Robust fast beam pointing based on downlink control information

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) and a base station can switch beams used for wireless communication using beam indications based on downlink control information (DCI). The base station can send downlink control information (DCI) on a control beam for a control resource set (CORESET), and the UE can receive DCI on a control beam for the control resource set (CORESET). The DCI includes a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) and schedules transmissions between the UE and the base station. The UE and the base station can communicate the scheduled transmissions. The UE and the base station can determine an acknowledgment of the DCI based on the scheduled transmissions. The UE and the base station can switch the control beam for the CORESET based on the TCI after a time offset from the acknowledgment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly to beam pointing. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunication services, such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasts. Typical wireless communication systems 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), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA).

[0003] 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 exemplary telecommunication standard is 5G New Radio (NR). 5G NR is part of the continuous mobile broadband evolution released by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to meet new requirements associated with latency, reliability, security, scalability (e.g., with the Internet of Things (IoT)), and other requirements. 5G NR includes services associated with enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC). Some aspects of 5G NR may be based on the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. There is a need 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

[0004] The following content presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects in order to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all contemplated aspects and is not intended to identify key or critical elements of all aspects, nor is it intended to delineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to introduce some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that follows.

[0005] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method, computer-readable medium, and apparatus are provided. The method may include receiving downlink control information (DCI) at a user equipment (UE) using a control beam for a control resource set (CORESET), the DCI including a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) and scheduling transmissions between the UE and a base station. The method may include communicating the scheduled transmission. The method may include determining an acknowledgment of the DCI based on the scheduled transmission. The method may include switching the control beam for the CORESET based on the TCI after a time offset from the acknowledgment. The computer-readable medium may include computer-executable instructions for performing the method. One apparatus may include a memory and at least one processor configured to perform the method. Another apparatus may include an apparatus for performing the method.

[0006] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for wireless communication of a base station. The method may include transmitting downlink control information (DCI) from a base station using a control beam of a control source set (CORESET) of a user equipment (UE), the DCI including a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) and scheduling transmissions between the UE and the base station. The method may include communicating the scheduled transmission. The method may include determining an acknowledgment of the DCI based on the scheduled transmission. The method may include switching the control beam for the CORESET based on the TCI after a time offset from the acknowledgment. A computer-readable medium may include computer-executable instructions for performing the method. An apparatus may include a memory and at least one processor configured to perform the method. Another apparatus may include an apparatus for performing the method.

[0007] To accomplish the foregoing and related ends, one or more aspects comprise the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and accompanying drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of one or more aspects. However, these features are indicative of but a few of the 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

[0008] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and an access network.

[0009] Figure 2A 、 2B , 2C and 2D are diagrams showing examples of a first 5G / NR frame, a DL channel within a 5G / NR subframe, a second 5G / NR frame, and a UL channel within a 5G / NR subframe, respectively.

[0010] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a base station and a user equipment (UE) in an access network.

[0011] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating example communications between a base station and a UE for activating a new beam using a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0012] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating example communication between a base station and a UE for activating a new beam using downlink control information (DCI).

[0013] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating example communications between a base station and a UE for activating a new beam based on confirmation of a DCI-scheduled downlink transmission.

[0014] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating example communication between a base station and a UE for activating a new beam based on uplink transmission scheduled by DCI.

[0015] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating example messages for activating a new beam based on a DCI scheduling a single physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0016] Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating an example message for activating a new beam based on a DCI scheduling a PDSCH including multiple codewords or transport blocks.

[0017] Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating an example message for activating a new beam based on a DCI scheduling a PDSCH including multiple code block groups.

[0018] Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example message for activating a new beam when multiple DCIs schedule multiple PDSCHs.

[0019] Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating example communications between a base station and a UE for activating a new beam based on uplink transmissions scheduled by a DCI in the presence of other uplink transmissions scheduled by a configuration grant.

[0020] Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating an example message for activating a new beam based on a DCI scheduling a single physical uplink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0021] Figure 14 is a diagram illustrating example messages for activating one or more beams for a set of channels.

[0022] Figure 15is a flow chart of a method for wireless communication of a UE.

[0023] Figure 16 is a flow chart of a method for wireless communication of a base station.

[0024] Figure 17 yes Figure 1 Figure 2 is a diagram of example components of a UE.

[0025] Figure 18 yes Figure 1 Figure 2 is a diagram of example components of a base station. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The detailed description provided below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configuration that can implement the concepts described herein. For the purpose of providing a comprehensive understanding of the various concepts, the detailed description includes specific details. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can also be implemented without these specific details. In some cases, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid blurring such concepts.

[0027] In a Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) system, wireless communications can be sent on directional beams. Different beams can be selected between the user equipment (UE) and the base station to improve the efficiency and reliability of wireless communications. Some systems can use the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state to control beam selection. Due to the complexity and latency of beam indication, the number of TCI states and available beams may be limited.

[0028] In one aspect, MIMO communication can be improved by reducing the delay of beam switching and lowering the overhead of beam indication while maintaining the reliability of beam indication. For example, both the base station and the UE can switch beams simultaneously to utilize the corresponding beams.

[0029] In one aspect, the present disclosure includes techniques for indicating a beam or TCI state in downlink control information (DCI) and switching beams after acknowledgment based on a scheduled transmission for the DCI. In particular, the DCI may include a TCI indicating a new control beam and may also schedule transmissions that may utilize a new data beam. Because the UE blindly decodes the DCI and the DCI is not protected by hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), there may be uncertainty as to whether the UE has received the DCI and is ready to change beams. Therefore, the base station may wait until an acknowledgment of the DCI is received to change the control beam. In addition, if the base station switches beams but the UE does not switch beams, the UE may have difficulty decoding DCI sent on a control beam that does not correspond to the UE's control beam.

[0030] Acknowledgement of the DCI may be based on the scheduled transmission indicated by the DCI. For downlink transmissions such as a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), the DCI may be acknowledged when the UE sends a positive acknowledgement of the scheduled transmission indicated by the DCI. For uplink transmissions such as a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical random access channel (PRACH), a sounding reference signal (SRS), or a channel state information (CSI) report, the uplink transmission may be considered as an acknowledgement of the DCI. Both the UE and the base station may switch the control beam after a time offset from the acknowledgement of the DCI. In the event that the acknowledgement of the DCI is not correctly received at the base station, the time offset may allow the base station to send another DCI that schedules the retransmission of the scheduled transmission. In view of the foregoing, the present disclosure provides robust DCI-based fast beam indication that can reduce the delay of beam switching while providing reliable beam indication for both the UE and the base station.

[0031] Several aspects of telecommunications systems will be described with reference to various apparatuses and methods. These apparatuses and methods are described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, components, circuits, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively, "elements"). These elements may be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether these elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0032] For example, an element, or any part of an element, or any combination of elements can be implemented as a "processing system" including one or more processors. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, system-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 in 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, software should be broadly interpreted as representing instructions, instruction sets, codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, processes, functions, etc.

[0033] Thus, in one or more example embodiments, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored in or encoded as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media. The storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, combinations of the above 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.

[0034] Figure 1 1 is a 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 (such as 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). The macro cell includes a base station. The small cell includes a femto cell, a pico cell, and a micro cell.

[0035] In one aspect, one or more of the UEs 104 can include a beam activation component 140 that switches a control beam for a CORESET based on TCI included in DCI received by the UE 104. The beam activation component 140 can switch the control beam for the CORESET after a time offset from an end of transmission of an acknowledgment of the DCI. The beam activation component 140 can include a DCI component 142 that receives DCI that includes TCI and schedules transmissions between the UE 104 and the base station 102; a communication component 144 that communicates the scheduled transmissions; an acknowledgment component 146 that sends an acknowledgment of the DCI based on the scheduled transmissions; and a switching component 148 that switches the control beam for the CORESET based on the TCI after a time offset from an end of transmission of the acknowledgment.

