Method, Baseband Processor, and Medium for Wireless Communication

Abstract

The present invention discloses an apparatus, a system, and a method for user equipment (UE) uplink antenna panel selection. The UE may determine to perform beam switching from a current beam that is being used for communication with a base station based on at least one condition. The UE may transmit an indication of the antenna panel state to the base station, and the indication may include an indication of a latency associated with the beam switching. The UE may receive an indication to switch to a target beam from the base station and perform the switch to the target beam based on the indication. The indication of the antenna panel state may include a beam switching latency level for each beam in a beam report, a beam switching request that may indicate the target beam, and / or a beam switching request that may indicate that an antenna panel switch will be applied by the UE.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to wireless communications, and more particularly to an apparatus, system and method for UE uplink antenna panel selection. Background Art

[0002] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. In recent years, wireless devices such as smartphones and tablet computers have become increasingly sophisticated. In addition to supporting phone calls, many mobile devices now also provide access to the Internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using the Global Positioning System (GPS), and are capable of operating sophisticated applications that utilize these capabilities.

[0003] Long Term Evolution (LTE) has become the technology of choice for most wireless network operators around the world, providing mobile broadband data and high-speed Internet access to their user base. LTE defines a number of downlink (DL) physical channels classified as transport or control channels to carry information blocks received from the Medium Access Control (MAC) and higher layers. LTE also defines the number of physical layer channels for the uplink (UL).

[0004] For example, LTE defines the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) as a DL transport channel. PDSCH is the primary data bearing channel allocated to users on a dynamic and opportunistic basis. PDSCH carries data in transport blocks (TBs) corresponding to MAC protocol data units (PDUs), which are delivered from the MAC layer to the physical (PHY) layer once per transmission time interval (TTI). PDSCH is also used to transmit broadcast information such as system information blocks (SIBs) and paging messages.

[0005] As another example, LTE defines the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) as a DL control channel that carries the resource allocation of the UE contained in the downlink control information (DCI) message. Multiple PDCCHs can be transmitted in the same subframe using control channel elements (CCEs), each of which is nine groups of four resource elements called resource element groups (REGs). PDCCH uses quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation, where four QPSK symbols are mapped to each REG. In addition, depending on the channel conditions, 1, 2, 4, or 8 CCEs can be used to ensure sufficient robustness.

[0006] In addition, LTE defines the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) as a UL channel shared by all devices (User Equipment, UE) in a radio cell to transmit user data to the network. Scheduling of all UEs is under the control of an LTE base station (evolved Node B or eNB). The eNB notifies the UE of the resource block (RB) allocation and the modulation and coding scheme to be used using an uplink scheduling grant (DCI format 0). PUSCH typically supports QPSK and Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM). In addition to user data, PUSCH also carries any control information required for decoding, such as a transmission format indicator and Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) parameters. Control data is multiplexed with information data before Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) spreading.

[0007] The next telecommunications standard proposed to exceed the current International Mobile Telecommunications Advanced (IMT-Advanced) standard is known as the 5th generation mobile network or 5th generation radio system, or simply 5G (for 5G New Radio, also known as 5G-NR, also simply referred to as NR). 5G-NR provides higher capacity for a higher density of mobile broadband users while supporting ultra-reliable and massive machine-type communication from device to device, as well as lower latency and / or lower battery consumption. In addition, compared to current LTE, 5G-NR can allow for more flexible UE scheduling. Therefore, efforts are being made to take advantage of the potentially higher throughput at higher frequencies in the continued development of 5G-NR. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Embodiments relate to wireless communication and, more particularly, to apparatus, systems, and methods for UE uplink antenna panel selection.

[0009] In some embodiments, a user equipment (UE) may be configured to determine to perform a beam switch from a current beam being used for communication with a base station based at least in part on at least one condition (e.g., a condition associated with beam quality as measured by the UE). The UE may be configured to transmit an indication of an antenna panel state to the base station, and the indication may include an indication of a delay associated with the beam switch. The UE may be configured to receive an indication to switch to a target beam from the base station and perform the switch to the target beam based on the indication. The performance of the switch may occur within a time period associated with the delay. In some embodiments, the at least one condition may include that the minimum beam quality of a beam from a first beam set measured from a target antenna panel is greater than the minimum beam quality measured from the current antenna panel plus a margin, the maximum beam quality of a beam from the first beam set measured from the target antenna panel is greater than the maximum beam quality measured from the current antenna panel plus a margin, the average beam quality of one or more target beams from the first beam set measured from the target antenna panel is greater than the average beam quality measured from the current antenna panel plus a margin, and / or the beam quality of a target beam from the first beam set measured from the target antenna panel is greater than the beam quality measured from the current antenna panel plus a margin. In some embodiments, the indication of the antenna panel state may include a beam switch delay level for each beam in a beam report. In some embodiments, the indication may include a beam switch request that may indicate the target beam. In some embodiments, the beam switch request may include an indication that the antenna panel switch will be applied by the UE.

[0010] The techniques described herein may be implemented in and / or used with a variety of different types of devices, including but not limited to any of a drone (UAV), a drone controller (UAC), a base station, an access point, a cellular phone, a tablet computer, a wearable computing device, a portable media player, a car and / or a motor vehicle, and various other computing devices.

[0011] This summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it should be understood that the above features are merely examples and should not be construed in any way as narrowing the scope or essence of the subject matter described herein. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, the drawings, and the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] A better understanding of the subject matter may be obtained when the following detailed description of various embodiments is considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0013] Figure 1AShows an exemplary wireless communication system according to some embodiments.

[0014] Figure 1B Shows an example of a base station (BS) and an access point communicating with a user equipment (UE) device according to some embodiments.

[0015] Figure 2 Shows an exemplary simplified block diagram of a WLAN access point (AP) according to some embodiments.

[0016] Figure 3 Shows an exemplary block diagram of a BS according to some embodiments.

[0017] Figure 4 Shows an exemplary block diagram of a server according to some embodiments.

[0018] Figure 5A Shows an example block diagram of a UE according to some embodiments.

[0019] Figure 5B Shows an exemplary block diagram of a cellular communication circuit according to some embodiments.

[0020] Figure 6A Shows an example of the connection between an EPC network, an LTE base station (eNB), and a 5G NR base station (gNB).

[0021] Figure 6B Shows an example of a protocol stack for an eNB and a gNB.

[0022] Figure 7A Shows an example of a 5G network architecture according to some embodiments, which combines 3GPP (e.g., cellular) and non-3GPP (e.g., non-cellular) access to a 5G CN.

[0023] Figure 7B Shows an example of a 5G network architecture according to some embodiments, which combines dual 3GPP (e.g., LTE and 5G NR) access and non-3GPP access to a 5G CN.

[0024] Figure 8 Shows an example of a baseband processor architecture for a UE according to some embodiments.

[0025] Figure 9 Shows an example of beam selection based on maximum power reduction (MPR) according to some embodiments.

[0026] Figure 10A and Figure 10B Shows an example of beam switching delay according to some embodiments.

[0027] Figure 11 Shows an example of beam reporting including beam switching delay levels according to some embodiments.

[0028] Figure 12A and Figure 12B Shows an example of signaling during beam switching according to some embodiments.

[0029] Figure 13A and Figure 13B Shows another example of signaling during beam switching according to some embodiments.

[0030] Figure 14 Shows a block diagram of an example of a method for uplink antenna panel selection according to some embodiments.

[0031] While the features described herein may be subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and the detailed description thereof are not intended to limit the present disclosure to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. Detailed Description

[0032] Acronyms

[0033] Various acronyms are used throughout this disclosure. The definitions of the most prominent acronyms that may appear throughout this disclosure are as follows:

[0034] • 3GPP: 3rd Generation Partnership Project

[0035] • TS: Technical Specification

[0036] • RAN: Radio Access Network

[0037] • RAT: Radio Access Technology

[0038] • UE: User Equipment

[0039] • RF: Radio Frequency

[0040] • BS: Base Station

[0041] • DL: Downlink

[0042] • UL: Uplink

[0043] • LTE: Long Term Evolution

[0044] • NR: New Radio

[0045] • 5GS: 5G System

[0046] • 5GMM: 5G Mobility Management

[0047] • 5GC: 5G Core Network

[0048] • IE: Information Element

[0049] Terms

[0050] The following is a glossary of terms used in this disclosure:

[0051] Storage medium - any of various types of non-transitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "storage medium" is intended to include installation media such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or magnetic 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 disk drives or optical storage devices; registers, or other similar types of memory elements, etc. The storage medium may also include other types of non-transitory memory or combinations thereof. In addition, the storage medium may be located in a first computer system that executes a program, or may be located in a different second computer system that is connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In the latter case, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "storage medium" may include two or more storage media that may reside at different locations in different computer systems connected, for example, via a network. The storage medium may store program instructions (e.g., embodied as a computer program) executable by one or more processors.

