc. on the channel configured by the base station.

[0043] Various aspects of the present disclosure may address some deficiencies and / or other issues caused by group-based and / or other group-based reporting when the UE is unaware of the scheme, purpose, variables / parameters, etc. associated with the channel to be configured by the base station based on group-based beam reporting and / or other group-based reporting. Specifically, the present disclosure may enable a UE to determine one or more resources (e.g., spatial resources, frequency resources, and / or time resources) for group-based beam reporting and / or other group-based reporting by the UE. The UE may determine the one or more resources based on at least one operating mode (e.g., multiplexing mode, use case, etc.) and / or at least one criterion, such that the one or more resources reported to the base station may enable the base station to satisfactorily configure communications with the UE on a channel (e.g., a joint channel). Thus, communications between the UE and the base station may be improved because the UE may provide the base station with different resources applicable to different schemes, purposes, and / or other variables / parameters, thereby allowing the base station to use some resources that may be more suitable than other resources in a given context to configure communications with the UE on the channel.

[0044] Several aspects of telecommunications systems will now be presented with reference to various apparatuses and methods. These apparatuses and methods will be described in the following detailed description by means of various blocks, components, circuits, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements") and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 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.

[0045] By way of example, an element, or any part of an element, or any combination of elements, can be implemented as a "processing system" comprising 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. Whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other names, software should be broadly interpreted as meaning instructions, instruction sets, codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, processes, functions, etc.

[0046] Accordingly, in one or more exemplary embodiments, the functions described can be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions can be stored or encoded as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media. Storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media can 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 that can be accessed by a computer.

[0047] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and access network 100. The wireless communication system (also referred to 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)). The base station 102 may include a macro cell (a high-power cellular base station) and / or a small cell (a low-power cellular base station). A macro cell includes a base station. Small cells include femto cells, pico cells, and micro cells.

[0048] A base station 102 configured for 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE), collectively referred to as the Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), can interface with the EPC 160 via a first backhaul link 132 (e.g., an S1 interface). A base station 102 configured for 5G New Radio (NR), collectively referred to as the Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN), can interface with the core network 190 via a second backhaul link 184. Among other functions, the base station 102 can perform one or more of the following: 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), user and device tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. Base stations 102 can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (eg, via EPC 160 or core network 190) via a third backhaul link 134 (eg, an X2 interface). First backhaul link 132, second backhaul link 184, and third backhaul link 134 can be wired or wireless.

[0049] Base stations 102 can communicate wirelessly with UEs 104. Each of base stations 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 home evolved Node Bs (eNBs) (HeNBs), which can provide services to a restricted group called a closed subscriber group (CSG). The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 can include uplink (UL) (also known as reverse link) transmissions from UE 104 to base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also known as forward link) transmissions from base station 102 to UE 104. The communication link 120 can use MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link can be over one or more carriers. Base station 102 / UE 104 can use spectrum with up to Y megahertz (MHz) (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100, 400, etc. MHz) of bandwidth per carrier allocated in carrier aggregation for a total of up to Yx MHz (x component carriers) for transmission in each direction. The carriers may be adjacent to each other or may not be adjacent to each other. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for DL than for 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 carrier may be referred to as a secondary cell (SCell).

[0050] Certain UEs 104 may communicate with each other using device-to-device (D2D) communication links 158. The D2D communication links 158 may use 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). D2D communication may be performed over a variety of wireless D2D communication systems, such as, for example, WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, LTE, or NR.

[0051] The wireless communication system may also include a Wi-Fi access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in, for example, a 5 gigahertz (GHz) unlicensed spectrum. 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.

[0052] The small cell 102' can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in the unlicensed spectrum, the small cell 102' can adopt NR and use the same unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz, etc.) used by the Wi-Fi AP 150. The small cell 102' adopting NR in the unlicensed spectrum can improve the coverage of the access network and / or increase the capacity of the access network.

[0053] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc. based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified with the frequency range names FR1 (410 MHz - 7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz - 52.6 GHz). Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are typically referred to as mid-band frequencies. Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "sub-6 GHz" band in various documents and articles. Similar naming issues sometimes arise with respect to FR2, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "millimeter wave" band in documents and articles, although it is different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz - 300 GHz) which is identified as the "millimeter wave" band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0054] In view of the above, unless otherwise specified, it should be understood that if the term "sub-6 GHz" is used herein, it can be broadly referred to as a frequency that can be less than 6 GHz, can be within FR1, or can include mid-band frequencies. In addition, unless otherwise specified, it should be understood that if the term "millimeter wave" is used herein, it can be broadly referred to as a frequency that can include mid-band frequencies, can be within FR2, or can be within the EHF band.

[0055] Base station 102 (whether a small cell 102' or a large cell (e.g., a macro base station)) may include and / or be referred to as an eNB, a next-generation Node B (gNodeB, gNB), or another type of base station. Some base stations, such as gNB 180, may operate in conventional sub-6 GHz spectrum, in millimeter wave frequencies, and / or near-millimeter wave frequencies to communicate with UE 104. When gNB 180 operates in millimeter wave or near-millimeter wave frequencies, gNB 180 may be referred to as a millimeter wave base station. Millimeter wave base station 180 may utilize beamforming 182 with UE 104 to compensate for path loss and short range. Base station 180 and UE 104 may each include multiple antennas, such as antenna elements, antenna panels, and / or antenna arrays to facilitate beamforming.

[0056] 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 for base station 180 may be the same or different. The transmit direction and receive direction for UE 104 may be the same or different.

[0057] EPC 160 may include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a Serving Gateway 166, an 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 IP address allocation and other functions to UEs. PDN Gateway 172 and BM-SC 170 are connected to IP Services 176. IP Services 176 may include the Internet, Intranet, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), PS Streaming Services, and / or other IP services. BM-SC 170 may provide functions for MBMS user service provision and delivery. The BM-SC 170 may serve as an entry point for content provider MBMS transmissions, may be used to admit 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 particular service, and may be responsible for session management (start / stop) and collecting eMBMS-related billing information.

[0058] 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 quality of service (QoS) flows and session management. All user 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 IMS, packet-switched (PS) streaming services, and / or other IP services.

[0059] A base station may include and / or be referred to as a gNB, 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 appropriate terminology. Base station 102 provides an access point to EPC 160 or core network 190 for UE 104. 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 unit, 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 device, 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 of UE 104 may be referred to as IoT devices (e.g., a parking meter, a gas pump, an oven, a vehicle, a heart monitor, etc.). UE 104 may also be referred to as a station, a mobile station, a user station, a mobile unit, a user unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a remote device, a mobile user station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handheld device, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other appropriate terminology.

[0060] Reference again Figure 1 In certain aspects, the base station 102 / 180 may be configured to determine at least one operating mode associated with communicating with the UE on a joint channel, which may include two or more beam pairs between the base station 102 / 180 and the UE 104. Communication between the base station 102 / 180 and the UE 104 utilizing beamforming 182 may include at least one beam pair between the base station 102 / 180 and the UE 104. For example, the beam pair may include one TX beam of the base station 102 / 180 in one of the transmit directions 182′ paired with one RX beam of the UE 104 in one of the receive directions 182″ (or vice versa). The base station 102 / 180 and the UE 104 may then be configured to communicate on the joint channel using the two or more beam pairs, e.g., for simultaneous TX / RX.

[0061] The base station 102 / 180 may also be configured to send information indicating at least one operating mode to the UE 104. The base station 102 / 180 may then be configured to receive a group-based beam report 198 from the UE 104, the group-based beam report 198 including at least one resource associated with the joint channel based on the at least one operating mode.

[0062] Accordingly, UE 104 may be configured to determine at least one operating mode associated with communicating with base station 102 / 180 on a joint channel, the joint channel comprising two or more beam pairs between UE 104 and base station 102 / 180. For example, UE 104 may determine the at least one operating mode based on information received from base station 102 / 180 indicating the at least one operating mode. UE 104 may also be configured to determine at least one resource associated with communicating with base station 102 / 180 on the joint channel based on the at least one operating mode. The at least one resource may include, for example, a set of time resources, a set of frequency resources, and / or a set of spatial resources (e.g., identifying one or more beams in one or more of transmit directions 182′ of base station 102 / 180). UE 104 may then be configured to send a group-based beam report 198 associated with the joint channel to base station 102 / 180, and the group-based beam report 198 may include information indicating the at least one resource.

[0063] According to various aspects of the present disclosure, the base station 102 / 180 may be able to configure communications with the UE 104 on the joint channel based on information indicating at least one resource included in the group-based beam report 198. Because the UE 104 may determine the at least one resource based on at least one operating mode associated with communications with the base station 102 / 180 on the joint channel, the at least one resource may be more suitable for configuring multi-beam TX / RX by the base station 102 / 180 for communications with the UE on the joint channel, e.g., relative to a different resource that the UE 104 may have originally included in the group-based beam report. For example, the at least one resource based on the at least one operating mode may be determined by the UE 104 for a joint quasi-co-location (QCL) property (e.g., on a data channel) rather than some other resource that the UE 104 may have originally determined for a SISO scheme.

[0064] Various other aspects of configuring group-based reporting for communications between a UE and a base station on a joint channel are further described herein.

[0065] Although the present disclosure may focus on 5G NR, the concepts and aspects described herein may be applicable to other similar areas such as LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and / or other wireless / radio access technologies.

[0066] Figure 2A is a diagram 200 illustrating an example of a first subframe within a 5G NR frame structure. Figure 2B is a diagram 230 illustrating an example of DL channels within a 5G NR subframe. Figure 2C is a diagram 250 illustrating an example of a second subframe within a 5G NR frame structure. Figure 2D is a diagram 280 showing an example of UL channels within a 5G NR subframe. The 5G NR frame structure can be frequency division duplex (FDD) (wherein, for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), a subframe within a subcarrier set is dedicated to either DL or UL), or can be time division duplex (TDD) (wherein, for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), a subframe within a subcarrier set is dedicated to both DL and UL). Figure 2A 、 2C In the example provided, the 5G NR frame structure is assumed to be TDD, where subframe 4 is configured with slot format 28 (most of which are DL), where D is DL, U is UL, and F is flexible between DL / UL, and subframe 3 is configured with slot format 34 (most of which are UL). Although subframes 3 and 4 are shown as having slot formats 34 and 28, respectively, any particular subframe can be configured with any of the various available slot formats 0-61. Slot formats 0 and 1 are full DL and full UL, respectively. Other slot formats 2-61 include a mix of DL, UL, and flexible symbols. The UE is configured with the slot format (dynamically configured via DL control information (DCI) or semi-statically / statically configured via radio resource control (RRC) signaling) via the received slot format indicator (SFI). It should be noted that the following description also applies to the 5G NR frame structure as TDD.

[0067] Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels. A frame (e.g., 10ms) may be divided into 10 equally sized subframes (1ms). Each subframe may include one or more time slots. A subframe may also include a mini-slot, 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, and for slot configuration 1, each slot may include 7 symbols. The symbols on the DL may be cyclic prefix (CP) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (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 numerology. For slot configuration 0, different digital schemes μ0 to 4 allow 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 slots per subframe, respectively. For slot configuration 1, different digital schemes 0 to 2 allow 2, 4, and 8 slots per subframe, respectively. Accordingly, for slot configuration 0 and digital scheme μ, there are 14 symbols / slot and 2 μ time slots / subframes. The subcarrier spacing and symbol length / duration are functions of the digital scheme. The subcarrier spacing can be equal to 2 μ *15 kilohertz (kHz), where μ is a digital scheme 0 to 4. As such, digital scheme μ=0 has a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz, and digital scheme μ=4 has a subcarrier spacing of 240 kHz. Symbol length / duration is inversely related to the subcarrier spacing. Figures 2A-2D An example is provided for slot configuration 0 (with 14 symbols per slot) and digital scheme μ=2 (with 4 slots per subframe). The slot duration is 0.25 ms, the subcarrier spacing is 60 kHz, and the symbol duration is approximately 16.67 μs. Within a frame set, there may be one or more different bandwidth parts (BWPs) frequency-division multiplexed (see Figure 2B ). Each BWP can have a specific number scheme.

[0068] The resource grid can be used to represent the frame structure. Each time slot includes a resource block (RB) (also called a physical RB (PRB)), which extends 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.

[0069] As in Figure 2AAs shown in , some of the REs carry at least one reference (pilot) signal (RS) for the UE. In some configurations, the RS may include at least one demodulation RS (DM-RS) for channel estimation at the UE (indicated as R for a particular configuration). x , where 100x is the port number, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) and / or at least one channel state information RS (CSI-RS). In some other configurations, the RS may additionally or alternatively include at least one beam measurement (or management) RS (BRS), at least one beam refinement RS (BRRS), and / or at least one phase tracking RS (PT-RS).

[0070] 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 including nine RE groups (REGs), and each REG including four consecutive REs in one OFDM symbol. The PDCCH within a BWP can be called a control resource set (CORESET). Additional BWPs can be located at larger and / or lower frequencies across the channel bandwidth. The primary synchronization signal (PSS) can be within symbol 2 of a specific subframe of the frame. The PSS is used by the UE 104 to determine the subframe / symbol timing and the physical layer identification. The secondary synchronization signal (SSS) can be within symbol 4 of a specific subframe of the frame. The SSS is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identification group number and the radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identification and the physical layer cell identification group number, the UE can determine the physical cell identifier (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 (also referred to as an SS block (SSB)). The MIB provides the number of RBs in the system bandwidth and the system frame number (SFN). The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information not sent via the PBCH (such as the system information block (SIB)), and paging messages.

[0071] As in Figure 2CAs shown in , some of the REs carry DM-RSs for channel estimation at the base station (indicated as R for a specific configuration, but other DM-RS configurations are possible). The UE may send DM-RSs for the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and DM-RSs for the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). The PUSCH DM-RS may be sent in the first one or two symbols of the PUSCH. The PUCCH DM-RS may be sent in different configurations depending on whether a short PUCCH or a long PUCCH is sent and depending on the specific PUCCH format used. The UE may send a sounding reference signal (SRS). The SRS may be sent in the last symbol of the subframe. The SRS may have a comb structure, and the UE may send the SRS on one of the combs. The SRS may be used by the base station for channel quality estimation to enable frequency-dependent scheduling on the UL.

[0072] Figure 2D An example of various UL channels within a subframe of a frame is shown. The PUCCH may be positioned as indicated in one configuration. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), rank indicator (RI), and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement (ACK) / negative acknowledgement (NACK) feedback. The PUSCH carries data and may additionally be used to carry buffer status reports (BSRs), power headroom reports (PHRs), and / or UCI.

[0073] Figure 33 is a block diagram of a base station 310 communicating with a UE 350 in an access network. In the DL, IP packets from the EPC 160 may be provided to the controller / processor 375. The controller / processor 375 implements Layer 3 (L3) and Layer 2 (L2) functions. The L3 layer includes the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, and the L2 layer includes the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer, the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. The controller / processor 375 provides: RRC layer functions associated with broadcasting 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 delivery 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), MAC Demultiplexing of SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0074] The TX processor 316 and the RX processor 370 implement Layer 1 (L1) functions associated with various signal processing functions. The L1, which includes the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection for transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding for transport channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping onto physical channels, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. The TX processor 316 handles the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), and M-order 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 the coding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimates may be derived based on 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 a radio frequency (RF) carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0075] 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 the information to a receive (RX) processor 356. The TX processor 368 and the RX processor 356 implement L1 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 uses a fast Fourier transform (FFT) to convert the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier and the reference signal are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation point sent by the base station 310. These soft decisions can be based on the channel estimate 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 implements L3 and L2 functionality.

[0076] 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.

[0077] Similar to the functions described in conjunction with DL transmissions performed by 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 and 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.

[0078] Channel estimates derived by the channel estimator 358 based on a reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 310 may be used by the TX processor 368 to select an appropriate modulation and coding scheme (MCS) (e.g., from a plurality of potential MCSs) and / or to facilitate spatial processing. 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.

[0079] UL transmissions are processed at the base station 310 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver functionality at the 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 a RX processor 370.

[0080] 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 error detection using an ACK and / or NACK protocol to support HARQ operations.

