Beam management

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to beam management. Layer 2 structures and processes may be used for beam management in a new radio network. In a first example, a new radio layer 2 structure may be used to facilitate beam management at a medium access control sublayer. In a second example, new radio feedback mechanisms may be signaled between peer medium access control entities and used to assist beam management. In a third example, the new radio beam management processes may include new radio beam training, new radio beam alignment, new radio beam tracking, or new radio beam configuration. In a fourth example, the new radio connection control processes may include new radio initial access or new radio mobility management.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the patent application entitled “Beam Management” filed on August 11, 2017 with international application number PCT / US2017 / 046547 and national application number 201780059979.1.

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 373,617, filed August 11, 2016, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Background Art

[0004] RRC protocol status

[0005] In LTE, a terminal can be in different states, such as Figure 1 See 3GPP TS 36.331, Radio Resource Control (RRC), Protocol Specification (Release 13), V13.0.0.

[0006] In RRC_CONNECTED, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) context exists. The cell to which the User Equipment (UE) belongs is known, and the identity of the UE (Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI)) for signaling purposes between the UE and the network has been configured. RRC_CONNECTED is intended for data transfer to and from the UE.

[0007] In RRC_IDLE, there is no RRC context in the Radio Access Network (RAN) and the UE does not belong to a specific cell. No data transfer may occur in RRC_IDLE. A UE in RRC_IDLE monitors the paging channel to detect incoming calls and changes to system information. Discontinuous Reception (DRX) is used to save UE power. When moving to RRC_CONNECTED, an RRC context needs to be established in both the RAN and the UE.

[0008] System Information

[0009] System Information (SI) is information broadcast by the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) that needs to be acquired by the UE to be able to access and operate within the network. SI is divided into a Master Information Block (MIB) and several System Information Blocks (SIBs). A high-level description of MIBs and SIBs is provided in 3GPP TS 36.300. A detailed description can be obtained in 3GPP TS 36.331.

[0010] Table 1 - System Information

[0011]

[0012]

[0013] The UE applies the system information acquisition procedure described in 3GPP TS 36.331 to acquire the access stratum (AS) and non-access stratum (NAS) related system information broadcast by E-UTRAN. The procedure is applicable to UEs in RRC_IDLE and UEs in RRC_CONNECTED. Figure 2 .

[0014] The UE applies the system information acquisition process for the following times: 1) when selecting a cell (e.g., when powered on) and when reselecting a cell; 2) after handover is completed; 3) after entering E-UTRA from another radio access technology (RAT); 4) when returning from out of coverage; 5) when receiving a notification that system information has changed; 6) when receiving an indication related to the presence of an ETWS notification, a CMAS notification, or a notification that EAB parameters have changed; 7) when receiving a request from a CDMA2000 upper layer; and 8) when the maximum validity duration is exceeded.

[0015] Connection Mobility Control (CMC)

[0016] Connection Mobility Control (CMC) as described in 3GPP 36.30 involves the management of radio resources related to idle or connected mode mobility. In idle mode, the cell reselection algorithm is controlled by setting parameters (thresholds and hysteresis values) that define the best cell or determine when the UE should select a new cell. In addition, the E-UTRAN broadcasts parameters that configure the UE measurement and reporting processes. In connected mode, mobility of the radio connection must be supported. Handover decisions can be based on UE and eNB measurements. In addition, handover decisions can take into account other inputs such as neighbor cell load, traffic distribution, transmission and hardware resources and operator defined policies. CMC is housed in the eNB.

[0017] Layer 2 Structure

[0018] Layer 2 is divided into the following sublayers: Medium Access Control (MAC), Radio Link Control (RLC), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) as described in 3GPP 36.300. The PDCP / RLC / MAC architecture for downlink and uplink is described in Figure 3 and Figure 4 Shown in.

[0019] Physical layer measurements

[0020] Physical layer measurements are defined in 3GPP TS 36.300 as follows:

[0021] Physical layer measurements to support mobility are categorized as:

[0022] Within E-UTRAN (intra-frequency, inter-frequency);

[0023] Between E-UTRAN and GERAN / UTRAN (inter-RAT);

[0024] Between E-UTRAN and non-3GPP RAT (inter-3GPP access system mobility).

[0025] For measurements within E-UTRAN, two basic UE measurement quantities shall be supported:

[0026] Reference signal received power (RSRP);

[0027] Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ).

[0028] In addition, the following UE measurement quantities may be supported:

[0029] Received signal strength indicator (RSSI);

[0030] Reference signal to noise and interference ratio (RS-SINR).

[0031] RSRP measurements are based on the following signals:

[0032] · Cell-specific reference signals; or

[0033] · CSI reference signal in the configured discovery signal.

[0034] RSRP Measurement Report Mapping

[0035] RSRP measurement report mapping is defined in 3GPP TS 36.133 as follows. The reporting range of RSRP is defined from -140dBm to -44dBm at 1dB resolution. The mapping of the measured quantities is defined in Table 2. The range in the signaling may be larger than the guaranteed accuracy range.

[0036] Table 2 - RSRP measurement report mapping

[0037] Reported Value Measured value unit RSRP_00 RSRP<-140 dBm RSRP_01 -140≤RSRP<-139 dBm RSRP_02 -139≤RSRP<-138 dBm … … … RSRP_95 -46≤RSRP<-45 dBm RSRP_96 -45≤RSRP<-44 dBm RSRP_97 -44≤RSRP dBm

[0038] Multi-antenna transmission

[0039] Multi-antenna transmission in LTE can be described as Figure 5 The mapping from the output of data modulation to different antenna ports is shown. The input to the antenna mapping consists of modulation symbols (QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM) corresponding to one or two transport blocks. The output of the antenna mapping is a set of symbols for each antenna port. The symbols for each antenna port are then applied to the OFDM modulator - that is, mapped to the basic OFDM time-frequency grid corresponding to that antenna port.

[0040] Different multi-antenna transmission schemes correspond to different so-called transmission modes. Ten different transmission modes are defined for LTE. They differ in the specific structure of the antenna mapping, but also in what reference signal is taken for demodulation (cell-specific reference signal or demodulation reference signal, respectively) and in the type of CSI feedback they rely on.

[0041] The following list summarizes the transmission modes defined for LTE and the associated multi-antenna transmission schemes.

[0042] Transmission mode 1: single antenna transmission.

[0043] Transmit mode 2: Transmit diversity.

[0044] Transmission mode 3: open-loop codebook-based precoding in case of more than one layer, and transmit diversity in case of rank-one transmission.

[0045] Transmission mode 4: closed-loop codebook-based precoding.

[0046] Transmission mode 5: A multi-user MIMO version of transmission mode 4.

[0047] • Transmission mode 6: A special case of closed-loop codebook based precoding limited to single-layer transmission.

[0048] Transmission mode 7: Release 8 supports only non-codebook based precoding for single-layer transmission.

[0049] Transmission mode 8: Release 9 supports up to two layers of non-codebook based precoding.

[0050] Transmission mode 9: Release 10 supports up to eight layers of non-codebook based precoding.

[0051] • Transmission mode 10: Release 11 is an extension of transmission mode 9 for enhanced support of different downlink multi-point coordination and transmission approaches, also known as CoMP. Summary of the invention

[0052] Disclosed herein are L2 structures and processes that may be used for beam management in a New Radio (NR) network. In a first example, the NR L2 structures may be used to facilitate beam management at the MAC sublayer. In a second example, NR feedback mechanisms may be signaled between peer MAC entities and used to assist in beam management. In a third example, the NR beam management process may include NR beam training, NR beam alignment, NR beam tracking, or NR beam configuration. In a fourth example, the NR connection control process may include NR initial access or NR mobility management.

[0053] This summary is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to limitations that address any or all of the shortcomings noted in any part of this disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0054] A more detailed understanding can be obtained through the following description given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0055] Figure 1 An exemplary RRC protocol state machine is illustrated;

[0056] Figure 2 An exemplary system information acquisition process is illustrated;

[0057] Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary layer 2 structure for DL;

[0058] Figure 4 An exemplary layer 2 structure for UL is illustrated;

[0059] Figure 5 An exemplary structure for LTE DL multi-antenna transmission is illustrated;

[0060] Figure 6 illustrates exemplary cell coverage with sector beams and multiple high-gain narrow beams;

[0061] Figure 7 An exemplary virtual cell is illustrated;

[0062] Figure 8 An exemplary network slicing concept is illustrated;

[0063] Fig. 9 An exemplary NR virtual cell is illustrated;

[0064] Fig.10 An exemplary UE mobility in a NR virtual cell is illustrated;

[0065] Fig.11 An exemplary NR layer 2 structure for DL ​​beam aggregation is illustrated;

[0066] Fig.12 An exemplary NR layer 2 structure for UL beam aggregation is illustrated;

[0067] Fig.13 illustrating an exemplary NR layer 2 structure for DL ​​beam aggregation where carrier aggregation is configured;

[0068] Fig.14 illustrating an exemplary NR layer 2 structure for UL beam aggregation where carrier aggregation is configured;

[0069] Fig.15 An exemplary NR beam measurement report MAC CE is illustrated;

[0070] Fig.16 An exemplary beam training command MAC CE is illustrated;

[0071] Fig.17 An exemplary beam alignment command MAC CE is illustrated;

[0072] Fig.18 An exemplary beam tracking command MAC CE is illustrated;

[0073] Fig.19 An exemplary NR beam add / release command MAC CE is illustrated;

[0074] Fig. 20 Illustrate exemplary methods associated with NR beam training;

[0075] Fig.21 Illustrate exemplary methods associated with NR beam alignment;

[0076] Fig. 22 Illustrate exemplary methods associated with NR beam tracking;

[0077] Fig.23 Illustrate exemplary methods associated with NR beam configuration (UE control);

[0078] Fig.24 An exemplary method associated with NR beam configuration (NW control) is illustrated;

[0079] Fig.25 An exemplary method associated with NR initial access (UE control) is illustrated;

[0080] Fig.26 An exemplary method associated with initial access of NW control is illustrated;

[0081] Fig. 27 Illustrate exemplary methods associated with NR mobility management (UE control);

[0082] Fig.28 Illustrate exemplary methods associated with NR mobility management (NW control);

[0083] Fig.29A An example communication system 100 is illustrated in which the methods and apparatus described and claimed herein are associated with beam management;

[0084] Fig.29B A block diagram illustrating an example device or apparatus configured for wireless communication according to beam management illustrated herein;

[0085] Fig.29C is a system diagram of the RAN 103 and the core network 106 according to beam management as discussed herein;

[0086] Fig.29D is a system diagram of the RAN 104 and the core network 107 according to beam management as discussed herein;

[0087] Fig.29E is a system diagram of the RAN 105 and the core network 109 that may be associated with beam management as discussed herein;

[0088] Fig.29F is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system 90 in which: Fig.29A , 29C , 29D, and 29E may be associated with beam management as discussed herein; and

[0089] Fig.30 Exemplary displays (eg, graphical user interfaces) that may be generated based on the methods and systems discussed herein are illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0090] Disclosed herein are L2 structures and processes that can be used for beam management in wireless networks. The L2 structure can be used to facilitate beam management at the medium access control (MAC) sublayer.

[0091] A feedback mechanism that can be signaled between peer MAC entities and used to assist beam management is disclosed. In an example, a NR beam management report MAC control element (CE) can be used to signal beam management between peer MAC entities. In another example, a MAC CE set can be used to configure and control the disclosed NR beam management process.