[0036] In one aspect, one or more of the base stations 102 may include a beam directing component 198 that operates in communication with the beam activation component 140 to switch the control beam for the CORESET. Figure 18As shown, the beam indication component 198 may include: a DCI component 1842 for sending DCI that includes TCI and schedules transmissions between the UE 104 and the base station 102; a communication component 1844 for communicating the scheduled transmission; an acknowledgment component 1846 for determining an acknowledgment of the DCI based on the scheduled transmission; and a switching component 1848 for switching the control beam for the CORESET based on the TCI after a time offset from the acknowledgment.

[0037] A base station 102 configured for 4G LTE (collectively referred to as the Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) can interface with the EPC 160 via a first backhaul link 132 (e.g., an S1 interface), which can be wired or wireless. A base station 102 configured for 5G NR (collectively referred to as the Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN)) can interface with the core network 190 via a second backhaul link 184, which can be wired or wireless. Among other functions, the base station 102 can also perform one or more of the following functions: user data transfer, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, radio access network (RAN) sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and device tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations 102 can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (eg, through the EPC 160 or the core network 190) over a third backhaul link 134 (eg, an X2 interface). The third backhaul link 134 can be wired or wireless.

[0038] 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. Overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 may exist. 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 may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include Home evolved Node Bs (eNBs) (HeNBs), which can provide services to a restricted group known as a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG). The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 may 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 may utilize multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link may be over one or more carriers. Base stations 102 / UEs 104 may use spectrum of up to Y MHz bandwidth (e.g., 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, 20 MHz, 100 MHz, 400 MHz, etc.) per carrier, where each carrier is allocated in a carrier aggregation (x component carriers) totaling up to Yx MHz for transmission in each direction. These carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other. The allocation of carriers with respect to DL and UL may be asymmetric (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 carriers may be referred to as a secondary cell (SCell).

[0039] Some UEs 104 can communicate with each other using a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 158. The D2D communication link 158 can use the DL / UL WWAN spectrum. The D2D communication link 158 can use one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PDSCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), and a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH). D2D communication can be achieved through various wireless D2D communication systems, such as, for example, FlashLinQ, WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, LTE, or NR.

[0040] 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 the 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the STA 152 / AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) before communicating to determine whether the channel is available.

[0041] Small cell 102' can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in the unlicensed spectrum, small cell 102' can adopt NR and use the same spectrum as the 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum used by Wi-Fi AP 150. Small cell 102' using NR in the unlicensed spectrum can improve coverage and / or increase access network capacity.

[0042] Whether a small cell 102' or a large cell (e.g., a macro base station), the base station 102 may include and / or be referred to as an eNB, a gNodeB (gNB), or another type of base station. Some base stations, such as the gNB 180, may operate in the traditional sub-6 GHz spectrum, in millimeter wave (mmW) frequencies, and / or near-mmW frequencies to communicate with the UE 104. When the gNB 180 operates in mmW frequencies and / or near-mmW frequencies, the gNB 180 may be referred to as a mmW base station. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a portion of the RF band in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and has a wavelength between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this frequency band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW can extend down to frequencies of 3 GHz, with a wavelength of 100 mm. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz and is also referred to as centimeter waves. Communications using mmW and / or near-mmW radio frequency bands (e.g., 3 GHz-300 GHz) have extremely high path loss and short range. The mmW base station 180 can utilize beamforming 182 with the UE 104 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Both the base station 180 and the UE 104 can include multiple antennas, such as antenna elements, antenna panels, and / or antenna arrays, to facilitate beamforming.

[0043] Base station 180 may transmit beamformed signals along one or more transmit directions 182′ to UE 104. UE 104 may receive beamformed signals from base station 180 along one or more receive directions 182″. UE 104 may also transmit beamformed signals along one or more transmit directions to base station 180. Base station 180 may receive beamformed signals along one or more receive directions from UE 104. Base station 180 / UE 104 may perform beam training to determine the optimal receive and transmit directions for each base station 180 / UE 104. The transmit and receive directions of base station 180 may be the same or different. The transmit and receive directions of UE 104 may be the same or different.

[0044] The EPC 160 may include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a Serving Gateway 166, a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) Gateway 168, a Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BM-SC) 170, and a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway 172. The MME 162 may communicate with a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 174. The MME 162 is the control node that handles signaling between the UE 104 and the EPC 160. Generally, the MME 162 provides bearer and connection management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transferred through the Serving Gateway 166, which is itself connected to the PDN Gateway 172. The PDN Gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The PDN Gateway 172 and the BM-SC 170 are connected to IP Services 176. These IP Services 176 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), PS streaming services, and / or other IP services. The BM-SC 170 can provide functionality for MBMS user service provisioning and delivery. The BM-SC 170 can serve as an entry point for content providers' MBMS transmissions, can be used to authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services within a public land mobile network (PLMN), and can be used to schedule MBMS transmissions. The MBMS Gateway 168 can be used to distribute MBMS services to base stations 102 belonging to a Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) area that broadcasts specific services, and can be responsible for session management (start / stop) and collecting billing information related to eMBMS.

[0045] 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. Generally, the AMF 192 provides QoS flow and session management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transmitted through the UPF 195. The UPF 195 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The UPF 195 is connected to the IP service 197. The IP service 197 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), a PS streaming service, and / or other IP services.

[0046] 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 other appropriate terminology. Base station 102 provides an access point for UE 104 to EPC 160 or core network 190. Examples of UE 104 include a cellular phone, a smartphone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a satellite radio, a global positioning system, a multimedia device, a video device, a digital audio player (e.g., an MP3 player), a camera, a game console, a tablet, a smart device, a wearable device, a vehicle, an electric meter, a gas pump, a large or small kitchen appliance, a healthcare device, an implant, a sensor / actuator, a display, or any other similarly functional device. Some 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 site, mobile site, user site, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber site, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or other suitable terminology.

[0047] Although the following description may focus on 5G NR, the concepts described here may be applicable to other similar areas such as LTE, LTE-A, CDMA, GSM, and other wireless technologies.

[0048] Figure 2A FIG200 is a diagram illustrating an example of a first subframe within a 5G / NR frame structure. Figure 2B FIG230 is a diagram showing an example of DL channels within a 5G / NR subframe. Figure 2CFigure 250 shows an example of a second subframe within a 5G / NR frame structure. Figure 2D 280 is a diagram illustrating an example of UL channels within a 5G / NR subframe. The 5G / NR frame structure may be FDD, where for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), subframes within that subcarrier set are dedicated to either DL or UL, or TDD, where for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), subframes within that subcarrier set are dedicated to both DL and UL. Figure 2A and 2C In the example provided, it is assumed that the 5G / NR frame structure is TDD, its subframe 4 is configured with time slot format 28 (primarily with DL), where D is DL, U is UL, and X is flexible between DL / UL, and subframe 3 is configured with time slot format 34 (primarily with UL). Although subframes 3 and 4 are shown as having time slot formats 34 and 28, respectively, any particular subframe can be configured with any of the various available time slot formats 0 to 61. Time slot formats 0 and 1 are both DL and UL, respectively. Other time slot formats 2 to 61 all include a mix of DL, UL and flexible symbols. The UE is configured with the time slot format (dynamically through DL control information (DCI), or semi-statically / statically through radio resource control (RRC) signaling) through the received time slot format indicator (SFI). Please note that the description below also applies to the 5G / NR frame structure that is TDD.

