User equipment antenna subarray selection related beam switching capability report
By implementing a reporting mechanism for beam switching capabilities between the UE and the base station, and optimizing wireless communications with the UE's antenna subarray configuration, the problem of the failure to effectively utilize the beam switching capabilities of the UE antenna subarray in the prior art is solved, and communication efficiency and reliability are improved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202180030244.2
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2021-03-25
- Filing Date
- 2021-04-07
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-09
- Estimated Expiration
- 2041-04-07
AI Technical Summary
The prior art is difficult to effectively utilize the beam switching capabilities of the user equipment (UE) antenna subarray, resulting in limited wireless communication efficiency and reliability.
By implementing a reporting mechanism for beam handover capability between the UE and the base station, the UE can send indications of its beam handover capability to the base station according to different configurations of its antenna subarrays, and the base station performs corresponding communication scheduling according to these instructions.
It improves the efficiency and reliability of wireless communication, saves the consumption of network resources and UE resources, and optimizes the use of time and frequency resources during beam switching.
Smart Images

Figure CN115428356B_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0002] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 016,675, filed on April 28, 2020, and entitled “UE ANTENNA SUBARRAYSELECTION DEPENDENT BEAM SWITCHING CAPABILITY REPORTING,” and U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application No. 17 / 212,732, filed on March 25, 2021, and entitled “USER EQUIPMENT ANTENNA SUBARRAYSELECTION DEPENDENT BEAM SWITCHING CAPABILITY REPORTING,” which are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field
[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communications, and techniques and apparatus for user equipment (UE) antenna subarray selection related beam switching capability reporting. Background Art
[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunication services, such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies that can support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, etc.). Examples of such multiple access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems, and long term evolution (LTE). LTE / LTE-Advanced is a set of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).
[0005] A wireless network may include multiple base stations (BSs) that may support communications for multiple user equipments (UEs). A UE may communicate with a BS via a downlink and an uplink. A "downlink" (or "forward link") refers to a communication link from a BS to a UE, while an "uplink" (or "reverse link") refers to a communication link from a UE to a BS. As will be described in more detail herein, a BS may be referred to as a Node B, gNB, access point (AP), radio head, transmit receive point (TRP), new radio (NR) BS, 5G Node B, etc.
[0006] The above multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different user equipment to communicate at a municipal, national, regional, and even global level. NR, which may also be referred to as 5G, is an enhancement set of the LTE mobile standard promulgated by 3GPP. NR is designed to better support mobile broadband Internet access by improving spectrum efficiency, reducing costs, improving services, utilizing new spectrum, and better integrating with other open standards using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) (CP-OFDM) with cyclic prefix (CP) on the downlink (DL), using CP-OFDM and / or SC-FDM (e.g., also known as discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM)) on the uplink (UL), and supporting beamforming, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, and carrier aggregation. As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, further improvements to LTE, NR, and other radio access technologies remain useful. Summary of the invention
[0007] In some aspects, a wireless communication method performed by a user equipment (UE) may include sending an indication of a beam switching capability of the UE to a base station, the beam switching capability of the UE being based at least in part on an antenna subarray of an antenna array from the UE; and communicating with the base station using the antenna subarray according to the beam switching capability of the UE based at least in part on the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE.
[0008] In some aspects, a wireless communication method performed by a base station may include receiving an indication of a beam switching capability of the UE from the UE, the beam switching capability of the UE being based at least in part on an antenna subarray of an antenna array from the UE; and communicating with the UE based at least in part on the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE according to the beam switching capability of the UE.
[0009] In some aspects, a UE for wireless communication may include a memory and one or more processors coupled to the memory. The memory and the one or more processors may be configured to send an indication of a beam switching capability of the UE to a base station, the beam switching capability of the UE being based at least in part on an antenna subarray of an antenna array of the UE; and based at least in part on the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE, communicate with the base station using the antenna subarray according to the beam switching capability of the UE.
[0010] In some aspects, a base station for wireless communication may include a memory and one or more processors coupled to the memory. The memory and the one or more processors may be configured to receive an indication of a beam switching capability of the UE from the UE, the beam switching capability of the UE being based at least in part on an antenna subarray of an antenna array of the UE; and communicate with the UE according to the beam switching capability of the UE based at least in part on the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE.
[0011] In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store one or more instructions for wireless communication. When executed by one or more processors of a UE, the one or more instructions may cause the one or more processors to send an indication of the beam switching capability of the UE to a base station, the beam switching capability of the UE being based at least in part on an antenna subarray of an antenna array of the UE; and based at least in part on the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE, communicate with the base station using the antenna subarray according to the beam switching capability of the UE.
[0012] In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store one or more instructions for wireless communication. When executed by one or more processors of a base station, the one or more instructions may cause the one or more processors to receive an indication of a beam switching capability of the UE from a UE, the beam switching capability of the UE being based at least in part on an antenna subarray of an antenna array of the UE; and based at least in part on the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE, communicate with the UE according to the beam switching capability of the UE.
[0013] In some aspects, an apparatus for wireless communication may include a component for sending an indication of the apparatus's beam switching capability to a base station, the UE's beam switching capability being based at least in part on an antenna subarray from an antenna array of the apparatus; and a component for communicating with the base station using the antenna subarray according to the beam switching capability of the apparatus based at least in part on the indication of the apparatus's beam switching capability.
[0014] In some aspects, an apparatus for wireless communication may include components for receiving an indication of a beam switching capability of the UE from the UE, the beam switching capability of the UE being based at least in part on an antenna subarray of an antenna array from the UE; and components for communicating with the UE based at least in part on the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE.
[0015] Aspects generally include methods, apparatus, systems, computer program products, non-transitory computer-readable media, user equipment, base stations, wireless communication devices, and / or processing systems as substantially described herein with reference to the drawings and description and illustrated thereby.
[0016] The features and technical advantages of the examples according to the present disclosure have been outlined quite broadly above so that the detailed description below may be better understood. Other features and advantages will be described below. The disclosed concepts and specific examples may be easily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures to achieve the same purpose of the present disclosure. Such equivalent structures do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. The characteristics of the concepts disclosed herein, their organization and methods of operation, and associated advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Each of the accompanying drawings is provided for the purpose of illustration and description and is not provided as a definition of limitations to the claims.
[0017] Although the present disclosure describes various aspects through the description of some examples, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that these aspects can be implemented in a variety of different arrangements and scenarios. The technology described herein can be implemented using different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes and / or packaging arrangements. For example, some aspects can be implemented via integrated chip embodiments or other devices based on non-module components (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial instruments, retail / purchasing devices, medical devices, or devices supporting artificial intelligence). Various aspects can be implemented in chip-level components, modular components, non-modular components, non-chip-level components, device-level components, or system-level components. The device incorporating the described aspects and features may include additional components and features for implementing and practicing the claimed and described aspects. For example, the transmission and reception of wireless signals may include multiple components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antennas, radio frequency (RF) chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, (multiple) processors, interleavers, adders, or summers). The aspects described herein are intended to be practiced in devices, components, systems, distributed arrangements, or end-user devices of various sizes, shapes, and configurations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] In order to be able to understand the above features of the present disclosure in detail, a more specific description briefly summarized above can be obtained by reference to various aspects, some of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the drawings only show certain typical aspects of the present disclosure and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present disclosure, as the description may admit other equally valid aspects. The same reference numerals in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements.
[0019] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless network according to the present disclosure.
[0020] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of communication between a base station and a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network according to the present disclosure.
[0021] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of an antenna port according to the present disclosure.
[0022] Figure 4 Diagrams illustrating one or more examples of antenna subarrays in accordance with the present disclosure are described.
[0023] Figure 5A and Figure 5B is a diagram illustrating one or more examples of UE antenna subarray selection related beam switching capability reporting according to the present disclosure.
[0024] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example process performed, for example, by a user device according to the present disclosure.