[0092] In addition, a set of exemplary beam management processes is disclosed. The NR beam training process can be used to discover and measure the beams transmitted by the UE or network (NW) node. The NR beam alignment process can be used to improve the alignment of the beam, which can include adjustments to the beam width, beam direction, etc. The NR beam tracking process can be used to maintain the alignment of the beam for communication between the UE and the NW node. The NR beam configuration process can be used to configure or reconfigure a set of (one or more) service beams for communication between the UE and the NW node.

[0093] In addition, a set of NR connection control processes is disclosed herein. The NR initial access process can be used to perform initial access in an NR beam-centric network. The NR mobility management process can be used to perform mobility management in an NR beam-centric network.

[0094] New Radio (NR) access technology can be used to meet a wide range of use cases, including enhanced mobile broadband, massive MTC, and emergency MTC, among others. NR can consider frequencies of 100 GHz. To compensate for the increased path loss in high frequency NR systems (HF-NR), beamforming can be used. High gain beams can be used to provide comprehensive coverage in a cell. Narrow beam widths make beams more prone to blockage, which may not only be caused by mobility, but also by changes in the orientation of the UE or changes in the local environment. Mechanisms that can be used to manage mobility in LTE networks, such as RRC handover procedures, require a large amount of signaling overhead and induce undesirable delays in handling fast beam switching. Therefore, there is a need for a layer 2 (L2) based mechanism that can be used to perform beam management in wireless networks, such as NR networks.

[0095] Beamforming Impact – Due to the use of multiple narrow beams for the downlink common channel, the high frequency has an impact on coverage and path loss compensation. Figure 6. In low frequency bands (e.g., current LTE bands <6 GHz), the required cell coverage can be provided by forming wide sector beams for transmitting downlink common channels. However, using wide sector beams at high frequencies (e.g., >>6 GHz), the cell coverage is reduced at the same antenna gain. Therefore, in order to provide the required cell coverage at high frequency bands, a higher antenna gain is required to compensate for the increased path loss. In order to increase the antenna gain on the wide sector beam, a larger antenna array (the number of antenna elements ranges from tens to hundreds) is used to form a high gain beam.

[0096] Therefore, the high gain beams are narrow compared to the wide sector beams, so multiple beams used to transmit the downlink common channels are needed to cover the required cell area. The number of concurrent high gain beams that an access point can form may be limited by the cost and complexity of the transceiver architecture used. In practice, at high frequencies, the number of concurrent high gain beams is much less than the total number of beams required to cover the cell area. In other words, by using a subset of beams at any given time, an access point can cover only a portion of the cell area.

[0097] Virtual community - such as Figure 7 As shown, a virtual cell can be defined as multiple TRPs (transmit receive points) controlled by a central unit with the same cell ID. Common information or cell-level information is sent in a large cell area, and dedicated data is sent from neighboring TRPs near the UE through the implementation of CP / UP division.

[0098] IMT for 2020 and beyond is envisioned to extend and support a diverse and multi-family of use cases and applications that will continue to exceed current IMT. See ITU-R M.2083-0, IMT Vision – “Framework and overall objectives of the future development of IMT for 2020 and beyond”. Furthermore, a wide variety of capabilities are closely linked to these anticipated different use cases and applications for IMT for 2020 and beyond.

[0099] The multi-family use cases for IMT for 2020 and beyond include:

[0100] eMBB (enhanced mobile broadband)

[0101] Macro cells and small cells

[0102] 1ms delay (air interface)

[0103] Spectrum allocated at WRC-15 could result in up to 8Gbps of additional throughput

[0104] Support for high mobility

[0105] URLLC (Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communication)

[0106] Low to medium data rates (50kbps to 10Mbps)

[0107] <1ms air interface delay

[0108] 99.999% reliability and availability

[0109] Low connection establishment delay

[0110] 0-500km / h mobility

[0111] mMTC (Massive Machine Type Communications)

[0112] Low data rate (1-100kbps)

[0113] High density of installations (up to 200,000 / km2)

[0114] Delay: a few seconds to a few hours

[0115] Low power: up to 15 years of continuous battery use

[0116] Asynchronous access

[0117] Network Operations

[0118] Network operations address topics such as network slicing, routing, migration and interworking, energy conservation, etc.

[0119] Next Generation Network Requirements

[0120] 3GPP TR 38.913 Study on Scenarios and Requirements for Next Generation Access Technologies (Release 14), V0.3.0 defines scenarios and requirements for next generation access technologies. The key performance indicators (KPIs) of eMBB, URLLC and mMTC devices are summarized in Table 3.

[0121] Table 3 - KPIs for eMBB, URLLC and mMTC devices

[0122]

[0123]

[0124]

[0125]

[0126] Network Slicing Figure 8 A high-level illustration of the concept of network slicing is provided. A network slice consists of a set of logical network functions that support the communication service requirements of a specific (one or more) use cases. It should be possible to direct terminals to selected slices in a manner that meets the needs of the operator or user, for example, based on subscription or terminal type. Network slicing is primarily aimed at partitioning of the core network, but it does not exclude that the radio access network (RAN) may require specific functions to support multiple slices or even division of resources for different network slices. See 3GPP TR 22.891, Feasibility Study on New Services and Markets Technology Enablers (SMARTER); Phase 1 (Release 14), V1.3.2.

[0127] Example NR deployment scenario Fig. 9 . In this deployment, gNB 201 controls multiple transmit and receive points (TRPs). The TRPs controlled by gNB 201 form a virtual cell. TRPs (e.g., TRP 202, TRP 203, TRP 204) can use multiple beams to provide coverage. The radiation patterns of beams from one or more TRPs can overlap to provide complete coverage of the virtual cell area. UE 205 can support transmission and reception using multiple beams. UE 205 can also support inter-TRP transmission / reception, where the beams used for communication with gNB 201 come from different TRPs within the virtual cell.

[0128] Beam 209 (e.g., beam A or beam B of UE 205), beam 206 (e.g., beam A, beam B, or beam C of TRP 202), beam 207 (e.g., beam A, beam B, or beam C of TRP 203), or beam 208 (e.g., beam A, beam B, or beam C of TRP 204) used for communication may change as UE 205 moves within the coverage area of ​​the virtual cell. For high frequency scenarios, such as mmW, the beams 206, 207, 208, or 209 that may be used may also be affected by changes in the local environment; for example, movement of people / objects, changes in the orientation of the UE, etc.

[0129] To support beam-level mobility in NR networks, the NR beam management process can distinguish between types of beams, such as serving beams, candidate beams, or detection beams. A serving beam can be a beam used for communication between a UE 209 and a TRP / gNB (e.g., TRP 202 / gNB 201). The determination of (one or more) serving beams can be based on UE 209 and network measurements. In addition, other inputs (such as TRP load, traffic distribution, transport and hardware resources, and operator-defined policies) can be considered. Among other things, the UE 205 can monitor the serving beam for scheduling assignments / grants, can perform measurements to ensure that the beam continues to meet the serving beam criteria, or can include measurements to ensure that the beam continues to meet the serving beam criteria. The serving beam criteria can be defined as measurement quality; for example, RSRP, RSRQ, RSSI, or SINR is above a configured threshold.

[0130] A candidate beam may be a beam that may be used as a communication beam (eg, satisfies the serving beam criteria), but has not yet been configured as a serving beam. The UE 205 performs and may report measurements on candidate beams, but does not monitor beams for scheduling assignments / grants.

[0131] A detection beam may be a beam that the UE 205 has measured but does not meet the serving beam criteria. The UE 205 may perform and may report measurements on the detection beam, but not monitor the beam for scheduling assignments or grants.

[0132] exist Fig. 9 In the example shown, the serving beam is beam B of TRP 202 (i.e., beam B of beam 206) paired with beam A of UE 205 (i.e., beam A of beam 209), and beam A of TRP 203 (i.e., beam A of beam 207) paired with beam B of UE 205 (i.e., beam B of beam 209). The candidate beams are beam C of TRP 202 and beam B of TRP 203; the detection beams are beam A of TRP 202 and beam C of TRP 203.

[0133] In UE 205 Fig.10 After moving as shown, the serving beam is beam B of TRP 203 paired with beam A of UE 205 and beam C of TRP 203 paired with beam B of UE 205. The candidate beam is beam A of TRP 203. There are no detection beams in this case.

[0134] The NR layer 2 structure is discussed below. To facilitate beam management at the MAC sublayer, the multi-beam nature of the physical layer is exposed to the MAC sublayer. Fig.11An exemplary NR layer 2 structure for DL ​​beam aggregation is illustrated. In one example, one HARQ entity (e.g., HARQ 221) is required for each beam (e.g., beam 222), and the mapping of logical channels to beams is performed by the MAC sublayer (e.g., MAC sublayer 220). This may be referred to as beam aggregation. The NR L2 structure for DL ​​and UL beam aggregation is shown in FIG. Fig.11 and Fig.12 It should be noted that, as disclosed herein, conventional systems (such as Figure 3 or Figure 4 The concept of beams is not considered in the equipment. Figure 11-Figure 14 In NR, the multi-beam nature of the physical layer for NR is exposed to the MAC sublayer 220. Making the beams visible to the MAC 220 enables beam-level aggregation. This also allows the beams to be independently scheduled by the MAC scheduler 226.

[0135] The MAC sublayer performs mapping between logical channels (e.g., logical channel 224) and transport channels (e.g., transport channel 225 - DL-SCH). In the disclosed NR L2 structure, the MAC sublayer 220 also performs mapping to (one or more) service beams. In the case where transmission on a single service beam is scheduled, a single transport block is generated and mapped to the downlink shared channel (DL-SCH) on the scheduled service beam. In the case where two or more service beams are scheduled, the MAC sublayer 220 generates multiple transport blocks, using one transport block for each scheduled service beam. When generating a transport block for a given DL-SCH / beam, the MAC entity 220 can multiplex radio link control protocol data units (RLC PDUs) from one or more logical channels (e.g., logical channel 224). Multiplexing and beam mapping can be performed by block 223. For Fig.11 (and Figure 12-14 ), different parallelograms for multiplexing and beam mapping can correspond to multiplexing and beam mapping for different UEs. More than one UE can be scheduled on a given beam, so this is why, for example, Beam u The reason why it can be shown multiple times.

[0136] As discussed herein, the multi-beam nature of the physical layer can be exposed to the multiplexing function so that logical channels can be mapped to specific beams. How the mapping is performed can be based on information such as UE measurements and network measurements. In addition, other information such as TRP load, traffic distribution, transport and hardware resources or operator-defined policies can be taken into account.

[0137] For example, consider Figure 6The illustrated TRP 199 provides coverage with a wide sector beam and multiple high gain narrow beams. When the UE is within the coverage area of ​​the wide sector beam, it may be advantageous to map the RLC PDUs for logical channels requiring high reliability / low latency (e.g., control signaling) to the sector beam, because transmission via the sector beam may be less prone to congestion due to the wide beam width. Alternatively, when the UE is near the cell edge and is covered by multiple high gain narrow beams, it may be advantageous to map the RLC PDUs requiring high reliability / low latency to the "best beam", where the determination of the "best beam" may be based on the NR feedback (e.g., NR-RSRP) for beam management described herein. The "best beam" may be considered to be the beam with the highest RSRP (e.g., NR-RSRP).