[0049] Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels. A frame (10ms) may be divided into 10 equally sized subframes (1ms). Each subframe may include one or more time slots. A subframe may also include microslots, which may include 7, 4, or 2 symbols. Depending on the time slot configuration, each time slot may include 7 or 14 symbols. For time slot configuration 0, each time slot may include 14 symbols. For time slot configuration 1, each time slot may include 7 symbols. The symbols on the DL may be cyclic prefix (CP) OFDM (CP-OFDM) symbols. The symbols on the UL may be CP-OFDM symbols (for high throughput scenarios) or discrete Fourier transform (DFT) spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbols (also known as single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) symbols) (for power-limited scenarios; limited to single-stream transmission). The number of time slots within a subframe is based on the time slot configuration and parameter set (numerology). For slot configuration 0, different parameter sets μ0 to 5 allow 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 slots per subframe, respectively. For slot configuration 1, different parameter sets 0 to 2 allow 2, 4, and 8 slots per subframe, respectively. Therefore, for slot configuration 0 and parameter set μ, there are 14 symbols / slot and 2 μtimeslots / subframes. The subcarrier spacing and symbol length / duration are functions of the parameter set. The subcarrier spacing can be equal to 2 μ *15kHz, where μ is parameter set 0 to 5. Thus, the subcarrier spacing for parameter set μ=0 is 15kHz, and the subcarrier spacing for parameter set μ=5 is 480kHz. The symbol length / duration is inversely proportional to the subcarrier spacing. Figures 2A to 2D An example is provided for slot configuration 0 with 14 symbols per slot and parameter set μ=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.

[0050] A resource grid can be used to represent the frame structure. Each time slot includes a resource block (RB) (also known as a physical RB (PRB)) that extends over 12 consecutive subcarriers. The resource grid is divided into multiple resource elements (REs). The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0051] like Figure 2A As shown, some of the REs carry reference (pilot) signals (RS) for the UE. The RS may include a demodulation RS (DM-RS) (denoted as R for a specific configuration). x , where 100x is the port number, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) for channel estimation at the UE. The RS may also include a beam measurement RS (BRS), a beam refinement RS (BRRS), and a phase tracking RS (PT-RS).

[0052] Figure 2BExamples of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame are shown. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries DCI within one or more control channel elements (CCEs), each CCE includes nine RE groups (REGs), and each REG includes four consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol. The primary synchronization signal (PSS) can be within symbol 2 of a specific subframe of a 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 a frame. The UE can use the SSS 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 aforementioned DM-RS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the master information block (MIB) can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form a synchronization signal (SS) / PBCH block. The MIB provides 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 transmitted through the PBCH such as a System Information Block (SIB), and paging messages.

[0053] like Figure 2C As shown, some of the REs carry DM-RSs for channel estimation at the base station (denoted as R for one 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 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 teeth of the comb. The SRS may be used by the base station for channel quality estimation to enable frequency-dependent scheduling on the UL.

[0054] Figure 2D An example of various UL channels within a subframe of a frame is shown. The location of the PUCCH may be as indicated in a configuration. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), rank indicator (RI), and HARQ ACK / NACK feedback. The PUSCH carries data and may additionally be used to carry buffer status reports (BSRs), power headroom reports (PHRs), and / or UCI.

[0055] Figure 3 3 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 a controller / processor 375. The controller / processor 375 implements layer 3 and layer 2 functionality. Layer 3 includes the radio resource control (RRC) layer, and layer 2 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 of system information (e.g., MIB, SIB), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-radio access technology (RAT) mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression, security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions associated with transfer of upper layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel priority.

[0056] The transmit (TX) processor 316 and receive (RX) processor 370 implement layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FED) encoding / decoding on the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. The TX processor 316 handles the mapping to the signal 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-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols can then be split 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 the streams are 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 generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator 374 can be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. Channel estimates can be derived from reference signals and / or channel state feedback transmitted by the UE 350. Each spatial stream can then be provided to a different antenna 320 via a separate transmitter 318TX. Each transmitter 318TX can modulate an RF carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0057] At the UE 350, each receiver 354RX receives a signal via its corresponding antenna 352. Each receiver 354RX recovers the information modulated on the RF carrier and provides the information to a receive (RX) processor 356. The TX processor 368 and the RX processor 356 implement layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. The RX processor 356 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE 350. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 350, the multiple spatial streams can be combined into a single OFDM symbol stream by the RX processor 356. The RX processor 356 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal contains a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, as well as the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation point transmitted 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 transmitted on the physical channel by base station 310. The data and control signals are then provided to controller / processor 359, which performs layer 3 and layer 2 functions.

[0058] 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.

[0059] Similar to the functional description related to DL transmission of the base station 310, the controller / processor 359 provides: RRC layer functions associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression 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 transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel priority.

[0060] The TX processor 368 may select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and facilitate spatial processing using channel estimates derived by the channel estimator 358 from a reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 310. The spatial streams generated by the TX processor 368 may be provided to different antennas 352 via separate transmitters 354TX. Each transmitter 354TX may modulate an RF carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0061] UL transmissions are processed at the base station 310 in a manner similar to that described with respect to the receiver functionality at the UE 350. Each receiver 318RX receives a signal through its respective antenna 320. Each receiver 318RX recovers information modulated on an RF carrier and provides the information to an RX processor 370.

[0062] 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.

[0063] At least one of the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller / processor 359 may be configured to combine Figure 1 The beam activation component 140 performs various aspects.

[0064] At least one of the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375 may be configured to combine Figure 1 The beam pointing component 198 is used to perform various aspects.

[0065] Figure 4 Figure 400 illustrates example communications between a base station (e.g., gNB 402) and a UE 404 for activating a new beam using a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE). The gNB 402 may transmit an RRC configuration 410, which configures a TCI list indicating possible beam configurations for a channel or channel group. The TCI list may include one or more TCI states, each associated with an identifier. The gNB 402 may then transmit a MAC-CE activation 420, which indicates the identifier of the TCI state in the TCI list. The MAC-CE activation 420 may be transmitted using the PDSCH. Accordingly, the UE 404 may transmit an acknowledgment 430 of the PDSCH including the MAC-CE activation 420. When the gNB 402 receives the acknowledgment 430, the gNB 402 may confirm that the UE 404 has received the MAC-CE activation. In one aspect, an activation time 432 until the gNB 402 can transmit DCI 440 using the new beam may be fixed based on the time of the acknowledgment 430. For example, the activation time 432 may be at least 3 slots or 3 ms after confirmation to allow layer 2 processing of MAC-CE. Figure 4 Communication in may involve processing at layer 2 to make changes at layer 1 and may introduce latency.

[0066] Figure 5Figure 500 illustrates example communications between a base station (e.g., gNB 402) and a UE 404 using DCI to activate a new beam. The gNB 402 may transmit a first DCI 510 scheduling a first PDSCH 530. In a dynamic HARQ code table or a Type II HARQ code table configuration, the first DCI 510 may include a counter downlink allocation index (cDAI) that indicates the number of scheduled downlink transmissions as of the time the DCI was received. For example, the cDAI may have a value of 0, indicating that the first DCI 510 schedules a first transmission. In this example, the first DCI 510 may not include TCI activation. The gNB 402 may transmit a second DCI 520 scheduling a second PDSCH 540. The second DCI 520 may include a cDAI that has a value of 1, indicating that the second PDSCH 540 is a second transmission. The second DCI 520 may include TCI activation. The gNB 402 may transmit, and the UE 404 may receive, a first PDSCH 530 and a second PDSCH 540. The UE 404 may then transmit a PUCCH 550 including uplink control information (UCI) with two ACK / NACK bits, one for each PDSCH (e.g., A / N1 and A / N2). In one aspect, the PUCCH may be ambiguous as to whether the second DCI 520 was correctly received. For example, the UE 404 may correctly decode the second DCI 520 but fail to decode the second PDSCH 540. Consequently, the UE 404 may transmit a NACK for the second UCI bit corresponding to the PDSCH 530. However, the UE 404 may also have missed the second DCI 520. Consequently, the gNB 402 may be uncertain as to whether the UE 404 received the second DCI 520 including the TCI activation. Therefore, there may be ambiguity as to whether the gNB 402 and the UE 404 are CORESET switching beams for the third DCI 560.