[0025] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example process performed, for example, by a base station according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] The various aspects of the present disclosure will be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure can be embodied in a variety of different forms and should not be understood as being limited to any specific structure or function presented throughout the present disclosure. On the contrary, these aspects are provided so that the present disclosure becomes thorough and complete, and fully conveys the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. Based on the teachings herein, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein, whether independently implemented or combined with any other aspect of the present disclosure. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein can be used to implement a device or practice method. In addition, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover such a device or method practiced using other structures, functions, or structures and functions in addition to or different from the various aspects of the present disclosure set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the present disclosure disclosed herein can be embodied by one or more elements of the claims.
[0027] Several aspects of telecommunication systems will now be presented with reference to various devices and techniques. These devices and techniques will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements"). These elements can be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Whether these elements are implemented in the form of hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.
[0028] It should be noted that although various aspects may be described herein using terminology generally associated with 5G or NR radio access technologies (RATs), various aspects of the present disclosure may be applied to other RATs, such as 3G RATs, 4G RATs, and / or post-5G (e.g., 6G) RATs.
[0029] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of a wireless network 100 according to the present disclosure. In other examples, the wireless network 100 may be or may include elements of a 5G (NR) network and / or an LTE network, etc. The wireless network 100 may include a plurality of base stations 110 (shown as BS 110a, BS 110b, BS 110c, and BS 110d) and other network entities. A base station (BS) is an entity that communicates with a user equipment (UE) and may also be referred to as an NR BS, Node B, gNB, 5G Node B (NB), access point, transmit receive point (TRP), etc. Each BS may provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" may refer to a coverage area of a BS and / or a BS subsystem serving the coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.
[0030] A BS may provide communication coverage for macro cells, pico cells, femto cells, and / or other types of cells. A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access to UEs with service subscriptions. A pico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access to UEs with service subscriptions. A femto cell may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may allow restricted access to UEs associated with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG)). A BS for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. A BS for a pico cell may be referred to as a pico BS. A BS for a femto cell may be referred to as a femto BS or a home BS. In Figure 1 In the example shown, BS 110a may be a macro BS of macro cell 102a, BS 110b may be a pico BS of pico cell 102b, and BS 110c may be a femto BS of femto cell 102c. A BS may support one or more (e.g., three) cells. Herein, the terms "eNB", "base station", "NR BS", "gNB", "TRP", "AP", "Node B", "5G NB", and "cell" may be used interchangeably.
[0031] In some aspects, the cell is not necessarily fixed, and the geographical area of the cell can move according to the location of the mobile BS. In some aspects, the BS can be interconnected with each other and / or with one or more other BSs or network nodes (not shown) in the wireless network 100 using any suitable transport network, through various types of backhaul interfaces (such as direct physical connections or virtual networks).
[0032] The wireless network 100 may also include a relay station. A relay station is an entity that can receive data transmissions from an upstream station (e.g., a BS or a UE) and send data transmissions to a downstream station (e.g., a UE or a BS). A relay station may also be a UE that can relay transmissions for other UEs. Figure 1 In the example shown, relay BS 110d may communicate with macro BS 110a and UE 120d to facilitate communication between BS 110a and UE 120d. A relay BS may also be referred to as a relay station, relay base station, relay, or the like.
[0033] The wireless network 100 may be a heterogeneous network including different types of BSs, such as a macro BS, a pico BS, a femto BS, a relay BS, etc. These different types of BSs may have different transmission power levels, different coverage areas, and different effects on interference in the wireless network 100. For example, a macro BS may have a higher transmission power level (e.g., 5 to 40 watts), while a pico BS, a femto BS, and a relay BS may have a lower transmission power level (e.g., 0.1 to 2 watts).
[0034] A network controller 130 may be coupled to a set of BSs and may provide coordination and control for these BSs. The network controller 130 may communicate with the BSs via a backhaul. The BSs may also communicate with each other directly or indirectly via a wireless or wired backhaul.
[0035] UE 120 (e.g., 120a, 120b, 120c) can be dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE can be fixed or mobile. UE can also be referred to as an access terminal, terminal, mobile station, subscriber unit, station, etc. UE can also be a mobile phone (smart phone), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet, a camera, a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a medical device or instrument, a biometric sensor / device, a wearable device (smart watch, smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wristband, smart jewelry (e.g., smart ring, smart bracelet, etc.)), an entertainment device (e.g., a music or video device, or a satellite radio, etc.), a vehicle component or sensor, a smart meter / sensor, an industrial manufacturing device, a global positioning system device, or any other suitable device configured to communicate via a wireless or wired medium.
[0036] Some UEs may be considered as machine type communication (MTC) or evolved or enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) UEs. MTC and eMTC UEs include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors and / or location tags that can communicate with a base station, another device (e.g., a remote device), or some other entity. A wireless node may provide, for example, a connection to or to a network (e.g., a wide area network such as the Internet or a cellular network) via a wired or wireless communication link. Some UEs may be considered as Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and / or may be implemented as NB-IoT (narrowband Internet of Things) devices. Some UEs may be considered as customer premises equipment (CPE). UE 120 may be included in a housing that houses components of UE 120 (e.g., processor components and / or memory components). In some aspects, the processor component and the memory component may be coupled together. For example, a processor component (e.g., one or more processors) and a memory component (e.g., a memory) may be operably coupled, communicatively coupled, electronically coupled, and / or electrically coupled.
[0037] Generally, any number of wireless networks can be deployed in a given geographic area. Each wireless network can support a specific RAT and can operate on one or more frequencies. RAT can also be referred to as radio technology, air interface, etc. Frequency can also be referred to as carrier, channel, etc. Each frequency can support a single RAT within a given geographic area to avoid interference between wireless networks of different RATs. In some cases, NR or 5G RAT networks can be deployed.
[0038] In some aspects, two or more UEs 120 (e.g., shown as UE 120a and UE 120e) may communicate directly (e.g., without using base station 110 as an intermediary to communicate with each other) using one or more side link channels. For example, UE 120 may communicate using peer-to-peer (P2P) communication, device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocols (e.g., which may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocols, or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) protocols), and / or mesh networks. In this case, UE 120 may perform scheduling operations, resource selection operations, and / or other operations performed by base station 110 as described elsewhere herein.
[0039] The devices of the wireless network 100 can communicate using an electromagnetic spectrum, which can be subdivided into various categories, frequency bands, channels, etc. based on frequency or wavelength. For example, the devices of the wireless network 100 can communicate using an operating frequency band having a first frequency range (FR1) from 410 MHz to 7.125 GHz, and / or can communicate using an operating frequency band having a second frequency range (FR2) from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are sometimes referred to as mid-band frequencies. Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often referred to as a "sub-6 GHz" band. Similarly, FR2 is also often referred to as a "millimeter wave" band, although it is different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz-300 GHz) determined as a "millimeter wave" band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Therefore, unless otherwise stated, it should be understood that if used in this article, the term "sub-6 GHz" or the like can broadly represent frequencies less than 6 GHz, frequencies within FR1, and / or mid-band frequencies (e.g., greater than 7.125 GHz). Similarly, unless otherwise stated, it should be understood that the term "millimeter wave" and the like, if used herein, can broadly refer to frequencies within the EHF band, frequencies within FR2, and / or mid-band frequencies (e.g., less than 24.25 GHz). It is contemplated that the frequencies included in FR1 and FR2 can be modified, and the techniques described herein are applicable to those modified frequency ranges.
[0040] As mentioned above, Figure 1 is provided as an example. Other examples can be found in the reference Figure 1 The content described is different.
[0041] Figure 2 2 is a diagram illustrating an example 200 of a base station 110 communicating with a UE 120 in a wireless network 100 according to the present disclosure. The base station 110 may be equipped with T antennas 234a through 234t and the UE 120 may be equipped with R antennas 252a through 252r, where in general, T≥1 and R≥1.
[0042] At the base station 110, the transmit processor 220 may receive data for one or more UEs from the data source 212, select one or more modulation and coding schemes (MCS) for each UE based at least in part on a channel quality indicator (CQI) received from the UE, process (e.g., encode and modulate) the data for each UE based at least in part on the MCS selected for the UE, and provide data symbols for all UEs. The transmit processor 220 may also process system information (e.g., for semi-static resource partitioning information (SRPI)) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, and / or upper layer signaling), and provide overhead symbols and control symbols. The transmit processor 220 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., cell-specific reference signals (CRS) or demodulation reference signals (DMRS)) and synchronization signals (e.g., primary synchronization signals (PSS) or secondary synchronization signals (SSS)). If applicable, a transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on data symbols, control symbols, overhead symbols, and / or reference symbols, and may provide T output symbol streams to T modulators (MOD) 232a through 232t. Each modulator 232 may process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator 232 may also process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The T downlink signals from modulators 232a through 232t may be transmitted via T antennas 234a through 234t, respectively.
