Bandwidth section and transmission configuration indication switching in non-terrestrial networks

Abstract

A wireless device may establish communication with a network node and determine a relationship between a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) and a bandwidth part (BWP). The wireless device may then receive an indication of one of the TCI or the BWP from the network node and determine the other of the TCI or the BWP based on the indication and utilizing the relationship between the TCI and the BWP. Finally, the wireless device may perform downlink communication utilizing the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP. The network node may be included in a non-terrestrial network and may specify the relationship between the TCI and the BWP for the wireless device via RRC signaling. The indication of the TCI or the BWP may be provided by downlink control information (DCI), a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), an inactivity timer, or an RRC reconfiguration command.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to wireless devices, and more particularly to methods, apparatuses, and systems for wireless devices to communicate with non-terrestrial networks and perform bandwidth portion and transmission configuration indication switching. Background Art

[0002] The use of wireless communication systems is rapidly increasing. Wireless devices, particularly wireless user equipment (UE), have become widespread. Furthermore, a variety of applications (or apps) are hosted on user devices that perform or rely on wireless communication, such as applications that provide messaging, email, browsing, video streaming, short videos, voice streaming, real-time gaming, or various other online services.

[0003] Increased reliability in these communication systems is desirable. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of methods, apparatus, and systems for wireless devices to communicate with non-terrestrial networks and perform bandwidth portion and transmission configuration indication switching are presented herein.

[0005] The wireless device may establish communication with a network node and determine a relationship between a transmission configuration indication (TCI) and a bandwidth part (BWP). The wireless device may then receive an indication of one of the TCI or the BWP from the network node and determine the other of the TCI or the BWP based on the indication and utilizing the relationship between the TCI and the BWP. Finally, the wireless device may perform downlink communication utilizing the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP.

[0006] In some embodiments, the network node may be included in a non-terrestrial network and may further specify a relationship between the TCI and the BWP for the wireless device. Additionally or alternatively, the relationship between the TCI and the BWP for the wireless device may be specified by RRC signaling. In some embodiments, an indication of the TCI or BWP may be provided by downlink control information (DCI), a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), an inactivity timer, or an RRC reconfiguration command. In some embodiments, upon receiving an indication of TCI, the wireless device may be configured to determine the BWP based on the indication and the relationship between the TCI and the BWP. Conversely, upon receiving an indication of a BWP, the wireless device may be configured to determine the TCI based on the indication and the relationship between the BWP and the TCI.

[0007] In some embodiments, the non-transitory memory medium may include program instructions executable by the UE, which, when executed, cause the UE to perform at least some or all of the above operations. In some embodiments, the method performed by the UE may include the UE performing the above operations. In some embodiments, the method performed by the base station or network element may include the base station or network element performing the corresponding operations.

[0008] This summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subject matter described in this document. Therefore, it should be understood that the above-described features are merely examples and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, accompanying drawings, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] A better understanding of the embodiments disclosed herein may be obtained when the following detailed description is considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0010] Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication system according to some embodiments;

[0011] Figure 2 shows a base station (BS) in communication with a user equipment (UE) device according to some embodiments;

[0012] Figure 3 An exemplary block diagram illustrating a UE according to some embodiments is shown;

[0013] Figure 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a BS according to some embodiments;

[0014] Figure 5 NR beam management systems and non-terrestrial network beam management systems are shown according to some embodiments;

[0015] Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating an example process for BWP and TCI handover in a non-terrestrial network according to some embodiments;

[0016] Figure 7 and Figure 8 shows an example of BWP and TCI switching according to some embodiments;

[0017] Figure 9 shows an example of timer-based BWP and TCI switching according to some embodiments; and

[0018] While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. However, it should be understood that the drawings and detailed description thereof are not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Acronyms

[0020] The following acronyms are used in this patent application:

[0021] UE: User Equipment

[0022] BS: Base Station

[0023] ENB: eNodeB (base station)

[0024] LTE: Long Term Evolution

[0025] UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

[0026] RAT: Radio Access Technology

[0027] RAN: Radio Access Network

[0028] E-UTRAN: Evolved UMTS Terrestrial RAN

[0029] EPC: Evolved Packet Core

[0030] MME: Mobility Management Entity

[0031] RRC: Radio Resource Control

[0032] NTN: Non-Terrestrial Network

[0033] BWP: Bandwidth Part

[0034] TCI: Transmission Configuration Indicator

[0035] FDM: Frequency Division Multiplexing

[0036] SSB: Synchronous Signal Block

[0037] MAC: Media Access Control

[0038] CE: Control Element

[0039] DCI: Downlink Control Information

[0040] QCL: Quasi Co-sited

[0041] PDCCH: Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0042] PDSCH: Physical Downlink Shared Channel

[0043] DL: Downlink

[0044] RSRP: Reference Signal Received Power

[0045] L1: Layer 1

[0046] HARQ: Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request

[0047] NR: New Radio

[0048] the term

[0049] The following is a glossary of terms used in this patent application:

[0050] Memory Medium—Any of various types of memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include installation media, such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks 104, or tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory, such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory, such as flash memory, magnetic media, such as hard drives or optical storage devices; registers, or other similar types of memory elements; and the like. Memory media may also include other types of memory or a combination thereof. Furthermore, a memory medium may be located in a first computer executing a program, or in a second computer connected to the first computer via a network, such as the Internet. In the latter case, the second computer may provide the program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media that may reside in different locations, such as in different computers connected via a network.

[0051] Computer System—Any of various types of computing or processing systems, including a personal computer system (PC), mainframe computer system, workstation, network appliance, internet appliance, personal digital assistant (PDA), television system, grid computing system, or other device or combination of devices. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0052] User Equipment (UE) (or "UE device") - any of various types of computer systems or devices that are mobile or portable and that perform wireless communication. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhones, TM , based on Android TM phones), tablets (e.g., iPadTM 、Samsung Galaxy TM ), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS TM PlayStation Portable TM 、Gameboy Advance TM , iPhone TM ), wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart glasses), laptops, PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, cars and / or motor vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., drones), UAV controllers (UACs), etc. In general, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to cover any electronic device, computing device, and / or telecommunication device (or combination of devices) that is easily transportable by a user and capable of wireless communication.

[0053] Processing Element—refers to any element or combination of elements capable of performing a function in a device such as user equipment or a cellular network device. A processing element may include, for example, a processor and associated memory, portions or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, processor arrays, circuits such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), programmable hardware elements such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and any combination thereof.