[0081] In some aspects, 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 Various aspects related to group-based beam reporting 198.

[0082] In some other aspects, 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 Various aspects related to group-based beam reporting 198.

[0083] As described herein, various wireless communication networks (such as 5G NR access networks) can provide communications between base stations and UEs in the mmW spectrum (e.g., potentially including some near-mmW ranges). Thus, the base station and the UE can be configured for beamformed communications using directional beams. For example, a beam pair link can be established between the base station and the UE, comprising a TX beam of the base station paired with an RX beam of the UE, or vice versa.

[0084] To improve link performance (e.g., reliability, low latency, etc.) and / or increase throughput, beamformed communications between a base station and a UE may include multi-beam TX / RX, which may be simultaneous. For example, two or more TX beams of a base station may be paired with two or more RX beams of a UE (or vice versa) for simultaneous TX / RX. Multi-beam TX / RX may, for example, provide macrodiversity for MIMO communications and / or increase throughput (e.g., relative to communications on a single beam pair link).

[0085] Multi-beam TX / RX can be configured by the base station for a channel (e.g., a joint channel) between the base station and the UE. For example, the UE can be configured to use one or more spatial filters, such as multiple simultaneous (TX or RX) spatial filters. The base station can rely on resources reported by the UE in order to configure such multi-beam TX / RX. For example, the UE can be configured to report one or more spatial, time, and / or frequency resources that can be determined by the UE for joint QCL properties and / or other information associated with communications with the base station.

[0086] In some cases, the base station may configure the UE for group-based beam reporting, wherein the UE reports up to two different resource indicators (RIs) per reporting setting, where each RI corresponds to a TX beam of the base station (e.g., a TX beam that may be paired with an RX beam of the UE). For example, the RIs may include a CSI-RS RI (e.g., referred to as a CRI) for reporting based on a corresponding CSI-RS received on a beam and / or an SSB RI (e.g., referred to as an SSBRI) for reporting based on a corresponding SSB received on a beam. In some aspects, the UE may simultaneously receive CSI-RS on a resource and / or SSB on a resource, for example, using a single beam or using multiple simultaneous beams.

[0087] In the case of group-based beam reporting, the UE may report a representative beam (e.g., one CRI and / or SSBRI) having at least one measurement value that is relatively "best" (e.g., highest, largest, etc.) relative to other measurement values corresponding to other beams. For example, the UE may report an RSRP (e.g., L1-RSRP) value and / or an SINR (e.g., L1-SINR) value measured from at least one CSI-RS and / or SSB received on the representative beam. In some aspects, the UE may use up to a first number of bits (e.g., seven bits) to report the measurement value corresponding to the representative beam.

[0088] In addition, the UE may report at least one other beam (e.g., another CRI and / or SSBRI) having at least one measurement value that is relatively "better" (e.g., higher, larger, etc.) relative to other measurement values corresponding to other beams (except for the best measurement value corresponding to the representative beam). For example, the UE may report another RSRP value measured from another CSI-RS and / or SSB received on another beam, wherein the other RSRP value is relatively better than other RSRP values measured for other beams, but is not better than the RSRP value measured for the representative beam.

[0089] In some aspects, a UE may use up to a first number of bits (e.g., seven bits) to report a measurement value corresponding to a representative beam. For example, the first number of bits may indicate an RSRP value corresponding to the representative beam, which may be the best RSRP value among all RSRP values corresponding to the beam via which the UE receives CSI-RS and / or SSB measured by the UE to obtain the RSRP value. However, the UE may use a second number of bits (e.g., four bits) to report at least one other measurement value corresponding to at least one other beam different from the representative beam, the second number of bits being less than the first number of bits. The second number of bits may be used to indicate a differential measurement value (e.g., differential RSRP), for example relative to a measurement value corresponding to the representative beam (and transmitted using the first number of bits).

[0090] For example, the differential measurement value may indicate a difference between the measurement values corresponding to the other beams and the best measurement value corresponding to the representative beam. The differential measurement value may be transmitted using a smaller number of bits (e.g., four bits) than the best measurement value (e.g., transmitted using seven bits). In some aspects, the differential measurement value may be transmitted as an interval (e.g., increment, step size, etc.) amount that is less than the best measurement value. For example, if the best measurement value is -50 decibel milliwatts (dBm), the other (e.g., next best) measurement value is -60 dBm, and the interval amount (e.g., step size) is 2 dBm, then the differential measurement value for the other beams may be reported by the UE using a value of 5 because -50 dBm - (2 dBm) (5) = -50 - 10 dBm = -60 dBm.

[0091] The grouping of beams (e.g., based on CRI and / or SSBRI) and the measurements associated therewith (e.g., corresponding RSRP and / or SINR values) may be intended for simultaneous TX / RX utilizing joint QCL on a data channel. For example, a UE may be configured to send a group-based beam report for a group of n beams, the beam report individually identifying each of the n beams (e.g., via a corresponding CRI and / or SSBIR), wherein each of the n beams is selected by the UE based on at least one corresponding individual measurement value (e.g., an individual RSRP and / or SINR value) corresponding to each of the n beams. In other words, the group-based beam report may identify a group of beams, wherein each beam may be selected by the UE for the group based on a corresponding individual quality of each of the beams, such as when used as a separate link, for paired SISO, etc., rather than when used for MIMO communication, for a joint channel, for multi-beam TX / RX, etc.

[0092] However, a beam pair that has a satisfactory (e.g., acceptable, "good," meets at least one threshold, etc.) individual measurement (e.g., for paired SISO) may not necessarily achieve a satisfactory link when jointly configured with at least one other beam pair for multi-beam TX / RX. For example, a transmission scheme for a multi-beam TX / RX configuration may result in some beam pairs that are satisfactory for paired SISO not being satisfactory when jointly configured with at least one other beam pair for multi-beam TX / RX.

[0093] Therefore, if a UE configured for group-based beam reporting reports certain beams with "good" individual measurement values (e.g., individual RSRP and / or individual SINR values that meet a threshold) for the base station to use for configuring communications, the base station may configure multi-beam TX / RX with the UE in an ambiguous, erroneous, inefficient, and / or unsatisfactory manner (e.g., failing to meet one or more performance, throughput, and / or latency conditions that were originally guaranteed for some use cases). For example, if the base station configures multi-beam TX / RX with the UE based on a group of beams reported based on individual components and / or individual measurement values (e.g., for a SISO scheme), the base station may erroneously or unsatisfactorily configure precoding, multiplexing, transport blocks, codewords, modulation schemes, code rates, and / or other parameters associated with multi-beam TX / RX.

[0094] In view of the above, there is a need for a method for reporting applicable and / or useful resources (e.g., a set (or multiple sets) of beams and / or other frequency and / or time resources) in addition to paired SISO. The present disclosure provides various techniques and solutions for a UE to report resources that can be used by a base station to accurately and / or satisfactorily configure multi-beam TX / RX.

[0095] The present disclosure describes various techniques and solutions for reporting at least one resource (e.g., at least one spatial, temporal, and / or frequency resource) that may be used for multi-beam TX / RX, wherein a UE determines (e.g., selects, identifies, etc.) a resource for reporting based on a particular operating mode, where the resource may be spatial, temporal, and / or frequency. The operating mode may include one or more of: a multiplexing scheme, a MIMO scheme, a joint transmission scheme, a use case (e.g., a service and / or purpose associated with communication between the UE and a base station), and / or other variables associated with communication between the UE and the base station. For example, the UE may be configured to select a beam and / or other resource based on whether the operating mode includes: a time division multiplexing (TDM) mode, a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) mode, a spatial division multiplexing (SDM) mode, a MIMO scheme, a joint transmission scheme, an enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) use case, an ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) use case, a massive machine type communication (mMTC) use case, and / or another mode, use case, scheme, etc. for such communication.

[0096] Potentially, the UE can be configured to perform CSI reporting for joint QCL (e.g., in addition to CSI reporting for individual beams). However, such additional joint QCL CSI reporting may incur some additional latency and / or overhead. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the UE can be configured to avoid such additional overhead by selecting resources for CSI reporting based on some additional and / or alternative information (e.g., rather than just satisfactory individual measurements).

[0097] In some aspects, the UE may determine the resources for reporting based on criteria. For example, the criteria may be based on one or more of the following: channel capacity, mutual information, effective (joint) channel, and / or other information that may indicate joint QCL properties. In some further aspects, the UE may additionally report some measurement information corresponding to the determined resources, such as RSRP and / or SINR.

[0098] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the base station may configure the UE for reporting, for example, by sending information indicating an operating mode for TX / RX and / or criteria on which determination of resources for reporting may be based; thus, the UE may determine resources for reporting based on the information indicating the operating mode and / or criteria received from the base station.

[0099] Now refer to Figure 4, a schematic diagram illustrates an example access network 400 including a base station 402 and a UE 404, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The base station 402 and the UE 404 can be configured to communicate on at least one channel H 410, for example, where the at least one channel H 410 can represent an original channel. The base station 402 and the UE 404 can be configured for mmW / near-mmW communication on the at least one channel H 410 using directional beams, where the base station 402 has M beams 412 and the UE 404 has N beams 414. For example, to utilize mmW / near-mmW communication, the base station 402 can configure a transmission scheme with the UE 404, such as a joint transmission scheme involving at least two of the M beams 412, where the at least two of the M beams 412 are each paired with at least two of the N beams 414.

[0100] Communications in the mmW (and / or near-mmW) spectrum (e.g., using at least one MIMO scheme, a joint transmission scheme, and / or a multiplexing scheme) may involve one or more beam pairs configured as one or more links between a base station 402 and a UE 404. A beam pair may include one of the TX beams 412 from the base station 402 paired with one of the RX beams 414 from the UE 404 (e.g., for transmission by the base station 402 and reception and / or downlink communications by the UE 404). Similarly, another beam pair may include a TX beam from the UE 404 paired with an RX beam from the base station 402 (e.g., for transmission by the UE 404 and reception and / or uplink communications by the base station 402).

[0101] To configure one or more beam pairs to include for at least one channel H 410, the UE 404 may send at least one beam report, such as a CSI report and / or a group-based beam report, to the base station 402. Such beam reporting by the UE 404 may be aperiodic, semi-persistent, or periodic, e.g., depending on the beam reporting configuration received from the base station 402. The UE 404 may perform some beam training and / or channel measurements using different combinations of beams 412 from the base station 402 paired with beams 414 from the UE 404, and send information indicating a resource set (e.g., a CRI and / or SSBRI set and / or other resource set) in a beam report to the base station 402 based on such beam training and / or channel measurements.

[0102] In some aspects, the conditions of channel H 410 (e.g., the environment affecting channel H 410, such as blockages, reflectors, etc.) and / or the characteristics / capabilities of base station 402 and / or UE 404 (e.g., the number of antenna elements, the number of antenna ports that UE 404 can utilize to measure channel H 410, etc.) may affect beam training / channel measurement on channel H 410. As such, channel H 410 may be denoted as effective channel H eff . Effective channel H eff It can be a receiver (e.g., an analog combiner of UE 404) RF =[w1,w2,…,w N ] and the transmitter (eg, the analog precoder of the base station 402) F RF =[f1,f2,…,f M ], where W RF and F RF Each of them may be a corresponding matrix, which respectively includes the beam weights w1, w2, ..., w N and f1,f2,…,f M .

[0103] In some aspects, the base station 402 and / or the UE 404 (eg, at a corresponding lower layer, such as a corresponding PHY layer and / or a corresponding baseband layer) may observe the effective channel H according to Equation 1. eff (in, is conjugated).

[0104]

[0105] In some aspects, the base station 402 and the UE 404 may be configured with two or more beam pairs, e.g., for spatial diversity on at least one channel H 410. For example, the effective (joint) channel H based on the joint QCL characteristics for simultaneous reception / transmission for two beam pairs may be given according to Equation 2. eff .

[0106] H eff =[w k ,w l ] * H[f i ,f j ]

[0107] (Equation 2)

[0108] Information associated with one or more beam pairs and included in the beam report from UE 404 may be used to estimate the effective (joint) channel H effFor example, the effective (joint) channel may be determined (eg, estimated) based on the joint QCL characteristics for simultaneous TX / RX using two beam pairs according to Equation 3, which represents pairwise estimation of the individual components.

[0109]

[0110] Each entry of the matrix shown in Equation 3 may correspond to a beam pair. For example, The effective channel H with the i-th RX beam (e.g., among the beams 414 of the UE 404) and the j-th TX beam (e.g., among the beams 412 of the base station 402) may be represented as eff Therefore, Equation 3 can be used to calculate the effective channel H with two beams i and j selected from beams 412 of base station 402. eff To model, two beams i and j are paired with two beams k and l selected from beams 414 of UE 404. Specifically, and which correspond to the conjugate transpose of the kth and lth Rx beams of UE 404, respectively.

[0111] Therefore, the one or more beams selected by the UE 404 for the beam report may be based on the effective channel H eff That is, beam pairs (such as (w k ,f i ) and / or (w l ,f j )) may not translate into a joint channel that is also determined to be "good," the joint channel comprising two or more beam pairs. For example, a TX / RX beam pair determined to have satisfactory channel measurements for a SISO scheme (such as individual channel measurements that meet (e.g., comply with or exceed) a SISO-related threshold) may not be satisfactory for some MIMO and / or other transmission schemes.

[0112] In some cases, the base station 402 may configure the UE 404 for group-based beam reporting without informing the UE 404 of the context in which the group-based beam reporting may be used, such as the transmission scheme, use case, etc. As a result, when the UE 404 selects one or more beams to report to the base station 402, the UE 404 may operate agnostic with respect to the transmission scheme (e.g., multiplexing mode, MIMO scheme, joint transmission scheme, etc.), the purpose (e.g., use case), and / or other variables / parameters (e.g., weighting throughput versus reliability) that may be affected by group-based beam reporting (e.g., including configuration according to group-based beam reporting). As a result, the UE 404 may report information (e.g., one or more CRIs and / or SSBRIs) to the base station 402 indicating one or more beams that result in ambiguous and / or unsatisfactory communication configuration by the base station 402, thereby adversely affecting overall channel performance.

[0113] For example, the UE 404 may be configured for group-based beam reporting, but the conditions (e.g., individual channel measurements) on which the UE 404 bases the selection of one or more beams for reporting may be statically defined, pre-configured, and / or the UE 404 may otherwise be unaware of how the base station 402 will use the reported beams. For example, the group-based beam reporting may include a group of individual reports (e.g., each corresponding to a group of beams), and the UE 404 may select beams for the group based on RSRP and / or SINR measurements corresponding to the individual beams in the group. Potentially, the RSRP and / or SINR measurements corresponding to the individual beams may not accurately reflect the performance (e.g., reliability, throughput, channel quality, etc.) of the beams in configurations other than SISO. Therefore, the beams reported by the UE 404 based on individual measurements may prevent the base station 402 from configuring multi-beam (simultaneous) TX / RX with acceptable link performance (e.g., in the case of certain MIMO schemes, joint transmission schemes and / or multiplexing schemes), for example, the channel conditions may fail to meet some expected thresholds regarding throughput, reliability, etc., because the reported beams may not perform equivalently (or even comparably) when configured jointly rather than individually.

[0114] To address such issues, the present disclosure describes various aspects of group-based beam reporting, in which one or more resources reported by a UE 404 to a base station 402 may be determined based on a context to which the group-based beam reporting applies. For example, the context may include a scheme (e.g., multiplexing mode, MIMO scheme, joint transmission scheme, etc.), a purpose (e.g., a use case), and / or other variables / parameters associated with communications between the UE 404 and the base station 402 to which the group-based beam reporting applies.

[0115] refer to Figure 5 , a call flow diagram illustrates an example communication flow 500 between a base station 502 and a UE 504 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 1 、 3 4, for example, base station 502 may be implemented as one or more of base stations 102 / 180, 310, and / or 402, and further, UE 504 may be implemented as one or more of UEs 104, 350, and / or 404.