[0067] Figure 6Figure 600 illustrates example communications between a base station (e.g., gNB 402) and a UE 404 for activating a new beam based on an acknowledgement of a DCI-scheduled downlink transmission. The gNB 402 may send an RRC message 610 to configure a TCI list, for example, by adding or removing a TCI state from the TCI list. Each TCI in the TCI list may reference a reference signal, such as a CSI-RS, SSB, or SRS. The configured TCI list may indicate parameters for the TCI states that may be selected. The gNB 402 may optionally send a MAC-CE 620 including a TCI subset selection. The TCI subset selection may identify the number of TCI states that may be activated using the DCI. The TCI field in the DCI may be used to indicate the TCI. Each codepoint in the TCI field of the DCI corresponds to one of the TCI states in the subset. In particular, one codepoint may be reserved to not indicate a new TCI. The TCI subset selection may define an identifier (ID) or index for each TCI state. The use of an index can minimize the number of bits, i.e., the length of the field used for TCI indication in the DCI. The gNB 402 may transmit DCI 630 with format 1_1, which includes a field indicating the TCI of the control beam. The indicated TCI may be a TCI ID with a value of x, which identifies one of the TCIs on the TCI list. The DCI 630 may also schedule a PDSCH 640 with a HARQ ID of y. The gNB 402 may transmit a scheduled transmission on the PDSCH 640, which may or may not use a data beam based on TCI x. Similarly, the UE 404 may receive the scheduled transmission on the PDSCH 640, which may or may not use a data beam based on TCI x. The UE 404 may also transmit an ACK 650 for the PDSCH 640 with HARQ ID y. For example, the ACK 650 may be UCI carried on the PUCCH. After time offset 652, gNB 402 and UE 404 can each switch the corresponding beam for the applicable channel based on TCI x. For example, the TCI list including TCI x can be a higher-layer configuration applicable to the CORESET. In other words, gNB 402 and UE 404 can update the TCI used to transmit / receive the CORESET with TCI ID x. As a result, the new control beam can be activated. For example, gNB 402 can transmit DCI 660 using the new control beam, and UE 404 can receive DCI 660 using the new control beam. In one aspect, because TCI activation is indicated using a layer 1 indication in the DCI, time offset 652 can be relatively shorter than activation time 432.For example, the time offset 652 may be a number of symbols sufficient to allow transmission of a DCI scheduling a retransmission of the PDSCH 640 if indicated as a NACK or not correctly received.

[0068] Figure 7 FIG700 is a diagram illustrating example communications between a base station (e.g., gNB 402) and a UE 404 for activating a new beam based on an uplink transmission scheduled by a DCI. Figure 6 Similar to communications with the UE, gNB 402 may send an RRC message 610 including a configured TCI list and a MAC-CE 620 including a TCI subset selection. gNB 402 may send DCI 730 with format 0_1 for scheduling an uplink transmission 740. In one aspect, DCI format 0_1 may support including a field indicating TCI. In another aspect, DCI format 0_1 may include a field indicating new spatial relationship information (SRI), which similarly indicates new beam information as TCI. In one aspect, the RRC configuration message may indicate whether DCI format 0_1 includes a field for TCI ID. UE 404 may send a scheduled uplink transmission 740, which may be a PUSCH. This uplink transmission may be sent based on the TCI indicated by DCI 730. Other possible uplink transmissions may include PRACH, SRS, or CSI reports. Uplink transmission 740 may serve as an acknowledgment of DCI 730. That is, UE 404 only sends uplink transmission 740 when DCI 730 is correctly received, so uplink transmission 740 indicates that UE 404 correctly received DCI 730. Therefore, time offset 652 can be measured from uplink transmission 740. After time offset 652, both gNB 402 and UE 404 can switch beams according to the indicated TCI. For example, if the TCI list is configured for a CORESET that can carry DCI 750, then the beam of the CORESET can be switched to the indicated DCI.

[0069] Figure 8Figure 800 illustrates an example message for activating a new beam based on a DCI scheduling a single PDSCH. In the first slot n, DCI 812 may be sent in CORESET 810 using the old control beam, and the scheduled PDSCH 814 may be sent using the old beam. In the second slot n+1, DCI 822 may be sent in CORESET 810, which may include a new TCI indication. Thus, the scheduled PDSCH 824 may be sent using the new data beam indicated by the new TCI indication. In slot n+x, PDSCH 824 may be acknowledged by PUCCH 830. PUCCH 830 may include an ACK corresponding to the HARQ ID of PDSCH 824. Thus, PUCCH 830 may be an implicit acknowledgement of DCI 822. In time slot n+x+y, DCI 842 may be sent using the new control beam of CORESET 810 indicated by the new TCI indication of DCI 822. The variable x may refer to the time between PDSCH 824 and PUCCH 830. The variable y may refer to the time offset 652. The scheduled PDSCH 844 may be sent with or without the new data beam.

[0070] Still refer to Figure 8 , where a Type II or semi-static HARQ codebook is used. In the second time slot n+1, DCI 822 may be sent in CORESET 810. DCI 822 may include a new TCI indication. In time slot n+x, PDSCH 824 may be acknowledged by PUCCH 830. In addition to the ACK bit for PDSCH 824, PUCCH 830 may also include another ACK bit if an SPS PDSCH release is indicated by DCI format 1_0 with a counter DAI field value of 1 on the PCell, DCI 812 is received in time slot n by a PDSCH scheduled by DCI format 1_0 with a counter DAI field value of 1 on the PCell, or an SPS PDSCH reception 814 without DCI 812 in time slot n. In this case, when DCI 822 is lost but DCI 812 or SPS PDSCH reception 814 is received by the UE, the UE may send only one ACK bit in another PUCCH instead of sending two ACK bits in PUCCH 830. When PUCCH 830 is received and the ACK bit for PDSCH 824 is ACK, gNB 402 may switch beams only according to the TCI indicated in DCI 822.

[0071] Figure 9900 is a diagram illustrating an example message for activating a new beam based on a DCI scheduling a PDSCH including multiple codewords or transport blocks. Figure 8 Similar to the scenario in FIG, DCI 812 on CORESET 810 can schedule PDSCH 814 using the old beam. In time slot n+1, DCI 922 can schedule PDSCH 924 containing two codewords or two transport blocks (e.g., TB1, TB2) that can be decoded and acknowledged separately. Therefore, one or both of the transport blocks in PDSCH 924 may be incorrectly received. PUCCH 930 may include ACK / NACK bits for each transport block. DCI 922 can be acknowledged when one of the ACK / NACK bits in PUCCH 930 is a positive ACK. That is, as long as one of the transport blocks is correctly received, the UE can also correctly receive DCI 922. The time offset 652 may be measured from the end of transmission of the PUCCH 930 including at least one positive acknowledgement to the PDSCH 924, and the DCI 942 in the CORESET 810 may be sent over the new control beam to schedule the PDSCH 944, which may or may not use the new data beam.

[0072] Figure 10 FIG1000 is a diagram illustrating an example message for activating a new beam based on a DCI scheduling a PDSCH including multiple code block groups. Figure 8 Similar to the scenario in

[15] , DCI 812 on CORESET 810 can schedule PDSCH 814 using the old beam. In slot n+1, DCI 1022 can schedule PDSCH 1024 using multiple code block groups. Therefore, PDSCH 1024 may include multiple code block groups that can be individually decoded and acknowledged. Consequently, one or more of the code block groups in PDSCH 1024 may be incorrectly received. PUCCH 1030 may include ACK / NACK bits for each code block group. DCI 1022 can be acknowledged when any one of the ACK / NACK bits in PUCCH 930 is a positive ACK. That is, as long as one of the code block groups is correctly received, the UE can also correctly receive DCI 1022. The time offset 652 may be measured from the end of transmission of the PUCCH 1030 including at least one positive acknowledgement and the DCI 1042 in the CORESET 810 may be sent over the new control beam to schedule the PDSCH 1044 which may or may not use the new data beam.