[0052] Carrier medium - the storage medium as described above, and physical transmission media such as buses, networks, and / or other physical transmission media that convey signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals.

[0053] Programmable hardware element - includes various hardware devices that include a plurality of programmable function blocks connected via a programmable interconnect. Examples include FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), FPOAs (Field Programmable Object Arrays), and CPLDs (Complex PLDs). The programmable function blocks can vary from fine-grained (combinational logic components or lookup tables) to coarse-grained (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). Programmable hardware elements may also be referred to as "configurable logic components".

[0054] Computer system (or computer) - Any one of various types of computing or processing systems, including personal computer systems (PCs), mainframe computer systems, workstations, network appliances, Internet appliances, personal digital assistants (PDAs), television systems, grid computing systems, or other devices or combinations of devices. Generally speaking, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to cover any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a storage medium.

[0055] User Equipment (UE) (or "UE device") - Any one of various types of computer system devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communication. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhone ™ , Android ™ -based phones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS ™ , PlayStation Portable ™ , Gameboy Advance ™ , iPhone ™ ), laptop computers, wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart glasses), PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, automobiles and / or motor vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., drones), UAV controllers (UACs), etc. Generally speaking, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to cover any electronic, computing, and / or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) that is easily transportable by a user (or with a user) and capable of wireless communication.

[0056] Base station - The term "base station" has the full scope of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station installed at a fixed location and used for communication as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0057] Processing element (or processor) - Refers to various elements or combinations of elements that can perform functions in a device such as a user equipment or a cellular network device. Processing elements can 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 of the above.

[0058] Channel - A medium for conveying information from a transmitter to a receiver. It should be noted that since the characteristics of the term "channel" can vary according to different wireless protocols, the term "channel" used in the present invention can be considered to be used in a manner that conforms to the standards of the type of device to which the term usage refers. In some standards, the channel width can be variable (e.g., depending on device capabilities, frequency band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE can support an expandable channel bandwidth from 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz. In contrast, a WLAN channel can be 22 MHz wide, and a Bluetooth channel can be 1 MHz wide. Other protocols and standards can include different definitions of channels. In addition, some standards can define and use multiple types of channels, such as different channels for uplink or downlink and / or different channels for different purposes such as data, control information, etc.

[0059] Frequency Band - The term "frequency band" has its full range of ordinary meanings and at least includes a segment of the spectrum (e.g., radio frequency spectrum) in which channels are used or reserved for the same purpose.

[0060] Wi-Fi - The term "Wi-Fi" has its full range of usual meanings and at least includes a wireless communication network or RAT that is served by wireless LAN (WLAN) access points and provides connectivity to the Internet through these access points. Most modern Wi-Fi networks (or WLAN networks) are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard and are marketed under the name "Wi-Fi". Wi-Fi (WLAN) networks are different from cellular networks.

[0061] Automatically - means that an action or operation is performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by a computer system) or a device (e.g., circuitry, programmable hardware element, ASIC, etc.) without the action or operation being directly specified or performed through user input. Thus, the term "automatically" contrasts with a user manually performing or specifying an operation, where the user provides input to directly perform the operation. An automatic process can be initiated by input provided by the user, but the subsequent actions that are "automatically" performed are not specified by the user, i.e., are not "manually" performed, where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out a spreadsheet by selecting each field and providing input to specify information (e.g., by typing information, selecting checkboxes, radio selections, etc.) is a manual filling of the spreadsheet, even though the computer system must update the spreadsheet in response to the user's actions. The spreadsheet can be filled out automatically by a computer system, where the computer system (e.g., software executed on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the spreadsheet and fills out the spreadsheet without any user input specifying the answers to the fields. As indicated above, the user can invoke the automatic filling of the spreadsheet but does not participate in the actual filling of the spreadsheet (e.g., the user does not manually specify the answers to the fields but they are completed automatically). This specification provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions taken by the user.

[0062] About - means close to the correct or exact value. For example, about can mean a value within 1% to 10% of the exact (or desired) value. However, it should be noted that the actual threshold (or tolerance) can depend on the application. For example, in some embodiments, "about" can mean within 0.1% of some specified or desired value, while in various other embodiments, depending on the expectations or requirements of a particular application, the threshold can be, for example, 2%, 3%, 5%, etc.

[0063] Concurrent - refers to parallel execution or implementation, where tasks, processes, or programs are executed in at least a partially overlapping manner. For example, "strong" or strict parallelism can be used to achieve concurrency, where tasks are executed (at least partially) in parallel on corresponding computing elements; or "weak parallelism" can be used to achieve concurrency, where tasks are executed in an interleaved manner (e.g., through time multiplexing of execution threads).

[0064] Various components can be described as “configured to” perform one or more tasks. In such an environment, “configured to” is a broad statement that generally means “having” the “structure” to perform one or more tasks during operation. Thus, even when a component is not currently performing a task, the component can be configured to perform that task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect a module to another module even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, “configured to” can be a broad statement that generally means “having” the “circuitry” to perform one or more tasks during operation. Thus, even when a component is not currently powered on, the component can be configured to perform a task. Generally, the circuitry that forms the structure corresponding to “configured to” can include hardware circuitry.

[0065] For ease of description, various components can be described as performing one or more tasks. Such a description should be interpreted as including the phrase “configured to”. A component described as configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) with respect to that component.

[0066] Figure 1A and Figure 1B : Communication System

[0067] Figure 1A illustrates a simplified exemplary wireless communication system according to some embodiments. Note that Figure 1A the system is merely an example of a possible system, and the features of the present disclosure can be implemented in any one of various systems as needed.

[0068] As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102A that communicates with one or more user devices 106A, user devices 106B through user devices 106N, etc. via a transmission medium. Each user device can be referred to herein as a “user equipment” (UE). Thus, user device 106 is referred to as a UE or a UE device.

[0069] Base station (BS) 102A can be a transceiver base station (BTS) or a cell site (“cellular base station”), and can include hardware that enables wireless communication with UEs 106A through 106N.

[0070] The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station can be referred to as a "cell". Base station 102A and UE 106 can be configured to communicate through a transmission medium using any one of various radio access technologies (RATs), which are also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunication standards, such as GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, Advanced LTE (LTE-A), 5G New Radio (5G NR), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), and so on. Note that if base station 102A is implemented in an LTE environment, it may alternatively be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB". Note that if base station 102A is implemented in a 5G NR environment, it may alternatively be referred to as a "gNodeB" or "gNB".

[0071] As shown in the figure, base station 102A can also be equipped to communicate with network 100 (e.g., among various possibilities, the core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunication network such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and / or the Internet). Thus, base station 102A can facilitate communication between user devices and / or between a user device and network 100. In particular, cellular base station 102A can provide UE 106 with various communication capabilities such as voice, SMS, and / or data services.

[0072] Base station 102A and other similar base stations (such as base stations 102B...102N) operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards can thus be provided as a network of cells that can provide continuous or almost continuous overlapping services to UEs 106A-N and similar devices over a geographical area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0073] Thus, although base station 102A can act as the "serving cell" of UEs 106A-N as shown in FIG. 1, each UE 106 may also be capable of receiving signals (and potentially being within its communication range) from one or more other cells (which can be provided by base stations 102B-N and / or any other base stations), and these one or more other cells can be referred to as "neighboring cells". Such cells may also be capable of facilitating communication between user devices and / or between a user device and network 100. Such cells can include "macro" cells, "micro" cells, "pico" cells, and / or any various other granularities of cells providing service area sizes. For example, base stations 102A to 102B shown in FIG. 1 can be macro cells, while base station 102N can be a micro cell. Other configurations are also possible.

[0074] In some embodiments, base station 102A may be a next-generation base station, e.g., a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station or a "gNB". In some embodiments, the gNB may be connected to a traditional Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network and / or connected to a NR Core (NRC) network. Additionally, a gNB cell may include one or more Transmission and Reception Points (TRPs). Further, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0075] Note that 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, e.g., WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc.), UE 106 may 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, UE 106 may also or alternatively be configured to communicate using one or more Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS, e.g., GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcast standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H or DVB-H), and / or any other wireless communication protocol. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0076] Figure 1B Shown is a user equipment 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A to 106N) communicating with base station 102 and access point 112 according to some embodiments. UE 106 may be a device having cellular communication capabilities and non-cellular communication capabilities (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.), such as a mobile phone, a handheld device, a computer or a tablet, or almost any type of wireless device.