[0116] As shown at operation 521 in the example communication flow 500, the base station 502 may determine at least one operating mode associated with communicating with the UE 504 on a joint channel including two or more beam pairs between the UE and the base station. In some aspects, the at least one operating mode may include at least one of a multiplexing mode and / or a use case associated with the communication between the base station 502 and the UE 504. For example, the base station 502 may determine the at least one operating mode to include at least one of an SDM mode, an FDM mode, a TDM mode, an eMBB use case, and / or a URLLC use case.

[0117] In some other aspects, at least one operating mode can be associated with one or more attributes and / or characteristics that are expected and / or implemented on the joint channel, such as at least one attribute and / or characteristic that is to be prioritized over at least one other attribute and / or characteristic. For example, at least one operating mode can be associated with a relatively high throughput on the joint channel, and thus throughput on the joint channel can be prioritized over reliability on the joint channel (or vice versa).

[0118] Base station 522 may send reporting configuration 522 to UE 504. Based on reporting configuration 522, base station 502 may configure UE 504 to report at least one resource. The at least one resource may include at least one spatial resource, at least one time resource, and / or at least one frequency resource. In one example, the at least one spatial resource may include a beam, such as a TX beam of base station 502, which may be paired with a corresponding RX beam of UE 504. In another example, the at least one time resource may include a symbol, a time slot, and / or a subframe. In another example, the at least one frequency resource may include a subcarrier and / or a BWP.

[0119] Potentially, the at least one resource may include a combination of any of the aforementioned resources. Additionally or alternatively, the at least one resource may include a group of two or more resources. For example, the reporting configuration 522 may be (or may include) a CSI reporting configuration. The reporting configuration 522 may enable the UE 504 to perform group-based reporting, such as group-based beam reporting, to the base station 502. For example, the reporting configuration 522 may include information configuring the UE 504 to report up to two resources (e.g., up to two CRIs and / or SSBRIs) per reporting setting.

[0120] The base station 502 may send a reporting configuration 522 to the UE 504 via RRC signaling (such as in an information element (IE) and / or field of an RRC message). For example, the reporting configuration 522 may include an RRC message having an IE for CSI reporting configuration (e.g., a CSI-ReportConfig IE), and the CSI reporting configuration IE may include information (e.g., a field) indicating that group-based reporting is enabled for CSI reporting by the UE 504 based on the CSI reporting configuration IE.

[0121] According to various aspects, the reporting configuration 522 may configure corresponding RSs on one or more beams from the base station 502 (e.g., one or more beam pairs between the base station 502 and the UE 504). For example, the reporting configuration 522 may include information configuring the UE 504 to receive at least one CSI-RS and / or SSB on one or more TX beams of the base station 502, the one or more TX beams being paired with corresponding RX beams of the UE 504. Thus, each of the CSI-RS and / or SSBs may be associated with a corresponding TX beam of the base station 502 (e.g., forming a corresponding beam pair with one RX beam of the UE 504 on which each of the CSI-RS and / or SSBs is received).

[0122] In some aspects, the reporting configuration 522 may configure the UE 504 to report some additional information associated with at least one resource (e.g., at least one CRI and / or SSBRI). For example, the reporting configuration 522 may configure the UE 504 to report measurement information (e.g., SINR and / or RSRP) and / or other CSI information (e.g., CQI, PMI, RI, and / or LI) in addition to reporting the at least one resource. The additional information may include some individual information associated with the at least one resource. However, when the UE 504 is configured to report a group of resources, the additional information may include information indicating and / or based on a combination and / or joint configuration of two or more resources, such as measurement information based on a joint channel comprising the group of resources.

[0123] Additionally, base station 502 may send at least one indication 524 to UE 504. At least one indication 524 may indicate at least one operating mode and / or at least one grouping criterion, which may be used by UE 504 to select at least one resource for reporting. In some aspects, at least one indication 524 may be explicit, e.g., the at least one indication 524 may include one or more values defined for one or more messages conveying the at least one operating mode. In some other aspects, at least one indication 524 may be implicit, e.g., the at least one indication 524 may include information in one or more messages from which UE 504 can derive the at least one operating mode, e.g., by using one or more rules and / or relationships, which may be predefined in UE 504 and / or stored in a data structure (e.g., a lookup table).

[0124] In some aspects, the base station 502 may send at least one indication 524 to the UE 504 via RRC signaling. Thus, the at least one indication 524 may be sent in an IE of an RRC message and / or in a field of an IE of an RRC message. For example, the at least one indication 524 may be received via a field of an RRC IE that configures the UE for CSI reporting (e.g., another field of the RRC IE may configure the UE for group-based reporting). In some other aspects, the base station 502 may send the at least one indication 524 to the UE 504 via DCI and / or a MAC control element (CE).

[0125] Potentially, at least one indication 524 may include multiple indications. Some or all of the multiple indications may correspond to some or all of the at least one operating mode and / or some or all of the at least one criterion, respectively. For example, a first set of one or more indications in the multiple indications may convey information indicating at least one operating mode, while a second set of one or more indications in the multiple indications may convey information indicating at least one criterion.

[0126] By way of illustration and not limitation, the at least one operating mode may include a MIMO scheme, a multiplexing mode, a joint transmission scheme, and / or another transmission scheme. For example, the at least one operating mode may include one or more of the following: single-user (SU) MIMO, multi-user (MU) MIMO, number of layers or streams, number of codewords (e.g., per TB), TB size, DM-RS configuration (e.g., number of DM-RS ports), SDM mode, FDM mode, TDM mode, code division multiplexing (CDM) mode, and / or other similar modes and / or transmission schemes.

[0127] Additionally or alternatively, at least one operating mode may include use cases and / or services. Use cases and / or services may be defined and / or delivered by a RAT (such as 5G NR), for example, to provide communications that adhere to certain conditions and / or constraints (such as for reliability, throughput, QoS, and / or other performance specifications / standards). For example, at least one operating mode may include an eMBB use case, a URLLC use case, an mMTC use case, and / or other use cases, purposes, and / or services defined and / or delivered by a RAT (such as 5G NR).

[0128] In some aspects, the at least one indication 524 of at least one operating mode may include a set of values respectively configured for an RRC parameter set, which may explicitly and / or implicitly convey information associated with the at least one operating mode. The set of values respectively configured for the RRC parameter set may include one or more of the following: a number of transmission configuration indication (TCI) states (e.g., a number of TCI states to which a TCI code point can be mapped), a number of CDM groups, a number of repetitions associated with a URLLC use case, and / or a configuration of a scheme enabler associated with the URLLC use case.

[0129] According to some aspects, at least one operating mode may include a joint communication or joint transmission scheme, which may be defined by a set of values corresponding to RRC parameter sets (such as the number of TCI states, the number of CDM groups, the number of repetitions associated with the URLLC use case, and / or URLLC scheme enablers). For example, each parameter in the RRC parameter set may be configured (e.g., by the base station 502 for the UE 504) with a corresponding value (e.g., setting, content, specific information), and a combination of the corresponding values with which the RRC parameter set is configured may be defined as a joint transmission scheme. By way of illustration and not limitation, Table 1 shows a plurality of different joint transmission schemes, the corresponding values of the RRC parameter sets that may be configured for the plurality of different joint transmission schemes, and the UE behavior corresponding to the plurality of different joint transmission schemes.

[0130]

[0131]

[0132] (Table 1)

[0133] Reference to Table 1 may include reference to one or more standards promulgated by one or more standard definition entities, such as the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), which may define standards for various RATs such as LTE and / or 5G NR. As technologies and protocols evolve, standard definition entities may revise some standards accordingly. For example, major revisions to the 5G NR standard may be distinguished by a "release." Thus, a reference to "Release 15" in Table 1 may indicate that the UE behavior is consistent with the behavior defined in Release 15 of the standard published by 3GPP for 5G NR.

[0134] For example, a value of "0" for the joint transmission scheme may indicate that the joint transmission scheme will not be configured with the UE 504. Thus, the number of TCI states mapped to the TCI code point may be equal to "1", which may potentially indicate that one beam pair link is configured for communication with the UE 504 (e.g., one beam pair link is configured for one use, and therefore, simultaneous TX / RX may not be configured). In addition, the absence of a joint transmission scheme configured for the UE 504 may (implicitly) indicate that the URLLC use case is not mandatory, e.g., due to the configuration of each of the URLLC repetition number (Rep. No.) and the URLLC scheme enabler being not applicable or "N / A"). One or more CDM groups may be configured for communication with the UE 504, which may indicate that the number of DM-RS port groups code division multiplexed in the time / frequency domain is at least one. As shown in the corresponding "UE Behavior" entry, the UE 504 may operate in accordance with the standards promulgated by 3GPP for Release 15, e.g., consistent with the configured RRC parameter sets respectively utilizing the above values.

[0135] In further explanation of Table 1, when the URLLC scheme enabler has a value indicating "configured", then one of URLLC schemes 2a, 2b, 3, and 4 may be configured for a corresponding joint transmission scheme, such as joint transmission schemes F, D", G', and G (potentially, and A). Such URLLC schemes may be further defined by one or more standards, such as 5G NR. For example, different URLLC schemes may define different multiplexing modes, beamforming parameters, and / or other parameters that may be implemented when one of the URLLC schemes is configured for communication by a UE.

[0136] For example, URLLC scheme 2a may include an FDM mode and a codeword for layer mapping (e.g., for spatial multiplexing). URLLC scheme 2b may include an FDM mode and two codewords for the same TB. URLLC scheme 3 may include a TDM mode that utilizes TDM in one time slot. URLLC scheme 4 may include a TDM mode that utilizes TDM in different time slots. In some aspects, each of URLLC schemes 2a, 2b, 3, and 4 may be based on a DCI (e.g., a single DCI) for multiple TRPs (mTRPs). For URLLC schemes 2a and 2b, a TCI codepoint may be mapped to two TCI states, where URLLC scheme 2a supports up to two transport layers. However, in URLLC schemes 3 and 4, a TCI codepoint may be mapped to a maximum of two TCI states (therefore, a TCI codepoint potentially maps to one TCI state).

[0137] Referring then to the joint transmission scheme "A" shown in Table 1, the number of TCI states mapped to the TCI code point may be equal to "1," for example, indicating that one beam pair link is configured for communication with the UE 504. The number of CDM groups may be equal to "1," which may indicate that a group of DM-RS ports is code division multiplexed in the time / frequency domain. Based on configuring the URLLC repetition number using a value indicating "Condition 1," the UE 504 may be configured with at least one entry in a PDSCH time domain allocation list (e.g., PDSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocationList) that includes a URLLC repetition number (e.g., URLLCRepNumb) greater than 1 in the time domain resource allocation (TDRA) field of the DCI. Additionally, the URLLC scheme enabler may be configured or may not be configured. The corresponding "UE Behavior" entry may indicate that the UE 504 may operate according to Scheme 4, for example, where a TDM mode utilizing TDM in different time slots is configured. However, according to Scheme 4, URLLC repetitions may occur from the same TRP and / or one or more other restrictions may be imposed on the UE behavior.

[0138] According to other illustrative examples, joint transmission schemes "C" and "E" can configure communications with UE 504 for both SDM mode and eMBB use cases. In such joint transmission schemes "C" and "E", TCI code points can be mapped to two TCIs, for example, UE 504 can communicate using two beam pairs (e.g., for simultaneous TX / RX). For both C and E, the number of CDM groups can be equal to "2", and therefore, two sets of DM-RS ports can be code division multiplexed in the time / frequency domain. In joint transmission scheme C, the URLLC repetition number can be configured with a value of "Conditional 2", indicating that one entry in the PDSCH time domain allocation list does not have a URLLC repetition number configured by the DCI, but at least one entry has a URLLC repetition number. However, for joint transmission scheme E, the URLLC repetition number can be configured with a value of "Conditional 4", which can indicate that none of the entries in the TDRA include a URLLC repetition number. The URLLC scheme enabler can be unconfigured for both C and E. The corresponding “UE Behavior” entry may indicate that UE 504 may be configured for non-coherent joint transmission (NCJT) or Scheme 1a, e.g., where multiple TRPs (mTRPs) transmit information (e.g., scheduling and / or other control information) to UE 504 on the same at least one resource (e.g., the same frequency resources and / or the same spatial or beam resources).

[0139] In another illustrative (non-limiting) example, joint transmission scheme "D" can be configured for communication with UE 504 for both SDM mode and URLLC use cases. In the case of D", the TCI code points for UE 504 can be mapped to two TCI states and two CDM groups can be configured. The URLLC repetition number can be configured using a conditional 4 value, for example, so that the URLLC repetition number is not applied (as described above for joint transmission scheme E), and a URLLC scheme enabler can be configured. The corresponding "UE Behavior" entry can indicate that UE 504 is configured for NCJT or scheme 1a, for example, where the mTRP sends information on at least one common resource (as described above for joint transmission schemes C and E).

[0140] In yet another example, a joint transmission scheme F can configure communications with UE 504 for both FDM mode and URLLC use cases. According to such a scheme, the TCI code points for UE 504 can be mapped to two TCI states, and a single CDM group can be configured. The URLLC repetition number can be configured with a condition 4 value, for example, such that the URLLC repetition number is not applied (as described above with respect to joint transmission scheme E), and a URLLC scheme enabler can be configured. The corresponding "UE behavior" entry can indicate whether the URLLC scheme is FDM according to scheme 2a with one codeword or scheme 2b with two codewords for the same TB, or TDM within one time slot according to scheme 3.

[0141] In practice, an RRC parameter set (such as the parameter set shown in Table 1) can be configured with corresponding values that map to at least one operating mode. Thus, the UE 504 can receive at least one indication 524 of at least one operating mode from the base station 502 as a value set for the RRC parameter set, and the UE 504 can derive the at least one operating mode based on mapping the RRC parameter value set to the at least one operating mode (e.g., using a lookup table and / or other data structure that can be pre-configured in the UE 504 and / or signaled from the base station 502 to the UE 504).

[0142] With reference to at least one criterion, the at least one criterion may include or may be based on, for example, one or more measurements and / or other CSI intended to represent one or more properties and / or characteristics of a joint channel and / or joint QCL. Thus, the at least one criterion may be based on a combination, aggregation, and / or joint use of two or more resources, which may be determined (e.g., selected, identified, etc.) from a plurality of available or candidate resources (e.g., a plurality of beams forming a plurality of beam pairs on which the UE 504 receives RSs for beam training / management). For example, the at least one criterion may be based on a calculation and / or estimation of properties and / or characteristics of a joint QCL and / or joint channel, which may include two or more resources (e.g., two or more beam pairs).

[0143] According to some (non-limiting) examples, at least one criterion may include one or more spatial properties of the joint channel, such as determined (e.g., estimated, modeled, calculated, etc.) signal gain, signal power, fading, and / or one or more other spatial properties associated with the joint channel. In some other examples, at least one criterion may include a model of the joint channel, such as an estimate and / or simulation of wireless propagation (e.g., with spatial diversity and / or polarization) on the joint channel, and potentially taking into account blocking and / or other environmental factors that affect communication on the joint channel. Additional examples of at least one criterion may include capacity and / or spectral efficiency of the joint channel, such as the rate at which information can be reliably transmitted using two or more resources (e.g., an upper limit).

[0144] In yet another example, at least one criterion may include mutual information associated with the joint channel (such as modulated symbols and / or decoded bits, a target block error rate (BLER), and / or other parameters associated with communication on the joint channel), which may be negotiated and / or agreed upon between the UE 504 and the base station 502, and / or may be intended to increase (e.g., maximize) throughput on the joint channel. In other examples, at least one criterion may include separation between two or more resources, such as a degree of separation between at least two TX beams from the base station 502 and / or a degree of separation between at least two RX beams from the UE 504 (or vice versa). According to a further example, at least one criterion may include one or more measurements associated with the joint channel, such as a combined RSRP, a combined SINR, and / or other combined metrics indicating quality and / or interference on the joint channel.

[0145] Additionally or alternatively, at least one criterion may include or may be based on, for example, separate information representing one or more properties and / or characteristics of a separate channel or resource, such as one or more separate measurements and / or other separate CSI. For example, at least one criterion may include RSRP and / or SINR corresponding to a separate beam (e.g., a separate TX beam of base station 502 paired with a separate RX beam of UE 504). In some aspects, the separate information may be used in conjunction with information intended to represent joint channel and / or joint QCL properties and / or characteristics. In some other aspects, the separate information may be used in place of the information representing joint channel and / or joint QCL properties and / or characteristics.