[0054] Figure 1 and Figure 2 —Communications system

[0055] Figure 1 1 shows a simplified exemplary wireless communication system according to some embodiments. Note that Figure 1 The system is only one example of a possible system, and features of the present disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of systems as desired.

[0056] As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102 that communicates with one or more user devices 106A, 106B, etc., through 106N via a transmission medium. Each user device may be referred to herein as a "user equipment" (UE). Therefore, user device 106 is referred to as a UE or UE device.

[0057] Base station (BS) 102 may be a base transceiver station (BTS) or a cell site ("cellular base station") and may include hardware that enables wireless communications with UEs 106A through 106N.

[0058] The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a "cell". The base station 102 and the UE 106 may be configured to communicate over a transmission medium using any of a variety of radio access technologies (RATs), also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunication standards, such as GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 5G New Radio (5G-NR), 6G, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), and the like. Note that if the base station 102 is implemented in the context of LTE, it may alternatively be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB". Note that if the base station 102 is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternatively be referred to as a "gNodeB" or "gNB".

[0059] As shown, base station 102 may also be configured to communicate with network 100 (e.g., a core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunications network such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and / or the Internet, among other possibilities). Thus, base station 102 may facilitate communications between user devices and / or between user devices and network 100. In particular, cellular base station 102 may provide UE 106 with various telecommunications capabilities, such as voice, short message service (SMS), and / or data services.

[0060] Base station 102 and other similar base stations operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards may thus provide a network of cells that can provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping service to UEs 106A-106N and similar devices over a geographic area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0061] Thus, although base station 102 may function as Figure 1 106N, each UE 106 may also be capable of receiving signals from (and possibly within communication range of) one or more other cells (possibly provided by other base stations 102B-102N), which may be referred to as "neighboring cells." Such cells may also be capable of facilitating communications between user devices and / or between user devices and network 100. Such cells may include "macro" cells, "micro" cells, "pico" cells, and / or cells of any other variety of granularities providing service area sizes. Other configurations are also possible.

[0062] In some embodiments, base station 102 may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or "gNB." In some embodiments, a gNB may be connected to a legacy Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network and / or to a New Radio Communications Core (NRC) network. Furthermore, a gNB cell may include one or more Transition and Reception Points (TRPs). Furthermore, a UE capable of operating in accordance with 5G NR may connect to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0063] It is noted that the UE 106 is capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, in addition to at least one cellular communication protocol (e.g., GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-A, 5G-NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc.), the UE 106 can be configured to communicate using wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and / or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.). If desired, the UE 106 can also or alternatively be configured to communicate using one or more global navigation satellite systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcast standards (e.g., Advanced Television Systems Committee—Mobile / Handheld (ATSC-M / H)), and / or any other wireless communication protocols. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0064] Figure 2 A user equipment 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A-106N) is shown in accordance with some embodiments in communication with base station 102. UE 106 may be a device with cellular communication capabilities, such as a mobile phone, handheld device, computer or tablet, or virtually any type of wireless device.

[0065] The UE 106 may include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in a memory. The UE 106 may perform any of the method embodiments described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or in addition, the UE 106 may include a programmable hardware element, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) configured to perform any of the method embodiments described herein or any portion of any of the method embodiments described herein.

[0066] UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some embodiments, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using, for example, CDMA2000 (1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD) or LTE using a single shared radio and / or GSM or LTE using a single shared radio. The shared radio may be coupled to a single antenna, or may be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., for a multiple-input, multiple-output, or "multiple-input-multiple-output" (MIMO) antenna system) for performing wireless communications. Typically, the radio may include any combination of a baseband processor, analog RF signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio may implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains using the aforementioned hardware. For example, UE 106 may share one or more portions of a receive chain and / or transmit chain between multiple wireless communication technologies such as those discussed above.

[0067] In some embodiments, UE 106 may include any number of antennas and may be configured to use the antennas to transmit and / or receive directional wireless signals (e.g., beams). Similarly, BS 102 may also include any number of antennas and may be configured to use the antennas to transmit and / or receive directional wireless signals (e.g., beams). To receive and / or transmit such directional signals, the antennas of UE 106 and / or BS 102 may be configured to apply different "weights" to different antennas. The process of applying these different weights may be referred to as "precoding."

[0068] In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include a separate transmit chain and / or receive chain (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol configured to communicate. As another possibility, the UE 106 may include one or more radio components shared between multiple wireless communication protocols, and one or more radio components used exclusively by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, the UE 106 may include a shared radio component for communicating using either LTE or 5GNR (or LTE or 1xRTT, or LTE or GSM), and a separate radio component for communicating using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.

[0069] Figure 3 —UE block diagram

[0070] Figure 3 1 shows an exemplary simplified block diagram of a communication device 106 according to some embodiments. Note that Figure 3The block diagram of the communication device is only an example of a possible communication device. Depending on the embodiment, the communication device 106 can be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, notebook or portable computing device), a tablet computer and / or a combination of devices, in addition to other devices. As shown, the communication device 106 may include a group of components 300 configured to perform core functions. For example, the group of components can be implemented as a system on a chip (SOC), which may include parts for various purposes. Alternatively, the group of components 300 can be implemented as a separate component or group of components for various purposes. This group of components 300 can be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to various other circuits of the communication device 106.

[0071] For example, the communication device 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), input / output interfaces such as a connector I / F 320 (e.g., for connecting to a computer system; a docking station; a charging station; input devices such as a microphone, a camera, a keyboard; output devices such as a speaker; etc.), a display 360 that may be integrated with the communication device 106 or external to the communication device 106, and cellular communication circuitry 330 such as for 5G NR, LTE, GSM, etc., and short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 (e.g., Bluetooth TM and WLAN circuitry). In some embodiments, the communication device 106 may include wired communication circuitry (not shown), such as, for example, a network interface card for Ethernet.

[0072] Cellular communication circuitry 330 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as antennas 335 and 336, as shown. Short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may also be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as antennas 337 and 338, as shown. Alternatively, short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to antennas 335 and 336, in addition to or in lieu of being (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to antennas 337 and 338. Short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 and / or cellular communication circuitry 330 may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) configuration.