[0138] Reference Fig.13 and Fig.14 The multi-beam architecture nature of the physical layer is exposed to the MAC layer for which one HARQ entity is required for each pair of beam and component carrier (beam i, CC j), where the coverage area corresponding to the serving cell group is modeled as n beams and m CCs.

[0139] The scheduler (e.g., in the network - scheduler 241) of a serving cell group (carrier aggregation model) performs scheduling on multiple pairs of component carriers and beams [(beam 1, CC1), ... (beam i, CCj), (beam n, CCm)] corresponding to the coverage area of ​​the serving cell group modeled as n beams and m CCs. The scheduler can be centralized in the central unit (CU) or can be distributed between the central unit and the distributed units (DU). The mapping between CU / DU and gNB / TRP can be implementation or deployment specific. For a given deployment, the scheduler will be centralized or distributed. Alternatively, as per the specification, a gNB may correspond to a CU and a DU may correspond to a subset of a set of TRPs or a TRP within a CU. For example, the gNB is centralized and the TRP is distributed. The scheduler can be targeted at the gNB as a CU or the TRP as a DU.

[0140] NR transmission modes may be defined and specified in association with a beam center architecture. The NW node (e.g., gNB 201 or TRP 202) may statically or semi-dynamically (e.g., RRC signaling) configure the transmission mode for UE 205, for example, according to the capability exchange between UE 205 and the NW node. Within each transmission time interval (TTI), the physical layer of UE 205 may determine the selection of transmission parameters allowed by the configured transmission mode. This determination may be transparent to the MAC layer. For example, UE 205 may perform measurements and report them to NW node 190. The measurement report may include a precoder matrix indicator and a rank indicator that the NW node 190 (e.g., gNB) may use to determine the transmission mode. Different transmission modes correspond to the use of different multi-antenna transmission schemes for implementing transmissions referred to as multi-layer transmissions. Whether to use a layer on another layer for transmission may depend on the channel conditions or the throughput required for the service. For example, transmission mode 9 supporting up to 8 layers may be used for high data rate services when the channel conditions are very good, while transmission mode 2 (transmit diversity) may be used when the user is at the cell edge and the channel conditions are poor.

[0141] In both uplink and downlink, there is one independent hybrid-ARQ entity per pair (beam i, CC j), and in the absence of spatial multiplexing, each pair (beam i, CC j) generates one transport block per TTI. Each transport block and its possible HARQ retransmissions are mapped to a single pair (beam i, CC j).

[0142] Reference Fig.14 , in the UL, the MAC of the UE 205 may perform logical channel prioritization and scheduling (possibly based on a grant from the gNB 201 in the case of non-grant-free transmission). The MAC multiplexer of the UE 205 may perform logical channel multiplexing and distribute the multiplexed data across the HARQ entities associated with each pair (beam i, CCj) based on the grant received on each CC j in the case of non-grant-free transmission. The UE 205 may make the decision autonomously in the case of UL grant-free transmission. In an example, for URLLC services, the UE 205 may not be able to wait until a grant is received due to latency requirements. The UE 205 may select a beam / CC based on metrics it may have (such as BLER on past transmissions or possibly feedback from the gNB 201).

[0143] NR feedback for beam management is disclosed herein. Feedback signaled between peer MAC entities can be used to assist beam management (e.g., beam selection, beam training, determination of (one or more) serving beams, etc.). Feedback can be based on beam measurements performed by the physical layer, such as RSRP or RSRQ, where the measurement quantities NR-RSRP and NR-RSRQ are based on beam training reference signals (BT-RS). A node can measure (one or more) serving beams, (one or more) candidate beams, or (one or more) detection beams and provide feedback for these beams, where each beam can be defined with a beam index (e.g., beam Id). The beam training reference signal is a signal occupying a specific time-frequency resource that is used to identify the beam and is used by the beam management process. The BT-RS can be measured by the receiving node, and decisions can be made based on the results of these measurements. The beam Id can be a structure that uniquely identifies the beam. It can be an explicit Id or index used to "look up" the beam identity and associated characteristics (e.g., reference signal structure). Beam Id may be a numerical value corresponding to the identity of the beam.

[0144] Feedback signaled between MAC entities can be used to enable UE-controlled or NW-controlled beam management. In the case of UE-controlled beam management, the MAC entity in UE 205 can make decisions about serving / candidate beams based on physical layer beam measurements and notify peer MAC entities in gNB 201 (e.g., NW nodes) of these decisions. Alternatively, in the case of NW-controlled beam management, UE 205 can report metrics based on physical layer beam measurements to the MAC entity in gNB 201. The MAC entity in gNB 201 will then make decisions about serving / candidate beams and notify peer MAC entities in UE 205 of these decisions. A hybrid approach in which decisions can be made at either node (e.g., NW node or UE node) is also possible.

[0145] In this document, mechanisms for beam management commands (e.g., beam measurement, beam training command, beam alignment command, beam tracking command, beam add command, or beam release command) and beam measurement reporting for enabling NR beam management procedures are defined.

[0146] Below (for example, Table 4, Figure 20-Figure 28) discusses NR beam measurement reporting. A measuring node (e.g., a NW node or a UE node) may be configured with a reporting configuration including one or more of the following: 1) reporting criteria or 2) reporting format. Reporting criteria: Criteria that trigger the measuring node to send a report to a peer MAC entity, where the report may be configured as a periodic or event-based report. Reporting format: Quantities or metrics and associated information included in the report, such as, among other things, the number of beams to be reported or the type of beam to be reported (serving beam, candidate beam, or detection beam).

[0147] The events used to trigger the report can be based on physical layer measurements, in-sync / out-of-sync transitions, exceeding a specified block error rate (BLER) threshold, radio link failure (RLF) detection, changes in mobility state as specified in 3GPP TS 36.304, addition or removal of radio bearers (RBs), requests from peer MAC entities, etc. Table 4 provides an exemplary set of events that can be used to trigger beam measurement reports. The events of Table 4 can also be used to trigger the sending of other beam management commands. These events are beam-based events. For LTE, the events are cell-based. The triggering of these events helps to enable mobility management at the beam level.

[0148] Table 4 - Example set of events for triggering NR beam measurement reports

[0149]

[0150] Further referring to Table 4, in the example of NR-D8, if the candidate beam has a larger offset (e.g., threshold offset) power (e.g., RSRP) than the serving beam, an event can be triggered, such as releasing the serving beam and adding the candidate beam. In the example of NR-D9, if the serving beam becomes worse than a first threshold (e.g., threshold 1 = -60dbm) and the candidate beam becomes better than a second threshold (e.g., threshold 2 = -50dbm), an event can be triggered, such as releasing the serving beam and adding the candidate beam. The use of NR-D8 and NR-D9 can help reduce the excessive occurrence of events based on unimportant fluctuations.

[0151] The MAC Control Element (CE) may be used to signal beam measurements or other instructions (e.g., NR beam training commands) between peer MAC entities. Fig.15. The NR Beam Measurement Report MAC CE may be identified, for example, by a MAC Protocol Data Unit (PDU) subheader with a Logical Channel ID (LCID) as specified in Table 5 or Table 6. No such format is defined for MAC CE in LTE. These formats are part of the details of the implementation of beam management disclosed in this document.

[0152] The disclosed beam measurement MAC CE has a variable size so that it can include measurement reports on a specified maximum number of beams, defined as M. Alternatively, the MAC CE can be defined as a fixed size and padding can be used when the number of beams whose measurements are reported is less than M.

[0153] For each beam whose measurements are reported, the beam Id and the corresponding measurement quantity (e.g., NR-RSRP value) are included in the report. The report can be organized so that beams are listed according to beam Id, NR-RSRP, or beam type (e.g., the beam with the lowest beam Id is reported first, the strongest beam is reported first, the serving beam is reported first, etc.).

[0154] Which beams are included in the report may depend on the beam ID, beam type, or measurement results. For example, the measuring node may be configured with the set of beam IDs that it should report its measurements. Alternatively, the measuring node may be configured to report beams based on beam type (e.g., serving beam, candidate beam, or detection beam). An alternative example of a beam measurement MAC CE may include a beam type field consisting of m bits, which is used to indicate the beam type of the reported beam (e.g., if m=2, 00=serving beam, 01=candidate beam, 02=detection beam). A format with fewer bits (i.e., no beam type field) may be preferred in some implementations. A threshold compared to the measurement amount may also be used to determine which beams should be included in the report.

[0155] Table 5 - LCID values ​​for DL-SCH

[0156]

[0157] Table 6 - LCID values ​​for UL-SCH

[0158] index LCID value 00000 CCCH 00001-01010 Logical channel identity 01011 CCCH 01100-10000 Reserved 10001 NR beam measurement 10010 NR beam training commands 10011 NR beam alignment commands 10100 NR beam tracking commands 10101 NR beam add / release command 10110 Truncated Secondary Link BSR 10111 Secondary Link BSR 11000 Dual Connectivity Power Headroom Report 11001 Extended Power Headroom Reporting 11010 Power Headroom Report 11011 C-RNTI 11100 Truncated BSR 11101 Short BSR 11110 Long BSR 11111 filling

[0159] The NR beam training command can be used to trigger the start of the NR beam training process. Fig.16 The NR beam training command MAC CE can be identified by a MAC PDU subheader with an LCID as specified in Table 5 and Table 6.

[0160] The disclosed NR beam training command MAC CE has a variable size so that it can include beam IDs for a specified maximum number of beams, defined as M. Alternatively, the MAC CE can be defined as a fixed size and padding can be used when the number of beams for which beam training should be performed is less than M.

[0161] The disclosed NR Beam Training Command MAC CE may include the following fields: S, P, R, and Beam ID. In this example, S will be the beam scanning control bit. If beam scanning should be performed, the S bit is set to "1", otherwise, it is set to "0". P will correspond to the beam pairing control bit. If beam pairing is to be performed, the P bit is set to "1", otherwise, it is set to "0". R will be a reserved bit and is set to "0". The beam ID will be the beam and corresponding BT-RS that should be used for beam training.

[0162] The NR beam alignment command can be used to trigger the start of the NR beam alignment process. Fig.17 The NR beam alignment command MAC CE can be identified by a MAC PDU subheader with an LCID as specified in Table 5 and Table 6.

[0163] The disclosed NR beam alignment command MAC CE has a variable size so that it can include beam IDs for a specified maximum number of beams (defined as M). Alternatively, the MAC CE may be defined as a fixed size, and padding may be used when the number of beams for which beam alignment should be performed is less than M. The disclosed NR beam alignment command MAC CE may include the following fields. The beam ID field may include the beam that should be used for beam alignment and the corresponding BT-RS. The R field may include a reserved bit that is set to "0".

[0164] The NR beam tracking command can be used to trigger the start of the NR beam tracking process. Fig.18 The NR beam tracking command MAC CE can be identified by a MAC PDU subheader with an LCID as specified in Tables 5 and 6.

[0165] The disclosed NR beam tracking command MAC CE has a variable size so that it can include beam IDs for a specified maximum number of beams, defined as M. Alternatively, the MAC CE can be defined as a fixed size and padding can be used when the number of beams for which beam alignment should be performed is less than M.

[0166] The disclosed NR beam tracking command MAC CE may include the following fields. The Beam Id field may include the beam and corresponding BT-RS that should be used for beam alignment. The R field may include a reserved bit that is set to "0".