[0146] At operation 523, the UE 504 may determine at least one operating mode associated with communicating with the base station 502 on a joint channel including two or more beam pairs between the UE 504 and the base station 502. The UE 504 may receive at least one indication 524, and the UE 504 may determine the at least one operating mode based on the at least one indication 524. For example, the UE 504 may receive the at least one indication 524 as a value set for an RRC parameter set (e.g., as described above with respect to Table 1), and the UE 504 may map the value set for the RRC parameter set to the at least one operating mode.

[0147] In one (non-limiting) example of operation 523, UE 504 may determine that at least one operating mode includes SDM mode and an eMBB use case, such as when the number of spatial streams between UE 504 and base station 502 (or mTRP) is flexible. For example, UE 504 may receive a set of values for an RRC parameter set from base station 502 (as shown above by the entry for one of joint transmission schemes C or E in Table 1). In response to receiving the values of the RRC parameters consistent with one of joint transmission schemes C or E in Table 1, UE 504 may determine that the communication is configured using SDM mode and using observed and / or implemented eMBB service parameters (e.g., thresholds).

[0148] In another example of operation 523, the UE 504 may determine that at least one operating mode includes an SDM mode and a URLLC use case, such as when one spatial stream is configured between the UE 504 and the base station 502. For example, the UE 504 may receive a set of values for an RRC parameter set (as described above with respect to the joint transmission scheme D" in Table 1) from the base station 502. In response to receiving the values of the RRC parameters consistent with the joint transmission scheme D" in Table 1, the UE 504 may determine that the communication is configured using the SDM mode and using observed and / or implemented URLLC service parameters (e.g., thresholds).

[0149] In another example of operation 523, UE 504 may determine that at least one operating mode includes FDM mode and an eMBB use case. For example, UE 504 may receive a value set for an RRC parameter set (as described above with respect to joint transmission scheme B in Table 1) from base station 502. In response to receiving the value of the RRC parameter consistent with joint transmission scheme B in Table 1, UE 504 may determine that the communication is configured using FDM mode and using observed and / or implemented eMBB service parameters (e.g., thresholds).

[0150] In another example of operation 523, the UE 504 may determine that the at least one operating mode includes an FDM mode and a URLLC use case. For example, the UE 504 may receive a value set for an RRC parameter set from the base station 502 (as described above with respect to the joint transmission scheme F in Table 1). In response to receiving the value of the RRC parameter consistent with the joint transmission scheme F in Table 1, the UE 504 may determine that the communication is configured using the FDM mode and using the observed and / or implemented URLLC service parameters (e.g., thresholds).

[0151] In some aspects, information indicating at least one operating mode may not be present in at least one indication 524. Potentially, at operation 523, UE 504 may determine the at least one operating mode based on at least one criterion. For example, when the at least one criterion prioritizes throughput over reliability, UE 504 may determine that the at least one operating mode includes an eMBB use case (or other similar use case). In another example, when the at least one criterion considers both throughput and reliability, UE 504 may determine that the at least one operating mode includes a URLLC use case (or other similar use case). In some other aspects, information indicating the at least one criterion may not be present in at least one indication 524. Instead, UE 504 may determine the at least one criterion based on the at least one operating mode. For example, the at least one criterion may be pre-configured in UE 504 in association with the at least one operating mode, such that when UE 504 determines the at least one operating mode, UE 504 knows that the at least one criterion applies to the at least one operating mode.

[0152] In order for the UE 504 to determine the resources for reporting, the base station 502 may transmit RS 526. Each RS in the RS 526 may be a CSI-RS and / or an SSB. In some aspects, the reporting configuration 522 may configure the time / frequency resources on which the RS 526 is carried. The RS 526 may be used for beam training and / or beam management, and therefore, each RS in the RS 526 may indicate a corresponding beam of the base station 502 on which the RS is carried. For example, each RS in the RS 526 may include information identifying the corresponding beam on which the RS is carried, and / or the RS may be carried on a certain (some) time and / or frequency resource corresponding to the beam of the base station 502 on which the RS is carried.

[0153] At operation 525, the UE 504 may determine one or more values of the at least one criterion. The UE 504 may determine the at least one criterion based on the at least one indication 524 received from the base station 502, and further, the UE 504 may determine the one or more values of the at least one criterion based on the RS 526 received from the base station 502.

[0154] In some aspects of operation 525, UE 504 may determine one or more values of at least one criterion using a combination of two or more resources (such as two or more beams). For example, the at least one criterion may be intended to represent a joint channel and / or joint QCL property and / or characteristic, and UE 504 may determine one or more values corresponding to the joint channel and / or joint QCL property and / or characteristic based on using the two or more resources of the joint channel (such as two or more beams of two or more beam pairs). For example, UE 504 may measure a combined SINR and / or a combined RSRP based on receiving a corresponding RS in RS 526 on each of the two or more resources (e.g., two or more beams of the two or more beam pairs).

[0155] Examples of the at least one criterion may include the highest combined SINR and / or the highest combined RSRP for two or more beam-pair links, where the two or more TX beams have at least X TX degrees of beam separation (e.g., at base station 502), and two or more RX beams have at least X RX Thus, for a case where the beam separation between TX beams is less than X TX degrees and the beam separation between RX beams is less than X RX For each combination of beam-pair links of varying degrees, UE 504 may avoid determining the value of the highest combined SINR and / or RSRP.

[0156] In another aspect of operation 525, the UE 504 may determine corresponding throughputs associated with a plurality of different combinations of using a plurality of different resources. For example, the UE 504 may measure a value indicating the throughputs of a plurality of different combinations of beam pairs on which the UE 504 receives RS 526. In some aspects, the UE 504 may measure corresponding spectral efficiencies of a plurality of different combinations of beam pairs on which the UE 504 receives RS 526. In some other aspects, the UE 504 may measure another value based on mutual information of a plurality of different combinations of beam pairs on which the UE 504 receives RS 526.

[0157] In further aspects of operation 525, the UE 504 may determine respective reliabilities associated with the plurality of different combinations of using the plurality of different resources. For example, the UE 504 may measure values indicating the reliabilities of the plurality of different combinations of beam pairs on which the UE 504 receives the RS 526. In some aspects, the UE 504 may measure respective BLERs for the plurality of different combinations of beam pairs on which the UE 504 receives the RS 526.

[0158] In other aspects of operation 525, the UE 504 may determine (e.g., estimate, calculate, compute, etc.) an effective joint channel using a plurality of different combinations of a plurality of different resources (e.g., beams). For example, the UE 504 may estimate an effective joint channel for a plurality of different combinations of beam pairs on which the UE 504 receives the RS 526.

[0159] Additionally or alternatively, UE 504 may determine one or more values for an individual resource based on at least one criterion. For example, the at least one criterion may include a threshold and / or relationship relative to other individual resources, such as a criterion defining a minimum threshold and / or a criterion indicating at least two resources having "best" (e.g., highest, largest, greatest) individual measurements relative to other individual measurements for other resources. For example, the at least one criterion may be based on corresponding individual RSRP and / or individual SINR values measured for RS 526, respectively received on each of the beams from base station 502 that form a beam pair with UE 504.

[0160] Examples of the at least one criterion may include the highest two individual SINRs and / or the highest two individual RSRP values for two or more beam-pair links, where the two TX beams have at least X TX degrees of beam separation (e.g., at base station 502), and the two RX beams have at least X RX Thus, for a case where the beam separation between TX beams is less than X TX degrees and the beam separation between RX beams is less than X RX For each combination of beam-pair links of varying degrees, the UE 504 may avoid determining a separate SINR and / or a separate RSRP value.

[0161] At operation 527, the UE 504 may determine at least one resource 528 associated with communicating with the base station on the joint channel based on the at least one operating mode. The at least one resource may include one or more spatial, time, and / or frequency resources. For example, spatial resources may include beams and / or beam pairs, time resources may include symbols, time slots, and / or subframes, and frequency resources may include subcarriers and / or BWPs. Additionally or alternatively, at operation 527, the UE 504 may further determine at least one resource 528 (e.g., at least one beam) associated with group-based reporting (e.g., group-based beam reporting) based on at least one criterion. In some aspects, the at least one operating mode may indicate the at least one criterion. For example, at operation 527, the UE 504 may determine the at least one criterion to apply to the determination of the at least one resource 528 based on the at least one operating mode determined at operation 523.

[0162] For example, at least one operating mode may include, for example, an SDM mode for flexible spatial stream numbers and an eMBB use case, or at least one operating mode may be otherwise determined to prioritize throughput over other channel properties / characteristics (e.g., including reliability). At least one criterion may specify that the UE 504 is to select a combination of at least two resources that is determined (e.g., estimated, calculated, etc.) to maximize (or attempt to maximize) throughput relative to other combinations of the at least two resources. Thus, the UE 504 may determine at least one respective value (e.g., a value of spectral efficiency, a value based on mutual information, etc.) indicating throughput for each combination of at least two resources on which the UE 504 receives RS 526, for example. The UE 504 may then compare each of the values indicating throughput to each other to identify an "optimal" value for maximizing throughput, such as the highest or maximum value relative to each of the other values (e.g., depending on a metric).

[0163] Thus, when utilizing the SDM mode and the eMBB use case configuration, the UE 504 can select resources (e.g., beams of the base station 502) in a combination corresponding to the "best" value for maximizing throughput. The at least one resource 528 can include at least two TX beams of the base station 502, the at least two TX beams being paired with at least two RX beams of the UE 504, respectively, and the UE 504 can identify the TX beams based on at least two RSs received via the identified at least two TX beams, respectively, in the RS 526. For example, the UE 504 can identify the at least one resource 528 as the at least two beams from the base station 502 based on at least one CSI-RS and / or SSB received on each of the two (or more) beams, respectively (e.g., based on a set of time / frequency resources in which at least one CSI-RS and / or SSB is received on each of the at least two beams).

[0164] In another example, at least one operating mode may include, for example, an SDM mode and a URLLC use case for one spatial stream, or at least one operating mode may be determined in other ways to consider both throughput and reliability (although one may be prioritized over the other). At least one criterion may specify that the UE 504 is to select a combination of at least two resources that is determined (e.g., estimated, calculated, etc.) to maximize (or attempt to maximize) a combined SINR and / or a combined RSRP relative to other combinations of at least two resources. Furthermore, at least one criterion may specify that the at least two resources are to include at least two TX beams of the base station 502, the at least two TX beams having at least X TX degrees of beam separation and has at least X RX Thus, the UE 504 can determine a corresponding combined SINR and / or combined RSRP value for each combination of at least two resources on which the UE 504 receives RS 526, the at least two resources having at least X at the base station 502. TX degrees of beam separation and with at least X at UE 504 RX The UE 504 may then compare each of the determined combined SINR and / or combined RSRP values with each other to identify an “optimal” combined SINR and / or combined RSRP value, such as a highest or maximum combined SINR and / or combined RSRP value relative to each of the other combined SINR and / or combined RSRP values.

[0165] UE 504 may select a base station 502 having at least X TXEach of the at least two beams with a beam separation of degrees is used as at least one resource 528, the at least two beams forming one side of a combination of at least two beam pairs having the best combined SINR and / or combined RSRP value, and further with the UE 504 having at least X RX At least two RX beams are paired with a minimum amount of beam separation. Thus, UE 504 can select resources (e.g., TX beams of base station 502) that have at least the minimum amount of separation and also correspond to a relatively "optimal" combined SINR and / or combined RSRP value relative to other combined SINR and / or combined RSRP values. In this way, UE 504 can select at least one resource 528 to compromise throughput and latency, for example, to comply with at least one operating mode.

[0166] In another example, at least one operating mode may include an FDM mode and an eMBB use case, or other operating modes with some constraints similar to the eMBB use case with FDM. At least one criterion may specify that the UE 504 is to select each of at least two resources that are determined (e.g., estimated, calculated, etc.) to maximize (or attempt to maximize) reliability relative to other resources. In some aspects, the UE 504 may determine a respective individual SINR and / or individual RSRP value corresponding to each of the resources, for example, on which the UE 504 receives RS 526. The UE 504 may then compare each of the individual SINR and / or RSRP values to each other to identify at least two "best" individual values (e.g., for maximizing reliability), such as the two individual SINR and / or RSRP values that are highest or largest relative to each of the other individual SINR and / or RSRP values.

[0167] Thus, the UE 504 may determine the at least one resource 528 by selecting at least two resources (e.g., beams of the base station 502) corresponding to the two "best" individual SINR and / or RSRP values. For example, the at least one resource 528 may include at least two TX beams of the base station 502, which are respectively paired with at least two RX beams of the UE 504 and correspond to the two "best" individual SINR and / or RSRP values, e.g., based on respective individual SINR and / or individual RSRP values measured from CSI-RS and / or SSBs received via the at least two TX beams.

[0168] In other aspects, at least one operating mode can include an FDM mode and a URLLC use case, or other operating mode that utilizes FDM to provide some minimum level of both throughput and reliability. At least one criterion can specify that the UE 504 is to select each of the at least two resources having the highest individual SINR and / or individual RSRP value relative to the other individual SINR and / or individual RSRP values. At least one criterion can further specify that the at least two resources (e.g., having the highest individual SINR and / or individual RSRP value) are to include at least two TX beams of the base station 502, the at least two TX beams having at least X TX degrees of beam separation and has at least X RX Thus, the UE 504 can determine a corresponding individual SINR and / or individual RSRP value for each potential resource on which the UE 504 receives RS 526, each potential resource having at least X at the base station 502. TX degrees of beam separation and has at least X RX The UE 504 may then compare each of the determined individual SINR and / or individual RSRP values with each other to identify two "best" individual SINR and / or individual RSRP values, such as the two highest or largest individual SINR and / or individual RSRP values relative to each of the other individual SINR and / or individual RSRP values.

[0169] Therefore, the UE 504 may select at least two (TX) beams of the base station 502 as the at least one resource 528, wherein the at least two (TX) beams have at least X TX degrees of beam separation, and each of which has at least X RX at least two (RX) beams with a beam separation of at least two degrees, each forming at least two beam pairs having two best individual SINR and / or individual RSRP values relative to each other (TX) beam of the base station 502 (e.g., having at least X TX degrees of beam separation, and each of which has at least X RX at least two (RX) beam pairings with a beam separation of at least two degrees.

[0170] The UE 504 may generate a group-based report 530 and include in the group-based report information indicating the at least one resource 528. In some aspects, the UE 504 may identify the at least one resource 528 as at least two beams from the base station 502 based on at least one CSI-RS and / or SSB received on each of the at least two (or more) beams, respectively. For example, the UE 504 may identify each of the at least two beams to indicate as the at least one resource 528 based on a set of time / frequency resources on which at least one CSI-RS and / or SSB is received on each of the at least two beams.

[0171] In some aspects, the UE 504 may use the RI to transmit a corresponding identifier (ID) or index of the at least one resource 528 in the group-based report 530. For example, the UE 504 may use the corresponding CRI and / or SSBRI to transmit a corresponding beam ID or index of each of the at least two (TX) beams of the base station 502, the at least two (TX) beams being determined by the UE 504 as the at least one resource 528 based on at least one operating mode and / or at least one criterion. The UE 504 may determine the corresponding CRI and / or SSBRI using information of at least one CSI-RS and / or SSB respectively received on each of the at least two (TX) beams determined as the at least one resource 528 of the base station 502 and / or time / frequency resources.

[0172] Potentially, the UE 504 may include some information indicative of quality, performance, throughput, reliability, etc. associated with the at least one resource 528. Such information may be derived when the UE 504 determines at least one value for the at least one criterion, as shown at operation 525. For example, the UE 504 may include in the group-based report 530 information indicating one or more values determined for the at least one criterion, such as a "best" (e.g., highest, maximum, etc.) measurement value and / or a degree of beam separation between at least two (RX) beams of the UE 504 that are respectively paired with at least two resources (e.g., beams of the base station 502).