[0077] UE 106 may include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in a memory. UE 106 may perform any of the method embodiments described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or in addition, UE 106 may include programmable hardware elements, such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) configured to perform any of the method embodiments described herein or any part of any of the method embodiments described herein.

[0078] 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), LTE / Advanced LTE, or 5G NR and / or GSM, LTE, Advanced LTE, or 5G NR using a single shared radio component. The shared radio may be coupled to a single antenna or may be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communication. Generally, the radio component may include any combination of a baseband processor, analog radio frequency (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 component may use the foregoing hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains. For example, UE 106 may share one or more portions of a receive chain and / or a transmit chain among multiple wireless communication technologies such as those discussed above.

[0079] In some embodiments, UE 106 may include separate transmit chains and / or receive chains (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol it is configured to communicate with. As another possibility, UE 106 may include one or more radio components shared among multiple wireless communication protocols and one or more radio components uniquely used by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, UE 106 may include a shared radio component for communicating using either LTE or 5G NR (or LTE or 1xRTT, or LTE or GSM), and separate radio components for communicating using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are possible.

[0080] Figure 2 : Access Point Block Diagram

[0081] Figure 2 An exemplary block diagram of an access point (AP) 112 is shown. Note that Figure 2 the block diagram of the AP is only one example of a possible system. As shown, AP 112 may include a processor 204 that may execute program instructions for AP 112. The processor 204 may also be (directly or indirectly) coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 240 or other circuits or devices, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 204 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 260 and read-only memory (ROM) 250).

[0082] AP 112 may include at least one network port 270. The network port 270 may be configured to couple to a wired network and provide access to the Internet to a plurality of devices such as UE 106. For example, the network port 270 (or an additional network port) may be configured to couple to a local network such as a home network or an enterprise network. For example, port 270 may be an Ethernet port. The local network may provide a connection to an additional network such as the Internet.

[0083] AP 112 may include at least one antenna 234, which may be configured to function as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE 106 via wireless communication circuitry 230. Antenna 234 communicates with wireless communication circuitry 230 via communication link 232. Communication link 232 may include one or more receive chains, one or more transmit chains, or both. Wireless communication circuitry 230 may be configured to communicate via Wi-Fi or WLAN (e.g., 802.11). For example, in the case where the AP co-locates with a base station in a small cell, or in other cases where it may be desirable for AP 112 to communicate via various different wireless communication technologies, wireless communication circuitry 230 may also or alternatively be configured to communicate via various other wireless communication technologies, including but not limited to 5G NR, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), CDMA2000, etc.

[0084] In some embodiments, as further described below, AP 112 may be configured to perform a method for UE uplink antenna panel selection as further described herein.

[0085] Figure 3 : Block diagram of a base station

[0086] Figure 3 An exemplary block diagram of base station 102 according to some embodiments is shown. Note that Figure 3 the base station is merely an example of a possible base station. As shown, base station 102 may include a processor 404 that may execute program instructions for base station 102. Processor 404 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 or other circuitry or devices, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 404 and translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450).

[0087] Base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. Network port 470 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide access to a plurality of devices such as UE device 106 to the telephone network as described above in FIG. 1 and Figure 2 as described in.

[0088] The network port 470 (or an additional network port) may also be configured or alternatively configured to be coupled to a cellular network, such as the core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to a plurality of devices such as UE device 106. In some cases, the network port 470 may be coupled to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., among other UE devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0089] In some embodiments, the base station 102 may be a next-generation base station, e.g., a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or a "gNB". In such embodiments, the base station 102 may be connected to a legacy Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network and / or connected to an NR Core (NRC) network. Additionally, the base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more Transmission and Reception Points (TRP). Additionally, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0090] The base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434 and possibly multiple antennas. The at least one antenna 434 may be configured to function as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with the UE device 106 via the radio component 430. The antenna 434 communicates with the radio component 430 via the communication link 432. The communication link 432 may be a receive link, a transmit link, or both. The radio component 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, etc.

[0091] The base station 102 may be configured to perform wireless communication 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 communication according to LTE and a 5G NR radio component for performing communication 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 multi-mode radio component capable of performing communication 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.).

[0092] As further described herein below, BS 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting a specific implementation of the features described herein. The processor 404 of the base station 102 may be configured to implement or support a specific implementation of part or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage 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, component 432, component 434, component 440, component 450, component 460, component 470, the processor 404 of the base station 102 may be configured to implement or support a specific implementation of part or all of the features described herein.

[0093] In addition, as described herein, the processor 404 may consist of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in the processor 404. Thus, the processor 404 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the processor 404. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform one or more of the functions of the processor 404.

[0094] Additionally, as described herein, the radio component 430 may consist of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in the radio component 430. Thus, the radio component 430 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the radio component 430. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the radio component 430.

[0095] Figure 4 : Block diagram of the server

[0096] Figure 4 An exemplary block diagram of a server 104 according to some embodiments is shown. Note that Figure 4 the base station shown is merely an example of a possible server. As shown, the server 104 may include a processor 444 that can execute program instructions for the server 104. The processor 444 may also be coupled to a Memory Management Unit (MMU) 474, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 444 and translate these addresses into locations in a memory (e.g., memory 464 and Read-Only Memory (ROM) 454) or into other circuits or devices.

[0097] Base station 104 may be configured to provide access network functionality to multiple devices, such as base station 102 and / or UE device 106, for example, as further described herein.

[0098] In some embodiments, server 104 may be part of a radio access network, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) access network. In some embodiments, server 104 may be connected to a traditional Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network and / or connected to an NR Core (NRC) network.

[0099] As further described subsequently herein, server 104 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting the implementation of the features described herein. The processor 444 of server 104 may be configured to implement or support the implementation of part or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium). Alternatively, processor 444 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or configured 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 454, 464, and / or 474, the processor 444 of server 104 may be configured to implement or support the implementation of part or all of the features described herein.

[0100] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 444 may consist of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor 444. Thus, processor 444 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 444. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 444.

[0101] Figure 5A : Block diagram of a UE

[0102] Figure 5A An exemplary simplified block diagram of a communication device 106 according to some embodiments is shown. Note that Figure 5AThe block diagram of the communication device is merely an example of a possible communication device. According to an 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, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a UAV controller (UAC), and / or a combination of devices, and other devices. As shown, the communication device 106 can include a set of components 300 configured to perform core functions. For example, the set of components can be implemented as a system-on-chip (SOC), which can include portions for various purposes. Alternatively, the set of components 300 can be implemented as separate components or groups of components for various purposes. This set of components 300 can be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to various other circuits of the communication device 106.

[0103] For example, the communication device 106 can include various types of memories (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), input / output interfaces such as 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 can be integrated with or external to the communication device 106, and cellular communication circuits 330 such as for 5G NR, LTE, GSM, etc., and short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuits 329 (e.g., Bluetooth ™ and WLAN circuits). In some embodiments, the communication device 106 can include a wired communication circuit (not shown), such as a network interface card for Ethernet, for example.

[0104] The cellular communication circuits 330 can be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as the antennas 335 and 336 shown. The short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuits 329 can also be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as the antennas 337 and 338 shown. Alternatively, the short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuits 329, in addition to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) being coupled to the antennas 337 and 338 or as an alternative, can be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to the antennas 335 and 336. The short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuits 329 and / or the cellular communication circuits 330 can 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.

[0105] In some embodiments, as further described below, the cellular communication circuitry 330 may include dedicated receive chains for multiple RATs (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components) (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G-NR). Additionally, in some embodiments, the cellular communication circuitry 330 may include a single transmit chain that can be switched between radio components dedicated to a particular RAT. For example, a first radio component may be dedicated to a first RAT, such as LTE, and may communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a transmit chain shared with additional radio components, such as a second radio component that may be dedicated to a second RAT (e.g., 5G NR) and may communicate with the dedicated receive chain and the shared transmit chain.

[0106] The communication device 106 may also include one or more user interface elements and / or be configured to work with one or more user interface elements. The user interface elements may include various elements such as a display 360 (which may be a touchscreen display), a keyboard (which may be a discrete keyboard or may be implemented as part of a touchscreen display), a mouse, a microphone and / or a speaker, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any of various other elements capable of providing information to a user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.