[0043] At the UE 120, antennas 252a to 252r may receive downlink signals from the base station 110 and / or other base stations, and may provide received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) 254a to 254r, respectively. Each demodulator 254 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) the received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator 254 may also process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 256 may obtain received symbols from all R demodulators 254a to 254r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and provide detected symbols. A receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for the UE 120 to a data sink 260, and provide decoded control information and system information to a controller / processor 280. The term "controller / processor" may refer to one or more controllers, one or more processors, or a combination thereof. The channel processor may determine a reference signal received power (RSRP) parameter, a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) parameter, a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) parameter, and / or a CQI parameter, etc. In some aspects, one or more components of the UE 120 may be included in the housing 284 .
[0044] The network controller 130 may include a communication unit 294, a controller / processor 290, and a memory 292. The network controller 130 may include, for example, one or more devices in a core network. The network controller 130 may communicate with the base station 110 via the communication unit 294.
[0045] Antennas (e.g., antennas 234a to 234t and / or antennas 252a to 252r) may include, or may be included in, one or more antenna panels, antenna groups, antenna element sets, and / or antenna arrays. Antenna panels, antenna groups, antenna element sets, and / or antenna arrays may include one or more antenna elements. Antenna panels, antenna groups, antenna element sets, and / or antenna arrays may include coplanar antenna element sets and / or non-coplanar antenna element sets. Antenna panels, antenna groups, antenna element sets, and / or antenna arrays may include antenna elements within a single housing and / or antenna elements within multiple housings. Antenna panels, antenna groups, antenna element sets, and / or antenna arrays may include antenna elements coupled to one or more transmitting and / or receiving components (such as Figure 2 One or more antenna elements of one or more components).
[0046] On the uplink, at the UE 120, a transmit processor 264 may receive and process data from a data source 262 and control information from a controller / processor 280 (e.g., for reports including RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, and / or CQI). The transmit processor 264 may also generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals. If applicable, the symbols from the transmit processor 264 may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 266, further processed by modulators 254a through 254r (e.g., for DFT-s-OFDM or CP-OFDM), and transmitted to the base station 110. In some aspects, the modulator and demodulator (e.g., MOD / DEMOD 254) of the UE 120 may be included in a modem of the UE 120. In some aspects, the UE 120 includes a transceiver. The transceiver may include any combination of antenna(s) 252, modulators and / or demodulators 254, MIMO detectors 256, receive processors 258, transmit processors 264, and / or TX MIMO processors 266. A processor (e.g., controller / processor 280) and memory 282 may use the transceiver to perform aspects of any of the methods described herein (e.g., as described in reference to Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Figure 6 and Figure 7 described).
[0047] At the base station 110, uplink signals from the UE 120 and other UEs may be received by the antenna 234, processed by the demodulator 232, detected by the MIMO detector 236 if applicable, and further processed by the receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and control information sent by the UE 120. The receive processor 238 may provide the decoded data to the data sink 239 and the decoded control information to the controller / processor 240. The base station 110 may include a communication unit 244 and communicate with the network controller 130 via the communication unit 244. The base station 110 may include a scheduler 246 for scheduling the UE 120 for downlink and / or uplink communications. In some aspects, the modulator and demodulator (e.g., MOD / DEMOD 232) of the base station 110 may be included in a modem of the base station 110. In some aspects, the base station 110 includes a transceiver. The transceiver may include any combination of antenna(s) 234, modulators and / or demodulators 232, MIMO detectors 236, receive processors 238, transmit processors 220, and / or TX MIMO processors 230. A processor (e.g., controller / processor 240) and memory 242 may use the transceiver to perform aspects of any of the methods described herein (e.g., as described in reference to Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Figure 6 and Figure 7 described).
[0048] The controller / processor 240 of the base station 110, the controller / processor 280 of the UE 120, and / or Figure 2 Any other components of the controller / processor 240 of the base station 110, the controller / processor 280 of the UE 120, and / or Figure 2 Any other component of the can perform or direct e.g. Figure 6 The process of 600 Figure 7 The operations of process 700 and / or other processes as described herein. Memories 242 and 282 may store data and program codes for base station 110 and UE 120, respectively. In some aspects, memory 242 and / or memory 282 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions (e.g., code and / or program code) for wireless communication. For example, when executed by one or more processors of base station 110 and / or UE 120 (e.g., directly executed or executed after compilation, conversion and / or interpretation), the one or more instructions may cause one or more processors, UE 120 and / or base station 110 to perform or direct, for example, Figure 6 The process of 600 Figure 7 The process 700 and / or operations of other processes as described herein. In some aspects, executing instructions may include running instructions, converting instructions, compiling instructions, and / or interpreting instructions, etc.
[0049] In some aspects, UE 120 may include means for sending an indication of the beam switching capability of the UE based at least in part on the antenna subarray of the UE to the base station; means for communicating with the base station using the antenna subarray according to the beam switching capability of the UE based at least in part on the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE, etc. In some aspects, these means may include combining Figure 2 One or more components of UE 120 are depicted, such as controller / processor 280, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, MOD 254, antenna 252, DEMOD 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, etc.
[0050] In some aspects, the base station 110 may include means for receiving from the UE an indication of the beam switching capability of the UE based at least in part on an antenna subarray in the antenna array of the UE; means for communicating with the UE based at least in part on the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE according to the beam switching capability of the UE, etc. In some aspects, these means may include combining Figure 2One or more components of base station 110 are depicted, such as antenna 234, DEMOD 232, MIMO detector 236, receive processor 238, controller / processor 240, transmit processor 220, TX MIMO processor 230, MOD 232, antenna 234, and the like.
[0051] although Figure 2 The blocks in the 200 and 210 are shown as distinct components, but the functionality described above with reference to these blocks may be implemented in a single hardware, software, or combined component, or in various combinations of components. For example, the functionality described with reference to the transmit processor 264, the receive processor 258, and / or the TX MIMO processor 266 may be performed by or under the control of the controller / processor 280.
[0052] As mentioned above, Figure 2 is provided as an example. Other examples can be found in the reference Figure 2 The content described is different.
[0053] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example 300 of antenna ports according to the present disclosure.
[0054] like Figure 3 As shown, the first physical antenna 305-1 can send information via the first channel h1, the second physical antenna 305-2 can send information via the second channel h2, the third physical antenna 305-3 can send information via the third channel h3, and the fourth physical antenna 305-4 can send information via the fourth channel h4. Such information can be transmitted via a logical antenna port, which can represent some combination of physical antennas and / or channels. In some cases, the UE 120 may not know the channels associated with the physical antennas and may only operate based on knowing the channels associated with the antenna ports, as defined below.
[0055] Antenna ports may be defined so that the channel through which a symbol on the antenna port is transmitted may be inferred from the channel through which another symbol on the same antenna port is transmitted. In example 300, the channel associated with antenna port 1 (AP1) is represented as h1-h2+h3+j*h4, where the channel coefficients (e.g., 1, -1, 1, and j in this case) represent weighting factors (e.g., indicating phase and / or gain) applied to each channel. Such weighting factors may be applied to the channels to improve signal power and / or signal quality at one or more receivers. Applying such weighting factors to channel transmissions may be referred to as precoding, and a particular set of weighting factors to which a set of channels are applied may be referred to as a precoder.