[0173] In some aspects, the UE 504 may include information indicating joint channel and / or joint QCL properties and / or characteristics of RSs 526 received based on the use of resource (e.g., beam) combining. For example, such information may indicate measurements and / or other information corresponding to at least two (TX) beams of the base station 502 (based on measuring at least one RS in RSs 526 received jointly via at least two (TX) beams of the base station 502). For example, such information may indicate one or more of the following: mutual information associated with a joint channel comprising at least one resource 528 (e.g., comprising at least two (TX) beams of the base station 502), spectral efficiency associated with the joint channel, a combined SINR and / or combined RSRP value measured in response to receiving at least one RS in RSs 526 jointly via at least one resource comprising at least two (TX) beams, an estimate or other calculation of an effective joint channel, and / or other measurements and / or information indicating joint channel and / or joint QCL properties and / or characteristics.

[0174] In some other aspects, the UE 504 may include some information indicating the individual quality, performance, throughput, reliability, etc. of each individual resource included in the joint channel (e.g., a joint QCL for a data channel). For example, such individual information may indicate one or more individual measurements and / or other individual information corresponding to each resource in the at least one resource 528. For example, such information may indicate a respective individual SINR value and / or a respective individual RSRP value corresponding to each (TX) beam of the base station 502 determined as the at least one resource 528.

[0175] As described above, the UE 504 may identify a group of n resources (e.g., beams), such as n "best" resources, in the group-based report 530. For example, the n best resources may include n beams having the highest individual RSRP and / or SINR values respectively corresponding thereto. In another example, the n best resources may include the best combination of resources corresponding to the "best" combined value, e.g., the UE 504 may determine n / 2 joint beam pairs corresponding to the highest combined SINR and / or combined RSRP values measured when two joint beam pairs are used simultaneously (e.g., for simultaneous TX / RX).

[0176] In some aspects, at least one measurement corresponding to the "best" resource (or best combination of resources) may be reported as the measured value (e.g., using a first set of bits (e.g., 7 bits). However, other suboptimal measurement values (e.g., n-1 measurement values) corresponding to suboptimal resources (or suboptimal combinations of resources) may be reported as respective differences relative to the best measurement value (e.g., using a second set of bits (e.g., 4 bits)).

[0177] For example, the at least one resource 528 may include two TX beams of the base station 502, which are respectively paired with two RX beams of the UE 504 to form a corresponding beam pair via which the UE 504 receives the CSI-RS of the RS 526. The UE 504 may report the best individual RSRP value (e.g., the highest dBm value) corresponding to one TX beam of the base station 502 as a measurement number expressed in dBm. However, the UE 504 may report the second (or next) best individual RSRP value corresponding to another TX beam of the base station 502 as a difference relative to the measurement number corresponding to the best individual RSRP value expressed in dBm.

[0178] For example, the UE 504 may report the second best individual RSRP value as the number of intervals or "steps" that separate the best individual RSRP value from the second best individual RSRP value. The size or amount of the intervals or "steps" (e.g., the number of dBm) may be pre-configured in the UE 504 and / or may be signaled to the UE 504 by the base station 502. In practice, the UE 504 may report a difference indicating one measurement value relative to another measurement value as a multiplication factor or coefficient to be multiplied by the interval (or step) to obtain a product, and the difference between the product and the best measurement value may indicate another measurement value corresponding to another reported resource (such as the second best TX beam of the base station 502).

[0179] The UE 504 may then transmit a group-based report 530 to the base station 502, the report 530 being associated with the joint channel and including information indicating at least one resource 528 based on at least one operating mode and / or at least one criterion. In some aspects, the group-based report 530 may include a CSI report for which group-based beam reporting is enabled. For example, the base station 502 may configure the UE 504 to transmit the group-based report 530 (e.g., a CSI report in which group-based beam reporting is enabled) via the reporting configuration 522.

[0180] The base station 502 may accordingly receive a group-based report 530 including information indicating the at least one resource 528. At operation 529, the base station 502 may configure communication with the UE 504 on a joint channel using the reported at least one resource 528 based on the group-based report 530 including information indicating the at least one resource 528. For example, the at least one resource 528 may include at least two beams corresponding to at least two beam pairs of the UE 504, and the base station 502 may configure the joint channel to include at least two beams corresponding to the at least two beam pairs of the UE 504.

[0181] In some aspects, the base station 502 may configure communication with the UE 504 by configuring simultaneous TX / RX with the UE 504 using at least two beams that may be included in the at least one resource 528. In some other aspects, the base station 502 may configure communication with the UE 504 by scheduling downlink data and / or control information for transmission to the UE 504 and / or by scheduling uplink data and / or control information for reception from the UE 504. In some further aspects, the base station 502 may configure communication with the UE 504 by configuring one or more transmission parameters via group-based reporting 530 and / or configuring one or more resources of the reported at least one resource 528 to be used for communication with the UE 504. For example, the base station 502 may configure one or more of precoding, TB (e.g., TB size), data rate, coding rate, MCS, spatial streams, spatial filters, and / or other transmission-related parameters for use with the UE 504 using the at least one resource 528 based on the at least one resource 528.

[0182] The base station 502 may then send a joint channel communication configuration 532 to the UE 504 based on the group-based report 530 (e.g., based on the reported at least one resource 528). The UE 504 may receive the configuration 532 from the base station 502 and, based thereon, may determine (e.g., adjust, change, set, etc.) one or more transmission parameters for communicating with the base station 502 on the joint channel. In some aspects, the UE 504 may determine, based on the received configuration 532, to use at least two of the reported at least one resource 528 for communication with the base station 502. In some other aspects, the UE 504 may determine a beamforming configuration (e.g., beam weights), precoding information, MCS, TB configuration (e.g., TB size), data rate, coding rate, spatial filter and / or spatial stream configuration, and / or other transmission-related parameters for communication with the base station 502 on the joint channel. For example, the UE 504 may determine, based on the received configuration 532, to use at least one of a single spatial filter or multiple simultaneous spatial filters for simultaneous TX / RX. In some other examples, UE 504 can determine, based on configuration 532, when (e.g., symbols, time slots, and / or subframes) to apply one or more beams for communications on a joint channel with base station 502. In other examples, UE 504 can determine, based on configuration 532, one or more weights (e.g., weights of a beamforming matrix) and / or other beamforming parameters.

[0183] Thus, the base station 502 and the UE 504 may communicate 534 on a joint channel based on the joint channel communication configuration 532. In some aspects, the base station 502 and the UE 504 may communicate on the joint channel using one or more resources of the at least one resource 528 configured by the base station 502 based on the group-based report 530. For example, the base station 502 and the UE 504 may communicate 534 using at least two resources (e.g., beams corresponding to a beam pair) for multi-beam simultaneous TX / RX. In some other examples, the base station 502 may be configured to transmit multiple (simultaneous) spatial streams according to a MIMO scheme (e.g., a SU-MIMO scheme or a MU-MIMO scheme) based on the configuration 532, and the UE 504 may be configured to receive multiple (simultaneous) spatial streams according to a MIMO scheme (e.g., a SU-MIMO scheme or a MU-MIMO scheme) based on the configuration 532.

[0184] Figure 6 6 is a flow chart of a method 600 for wireless communication. The method 600 may be performed by a UE or a component of a UE. Figure 1 and 3 5, the method 600 may be performed by at least one of: a UE 104, 350, 404, 504; a processing system, which may include the memory 360 and which may be the entire UE 350 or a component of the UE 350, for example, at least one processor, such as the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and / or the controller / processor 359; and / or an apparatus described below, such as the apparatus 802. According to various aspects, one or more of the illustrated blocks of the method 600 may be swapped, omitted, and / or performed concurrently.

[0185] The method 600 may enable a UE to determine at least one resource (e.g., a group of resources) to be reported to a base station for communication with the base station on a joint channel. The method 600 may improve beam management for TX / RX using multiple beams while reducing overhead (e.g., signaling, processing, etc.) and / or errors that may otherwise be commensurate with group-based beam reporting including additional CSI reporting for joint QCL and / or group-based beam reporting when the UE is unaware or unaware of the context in which the group-based beam reporting will be used by the base station.

[0186] At 602, a UE may receive, from a base station, information indicating at least one of the following: at least one operating mode and / or at least one criterion associated with communicating with the base station on a joint channel, the joint channel including two or more beam pairs between the UE and the base station. According to various aspects, the information indicating at least one of the at least one operating mode and / or at least one criterion may be received via one of RRC signaling, at least one MAC CE, and / or DCI. For example, the information indicating at least one of the at least one operating mode and / or at least one criterion may be received from the base station in a reporting configuration (e.g., a CSI reporting configuration) in which group-based beam reporting is enabled.

[0187] In some aspects, the information indicating at least one of the at least one operating mode and / or at least one criterion may include a corresponding value for each RRC parameter in an RRC parameter set associated with the at least one operating mode. For example, the corresponding value of the RRC parameter set may include at least one of the following: the number of TCI states, the number of CDM groups, the number of repetitions associated with the URLLC use case, and / or the configuration of a scheme enabler associated with the URLLC use case.

[0188] In some other aspects, at least one criterion may be based on at least one of: capacity associated with the joint channel, mutual information associated with the joint channel, spectral efficiency associated with the joint channel, RSRP associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs, SINR associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs, and / or beam separation associated with the two or more beam pairs.

[0189] exist Figure 5 In the context of FIG. 5 , a UE 504 may receive at least one indication 524 from a base station 502, the at least one indication 524 indicating at least one operating mode and / or at least one grouping criterion associated with communicating with the base station 502 on a joint channel comprising two or more beam pairs between the UE 504 and the base station 502. In some aspects, the UE 504 may receive the at least one indication 524 in a reporting configuration 522 (e.g., a CSI reporting configuration) that may enable group-based beam reporting for the UE 504.

[0190] At 604, the UE may determine at least one operating mode associated with communicating with the base station on a joint channel comprising two or more beam pairs between the UE and the base station. In some aspects, the at least one operating mode may include at least one of a multiplexing mode and / or a use case associated with the communication between the UE and the base station. For example, the UE may determine the at least one operating mode to include at least one of an SDM mode, an FDM mode, a TDM mode, an eMBB use case, and / or a URLLC use case.

[0191] In some other aspects, at least one operating mode can be associated with one or more attributes and / or characteristics that are expected and / or implemented on the joint channel, such as at least one attribute and / or characteristic that is to be prioritized over at least one other attribute and / or characteristic. For example, at least one operating mode can be associated with a relatively high throughput on the joint channel, and thus throughput on the joint channel can be prioritized over reliability on the joint channel (or vice versa).

[0192] In some aspects, a UE may determine at least one operating mode based on at least one indication received from a base station. For example, the UE may receive, from the base station, a set of values configured for each RRC parameter set. The UE may determine the at least one operating mode based on the set of values configured for each RRC parameter set, which may be mapped to at least one operating mode of a plurality of potential operating modes. For example, the UE may access a lookup table or other mapping information that indicates a correspondence between a plurality of potential operating modes and a set of values for the RRC parameter set (or a subset of values for a subset of RRC parameters), and thus, the UE may identify the at least one operating mode by identifying at least one entry in the lookup table or other mapping information, the at least one entry defining at least one relationship between the set of values for the RRC parameter set and the at least one operating mode, and / or defining at least one relationship between a subset of the set of values for a subset of the RRC parameter set and the at least one operating mode. Thus, the UE may determine the at least one operating mode by identifying at least one entry that is applicable to (e.g., matches) the set of values (or subset) for the RRC parameter set (or subset) received from the base station.

[0193] exist Figure 5 In the context of , at operation 523, the UE 504 may determine at least one operating mode associated with communicating on the joint channel with the base station 502. For example, the UE 504 may determine the at least one operating mode based on at least one indication 524 received from the base station 502.

[0194] At 606, the UE may determine at least one value of at least one criterion based on receiving a corresponding RS from the base station using each of the two or more beam pairs. For example, the UE may receive at least one CSI-RS and / or SSB from the base station using each of the plurality of candidate beam pairs. The UE may measure at least one value corresponding to each of the plurality of candidate beam pairs based on receiving at least one corresponding CSI-RS and / or SSB on each of the plurality of candidate beam pairs. For example, the UE may measure at least one RSRP value and / or SINR value corresponding to each of the plurality of candidate beam pairs based on receiving at least one CSI-RS and / or SSB on each of the plurality of candidate beam pairs.

[0195] In some aspects, at least one value of at least one criterion may include a separate value for a separate criterion. For example, the UE may determine at least one separate RSRP value and / or separate SINR value for a separate RSRP criterion and / or a separate SINR criterion based on receiving at least one CSI-RS and / or SSB on each candidate beam pair in a plurality of candidate beam pairs.

[0196] In some other aspects, the at least one value of the at least one criterion may include a combination, aggregation, and / or joint value of a combination, aggregation, and / or joint criterion. For example, the UE may determine at least one combined RSRP value and / or combined SINR value of the combined RSRP criterion and / or the combined SINR criterion based on receiving at least one CSI-RS and / or SSB on a joint channel including two or more candidate beam pairs from a plurality of candidate beam pairs.

[0197] exist Figure 5 In the context of FIG. 5 , at operation 525, the UE 504 may determine at least one value of at least one criterion based on receiving a corresponding RS in RS 526 from the base station 502 using at least one beam pair from a plurality of candidate beam pairs between the UE 504 and the base station 502. For example, the UE 504 may receive at least one CSI-RS and / or SSB from the base station 502 using at least one candidate beam pair from the plurality of candidate beam pairs between the UE 504 and the base station 502.

[0198] At 608, the UE may determine at least one resource associated with communicating with the base station on the joint channel based on at least one of the at least one operating mode and / or the at least one criterion. According to various aspects, the at least one resource may include at least one of: a set of spatial resources, a set of frequency resources, and / or a set of time resources. For example, the set of spatial resources may include at least one beam of at least one beam pair between the UE and the base station, the set of frequency resources may include at least one subcarrier and / or BWP, and / or the set of time resources may include at least one of a symbol, a time slot, and / or a subframe.

[0199] In some aspects, a UE may determine at least one resource based on at least one criterion associated with at least one of two or more beam pairs between the UE and a base station included in a joint channel. For example, the UE may apply the at least one criterion to at least one value determined (e.g., measured) based on receiving a corresponding RS from the base station using each of the two or more beam pairs, and / or the UE may apply the at least one criterion to a plurality of candidate resources to determine which candidate resources satisfy the at least one criterion.

[0200] In some aspects, a UE may determine at least one resource based on an operating mode, such that the reported resource is consistent with the MIMO and / or multiplexing scheme under which the UE communicates with the base station, while also adhering to constraints imposed by the use case on such communications, such as constraints associated with reliability (e.g., target BLER) and / or constraints associated with throughput (e.g., target data rate). Because the contexts in which different UEs communicate with different base stations may differ, a set of joint channel and / or joint QCL attributes and / or characteristics may be more desirable given at least one operating mode, but less desirable given at least one other operating mode. For example, relatively high throughput at the expense of reliability may be acceptable or even desirable in an eMBB use case, but unacceptable in a URLLC use case. Thus, resources selected to support high throughput without regard to reliability may be appropriate for some eMBB use cases (e.g., where the goal may be to deliver as much information as possible to as many UEs as possible in the shortest possible amount of time), but unsuitable for some URLLC use cases (e.g., where relatively high reliability (e.g., relatively low BLER) is desired). Therefore, by linking the selection of resources to be reported by the UE to the context in which the resources will be used for communication (e.g., multiplexing mode, MIMO scheme, use case, etc.), the likelihood of the UE reporting resources that are inappropriate and / or prevent support of some conditions and / or constraints can be reduced.

[0201] In some aspects, the UE may determine at least one resource by determining whether at least one value satisfies (e.g., meets or exceeds) at least one criterion. For example, where the at least one criterion specifies that at least one resource will include two beams corresponding to the two highest individual SINR values, the UE may determine each individual SINR value for each beam pair in the beam pair based on each individual SINR value of the CSI-RS and / or SSB measurement individual SINR values received from each beam pair in the beam pair. The UE may then compare each individual SINR value corresponding to each beam pair in the beam pair to identify two individual SINR values that are higher than the other individual SINR values. The UE may then determine the two beams (e.g., TX beams of the base station) that form the two beam pairs corresponding to the two highest individual SINR values as the at least one resource.