[0073] Figure 11FIG100 is a diagram illustrating an example message for activating a new beam when multiple DCIs schedule multiple PDSCHs. Figure 8 Similar to the scenario in FIG, DCI 812 on CORESET 810 can schedule PDSCH 814 using the old beam. CORESET 810 can be used for a first carrier A. On a second carrier B with a second CORESET 1110, a second DCI 1112 can schedule a second PDSCH 1114. In slot n+1, a third DCI 1122 can schedule a third PDSCH 1124. Each of the aforementioned PDSCHs can be acknowledged by a PUCCH 1130, which can include an ACK / NACK bit for each PDSCH. Only when the third PDSCH 1124 scheduled by DCI 1122 is positively acknowledged can DCI 1122 carrying the new TCI indication be considered acknowledged. That is, when the ACK / NACK bit of PUCCH 1130 corresponding to PDSCH 1124 indicates ACK, the UE has correctly received DCI 1122. The time offset 652 may be measured from the end of transmission of the PUCCH 1130, and the DCI 1142 in the CORESET 1110 may be sent over the new control beam to schedule the PDSCH 1144, which may or may not use the new data beam.

[0074] Figure 12Figure 1200 illustrates example communications between a base station (e.g., gNB 402) and a UE 404 for activating a new beam based on an uplink transmission scheduled by a DCI in the presence of other uplink transmissions scheduled by a configuration grant. The configuration grant may provide periodic scheduling of uplink transmissions, such as PUSCH 1222 and 1224. In some scenarios, the resources used for the configuration grant may coincide with the resources in the DCI. For example, gNB 402 may transmit DCI 1210 including a TCI or SRI indicating the new beam and scheduling PUSCH 1220. PUSCH 1220 may coincide with PUSCH 1222 based on the configuration grant. That is, PUSCH 1220 may be scheduled on the same time and frequency domain resources as PUSCH 1222. In one scenario, UE 404 may determine whether to transmit PUSCH 1220 or PUSCH 1222, for example, using a priority rule. In another case, the UE may miss detection of DCI 1210. However, if the transmission attributes of PUSCH 1220 and PUSCH 1222 are identical, gNB 402 may not be able to determine whether PUSCH 1220 or PUSCH 1222 was received. Therefore, when transmitting DCI 1210, gNB 402 may ensure that the transmission attributes of PUSCH 1220 are different from the transmission attributes of any configured grant. For example, gNB 402 may ensure that at least one of the MCS, DMRS scrambling sequence, or frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA) of PUSCH 1220 is different from the corresponding attributes of the UE's active configured grant. Thus, gNB 402 can distinguish between PUSCH 1220 and PUSCH 1222, and only PUSCH 1220 can be considered an acknowledgment of DCI 1210. Thus, the gNB 402 and the UE 404 may activate the control beam based on the TCI or SRI after a time offset 1230 measured from the end of the transmission of the PUSCH 1220. The gNB 402 may send a DCI 1240 that may or may not use the new control beam.

[0075] Figure 13Figure 1300 illustrates an example message for activating a new beam based on a DCI scheduling a single PDSCH. In the first time slot, n, DCI 1312 may be transmitted in CORESET 1310 using the old control beam, and a scheduled PDSCH 1314 may be transmitted using the old data beam. In the second time slot, n+1, DCI 1322 may be transmitted in CORESET 1310, which may include a new TCI indication. Consequently, a scheduled PDSCH 1324 may be transmitted using the new data beam indicated by the new TCI indication. A PUCCH 1324 may be an acknowledgment of DCI 1322. In time slot n+1+y, DCI 1342 may be transmitted using the new control beam of CORESET 1310, indicated by the new TCI indication of DCI 1322. The variable y may refer to time offset 652. Scheduled PUSCH 1344 may be transmitted using the new beam.

[0076] Figure 14Figure 1400 illustrates an example message for activating one or more beams for a channel group and different channel groups utilizing different CORESETs (e.g., a first CORESET 1420 and a second CORESET 1410). The channel group can be configured to any channel or any DL or UL physical channel group, such as a CORESET, PDCCH, PDSCH, PUCCH, PUSCH, SRS, CSI-RS, or PRACH, via an RRC message to which a TCI list is to be applied. The channel group can be configured by RRC or MAC-CE. In the first time slot n, the second CORESET 1410 can carry DCI 1412 using the old control beam for the second CORESET 1410. A scheduled PDSCH 1414 can be sent using the old beam. In the second time slot n+1, the first CORESET 1420 can include DCI 1422 including a TCI ID indication for the new beam. DCI 1422 may also schedule PUCCH 1424. DCI 1422 may also include a channel group ID, which may indicate that the TCI ID applies to Group A, which includes first CORESET 1420. Alternatively, DCI 1422 may not include a channel group ID, and the TCI ID may apply to the channel group that includes the CORESET on which the DCI is received, which in this example would be Group A. In time slot n+x, the UE may transmit PUCCH 1424, which may be scheduled by DCI 1422 and include an ACK for PDSCH 1414. PUCCH 1424 may be considered an acknowledgment of DCI 1422. In time slot n+x+y, channels in Group B, which includes second CORESET 1410, may continue to use the old beam. For example, second CORESET 1410 may include DCI 1432 using the old control beam, which schedules PDSCH 1434 using the old data beam. Conversely, channels in group A including the first CORESET 1420 may use the new beam. For example, the first CORESET 1420 may include a DCI 1442 using the new beam, which schedules a PDSCH 1444 using the new data beam.

[0077] Figure 15 1 is a flow chart of an example method 1500 for beam directing. The method 1500 may be performed by a UE (e.g., UE 104, which may include memory 360, which may be the entire UE 104 or a component of UE 104, such as beam activation component 140, TX processor 368, RX processor 356, or controller / processor 359). The method 1500 may be performed by beam activation component 140 in communication with beam directing component 198 of base station 102.

[0078] At block 1510, method 1500 may optionally include receiving a radio resource configuration message that configures a DCI format of the DCI to include a field for a TCI indication. In one aspect, for example, UE 104, RX processor 356, and / or controller / processor 359 may execute beam activation component 140 to receive a radio resource configuration message that configures a DCI format of the DCI to include a field for a TCI indication. Thus, UE 104, RX processor 356, and / or controller / processor 359 executing beam activation component 140 may provide means for receiving a radio resource configuration message that configures a DCI format of the DCI to include a field for a TCI indication.

[0079] At block 1520, method 1500 may include receiving DCI at a UE using the control beam for a CORESET, the DCI including the TCI, and scheduling transmissions between the UE and the base station. In one aspect, for example, UE 104, RX processor 356, and / or controller / processor 359 may execute beam activation component 140 and / or DCI component 142 to receive DCI at a UE using the control beam for a CORESET, the DCI including the TCI, and scheduling transmissions between UE 104 and base station 102. The TCI may be a spatial relation information update. The TCI may be applicable to a physical channel group, e.g., as defined by an RRC configuration. The DCI may include a channel group identifier indicating the physical channel group. In another aspect, the physical channel group is the physical channel group that includes the CORESET on which the DCI is received. Thus, the UE 104, RX processor 356, and / or controller / processor 359 executing beam activation component 140 and / or DCI component 142 may provide a means for receiving DCI at a UE using a control beam for a CORESET, the DCI including TCI, and scheduling transmissions between the UE and a base station.

[0080] At block 1530, method 1500 may include communicating the scheduled transmission. In one aspect, for example, UE 104, RX processor 356, TX processor 368, and / or controller / processor 359 may execute beam activation component 140 and / or communication component 144 to communicate the scheduled transmission. For example, if the scheduled transmission is a PDSCH, communication component 144 may receive the PDSCH based on the DCI. For another example, if the scheduled transmission is a PUSCH, communication component 144 may transmit the PUSCH based on the DCI. Similarly, for uplink transmissions such as PRACH, SRS, and CSI reports, communication component 144 may transmit the scheduled uplink transmission. Thus, UE 104, RX processor 356, TX processor 368, and / or controller / processor 359 executing beam activation component 140 and / or communication component 144 may provide means for communicating the scheduled transmission.

[0081] At sub-block 1532, block 1530 may optionally include activating the data beam indicated by the TCI for the scheduled transmission. Switching component 148 may activate the data beam indicated by the TCI for the scheduled transmission. That is, the new data beam indicated by the TCI indication may be used for the scheduled transmission prior to the acknowledgement of the DCI.