[0056] Similarly, the channel associated with antenna port 2 (AP2) is represented as h1+j*h3, and the channel associated with antenna port 3 (AP3) is represented as 2*h1-h2+(1+j)*h3+j*h4. In this case, antenna port 3 can be represented as the sum of antenna port 1 and antenna port 2 (e.g., AP3=AP1+AP2) because the sum of the expression representing antenna port 1 (h1-h2+h3+j*h4) and the expression representing antenna port 2 (h1+j*h3) is equal to the expression representing antenna port 3 (2*h1-h2+(1+j)*h3+j*h4). It can also be said that antenna port 3 is related to antenna ports 1 and 2 [AP1, AP2] via precoder [1,1] because 1 times the expression representing antenna port 1 plus 1 times 1 the expression representing antenna port 2 is equal to the expression representing antenna port 3.
[0057] As mentioned above, Figure 3 is provided as an example only. Other examples can be found in the reference Figure 3 The content described is different.
[0058] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating one or more examples 400 of antenna subarrays according to the present disclosure.
[0059] In some aspects, a UE (e.g., UE 120) may include one or more antenna panels. The antenna panel may include an array of antennas or antenna elements that may be located in the same physical location, share control circuits, share transmit circuits or receive circuits, share a common power supply process (e.g., may be powered on or off together), and / or may be used to form a shared beam (e.g., by controlling the gain and / or phase shift of each individual antenna or antenna element, etc.). Figure 4 As shown, each block may represent an antenna element of an antenna array.
[0060] The antenna array may include multiple antenna elements that can be configured for beamforming. For example, the antenna array may be referred to as a phased array because the phase values and / or phase offsets of the antenna elements may be configured to form beams using different phase values and / or phase offsets for different beams (e.g., in different directions) to perform electrical or analog beamforming of the beam. In some aspects, the antenna array may be a fixed receive (Rx) antenna array that can only receive communications but not send communications. In some aspects, the antenna array may be a fixed transmit (Tx) antenna array that can only send communications but not receive communications. In some aspects, the antenna array may be configured to act as an Rx antenna array and / or a Tx antenna array (e.g., via Tx / Rx switching, a multiplexer (MUX) and / or a demultiplexer (DEMUX)). The antenna array may communicate using millimeter waves and / or other types of radio frequency (RF) signals.
[0061] Each of the antenna elements may include one or more sub-elements (not shown) for radiating (e.g., transmitting) or receiving RF signals. For example, a single antenna element may include a first sub-element that is cross-polarized with a second sub-element, which may be used to independently transmit or receive cross-polarized signals. The antenna elements may include patch antennas or other types of antennas arranged in a linear pattern, a two-dimensional pattern, or other pattern. The spacing between the antenna elements may be such that signals having desired wavelengths transmitted or received by the antenna elements, respectively, may interact or interfere (e.g., form a desired beam). For example, given an expected range of wavelengths or frequencies, the spacing may provide a quarter wavelength, half wavelength, or other fraction of a wavelength of the spacing between adjacent antenna elements to allow interaction or interference of signals transmitted or received by separate antenna elements within the expected range.
[0062] At higher carrier frequencies (e.g., above 24.25 GHz), the UE can use larger antenna arrays. Figure 4As shown, the antenna array of UE 120 may include 16 antenna elements (e.g., the antenna array may be a 4×4 antenna array). Other antenna arrays may include different numbers of antenna elements and / or different shapes or geometries. Antenna arrays such as 4×4 antenna arrays may be controlled by multiple control circuits (e.g., multiple radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), each RFIC controlling one or more antenna elements of the antenna array). Multiple control circuits may consume power and have associated thermal output. In some aspects, UE 120 may select (e.g., activate) or not select (e.g., deactivate and / or not activate) one or more antenna elements of the antenna array to form an antenna subarray. For example, UE 120 may turn on or off each antenna element or a port associated therewith. Thus, UE 120 may select one or more antenna elements from the antenna elements of the antenna array to form an antenna subarray. The selected antenna subarray may have a certain number of antenna elements, shapes, and / or geometries associated therewith.
[0063] For example, in a first example antenna subarray (e.g., antenna subarray 1), the antenna subarray may be a 2×2 antenna subarray (e.g., including 4 antenna elements arranged in 2 rows, 2 antenna elements in each row). In a second example antenna subarray (e.g., antenna subarray 2), the antenna subarray may be a 1×4 antenna subarray (e.g., including 4 antenna elements arranged in 1 row, 4 antenna elements in the row). In a third example antenna subarray (e.g., antenna subarray 3), the antenna subarray may be a 2×4 antenna subarray (e.g., including 8 antenna elements arranged in 2 rows, 4 antenna elements in each row). In a fourth example antenna subarray, the antenna subarray may be a 2×1+2×1 distributed antenna subarray (e.g., including 4 antenna elements arranged in a first set of antenna elements and a second set of antenna elements, the first set of antenna elements being arranged in 2 rows, 1 antenna element in each row, and the second set of antenna elements being arranged in 2 rows, 1 antenna element in each row).
[0064] As mentioned above, Figure 4 is provided as one or more examples. Other examples can be found in the reference Figure 4 The content described is different.
[0065] In a wireless network, different transmissions may use different beams (e.g., different transmit beams and / or different receive beams). It may take some time (e.g., about 0.1 s in some aspects) for a wireless communication device (such as a base station or UE) to switch between beams (e.g., switch between different beams, activate / deactivate RF components of the wireless communication device). The time associated with retuning the RF components of the wireless communication device between different beams (e.g., to ensure a stable phase and / or amplitude of the beams across the transmission path) may be referred to as an RF settling time. The RF settling time may be reflected by the beam switching capability of the wireless communication device.
[0066] In some aspects, the UE may perform beam switching using one or more different antenna subarrays of the UE. The UE may report a single beam switching capability of the UE (e.g., regardless of the antenna subarray selected by the UE). Thus, the UE may report a beam switching capability that reflects the maximum amount of time that the UE may spend switching between different beams. By communicating based on the UE's worst-case beam switching capability, this may consume network resources (e.g., time resources, frequency resources, and / or space resources), UE resources (e.g., memory resources, processor resources, and / or battery resources), and / or base station resources, etc.
[0067] Some techniques and apparatus described herein provide UE antenna subarray selection-related beam switching capability reporting by enabling the UE to report different beam switching capabilities of different antenna subarrays. For example, different antenna subarrays may be associated with different RF components (e.g., different RFIC circuits). Therefore, different antenna subarrays may have different RF stabilization times associated with beam switching. Therefore, the UE may send an indication of the UE's beam switching capability based at least in part on a determination of an antenna subarray in the UE's antenna array. This may save network resources, UE resources, and / or base station resources, etc. that would otherwise be used to communicate based on beam switching capabilities that do not depend on antenna subarrays selected by the UE (e.g., worst-case beam switching capabilities).
[0068] Figure 5A and Figure 5B 1 is a diagram illustrating one or more examples 500 of UE antenna subarray selection related beam switching capability reporting according to the present disclosure. Figure 5A and Figure 5B As shown, base station 110 and UE 120 may communicate with each other in a wireless network (eg, wireless network 100).
[0069] like Figure 5AAs shown, by reference numeral 505, the UE 120 may determine one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE 120 associated with one or more antenna subarrays of the UE 120. For example, the UE 120 may determine that the UE 120 is capable of communicating using the one or more antenna subarrays. In some aspects, the UE 120 may determine the beam switching capabilities of the UE 120 for each of the one or more antenna subarrays. In some aspects, the UE 120 may determine the one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE 120 based at least in part on the set of activated antenna elements (e.g., the beam switching capabilities of the UE 120 may be based at least in part on the antenna subarray selected by the UE 120 for transmission or reception).
[0070] Based at least in part on the antenna subarray used by UE 120, the beam switching capability of UE 120 may indicate a maximum number of beam switches that UE 120 can perform per time slot (e.g., such as a maxNumberRxTxBeamSwitchDL capability defined or otherwise fixed by a wireless communication standard (such as 3GPP)). The maximum number of beam switches that UE 120 can perform per time slot may define the number of transmit and / or receive beam changes that UE 120 can perform within a time slot across all configured serving cells. In some aspects, based at least in part on the antenna subarray used by UE 120, the beam switching capability of UE 120 may indicate a duration for which the UE applies quasi co-location (QCL) information (e.g., such as a timeDurationForQCL capability defined or otherwise fixed by a wireless communication standard (such as 3GPP)). The duration for which UE 120 applies QCL information may be the minimum number of OFDM symbols for the UE to apply QCL information received in a downlink control information (DCI) communication to one or more physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) communications (e.g., the minimum number of OFDM symbols required for UE 120 to perform physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) reception and apply spatial QCL information received in the DCI for PDSCH processing).