[0107] 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. Note that the term "SIM" or "SIM entity" is intended to include any of various types of SIM implementations or SIM functionality, such as one or more UICC cards 345, one or more eUICC, one or more eSIM, removable or embedded, etc. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include at least two SIMs. Each SIM may execute one or more SIM applications and / or otherwise implement SIM functionality. Thus, each SIM may be a single smart card that may be embedded, for example, soldered to a circuit board within the UE 106, or each SIM 310 may be implemented as a removable smart card. Thus, the SIM may be one or more removable smart cards (such as UICC cards sometimes referred to as "SIM cards"), and / or the SIM 310 may be one or more embedded cards (such as embedded UICC (eUICC) sometimes referred to as "eSIM" or "eSIM card"). In some embodiments (such as when the SIM includes eUICC), one or more of the SIMs in the SIM may implement embedded SIM (eSIM) functionality; in such embodiments, a single SIM in the SIM may execute multiple SIM applications. Each SIM may include components such as a processor and / or memory; instructions for performing SIM / eSIM functionality may be stored in the memory and executed by the processor. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include a combination of removable smart cards and fixed / non-removable smart cards (such as one or more eUICC cards implementing eSIM functionality) as needed. For example, the UE 106 may include a combination of two embedded SIMs, two removable SIMs, or one embedded SIM and one removable SIM. Various other SIM configurations are also contemplated.

[0108] As described above, in some embodiments, the UE 106 may include two or more SIMs. Including two or more SIMs in the UE 106 may allow the UE 106 to support two different telephone numbers and may allow the UE 106 to communicate on two corresponding respective networks. For example, a first SIM may support a first RAT such as LTE, and a second SIM 310 may support a second RAT such as 5G NR. Of course, other implementations and RATs are possible. In some embodiments, when the UE 106 includes two SIMs, the UE 106 may support the Dual SIM Dual Active (DSDA) function. The DSDA function may allow the UE 106 to be simultaneously connected to two networks (and use two different RATs), or may allow two connections supported by two different SIMs using the same or different RATs to be simultaneously maintained on the same or different networks. The DSDA function may also allow the UE 106 to simultaneously receive a voice call or data traffic on either telephone number. In certain embodiments, the voice call may be a packet switched communication. In other words, the voice call may be received using Voice over LTE (VoLTE) technology and / or Voice over NR (VoNR) technology. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may support the Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS) function. The DSDS function may allow either of the two SIMs in the UE 106 to standby waiting for a voice call and / or a data connection. In DSDS, when a call / data is established on one SIM, the other SIM is no longer active. In some embodiments, the DSDx function (DSDA or DSDS function) may be implemented using a single SIM (e.g., eUICC) that executes multiple SIM applications for different carriers and / or RATs.

[0109] As shown, the SOC 300 may include a processor 302 and a display circuit 304. The processor may execute program instructions for the communication device 106, and the display circuit may perform graphics processing and provide a display signal to the display 360. One or more processors 302 may also be coupled to a Memory Management Unit (MMU) 340 (the MMU may be configured to receive addresses from one or more processors 302 and translate those addresses into locations in a memory (e.g., memory 306, Read Only Memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310)) and / or be coupled to other circuits or devices (such as, display circuit 304, short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuit 329, cellular communication circuit 330, connector I / F 320, and / or 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.

[0110] As described above, the communication device 106 may be configured to communicate using wireless and / or wired communication circuitry. The communication device 106 may be configured to perform the method for UE uplink antenna panel selection as further described herein.

[0111] As described herein, the communication device 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing the above-described features of the communication device 106 to send a scheduling profile for power saving to the network. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium), the processor 302 of the communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described in the present invention. 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), in combination with one or more of the other components 300, 304, 306, 310, 320, 329, 330, 340, 345, 350, 360, the processor 302 of the communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described in the present invention.

[0112] Furthermore, as described in the present invention, the processor 302 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, the processor 302 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the processor 302. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform one or more of the functions of the processor 302.

[0113] Further, as described herein, the cellular communication circuitry 330 and the short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may each include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in the cellular communication circuitry 330, and similarly, one or more processing elements may be included in the short-range to medium-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. In addition, 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 to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may include one or more ICs configured to perform the functions of the short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329.

[0114] Figure 5B : Block diagram of the cellular communication circuitry

[0115] Figure 5BAn exemplary simplified block diagram of a cellular communication circuit in accordance with some embodiments is shown. Note that Figure 5B The block diagram of the cellular communication circuit is merely an example of a possible cellular communication circuit. According to an embodiment, the cellular communication circuit 330 may be included in a communication device such as the communication device 106 described above. As described above, in addition to other devices, the communication device 106 may 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.

[0116] The cellular communication circuit 330 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as the antennas 335a - 335b and 336 shown in ( Figure 5A ). In some embodiments, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include dedicated receive chains for multiple RATs (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components) (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G - NR). For example, as Figure 5B shown, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include a modem 510 and a modem 520. The modem 510 may be configured for communication according to a first RAT (e.g., such as LTE or LTE - A), and the modem 520 may be configured for communication according to a second RAT (e.g., such as 5G NR).

[0117] As shown in the figure, the modem 510 may include one or more processors 512 and a memory 516 communicatively coupled to the processors 512. The modem 510 may communicate with a radio frequency (RF) front - end 530. The RF front - end 530 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front - end 530 may include a receive circuit (RX) 532 and a transmit circuit (TX) 534. In some embodiments, the receive circuit 532 may communicate with a downlink (DL) front - end 550, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via the antenna 335a.

[0118] Similarly, the modem 520 may include one or more processors 522 and a memory 526 communicatively coupled to the processors 522. The modem 520 may communicate with an RF front - end 540. The RF front - end 540 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front - end 540 may include a receive circuit 542 and a transmit circuit 544. In some embodiments, the receive circuit 542 may communicate with a DL front - end 560, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via the antenna 335b.

[0119] In some embodiments, switch 570 may couple the transmit circuit 534 to the uplink (UL) front end 572. Additionally, switch 570 may couple the transmit circuit 544 to the UL front end 572. The UL front end 572 may include circuitry for transmitting radio signals via antenna 336. Thus, when the cellular communication circuit 330 receives an instruction to transmit according to a first RAT (e.g., supported via modem 510), switch 570 may be switched to a first state that permits modem 510 to transmit signals according to the first RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including transmit circuit 534 and UL front end 572). Similarly, when the cellular communication circuit 330 receives an instruction to transmit according to a second RAT (e.g., supported via modem 520), switch 570 may be switched to a second state that permits modem 520 to transmit signals according to the second RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including transmit circuit 544 and UL front end 572).

[0120] In some embodiments, the cellular communication circuit 330 may be configured to perform a method for UE uplink antenna panel selection as further described herein.

[0121] As described herein, modem 510 may include hardware and software components for implementing the above-described features or for time-division multiplexing UL data for NSA NR operation and various other techniques described herein. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium), processor 512 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or in addition), processor 512 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field-programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), in combination with one or more of the other components 530, 532, 534, 550, 570, 572, 335, and 336, processor 512 may be configured to implement some or all of the feature portions described herein.

[0122] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 512 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processor 512 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 512. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 512.

[0123] As described herein, the modem 520 can include hardware and software components designed to implement the above-described features for transmitting a scheduling profile for power savings to the network and various other techniques described herein. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium), the processor 522 can be configured to implement some or all of the feature portions described herein. Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 522 can be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or additionally), in combination with one or more of the other components 540, 542, 544, 550, 570, 572, 335, and 336, the processor 522 can be configured to implement some or all of the feature portions described herein.

[0124] In addition, as described herein, the processor 522 can include one or more processing elements. Thus, the processor 522 can include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the processor 522. In addition, each integrated circuit can include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the processor 522.

[0125] Figure 6A and Figure 6B : 5G NR Architecture with LTE

[0126] In some embodiments, fifth-generation (5G) wireless communications will initially be deployed concurrently with current wireless communication standards (e.g., LTE). For example, the dual connection between LTE and the 5G New Radio (5G NR or NR) has been designated as part of the initial deployment of NR. Thus, as Figures 6A to 6B shown, the evolved packet core (EPC) network 600 can continue to communicate with current LTE base stations (e.g., eNB 602). In addition, the eNB 602 can communicate with a 5G NR base station (e.g., gNB 604) and can transfer data between the core network 600 and the gNB 604. Thus, the EPC network 600 can be used (or reused), and the gNB 604 can act as additional capacity for user equipment, e.g., for providing increased downlink throughput to the UE. In other words, LTE can be used for control plane signaling, and NR can be used for user plane signaling. Thus, LTE can be used to establish a connection to the network, and NR can be used for data services.