[0167] The NR beam add or release command can be used to (re)configure the set of (one or more) serving beams used for communication between a UE and an NW node (e.g., a TRP or a gNB), as discussed herein. The command can be used to add or release one or more serving beams. After a serving beam is released, it can be considered a candidate beam, provided that it meets the serving beam criteria, or if it does not meet the serving beam criteria but is still detected, it can be considered a detection beam.

[0168] Example NR beam add or release command MAC CE in Fig.19 As shown in . The NR beam add or release command MAC CE can be identified by a MAC PDU subheader with an LCID as specified in Table 5 and Table 6. The disclosed NR beam add or release command MAC CE has a variable size so that it can include beam IDs for a specified maximum number of beams (defined as M). Alternatively, the MAC CE can be defined as a fixed size, and padding can be used when the number of added / released beams is less than M. The disclosed NR beam add / release command MAC CE may include the following fields: Beam ID and A / R. For Beam ID, it can be considered as the ID of the added or released beam. For A / R, it can be considered as an add or release bit. If a beam is being added, the A / R bit is set to "0", and if a beam is being released, the A / R bit is set to "0".

[0169] NR beam training is a PHY layer process that can be configured and controlled by the MAC. This process can be used to discover and measure the beams transmitted by a UE node or NW node (e.g., TRP 202 or gNB 201). Example beam training commands are in Fig.16 It consists of an LCID identifying the command and one or more beam IDs indicating which beams should perform beam training. Fig. 20 An exemplary method associated with NR beam training is illustrated. NR beam training may include sending BT-RS from the UE 205 or NW node 190, and may include beam scanning or beam pairing, if supported by the node. Beam scanning is the process by which beams are turned on and off in a time-division manner. This can be used in high frequency systems because it would be difficult to build a system that can simultaneously send all high-gain beams that would be needed to cover a cell area.

[0170] A set of beam IDs corresponding to the BT-RS used for beam training may be provided. Alternatively, the transmitting node may autonomously select a beam based on TRP load, beam load, traffic distribution, transmission resources, hardware resources, or operator-defined policies. For example, a beam training command may trigger a node to redirect an existing beam or transmit on a new beam in the direction of the receiving node. Whether to redirect an existing beam or transmit on a new beam in this example may depend on the load and hardware resources (e.g., the hardware capabilities of the transmitting node, which may be related to how many beams it can transmit simultaneously). If a set of beam IDs is not provided, the receiving node may blindly detect the transmitted beam. Signaling between peer MAC entities may be used to control the process and report the results. Note that blind detection may mean that the receiving node does not know which reference signal is being sent and tries multiple hypotheses to determine which reference signal is actually being used.

[0171] Fig. 20 The following illustrates an exemplary method associated with NR beam training. At step 251, the MAC 195 of the UE 205 may begin by sending an NR beam training command. Fig. 20 In the example illustrated in , the NR beam training command can be sent from the MAC 195 of the UE 205 to the peer MAC 198 in the NW node 190 (e.g., TRP 202). Alternatively, the NW node 190 can send an NR beam training command to trigger the start of the process. The NR beam training command can be sent using a random access channel, an unauthorized channel, or any other channel that provides communication between the UE 205 and the NW node 190. A set of beam IDs corresponding to the BT-RS for beam training can be provided. Alternatively, the sending node (e.g., NW node 190 or UE 205) can autonomously select a beam based on TRP load, beam load, traffic distribution, transmission resources, hardware resources, or operator-defined policies. If a set of beam IDs is not provided, the receiving node (e.g., UE 205) can blindly detect the transmitted beam.

[0172] In step 252, the NW node 190 may perform DL beam scanning with the UE 205. In step 253, the UE 205 may perform UL beam scanning with the NW node 190. In the case of desired beam pairing, the receiving node may scan the Rx beam to determine the best Rx beam paired with a given Tx beam. In step 254, the PHY 196 may provide the beam measurement to the MAC 195 of the UE 205. In step 255, the PHY 197 may provide the beam measurement to the MAC 198 of the NW node 190. Step 254 or step 255 may occur during or after beam training (e.g., steps 251-253). In step 256, the MAC 195 of the UE 205 may signal the MAC 198 of the peer of the NW node 190 to notify the NR beam measurement report. This step (as well as other NR beam measurement reporting steps in other figures herein) may be based on criteria / formats as discussed in association with Table 4 herein. At step 257, the MAC 198 of the NW node 190 may signal the MAC 195 of the peer of the UE 205 to notify the NR beam measurement report. The NR beam measurement report of step 256 or step 257 may include information from step 254 or step 255, respectively. It may be important to note that measurements on beam training reference signals may be performed after a device (e.g., UE) issues a beam training command that triggers another device (e.g., gNB) to start sending beam training reference signals.

[0173] The execution of sending the beam training command at step 251 may be triggered by one or more of the events in Table 4 (e.g., NR-D2, the number of serving beams is less than a threshold, NR-D4, the number of candidate beams is less than a threshold). For example, the UE may perform measurements periodically, and when an event occurs, the UE 205 may send a beam training command in response to the event to trigger the transmission of a beam training reference signal (BT-RS) from the current and / or new beam. The triggering of the beam alignment command or the beam tracking command may also be based on a trigger such as Table 4.

[0174] NR beam alignment is a PHY layer process that can be configured and controlled by MAC. NR beam alignment can be used to improve the alignment of the beam, and the improvement may include adjustments to the beam width, beam direction, etc. The process may include sending BT-RS from a UE or NW node and feedback from a receiving node to a sending node to align the beam (e.g., adjusting a precoding matrix). A set of beam IDs corresponding to the beams that need to be aligned may be provided. Alternatively, if the set of beam IDs is not explicitly signaled, the node may assume that the beams that need to be aligned are those configured as service beams. Signaling between peer MAC entities may be used to control the process and report the results.

[0175] Fig.21 An exemplary method associated with NR beam alignment is illustrated. At step 261, the MAC 195 of the UE 205 may start by sending an NR beam alignment command, wherein the sending of the command may be triggered by one or more of the events in Table 4. Fig.21 In the example illustrated in , the NR beam alignment command is sent from the MAC 195 of the UE 205 to the peer MAC 198 in the NW node 190. Alternatively, the NW node 190 may send the NR beam alignment command to trigger the start of the process. The NR beam alignment command may be sent using a random access channel, a permission-free channel, or any other channel that provides communication between the UE 205 and the NW node 190. The NR beam alignment command may include a set of beam IDs corresponding to the beams that need to be aligned. Alternatively, if the set of beam IDs is not explicitly signaled, the node (e.g., the UE 205, but may be the NW node 190 as contemplated herein) may determine the beams that need to be aligned as those configured as service beams by default.

[0176] At step 262, the PHY 196 of the UE 205 may signal a channel state information (CSI) report to the peer PHY 197 of the NW node 190. At step 263, the PHY 197 of the NW node 190 may signal the CSI report to the peer PHY 196 of the UE 205. The CSI report may be used to improve the alignment of the beam(s), e.g., adjust the precoding matrix, beamforming weights, etc. For example, at step 264, the UE 205 adjusts the precoding matrix based on the CSI report of step 263. At step 265, the NW node 190 adjusts the precoding matrix based on the CSI report of step 262. At step 266, the PHY 196 of the UE 205 may provide the beam measurement to the MAC 915 of the UE 205. At step 267, the PHY 197 of the NW node 190 may provide the beam measurement to the MAC 198 of the NW node 190. Step 266 or step 267 may occur during or after beam alignment (e.g., steps 261-264). In step 268, the MAC 195 of the UE 205 may signal the MAC 198 of the peer of the NW node 190 of the NR beam measurement report. In step 269, the MAC 198 of the NW node 190 may signal the MAC 195 of the peer of the UE 205 of the NR beam measurement report. The NR beam measurement report of step 268 or step 269 may include information from step 266 or step 267, respectively.

[0177] NR beam tracking is a PHY layer process that can be configured and controlled by MAC. NR beam tracking can be used to maintain alignment of beams (e.g., service beams) used for communication between UE and NW nodes. Alternatively, the process can also be used to maintain alignment for candidate beams. The process may include periodically sending BT-RS from the UE or NW node or feedback from the receiving node to the sending node to maintain alignment of the beams, for example, adjusting the precoding matrix. A set of beam IDs corresponding to the beams that need to be tracked can be provided, wherein the set of beam IDs can be a subset of the serving beams or candidate beams. Alternatively, if the set of beam IDs is not explicitly signaled, the node can assume that the beams that need to be tracked are those configured as service beams. Signaling between peer MAC entities can be used to control the process and report the results.

[0178] Fig. 22 An exemplary method associated with NR beam tracking is illustrated. NR beam tracking may begin by sending an NR beam tracking command as in step 270, wherein the sending of the command may be triggered by one or more of the events in Table 4. Fig. 22 In the example illustrated in , the NR beam tracking command is sent from the MAC 195 of the UE 205 to the peer MAC 198 in the NW node 190. Alternatively, the NW node 190 may send the NR beam tracking command to trigger the start of the process. The NR beam tracking command may be sent using a random access channel, an unauthorized channel, or any other channel that provides communication between the UE 205 and the NW node 190. A set of beam IDs corresponding to the beams that need to be tracked may be provided, wherein the set of beam IDs may be a subset of the serving beam or the candidate beams. Alternatively, if the set of beam IDs is not explicitly signaled, the node (e.g., the UE 205, but may be the NW node 190 as contemplated herein) may determine the beams that need to be tracked as those beams that are configured as serving beams.

[0179] At step 271, the PHY 196 of the UE 205 may signal the CSI report to the peer PHY 197 of the NW node 190. At step 272, the PHY 197 of the NW node 190 may signal the CSI report to the peer PHY 196 of the UE 205. The CSI report may be used to improve the alignment of the beam(s), e.g., adjust the precoding matrix, beamforming weights, etc. For example, at step 273, the UE 205 adjusts the precoding matrix based on the CSI report of step 272. At step 274, the NW node 190 adjusts the precoding matrix based on the CSI report of step 271. At step 275, the PHY 196 of the UE 205 may provide the beam measurement to the MAC 195 of the UE 205. At step 276, the PHY 197 of the NW node 190 may provide the beam measurement to the MAC 198 of the NW node 190. Step 275 or step 276 may occur during or after beam tracking (e.g., steps 271-273). In step 277, the MAC 195 of the UE 205 may signal the MAC 198 of the peer of the NW node 190 to notify the NR beam measurement report. In step 278, the MAC 198 of the NW node 190 may signal the MAC 195 of the peer of the UE 205 to notify the NR beam measurement report. The NR beam measurement report of step 277 or step 278 may include information from step 275 or step 276, respectively. In step 279, a periodic series of steps to provide feedback from the receiving node to the transmitting node to maintain alignment of the beam, such as adjusting the precoding matrix.

[0180] NR beam configuration is a MAC layer process that can be used to (re)configure a set of (one or more) service beams for communication between UE 205 and NW node 209 (e.g., gNB or TRP). The command can be sent as a MAC CE. This process can help achieve reliable and robust communication. Without this mechanism, UE 205 may not be able to communicate with NW node 190 when the quality of the beam is reduced due to mobility, congestion, etc. Before (re)configuring (one or more) service beams, NR beam training, NR beam alignment, or NR beam tracking processes can be performed to collect information to evaluate the beams and make decisions about beam configuration. As discussed below, Fig.23An exemplary method associated with (UE-controlled) NR beam configuration is illustrated. NR beam configuration will typically be after the NR beam training, NR beam alignment, or NR beam tracking process of step 281 is completed. The determination of the beam configuration (e.g., step 285) can be based on UE 205 and NW 190 measurements obtained by these processes. In addition, other inputs (such as TRP load, traffic distribution, transmission resources, hardware resources, or operator-defined policies) can be considered.