[0071] In some aspects, the UE 120 may send an indication of one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE 120 associated with one or more antenna subarrays of the UE 120 to the base station 110. The UE 120 may send an indication of a corresponding set of antenna subarray beam switching capabilities with which the UE 120 is configured to communicate. In some aspects, the UE 120 may send an indication of one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE 120. The one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE 120 may be based at least in part on the one or more antenna subarrays of the UE 120. In some aspects, the indication of one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE 120 may enable the base station 110 to determine the beam switching capabilities of the UE 120 based at least in part on the indication of the selected antenna subarray of the UE 120 received from the UE 120.
[0072] As indicated by reference numeral 510, UE 120 may determine or select an antenna subarray from an antenna array of UE 120. The antenna subarray may include a subset of antenna elements in a set of antenna elements of the antenna array of UE 120. UE 120 may determine or select an antenna subarray based at least in part on an architectural constraint of the UE associated with an RF design and / or circuit design of the UE (e.g., based at least in part on a configuration of one or more control circuits that control one or more antenna elements of UE 120), a communication rate parameter (e.g., indicating a transmission rate and / or a reception rate of one or more communications using the antenna subarray), a communication reliability parameter (e.g., indicating a required reliability and / or error rate of one or more communications using the antenna subarray), a power constraint (e.g., indicating a maximum or available power level of UE 120) and / or a thermal constraint (e.g., indicating a maximum temperature measured by the UE 120 based at least in part on active antenna elements of the antenna subarray), etc. The above in combination Figure 4 Examples of selected antenna subarrays are described.
[0073] In some aspects, before determining the beam switching capability of the UE 120, the UE 120 may determine the antenna subarray from the antenna array of the UE 120. For example, the UE 120 may first determine the antenna subarray. The UE 120 may then determine the beam switching capability of the UE 120 based at least in part on the antenna subarray.
[0074] As indicated by reference numeral 515, UE 120 may send an indication of the beam switching capability of UE 120 to base station 110. The indication of the beam switching capability of UE 120 may be based at least in part on a determination of an antenna subarray in an antenna array of UE 120. In some aspects, the indication of the beam switching capability may be an indication of a maximum number of beam switches that UE 120 can perform per time slot for the determined antenna subarray, a duration for which UE 120 applies QCL information for the determined antenna subarray, and the like.
[0075] In some aspects, the indication of the beam switching capability may include an indication of a determined or selected antenna subarray. For example, the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE 120 may include an indication of the number of antenna elements included in the antenna subarray, the shape or geometric configuration of the antenna subarray, one or more antenna element indices corresponding to one or more antenna elements included in the antenna subarray, the number of active elements in one or more dimensions of the antenna array, and / or the maximum number of antenna elements in one or more dimensions of the antenna array, etc. In some aspects, the indication of the determined antenna subarray may include an indication of a panel identifier.
[0076] In some aspects, the indication of the beam switching capability may be an indication of a determined antenna subarray (e.g., may not include an indication of the beam switching capability). For example, as described above, UE 120 may send one or more indications of the beam switching capability of UE 120 associated with one or more antenna subarrays of UE 120. The determined antenna subarray may be included in the one or more antenna subarrays. Thus, base station 110 may be able to determine the beam switching capability of UE 120 based at least in part on the indication of the determined antenna subarray.
[0077] The UE 120 may use dynamic layer 1 signaling and / or dynamic layer 2 signaling (e.g., dynamic L1 / L2 signaling) to send an indication of the beam switching capability of the UE 120. The UE 120 may indicate a change in the selected antenna subarray and / or the beam switching capability via dynamic L1 / L2 signaling. For example, the UE 120 may determine a first antenna subarray and may determine a first beam switching capability of the UE 120 based at least in part on the first antenna subarray. The UE 120 may send an indication of the first antenna subarray and / or the first beam switching capability via L1 / L2 signaling. The UE 120 may determine a second antenna subarray and may determine a second beam switching capability of the UE 120 based at least in part on the second antenna subarray. The UE 120 may signal a change in capability (e.g., the second antenna subarray and / or the second beam switching capability) via L1 / L2 signaling.
[0078] As indicated by reference numeral 520, base station 110 may determine the beam switching capability of UE 120 based at least in part on the indication of the beam switching capability of UE 120 received by base station 110. For example, the indication of the beam switching capability of UE 120 may indicate the beam switching capability of UE 120.
[0079] In some aspects, the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE 120 may indicate an antenna subarray (e.g., the determined antenna subarray) that the UE 120 is using to communicate with the base station 110. The base station 110 may determine the beam switching capability of the UE 120 based at least in part on the determination of the antenna subarray of the UE 120. For example, the base station 110 may receive an indication of one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE 120, wherein the one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE 120 are based at least in part on the one or more antenna subarrays of the UE 120. The determined antenna subarray may be included in the one or more antenna subarrays of the UE 120. The base station 110 may determine the beam switching capability of the UE 120 from the one or more beam switching capabilities based at least in part on the determined antenna subarray.
[0080] As indicated by reference numeral 525, the base station 110 may communicate with the UE 120 using the determined antenna subarray of the UE 120 according to the beam switching capability of the UE 120. For example, the base station 110 may schedule one or more communications with the UE 120 based at least in part on the beam switching capability of the UE 120. The base station 110 may schedule the one or more communications such that the beam switching capability of the UE 120 is met (e.g., the number of beam switches in a time slot is less than the maximum number of beam switches that the UE 120 can perform per time slot, the duration for which the UE 120 applies the QCL information is met, and / or the amount of time between the one or more communications meets the amount of time required for the UE 120 to switch between beams).
[0081] In some aspects, base station 110 and UE 120 can communicate using operating frequencies above 24.25 GHz (e.g., higher millimeter wave bands). In some aspects, base station 110 and UE 120 can communicate using operating frequencies corresponding to frequency range (FR) 4 (e.g., from 52.6 GHz to 114.25 GHz).
[0082] like Figure 5BAs shown, by reference numeral 530, UE 120 may determine a new antenna subarray from the antenna array of UE 120. For example, UE 120 may determine a change in one or more of the above parameters and / or constraints. UE 120 may select a new antenna subarray based at least in part on one or more of the changes in the parameters and / or constraints. In some aspects, UE 120 may determine a new beam switching capability of UE 120 based at least in part on the new antenna subarray.
[0083] As indicated by reference numeral 535, UE 120 may send an indication of a new antenna subarray and / or a new beam switching capability to base station 110. For example, UE 120 may use L1 / L2 signaling to dynamically signal the change of the antenna subarray and / or the beam switching capability. As indicated by reference numeral 540, base station 110 may determine the new beam switching capability of UE 120 based at least in part on the indication of the new antenna subarray and / or the new beam switching capability. Base station 110 may determine the new beam switching capability in a manner similar to that described above. As indicated by reference numeral 545, base station 110 and UE 120 may communicate in a manner similar to that described above using the new antenna subarray of UE 120 and based on the new beam switching capability of UE 120.
[0084] As mentioned above, Figure 5A and Figure 5B is provided as one or more examples. Other examples can be found in the reference Figure 5A and Figure 5B The content described is different.
[0085] Figure 6 6 is a diagram illustrating an example process 600 performed, for example, by a UE according to the present disclosure. Example process 600 is an example of a UE (eg, UE 120) performing operations associated with UE antenna subarray selection related beam switching capability reporting.
[0086] like Figure 6 As shown, in some aspects, process 600 may include sending an indication of a beam switching capability of the UE to a base station, the beam switching capability of the UE based at least in part on an antenna subarray in an antenna array of the UE (block 610). For example, as described above, the UE (e.g., using receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, controller / processor 280, memory 282, etc.) may send an indication of a beam switching capability of the UE to a base station, the beam switching capability of the UE based at least in part on an antenna subarray in an antenna array of the UE.