[0202] In another example, where at least one criterion specifies that at least one resource will include two beams corresponding to the highest combined SINR value, the UE may measure the combined SINR value for each of the two beam pairs based on the CSI-RS and / or SSB received on each of the two beam pairs. The UE may then compare each of the combined SINR values corresponding to each of the two beam pairs to identify the highest combined SINR value compared to the other combined SINR values. The UE may then determine the two beams (e.g., two TX beams of the base station) included in the beam pair combination corresponding to the highest combined SINR value as at least one resource.

[0203] In another example, when at least one criterion specifies that at least one resource includes two beams estimated to maximize spectral efficiency (e.g., on a joint channel), the UE may determine the spectral efficiency of a corresponding joint channel for each combination of two beam pairs. The UE may determine which corresponding joint channel is estimated to maximize spectral efficiency relative to other joint channels of other combinations of two beam pairs. The UE may then determine, as at least one resource, two beams (e.g., two TX beams of a base station) forming the two beam pairs included in the joint channel estimated to maximize spectral efficiency.

[0204] In other examples, at least one criterion may specify one or more attributes and / or characteristics associated with at least one resource to be satisfied. For example, at least one criterion may specify a threshold degree, which is a minimum degree by which two TX beams (e.g., of a base station) and / or two RX beams (e.g., of a UE) of two beam pairs included in a joint channel are to be separated. Potentially, the UE may apply such a criterion associated with at least one resource before applying other criteria associated with the performance and / or quality of the (joint) channel including the at least one resource. For example, the UE may first select a subset of candidate beam pairs from a plurality of candidate beam pairs that satisfy the threshold minimum degree for separating TX beams (e.g., of a base station) and / or separating RX beams (e.g., of a UE) before determining which of the candidate beam pairs corresponds to the highest individual SINR value or before determining which combination of the candidate beam pairs corresponds to the highest combined SINR value.

[0205] By way of illustration (non-limiting), the UE may determine that at least one operating mode includes an SDM mode and an eMBB use case (e.g., where the number of spatial streams may be flexible), and accordingly, the UE may determine that at least one criterion specifies that at least one resource includes at least two beams of two beam pairs that are jointly estimated to maximize throughput relative to other joint combinations of the two beam pairs. The at least one criterion may be based on mutual information associated with the joint combination of the two beam pairs and / or based on spectral efficiency associated with the joint combination of the two beam pairs.

[0206] In another illustration, the UE may determine that at least one operating mode includes an SDM mode and a URLLC use case (e.g., where a single spatial stream is configured), and accordingly, the UE may determine that at least one criterion specifies that at least one resource will include: at least two beams of two beam pairs that are jointly estimated to maximize a combined SINR relative to other joint combinations of the two beam pairs when the beam separation at both the UE and the base station satisfies a threshold minimum degree. For example, each of a first degree of separation of two RX beams forming one side of the combination of the two beam pairs and a second degree of separation of two TX beams forming the other side of the combination of the two beam pairs will be greater than X degrees, and the combination of the two beam pairs will further be estimated to maximize a combined SINR on a joint channel, e.g., for multi-beam simultaneous TX / RX.

[0207] In further illustration, the UE may determine that at least one operating mode includes an FDM mode and an eMBB use case, and accordingly, the UE may determine that at least one criterion specifies that at least one resource will include at least two beams of two beam pairs corresponding to the two highest individual SINR values relative to other individual SINR values corresponding to other beam pairs.

[0208] In yet another illustration, the UE may determine that at least one operating mode includes an FDM mode and a URLLC use case, and accordingly, the UE may determine that at least one criterion specifies that at least one resource will include: at least two beams of two beam pairs corresponding to two highest individual SINR values relative to other individual SINR values corresponding to other beam pairs when the beam separation at both the UE and the base station satisfies a threshold minimum degree. For example, each of a first degree of separation of two RX beams forming one side of the combination of the two beam pairs and a second degree of separation of two TX beams forming the other side of the combination of the two beam pairs will be greater than X degrees, and each of the two beam pairs will further correspond to the two highest individual SINR values measured for the candidate beam pairs.

[0209] The foregoing description is intended to be exemplary, and it should be understood that various multiplexing modes, MIMO schemes, use cases, and / or other operating modes may correspond to various different criteria. For example, various multiplexing modes, MIMO schemes, use cases, and / or other operating modes may have criteria associated therewith that may be intended to facilitate, implement, and / or adhere to one or more conditions, constraints, and / or configurations contemplated and / or defined by such multiplexing modes, MIMO schemes, use cases, and / or other operating modes, such as to comply with and / or be compatible with certain features, functions, and / or configurations for reliability, throughput, QoS, and / or other specifications, standards, and / or metrics.

[0210] exist Figure 5 In the context of FIG5 , at operation 527, the UE 504 may determine at least one resource 528 associated with communicating with the base station 502 on a joint channel based on at least one operating mode determined by the UE 504 (as described in conjunction with operation 523) and / or at least one criterion for at least one value, which may be determined based on receiving RS 526 from the base station 502 (e.g., as described in conjunction with operation 525). For example, the UE 504 may determine the at least one resource 528 by selecting two or more beam pairs that satisfy at least one criterion, which may be commensurate with the at least one operating mode. In other words, according to some examples, the UE 504 may select at least two beams determined (e.g., estimated) by the UE 504 to support some joint channel and / or joint QCL properties and / or characteristics that may be desirable for the at least one operating mode according to which the UE 504 and the base station 502 communicate.

[0211] At operation 610, the UE may transmit a group-based report associated with the joint channel to the base station, and the group-based report may include information indicating at least one resource. Potentially, the group-based report may include information indicating at least two resources that may be included in the joint channel, for example, for multi-beam simultaneous TX / RX and / or another MIMO scheme.

[0212] In some aspects, group-based reporting may be implemented as a CSI report where group-based beam reporting is enabled (e.g., at least one resource may include at least one beam of a base station, the at least one beam of the base station being paired with at least one beam of a UE). For example, the UE may send a group-based report to the base station based on a CSI reporting configuration received from the base station that enables group-based beam reporting. Furthermore, the UE may send a group-based report including information indicating at least one resource, for example, based on the CSI reporting configuration and, if applicable, in response to receiving a reporting trigger from the base station (e.g., the UE may be configured with semi-persistent scheduling for group-based reporting, and the group-based reporting by the UE may be initiated in response to receiving a reporting trigger from the base station, which may be separate from the CSI reporting configuration).

[0213] According to various aspects, the information indicating at least one resource may include at least one indicator (e.g., RI), ID, and / or index corresponding to the at least one resource. For example, the UE may include at least one CRI and / or SSBRI in a group-based report to convey information identifying at least one beam of the base station, based on at least one CSI-RS and / or SSB transmitted using at least one beam on a CSI-RS and / or SSB resource set, respectively. The at least one CRI and / or SSBRI may be used to identify the at least one beam. The UE may include up to two CRIs and / or SSBRIs per reporting setting configured by the base station.

[0214] exist Figure 5 In the context of , the UE 504 may send a group-based report 530 to the base station 502, for example, based on the reporting configuration 522. The group-based report 530 may include information indicating at least one resource 528 determined, for example, by the UE 504, as described in conjunction with operation 527.

[0215] At 612, the UE may receive, from the base station, information for configuring communications with the base station on a joint channel using at least one resource based on the group-based report. In some aspects, the at least one resource may include at least two beams of the base station, which may be paired with two beams of the UE, respectively, e.g., for joint QCL on a data channel. According to one example configuration, the information for configuring communications with the base station on the joint channel using the at least one resource may include information configuring the UE for simultaneous TX / RX on a joint channel including the at least two beams of the UE, the at least two beams of the UE being paired with at least two beams of the base station, respectively. For example, the information configuring communications may configure multiple simultaneous spatial filters of the UE.

[0216] According to another example configuration, information for configuring communication with a base station on a joint channel using at least one resource may include information configuring the UE for non-simultaneous TX / RX on a joint channel including at least two beams of the UE, the at least two beams of the UE being paired with at least two beams of the base station, respectively. For example, the UE may receive, from the base station, information configuring a plurality of non-simultaneous spatial filters of the UE and / or information indicating a TDM configuration on the joint channel, which may indicate a first set of time resources on which the UE will use one beam pair and a second set of time resources on which the UE will use another beam pair.

[0217] Additionally or alternatively, the information for configuring communication with the base station on a joint channel using at least one resource may include information for scheduling communication between the base station and the UE on a joint channel including at least two beams of the base station, the at least two beams of the base station being paired with at least two beams of the UE, respectively. For example, the UE may receive scheduling and / or allocation from the base station indicating a set of time and / or frequency resources for downlink or uplink communication. The scheduling may indicate the time and / or frequency resources on which the UE will use at least two beam pairs configured between the base station and the UE (e.g., for simultaneous TX / RX), or the scheduling may indicate one set of time and / or frequency resources on which the UE will use one beam pair of the at least two beam pairs and another set of time and / or frequency resources on which the UE will use another beam pair of the at least two beam pairs.

[0218] exist Figure 5 In the context of FIG5 , a UE 504 may receive a joint channel communication configuration 532 from a base station 502 based on a group-based report 530, the joint channel communication configuration 532 being used to configure communication between the UE 504 and the base station 502 on a joint channel including at least one resource 528. For example, the UE 504 may determine (e.g., adjust, change, set, etc.) one or more transmission parameters for communication with the base station 502 on the joint channel in response to receiving the joint channel communication configuration 532.

[0219] At 614, the UE may communicate with the base station on the joint channel based on the information used to configure the communication with the base station on the joint channel using the at least one resource. In some aspects, the communication may be a downlink communication, and the UE may receive downlink data and / or downlink control information from the base station on the joint channel using the at least one resource. For example, the UE may receive downlink data and / or downlink control information using at least two beam pairs configured between the UE and the base station, such as by using multiple RX spatial filters that may be simultaneous or non-simultaneous. Further, the UE may receive downlink data and / or downlink control information on a set of time and / or frequency resources configured for the UE by the base station, for example, based on group-based reporting.

[0220] In some other aspects, the communication may be uplink communication, and the UE may transmit uplink data and / or uplink control information to the base station on a joint channel using at least one resource. For example, the UE may transmit uplink data and / or uplink control information using at least two beam pairs configured between the UE and the base station, such as when beam reciprocity is supported. Potentially, the UE may transmit uplink data and / or uplink control information on a set of time and / or frequency resources configured for the UE by the base station, for example, based on group-based reporting.

[0221] exist Figure 5 In the context of FIG5 , a UE 504 may communicate 534 with the base station 502 on a joint channel based on a joint channel communication configuration 532 received from the base station 502. For example, the UE 504 may send or receive data and / or control information using at least one resource with which the UE 504 is configured according to the joint channel communication configuration 532. For example, the at least one resource may include two beams of two beam pairs, which may be paired with two other beams of the two beam pairs, respectively, and the communication 534 by the UE 504 and the base station 502 may include simultaneous TX / RX using the two beam pairs included in the joint channel, or the communication 534 by the UE 504 and the base station 502 may include non-simultaneous TX / RX with TDM using the two beam pairs included in the joint channel.

[0222] Figure 7 700 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication. The method 700 may be performed by a base station or a component of a base station. Figure 1 and 3In the context of FIG-5, the method 700 may be performed by at least one of: a base station 102 / 180, 310, 402, 502; a processing system, which may include the memory 376 and may be the entire base station 102 / 180, 310, 402, 502 or a component of the base station 102 / 180, 310, 402, 502, for example, at least one processor such as the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370 and / or the controller / processor 375; and / or an apparatus described below, such as the apparatus 902. According to various aspects, one or more of the illustrated blocks of the method 700 may be swapped, omitted, and / or performed concurrently.

[0223] Method 700 can enable a base station to configure a UE for group-based reporting, based on which the UE determines at least one resource (e.g., a group of resources) to report to the base station so that the base station configures communications with the UE on a joint channel. Method 700 can improve beam management for TX / RX using multiple beams while reducing overhead (e.g., signaling, processing, etc.) and / or errors that may otherwise be commensurate with group-based beam reporting including additional CSI reporting for joint QCL and / or group-based beam reporting when the UE is unaware or unaware of the context in which the group-based beam reporting will be used by the base station.

[0224] At 702, the base station may determine at least one operating mode associated with communicating with a UE on a joint channel, the joint channel comprising two or more beam pairs between the UE and the base station. In some aspects, the at least one operating mode may include at least one of a multiplexing mode and / or a use case associated with the communication between the base station and the UE. For example, the base station may determine the at least one operating mode to include at least one of an SDM mode, an FDM mode, a TDM mode, an eMBB use case, and / or a URLLC use case.

[0225] In some other aspects, at least one operating mode can be associated with one or more attributes and / or characteristics that are expected and / or implemented on the joint channel, such as at least one attribute and / or characteristic that is to be prioritized over at least one other attribute and / or characteristic. For example, at least one operating mode can be associated with a relatively high throughput on the joint channel, and thus throughput on the joint channel can be prioritized over reliability on the joint channel (or vice versa).

[0226] exist Figure 5In the context of FIG5 , at operation 521, the base station 502 may determine at least one operating mode associated with communicating on a joint channel with the UE 504. For example, the base station 502 may determine the at least one operating mode based on characteristics and / or capabilities of the UE 504 (such as the type of the UE 504, the ability of the UE 504 to receive multiple simultaneous spatial streams).

[0227] At 704, the base station may send information indicating at least one operating mode associated with communicating with the UE on the joint channel to the UE. According to various aspects, the information indicating the at least one operating mode may be sent via one of RRC signaling, at least one MAC-CE, and / or DCI. For example, the information indicating the at least one operating mode may be sent to the UE in a reporting configuration (e.g., a CSI reporting configuration) in which group-based beam reporting is enabled.

[0228] In some aspects, the information indicating at least one operating mode may include a respective value for each RRC parameter in an RRC parameter set associated with the at least one operating mode. The respective value set of the RRC parameter set may be configured for at least one of the following: a number of TCI states, a number of CDM groups, a number of repetitions associated with a URLLC use case, and / or a configuration for a scheme enabler associated with the URLLC use case.

[0229] For example, the base station may configure the corresponding value sets of the RRC parameter set so that a combination of the corresponding value sets (and / or a combination of subsets of the corresponding value sets) indicates at least one operating mode including a multiplexing mode combined with a use case. For example, a first combination of the corresponding value sets of the RRC parameter set may indicate a combination of the SDM mode and the eMBB use case, while a second combination of the corresponding value sets of the RRC parameter set may indicate a combination of the SDM mode and the URLLC use case. Similarly, a third combination of the corresponding value sets of the RRC parameter set may indicate a combination of the FDM mode and the eMBB use case, while a fourth combination of the corresponding value sets of the RRC parameter set may indicate a combination of the FDM mode and the URLLC use case.

[0230] exist Figure 5 In the context of FIG. 5 , a base station 502 may send at least one indication 524 to a UE 504, the at least one indication 524 indicating at least one operating mode associated with communicating with the UE 504 on a joint channel comprising two or more beam pairs between the base station 502 and the UE 504. In some aspects, the base station 502 may send the at least one indication 524 to the UE 504 in a reporting configuration 522 (e.g., a CSI reporting configuration) that may enable group-based beam reporting for the UE 504.

[0231] At 706, the base station may send information indicating at least one criterion associated with communicating with the UE on the joint channel to the UE. Specifically, the at least one criterion may be associated with at least one beam pair of two or more beam pairs between the base station and the UE. The UE may use the at least one criterion to select resources to be reported by the UE in the group-based report.

[0232] Specifically, at least one criterion may be associated with selection of resources to be reported by the UE that may provide some satisfactory (e.g., acceptable or "good") quality and / or performance for the joint channel and / or joint QCL (e.g., multi-beam simultaneous TX / RX). For example, the at least one criterion may be based on at least one of the following: capacity associated with the joint channel, mutual information associated with the joint channel, spectral efficiency associated with the joint channel, RSRP associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs, SINR associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs, and / or beam separation associated with the two or more beam pairs.