[0073] In some embodiments, as further described below, the cellular communication circuitry 330 can include dedicated receive chains (including and / or (e.g., communicatively, directly or indirectly) coupled to a dedicated processor and / or radio) for multiple RATs (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). Furthermore, in some embodiments, the cellular communication circuitry 330 can include a single transmit chain that can switch between radios dedicated to specific RATs. For example, a first radio can be dedicated to a first RAT, such as LTE, and can communicate with a dedicated receive chain as well as a transmit chain shared with an additional radio, such as a second radio that can be dedicated to a second RAT (e.g., 5G NR) and can communicate with both the dedicated receive chain and the shared transmit chain.

[0074] The communication device 106 may also include and / or be configured for use with one or more user interface elements. User interface elements may include various elements such as a display 360 (which may be a touch screen display), a keyboard (which may be a separate keyboard or may be implemented as part of the touch screen display), a mouse, a microphone and / or speakers, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any of a variety of other elements capable of providing information to a user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.

[0075] The communication device 106 may also include one or more smart cards 345 having SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC cards (one or more Universal Integrated Circuit Cards) 345 .

[0076] As shown, the SOC 300 may include a processor 302 that may execute program instructions for the communication device 106 and a display circuit 304 that may perform graphics processing and provide display signals to a display 360. The processor 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340 (the MMU 340 may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 302 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 306, read-only memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310)) and / or to other circuits or devices (such as the display circuit 304, the short-range wireless communication circuit 229, the cellular communication circuit 330, the connector I / F 320, and / or the display 360). The MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, the MMU 340 may be included as part of the processor 302.

[0077] As described above, the communication device 106 can be configured to communicate using wireless and / or wired communication circuitry. The communication device 106 can be configured to transmit a request to attach to a first network node operating according to a first RAT and to transmit an indication that the wireless device is capable of maintaining substantially concurrent connections with the first network node and a second network node operating according to a second RAT. The wireless device can also be configured to transmit a request to attach to a second network node. The request can include an indication that the wireless device is capable of maintaining substantially concurrent connections with the first and second network nodes. In addition, the wireless device can be configured to receive an indication that dual connectivity (DC) has been established with the first and second network nodes.

[0078] As described herein, the communication device 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing features for using multiplexing to perform transmissions according to multiple radio access technologies in the same frequency carrier (e.g., and / or multiple frequency carriers), as well as various other techniques described herein. The processor 302 of the communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 302 of the communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein, in combination with one or more of the other components 300, 304, 306, 310, 320, 329, 330, 340, 345, 350, 360.

[0079] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 302 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processor 302 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 302. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform one or more functions of processor 302.

[0080] Furthermore, as described herein, the cellular communication circuitry 330 and the short-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may each include one or more processing elements and / or processors. In other words, one or more processing elements / processors may be included in the cellular communication circuitry 330, and similarly, one or more processing elements / processors may be included in the short-range wireless communication circuitry 329. Thus, the cellular communication circuitry 330 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuitry 330. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuitry 330. Similarly, the short-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may include one or more ICs configured to perform the functions of the short-range wireless communication circuitry 329. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the short-range wireless communication circuitry 329.

[0081] Figure 4 —Block diagram of a base station

[0082] Figure 4 1 shows an exemplary block diagram of a base station 102 according to some embodiments. Note that Figure 4 The base station 102 is only one example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station 102 may include a processor 404 that may execute program instructions for the base station 102. The processor 404 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 404 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450) or into other circuits or devices.

[0083] The base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. The network port 470 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide access to the telephone network as described above. Figure 1 and Figure 2 Multiple devices of the telephone network described in, such as UE device 106.

[0084] The network port 470 (or an additional network port) may also or alternatively be configured to couple to a cellular network, such as a core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices, such as the UE device 106. In some cases, the network port 470 may couple to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0085] In some embodiments, base station 102 may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or "gNB." In such embodiments, base station 102 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Furthermore, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more transition and reception points (TRPs). Furthermore, UEs capable of operating in accordance with 5G NR may connect to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0086] Base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434 and possibly multiple antennas. Radio 430 and at least one antenna 434 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE device 106. Antenna 434 may communicate with radio 430 via communication chain 432. Communication chain 432 may be a receive chain, a transmit chain, or both. Radio 430 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including but not limited to 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, and the like.

[0087] The base station 102 may be configured to perform wireless communications using multiple wireless communication standards. In some cases, the base station 102 may include multiple radios that enable the base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, the base station 102 may include an LTE radio component for performing communications according to LTE and a 5G NR radio component for performing communications according to 5G NR. In this case, the base station 102 may be capable of operating as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. As another possibility, the base station 102 may include a multimode radio component capable of performing communications according to any one of multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.).

[0088] As further described later herein, the base station 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting the implementation of the features described herein. The processor 404 of the base station 102 may be configured to implement or support a portion or all of the implementation of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, the processor 404 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition), in combination with one or more of the other components 430, 432, 434, 440, 450, 460, and 470, the processor 404 of the base station 102 may be configured to implement or support a portion or all of the implementation of the features described herein.

[0089] Furthermore, as described herein, one or more processors 404 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processor 404 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 404. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of one or more processors 404.

[0090] Furthermore, as described herein, radio 430 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, radio 430 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of radio 430. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio 430.

[0091] Figure 5 -NR and non-terrestrial network beam management systems

[0092] Due to the mobility and coverage of satellites, beam management techniques differ significantly between NR systems and non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems involving satellites. Different satellite beams can cover different areas on the ground, and different beams can be used for different BWPs. In some embodiments, different beams from satellites can be frequency division multiplexed (FDMed) in the frequency domain. Thus, satellite beams can be operated in different ways, such as a single cell with multiple beams or a single number of beams each associated with a single cell. For example, Figure 5Cell 0 in a UE may include multiple beams (0 to 6). In addition, each beam may be associated with a specific BWP. For example, beam 0 may be associated with BWP0 for synchronization signal block 0 (SSB0) and BWP3 for data transmission, beam 1 may be associated with BWP0 for SSB1 and BWP1 for data transmission, and beam 4 may be associated with BWP0 for SSB4 and BWP2 for data transmission. In these cases, beam switching (e.g., TCI switching) may occur with BWP switching at the UE. In some embodiments, the beam switching may be indicated by the network, and the UE may determine the corresponding BWP switching; alternatively, the network may indicate the BWP switching, and the UE may determine the corresponding beam switching.

[0093] Figure 6 - Example procedures for BWP and TCI switching

[0094] Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating an example process for BWP and TCI handover, for example, in a non-terrestrial network, according to some embodiments.