[0181] In step 282, the PHY 196 of the UE 205 may provide the beam measurements to the MAC 195 of the UE 205. In step 283, the PHY 197 of the NW node 190 may provide the beam measurements to the MAC 198 of the NW node 190. In step 284, the MAC 195 of the UE 205 may obtain the NR beam measurement report from the peer MAC 198 of the NW node 190. In step 285, the UE 205 performs beam evaluation and decision. As disclosed herein, the beam evaluation and decision may provide a ranking of beam measurements, a comparison with a threshold, one or more of the events in Table 4, etc. to determine which beams should be used for communication. In step 286, an NR beam add or release command is sent from the MAC 195 of the UE 205 to the peer MAC 198 in the NW node 190. The NR beam add or release command may be sent using a random access channel, a grant-free channel, or any other channel that provides communication between the UE and the NW node.

[0182] Fig.24An exemplary method associated with (NW controlled) NR beam configuration as discussed below is illustrated. NR beam configuration will typically be after the NR beam training, NR beam alignment, or NR beam tracking process of step 291 is completed. The determination of the beam configuration (e.g., step 295) can be based on UE 205 measurements or NW 190 measurements obtained by these processes. In addition, other inputs (such as TRP load, traffic distribution, transmission resources, hardware resources, or operator-defined policies) can be considered. In step 292, the PHY 196 of the UE 205 can provide beam measurements to the MAC 195 of the UE 205. In step 293, the PHY 197 of the NW node 190 can provide beam measurements to the MAC 198 of the NW node 190. In step 294, the MAC 198 of the NW node 190 can obtain NR beam measurement reports from the peer MAC 195 of the UE 205. In step 295, the NW node 190 performs beam evaluation and decision making. The beam evaluation and decision is performed by the NW node 190. As disclosed herein, the beam evaluation and decision may provide a ranking of beam measurements, a comparison with a threshold, one or more of the events in Table 4, etc., to determine which beams should be used for communication. At step 296, an NR beam add or release command is sent from the MAC 198 of the NW node 190 to the peer MAC 195 in the UE 205. The NR beam add or release command may be sent using a random access channel, a grant-free channel, or any other channel that provides communication between the UE and the NW node.

[0183] Example signaling for initial access in an NR beam-centric network is Fig.25 and Fig.26 Shown in. Fig.25 The signaling illustrated in the example is for initial access controlled by the UE, and Fig.26 The signaling in is used for initial access of NW control.

[0184] Fig.25 An exemplary method associated with (UE controlled) NR initial access as discussed below is illustrated. In step 301, MAC 195 sends an NR beam training command to MAC 198. Initial access begins with sending the NR beam training command from the MAC entity of the UE to the peer MAC entity in the NW node. The NR beam training command may be sent using a random access channel, a grant-free channel, or any other channel that provides communication between the UE and the NW node.

[0185] At step 302, there is NR beam training between the NW node 190 and the UE 205 (e.g., Fig. 20). In step 303, the PHY 196 of the UE 205 may provide the beam measurements to the MAC 195 of the UE 205. In step 304, the PHY 197 of the NW node 190 may provide the beam measurements to the MAC 198 of the NW node 190. During or after beam training, the PHY layer of each node may provide the beam measurements to their respective MAC layers. In step 305, the UE 205 performs beam evaluation and decision making. The UE evaluates the beam measurements resulting from the beam training and may perform beam alignment if necessary (e.g., a threshold measurement is reached). In step 306, the MAC 198 of the NW node 190 obtains an NR beam alignment command from the MAC 195 of the UE 205. In step 307, there is NR beam alignment between the NW node 190 and the UE 205 (e.g., Fig.21 ). In step 308, the PHY 196 of the UE 205 may provide the beam measurements to the MAC 195 of the UE 205. In step 309, the PHY 197 of the NW node 190 may provide the beam measurements to the MAC 198 of the NW node 190. During or after beam alignment, the PHY layer of each node may provide the beam measurements to their respective MAC layers. In step 310, the UE 205 may obtain a beam measurement report from the NW node 190 based on the beam measurements of step 309. In step 311, the UE 205 performs beam evaluation and decision making. The UE 205 may evaluate the beam measurements obtained by the beam training and beam alignment processes and perform NR beam configuration (e.g., Fig.23 ).

[0186] Continue to refer to Fig.25 In step 312, the MAC 198 of the NW node 190 may obtain an NR beam add or release command from the MAC 195 of the UE 205. In step 313, the MAC 198 of the NW node 190 may obtain an NR beam tracking command from the MAC 195 of the UE 205. In step 314, there may be NR beam tracking between the UE 205 and the NW node 190 (e.g., Fig. 22 ). In step 315, the PHY 196 of the UE 205 may provide the beam measurement to the MAC 195 of the UE 205. In step 316, the PHY 197 of the NW node 190 may provide the beam measurement to the MAC 198 of the NW node 190. In step 317, the UE 205 may obtain a beam measurement report from the NW node 190 based on the beam measurement of step 316.

[0187] Fig.26The illustration illustrates an exemplary method associated with NW controlled initial access as discussed below. At step 321, MAC 195 sends an NR beam training command to MAC 198. Initial access begins with sending the NR beam training command from the MAC entity of the UE to the peer MAC entity in the NW node. The NR beam training command can be sent using a random access channel, a grant-free channel, or any other channel that provides communication between the UE 205 and the NW node 190.

[0188] At step 322, there is NR beam training between the NW node 190 and the UE 205 (e.g., Fig. 20 ). In step 323, the PHY 196 of the UE 205 may provide the beam measurements to the MAC 195 of the UE 205. In step 324, the PHY 197 of the NW node 190 may provide the beam measurements to the MAC 198 of the NW node 190. During or after beam training, the PHY layer of each node may provide the beam measurements to their respective MAC layers. In step 325, the NW node 190 performs beam evaluation and decision making. The NW node 190 evaluates the beam measurements obtained by the beam training and may perform beam alignment, if necessary. In step 326, the MAC 198 of the NW node 190 obtains the NR beam alignment command from the MAC 198 of the NW node 190. In step 327, there is NR beam alignment between the NW node 190 and the UE 205 (e.g., Fig.21 ). In step 328, the PHY 196 of the UE 205 may provide the beam measurements to the MAC 195 of the UE 205. In step 329, the PHY 197 of the NW node 190 may provide the beam measurements to the MAC 198 of the NW node 190. During or after beam alignment, the PHY layer of each node may provide the beam measurements to their respective MAC layers. In step 330, the UE 205 may send a beam measurement report to the NW node 190 based on the beam measurements of step 328. In step 311, the NW node 190 performs beam evaluation and decision making. The NW node 190 may evaluate the beam measurements obtained by the beam training and beam alignment processes, and perform NR beam configuration (e.g., Fig.23 ).

[0189] Continue to refer to Fig.25 In step 332, the MAC 198 of the NW node 190 may send an NR beam add or release command to the MAC 195 of the UE 205. In step 333, the MAC 198 of the NW node 190 may send an NR beam tracking command to the MAC 195 of the UE 205. In step 334, there may be NR beam tracking between the UE 205 and the NW node 190 (e.g., Fig. 22 ). In step 335, the PHY 196 of the UE 205 may provide the beam measurement to the MAC 195 of the UE 205. In step 336, the PHY 197 of the NW node 190 may provide the beam measurement to the MAC 198 of the NW node 190. In step 337, the UE 205 may send an NR beam measurement report to the NW node 190 based on the beam measurement of step 335.

[0190] Example signaling for mobility management in NR beam-centric networks Fig. 27 and Fig.28 Shown in. Fig. 27 The signaling illustrated in the example is for mobility management controlled by UE, and Fig.28 The signaling in is used for NW controlled mobility.

[0191] Fig. 27 An exemplary method associated with (UE-controlled) NR mobility management as discussed below is illustrated. After establishing a connection with the NW node 190 (step 341), the UE 205 may evaluate the beam measurements provided by the PHY layer (e.g., step 342) in step 345. Beam measurements (steps 343 and 344) that may be provided by a peer MAC entity (e.g., MAC 198 of the NW node 190) may also be evaluated. If not already running, the UE 205 may trigger the start of the NR beam tracking process (step 347) by sending an NR beam tracking command to the peer MAC 198 of the NW node 190 (step 346). The reasons for triggering the start of the NR beam tracking process may include, but are not limited to, the following: 1) one or more service beams no longer meet the service beam criteria; or 2) a change in the UE mobility state, such as a transition from a normal-mobility state to a medium-mobility or high-mobility state as specified in 3GPP TS 36.304. If the service criteria are again met, the UE 205 may disable beam tracking for one or more beams. Alternatively, beam tracking may continue to be performed periodically.

[0192] Continue to refer to Fig. 27, if the criteria for one or more serving beams are not met within a given amount of time, the UE 205 may update the beam configuration, for example, by adding or releasing one or more serving beams (step 349). The added (one or more) beams may be selected from a list of candidate beams. The released (one or more) beams may be beams whose NR-RSRP is below a configured threshold. If there are no candidate beams to be added, the UE 205 may trigger the start of an NR beam training process (steps 350 and 351) to discover additional beams. In step 352, the UE 205 may perform another beam evaluation and make a decision. The decision may include the UE 205 triggering the start of an NR beam alignment process to align the newly discovered beams (steps 353 and 354). The UE 205 may evaluate the newly discovered beams to determine whether any of them meet the serving beam criteria and can be considered as candidate beams (step 355). The UE 205 may then trigger one or more of the candidate beams to be configured as serving beams in step 356.

[0193] Fig.28 An exemplary method associated with (NW-controlled) NR mobility management as discussed below is illustrated. After UE 205 establishes a connection with NW node 190 (in step 361), NW node 190 evaluates the beam measurements provided by the PHY layer (steps 362, 363, 364, and 365). The beam measurements provided by the peer MAC 195 of UE 205 may also be evaluated. If not already running, NW node 190 may trigger the start of the NR beam tracking process (step 367) by sending an NR beam tracking command to the peer MAC 195 of UE 205 (step 366). The reasons for triggering the start of the NR beam tracking process may include, but are not limited to, the following: 1) one or more service beams no longer meet the service beam criteria; or 2) a change in the UE mobility state, such as a transition from a normal-mobility state to a medium-mobility or high-mobility state as specified in 3GPP TS 36.304. If the service criteria are again met, the NW node 190 may disable beam tracking for one or more beams (step 368). Alternatively, beam tracking may continue to be performed periodically.

[0194] Continue to refer to Fig.28, if the criteria for one or more service beams are not met within a given amount of time, the NW node 190 may update the beam configuration by adding or releasing one or more service beams (step 369). The added (one or more) beams may be selected from a list of candidate beams. The released (one or more) beams may be beams whose NR-RSRP is below a configured threshold. If there are no candidate beams to be added, the NW node 190 may trigger the start of the NR beam training process (steps 370 and 371) to discover additional beams. Based on the evaluation and decision of step 372, the NW node 190 may trigger the start of the NR beam alignment process (steps 373 and 374) to align the newly discovered beams. In step 375, the NW node 190 evaluates the newly discovered beams to determine whether any of them meets the service beam criteria and can be considered as candidate beams. The NW node 190 may then trigger one or more of the candidate beams to be configured as service beams, such as step 376 including NR beam addition or release.