[0127] Figure 6BThe proposed protocol stack for the eNB 602 and the gNB 604 is shown. As shown, the eNB 602 may include a medium access control (MAC) layer 632 that interfaces with the radio link control (RLC) layers 622a-622b. The RLC layer 622a may also interface with the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer 612a, and the RLC layer 622b may interface with the PDCP layer 612b. Similar to the dual connectivity specified in LTE-Advanced Release 12, the PDCP layer 612a may interface with the EPC network 600 via a master cell group (MCG) bearer, while the PDCP layer 612b may interface with the EPC network 600 via a separate bearer.

[0128] In addition, as shown, the gNB 604 may include a MAC layer 634 that interfaces with the RLC layers 624a-624b. The RLC layer 624a may interface with the PDCP layer 612b of the eNB 602 via an X2 interface for information exchange and / or coordination (e.g., scheduling UEs) between the eNB 602 and the gNB 604. In addition, the RLC layer 624b may interface with the PDCP layer 614. Similar to the dual connectivity specified in Advanced LTE Release 12, the PDCP layer 614 may interface with the EPC network 600 via a secondary cell group (SCG) bearer. Therefore, the eNB 602 may be considered a master node (MeNB) and the gNB 604 may be considered a secondary node (SgNB). In some cases, the UE may be required to maintain a connection with both the MeNB and the SgNB. In such a scenario, the MeNB may be used to maintain a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the EPC, while the SgNB may be used for capacity (e.g., additional downlink and / or uplink throughput).

[0129] Figure 7A , Figure 7B and Figure 8 : 5G core network architecture—interworking with Wi-Fi

[0130] In some embodiments, the 5G core network (CN) may be accessed via (or through) a cellular connection / interface (e.g., via a 3GPP communication architecture / protocol) and a non-cellular connection / interface (e.g., a non-3GPP access architecture / protocol such as a Wi-Fi connection). Figure 7AAn example of a 5G network architecture according to some embodiments is shown, which combines 3GPP (e.g., cellular) and non-3GPP (e.g., non-cellular) access to the 5G CN. As shown, a user equipment device (e.g., UE 106) can access the 5G CN through both a radio access network (RAN, e.g., gNB or base station 604) and an access point such as AP 112. AP 112 can include a connection to the Internet 700 and a connection to a non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF) 702 network entity. N3IWF can include a connection to the core access and mobility management function (AMF) 704 of the 5G CN. AMF 704 can include an instance of a 5G mobility management (5G MM) function associated with UE 106. Additionally, the RAN (e.g., gNB 604) can also have a connection to AMF 704. Thus, the 5G CN can support unified authentication on both connections and allow UE 106 to register for access simultaneously via gNB 604 and AP 112. As shown, AMF 704 can include one or more functional entities associated with the 5G CN (e.g., network slice selection function (NSSF) 720, short message service function (SMSF) 722, application function (AF) 724, unified data management (UDM) 726, policy control function (PCF) 728, and / or authentication server function (AUSF) 730). Note that these functional entities can also be supported by the session management function (SMF) 706a and SMF 706b of the 5G CN. AMF 706 can be connected to (or communicate with) SMF 706a. In some embodiments, such functional entities can reside on and / or be executed and / or supported by one or more servers 104 located within the RAN and / or the core network. Additionally, gNB604 can communicate with (or be connected to) a user plane function (UPF) 708a, which can also communicate with SMF 706a. Similarly, N3IWF 702 can communicate with UPF 708b, which can also communicate with SMF 706b. Both UPFs can communicate with a data network (e.g., DN 710a and 710b) and / or the Internet 700 and the IMS core network 710.

[0131] Figure 7BAn example of a 5G network architecture according to some embodiments is shown, which incorporates dual 3GPP (e.g., LTE and 5G NR) access to the 5G CN as well as non-3GPP access. As shown, a user equipment device (e.g., UE 106) can access the 5G CN via both a radio access network (RAN, e.g., gNB or base station 604 or eNB or base station 602) and an access point such as AP 112. AP 112 can include a connection to the Internet 700 and a connection to the N3IWF 702 network entity. N3IWF can include a connection to the AMF 704 of the 5G CN. AMF 704 can include an instance of the 5G MM function associated with UE 106. Additionally, the RAN (e.g., gNB 604) can also have a connection to AMF 704. Thus, the 5G CN can support unified authentication on both connections and allow UE 106 to register for access via gNB 604 and AP 112 simultaneously. Additionally, the 5G CN can support dual registration of the UE on both a traditional network (e.g., LTE via base station 602) and a 5G network (e.g., via base station 604). As shown, base station 602 can have connections to a mobility management entity (MME) 742 and a serving gateway (SGW) 744. MME742 can have connections to both SGW 744 and AMF 704. Additionally, SGW 744 can have connections to both SMF 706a and UPF708a. As shown, AMF 704 can include one or more functional entities associated with the 5G CN (e.g., NSSF 720, SMSF 722, AF 724, UDM 726, PCF 728, and / or AUSF 730). Note that UDM 726 can also include a home subscriber server (HSS) function, and PCF can also include a policy and charging rules function (PCRF). Note also that these functional entities can also be supported by SMF 706a and SMF 706b of the 5G CN. AMF 706 can be connected to (or communicate with) SMF 706a. In some embodiments, such functional entities can reside on and / or be executed and / or supported by one or more servers 104 located within the RAN and / or the core network. Additionally, gNB 604 can communicate with (or be connected to) UPF708a, which can also communicate with SMF 706a. Similarly, N3IWF 702 can communicate with UPF 708b, which can also communicate with SMF 706b. Both UPFs can communicate with a data network (e.g., DN 710a and 710b) and / or the Internet 700 and the IMS core network 710.

[0132] Note that, in various embodiments, one or more of the above network entities may be configured to perform methods for improving security checks in a 5G NR network, including mechanisms for UE uplink antenna panel selection, as further described herein, for example.

[0133] Figure 8 An example of a baseband processor architecture for a UE (e.g., UE 106) according to some embodiments is shown. As described above, Figure 8 the baseband processor architecture 800 described in may be implemented on one or more radio components (e.g., the above radio components 329 and / or 330) or modems (e.g., modems 510 and / or 520) as described above. As shown, the non-access stratum 810 may include a 5G NAS 820 and a legacy NAS 850. The legacy NAS 850 may include a communication connection with a legacy access stratum (AS) 870. The 5G NAS 820 may include communication connections with a 5G AS 840, a non-3GPP AS 830, and a Wi-Fi AS 832. The 5G NAS 820 may include functional entities associated with both access strata. Thus, the 5G NAS 820 may include multiple 5G MM entities 826 and 828 and 5G session management (SM) entities 822 and 824. The legacy NAS 850 may include functional entities such as a short message service (SMS) entity 852, an evolved packet system (EPS) session management (ESM) entity 854, a session management (SM) entity 856, an EPS mobility management (EMM) entity 858, and a mobility management (MM) / GPRS mobility management (GMM) entity 860. In addition, the legacy AS 870 may include functional entities such as an LTE AS 872, a UMTS AS 874, and / or a GSM / GPRS 876.

[0134] Thus, the baseband processor architecture 800 allows for a common 5G-NAS for both 5G cellular and non-cellular (e.g., non-3GPP access). Note that, as shown, 5G MM may maintain separate connection management and registration management state machines for each connection. Additionally, a device (e.g., UE 106) may register to a single PLMN (e.g., 5G CN) using both 5G cellular access and non-cellular access. Furthermore, the device may be in a connected state in one access and in an idle state in another access, and vice versa. Finally, there may be common 5G-MM procedures (e.g., registration, deregistration, identification, authentication, etc.) for both accesses.

[0135] Note that in various embodiments, one or more of the above functional entities of 5G NAS and / or 5G AS may be configured to perform a method for UE uplink antenna panel selection, e.g., as further described herein.

[0136] UE Uplink Antenna Panel Selection

[0137] In the current embodiment, a user equipment (UE) may be equipped with (and / or include) multiple antenna panels and may have the ability to select an antenna panel and / or a subset of antenna panels for communication with a base station and / or a set of base stations. In some embodiments, directional antennas may be used in each antenna panel. Additionally, different antenna panels may be targeted in different directions for full coverage, e.g., a dual-antenna-panel UE may be equipped with antenna panels targeted in opposite directions.