[0095] Figure 6 Various aspects of the method may be implemented by a wireless device, such as UE 106, communicating with a network via one or more base stations (e.g., BS 102), as shown in and described with reference to the accompanying figures, or more generally, in combination with any of the following: a computer system or device shown in the accompanying figures, in addition to other circuitry; or a system, device, element, or component shown in the accompanying figures, in addition to other devices, as desired. For example, one or more processors (or processing elements) of a UE (e.g., one or more processors 302, one or more baseband processors, one or more processors associated with communication circuitry, etc., among other possibilities) may cause the UE to perform some or all of the illustrated method elements. For example, one or more processors (or processing elements) of a base station (e.g., processor 404, a baseband processor, a processor associated with communication circuitry, etc.) may cause the UE to perform some or all of the illustrated method elements. It is noted that while at least some elements of the method are described using communication techniques and / or features associated with 3GPP specification documents, such description is not intended to limit the present disclosure, and various aspects of the method may be used in any suitable wireless communication system as desired. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed simultaneously in a different order than the order shown, may be replaced by other method elements, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as needed. As shown, the method may be operated as follows.

[0096] In step 602, the UE may establish communication with a network node. The communication may include radio resource control (RRC) signaling, MAC CE content, downlink control information (DCI), and / or other signaling. In some embodiments, the network node may be a base station or a transmission reception point (TRP) in a cellular network. Alternatively or in addition, in some embodiments, the network node may be included in a non-terrestrial network (NTN). For example, the network node may include a satellite.

[0097] In step 604, the UE may then determine a relationship between one or more beam configurations (e.g., indicated by a transmission configuration indicator (TCI)) and one or more corresponding bandwidth parts (BWPs). For example, a particular TCI may be designated (via the network) as having a particular BWP corresponding to that particular TCI. In other words, TCI #2 may be configured by the network to correspond to BWP #0 and / or vice versa (e.g., BWP #0 may be configured to correspond to TCI #2). Thus, other TCIs may have configured relationships corresponding to other BWPs (e.g., TCI #1 may be configured to correspond to BWP #4). In some embodiments, this relationship between TCIs and BWPs may be preconfigured at the UE via RRC signaling from a network node, or generally from the network. Additionally, the relationship between TCIs and BWPs may be reconfigured by the network node via an RRC reconfiguration command.

[0098] In some embodiments, a particular TCI may have a predefined relationship based on an index mapping. For example, TCI #2 may always correspond to a particular BWP, such as BWP #0, based on the index mapping. Furthermore, in some embodiments, a particular TCI may have an initial or default predefined relationship with a particular BWP, as previously described with respect to index mapping. However, the network may be able to reconfigure these relationships to change them from the initial or default relationship to a new or desired TCI-BWP relationship.

[0099] In step 606, the UE may receive an indication of one of the TCI or BWP from the network node. In other words, the network may transmit signaling to the UE indicating a specific TCI or, alternatively, a specific BWP. In some embodiments, the indicated TCI or BWP may be a target TCI or BWP that the network wishes to utilize, rather than the current TCI or BWP currently being utilized by the UE. The target TCI or BWP may be the same as or different from the current TCI or BWP currently being used by the UE for network communications. For example, the network may wish to switch from BWP#0 to BWP#3, in which case the network may indicate (to the UE) the target BWP (BWP#3) to be switched from the current BWP (BWP#0). Additionally or alternatively, the network may wish to switch from TCI#0 to TCI#3, in which case the network may indicate (to the UE) the target TCI (TCI#3) to be switched from the current TCI (TCI#0).

[0100] In step 608, the UE may determine another TCI or BWP that corresponds to the indicated target TCI or target BWP from the network, and this determination may be based on the determined relationship between TCI and BWP. In other words, as previously described with respect to step 604, the UE may be aware of the specific relationship between BWP and TCI. However, these specific relationships between the indicated target BWP or TCI and the other BWP or TCI may not be explicitly specified by the indication discussed in step 606. In other words, the other BWP or TCI (which may correspond to the indicated target BWP or TCI) may not be indicated by the network node. In some embodiments, these relationships may be preconfigured at the UE via RRC signaling from the network node, or reconfigured by the network node via an RRC reconfiguration command (e.g., as discussed in step 604). Knowledge of these specific relationships allows the UE to determine the other TCI or BWP that corresponds to the indicated target TCI or BWP. For example, in the scenario described above (regarding step 606), where the network wishes for the UE to switch from BWP#0 to BWP#3, the UE may be aware of the TCI relationship between the current BWP (BWP#0) and the target BWP (BWP#3). For example, the current BWP (BWP#0) may correspond to the current TCI (TCI#2), and the target BWP (BWP#3) may correspond to the target TCI (TCI#0). Therefore, knowing these relationships, the UE can determine the corresponding target TCI from the indication of the target BWP and the determined relationship between the target TCI and the target BWP. On the other hand, if the network wishes for a switch from TCI#0 to TCI#3, the UE may be aware of the BWP relationship between the current TCI (TCI#0) and the target TCI (TCI#3). For example, the current TCI (TCI#0) may correspond to the current BWP (BWP#2), and the target TCI (TCI#3) may correspond to the target BWP (BWP#0). Therefore, knowing these relationships, the UE can determine the corresponding target BWP from the indication of the target TCI and the relationship between the determined target BWP and the target TCI.

[0101] In step 610, the UE may then perform downlink communications using the indicated one of the TCI or BWP and the determined other of the TCI or BWP. In other words, having determined the target TCI corresponding to the target BWP, the UE may then switch to using the target BWP and target TCI instead of the previously used BWP and TCI. Conversely, having determined the target BWP corresponding to the indicated target TCI, the UE may then switch to using the target TCI and target BWP instead of the previously used TCI and BWP. Upon performing this switch, the UE may then resume communications with the network using the new BWP and TCI.

[0102] Figure 7 and Figure 8 -BWP and TCI switching based on DCI

[0103] Figure 7 and Figure 8 DCI based BWP and TCI switching according to some embodiments is shown.As mentioned above, the described embodiments are applicable to non-terrestrial networks.