[0233] According to various aspects, the information indicating at least one operating mode may be sent via one of RRC signaling, at least one MAC-CE, and / or DCI. For example, the information indicating at least one operating mode may be sent to the UE in a reporting configuration (e.g., a CSI reporting configuration) in which group-based beam reporting is enabled.

[0234] exist Figure 5 In the context of FIG. 5 , the base station 502 may send at least one indication 524 to the UE 504 indicating at least one criterion associated with communicating with the UE 504 on a joint channel. In some aspects, the base station 502 may send the at least one indication 524 to the UE 504 in a reporting configuration 522 (e.g., a CSI reporting configuration) that may enable group-based beam reporting for the UE 504.

[0235] At 708, the base station may receive a group-based report from the UE, the report including at least one resource associated with the joint channel based on at least one operating mode. Potentially, the at least one resource may be additionally or alternatively based on at least one criterion. The at least one resource included in the group-based report may include at least one of a set of spatial resources, a set of time resources, and / or a set of frequency resources. For example, the set of spatial resources may include at least one beam of at least one beam pair between the UE and the base station (e.g., identified by a CRI and / or SSBRI), the set of frequency resources may include at least one subcarrier and / or BWP, and / or the set of time resources may include at least one of a symbol, a time slot, and / or a subframe. In some aspects, the group-based report may include a CSI report, which may be received by the base station based on a CSI reporting configuration sent to the UE.

[0236] According to some aspects, a group-based report may include measurement information corresponding to at least one resource. Potentially, the measurement information may be associated with at least one criterion. For example, the at least one resource may be included in the group-based report based on measurement information that satisfies the at least one criterion.

[0237] The measurement information may include one or more measurement values that may indicate the quality and / or performance of the at least one resource individually or jointly with at least two of the at least one resource. For example, the measurement information may include one or more individual SINR values and / or individual RSRP values corresponding to the at least one resource, respectively. Additionally or alternatively, the measurement information may include one or more combined SINR values, combined RSRP values, and / or combined throughput values corresponding to at least two of the at least one resource (such as at least two resources included in a joint channel and / or with a joint QCL).

[0238] exist Figure 5 In the context of , the base station 502 may receive a group-based report 530 from the UE 504, for example, based on the reporting configuration 522. The group-based report 530 may include information indicating at least one resource 528 determined, for example, by the UE 504, as described in conjunction with operation 527.

[0239] At 710, the base station may configure communication with the UE on a joint channel using at least one resource based on the group-based report. In some aspects, the at least one resource may include at least two beams of the base station, which may be paired with two beams of the UE, respectively, e.g., for joint QCL on a data channel. According to one example configuration, the base station may configure communication with the UE on a joint channel using the at least one resource by configuring the UE for simultaneous TX / RX on a joint channel including at least two beams reported by the UE, each paired with at least two other beams. For example, the base station may configure multiple simultaneous spatial filters of the UE based on the at least one resource included in the group-based report.

[0240] According to another example configuration, a base station may configure communication with a UE on a joint channel by configuring the UE for non-simultaneous TX / RX on the joint channel, the joint channel including at least two beams reported by the UE, each paired with at least two other beams. For example, the base station may configure a plurality of non-simultaneous spatial filters for the UE and / or information indicating a TDM configuration on the joint channel, the TDM configuration indicating a first set of time resources on which the UE will use one beam pair and a second set of time resources on which the UE will use another beam pair.

[0241] Additionally or alternatively, the base station may configure communication with the UE on a joint channel using at least one resource by scheduling communication between the base station and the UE on the joint channel, the joint channel comprising at least two beams of the base station, which are paired with at least two beams of the UE, respectively. For example, the base station may schedule and / or allocate a set of time and / or frequency resources for downlink or uplink communication. The scheduling may indicate the time and / or frequency resources on which the UE will use at least two beam pairs configured between the UE and the base station (e.g., for simultaneous TX / RX), or the scheduling may indicate one set of time and / or frequency resources on which the UE will use one beam pair of the at least two beam pairs and another set of time and / or frequency resources on which the UE will use another beam pair of the at least two beam pairs.

[0242] exist Figure 5 In the context of FIG. 5 , at operation 529, the base station 502 may configure communication with the UE 504 on a joint channel using at least one resource 528 based on the group-based report 530. To configure the UE 504 for communication with the base station 502 on the joint channel, the base station 502 may send a joint channel communication configuration 532 to the UE 504.

[0243] At 712, the base station may communicate with the UE on the joint channel based on configuring the communication with the UE on the joint channel using the reported at least one resource. In some aspects, the communication may be downlink communication, and the base station may use the at least one resource to send downlink data and / or downlink control information to the UE on the joint channel. For example, the base station may use at least two beam pairs configured between the base station and the UE to send the downlink data and / or downlink control information, e.g., for simultaneous TX / RX or non-simultaneous TX / RX using TDM. In addition, the base station may send the downlink data and / or downlink control information on a set of time and / or frequency resources configured by the base station for the UE, e.g., based on the group-based report.

[0244] In some other aspects, the communication may be uplink communication, and the base station may receive uplink data and / or uplink control information from the UE on a joint channel using at least one resource. For example, the base station may receive uplink data and / or uplink control information using at least two beam pairs configured between the base station and the UE, such as when beam reciprocity is supported. Potentially, the base station may receive uplink data and / or uplink control information on a set of time and / or frequency resources configured by the base station for the UE, for example, based on group-based reporting.

[0245] exist Figure 5 In the context of FIG5 , the base station 502 may communicate 534 with the UE 504 on the joint channel based on configuring communication with the UE 504 on the joint channel, as described in conjunction with operation 529. Specifically, the base station 502 may communicate 534 with the UE 504 on the joint channel according to the joint channel communication configuration 532 sent by the base station 502 to the UE 504. For example, the base station 502 may use at least one resource configured by the base station 502 (e.g., as indicated by the joint channel communication configuration 532) to transmit or receive data and / or control information. For example, the at least one resource may include two beams of two beam pairs, which may be paired with two other beams of the two beam pairs, respectively, and the communicating 534 by the base station 502 with the UE 504 may include simultaneous TX / RX using the two beam pairs included in the joint channel, or the communicating 534 by the base station 502 with the UE 504 may include non-simultaneous TX / RX using the two beam pairs included in the joint channel using TDM.

[0246] Figure 8Schematic diagram 800 illustrates an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus 802. Apparatus 802 is a UE and includes a cellular baseband processor 804 (also referred to as a modem) coupled to a cellular RF transceiver 822 and one or more subscriber identity module (SIM) cards 820; an application processor 806 coupled to a secure digital (SD) card 808 and a screen 810; a Bluetooth module 812; a wireless local area network (WLAN) module 814; a global positioning system (GPS) module 816; and a power supply 818. Cellular baseband processor 804 communicates with UE 104 and / or base stations 102 / 180 via cellular RF transceiver 822. Cellular baseband processor 804 may include computer-readable media / memory. The computer-readable media / memory may be non-transitory. Cellular baseband processor 804 is responsible for general processing, including executing software stored on the computer-readable media / memory. When executed by cellular baseband processor 804, the software enables cellular baseband processor 804 to perform the various functions described above. The computer-readable medium / memory may also be used to store data manipulated by the cellular baseband processor 804 when executing software. The cellular baseband processor 804 also includes a receive component 830, a communication manager 832, and a transmit component 834. The communication manager 832 includes one or more of the components shown. The components within the communication manager 832 may be stored in a computer-readable medium / memory and / or configured as hardware within the cellular baseband processor 804. The cellular baseband processor 804 may be a component of the UE 350 and may include at least one of the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller / processor 359 and / or the memory 360. In one configuration, the apparatus 802 may be a modem chip and include only the baseband processor 804, and in another configuration, the apparatus 802 may be the entire UE (e.g., see Figure 3 350) and includes the above-mentioned additional modules of device 802.

[0247] Receiving component 830 may be configured to receive information indicating at least one of at least one operating mode and / or at least one criterion from base station 102 / 180, e.g., as described in conjunction with Figure 6 As described in 602. At least one of the at least one operating mode and / or the at least one criterion may be associated with communicating with the base station 102 / 180 on a joint channel comprising at least two beam pairs between the apparatus 802 and the base station 102 / 180.

[0248] The communication manager 832 may include an operating mode component 840 that may be configured to determine at least one operating mode associated with communicating with the base station 102 / 180 on a joint channel including two or more beam pairs between the apparatus 802 and the base station 102 / 180, e.g., as combined with Figure 6 As described in 604. The at least one operating mode may include at least one of a multiplexing mode and / or a use case. For example, the at least one of the multiplexing mode and / or the use case may include at least one of an SDM mode, a TDM mode, an FDM mode, an eMBB use case, and / or a URLLC use case.

[0249] In some aspects, operating mode component 840 can receive as input information indicative of at least one operating mode and / or at least one criterion from receiving component 830. Operating mode component 840 can be configured to determine at least one operating mode based on the information indicative of at least one operating mode and / or at least one criterion.

[0250] For example, the information indicating at least one of the at least one operating mode and / or at least one criterion may include a corresponding value of each RRC parameter in an RRC parameter set associated with the at least one operating mode. For example, the corresponding value of the RRC parameter set may include at least one of the following: the number of TCI states, the number of CDM groups, the number of URLLC repetitions, and / or the configuration of a URLLC scheme enabler.

[0251] The communication manager 832 may also include a criterion evaluation component 842 that may be configured to determine at least one value of at least one criterion based on receiving a corresponding RS from the base station 102 / 180 using each of two or more beam pairs between the apparatus 802 and the base station 102 / 180, e.g., as combined with Figure 6 As described in 606. The corresponding RS may include at least one of a CSI-RS and / or an SSB transmitted on one beam pair.

[0252] At least one criterion may be based on at least one of: capacity associated with the joint channel, mutual information associated with the joint channel, spectral efficiency associated with the joint channel, RSRP associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs, SINR associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs, and / or beam separation associated with the two or more beam pairs.

[0253] In some aspects, criteria evaluation component 842 can receive as input information indicative of at least one operating mode and / or at least one of the at least one criteria from receiving component 830. Criteria evaluation component 842 can be configured to determine at least one value for at least one criterion based on the information indicative of at least one operating mode and / or at least one of the at least one criteria.

[0254] The communication manager 832 may also include a resource determination component 844 that may be configured to determine at least one resource associated with communicating with the base station 102 / 180 on the joint channel based on at least one of the at least one operating mode and / or at least one criterion, e.g., as combined with Figure 6 As described in 608. According to various aspects, the at least one resource may include at least one of the following: a set of spatial resources, a set of frequency resources, and / or a set of time resources.

[0255] The transmitting component 834 may receive as input information indicating at least one resource from the resource determining component 844. The transmitting component 834 may be configured to transmit a group-based report associated with the joint channel to the base station 102 / 180 and including information indicating at least one resource, e.g., as combined Figure 6 As described in 610.

[0256] The receiving component 830 may also be configured to receive information from the base station 102 / 180 for configuring communication with the base station 102 / 180 on the joint channel using at least one resource based on the group-based report, e.g., as described in conjunction with Figure 6 of 612 described.

[0257] The communication manager 832 may also include a communication component 846 that may be configured to communicate with the base station 102 / 180 on the joint channel based on information for configuring communications with the base station 102 / 180 on the joint channel using at least one resource, e.g., as described in conjunction with Figure 6 614. The communication component 846 can receive information for configuring the use of at least one resource to communicate with the base station 102 / 180 on the joint channel as input from the receiving component 830.

[0258] The device 802 may include executing the above Figure 5 Call flow diagram and / or Figure 6 The additional components of some or all of the blocks, operations, signaling, etc. of the algorithms in the flowcharts of FIG. Figure 5 Call flow diagram and / or Figure 6 Some or all of the blocks, operations, signaling, etc. in the flowcharts of FIG. 80 may be performed by components, and the apparatus 802 may include one or more of those components. The components may be one or more hardware components specifically configured to perform the process / algorithm, implemented by a processor configured to perform the process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium for implementation by a processor, or some combination thereof.

[0259] In one configuration, the apparatus 802 (and specifically, the cellular baseband processor 804) includes: means for determining at least one operating mode associated with communication with a base station on a joint channel, the joint channel comprising two or more beam pairs between the apparatus 802 and the base station; means for determining at least one resource associated with communication with the base station on the joint channel based on the at least one operating mode; and means for sending a group-based report associated with the joint channel to the base station, the group-based report comprising information indicating the at least one resource.

[0260] In one aspect, the at least one operating mode comprises at least one of a multiplexing mode or a use case. In one aspect, the at least one multiplexing mode or use case comprises at least one of an SDM mode, an FDM mode, a TDM mode, an eMBB use case, or a URLLC use case. In one aspect, the at least one resource comprises at least one of a set of spatial resources, a set of frequency resources, or a set of time resources. In one aspect, the at least one resource is further determined based on at least one criterion associated with at least one of two or more beam pairs between the apparatus 802 and the base station included in the joint channel.

[0261] In one aspect, at least one criterion is based on at least one of: capacity associated with the joint channel, mutual information associated with the joint channel, spectral efficiency associated with the joint channel, RSRP associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs, SINR associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs, or beam separation associated with the two or more beam pairs.

[0262] In one aspect, the apparatus 802 (and specifically, the cellular baseband processor 804) may further include: a unit for determining at least one value of at least one criterion based on receiving a corresponding reference signal from a base station using each of the two or more beam pairs, and the at least one resource is further determined based on the at least one value of the at least one criterion.

[0263] In one aspect, the apparatus 802 (and specifically the cellular baseband processor 804) may further include means for receiving information indicative of at least one of the at least one operating mode or the at least one criterion from a base station.

[0264] In one aspect, the information indicating at least one of the at least one operating mode or the at least one criterion comprises a respective value for each RRC parameter in an RRC parameter set associated with the at least one operating mode. In one aspect, the respective value of the RRC parameter set comprises at least one of the following: a number of TCI states, a number of CDM groups, a number of repetitions associated with a URLLC use case, and / or a configuration for a scheme enabler associated with the URLLC use case.

[0265] In one aspect, the apparatus 802 (and specifically, the cellular baseband processor 804) may further include: a unit for receiving, from a base station based on a group-based report, information for configuring communication with the base station on a joint channel using at least one resource; and a unit for communicating with the base station on the joint channel based on the information for configuring communication with the base station on the joint channel using at least one resource.

[0266] The aforementioned means may be one or more of the aforementioned components of the apparatus 802 configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means. As described above, the apparatus 802 may include the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller / processor 359. As such, in one configuration, the aforementioned means may be the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller / processor 359, which are configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means.

[0267] Figure 9 900 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus 902. Apparatus 902 is a base station and includes a baseband unit 904. Baseband unit 904 can communicate with UE 104 via a cellular RF transceiver. Baseband unit 904 may include computer-readable media / memory. Baseband unit 904 is responsible for general processing, including executing software stored on the computer-readable media / memory. When executed by baseband unit 904, the software enables baseband unit 904 to perform the various functions described above. The computer-readable media / memory may also be used to store data manipulated by baseband unit 904 when executing the software. Baseband unit 904 also includes a receiving component 930, a communication manager 932, and a transmitting component 934. Communication manager 932 includes one or more of the components shown. Components within communication manager 932 may be stored in computer-readable media / memory and / or configured as hardware within baseband unit 904. The baseband unit 904 may be a component of the base station 310 and may include at least one of the TX processor 316 , the RX processor 370 , and the controller / processor 375 , and / or the memory 376 .

[0268] The communication manager 932 may include a mode configuration component 940 that may be configured to determine at least one operating mode associated with communicating with the UE 104 on a joint channel, the joint channel including two or more beam pairs between the apparatus 902 and the UE 104, e.g., as combined Figure 7 As described in 702.

[0269] According to various aspects, at least one operating mode may include at least one of a multiplexing mode and / or a use case. For example, at least one of the multiplexing mode and / or the use case may include at least one of the following: SDM mode, FDM mode, TDM mode, eMBB use case, and / or URLLC use case.

[0270] The transmitting component 934 can be configured to transmit information indicating at least one operating mode to the UE 104, for example, as described in conjunction with Figure 7 For example, the sending component 934 can receive information indicating at least one operating mode from the mode configuration component 940 as input.