[0138] Furthermore, in the current embodiment of 3GPP New Radio (NR) Release 17, "fast" uplink (UL) antenna panel selection has been specified as:

[0139] Based on UL beam indication with a unified TCI framework for UL fast panel selection, identifying and specifying features to facilitate UL beam selection for UEs equipped with multiple panels, thus considering UL coverage loss mitigation due to MPE.

[0140] Therefore, to support fast UL antenna panel selection based on the TCI framework, various aspects need to be considered, e.g.:

[0141] (1) How to determine when panel switching is needed;

[0142] (2) How to define the reporting content of the UE so that the base station knows the UL antenna panel status of the beam; and

[0143] (3) How to define the control signaling for antenna panel switching based on the TCI framework. Additionally, the antenna panel selection framework may also follow the following principles:

[0144] (1) The antenna panel selection framework should avoid disclosing aspects of the UE's implementation, such as the antenna architecture; and

[0145] (2) The antenna panel selection framework should provide flexibility to the UE to selectively turn on / off antenna panels to save power.

[0146] The embodiments described herein provide systems, methods, and mechanisms to support an uplink antenna panel selection framework. In some embodiments, a UE (such as UE 106) may determine to switch an antenna panel based on one or more conditions. In some embodiments, the UE may report the required latency for an antenna panel switch and / or whether an additional latency is required for the antenna panel switch. In some embodiments, the UE may report the beam switch latency level for each beam in a beam report. In some embodiments, the UE may only report the beams with a beam switch latency level of a first level. In some embodiments, the antenna panel switch may be based on a beam indication received from a base station (such as base station 102). In some embodiments, the antenna panel switch may be triggered (and / or based on) a UE request.

[0147] In some embodiments, the conditions based on which the UE may switch the antenna panel may include any one, any combination, and / or all of the following:

[0148] (1) The minimum beam quality of the beams from beam set X measured from the target antenna panel is greater than the minimum beam quality measured from the current (and / or source) antenna panel plus a margin (and / or offset);

[0149] (2) The maximum beam quality of the beams from beam set X measured from the target antenna panel is greater than the maximum beam quality measured from the current (and / or source) antenna panel plus a margin (and / or offset);

[0150] (3) The average beam quality of the beams from beam set X measured from the target antenna panel is greater than the average beam quality measured from the current (and / or source) antenna panel plus a margin (and / or offset); and / or

[0151] (4) The beam quality of the beams from beam set X measured from the target antenna panel is greater than the beam quality measured from the current (and / or source) antenna panel plus a margin (and / or offset).

[0152] In some embodiments, the target beam may be configured by higher layer signaling and / or be predefined, for example, the first beam corresponding to the lowest transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state identifier (ID) activated by a media access control (MAC) control element (CE). In some embodiments, beam set X may be configured by higher layer signaling, for example, the beam set corresponding to the TCI state activated by a MAC CE. In some embodiments, the margin and / or offset may be configured by higher layer signaling, be predefined, and / or be reported by UE capabilities.

[0153] In some embodiments, beam quality may be based on reference signal received power (RSRP), signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), and / or power headroom (PHR) of the measured beam, as well as other beam quality metrics and / or parameters. In some embodiments, the beam quality metrics and / or parameters used to determine beam quality may be predefined and / or configured by higher layer signaling (such as radio resource control (RRC) signaling).

[0154] In some embodiments, with respect to the maximum permissible exposure (MPE) to humans (e.g., maximum permissible power emission), maximum power reduction (MPR) may be included to determine beam quality. For example, beam quality may be equal to the measured RSRP minus MPR. As another example, beam quality may be based on the power headroom (PHR) with respect to the impact of MPR, where the PHR may be measured based on the synchronization signal block (SSB) or channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) corresponding to the beam. In some embodiments, as Figure 9 shown, the MPR may be beam-specific and / or antenna panel-specific. For example, as shown, beam 902 in antenna panel 1 of UE 106 may have a first MPR and may be in the direction of the user. Additionally, beam 904 in antenna panel 2 of UE 106 may have a second MPR different from the first MPR. In some embodiments, based on beam 902 being in the direction of the user while beam 904 is not, compared to the first MPR, the second MPR may result in less reduction of the measured RSRP. In some embodiments, the MPR of each antenna panel may be reported to the base station.

[0155] In some embodiments, to switch to an active antenna panel, the UE may perform the antenna panel switch with the same delay as the UE beam switch within the antenna panel. In some embodiments, to switch to a deactivated antenna panel, the UE may require an additional delay to activate the panel. Thus, in some embodiments, for beam reporting instances, it may not be necessary to report the antenna panel index (which may disclose the UE's antenna architecture); instead, the UE may report whether an additional delay is needed and / or required to switch to the beam.

[0156] In some embodiments, several levels of beam switch delay may be defined, for example, as Figure 10A and Figure 10B shown. For example, as Figure 10AAs shown, the inter-panel delay T1 can be the minimum number of time slots / symbols for beam switching within and / or across the active antenna panels. As shown, the UE 106 can communicate via beam 1002 within antenna panel 1 and can receive beam switching signaling from a base station such as base station 102. Then, the UE 106 can continue to switch from beam 1002 within antenna panel 1 to beam 1004 within antenna panel 1. The switch can be associated with the inter-panel delay, as shown. Once the switch occurs, the UE 106 can continue to communicate with the base station via beam 1004.

[0157] For another example, as Figure 10B shown, the delay T2 can be the minimum number of time slots / symbols for beam switching across the deactivated antenna panels. As shown, the UE 106 can communicate via beam 1002 within antenna panel 1 and can receive beam switching signaling from a base station such as base station 102. Then, the UE 106 can continue to switch from beam 1002 within antenna panel 1 to beam 1006 within antenna panel 2. The switch can be associated with the intra-panel delay, as shown. Once the switch occurs, the UE 106 can continue to communicate with the base station via beam 1006.

[0158] In some embodiments, to switch beams without beam reporting and / or when the corresponding beam report expires / in the case where the corresponding beam report expires, the delay T2 (e.g., intra-panel delay) can be applied. In some embodiments, different delays can be applied for different beam indication signaling. For example, compared with RRC-based signaling, DCI-based signaling can have a different delay compared with MAC CE-based signaling.

[0159] In some embodiments, to report the beam switching delay of a beam, the UE can report the beam switching delay level of each beam in the beam report. For example, the beam report can include the RSRP and / or SINR of N SSBs and / or CSI-RSs (e.g., CRI) and the delay level, as Figure 11 shown. As shown, the beam report can include the channel state information (CSI) report number and an optional CSI field of the CRI / SSBRI (e.g., where SSBRI is the synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) resource block indicator), the differential RSRP, and the associated delay of the CRI / SSBRI. In some embodiments, whether to report the beam switching delay of each beam can be configured by higher layer signaling such as RRC, MAC CE, and / or downlink control information (DCI) signaling.

[0160] In some embodiments, the UE may report beams in a beam report only at a latency level T1. In such embodiments, other beams not included in the beam report may be considered (or assumed) to have a latency level T2.

[0161] In some embodiments, the panel switching indication may be based on the base station beam indication. In some embodiments, the base station may indicate an uplink beam for a component carrier (CC) or an uplink channel across CCs via higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC, MAC CE, and / or downlink control information (DCI) signaling). In some embodiments, before the indication becomes effective, before T1 or T2 time slots / symbols, the UE may apply the old beam to the corresponding uplink channel communication, e.g., as Figure 12A shown. As shown, the UE 106 may communicate via beam 1202 within antenna panel 1 and may receive beam switching signaling from a base station, such as base station 102. For example, the beam switching signal may indicate a switch from TCI 3 to TCI 4. Thus, the UE may transmit signals based on TCI 3, and upon receiving the beam switching signal, the UE 106 may then continue to switch from beam 1202 within antenna panel 1 to beam 1204 within antenna panel 2. The switch may be associated with in-panel latency, as shown. Additionally, as shown, the UE 106 may continue communicating with the base station via beam 1202 based on TCI 3. Once the switch occurs, the UE 106 may continue communicating with the base station via beam 1204 based on TCI 4.