[0082] At block 1540, method 1500 may include determining an acknowledgement of the DCI based on the scheduled transmission. In one aspect, for example, UE 104, TX processor 368, and / or controller / processor 359 may execute beam activation component 140 and / or acknowledgement component 146 to determine an acknowledgement of the DCI based on the scheduled transmission. That is, acknowledgement component 146 may determine that the DCI has been acknowledged based on attributes of the scheduled transmission. For example, Figure 6 As shown, the DCI scheduling downlink transmission can be confirmed when a positive ACK for at least a portion of the scheduled transmission is sent. Figure 7 As shown, the DCI scheduling the uplink transmission can be acknowledged when the uplink transmission is sent. Thus, the UE 104, TX processor 368, or controller / processor 359 performing beam activation component 140 and / or acknowledgement component 146 can provide a means for determining an acknowledgement of the DCI based on the scheduled transmission.

[0083] At block 1550, method 1500 may include switching the control beam for the CORESET based on the TCI after a time offset from the acknowledgment. In one aspect, for example, UE 104, RX processor 356, and / or controller / processor 359 may execute beam activation component 140 and / or switching component 148 to switch the control beam for the CORESET based on the TCI after a time offset from the acknowledgment. For example, switching component 148 may configure the antenna using TCI parameters indicated by the TCI. TCI parameters may include analog and / or digital beamforming parameters, such as a precoding matrix. In one aspect, the time offset from the acknowledgment may be a number of multi-symbols. For example, for a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz, the time offset may be 28 symbols. In one aspect, the time offset includes at least one time slot for a second DCI to schedule a retransmission of a scheduled transmission after a failed acknowledgment of the DCI. Thus, the UE 104, RX processor 356, and / or controller / processor 359 executing beam activation component 140 and / or switching component 148 may provide means for switching the control beam for the CORESET based on the TCI after a time offset from the acknowledgement.

[0084] Figure 16 1 is a flow chart of an example method 1600 for beam directing. The method 1600 may be performed by a base station (e.g., base station 102, which may include memory 360, which may be the entire UE 104 or a component of UE 104, such as beam directing component 198, TX processor 316, RX processor 370, or controller / processor 375). The method 1600 may be performed by beam directing component 198 in communication with beam activation component 140 of UE 104.

[0085] At block 1610, method 1600 may optionally include sending an RRC configuration message that configures the DCI format of the DCI to include a field for TCI indication. In one aspect, for example, base station 102, or controller / processor 375, and / or TX processor 316 may execute beam directing component 198 to send an RRC configuration message that configures the DCI format of the DCI to include a field for TCI indication. Thus, base station 102, TX processor 316, and / or controller / processor 375 executing beam directing component 198 may provide means for sending a radio resource configuration message that configures the DCI format of the DCI to include a field for TCI indication.

[0086] At block 1620, method 1600 may include transmitting DCI from the base station using the UE's control beam for the CORESET, the DCI including the TCI, and scheduling transmissions between the UE and the base station. In one aspect, for example, base station 102, TX processor 316, and / or controller / processor 375 may execute beam directing component 198 and / or DCI component 1842 to transmit DCI from base station 102 using the UE's control beam for the CORESET, the DCI including the TCI, and scheduling transmissions between UE 104 and base station 102. The TCI may be a spatial relation information update. The TCI may be applicable to a physical channel group, e.g., as defined by an RRC configuration. The DCI may include a channel group identifier indicating the physical channel group. In another aspect, the physical channel group may be the physical channel group that includes the CORESET on which the DCI is received. Thus, the base station 102, TX processor 316, and / or controller / processor 375 executing the beam indication component 198 and / or DCI component 1842 may provide a means for transmitting DCI from the base station using the UE's control beam for a CORESET, the DCI including the TCI, and scheduling transmissions between the UE and the base station.

[0087] At block 1630, method 1600 can include communicating a scheduled transmission. In one aspect, for example, base station 102, TX processor 316, or controller / processor 375 can execute beam indication component 198 and / or communication component 1844 to communicate a scheduled transmission. For example, if the scheduled transmission is a PDSCH, communication component 1844 can transmit the PDSCH in accordance with the DCI. For another example, if the scheduled transmission is a PUSCH, communication component 1844 can transmit the PUSCH in accordance with the DCI. Similarly, for uplink transmissions such as PRACH, SRS, and CSI reports, communication component 1844 can receive the scheduled uplink transmission. Thus, UE 104, RX processor 356, or controller / processor 359 executing beam activation component 140 and / or communication component 1844 can provide means for communicating a scheduled transmission.

[0088] At sub-block 1632, block 1630 may optionally include activating the data beam indicated by the TCI for the scheduled transmission. Switching component 1848 may activate the data beam indicated by the TCI for the scheduled transmission. That is, the new beam indicated by the TCI may be used for the scheduled transmission before the DCI is acknowledged.

[0089] At block 1640, method 1600 may include determining an acknowledgement of the DCI based on the scheduled transmission. In one aspect, for example, base station 102, RX processor 370, or controller / processor 375 may execute beam directing component 198 and / or acknowledgement component 1846 to determine an acknowledgement of the DCI based on the scheduled transmission. That is, acknowledgement component 1846 may determine that the DCI has been acknowledged based on properties of the scheduled transmission. For example, Figure 6 As shown, the DCI scheduling downlink transmission can be confirmed when a positive ACK for at least a portion of the scheduled transmission is sent. Figure 7 As shown, the DCI scheduling the uplink transmission can be acknowledged when the uplink transmission is sent. Thus, the base station 102, RX processor 370, or controller / processor 375 executing beam indication component 198 and / or acknowledgement component 1846 can provide a means for determining an acknowledgement of the DCI based on the scheduled transmission.

[0090] At block 1650, method 1600 may include switching the control beam for the CORESET based on the TCI after a time offset from the acknowledgment. In one aspect, for example, base station 102, RX processor 370, and / or controller / processor 375 may execute beam directing component 198 and / or switching component 1848 to switch the control beam for the CORESET based on the TCI after a time offset from the acknowledgment. For example, switching component 1848 may configure the antenna using TCI parameters indicated by the TCI. TCI parameters may include analog and / or digital beamforming parameters, such as a precoding matrix. In one aspect, the time offset from the acknowledgment may be a number of symbols. For example, for a 15 kHz subcarrier spacing, the time offset may be 28 symbols. In one aspect, the time offset includes at least one time slot for a second DCI to schedule a retransmission of a scheduled transmission after a failed acknowledgment of the DCI. Thus, the base station 102, RX processor 370, and / or controller / processor 375 executing beam indication component 198 and / or switching component 148 may provide a means for switching the control beam for the CORESET based on the TCI after a time offset from the acknowledgement.

[0091] Reference Figure 17, an example implementation of the UE 104 may include various components, some of which have been described above, but including components such as one or more processors 1712 and memory 1716 in communication via one or more buses 1744, and a transceiver 1702 (which may operate in conjunction with a modem 1714 and beam activation component 140) to implement one or more of the functions described herein related to DCI-based beam activation. Further, the one or more processors 1712, modem 1714, memory 1716, transceiver 1702, RF front end 1788, and one or more antennas 1765 may be configured to support voice and / or data calls (simultaneously or not) in one or more radio access technologies. Antenna 1765 may include one or more antennas, antenna elements, and / or antenna arrays.

[0092] In one aspect, the one or more processors 1712 may include a modem 1714 utilizing one or more modem processors. Various functions associated with the beam activation component 140 may be included in the modem 1714 and / or the processor 1712 and, in one aspect, may be performed by a single processor, while in other aspects, different functions may be performed by a combination of two or more different processors. For example, in one aspect, the one or more processors 1712 may include a modem processor, a baseband processor, a digital signal processor, a transmit processor, a receive processor, or any one or any combination of transceiver processors associated with the transceiver 1702. In other aspects, some functions of the one or more processors 1712 and / or the modem 1714 associated with the beam activation component 140 may be performed by the transceiver 1702.