[0195] It is contemplated herein that there may be periodic communication of measurements throughout a wireless communication session. Measurements reaching a certain threshold may trigger any of the NR beam management processes, which may include, among others, NR beam training, NR beam alignment, NR beam tracking, or NR beam configuration.

[0196] Fig.30 An exemplary display (e.g., a graphical user interface) that can be generated based on the methods and systems discussed herein is illustrated. A display interface 901 (e.g., a touch screen display) can provide text associated with beam management in box 902, such as the parameters of Tables 4 to 6. In another example, the progress of any of the steps discussed herein (e.g., a message sent or the success of a step) can be displayed in box 902. In addition, a graphical output 903 can be displayed on the display interface 901. The graphical output 903 can be a topology of the devices in the cluster, a graphical output of the progress of any method or system discussed herein, etc.

[0197] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) develops technical standards for cellular telecommunication network technologies, including radio access, core transport networks, and service capabilities, including work on codecs, security, and quality of service. Recent radio access technology (RAT) standards include WCDMA (often referred to as 3G), LTE (often referred to as 4G), and LTE-Advanced standards. 3GPP has begun work on the standardization of the next generation cellular technology known as New Radio (NR), also known as "5G". 3GPP NR standards development is expected to include the definition of the next generation radio access technology (new RAT), which is expected to include the provision of new flexible radio access below 6 GHz and the provision of new ultra-mobile broadband radio access above 6 GHz. Flexible radio access is expected to consist of a new non-backward compatible radio access in a new spectrum below 6 GHz, and is expected to include different operating modes that can be multiplexed together in the same spectrum to address a wide set of 3GPP NR use cases with different requirements. Ultra Mobile Broadband is expected to include both cmWave and mmWave spectrum, which will provide opportunities for ultra mobile broadband access for, for example, indoor applications and hotspots. Specifically, ultra mobile broadband is expected to share a common design framework with sub-6 GHz flexible radio access, with cmWave and mmWave specific design optimizations.

[0198] 3GPP has identified a variety of use cases that NR is expected to support, resulting in a wide variety of user experience requirements for data rates, latency, and mobility. Use cases include the following general categories: enhanced mobile broadband (e.g., broadband access in dense areas, ultra-high broadband access indoors, broadband access in crowds, 50+Mbps everywhere, ultra-low-cost broadband access, mobile broadband in vehicles), critical communications, massive machine-type communications, network operations (e.g., network slicing, routing, migration and interworking, energy saving), and enhanced vehicle-to-everything (eV2X) communications. Specific services and applications in these categories include, for example, surveillance and sensor networks, device remote control, two-way remote control, personal cloud computing, video streaming, wireless cloud-based offices, first responder connectivity, car emergency calls, disaster warnings, real-time gaming, multi-person video calls, autonomous driving, augmented reality, tactile Internet, and virtual reality, to name a few. All of these use cases and others are contemplated herein.

[0199] Fig.29AAn example communication system 100 is illustrated in which the methods and apparatus described and claimed herein may be used. As shown, the example communication system 100 may include a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) 102a, 102b, 102c, or 102d (which may be collectively or generally referred to as WTRU 102), a radio access network (RAN) 103 / 104 / 105 / 103b / 104b / 105b, a core network 106 / 107 / 109, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112, but it will be appreciated that the subject matter disclosed herein is an example of any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, or network elements. The WTRU 102 may be coupled to any of the networks discussed herein (e.g., Figure 20-Figure 28 Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, 102e may be any type of device or apparatus configured to operate or communicate in a wireless environment. Figures 29A-29E , but it is understood that, for the wide variety of use cases envisioned for 5G wireless communications, each WTRU may include or may be any type of device or apparatus configured to send or receive wireless signals, including, by way of example only, a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, a laptop, a tablet, a netbook, a notebook computer, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a consumer electronics product, a wearable device (such as a smart watch or smart clothing), a medical or e-health device, a robot, an industrial equipment, a drone, a vehicle (such as a car, truck, train or airplane), etc.

[0200] The communication system 100 may also include a base station 114a and a base station 114b. The base station 114a may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the core network 106 / 107 / 109, the Internet 110, or other networks 112. The base station 114b may be any type of device configured to wiredly or wirelessly interface with at least one of the RRHs (remote radio heads) 118a, 118b and / or TRPs (transmit and receive points) 119a, 119b to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the core network 106 / 107 / 109, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. The RRHs 118a, 118b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102c to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the core network 106 / 107 / 109, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. The TRPs 119a, 119b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the core network 106 / 107 / 109, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be base transceiver stations (BTSs), Node Bs, eNode Bs, Home Node Bs, Home eNode Bs, site controllers, access points (APs), wireless routers, and the like. While the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations or network elements.

[0201] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 103 / 104 / 105, which may also include other base stations or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), a relay node, etc. The base station 114b may be part of the RAN 103b / 104b / 105b, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), a relay node, etc. The base station 114a may be configured to send and / or receive wireless signals in a specific geographic area, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). The base station 114b may be configured to send and / or receive wired and / or wireless signals in a specific geographic area, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). The cell may be further divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in an example, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, for example, one transceiver for each sector of the cell. In an example, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology and, therefore, may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell.

[0202] The base station 114a may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over an air interface 115 / 116 / 117, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, cmWave, mmWave, etc.). The air interface 115 / 116 / 117 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0203] The base station 114b can communicate with one or more of the RRHs 118a, 118b and / or TRPs 119a, 119b via a wired interface or air interface 115b / 116b / 117b, which can be any suitable wired communication link (e.g., cable, optical fiber, etc.) or wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, cmWave, mmWave, etc.). The air interface 115b / 116b / 117b can be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0204] The RRHs 118a, 118b and / or the TRPs 119a, 119b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102c, 102d via the air interface 115c / 116c / 117c, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, cmWave, mmWave, etc.). The air interface 115c / 116c / 117c may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0205] More specifically, as noted above, the communication system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, etc. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 103 / 104 / 105 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, or the RRHs 118a, 118b and TRPs 119a, 119b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d in the RAN 103b / 104b / 105b, may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) which may establish the air interface 115 / 116 / 117 or 115c / 116c / 117c, respectively, using Wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA) or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) or High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0206] In an example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, or the RRHs 118a, 118b and TRPs 119a, 119b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d in the RAN 103b / 104b / 105b, may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) which may establish air interfaces 115 / 116 / 117 or 115c / 116c / 117c using Long Term Evolution (LTE) or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), respectively. In the future, the air interfaces 115 / 116 / 117 may implement 3GPP NR technology.

[0207] In an example, the base station 114a in the RAN 103 / 104 / 105 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, or the RRHs 118a, 118b and TRPs 119a, 119b and WTRUs 102c, 102d in the RAN 103b / 104b / 105b, may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.16 (e.g., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), GSM Enhanced Data rates for Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), etc.

[0208] Fig.29A The base station 114c in the example may be, for example, a wireless router, a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, or an access point, and may implement the beam management methods and systems disclosed herein using any suitable RAT for facilitating wireless connectivity in a local area (such as a place of business, a home, a vehicle, a campus, etc.). In an example, the base station 114c and the WTRU 102e may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an example, the base station 114c and the WTRU 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In another example, the base station 114c and the WTRU 102d may establish a microcell or a femtocell using a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, etc.). Fig.29A As shown, the base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Therefore, the base station 114c may not need to access the Internet 110 via the core network 106 / 107 / 109.

[0209] The RAN 103 / 104 / 105 or the RAN 103b / 104b / 105b may be in communication with a core network 106 / 107 / 109, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. For example, the core network 106 / 107 / 109 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, pre-paid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., or perform high-level security functions, such as user authentication.

[0210] Despite Fig.29A Not shown, but it will be appreciated that the RAN 103 / 104 / 105 or RAN 103b / 104b / 105b or the core network 106 / 107 / 109 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 103 / 104 / 105 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 103 / 104 / 105 or RAN 103b / 104b / 105b, which may be utilizing E-UTRA radio technology, the core network 106 / 107 / 109 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) employing a GSM radio technology.

[0211] The core network 106 / 107 / 109 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, 102e to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, or other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include a circuit-switched telephone network that provides plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and the Internet Protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP Internet protocol stack. The networks 112 may include wired or wireless communication networks owned or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another core network connected to one or more RANs, which may use the same RAT or a different RAT as the RAN 103 / 104 / 105 or the RAN 103b / 104b / 105b.

[0212] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communication system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities, for example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, and 102e may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks via different wireless links for implementing the beam management methods and systems disclosed herein. Fig.29A The illustrated WTRU 102e may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114c, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0213] Fig.29B 1 is a block diagram of an example device or apparatus, such as, for example, a WTRU 102 (eg, UE 205), configured for wireless communication in accordance with implementing the beam management methods and systems disclosed herein. Fig.29BAs shown, the example WTRU 102 may include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad / indicator 128, a non-removable memory 130, a removable memory 132, a power supply 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and other peripherals 138. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with the example. In addition, the base stations 114a and 114b or the nodes that the base stations 114a and 114b may represent (such as, but not limited to, a transceiver station (BTS), a Node B, a site controller, an access point (AP), a Home Node B, an evolved Home Node B (eNodeB), a Home evolved Node B (HeNB), a Home evolved Node B gateway, and a proxy node, among others) may include Fig.29B Some or all of the elements depicted in and may be exemplary implementations of the disclosed methods and systems for performing beam management as disclosed herein.

[0214] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) circuit, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, etc. The processor 118 may perform signal decoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. Although Fig.29B The processor 118 and the transceiver 120 are depicted as separate components, but it will be appreciated that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0215] The transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit signals to or receive signals from a base station (e.g., base station 114a) via the air interface 115 / 116 / 117. For example, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit or receive RF signals. Fig.29ANot shown, it will be appreciated that the RAN 103 / 104 / 105 or the core network 106 / 107 / 109 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT or a different RAT as the RAN 103 / 104 / 105. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 103 / 104 / 105, which may be utilizing an E-UTRA radio technology, the core network 106 / 107 / 109 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) that employs a GSM radio technology.

[0216] The core network 106 / 107 / 109 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, or other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include a circuit-switched telephone network that provides plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and the Internet Protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP Internet protocol stack. The networks 112 may include wired or wireless communication networks owned or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another core network connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 103 / 104 / 105 or a different RAT.

[0217] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communication system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities, e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks via different wireless links. Fig.29A The illustrated WTRU 102c may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0218] Fig.29B 1 is a block diagram of an example device or apparatus (such as, for example, WTRU 102) configured for wireless communication according to the examples illustrated herein. Fig.29BAs shown, the example WTRU 102 may include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad / indicator 128, a non-removable memory 130, a removable memory 132, a power supply 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and other peripherals 138. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with the example. In addition, it is contemplated herein by way of example that the base stations 114a and 114b or the nodes that the base stations 114a and 114b may represent (such as, but not limited to, a transceiver station (BTS), a Node B, a site controller, an access point (AP), a Home Node B, an evolved Home Node B (eNodeB), a Home evolved Node B (HeNB), a Home evolved Node B gateway, and a proxy node, among others) may include Fig.29B Some or all of the elements depicted in and described herein.