[0271] In some aspects, the information indicating at least one operating mode may include a corresponding value for each RRC parameter in an RRC parameter set. For example, the corresponding value of the RRC parameter set may include at least one of the following: the number of TCI states, the number of CDM groups, the number of URLLC repetitions, and / or the configuration of a URLLC scheme enabler.

[0272] The transmitting component 934 may also be configured to transmit to the UE 104 information indicating at least one criterion associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs between the apparatus 902 and the UE 104 included in the joint channel, e.g., as combined with Figure 7 According to various aspects, the at least one criterion is based on at least one of: a capacity associated with a joint channel, mutual information associated with the joint channel, an RSRP associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs, an SINR associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs, and / or a beam separation associated with the two or more beam pairs.

[0273] Receiving component 930 may be configured to receive a group-based report from UE 104, the report comprising at least one resource associated with a joint channel based on at least one operating mode, e.g., as combined with Figure 7 As described in 708.

[0274] The communication manager 932 may also include a UE configuration component 942 that may be configured to configure, based on the group-based report, communication with the UE 104 on a joint channel using the reported at least one resource, e.g., as combined with Figure 7 710. UE configuring component 942 can receive as input from receiving component 930 a group-based report comprising at least one resource associated with a joint channel based on at least one operating mode.

[0275] In some aspects, the at least one resource comprises at least one of a set of spatial resources, a set of frequency resources, or a set of time resources. In some other aspects, the at least one resource is based on at least one criterion associated with at least one beam pair of two or more beam pairs between the apparatus 902 and the UE 104 included in the joint channel.

[0276] The communication manager 932 may also include a UE communication component 944 that may be configured to communicate with the UE 104 on the joint channel using at least one resource based on the configuration, e.g., as in conjunction with Figure 7 712. In some aspects, UE communication component 944 can be configured to receive as input from UE configuration component 942 information indicating a configuration regarding communication with UE 104 on a joint channel using the reported at least one resource.

[0277] The device 902 may include executing the above Figure 5 Call flow diagram and / or Figure 7 The additional components of some or all of the blocks, operations, signaling, etc. of the algorithms in the flowcharts of FIG. Figure 5 Call flow diagram and / or Figure 7 Some or all of the blocks, operations, signaling, etc. in the flowcharts of FIG. 90 may be performed by components, and the apparatus 902 may include one or more of those components. The components may be one or more hardware components specifically configured to perform the process / algorithm, implemented by a processor configured to perform the process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium for implementation by a processor, or some combination thereof.

[0278] In one configuration, the apparatus 902 (and specifically, the baseband unit 904) includes: means for determining at least one operating mode associated with communication with a UE on a joint channel, the joint channel comprising two or more beam pairs between the apparatus 902 and the UE; means for sending information indicating the at least one operating mode to the UE; and means for receiving a group-based report from the UE, the group-based report comprising at least one resource associated with the joint channel based on the at least one operating mode.

[0279] In one aspect, the at least one operating mode comprises at least one of a multiplexing mode or a use case. In one aspect, the at least one multiplexing mode or use case comprises at least one of a TDM mode, an FDM mode, an SDM mode, an eMBB use case, or a URLLC use case. In one aspect, the at least one resource comprises at least one of a set of spatial resources, a set of frequency resources, or a set of time resources.

[0280] In one aspect, the at least one resource is further based on at least one criterion associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs between the apparatus 902 and the UE included in the joint channel. In one aspect, the at least one criterion is based on at least one of the following: capacity associated with the joint channel, mutual information associated with the joint channel, RSRP associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs, SINR associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs, or beam separation associated with the two or more beam pairs.

[0281] In one aspect, the apparatus 902 (and specifically, the baseband unit 904) may further include: means for sending information indicating at least one criterion to the UE. In one aspect, the information indicating at least one operating mode includes a corresponding value for each RRC parameter in an RRC parameter set. In one aspect, the corresponding value of the RRC parameter set includes at least one of the following: the number of TCI states, the number of CDM groups, the number of repetitions associated with the URLLC use case, or the configuration of a scheme enabler associated with the URLLC use case.

[0282] In one aspect, the apparatus 902 (and specifically, the baseband unit 904) may further include: a unit for configuring communication with the UE on a joint channel using at least one resource based on group-based reporting; and a unit for communicating with the UE on the joint channel based on configuring communication with the UE on the joint channel using at least one resource.

[0283] The aforementioned means may be one or more of the aforementioned components of the apparatus 902 configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means. As described above, the apparatus 902 may include the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375. Therefore, in one configuration, the aforementioned means may be the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375 configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means.

[0284] It is to be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the disclosed process / flowchart is illustrative of example methods. It is to be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the disclosed process / flowchart may be rearranged based on design preferences. In addition, some blocks may be combined or omitted. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various blocks in an example order and are not intended to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0285] The foregoing description is provided so that any person skilled in the art can implement 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 can be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the various aspects shown herein, but to be given the full scope consistent with the language claims, wherein, unless explicitly stated otherwise, references to singular elements are not intended to mean "one and only one", but "one or more". Terms such as "if", "when ..." and "while ..." should be interpreted as "under the conditions of ...", rather than meaning an immediate time relationship or reaction. That is to say, these phrases (e.g., "when ...") do not mean immediate action in response to the occurrence of an action or during the occurrence of an action, but only mean that the action will occur if the conditions are met, but do not require a specific or immediate time constraint for the occurrence of the action. The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "used as an example, instance or illustration". Any aspect described as "exemplary" herein is not necessarily interpreted as being preferred over other aspects or having advantages over other aspects. Unless otherwise explicitly stated, 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, where 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. In addition, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. The words “module,” “mechanism,” “element,” “device,” etc. may not be substitutes for the word “unit.” As such, no claim element should be construed as a functional unit unless the element is explicitly recited using the phrase “means for….”

[0286] The following examples are merely illustrative and may be combined with other embodiments or aspects of the teachings described herein, but are not limited thereto.

[0287] Example 1 is a device of a UE, which is configured to: determine at least one operating mode associated with communication with a base station on a joint channel, wherein the joint channel includes two or more beam pairs between the UE and the base station; determine at least one resource associated with the communication with the base station on the joint channel based on the at least one operating mode; and send a group-based report associated with the joint channel to the base station, wherein the group-based report includes information indicating the at least one resource.

[0288] Example 2 is the apparatus of Example 1, wherein the at least one operating mode comprises at least one of a multiplexing mode or a use case.

[0289] Example 3 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 1 and 2, and the at least one of the multiplexing mode or the use case includes at least one of a TDM mode, an FDM mode, an SDM mode, an eMBB use case, or a URLLC use case.

[0290] Example 4 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 1 to 3, and the at least one resource includes at least one of a spatial resource set, a frequency resource set, or a time resource set.

[0291] Example 5 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 1 to 4, and the at least one resource is further determined based on at least one criterion associated with at least one beam pair of the two or more beam pairs between the UE and the base station included in the joint channel.

[0292] Example 6 is an apparatus according to Example 5, and the at least one criterion is based on at least one of the following: capacity associated with the joint channel, mutual information associated with the joint channel, spectral efficiency associated with the joint channel, RSRP associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs, SINR associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs, or beam separation associated with the two or more beam pairs.

[0293] Example 7 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 5 and 6, and is further configured to: determine at least one value of the at least one criterion based on receiving a corresponding reference signal from the base station using each of the two or more beam pairs, and the at least one resource is further determined based on the at least one value of the at least one criterion.

[0294] Example 8 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 5 to 7, and is further configured to: receive information indicating at least one of the at least one operating mode or the at least one criterion from the base station.

[0295] Example 9 is an apparatus according to Example 8, and the information indicating at least one of the at least one operating mode or the at least one criterion includes a corresponding value of each RRC parameter in an RRC parameter set associated with the at least one operating mode.

[0296] Example 10 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 8 and 9, and the corresponding value of the RRC parameter set includes at least one of the following: the number of TCI states, the number of CDM groups, the number of repetitions associated with the URLLC use case, or the configuration of a scheme enabler associated with the URLLC use case.

[0297] Example 11 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 1 to 10, and is further configured to: receive information for configuring communication with the base station on the joint channel using the at least one resource from the base station based on the group-based report; and communicate with the base station on the joint channel based on the information for configuring the communication with the base station on the joint channel using the at least one resource.

[0298] Example 12 is a device of a base station, configured to: determine at least one operating mode associated with communication with a UE on a joint channel, wherein the joint channel includes two or more beam pairs between the base station and the UE; send information indicating the at least one operating mode to the UE; and receive a group-based report from the UE, wherein the group-based report includes at least one resource associated with the joint channel based on the at least one operating mode.

[0299] Example 13 is the apparatus of Example 12, and the at least one operating mode comprises at least one of a multiplexing mode or a use case.

[0300] Example 14 is an apparatus according to Example 13, and the at least one of the multiplexing mode or the use case includes at least one of a TDM mode, an FDM mode, an SDM mode, an eMBB use case, or a URLLC use case.

[0301] Example 15 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 12 to 14, and the at least one resource includes at least one of a spatial resource set, a frequency resource set, or a time resource set.

[0302] Example 16 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 12 to 15, and the at least one resource is further based on at least one criterion associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs between the base station and the UE included in the joint channel.

[0303] Example 17 is an apparatus according to Example 16, and the at least one criterion is based on at least one of the following: capacity associated with the joint channel, mutual information associated with the joint channel, RSRP associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs, SINR associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs, or beam separation associated with the two or more beam pairs.

[0304] Example 18 is an apparatus according to Examples 16 and 17, and is further configured to send information indicating the at least one criterion to the UE.

[0305] Example 19 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 12 to 18, and the information indicating the at least one operating mode includes a corresponding value for each RRC parameter in the RRC parameter set.

[0306] Example 20 is an apparatus according to Example 19, and the corresponding value of the RRC parameter set includes at least one of the following: the number of TCI states, the number of CDM groups, the number of repetitions associated with the URLLC use case, or the configuration of a scheme enabler associated with the URLLC use case.

[0307] Example 21 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 12 to 20, and is further configured to configure the communication with the UE on the joint channel using the at least one resource based on the group-based report; and to communicate with the UE on the joint channel based on the configuration of the communication with the UE on the joint channel using the at least one resource.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: determining at least one operating mode associated with communicating with a base station on a joint channel including two or more beam pairs between the UE and the base station, including at least a multiplexing pattern and a use case; determining at least one resource associated with the communication with the base station on the joint channel based on the at least one operating mode and at least two or more criteria associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs between the UE and the base station included in the joint channel, wherein the at least two or more criteria are different; and A group-based report associated with the joint channel is sent to the base station, the group-based report including information indicating the at least one resource and the at least two or more criteria.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The multiplexing mode includes at least one of a time division multiplexing (TDM) mode, a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) mode, or a space division multiplexing (SDM) mode, and the use case includes at least an enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) use case or an ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) use case.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The at least one resource includes at least one of a spatial resource set, a frequency resource set, or a time resource set.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The at least one resource is further determined based on at least one criterion of the at least two or more criteria associated with at least one beam pair of the two or more beam pairs between the UE and the base station included in the joint channel.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The at least two or more criteria are each based on at least one of: a capacity associated with the joint channel, mutual information associated with the joint channel, a spectral efficiency associated with the joint channel, a reference signal received power (RSRP) associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs, a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs, or a beam separation associated with the two or more beam pairs.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: determining at least one value of the at least two or more criteria based on receiving a corresponding reference signal from the base station using each of the two or more beam pairs, Therein, the at least one resource is further determined based on the at least one value of the at least two or more criteria.

7. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: Information indicative of the at least one operating mode and at least one of the at least two or more criteria is received from the base station.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The information indicative of the at least one operating mode and the at least one of the at least two or more criteria includes a respective value of each Radio Resource Control (RRC) parameter in a set of RRC parameters associated with the at least one operating mode.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The corresponding value of the RRC parameter set includes at least one of the following: the number of transmission configuration indication (TCI) states, the number of code division multiplexing (CDM) groups, the number of repetitions associated with an ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) use case, or the configuration of a scheme enabler associated with the URLLC use case.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving, from the base station based on the group-based report, information for configuring communications with the base station on the joint channel using the at least one resource; as well as Communicating with the base station on the joint channel based on the information configuring the communication with the base station on the joint channel using the at least one resource.

11. A method for wireless communication at a base station, comprising: determining at least one operating mode associated with communicating with a user equipment (UE) on a joint channel including two or more beam pairs between the base station and the UE, including at least a multiplexing pattern and a use case; transmitting, to the UE, information indicating the at least one operating mode and at least two or more criteria associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs between the base station and the UE included in the joint channel, wherein the at least two or more criteria are different from each other; as well as A group-based report is received from the UE, the group-based report comprising at least one resource associated with the joint channel based on the at least one operating mode and the at least two or more criteria.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The multiplexing mode includes at least one of a time division multiplexing (TDM) mode, a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) mode, or a space division multiplexing (SDM) mode, and the use case includes at least an enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) use case or an ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) use case.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein The at least one resource includes at least one of a spatial resource set, a frequency resource set, or a time resource set.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein The at least one resource is further based on at least one criterion of the at least two or more criteria associated with at least one beam pair of the two or more beam pairs between the base station and the UE included in the joint channel.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The at least two or more criteria are each based on at least one of: a capacity associated with the joint channel, mutual information associated with the joint channel, a reference signal received power (RSRP) associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs, a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs, or a beam separation associated with the two or more beam pairs.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein The information indicative of the at least one operating mode includes a respective value of each Radio Resource Control (RRC) parameter in a set of RRC parameters.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein The corresponding value of the RRC parameter set includes at least one of the following: the number of transmission configuration indication (TCI) states, the number of code division multiplexing (CDM) groups, the number of repetitions associated with an ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) use case, or the configuration of a scheme enabler associated with the URLLC use case.

18. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: configuring communications with the UE on the joint channel using the at least one resource based on the group-based reporting; as well as Communicating with the UE on the joint channel is performed based on configuring the communication with the UE on the joint channel using the at least one resource.

19. An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: Memory; as well as At least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to: determining at least one operational mode associated with communicating with a base station on a joint channel including two or more beam pairs between the apparatus and the base station, including at least a multiplexing pattern and a use case; determining at least one resource associated with the communication with the base station on the joint channel based on the at least one operating mode and at least two or more criteria associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs between the UE and the base station included in the joint channel, wherein the at least two or more criteria are different; as well as A group-based report associated with the joint channel is sent to the base station, the group-based report including information indicating the at least one resource and the at least two or more criteria.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein The multiplexing mode includes at least one of a time division multiplexing (TDM) mode, a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) mode, or a space division multiplexing (SDM) mode, and the use case includes at least an enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) use case or an ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) use case.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein The at least one resource includes at least one of a spatial resource set, a frequency resource set, or a time resource set.

22. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein The at least one resource is further determined based on at least one criterion of the at least two or more criteria associated with at least one beam pair of the two or more beam pairs between the apparatus and the base station included in the joint channel, and wherein the at least two or more criteria are each based on at least one of: a capacity associated with the joint channel, mutual information associated with the joint channel, a spectral efficiency associated with the joint channel, a reference signal received power (RSRP) associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs, a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs, or a beam separation associated with the two or more beam pairs.

23. An apparatus for wireless communication at a base station, comprising: Memory; as well as At least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to: determining at least one operating mode associated with communicating with a user equipment (UE) on a joint channel including two or more beam pairs between the apparatus and the UE, including at least a multiplexing pattern and a use case; transmitting, to the UE, information indicating the at least one operating mode and at least two or more criteria associated with at least one of the two or more beam pairs between the base station and the UE included in the joint channel, wherein the at least two or more criteria are different from each other; as well as A group-based report is received from the UE, the group-based report comprising at least one resource associated with the joint channel based on the at least one operating mode and the at least two or more criteria.

24. The device according to claim 23, wherein The multiplexing mode includes at least one of a time division multiplexing (TDM) mode, a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) mode, or a space division multiplexing (SDM) mode, and the use case includes at least an enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) use case or an ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) use case.

25. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein The at least one resource includes at least one of a spatial resource set, a frequency resource set, or a time resource set.

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