[0162] In some embodiments, before the indication becomes effective, e.g., before T1 or T2 time slots / symbols, the UE may not transmit on the corresponding uplink channel, regardless of whether the UE is configured / scheduled to reduce interference to other cells, e.g., as Figure 12B shown. For example, the beam switching signal may indicate a switch from TCI 3 to TCI 4. Thus, the UE may transmit signals based on TCI 3, and upon receiving the beam switching signal, the UE 106 may then continue to switch from beam 1202 within antenna panel 1 to beam 1204 within antenna panel 2. The switch may be associated with in-panel latency, as shown. Additionally, as shown, the UE 106 may abort communicating with the base station via beam 1202 during the beam switch. Once the switch occurs, the UE106 may continue communicating with the base station via beam 1204 based on TCI 4.

[0163] In some embodiments, the panel switching indication can be triggered based on a UE request. For example, in some embodiments, when the UE determines to switch the antenna panel / in the case where the UE determines to switch the antenna panel, the UE can request a beam report, and then the base station can indicate the beam based on the newly reported beam. In some embodiments, the beam report can be a request based on the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) and / or a specific Scheduling Request (SR). In some embodiments, the PRACH resources and / or SR resources can be configured by higher layer signaling. In some embodiments, the beam report request can be transmitted in the Primary Cell (PCell), a Secondary Cell (SCell) enabled with the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), PUCCH - SCell, and / or a specific serving cell.

[0164] As another example, in some embodiments, the UE can report the antenna panel switch to be applied, for example, via the PUCCH and / or MAC CE. In some embodiments, the UE can abort the uplink transmission during the beam switching delay period. For example, as Figure 13A shown, the UE 106 can transmit, for example, based on TCI 3, via beam 1302 located within antenna panel 1. As shown, after transmitting the report and before the UE 106 switches to a new antenna panel (e.g., antenna panel 2), the UE 106 may not transmit any uplink signals, regardless of whether it is scheduled. Once the beam switching has been completed, the UE 106 can resume communication with the base station via beam 1304 within antenna panel 2, for example, based on TCI 3.

[0165] In some embodiments, after receiving the reported "ACK" and before the UE switches to a new antenna panel, the UE may not transmit any uplink signals, regardless of whether it is scheduled. For example, as Figure 13BAs shown, the UE 106 may transmit, for example, based on TCI 3, via beam 1302 located within antenna panel 1. As shown, after transmitting the report, the UE 106 may wait for an acknowledgement ("ACK") from the base station before initiating a handover to a new antenna panel (e.g., antenna panel 2). As shown, once the UE 106 receives the "ACK", the UE 106 may not transmit any uplink signals, regardless of whether it is scheduled. Once the beam switch has been completed, the UE 106 may resume communication with the base station via beam 1304 within antenna panel 2, for example, based on TCI 3. In some embodiments, when the report is carried by the PUCCH, the "ACK" may be a PDCCH in a predefined or configured control resource set (CORESET) and / or search space (SS). In some embodiments, when the report is carried by a MAC CE, the "ACK" may be a PDCCH with an uplink grant to schedule a new transmission with the same HARQ process identifier as the HARQ process identifier used for the PUSCH with the MAC CE.

[0166] Figure 14 A block diagram illustrating an example of a method for uplink antenna panel selection according to some embodiments is shown. Among other devices, Figure 14 the method shown may also be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or devices shown in the figures. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be executed concurrently in a different order than shown, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as needed. As shown, the method may operate as follows.

[0167] At 1402, a UE (such as UE 106) may determine to perform a beam switch from a current beam that is being used to communicate with a base station (such as base station 102) based on at least one condition. For example, the UE may determine that a beam switch may be required and / or needed based on at least one condition (e.g., as measured at the UE). For example, the UE may determine that the current beam is no longer suitable for communication with the base station based on at least one condition. In some embodiments, the at least one condition may include any one, any combination, and / or all of the following (e.g., at least one): the minimum beam quality of a beam from a first beam set measured from a target antenna panel is greater than the minimum beam quality measured from the current antenna panel plus a margin, the maximum beam quality of a beam from a first beam set measured from a target antenna panel is greater than the maximum beam quality measured from the current antenna panel plus a margin, the average beam quality of one or more target beams from a first beam set measured from a target antenna panel is greater than the average beam quality measured from the current antenna panel plus a margin, and / or the beam quality of a target beam from a first beam set measured from a target antenna panel is greater than the beam quality measured from the current antenna panel plus a margin. In some embodiments, the target beam may be configured via higher layer signaling between the UE and the base station. In some embodiments, the higher layer signaling may include any one, any combination, and / or all of the following (e.g., at least one): radio resource control signaling, medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), and / or downlink control information (DCI). In some embodiments, the target beam may be a predefined beam. In some embodiments, the predefined beam may include a first beam corresponding to the lowest transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state index (ID) activated by a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE). In some embodiments, the margin may be configured via higher layer signaling between the UE and the base station, be predefined, or via UE capability reporting. In some embodiments, the beam quality may be based on any one, any combination, and / or all of the following (e.g., at least one): reference signal received power (RSRP), signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), and / or power headroom. In some embodiments, the at least one condition may be configured via higher layer signaling between UEs or be predefined.

[0168] In some embodiments, the beam quality may further be based on a maximum power reduction with respect to power emission to a human body. In some embodiments, the maximum power reduction may be beam specific or antenna panel specific. In some embodiments, the UE may report the maximum power reduction of each antenna panel of the UE to the base station.

[0169] At 1404, the UE may transmit an indication of the antenna panel state to the base station. The indication may include an indication of the latency associated with the execution of beam switching. In some embodiments, the latency associated with beam switching may be at least partially based on beam indication signaling. In some embodiments, a different latency may be applied for each type of beam indication signaling. In some embodiments, the types of beam indication signaling include radio resource control signaling, medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) signaling, and / or downlink control information (DCI) signaling.

[0170] In some embodiments, the indication of the latency associated with beam switching may indicate whether an additional latency is required to switch to a particular beam. In such embodiments, a first latency may be associated with an active antenna panel beam switch, and a second latency may be associated with switching to an inactive antenna panel. In such embodiments, the indication of the additional latency may indicate the second latency. In some embodiments, the first latency may be defined as the number of time slots / symbols necessary to switch beams within an antenna panel or within an active antenna panel, and the second latency may be defined as the number of time slots / symbols necessary to switch the beam from the current antenna panel to a deactivated antenna panel. In some embodiments, it may be assumed that the beam switch from the current antenna panel to an active antenna panel occurs at the first latency. In some embodiments, the first latency and the second latency may be predefined for each subcarrier spacing and / or based on the UE's capabilities.

[0171] In some embodiments, the indication of the antenna panel state may include the beam switching latency level for each beam in a beam report. In some embodiments, the indication of the antenna panel state may include only the beams having a beam switching latency associated with a first latency level. In such embodiments, it may be assumed that the beams not included in the beam report have a beam switching latency associated with a second latency level. In such embodiments, the first latency level may be less than the second latency level, or the first latency level may be greater than the second latency level.

[0172] At 1406, the UE may receive an indication to switch to a target beam from the base station. In some embodiments, the indication to switch to the target beam may include an indication of the target beam for a component carrier or an uplink channel across component carriers. In some embodiments, the indication may be received via higher layer signaling. In some embodiments, the higher layer signaling may include any one, any combination, and / or all (e.g., at least one) of the following: radio resource control signaling, medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) signaling, and / or downlink control information (DCI) signaling. In some embodiments, during the time period between receiving the indication and switching to the target beam, the UE may continue to transmit using the current beam. In such embodiments, the time period may correspond to the indicated latency. In some embodiments, during the time period between receiving the indication and switching to the target beam, the UE may abort the transmission using the current beam. In such embodiments, the time period may correspond to the indicated latency.

[0173] In some embodiments, the indication may include a beam switch request, where the beam switch request indicates the target beam. In some embodiments, when the beam switch request includes a beam report, the beam report may be at least partially based on a physical random access channel resource or a scheduling request resource. In some embodiments, the physical random access channel resource and / or the scheduling request resource may be configured via higher layer signaling. In such embodiments, the higher layer signaling may include at least one of the following: radio resource control signaling, medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) signaling, or downlink control information (DCI) signaling. In some embodiments, the beam report may be requested in any one, any combination, and / or all (e.g., at least one) of the following: a primary cell, a secondary cell (SCell) enabled with a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a PUCCH-SCell; and / or a serving cell.