[0104] In some embodiments, the network may pre-configure the relationship between BWP (bandwidth part) and TCI (transmission configuration indication) to the user equipment (UE), for example, using radio resource control (RRC) communications. Thus, the network may be able to use, for example, a single downlink control information (DCI) to indicate the active BWP switch for the UE. For example, the network may transmit a DCI to the UE to indicate the target BWP of the UE. The UE may then switch the current BWP to the target BWP, which may also trigger the UE to switch the current TCI to the target TCI (which is associated with the target BWP) based on the determined relationship between the BWP and the TCI. For example, Figure 7 As shown, the UE may have been preconfigured by the network with a specific, designated relationship / set of associated BWPs and TCIs. The UE may then receive an indication of a target BWP (BWP#3, associated with TCI#0) via a DL command from the network (e.g., in a DCI). Upon receiving this indication, the UE may use the preconfigured target BWP relationship to determine the target TCI associated with the target BWP. Thus, the indication of the new target BWP may cause the UE to change its current BWP (BWP#0, associated with TCI#2) to the target BWP (BWP#3), and implicitly, the TCI will also change from the current TCI (TCI#2) to the target TCI (TCI#0, associated with BWP#3) based on the previously determined relationship.

[0105] In doing so, there may be a process delay relative to when the UE receives the DCI. For example, if the UE receives DCI at time slot n, the UE may be able to receive a DL channel with a target TCI state and target BWP for the serving cell where the TCI state and BWP switching occurs after a certain delay. In other words, there is a delay before the TCI or BWP switching can occur, and this delay may vary for different implementations.

[0106] For example, in a first embodiment, the delay may involve the UE in time slot n+Max{T BWPswitchDelay ,timeDurationForQCL}, where T BWPswitchDelayis the BWP switching delay and timeDurationForQCL is the time required for the UE to perform PDCCH reception and apply spatial quasi-collocation (QCL) information received in the DCI.

[0107] In the second embodiment, the UE can be in time slot n+T BWPswitchDelay_NTN Receive DL target TCI and BWP at the first time slot after T BWPswitchDelay_NTN is the BWP and TCI switching delay, and the addition to the existing T BWPswitchDelay In other words, T BWPswitchDelay_NTN =x+T BWPswitchDelay , where x is a non-negative variable (e.g., x ≥ 0).

[0108] In the third embodiment, the UE may receive the DL target TCI and BWP at the first time slot after time slot n + timeDurationForQCL_NTN, where timeDurationForQCL_NTN is the time required for the UE to perform PDCCH reception and applies the spatial QCL information received for NTN in the DCI, and is an extended variable added to the existing timeDurationForQCL. In other words, timeDurationForQCL NTN =y+timeDurationForQCL, where y is a non-negative variable (eg, y≥0).

[0109] In the fourth embodiment, the UE can BWPswitchDelay The DL target TCI and BWP are received at the first time slot after +timeDurationForQCL, where timeDurationForQCL is the time required for the UE to perform PDCCH reception and the spatial QCL information received in the DCI is applied.

[0110] Alternatively, the network may pre-configure the relationship between BWP and TCI before RRC communication (instead of Figure 7 In the example of TCI to BWP, the UE may be sent a DCI command (TCI to BWP in the example of TCI to BWP) to the UE, and a single DCI may be used to indicate the active TCI switching for the UE. In other words, the UE may receive a DCI command that may indicate the target TCI to which the UE is to switch. The UE may then switch the current TCI to the target TCI and, accordingly, switch the current BWP to the target BWP associated with the target TCI. For example, Figure 8As shown, the UE may have been preconfigured by the network with a specific, designated relationship / set of associated TCIs and BWPs. The UE may then receive an indication of a target TCI (TCI#3, associated with BWP#0) via a DL command from the network. Upon receiving this indication, the UE can use the preconfigured target TCI relationship to determine the target BWP associated with the target TCI. Consequently, the DCI command may cause the UE to change its current TCI (TCI#0, associated with BWP#2) to the target TCI (TCI#3), and in effect, the BWP will also change from the current BWP (BWP#2) to the target BWP (BWP#0, associated with target TCI#3).

[0111] In this case, the process delays may be similar to those described previously with respect to DCI indicating the target BWP to the UE. Furthermore, in non-terrestrial networks, DCI-based TCI switching may be extended to PDSCH only or to both PDCCH and PDSCH as required.

[0112] Figure 7 and Figure 8 -RRC-based BWP and TCI switching

[0113] Figure 7 and Figure 8 Also shown is RRC-based BWP and TCI switching, for example in a non-terrestrial network, according to some embodiments.

[0114] In some embodiments, the network may use a single RRC reconfiguration to reconfigure the active BWP switching for the UE. In other words, in addition to triggering a switch from the current BWP and TCI state to the target BWP and TCI state, the network may use an RRC reconfiguration command to reconfigure the UE to specify a specific relationship / set of associated BWPs and TCIs. For example, Figure 7 As shown, the UE may receive an RRC reconfiguration command from the network to reconfigure the current BWP (BWP#0) to the target BWP (BWP#3). In addition, the RRC reconfiguration command may also specify the relationship between the current and target BWPs and TCI. For example, Figure 7As shown, the current BWP (BWP#0) can be designated as having a relationship associated with TCI#2, and the target BWP (BWP#3) can be designated as having a relationship associated with TCI#0. Upon receiving this RRC reconfiguration command, the UE can then use the reconfigured relationship of the target BWP to determine the target TCI associated with the target BWP. Therefore, the RRC reconfiguration command also causes the UE to switch the current BWP (BWP#2, associated with current TCI#0) to the target BWP (BWP#3), and in effect, the TCI will also change from the current TCI (TCI#2) to the target TCI (TCI#0, associated with target BWP#3).

[0115] On the contrary, in Figure 8 In another embodiment shown, the UE may receive an RRC reconfiguration command from the network to reconfigure the current TCI (TCI#0) to a target TCI (TCI#3). Upon receiving this RRC reconfiguration command, the UE may then use the reconfigured target TCI relationship to determine the target BWP associated with the target TCI. Thus, the RRC reconfiguration command may cause the UE to switch the current TCI (TCI#2, associated with the current BWP#0) to the target TCI (TCI#3), and in effect, the BWP may also change from the current BWP (BWP#2) to the target BWP (BWP#0, associated with the target TCI#3).

[0116] In doing so, there may be a process delay between the UE receiving the RRC reconfiguration command and performing the BWP and TCI switching. For example, if the UE receives the RRC reconfiguration command at time slot n, the UE may receive a DL channel with a target TCI state and target BWP for the serving cell, where the TCI state and BWP switching occurs after a certain delay. In other words, there is a delay before the BWP switching can occur, and this delay may vary for different implementations.

[0117] For example, in the first embodiment, when the target TCI is known, the delay may involve the UE in the time slot The DL target TCI and BWP are received at the first time slot thereafter.