[0093] In addition, the memory 1716 can be configured to store data and / or applications 1775 used herein, local versions of the beam activation component 140 and / or one or more subcomponents thereof executed by the at least one processor 1712. The memory 1716 can include any type of computer-readable media usable by a computer or the at least one processor 1712, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), tape, magnetic disk, optical disk, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and any combination thereof. In one aspect, for example, the memory 1716 can be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores one or more computer-executable codes defining the beam activation component 140 and / or one or more subcomponents thereof, and / or data associated therewith, when the UE 104 is operating the at least one processor 1712 to execute the beam activation component 140 and / or one or more subcomponents thereof.

[0094] Transceiver 1702 may include at least one receiver 1706 and at least one transmitter 1708. Receiver 1706 may include hardware, firmware, and / or software code executable by a processor for receiving data, the code comprising instructions and stored in memory (e.g., a computer-readable medium). For example, receiver 1706 may be a radio frequency (RF) receiver. In one aspect, receiver 1706 may receive signals transmitted by at least one base station 102. Furthermore, receiver 1706 may process such received signals and may also obtain signal measurements such as, but not limited to, Ec / Io, SNR, RSRP, RSSI, etc. Transmitter 1708 may include hardware, firmware, and / or software code executable by a processor for transmitting data, the code comprising instructions and stored in memory (e.g., a computer-readable medium). A suitable example of transmitter 1708 may include, but is not limited to, an RF transmitter.

[0095] Moreover, in an aspect, the UE 104 may include an RF front end 1788 operable in communication with one or more antennas 1765 and the transceiver 1702 for receiving and transmitting radio transmissions, e.g., wireless communications transmitted by at least one base station 102 or wireless transmissions transmitted by the UE 104. The RF front end 1788 may be connected to the one or more antennas 1765 and may include one or more low noise amplifiers (LNAs) 1790, one or more switches 1792, one or more power amplifiers (PAs) 1798, and one or more filters 1796 for transmitting and receiving RF signals.

[0096] In one aspect, the LNAs 1790 can amplify the received signal to a desired output level. In one aspect, each LNA 1790 can have specified minimum and maximum gain values. In one aspect, the RF front end 1788 can use one or more switches 1792 to select a particular LNA 1790 and its specified gain value based on the desired gain value for a particular application.

[0097] Further, for example, one or more PAs 1798 can be used by the RF front end 1788 to amplify the signal to obtain an RF output at a desired output power level. In one aspect, each PA 1798 can have a specified minimum and maximum gain value. In one aspect, the RF front end 1788 can use one or more switches 1792 to select a specific PA 1798 and its specified gain value based on the desired gain value for a particular application.

[0098] Furthermore, for example, one or more filters 1796 may be used by the RF front end 1788 to filter received signals to obtain an input RF signal. Similarly, in one aspect, for example, a corresponding filter 1796 may be used to filter the output from a corresponding PA 1798 to produce an output signal for transmission. In one aspect, each filter 1796 may be coupled to a specific LNA 1790 and / or PA 1798. In one aspect, the RF front end 1788 may use one or more switches 1792 to select a transmit or receive path using a specific filter 1796, LNA 1790, and / or PA 1798 based on a configuration specified by the transceiver 1702 and / or the processor 1712.

[0099] Thus, the transceiver 1702 can be configured to transmit and receive wireless signals via the RF front end 1788 through one or more antennas 1765. In one aspect, the transceiver 1702 can be tuned to operate at a specified frequency so that the UE 104 can communicate with, for example, one or more base stations 102 or one or more cells associated with one or more base stations 102. In one aspect, the modem 1714 can configure the transceiver 1702 to operate at a specified frequency and power level based on, for example, the UE configuration of the UE 104 and the communication protocol used by the modem 1714.

[0100] In one aspect, modem 1714 may be a multi-band, multi-mode modem that can process digital data and communicate with transceiver 1702 to transmit and receive digital data using transceiver 1702. In one aspect, modem 1714 may be multi-band and configured to support multiple frequency bands for a specific communication protocol. In one aspect, modem 1714 may be multi-mode and configured to support multiple operating networks and communication protocols. In one aspect, modem 1714 may control one or more components of UE 104 (e.g., RF front end 1788, transceiver 1702) to enable transmission and / or reception of signals from the network based on a specified modem configuration. In one aspect, the modem configuration may be based on the mode of the modem and the frequency band in use. In another aspect, the modem configuration may be based on UE configuration information associated with UE 104, such as provided by the network during cell selection and / or cell reselection.

[0101] Reference Figure 18, an example implementation of the base station 102 may include various components, some of which have been described above, but also include components such as one or more processors 1812 and memory 1816 in communication via one or more buses 1854 and a transceiver 1802 (which may operate in conjunction with a modem 1814 and a beam indication component 198) to implement one or more of the functions described herein related to DCI-based beam activation.

[0102] The transceiver 1802, receiver 1806, transmitter 1808, one or more processors 1812, memory 1816, applications 1875, bus 1854, RF front end 1888, LNA 1890, switch 1892, filter 1896, PA 1898 and one or more antennas 1865 can be the same as or similar to the corresponding components of UE 104 described above, but are configured or otherwise programmed for base station operation rather than UE operation.

[0103] Some further example implementations

[0104] A first example method of wireless communication includes: receiving downlink control information (DCI) at a user equipment (UE) using a control beam for a control resource set (CORESET), the DCI including a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) and scheduling transmissions between the UE and a base station; communicating the scheduled transmissions; determining an acknowledgment of the DCI based on the scheduled transmissions; and switching the control beam for the CORESET based on the TCI after a time offset from the acknowledgment.

[0105] The first example method above, wherein the scheduled transmission is at least one physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and wherein the acknowledgement of the DCI is an acknowledgement of the at least one PDSCH.

[0106] Any of the first example methods above, wherein the at least one PDSCH includes at least two transport blocks, and the acknowledgement of the at least one PDSCH is an uplink control information (UCI) bit indicating a positive acknowledgement for the at least one transport block.

[0107] Any of the first example methods above, wherein the at least one PDSCH includes a plurality of code block groups, and the acknowledgement is a UCI bit indicating a positive acknowledgement for at least one of the code block groups.

[0108] Any of the first example methods above, wherein the acknowledgment is a UCI comprising bits for a plurality of PDSCHs, and wherein at least one bit corresponding to a PDSCH scheduled by the DCI indicates a positive acknowledgment.

[0109] Any of the first example methods above, wherein a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) codebook used for acknowledgment of at least one PDSCH is one of a type I, type II, or type III HARQ codebook.

[0110] Any of the first example methods above, wherein the scheduled transmission is a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) and the acknowledgement of the DCI is the PUSCH.

[0111] Any of the first example methods above, wherein the PUSCH has different transmission characteristics than any PUSCH for the UE scheduled by a configuration grant.

[0112] Any of the first example methods above, further comprising receiving a radio resource configuration message that configures a DCI format of the DCI to include a field for a TCI indication.

[0113] Any of the first example methods above, wherein the scheduled transmission is one of a physical random access channel (PRACH), a sounding reference signal (SRS), or a channel state information (CSI) report, and the acknowledgement of the DCI is the scheduled transmission.

[0114] Any of the above first example methods, wherein the time offset from the acknowledgement is a number of symbols.

[0115] Any of the first example methods above, wherein the time offset includes at least one time slot for a second DCI to schedule a retransmission of the scheduled transmission after an acknowledgement of the DCI fails.

[0116] Any of the first example methods above, wherein the TCI is applicable to a physical channel group.

[0117] Any of the first example methods above, wherein the DCI includes a channel group identifier indicating a physical channel group.

[0118] Any of the first example methods above, wherein the physical channel group is a physical channel group that includes a CORESET on which the DCI is received.

[0119] Any of the first example methods above, wherein communicating the scheduled transmission comprises activating a data beam indicated by the TCI for the scheduled transmission.

[0120] A second example method of wireless communication includes: transmitting downlink control information (DCI) from a base station using a control beam for a control resource set (CORESET) of a user equipment (UE), the DCI including a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) and scheduling transmissions between the UE and the base station; communicating the scheduled transmissions; determining an acknowledgment of the DCI based on the scheduled transmissions; and switching the control beam for the CORESET based on the TCI after a time offset from the acknowledgment.