[0174] In some embodiments, a beam switching request may include an indication that the antenna panel switching is to be applied by the UE. In some embodiments, the beam switching request may be transmitted via at least one of a Physical Uplink Control Channel or a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE). In some embodiments, during the time period between receiving the indication and switching to the target beam, the UE may abort the transmission using the current beam. In such embodiments, the time period may correspond to the indicated latency. In some embodiments, during the time period between receiving the indication and switching to the target beam, it also includes that the UE may continue to transmit using the current beam during the first part of the time period until an acknowledgement is received from the base station. During the second part of the time period, the UE may abort the transmission using the current beam after receiving the acknowledgement from the base station. In such embodiments, the second part of the time period may correspond to the indicated latency.

[0175] In some embodiments, when transmitting a beam switching request via a Physical Uplink Shared Channel, the acknowledgement may be received via a Physical Downlink Control Channel in a Control Resource Set (CORESET) or a Search Space (SS). In such embodiments, the CORESET and / or SS may be predefined or configured.

[0176] In some embodiments, when transmitting a beam switching request via a MAC CE, the acknowledgement may be received via a Physical Downlink Control Channel with an uplink grant to schedule a new transmission using a Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) process index for the Physical Uplink Shared Channel with the MAC CE.

[0177] At 1408, the UE may switch to the target beam based on the indication. In other words, the UE may switch the communication from the current beam to the target beam, for example, by the expiration of a time period associated with the indicated latency.

[0178] It is well known that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of inadvertent or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly explained to the user.

[0179] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in any of various forms. For example, some embodiments may be implemented as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable storage medium, or a computer system. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as an ASIC. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as an FPGA.

[0180] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be configured such that it stores program instructions and / or data, where if executed by a computer system, the program instructions cause the computer system to perform a method, such as any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein or any combination of such subsets.

[0181] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., UE 106) may be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a storage medium, where the storage medium stores program instructions, where the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the storage medium, where the program instructions are executable to implement any one of the various method embodiments described herein (or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device may be implemented in any of a variety of forms.

[0182] By interpreting each message / signal X received by a user equipment (UE) in the downlink as a message / signal X transmitted by a 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 can form the basis for a corresponding method for operating a base station.

[0183] While the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully understood. The present disclosure is intended that the following claims be construed to cover all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: Determining to perform beam switching from a current beam that is being used to communicate with a base station, at least in part based on at least one condition; Transmitting an indication of an antenna panel state to the base station and based on the determination to perform the beam switching, wherein the indication of the antenna panel state includes an indication of a delay associated with the beam switching and a beam switching request, and the beam switching request includes an indication of an antenna panel switch to be applied; Receiving an indication to switch to a target beam from the base station; And Performing a switch to the target beam based on the indication to switch to the target beam, wherein the performance of the switch occurs within a time period associated with the delay.

2. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the at least one condition includes at least one of the following: The minimum beam quality of a beam from a first beam set measured from a target antenna panel is greater than the minimum beam quality measured from the current antenna panel plus a margin; The maximum beam quality of a beam from a first beam set measured from a target antenna panel is greater than the maximum beam quality measured from the current antenna panel plus a margin; The average beam quality of one or more target beams from a first beam set measured from a target antenna panel is greater than the average beam quality measured from the current antenna panel plus a margin; Or The beam quality of a target beam from a first beam set measured from a target antenna panel is greater than the beam quality measured from the current antenna panel plus a margin.

3. The method according to claim 2, Wherein the target beam is configured via higher layer signaling with the base station or is a predefined beam; and Wherein the higher layer signaling includes at least one of the following: Radio Resource Control signaling; Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE); or Downlink Control Information (DCI); and Wherein the predefined beam includes a first beam corresponding to the lowest Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state index (ID) activated by a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE).

4. The method according to claim 2, Wherein the margin is configured via higher layer signaling with the base station, is predefined, or is reported via User Equipment (UE) capabilities.

5. The method according to claim 2, Wherein the beam quality is based on at least one of the following: Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP); Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR); or Power Headroom.

6. The method according to claim 2, Wherein the beam quality is further based on a maximum power reduction with respect to power emission to a human body; Wherein the maximum power reduction is beam specific or antenna panel specific; and Wherein the method further includes reporting the maximum power reduction of each antenna panel to the base station.

7. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the at least one condition is configured via higher layer signaling with the base station or is predefined.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the delay associated with the beam switching is based on beam indication signaling, and wherein different delays are applied for each type of beam indication signaling; and wherein the types of beam indication signaling include radio resource control signaling, medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) signaling, or downlink control information (DCI) signaling.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the indication of the delay associated with the beam switching indicates whether an additional delay is required to switch to a specific beam, wherein a first delay is associated with active antenna panel beam switching, wherein a second delay is associated with switching to an inactive antenna panel, and wherein the indication of the additional delay indicates the second delay; wherein the first delay is defined as the number of time slots / symbols necessary to switch beams within an antenna panel or within an active antenna panel; wherein it is assumed that the beam switching from the current antenna panel to the active antenna panel occurs at the first delay; and wherein the second delay is defined as the number of time slots / symbols necessary to switch the beam from the current antenna panel to a deactivated antenna panel.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the first delay and the second delay are predefined for each subcarrier spacing or based on capabilities.

11. A baseband processor, comprising circuitry configured to cause a device to: determine to perform a beam switch for a current beam being used to communicate with a base station, at least in part based on at least one condition; transmit an indication of an antenna panel state to the base station and based on the determination to perform the beam switch, wherein the indication includes an indication of a delay associated with the beam switch and a beam switch request, the beam switch request including an indication of an antenna panel switch to be applied by the device; and receive an indication to switch to a target beam from the base station.

12. The baseband processor according to claim 11, wherein the indication of the antenna panel state includes a beam switch delay level for each beam in a beam report.

13. The baseband processor according to claim 12, wherein the indication of the antenna panel state includes only the beams having a beam switch delay associated with a first delay level; and wherein it is assumed that the beams not included in the beam report have a beam switch delay associated with a second delay level.

14. The baseband processor according to claim 11, wherein the indication to switch to a target beam includes an indication of the target beam for an uplink channel for a component carrier or across component carriers; wherein the indication to switch to a target beam is received via higher layer signaling, wherein the higher layer signaling includes at least one of radio resource control signaling, medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) signaling, or downlink control information (DCI) signaling; and wherein during a period between receiving the indication to switch to a target beam and switching to the target beam, the circuitry is further configured to cause the device to: continue to transmit using the current beam, wherein the period corresponds to the indicated delay; or Abort the transmission using the current beam, where the time period corresponds to the indicated delay.

15. The baseband processor according to claim 11, where the beam switching request indicates the target beam; where the beam switching request includes a beam report, and where the beam report is based on a physical random access channel resource or a scheduling request resource; where the physical random access channel resource or the scheduling request resource is configured via higher layer signaling, where the higher layer signaling includes at least one of radio resource control signaling, medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) signaling, or downlink control information (DCI) signaling; and where the beam report is requested in at least one of the following: The primary cell; A secondary cell (SCell) enabled for the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH); PUCCH-SCell; or The serving cell.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions that can be executed by a processing circuit to cause a user equipment (UE) to: Determine to perform a beam switch from a current beam being used for communication with a base station at least in part based on at least one beam quality-based condition; Transmit an indication of the antenna panel state to the base station, where the indication of the antenna panel state includes an indication of the delay associated with the beam switch and a beam switching request, and the beam switching request includes an indication of the antenna panel switch to be applied by the UE; Receive an indication to switch to a target beam from the base station; And Perform the switch to the target beam within a time period associated with the delay based on the indication to switch to the target beam.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, where the beam switching request indicates the target beam; and where the beam switching request is transmitted via at least one of a physical uplink control channel or a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17, where within the time period between receiving the indication to switch to the target beam and switching to the target beam, the program instructions can further be executed by the processing circuit to cause the UE to abort the transmission using the current beam, where the time period corresponds to the indicated delay.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17, where within the time period between receiving the indication and switching to the target beam, the program instructions can further be executed by the processing circuit to cause the UE to: Continue to transmit using the current beam during the first part of the time period until an acknowledgement is received from the base station; and Abort the transmission using the current beam after receiving the acknowledgement during the second part of the time period, where the second part of the time period corresponds to the indicated delay.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 19, When the beam switching request is transmitted via the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), the acknowledgement is received via a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) in a Control Resource Set (CORESET) or Search Space (SS), where the CORESET / SS is predefined or configured; and when the beam switching request is transmitted via a MAC CE, the acknowledgement is received via a Physical Downlink Control Channel with an uplink grant to schedule a new transmission using the Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) process index for the Physical Uplink Shared Channel with the MAC CE.

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