[0087] like Figure 6As further shown, in some aspects, process 600 may include, based at least in part on the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE, communicating with the base station using the antenna subarray in accordance with the beam switching capability of the UE (block 620). For example, as described above, the UE (e.g., using receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, controller / processor 280, memory 282, etc.) may communicate with the base station using the antenna subarray in accordance with the beam switching capability of the UE based at least in part on the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE.
[0088] Process 600 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below, and / or be combined with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.
[0089] In a first aspect, process 600 includes determining that an antenna subarray includes a subset of antenna elements from a set of antenna elements of the antenna array to be used for reception or transmission.
[0090] In a second aspect, either alone or in combination with the first aspect, the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE comprises an indication of at least one of: the number of antenna elements included in the antenna subarray, the shape or geometric configuration of the antenna subarray, or one or more antenna element indices corresponding to one or more antenna elements included in the antenna subarray.
[0091] In a third aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, the beam switching capability of the UE indicates at least one of: a maximum number of beam switches that the UE can perform per time slot, or a duration for which the UE applies QCL information.
[0092] In a fourth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to third aspects, the duration for which the UE applies QCL information is the minimum number of OFDM symbols for which the UE applies the QCL information received in the downlink control information communication to one or more physical downlink shared channel communications.
[0093] In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fourth aspects, process 600 includes sending an indication of one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE to a base station, wherein the one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE are at least partially based on one or more antenna subarrays of the UE, and sending the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE includes an indication of the transmitting antenna subarray, wherein the antenna subarray is included in the one or more antenna subarrays of the UE, and communicating with the base station using the antenna subarray according to the beam switching capability of the UE is at least partially based on sending the indication of one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE and the indication of the transmitting antenna subarray.
[0094] In a sixth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of aspects 1 to 5, process 600 includes determining a first antenna subarray of an antenna array of a UE to be used for receiving or transmitting; determining a second antenna subarray of an antenna array of a UE to be used for receiving or transmitting; sending an indication of a first beam switching capability of the UE based at least in part on the first antenna subarray; and sending an indication of a second beam switching capability of the UE based at least in part on the second antenna subarray.
[0095] In a seventh aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of aspects 1 to 6, process 600 comprises determining an antenna subarray from an antenna array of the UE based at least in part on at least one of: an architectural constraint of the UE associated with a RF design or circuit design of the UE, a communication rate parameter, a communication reliability parameter, a power constraint, or a thermal constraint.
[0096] In an eighth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to seventh aspects, communicating with a base station using an antenna subarray according to a beam switching capability of the UE includes communicating with the base station using an operating frequency higher than 24.25 GHz.
[0097] In a ninth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to eighth aspects, sending an indication of the beam switching capability of the UE includes sending an indication of the beam switching capability of the UE using at least one of dynamic layer 1 signaling or dynamic layer 2 signaling.
[0098] although Figure 6 Example blocks of process 600 are shown, but in some aspects, process 600 may include more Figure 6 More blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than shown. Additionally or alternatively, two or more blocks of process 600 may be performed in parallel.
[0099] Figure 7 7 is a diagram illustrating an example process 700 performed, for example, by a base station in accordance with the present disclosure. Example process 700 is an example of a base station (eg, base station 110) performing operations associated with UE antenna subarray selection related beam switching capability reporting.
[0100] like Figure 7 As shown, in some aspects, process 700 may include receiving, from a UE, an indication of a beam switching capability of the UE, the beam switching capability of the UE based at least in part on an antenna subarray in an antenna array of the UE (block 710). For example, as described above, a base station (e.g., using transmit processor 220, receive processor 238, controller / processor 240, memory 242, etc.) may receive, from a UE, an indication of a beam switching capability of the UE, the beam switching capability of the UE based at least in part on an antenna subarray from an antenna array of the UE.
[0101] like Figure 7 As further shown, in some aspects, process 700 may include communicating with the UE based at least in part on the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE (block 720). For example, as described above, the base station (e.g., using transmit processor 220, receive processor 238, controller / processor 240, memory 242, etc.) may communicate with the UE based at least in part on the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE based on the beam switching capability of the UE.
[0102] Process 700 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below, and / or be combined with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.
[0103] In a first aspect, an antenna subarray comprises a subset of antenna elements of a set of antenna elements of an antenna array to be used by a UE for reception or transmission.
[0104] In a second aspect, either alone or in combination with the first aspect, the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE includes an indication of at least one of: the number of antenna elements included in the antenna subarray, the shape or geometric configuration of the antenna subarray, or one or more antenna element indices corresponding to one or more antenna elements included in the antenna subarray.
[0105] In a third aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, the beam switching capability of the UE indicates at least one of: a maximum number of beam switches that the UE can perform per time slot, or a duration for which the UE applies QCL information.
[0106] In a fourth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to third aspects, the duration for which the UE applies QCL information is the minimum number of OFDM symbols for which the UE applies the QCL information received in the downlink control information communication to one or more physical downlink shared channel communications.
[0107] In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fourth aspects, process 700 includes receiving an indication of one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE from the UE, wherein the one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE are based at least in part on one or more antenna subarrays of the UE; and determining the beam switching capability of the UE from the one or more beam switching capabilities based at least in part on the antenna subarrays, and receiving the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE includes receiving an indication of the antenna subarray, wherein the antenna subarray is included in the one or more antenna subarrays of the UE.
[0108] In a sixth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of aspects 1 to 5, process 700 includes receiving an indication of a first antenna subarray of an antenna array of a UE to be used for receiving or transmitting; receiving an indication of a second antenna subarray of an antenna array of the UE to be used for receiving or transmitting; determining a first beam switching capability of the UE based at least in part on the first antenna subarray; and determining a second beam switching capability of the UE based at least in part on the second antenna subarray.
[0109] In a seventh aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of aspects 1 to 6, the antenna subarray is based at least in part on at least one of: an architectural constraint of the UE associated with a radio frequency design or a circuit design of the UE, a communication rate parameter, a communication reliability parameter, a power constraint, or a thermal constraint.
[0110] In an eighth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to seventh aspects, communicating with the UE according to the beam switching capability of the UE includes communicating with the UE using an operating frequency higher than 24.25 GHz.
[0111] In a ninth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of aspects 1 to 8, receiving an indication of the beam switching capability of the UE comprises receiving the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE using at least one of dynamic layer 1 signaling or dynamic layer 2 signaling.
[0112] although Figure 7 Example blocks of process 700 are shown, but in some aspects, process 700 may include more Figure 7 More blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than shown. Additionally or alternatively, two or more blocks of process 700 may be performed in parallel.
[0113] The following provides an overview of some aspects of the disclosure:
[0114] Aspect 1: A wireless communication method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: sending an indication of the UE's beam switching capability to a base station, the UE's beam switching capability being at least partially based on an antenna subarray from an antenna array of the UE; and communicating with the base station using the antenna subarray according to the UE's beam switching capability based at least partially on the indication of the UE's beam switching capability.
[0115] Aspect 2: The method according to aspect 1, further comprising: determining that the antenna subarray comprises a subset of antenna elements from the set of antenna elements of the antenna array to be used for reception or transmission.
[0116] Aspect 3: A method according to any one of Aspects 1-2, wherein the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE includes an indication of at least one of the following: the number of antenna elements included in the antenna subarray, the shape or geometric structure of the antenna subarray, or one or more antenna element indices corresponding to one or more antenna elements included in the antenna subarray.
[0117] Aspect 4: A method according to any one of Aspects 1-3, wherein the beam switching capability of the UE indicates at least one of the following: a maximum number of beam switches that the UE can perform per time slot, or a duration for which the UE applies quasi co-location (QCL) information.
[0118] Aspect 5: A method according to Aspect 4, wherein the duration for which the UE applies the QCL information is the minimum number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols for which the UE applies the QCL information received in the downlink control information communication to one or more physical downlink shared channel communications.
[0119] Aspect 6: The method according to any one of Aspects 1-5 further includes: sending an indication of one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE to a base station, wherein the one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE are at least partially based on one or more antenna subarrays of the UE, wherein sending the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE includes: sending an indication of an antenna subarray, wherein the antenna subarray is included in one or more antenna subarrays of the UE, and wherein communicating with the base station using the antenna subarray according to the beam switching capability of the UE is at least partially based on sending the indication of one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE and the indication of the sending antenna subarray.