[0219] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) circuit, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, etc. The processor 118 may perform signal decoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. Although Fig.29B The processor 118 and the transceiver 120 are depicted as separate components, but it will be appreciated that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0220] The send / receive element 122 can be configured to send a signal to a base station (e.g., base station 114a) or receive a signal from a base station (e.g., base station 114a) via an air interface 115 / 116 / 117. For example, the send / receive element 122 can be an antenna configured to send or receive an RF signal. In an example, the send / receive element 122 can be a transmitter / detector configured to send or receive, for example, an IR signal, a UV signal, or a visible light signal. In another example, the send / receive element 122 can be configured to send and receive both an RF signal and an optical signal. It will be appreciated that the send / receive element 122 can be configured to send or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0221] In addition, although the transmit / receive element 122 is Fig.29BAlthough depicted as a single element in the example, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in an example, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 115 / 116 / 117.

[0222] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate signals to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate signals received by the transmit / receive element 122. As noted above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as, for example, UTRA and IEEE 802.11.

[0223] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, or a display / touchpad / indicator 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display unit), and may receive user input data from them. The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, or the display / touchpad / indicator 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in any type of suitable memory, such as a non-removable memory 130 and / or a removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, etc. In an example, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in a memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown). The processor 118 may be configured to control a lighting pattern, image, or color on the display or indicator 128 in response to whether the setting of some of the beam management processes in some of the examples described herein is successful or unsuccessful, or otherwise indicate the status of beam management and associated components. Controlling the lighting pattern, image, or color on the display or indicator 128 may reflect the settings in the drawings described herein (e.g., Figure 20-Figure 28The state of any one of the method flows or components illustrated or discussed in the examples or descriptions of the present invention or the like. Messages and processes for beam management are disclosed herein. The messages and processes may be extended to provide an interface / API that enables a user to request resource-related resources via an input source (e.g., speaker / microphone 124, keypad 126, or display / touchpad / indicator 128), and to request, configure, or query beam management-related information and other information that may be displayed on the display 128.

[0224] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134 and may be configured to distribute the power to or control the power provided to other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries, solar cells, fuel cells, etc.

[0225] The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to or in lieu of the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information over the air interface 115 / 116 / 117 from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b), or determine its location based on the timing of signals received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that, while remaining consistent with the example, the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by any suitable location-determination method.

[0226] The processor 118 may be further coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality, or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include various sensors, such as an accelerometer, a biometric (e.g., fingerprint) sensor, an electronic compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photos or videos), a universal serial bus (USB) port or other interconnect device, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands-free headset, modules, frequency modulation (FM) radio units, digital music players, media players, video game player modules, internet browsers, etc.

[0227] As disclosed, the WTRU 102 may be other devices or apparatuses, such as sensors, consumer electronics, wearable devices (such as smart watches or smart clothing), medical or e-health devices, robots, industrial equipment, drones, vehicles (such as cars, trucks, trains, or airplanes). The WTRU 102 may be connected to other components, modules, or systems of such devices or apparatuses via one or more interconnect interfaces (such as an interconnect interface that may include one of the peripherals 138).

[0228] Fig.29C 1 is a system diagram of the RAN 103 and the core network 106 according to beam management as discussed herein. As noted above, the RAN 103 may employ UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c over the air interface 115. The RAN 103 may also communicate with the core network 106. Fig.29C As shown, the RAN 103 may include Node-Bs 140a, 140b, 140c, which may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 115. The Node-Bs 140a, 140b, 140c may each be associated with a particular cell (not shown) within the RAN 103. The RAN 103 may also include RNCs 142a, 142b. It will be appreciated that the RAN 103 may include any number of Node-Bs and RNCs while remaining consistent with the example.

[0229] like Fig.29C As shown, Node B 140a, 140b can communicate with RNC 142a. In addition, Node B 140c can communicate with RNC 142b. Node B 140a, 140b, 140c can communicate with corresponding RNC 142a, 142b via Iub interface. RNC142a, 142b can communicate with each other via Iur interface. Each of RNC 142a, 142b can be configured to control the corresponding Node B 140a, 140b, 140c to which it is connected. In addition, each of RNC 142a, 142b can be configured to perform or support other functions, such as outer loop power control, load control, admission control, packet scheduling, handover control, macro diversity, security functions, data encryption, etc.

[0230] Fig.29CThe illustrated core network 106 may include a media gateway (MGW) 144, a mobile switching center (MSC) 146, a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) 148, or a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) 150. While each of the foregoing elements is depicted as part of the core network 106, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned or operated by an entity other than the core network operator.

[0231] The RNC 142a in the RAN 103 may be connected to the MSC 146 in the core network 106 via an IuCS interface. The MSC 146 may be connected to the MGW 144. The MSC 146 and the MGW 144 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices.

[0232] The RNC 142a in the RAN 103 may also be connected to the SGSN 148 in the core network 106 via an IuPS interface. The SGSN 148 may be connected to the GGSN 150. The SGSN 148 and the GGSN 150 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0233] As noted above, core network 106 may also be connected to networks 112, which may include other wired or wireless networks owned or operated by other service providers.

[0234] Fig.29D 1 is a system diagram of the RAN 104 and the core network 107 according to beam management as discussed herein. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the core network 107.

[0235] The RAN 104 may include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with the example. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In an example, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, for example, the eNode-B 160a may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a.

[0236] Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, and user scheduling in the uplink or downlink. Fig.29D As shown, eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c may communicate with each other via an X2 interface.

[0237] Fig.29D The illustrated core network 107 may include a mobility management gateway (MME) 162, a serving gateway 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway 166. While each of the foregoing elements is depicted as being part of the core network 107, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned or operated by an entity other than the core network operator.

[0238] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like. The MME 162 may also provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM or WCDMA.

[0239] The serving gateway 164 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface. The serving gateway 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to and from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The serving gateway 164 may also perform other functions, such as anchoring the user plane during inter-eNode B handovers, triggering paging when downlink data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing the context of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.

[0240] The serving gateway 164 may also be connected to the PDN gateway 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0241] The core network 107 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the core network 107 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the core network 107 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the core network 107 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the core network 107 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the networks 112, which may include other wired networks or wireless networks owned or operated by other service providers.

[0242] Fig.29E 1 is a system diagram of the RAN 105 and the core network 109 that may be associated with beam management as discussed herein. The RAN 105 may be an access service network (ASN) that employs IEEE 802.16 radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c over the air interface 117. As will be discussed further below, the communication links between the core network 109 and the different functional entities of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, the RAN 105 may be defined as reference points.

[0243] like Fig.29EAs shown, the RAN 105 may include base stations 180a, 180b, 180c and an ASN gateway 182, but it will be appreciated that the RAN 105 may include any number of base stations and ASN gateways while remaining consistent with the example. The base stations 180a, 180b, 180c may each be associated with a particular cell in the RAN 105 and may include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 117. In an example, the base stations 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, for example, the base station 180a may use multiple antennas to send wireless signals to the WTRU 102a and receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a. The base stations 180a, 180b, 180c may also provide mobility management functions, such as handover triggering, tunnel establishment, radio resource management, traffic classification, quality of service (QoS) policy enforcement, and the like. The ASN gateway 182 may serve as a traffic aggregation point and may be responsible for paging, caching of subscriber profiles, routing to the core network 109, etc.

[0244] The air interface 117 between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and the RAN 105 may be defined as an R1 reference point that implements the IEEE 802.16 specification. In addition, each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may establish a logical interface (not shown) with the core network 109. The logical interface between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and the core network 109 may be defined as an R2 reference point, which may be used for authentication, authorization, IP hosting configuration management, or mobility management.

[0245] The communication link between each of the base stations 180a, 180b, and 180c may be defined as an R8 reference point, which includes protocols for facilitating WTRU handovers and data transfers between these stations. The communication link between the base stations 180a, 180b, and 180c and the ASN gateway 182 may be defined as an R6 reference point. The R6 reference point may include protocols for facilitating mobility management based on mobility events associated with each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0246] like Fig.29EAs shown, the RAN 105 may be connected to a core network 109. The communication link between the RAN 105 and the core network 109 may be defined as an R3 reference point, which includes, for example, protocols for facilitating data transfer and mobility management capabilities. The core network 109 may include a mobile IP home agent (MIP-HA) 184, an authentication, authorization, accounting (AAA) server 186, and a gateway 188. While each of the foregoing elements is depicted as part of the core network 109, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned or operated by an entity other than the core network operator.

[0247] The MIP-HA may be responsible for IP address management and may enable the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c to roam between different ASNs or different core networks. The MIP-HA 184 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks (such as the Internet 110) to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The AAA server 186 may be responsible for user authentication and supporting user services. The gateway 188 may facilitate interworking with other networks. For example, the gateway 188 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks (such as the PSTN 108) to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional landline communication devices. In addition, the gateway 188 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the networks 112, which may include other wired networks or wireless networks owned or operated by other service providers.

[0248] Despite Fig.29E Not shown, but it will be appreciated that the RAN 105 may be connected to other ASNs and the core network 109 may be connected to other core networks. The communication link between the RAN 105 and the other ASNs may be defined as an R4 reference point, which may include protocols for coordinating the mobility of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c between the RAN 105 and the other ASNs. The communication link between the core network 109 and the other core networks may be defined as an R5 reference, which may include protocols for facilitating interworking between a home core network and a visited core network.

[0249] Described herein and Fig.29A , 29CThe core network entities illustrated in 29D and 29E are identified by the names given to these entities in certain existing 3GPP specifications, but it is understood that in the future, these entities and functions may be identified by other names, and that certain entities or functions may be combined in future specifications published by 3GPP (including future 3GPP NR specifications). Fig.29A , 29B The specific network entities and functions described and illustrated in 29C, 29D and 29E are provided as examples only, and it is to be understood that the subject matter disclosed and claimed herein may be implemented in any similar communication system, whether currently defined or defined in the future. Figures 29A-29E The nodes in the network (e.g., Node B 140a, eNode-B 160a, base station 180b) may communicate with Figure 20-Figure 28 is associated with the NW nodes discussed in .

[0250] Fig.29F is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system 90 in which: Fig.29A , 29C , 29D and 29E, one or more devices of the communication network illustrated in the examples may be used in certain nodes or functional entities in, for example, RAN 103 / 104 / 105, core network 106 / 107 / 109, PSTN 108, Internet 110 or other networks 112. The computing system 90 may include a computer or server and may be primarily controlled by computer-readable instructions that may be in the form of software, wherever such software is stored or accessed, or by whatever means. Such computer-readable instructions may be executed within a processor 91 to enable the computing system 90 to do work. The processor 91 may be a general-purpose processor, a special-purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) circuit, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, etc. The processor 91 may perform signal decoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other function that enables the computing system 90 to operate in a communication network. The coprocessor 81 is an optional processor different from the main CPU 91 that can perform additional functions or assist the CPU 91. The processor 91 or the coprocessor 81 can receive, generate and process data related to the disclosed method and apparatus for beam management.