[0121] The second example method above, wherein the scheduled transmission is at least one physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and wherein the acknowledgement of the DCI is an acknowledgement of the at least one PDSCH.

[0122] Any of the second example methods above, wherein the at least one PDSCH includes at least two transport blocks, and the acknowledgement of the at least one PDSCH is an uplink control information (UCI) bit indicating a positive acknowledgement for the at least one transport block.

[0123] Any of the second example methods above, wherein the at least one PDSCH includes a plurality of code block groups, and the acknowledgement is a UCI bit indicating a positive acknowledgement for at least one of the code block groups.

[0124] Any of the second example methods above, wherein the acknowledgment is a UCI comprising bits for a plurality of PDSCHs, and wherein at least one bit corresponding to a PDSCH scheduled by the DCI indicates a positive acknowledgment.

[0125] Any of the second example methods above, wherein a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) codebook used for acknowledgment of at least one PDSCH is one of a Type I, Type II, or Type III HARQ codebook.

[0126] Any of the second example methods above, wherein the scheduled transmission is a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and the acknowledgement of the DCI is the PUSCH.

[0127] Any of the second example methods above, wherein the PUSCH has different transmission characteristics than any PUSCH for the UE scheduled by a configuration grant.

[0128] Any of the above second example methods, further comprising sending a radio resource configuration message that configures a DCI format of the DCI to include a field for TCI indication.

[0129] Any of the second example methods above, wherein the scheduled transmission is one of a physical random access channel (PRACH), a sounding reference signal (SRS), or a channel state information (CSI) report, and the acknowledgment of the DCI is the scheduled transmission.

[0130] Any of the above second example methods, wherein the time offset from the acknowledgement is a number of symbols.

[0131] Any of the above second example methods, wherein the time offset comprises at least one time slot for a second DCI to schedule a retransmission of the scheduled transmission after an acknowledgement of the DCI fails.

[0132] Any of the second example methods above, wherein the TCI is applicable to a physical channel group.

[0133] Any of the second example methods above, wherein the DCI includes a channel group identifier indicating a physical channel group.

[0134] Any of the second example methods above, wherein the physical channel group is a physical channel group that includes a CORESET on which the DCI is received.

[0135] Any of the above second example methods, wherein communicating the scheduled transmission comprises activating a data beam indicated by the TCI for the scheduled transmission.

[0136] A first example apparatus for wireless communication includes: a memory; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to perform any of the above first example methods.

[0137] A second example apparatus for wireless communication includes means for performing any of the above first example methods.

[0138] A first example non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform any of the first example methods described above.

[0139] A third example apparatus for wireless communication includes: a memory; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to perform any of the above second example methods.

[0140] A fourth example apparatus for wireless communication includes means for performing any of the above second example methods.

[0141] A second example non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform any of the second example methods described above.

[0142] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of the blocks in the disclosed process / flowchart is merely an illustration of an exemplary method. It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of the blocks in the process / flowchart can be rearranged based on design preferences. In addition, some blocks can be merged or omitted. The attached method claims provide the elements of each block in a sample order, but are not intended to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy provided.

[0143] The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to 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 aspects shown herein, but rather to the full scope consistent with the content expressed in the claims, wherein, unless explicitly stated otherwise, reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean "one and only one," but rather "one or more." The word "exemplary" as used herein means "as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be interpreted as being preferred over or having advantages over other aspects. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the term "some" refers to one or more. Combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C," "one or more of A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B, and C," "one or more of A, B, and C," and "A, B, C, or any combination thereof" include any combination of A, B, and / or C, and may include multiples of A, multiples of B, or multiples of C. Specifically, combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C," "one or more of A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B and C," "one or more of A, B and C," and "A, B, C, or any combination thereof" may be A only, B only, C only, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, wherein any such combination may include one or more members or several members of A, B, or C. All structural and functional equivalents of the elements throughout the various aspects described in this disclosure that are known or later become known to one 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 expressly recited in the claims. The words "module," "mechanism," "element," "device," and the like may not be substitutes for the word "means." Thus, no claim element is to be construed as means-plus-function unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase "means for..."

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication, comprising: receiving, at a user equipment (UE) using a control beam for a control resource set (CORESET), downlink control information (DCI), the DCI including a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) and scheduling transmissions between the UE and a base station; communicating the scheduled transmission; determining, for the DCI, an acknowledgement of the DCI based on the scheduled transmission, wherein the scheduled transmission is at least one physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and wherein the acknowledgement of the DCI is an acknowledgement of the at least one PDSCH, and wherein: (i) the at least one PDSCH includes at least two transport blocks, and the acknowledgement for the at least one PDSCH is uplink control information (UCI) indicating acknowledgement bits for the at least two transport blocks, at least one of the acknowledgement bits indicating a positive acknowledgement for the corresponding transport block, or (ii) the at least one PDSCH includes a plurality of code block groups, and the acknowledgment indicates bits for the plurality of code block groups, at least one of the acknowledgment bits indicating a positive acknowledgment for the corresponding code block group; and The control beam for the CORESET is switched based on the TCI after a time offset from the acknowledgement.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein A hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) codebook used for acknowledgment of the at least one PDSCH is one of a type I, type II, or type III HARQ codebook.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving a radio resource configuration message that configures a DCI format of the DCI to include a field for TCI indication.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The time offset from the acknowledgement is a number of symbols.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The time offset includes at least one time slot for a second DCI to schedule a retransmission of the scheduled transmission after an acknowledgement of the DCI fails.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein The TCI is applicable to a physical channel group.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The DCI includes a channel group identifier indicating the physical channel group.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The physical channel group is a physical channel group including the CORESET on which the DCI is received.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein Communicating the scheduled transmission includes activating a new data beam indicated by the TCI for the scheduled transmission, wherein the new data beam indicated by the TCI is used for the scheduled transmission before acknowledgment of the DCI.

10. A method of wireless communication, comprising: transmitting downlink control information (DCI) from a base station using a control beam for a control resource set (CORESET) of a user equipment (UE), the DCI including a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) and scheduling transmissions between the UE and the base station; communicating the scheduled transmission; An acknowledgement of the DCI is determined based on the scheduled transmission, wherein the scheduled transmission is at least one physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and wherein the acknowledgement of the DCI is an acknowledgement of the at least one PDSCH, and wherein: (i) the at least one PDSCH includes at least two transport blocks, and the acknowledgement for the at least one PDSCH is uplink control information (UCI) indicating acknowledgement bits for the two transport blocks, and wherein at least one of the acknowledgement bits indicates a positive acknowledgement for the corresponding transport block, or (ii) the at least one PDSCH includes a plurality of code block groups, and the acknowledgment indicates bits for the plurality of code block groups, at least one of the acknowledgment bits indicating a positive acknowledgment for the corresponding code block group; and The control beam for the CORESET is switched based on the TCI after a time offset from the acknowledgement.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: A hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) codebook used for acknowledgment of the at least one PDSCH is one of a type I, type II, or type III HARQ codebook.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising sending a radio resource configuration message that configures a DCI format of the DCI to include a field for TCI indication.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The time offset from the acknowledgement is a number of symbols.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The time offset includes at least one time slot for a second DCI to schedule a retransmission of the scheduled transmission after an acknowledgement of the DCI fails.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein The TCI is applicable to a physical channel group.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein The DCI includes a channel group identifier indicating the physical channel group.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The physical channel group is a physical channel group including the CORESET on which the DCI is received.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein Communicating the scheduled transmission includes activating a new data beam indicated by the TCI for the scheduled transmission, wherein the new data beam indicated by the TCI is used for the scheduled transmission prior to acknowledgment of the DCI.

19. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: Memory; as well as At least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the method of any one of claims 1-9.

20. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: Device for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

22. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: Memory; as well as At least one processor is coupled to the memory and configured to execute the method of any one of claims 10-18.

23. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: Device for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 10 to 18.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 10-18.

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