[0120] Aspect 7: The method according to any one of Aspects 1-6 also includes: determining a first antenna subarray of an antenna array of a UE to be used for receiving or transmitting; determining a second antenna subarray of an antenna array of a UE to be used for receiving or transmitting; sending an indication of a first beam switching capability of the UE based at least in part on the first antenna subarray; and sending an indication of a second beam switching capability of the UE based at least in part on the second antenna subarray.
[0121] Aspect 8: The method according to any one of Aspects 1-7 further includes: determining an antenna subarray from the antenna array of the UE based at least in part on at least one of the following: an architectural constraint of the UE, a communication rate parameter, a communication reliability parameter, a power constraint, or a thermal constraint associated with the UE's RF design or circuit design.
[0122] Aspect 9: The method according to any one of aspects 1-8, wherein communicating with the base station using the antenna subarray according to the beam switching capability of the UE includes: communicating with the base station using an operating frequency higher than 24.25 GHz.
[0123] Aspect 10: A method according to any one of Aspects 1-9, wherein sending an indication of the beam switching capability of the UE comprises: using at least one of dynamic layer 1 signaling or dynamic layer 2 signaling to send the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE.
[0124] Aspect 11: A wireless communication method performed by a base station, comprising: receiving an indication of a beam switching capability of a user equipment (UE) from the UE, the beam switching capability of the UE being at least partially based on an antenna subarray of an antenna array from the UE; and communicating with the UE according to the beam switching capability of the UE based at least partially on the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE.
[0125] Aspect 12: The method according to aspect 11, wherein the antenna subarray comprises a subset of antenna elements from a set of antenna elements of the antenna array to be used by the UE for reception or transmission.
[0126] Aspect 13: A method according to any one of Aspects 11-12, wherein the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE includes an indication of at least one of the following: the number of antenna elements included in the antenna subarray, the shape or geometric structure of the antenna subarray, or one or more antenna element indices corresponding to one or more antenna elements included in the antenna subarray.
[0127] Aspect 14: A method according to any one of Aspects 11-13, wherein the beam switching capability of the UE indicates at least one of the following: a maximum number of beam switches that the UE can perform per time slot, or a duration for which the UE applies quasi co-location (QCL) information.
[0128] Aspect 15: A method according to Aspect 14, wherein the duration for which the UE applies the QCL information is the minimum number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols for which the UE applies the QCL information received in the downlink control information communication to one or more physical downlink shared channel communications.
[0129] Aspect 16: The method according to any one of Aspects 11-15 further includes: receiving an indication of one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE from the UE, wherein the one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE are at least partially based on one or more antenna subarrays of the UE; and determining the beam switching capability of the UE from the one or more beam switching capabilities based at least partially on the antenna subarray, wherein receiving the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE includes: receiving an indication of an antenna subarray, wherein the antenna subarray is included in one or more antenna subarrays of the UE.
[0130] Aspect 17: The method according to any one of Aspects 11-16 further includes: receiving an indication of a first antenna subarray of an antenna array of a UE to be used for receiving or transmitting; receiving an indication of a second antenna subarray of an antenna array of the UE to be used for receiving or transmitting; determining a first beam switching capability of the UE based at least in part on the first antenna subarray; and determining a second beam switching capability of the UE based at least in part on the second antenna subarray.
[0131] Aspect 18: A method according to any one of Aspects 11-17, wherein the antenna subarray is based at least in part on at least one of: an architectural constraint of the UE associated with a radio frequency design or a circuit design of the UE, a communication rate parameter, a communication reliability parameter, a power constraint, or a thermal constraint.
[0132] Aspect 19: The method according to any one of aspects 11-18, wherein communicating with the UE according to the beam switching capability of the UE includes: communicating with the UE using an operating frequency higher than 24.25 GHz.
[0133] Aspect 20: A method according to any one of Aspects 11-19, wherein receiving an indication of the beam switching capability of the UE comprises: receiving the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE using at least one of dynamic layer 1 signaling or dynamic layer 2 signaling.
[0134] Aspect 21: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, comprising a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 1-10.
[0135] Aspect 22: A device for wireless communication, comprising a memory and one or more processors coupled to the memory, the memory and the one or more processors being configured to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 1-10.
[0136] Aspect 23: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising at least one component for performing the method of one or more of aspects 1-10.
[0137] Aspect 24: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 1-10.
[0138] Aspect 25: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing an instruction set for wireless communication, the instruction set comprising one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 1-10.
[0139] Aspect 26: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, comprising a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 11-20.
[0140] Aspect 27: A device for wireless communication, comprising a memory and one or more processors coupled to the memory, the memory and the one or more processors being configured to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 11-20.
[0141] Aspect 28: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising at least one component for performing the method of one or more of aspects 11-20.
[0142] Aspect 29: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 11-20.
[0143] Aspect 30: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing an instruction set for wireless communication, the instruction set comprising one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 11-20.
[0144] The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made in light of the above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the aspects.
[0145] As used herein, the term "component" is intended to be broadly interpreted as a combination of hardware and / or hardware and software. "Software" should be broadly interpreted as representing instructions, instruction sets, codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable programs, execution threads, processes and / or functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language or other. As used herein, the processor is implemented with a combination of hardware and / or hardware and software. It is clear that the system and / or method described herein can be implemented with a combination of hardware and / or hardware and software in different forms. The actual special control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and / or methods does not limit various aspects. Therefore, the operation and behavior of the system and / or method are described herein without mentioning specific software code-it can be understood that, based at least in part on the description herein, software and hardware can be designed to implement the system and / or method.
[0146] As used herein, satisfying a threshold may refer to a value being greater than a threshold, greater than or equal to a threshold, less than a threshold, less than or equal to a threshold, equal to a threshold, not equal to a threshold, etc., depending on the context.
[0147] Even if a specific combination of features is described in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of various aspects. In fact, a plurality of these features can be combined in a manner that is not specifically described in the claims and / or not specifically disclosed in the specification. Although each of the listed dependent claims may only be directly subordinate to one claim, the disclosure of various aspects includes the combination of each dependent claim with each other claim in the claim set. As used herein, the phrase "at least one of" the list of items refers to any combination of those items, including a single member. As an example, "at least one of a, b or c" is intended to cover a, b, c, ab, ac, bc and abc, as well as any combination with multiple identical elements (e.g., aa, aaa, aab, aac, abb, acc, bb, bbb, bbc, cc and ccc or any other arrangement of a, b and c).
[0148] Unless explicitly described as critical or necessary, any element, behavior or instruction used herein should not be understood as critical or necessary. In addition, as used herein, the articles "one" and "an" are intended to include one or more projects and can be used interchangeably with "one or more". In addition, as used herein, the article "the" is intended to include one or more projects quoted in relation to the article "the", and can be used interchangeably with "the one or more". In addition, as used herein, the terms "set" and "group" are intended to include one or more projects (e.g., a combination of related projects, unrelated projects, or related and unrelated projects), and can be used interchangeably with "one or more". If only for one project, the phrase "only one" or similar language is used. In addition, as used herein, the terms "have", "have", "with" or similar terms are intended to be open-ended terms. In addition, unless otherwise expressly stated, the phrase "based on" means "based at least in part". In addition, as used herein, the term "or" is inclusive when used continuously, and can be used interchangeably with "and / or", unless otherwise expressly stated (e.g., if used in combination with "either" or "only one in ...").
Claims
1. A wireless communication method performed by a user equipment UE, comprising: Sending to a base station an indication of a beam switching capability of a UE based at least in part on an antenna subarray in an antenna array of the UE, wherein the beam switching capability of the UE indicates at least one of: a maximum number of beam switches that the UE can perform per time slot, or a duration for which the UE applies quasi co-location (QCL) information; and Based at least in part on the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE, communicating with the base station using the antenna subarray according to the beam switching capability of the UE.