[0251] In operation, the processor 91 fetches, decodes and executes instructions, and transfers information back and forth with other resources via the computer system's primary data transfer path, the system bus 80. Such a system bus connects the components in the computing system 90 and defines the medium for data exchange. The system bus 80 typically includes data lines for sending data, address lines for sending addresses, and control lines for sending interrupts and for operating the system bus. An example of such a system bus 80 is a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus.

[0252] The memory coupled to the system bus 80 includes a random access memory (RAM) 82 and a read-only memory (ROM) 93. Such memory includes circuits that allow information to be stored and retrieved. ROM 93 generally contains stored data that cannot be easily modified. The data stored in RAM 82 can be read or changed by CPU 91 or other hardware devices. Access to RAM 82 or ROM 93 can be controlled by a memory controller 92. The memory controller 92 can provide an address conversion function that converts a virtual address into a physical address when an instruction is executed. The memory controller 92 can also provide a memory protection function that isolates processes within the system and isolates system processes from user processes. Therefore, a program running in the first mode can only access memory mapped by the virtual address space of its own process; it cannot access memory within the virtual address space of another process unless memory sharing between processes has been set.

[0253] In addition, the computing system 90 may include a peripheral controller 83 , which is responsible for transmitting instructions from the processor 91 to peripherals, such as a printer 94 , a keyboard 84 , a mouse 95 , and a hard disk drive 85 .

[0254] The display 86 controlled by the display controller 96 is used to display the visual output generated by the computing system 90. Such visual output may include text, graphics, animated graphics, and video. The visual output may be provided in the form of a graphical user interface (GUI). The display 86 may be implemented with a CRT-based video display, an LCD-based flat panel display, a gas plasma-based flat panel display, or a touch panel. The display controller 96 includes the electronic components required to generate the video signal sent to the display 86.

[0255] In addition, the computing system 90 may include communication circuits, such as, for example, a network adapter 97, which may be used to connect the computing system 90 to an external communication network (e.g., Fig.29A , 29B, 29C, 29D and 29E RAN 103 / 104 / 105, core network 106 / 107 / 109, PSTN 108, Internet 110 or other network 112) to enable the computing system 90 to communicate with other nodes or functional entities of these networks. The communication circuit alone or in combination with the processor 91 can be used to perform the sending steps and receiving steps of certain devices, nodes or functional entities described herein.

[0256] It is understood that any or all of the devices, systems, methods, and processes described herein may be used in the form of computer executable instructions (e.g., program code) stored on a computer-readable storage medium, which, when executed by a processor (such as processor 118 or 91), causes the processor to perform or implement the systems, methods, and processes described herein. Specifically, any of the steps, operations, or functions described herein may be implemented in the form of such computer executable instructions executed on a processor of a device or computing system configured for wireless or wired network communications. Computer-readable storage media include volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media for storing information implemented by any non-temporary (e.g., tangible or physical) method or technology, but such computer-readable storage media do not include signals. Computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, tapes, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other tangible or physical medium that can be used to store the desired information and can be accessed by a computing system.

[0257] In describing the preferred methods, systems or apparatus of the subject matter of the present disclosure, beam management, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the claimed subject matter is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

[0258] The various techniques described herein may be implemented in conjunction with hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof where appropriate. Such hardware, firmware, and software may reside in devices located at various nodes of a communication network. The devices may operate alone or in combination with each other to implement the methods described herein. As used herein, the terms "device", "network device", "node", "apparatus", "network node", etc. may be used interchangeably. In addition, the use of the word "or" is generally used inclusively unless otherwise provided herein. The terms MAC layer, MAC entity, MAC, MAC sublayer, etc. are generally used interchangeably. A MAC entity may be considered as part of a device that performs a MAC function (i.e., an implementation of the MAC layer). In some cases, such as dual connectivity, there may be multiple MAC entities in a device. To simplify the disclosure, in general, the examples herein show that there is one MAC entity in a UE and another MAC entity in a gNB. When referring to MAC layer communications between a UE and a gNB, these are considered to be peer MAC entities. In addition, although "greater than" and "less than" thresholds are disclosed (e.g., Table 4), the terms within a threshold or reaching a threshold may be used to include the terms "greater than" and "less than".

[0259] This written description uses examples to disclose the present invention, including the best mode, and also enables those skilled in the art to implement the present invention, including making and using any device or system and performing any combined method. The patentable scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art (e.g., skipping steps, combining steps, or adding steps between the exemplary methods disclosed herein). If such other examples have structural elements that are not different from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements that are not substantially different from the literal language of the claims, they are intended to be within the scope of the claims.

[0260] Methods, systems, and devices, among others, as described herein may be associated with beam management (such as beam management with carrier aggregation). A method, system, computer-readable storage medium, or device has a medium access control (MAC) layer means including the following mapping: 1) mapping a first transport block to a first scheduled service beam and mapping a second transport block to a second scheduled service beam. The device may be a user equipment (UE). The MAC layer may multiplex a first radio link control to a first transport block and multiplex a second link control to a second transport block. The mapping may be based on user equipment measurements. User equipment measurements may include reference signal received power, reference signal received quality, received signal strength indicator, NR-RSRP, or reference signal to noise and interference ratio. The mapping may be based on network node measurements. Network node measurements may include NR-RSRP for one or more beams. The first scheduled service beam may be mapped to a first hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) and the second scheduled service beam may be mapped to a second HARQ. All combinations in this section (including removal or addition of steps) are contemplated in a manner consistent with other parts of the detailed description.

[0261] Methods, systems, and devices, among others, as described herein may be associated with beam management, such as beam management with carrier aggregation. A method, system, computer-readable storage medium, or device has a means of a medium access control (MAC) layer including mappings such that a first transport block is mapped to a first beam and a first component carrier of a first pair and a second transport block is mapped to a second beam and a second component carrier of a second pair. The first transport block may be mapped to a first transmission time interval (TTI) and the second transport block may be mapped to a second TTI. The first transport block may be mapped to a first hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) and the second transport block may be mapped to a second HARQ. The device may be a user equipment (UE). The MAC layer may perform logical channel prioritization and scheduling. The MAC layer may perform logical channel prioritization and scheduling based on a grant from a base station. The base station may be a gNB. New radio (NR) access technology may replace LTE or similar technology, and the new base station may be referred to as a gNB (or gNodeB) (e.g., an eNodeB that replaces LTE, etc.). The device may be a network node. All combinations in this paragraph (including removal or addition of steps) are contemplated in a manner consistent with the rest of the detailed description.

[0262] The methods, systems, and devices described herein, among others, may be associated with beam management, such as beam management with carrier aggregation. The method, system, computer-readable storage medium, or device has means including the steps of providing a beam training command and a beam index of a beam, and in response to providing the beam training command, receiving a beam training reference signal (BT-RS). The beam training reference signal may be associated with beam scanning. The beam training command may include an LCID value. The method, system, computer-readable storage medium, or device has means including performing measurements when a beam training reference signal is received. The measurement may be performed on the beam training reference signal. The measurement may include a reference signal received power, a reference signal received quality, a received signal strength indicator, an NR-RSRP, or a reference signal to noise and interference ratio. The beam index may be used by the MAC layer to look up the beam identity. The measurement may be sent to a peer MAC entity in a measurement report. The beam index may be used by the MAC layer to look up associated characteristics of the beam. The method, system, computer-readable storage medium, or device has means including displaying the beam training reference signal. The device may be a user equipment (UE). The method, system, computer-readable storage medium or device has means for performing the following steps: in response to receiving a beam training reference signal, performing measurements on the beam training reference signal; based on the measurements on the beam training reference signal and the traffic distribution of the wireless network, determining that a threshold measurement associated with one or more beams has been reached, wherein a first beam of the one or more beams is identified by a beam index; and based on the determination that the threshold measurement associated with the one or more beams has been reached, providing instructions for configuring the one or more beams, the instructions including a beam release command or a beam add command. The method, system, computer-readable storage medium or device has means for performing the following steps: in response to receiving a beam training reference signal, performing measurements on the beam training reference signal; based on the measurements on the beam training reference signal, determining that a threshold measurement associated with one or more beams has been reached, wherein a first beam of the one or more beams is identified by a beam index; and based on the determination that the threshold measurement associated with the one or more beams has been reached, providing instructions for reporting at least a first beam measurement (or other LCID) of the one or more beams to a peer medium access control layer. A first beam of the one or more beams may be identified by a beam index, and wherein the threshold measurement may be a number (e.g., amount) of serving beams. The threshold measurement may be a number of candidate beams. The reporting of at least a first beam measurement of the one or more beams to a peer medium access control layer may be within a medium access control layer control element. The medium access control layer control element may be identified by a MAC protocol data unit subheader with a logical channel identifier.The logical channel identifier may include a value corresponding to a beam measurement or beam training command, a beam alignment command, a beam tracking command, a beam add command, or a beam release command. All combinations in this paragraph (including removal or addition of steps) are contemplated in a manner consistent with other parts of the detailed description.

Claims

1. A device for wireless communication, the device comprising: processor; as well as A memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the following operations, the operations comprising: communicating with a user equipment via a first beam, the first beam being configured as a serving beam; sending a beam reference signal to a user equipment, where the beam reference signal is used for measuring a plurality of beams including a first beam and a second beam based on the beam reference signal, where the second beam is not configured as a serving beam; receiving feedback based on the measurements from a user equipment; sending a beam add / release command to a user equipment in a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE), the beam add / release command comprising a first field and a second field, wherein the first field indicates a beam identifier (ID), and the second field indicates addition or release of the beam; and Addition of one or more beams to the serving beam or release of one or more beams from the serving beam is controlled based on the beam add / release command.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: A report of the measurement is obtained from a user equipment.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The second beam is a candidate beam.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the operations further comprising: Based on the measurement reaching a threshold, a report of the measurement is obtained from the user equipment.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, the operations further comprising: Allocation is scheduled via the serving beam.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The measurement includes a reference signal received power.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The device is a base station.

8. A device for wireless communication, the device comprising: processor; as well as A memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the following operations, the operations comprising: communicating with a network node via a first beam, the first beam being configured as a serving beam; performing measurement on a plurality of beams including a first beam and a second beam based on the beam reference signal, the second beam not being configured as a serving beam; sending feedback based on measurements of the plurality of beams; receiving a beam add / release command in a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) from a network node, the beam add / release command comprising a first field and a second field, wherein the first field indicates a beam identifier (ID) and the second field indicates addition or release of the beam; and Addition of one or more beams to the serving beam or release of one or more beams from the serving beam is controlled based on the beam add / release command.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, the operations further comprising: The measurements are reported to a network node.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein: The second beam is a candidate beam.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, the operations further comprising: Based on the measurement reaching a threshold, the measurement is reported to a network node.

12. The device according to claim 8, wherein: The measurement includes a reference signal received power.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, the operations further comprising: Monitors the serving beam for scheduling assignments.

14. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein: The device is a user equipment (UE).

15. A computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform the following operations, the operations comprising: communicating with a network node via a first beam, the first beam being configured as a serving beam; performing measurement on a plurality of beams including a first beam and a second beam based on the beam reference signal, the second beam not being configured as a serving beam; sending feedback based on measurements of the plurality of beams; receiving a beam add / release command in a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) from a network node, the beam add / release command comprising a first field and a second field, wherein the first field indicates a beam identifier (ID) and the second field indicates addition or release of the beam; as well as Addition of one or more beams to the serving beam or release of one or more beams from the serving beam is controlled based on the beam add / release command.

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