[0118] In contrast, in the second embodiment, if the target TCI is unknown, the UE may select The DL target TCI and BWP are received at the first time slot thereafter.

[0119] In a third embodiment, when the target TCI is known, the delay may involve the UE in the time slot The DL target TCI and BWP are received at the first time slot thereafter.

[0120] In contrast, in the fourth embodiment, if the target TCI is unknown, the delay may involve the UE in the time slot The DL target TCI and BWP are received at the first time slot thereafter.

[0121] In these previously described embodiments of RRC-based BWP and TCI switching, T RRC_processing is the length of the RRC process delay, T BWPswitchDelayRRC is the time used by UE to perform BWP switching, T first-SSB is the time of first SSB transmission after RRC processing of UE, T SSB-pro c can be about 2 milliseconds, TO k Has a value of 1 if the target state is not in the active state list for PDSCH, and a value of 0 otherwise. L1-RSRP is the time required for L1-RSRP measurement for receive beam refinement, and TO uk It has a value of 1 for CSI-RS-based L1-RSRP measurement or when the TCI state switching involves a QCL type other than QCL-Type D, and has a value of 0 for SSB-based L1-RSRP measurement when the TCI state switching involves QCL-Type D.

[0122] Alternatively, the network may use a single RRC reconfiguration to reconfigure the active TCI switching for the UE. In other words, in addition to triggering a switch from the current TCI state to the target TCI state, the network may use an RRC reconfiguration command to reconfigure the UE to specify a specific relationship / set of associated BWPs and TCIs. For example, Figure 8 As shown, the UE may receive an RRC reconfiguration command from the network to reconfigure the current TCI (TCI#0) to the target TCI (TCI#3). In addition, the RRC reconfiguration command may also specify the relationship between the current and target TCIs and the BWP. For example, Figure 8 As shown, the current TCI (TCI#0) can be designated as having a relationship associated with BWP#2, and the target TCI (TCI#3) can be designated as having a relationship associated with BWP#0. Upon receiving this RRC reconfiguration command, the UE can then use the reconfigured target BWP relationship to determine the target BWP associated with the target TCI. Therefore, the RRC reconfiguration command also causes the UE to switch the current TCI (TCI#2, associated with current BWP#0) to the target TCI (TCI#3), and in effect, the BWP will also change from the current BWP (BWP#2) to the target BWP (BWP#0, associated with target TCI#3). In this case, the process delay will be similar to the process delay described previously regarding the RRC reconfiguration command indicating the target BWP to the UE.

[0123] Furthermore, in another embodiment, the network may use an RRC reconfiguration command to reconfigure the relationship between the BWP and TCI for the UE. In other words, the network may use an RRC reconfiguration command to specify a new relationship between the BWP and TCI. For example, the network may transmit an RRC reconfiguration command to specify the current BWP#0 (e.g., Figure 7 ) should be associated with another TCI than the TCI #2 to which it is currently associated. Therefore, these RRC reconfigurations of the BWP to TCI relationship are subject to similar procedural delays as previously described with respect to the RRC reconfiguration command indicating the target BWP or target TCI to the UE.

[0124] Figure 8 -BWP and TCI switching based on MAC CE

[0125] Figure 8 MAC CE based BWP and TCI switching in a non-terrestrial network according to some embodiments is shown.

[0126] In some embodiments, the network may pre-configure the relationship between a specific BWP (bandwidth part) and a TCI (transmission configuration indication) to the user equipment (UE), for example, using radio resource control (RRC) communications. The network may also be able to use a single medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) to indicate the active TCI switch for the UE. In other words, the network may transmit a MAC CE command to the UE to indicate the target TCI for the UE. The UE may then switch the current TCI to the target TCI, which will also trigger the UE to switch the current BWP to the target BWP (which is associated with the indicated target TCI). For example, Figure 8 As shown, the UE may have been preconfigured by the network to have a specific designated relationship / set of associated BWPs and TCIs. The UE may then receive an indication of a target TCI (TCI#3, associated with BWP#0) via a MAC CE command from the network. Upon receiving this indication, the UE can use the preconfigured target TCI relationship to determine the target BWP associated with the target TCI. Therefore, the MAC CE command may cause the UE to change the current TCI (TCI#0, associated with BWP#2) to the target TCI (TCI#3), and in effect, the BWP will also change from the current BWP (BWP#2) to the target BWP (BWP#0, associated with target TCI#3). Furthermore, in non-terrestrial networks, MAC CE-based TCI switching may be extended to PDCCH transmissions only or to both PDCCH and PDSCH transmissions.

[0127] When performing a MAC CE-based TCI switch, there may be a delay between when the UE receives the MAC CE and when the TCI switch process is actually performed. For example, if the UE receives a MAC CE at time slot n, the UE may be able to receive a DL channel with a target TCI state and target BWP for the serving cell, where the TCI state and BWP switch occurs after a certain delay. In other words, there is a delay before the BWP switch can occur, and this delay may vary for different implementations.

[0128] For example, in the first embodiment, when the target TCI is known, the delay may involve the UE in the time slot The DL target TCI and BWP are received at the first time slot thereafter.

[0129] In the second embodiment, when the target TCI is unknown, the UE may The DL target TCI and BWP are received at the first time slot thereafter.

[0130] In a third embodiment, when the target TCI is known, the delay may involve the UE in the time slot The DL target TCI and BWP are received at the first time slot thereafter.

[0131] In the fourth embodiment, when the target TCI is unknown, the UE may The DL target TCI and BWP are received at the first time slot thereafter.

[0132] In these previously described embodiments of MAC CE-based BWP and TCI switching, T HARQ is the timing between DL data transmission and acknowledgment, It is approximately equal to 3 milliseconds, T BWPswitchDelay is the time used by UE to perform BWP switching, T first-SSB is the time of the first SSB transmission after MAC CE processing by the UE, T SSB-proc It is approximately equal to 2 milliseconds, TO k Has a value of 1 if the target state is not in the active state list for PDSCH, and a value of 0 otherwise. L1-RSRP is the time required for L1-RSRP measurement for receive beam refinement, and TO uk It has a value of 1 for CSI-RS based L1-RSRP or when TCI state switching involves a QCL type other than QCL-Type D, and has a value of 0 for SSB based L1-RSRP measurement when TCI state switching involves QCL-Type D.

[0133] Figure 9 - Timer-based BWP and TCI switching

[0134] Figure 9 Timer-based BWP and TCI switching in a non-terrestrial network is shown according to some embodiments.