2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: An antenna subarray is determined to include a subset of antenna elements from a set of antenna elements of the antenna array to be used for reception or transmission.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The indication of the beam switching capability of the UE includes an indication of at least one of the following: the number of antenna elements included in the antenna subarray, The shape or geometry of the antenna subarray, or One or more antenna element indexes corresponding to one or more antenna elements included in the antenna subarray.
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The duration for which the UE applies the QCL information is a minimum number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM symbols for the UE to apply the QCL information received in the downlink control information communication to one or more physical downlink shared channel communications.
5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: sending an indication of one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE to a base station, wherein the one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE are based at least in part on one or more antenna subarrays of the UE, The indication of the beam switching capability of the UE is sent including: sending an indication of an antenna subarray, wherein the antenna subarray is included in one or more antenna subarrays of a UE, and Wherein, communicating with the base station using the antenna subarray according to the beam switching capability of the UE is at least partially based on sending one or more indications of the beam switching capability of the UE and an indication of the transmitting antenna subarray.
6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: determining a first antenna subarray of an antenna array of a UE to be used for receiving or transmitting; determining a second antenna subarray of the antenna array of the UE to be used for receiving or transmitting; Based at least in part on the first antenna subarray, transmitting an indication of a first beam switching capability of the UE; as well as Based at least in part on the second antenna subarray, an indication of a second beam switching capability of the UE is transmitted.
7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Determining an antenna subarray from an antenna array of the UE based at least in part on at least one of: UE architecture constraints associated with UE RF design or circuit design, Communication rate parameters, Communication reliability parameters, Power constraints, or Thermal constraints.
8. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Using antenna subarrays to communicate with a base station based on the UE's beam switching capabilities includes: Use operating frequencies above 24.25 GHz to communicate with the base station.
9. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The indication of the beam switching capability of the UE is sent including: The indication of the beam switching capability of the UE is sent using at least one of dynamic layer 1 signaling or dynamic layer 2 signaling.
10. A user equipment UE for wireless communication, comprising: Memory; as well as one or more processors coupled to the memory, the one or more processors configured to: Sending an indication of a beam switching capability of the UE to a base station, the beam switching capability of the UE being based at least in part on an antenna subarray in an antenna array of the UE, wherein the beam switching capability of the UE indicates at least one of the following: a maximum number of beam switches that the UE can perform per time slot, or a duration for which the UE applies quasi co-location QCL information; as well as Based at least in part on the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE, communicating with the base station using the antenna subarray according to the beam switching capability of the UE.
11. The UE according to claim 10, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to: An antenna subarray is determined to include a subset of antenna elements from a set of antenna elements of the antenna array to be used for reception or transmission.
12. The UE according to claim 10, wherein: The indication of the beam switching capability of the UE includes an indication of at least one of the following: the number of antenna elements included in the antenna subarray, The shape or geometry of the antenna subarray, or One or more antenna element indexes corresponding to one or more antenna elements included in the antenna subarray.
13. The UE according to claim 10, wherein: The duration for which the UE applies the QCL information is a minimum number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM symbols for the UE to apply the QCL information received in the downlink control information communication to one or more physical downlink shared channel communications.
14. The UE according to claim 10, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to: sending an indication of one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE to a base station, wherein the one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE are based at least in part on one or more antenna subarrays of the UE, Wherein, to send an indication of the beam switching capability of the UE, the one or more processors are configured to: sending an indication of an antenna subarray, wherein the antenna subarray is included in one or more antenna subarrays of a UE, and Wherein, communicating with the base station using the antenna subarray according to the beam switching capability of the UE is at least partially based on sending one or more indications of the beam switching capability of the UE and an indication of the transmitting antenna subarray.
15. The UE according to claim 10, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to: determining a first antenna subarray of an antenna array of a UE to be used for receiving or transmitting; determining a second antenna subarray of the antenna array of the UE to be used for receiving or transmitting; Based at least in part on the first antenna subarray, transmitting an indication of a first beam switching capability of the UE; and Based at least in part on the second antenna subarray, an indication of a second beam switching capability of the UE is transmitted.
16. The UE according to claim 10, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to: Determining an antenna subarray from an antenna array of the UE based at least in part on at least one of: UE architecture constraints associated with UE RF design or circuit design, Communication rate parameters, Communication reliability parameters, Power constraints, or Thermal constraints.
17. The UE according to claim 10, wherein: To communicate with a base station using an antenna subarray according to a beam switching capability of the UE, the one or more processors are configured to: Use operating frequencies above 24.25 GHz to communicate with the base station.
18. The UE according to claim 10, wherein: To send an indication of the beam switching capability of the UE, the one or more processors are configured to: The indication of the beam switching capability of the UE is sent using at least one of dynamic layer 1 signaling or dynamic layer 2 signaling.
19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication, the set of instructions comprising: One or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors of a user equipment UE, cause the UE to: Sending an indication of a beam switching capability of the UE to a base station, the beam switching capability of the UE being based at least in part on an antenna subarray in an antenna array of the UE, wherein the beam switching capability of the UE indicates at least one of: a maximum number of beam switches that the UE can perform per time slot, or a duration for which the UE applies quasi co-location (QCL) information; and Based at least in part on the indication of the beam switching capability of the UE, communicating with the base station using the antenna subarray according to the beam switching capability of the UE.
20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein: The indication of the beam switching capability of the UE includes an indication of at least one of the following: the number of antenna elements included in the antenna subarray, The shape or geometry of the antenna subarray, or One or more antenna element indexes corresponding to one or more antenna elements included in the antenna subarray.
21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein: The one or more instructions further cause the UE to: sending an indication of one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE to a base station, wherein the one or more beam switching capabilities of the UE are based at least in part on one or more antenna subarrays of the UE, The one or more instructions causing the UE to send an indication of the beam switching capability of the UE causes the UE to: sending an indication of an antenna subarray, wherein the antenna subarray is included in one or more antenna subarrays of a UE, and Wherein, communicating with the base station using the antenna subarray according to the beam switching capability of the UE is at least partially based on sending one or more indications of the beam switching capability of the UE and an indication of the transmitting antenna subarray.
22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein: The one or more instructions further cause the UE to: determining a first antenna subarray of an antenna array of a UE to be used for receiving or transmitting; determining a second antenna subarray of the antenna array of the UE to be used for receiving or transmitting; Based at least in part on the first antenna subarray, transmitting an indication of a first beam switching capability of the UE; as well as Based at least in part on the second antenna subarray, an indication of a second beam switching capability of the UE is transmitted.
23. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: means for sending an indication of a beam switching capability of the apparatus to a base station, the beam switching capability of the apparatus being based at least in part on an antenna subarray in an antenna array of the apparatus, wherein the beam switching capability of the apparatus indicates at least one of: a maximum number of beam switches that the apparatus can perform per time slot, or a duration for which the apparatus applies quasi co-located (QCL) information; and Means for communicating with a base station using the antenna subarray in accordance with the beam switching capabilities of the apparatus based at least in part on the indication of the beam switching capabilities of the apparatus.
24. The device according to claim 23, wherein: The indication of the beam switching capability of the apparatus comprises an indication of at least one of: the number of antenna elements included in the antenna subarray, The shape or geometry of the antenna subarray, or One or more antenna element indexes corresponding to one or more antenna elements included in the antenna subarray.
25. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising: means for sending an indication of one or more beam switching capabilities of the apparatus to a base station, wherein the one or more beam switching capabilities of the apparatus are based at least in part on one or more antenna subarrays of the apparatus, The means for sending an indication of the beam switching capability of the apparatus comprises: means for transmitting an indication of an antenna subarray, wherein the antenna subarray is included in one or more antenna subarrays of the apparatus, and Wherein communicating with a base station using antenna subarrays according to the beam switching capability of the apparatus is based at least in part on sending one or more indications of the beam switching capability of the apparatus and sending an indication of the antenna subarrays.
26. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising: means for determining a first antenna sub-array of an antenna array of said apparatus to be used for receiving or transmitting; means for determining a second antenna sub-array of the antenna array of the apparatus to be used for receiving or transmitting; means for transmitting an indication of a first beam switching capability of the apparatus based at least in part on the first antenna subarray; as well as Means for transmitting an indication of a second beam switching capability of the apparatus based at least in part on the second antenna sub-array.
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