[0135] In some embodiments, the network may pre-configure the relationship between the BWP (bandwidth part) and the TCI (transmission configuration indication) to the user equipment (UE) prior to the radio resource control (RRC) communication. In addition, the network may also configure a timer associated with the active or current BWP for the UE. The timer (e.g., bwp-InactivityTimer) may be based on when the UE initiates a BWP switch at timeslot n, for example, DL timeslot n, where timeslot n is the first timeslot of a DL subframe (FR1) or the DL half-subframe (FR2) immediately following the expiration of the BWP inactivity timer (bwp-InactivityTimer) on the serving cell. Thus, after the timer has expired, the UE may switch the current BWP to the target BWP, and implicitly also switch the current TCI to the target TCI associated with the target BWP. For example, as Figure 9 As shown, the UE may have been preconfigured by the network with a specific designated relationship / set of associated BWPs and TCIs. Upon expiration of the timer associated with the current BWP#3, the UE may use the preconfigured target BWP relationship to determine the target TCI (TCI#0) associated with the target BWP (BWP#0). Therefore, the expiration of the timer may cause the UE to change the current BWP (BWP#3, associated with TCI#2) to the target BWP (BWP#0), and in effect, the TCI will also change from the current TCI (TCI#2) to the target TCI (TCI#0, associated with the target BWP#0).

[0136] In doing so, there may be a process delay from the expiration of the bwp-InactivityTimer and the time it takes for the UE to switch from its current BWP and TCI to its target BWP and TCI. For example, if the UE receives DCI at timeslot n, the UE may be able to receive a DL channel with a target TCI state and target BWP for the serving cell where the TCI state and BWP switch occurs after a certain delay. In other words, there is a delay before the BWP switch can occur, and this delay may vary for different implementations.

[0137] For example, in a first embodiment, the delay may involve the UE in time slot n+Max{T BWPswitchDelay ,timeDurationForQCL}, where T BWPswitchDelayis the BWP switching delay and timeDurationForQCL is the time required for the UE to perform PDCCH reception and apply the spatial QCL information received in the DCI.

[0138] In the second embodiment, the UE can be in time slot n+T BWPswitchDelay_NTN The DL target TCI and BWP are received at the first time slot after, where BWPswitchDelay_NTN is the BWP and TCI switching delay and has an addition to the existing T BWPswitchDelay In other words, T BWPswitchDelay_NTN =x+T BWPswitchDelay , where x is a non-negative variable (e.g., x ≥ 0).

[0139] In the third embodiment, the UE may receive the DL target TCI and BWP at the first time slot after time slot n + timeDurationForQCL_NTN, where timeDurationForQCL_NTN is the time required for the UE to perform PDCCH reception and applies the spatial QCL information received for NTN in the DCI, and is an extended variable added to the existing timeDurationForQCL. In other words, timeDurationForQCL NTN =y+timeDurationForQCL, where y is a non-negative variable (eg, y≥0).

[0140] In the fourth embodiment, the UE can BWPswitchDelay The DL target TCI and BWP are received at the first time slot after +timeDurationForQCL.

[0141] Exemplary embodiments

[0142] The following description provides exemplary embodiments corresponding to various embodiments described herein, such as, for example, Figures 6 to 9 method.

[0143] Embodiment 1. A method, the method being executable by a wireless device to establish communication with a network node; determine a relationship between a transmission configuration indication (TCI) and a bandwidth part (BWP); receive an indication of one of the TCI or the BWP from the network node; determine the other of the TCI or the BWP based on the indication and utilizing the relationship between the TCI and the BWP; and perform downlink communication utilizing the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP.

[0144] Embodiment 2. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the network node is included in a non-terrestrial network.

[0145] Embodiment 3. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the relationship between TCI and BWP is specified by the network node.

[0146] Embodiment 4. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the relationship between TCI and BWP is specified in radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0147] Embodiment 5. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the indication of the TCI or the BWP is provided by downlink control information (DCI).

[0148] Embodiment 6. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the network node is configurable an inactivity timer associated with a current BWP.

[0149] Embodiment 7. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the indication of the TCI or the BWP is provided by a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0150] Embodiment 8. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the indication of the TCI or the BWP is provided based on radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0151] Embodiment 9. The method of embodiment 1, wherein upon receiving the indication of TCI, the wireless device is further configured to determine the BWP based on the indication of TCI and the relationship between the TCI and the BWP.

[0152] Embodiment 10. The method of embodiment 1, wherein upon receiving the indication of a BWP, the wireless device is further configured to determine the TCI based on the indication of the BWP and the relationship between the BWP and the TCI.

[0153] Embodiment 11. The method of embodiment 5, wherein performing downlink communication using the indicated one of TCI or BWP and the determined other of TCI or BWP occurs at time slot n+Max{T BWPswitchDelay ,timeDurationForQCL}after the first time slot.

[0154] Embodiment 12. The method of embodiment 5, wherein performing downlink communication using the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP occurs at time slot n+T BWPswitchDelay_NTN At the first time slot thereafter.

[0155] Embodiment 13. The method of embodiment 5, wherein performing downlink communication using the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP occurs at a first time slot after time slot n+timeDurationForQCL_NTN.

[0156] Embodiment 14. The method of embodiment 5, wherein performing downlink communication using the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP occurs at time slot n+T BWPswitchDelay At the first time slot after +timeDurationForQCL.

[0157] Embodiment 15. The method of embodiment 6, wherein performing downlink communication using the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP occurs at time slot n+Max{T BWPswitchDelay ,timeDurationForQCL} in the first time slot after.

[0158] Embodiment 16. The method of embodiment 6, wherein performing downlink communication using the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP occurs at time slot n+T BWPswitchDelay_NTN At the first time slot thereafter.

[0159] Embodiment 17. The method of Embodiment 6, wherein performing downlink communication using the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP occurs at a first time slot after time slot n+timeDurationForQCL_NTN.

[0160] Embodiment 18. The method of embodiment 6, wherein performing downlink communication using the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP occurs at time slot n+T BWPswitchDelay At the first time slot after +timeDurationForQCL.

[0161] Embodiment 19. The method of embodiment 7, wherein if the target TCI is known, performing downlink communication using the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP occurs in the time slot At the first time slot thereafter.

[0162] Embodiment 20. The method of embodiment 7, wherein if the target TCI is unknown, performing downlink communication using the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP occurs in time slot At the first time slot thereafter.

[0163] Embodiment 21. The method of embodiment 7, wherein if the target TCI is known, performing downlink communication using the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP occurs in the time slot At the first time slot thereafter.

[0164] Embodiment 22. The method of embodiment 7, wherein if the target TCI is unknown, performing downlink communication using the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP occurs in the time slot At the first time slot thereafter.

[0165] Embodiment 23. The method of embodiment 8, wherein if the target TCI is known, performing downlink communication using the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP occurs in the time slot At the first time slot thereafter.

[0166] Embodiment 24. The method of embodiment 8, wherein if the target TCI is unknown, performing downlink communication using the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP occurs in the time slot At the first time slot thereafter.

[0167] Embodiment 25. The method of embodiment 8, wherein if the target TCI is known, performing downlink communication using the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP occurs in the time slot At the first time slot thereafter.

[0168] Embodiment 26. The method of embodiment 8, wherein if the target TCI is unknown, performing downlink communication using the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP occurs at time slot At the first time slot thereafter.

[0169] The embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, some embodiments can be implemented as computer-implemented methods, computer-readable storage media, or computer systems. Other embodiments can be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Other embodiments can be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0170] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be configured such that it stores program instructions and / or data, wherein the program instructions, if executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method, such as any one of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets.

[0171] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., a UE) may be configured to include a processor (or a group of processors) and a memory medium, wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, wherein the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method implementations described herein (or any combination of the method implementations described herein, or any subset of any method implementations described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device may be implemented in any of various forms.

[0172] In some embodiments, a device includes: an antenna; a radio coupled to the antenna; and a processing element coupled to the radio. The device can be configured to implement any of the above method embodiments.

[0173] In some embodiments, the memory medium may store program instructions that, when executed, cause the apparatus to implement any one of the above-described method embodiments.

[0174] In some embodiments, an apparatus includes at least one processor (eg, in communication with a memory) configured to implement any of the above method embodiments.

[0175] In some embodiments, a method includes any act or combination of acts as substantially described herein in the detailed description.

[0176] In some embodiments, a method is performed as substantially described herein with reference to each or any combination of the figures contained herein, with reference to each or any combination of the paragraphs in the detailed description, or with reference to each or any combination of the figures and / or the detailed description.

[0177] In some embodiments, a wireless device is configured to perform any action or combination of actions as substantially described herein in the detailed description and / or accompanying drawings.

[0178] In some embodiments, a wireless device includes any component or combination of components as described herein in the detailed description and / or figures as included in a wireless device.

[0179] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store instructions that, when executed, cause performance of any act or combination of acts as substantially described herein in the detailed description and / or figures.

[0180] In some embodiments, an integrated circuit is configured to perform any act or combination of acts as substantially described herein in the detailed description and / or figures.

[0181] In some embodiments, a mobile station is configured to perform any act or combination of acts as substantially described herein in the detailed description and / or accompanying drawings.

[0182] In some embodiments, a mobile station includes any component or combination of components as described herein in the detailed description and / or figures as included in a mobile station.

[0183] In some embodiments, a mobile device is configured to perform any action or combination of actions as substantially described herein in the detailed description and / or figures.

[0184] In some embodiments, a mobile device includes any component or combination of components as described herein in the detailed description and / or figures as included in a mobile device.

[0185] In some embodiments, a network node is configured to perform any action or combination of actions as substantially described herein in the detailed description and / or figures.

[0186] In some embodiments, a network node includes any component or combination of components as included in a mobile device as described herein in the detailed description and / or figures.

[0187] In some embodiments, a base station is configured to perform any action or combination of actions as substantially described herein in the detailed description and / or figures.

[0188] In some embodiments, a base station includes any component or combination of components as included in a mobile device as described herein in the detailed description and / or figures.

[0189] In some embodiments, a 5G NR network node or base station is configured to perform any action or combination of actions as substantially described herein in the detailed description and / or figures.

[0190] In some embodiments, a 5G NR network node or base station includes any component or combination of components as included in a mobile device as described herein in the detailed description and / or figures.

[0191] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0192] By interpreting each message / signal X received by a user equipment (UE) in the downlink as a message / signal X transmitted by the base station, and interpreting each message / signal Y transmitted by the UE in the uplink as a message / signal Y received by the base station, any of the methods for operating a UE described herein may become the basis for the corresponding method for operating a base station.

[0193] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to encompass all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: By wireless device: Establish communication with network nodes; Determine the relationship between the transmission configuration indication (TCI) and the bandwidth part (BWP); receiving an indication of one of a TCI or a BWP from the network node via downlink control information (DCI); determining the other of the TCI or the BWP based on the indication and utilizing the relationship between the TCI and the BWP; as well as Downlink communication is performed using the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP, wherein the downlink communication is performed using the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP occurs after a first time slot that is within a time slot n+Max{T BWPswitchDelay ,timeDurationForQCL} represents the time slot, where T BWPswitchDelay is a first time associated with BWP switching delay, and timeDurationForQCL is a second time associated with the wireless device performing PDCCH reception and applying spatial quasi co-location (QCL) information received in the DCI. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network node is included in a non-terrestrial network.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the relationship between TCI and BWP is specified by the network node.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the relationship between TCI and BWP is specified in radio resource control (RRC) signaling. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network node is capable of configuring an inactivity timer associated with a current BWP.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the TCI or the BWP is provided by a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the TCI or the BWP is provided based on radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein upon receiving the indication of TCI, the wireless device is further configured to determine the BWP based on the indication of TCI and the relationship between the TCI and the BWP.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein upon receiving the indication of a BWP, the wireless device is further configured to determine the TCI based on the indication of a BWP and the relationship between the BWP and the TCI.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing downlink communication using the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP occurs in time slot n+T BWPswitchDelay_NTN After the first time slot, T BWPswitchDelay_NTN is the BWP and TCI switching delay and has an added BWPswitchDelay The extended variables.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing downlink communication using the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP occurs at a first time slot after time slot n + timeDurationForQCL_NTN, wherein timeDurationForQCL_NTN is a time associated with the wireless device performing PDCCH reception for a non-terrestrial network (NTN) and applying spatial QCL information received in the DCI, and has an extended variable added to an existing timeDurationForQCL.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing downlink communication using the indicated one of the TCI or the BWP and the determined other of the TCI or the BWP occurs in time slot n+T BWPswitchDelay At the first time slot after +timeDurationForQCL.

13. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: one or more processors; as well as A memory having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by the one or more processors, perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising: A radio is coupled to the one or more processors.

15. A computer program product comprising computer instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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