Activating and deactivating periodic reference signals

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to techniques for activating and deactivating periodic reference signals in a wireless communication system. A wireless device may receive information for configuring periodic reference signals. The wireless device may receive information for deactivating some or all of the periodic reference signals. The information for deactivating some or all of the periodic reference signals may be received using a signaling type different from a signaling type used by the information for configuring the periodic reference signals.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to wireless communications, and more particularly to systems, apparatuses, and methods for activating and deactivating periodic reference signals in a wireless communication system. Background Art

[0002] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. In recent years, wireless devices such as smart phones and tablets have become increasingly sophisticated. In addition to supporting phone calls, many mobile devices (i.e., user equipment devices or UEs) now also provide access to the Internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using a global positioning system (GPS), and are capable of operating complex and sophisticated applications that utilize these functions. In addition, there are many different wireless communication technologies and wireless communication standards. Some examples of wireless communication standards include GSM, UMTS (e.g., associated with WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, Advanced LTE (LTE-A), NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), IEEE802.11 (WLAN or Wi-Fi), BLUETOOTH TM wait.

[0003] The introduction of an ever-increasing number of features and functions in wireless communication devices also requires continuous improvements in wireless communication and improvements in wireless communication devices. It is particularly important to ensure the accuracy of signals transmitted and received by user equipment (UE) devices (e.g., by wireless devices such as cellular phones, base stations, and relay stations used in wireless cellular communications). In addition, increasing the functionality of UE devices may place a great strain on the battery life of UE devices. Therefore, it is also very important to reduce the power requirements in UE device design while allowing the UE device to maintain good transmission and reception capabilities to improve communications. Therefore, improvements are desired in this area. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention provides embodiments of an apparatus, system, and method for activating and deactivating a periodic reference signal in a wireless communication system.

[0005] According to the techniques described herein, a periodic reference signal may be configured by a cellular base station. At least as one possibility, the periodic reference signal may be configured using radio resource control signaling. The periodic reference signal may include any of various types of reference signals, and potentially may include a periodic reference signal associated with a cell provided by the cellular base station and / or one or more other cellular base stations.

[0006] The cellular base station may subsequently deactivate some of such periodic reference signals and / or modify the periodicity of such periodic reference signals, for example by providing configuration information indicating that certain resources and / or resource sets of periodic reference signals will be inactive periodic reference signal resources or will be provided at a periodicity different from a previously configured periodicity. Additionally, the cellular network may be able to reactivate periodic reference signal resources and / or resource sets that have been previously deactivated. Such information may be provided using a signaling mechanism that is different (e.g., more dynamic) than the signaling mechanism that initially configured the information for the periodic reference signal (such as medium access control-based or downlink control information-based signaling).

[0007] According to at least some embodiments, such techniques may allow a network operator to adapt to different situations by: deactivating certain reference signal resources and / or increasing the period of certain reference signal resources (i.e., reducing the frequency) when fewer reference signal resources are needed to reduce reference signal overhead and possibly using these resources for other purposes; and / or activating certain reference signal resources and / or shortening the period of certain reference signal resources (i.e., increasing the frequency) when more reference signal resources are needed to increase reference signal availability.

[0008] It should be noted that the techniques described herein may be implemented in and / or used with a number of different types of devices, including but not limited to base stations, access points, mobile phones, portable media players, tablet computers, wearable devices, unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned flight controllers, automobiles and / or motor vehicles, and various other computing devices.

[0009] This disclosure is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the topics described in this document. Therefore, it should be understood that the above features are only examples and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or essence of the topics described herein in any way. Other features, aspects and advantages of the topics described herein will become apparent through the following detailed description, drawings and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] A better understanding of the present subject matter may be obtained when the following detailed description of various embodiments is considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0011] Figure 1 An exemplary (and simplified) wireless communication system according to some embodiments is shown;

[0012] Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary base station in communication with an exemplary wireless user equipment (UE) device in accordance with some embodiments;

[0013] Figure 3 is an exemplary block diagram of a UE according to some embodiments;

[0014] Figure 4 is an exemplary block diagram of a base station according to some embodiments;

[0015] Figure 5 is a communication flow diagram illustrating aspects of an exemplary possible method for activating and deactivating a periodic reference signal in a wireless communication system according to some embodiments; and

[0016] Figure 6 to Figure 7 Exemplary aspects of various possible scenarios in which activation or deactivation of a periodic reference signal may be performed according to some embodiments are shown.

[0017] Although the features described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and detailed description thereof are not intended to limit this document to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, their purpose is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives that fall within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Acronyms

[0019] Various acronyms are used throughout this disclosure. The definitions of the most prominent acronyms used that may appear throughout this disclosure are as follows:

[0020] UE: User Equipment

[0021] RF: Radio Frequency

[0022] BS: Base Station

[0023] GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications

[0024] UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

[0025] LTE: Long Term Evolution

[0026] NR: New Radio

[0027] TX: Transmit / Transmit

[0028] RX: Receive / Receive

[0029] RAT: Radio Access Technology

[0030] TRP: Transmission Reception Point

[0031] DCI: Downlink Control Information

[0032] CORESET: Control resource set

[0033] QCL: Quasi-co-location or quasi-co-location

[0034] CSI: Channel State Information

[0035] CSI-RS: Channel State Information Reference Signal

[0036] CSI-IM: Channel State Information Interference Measurement

[0037] CMR: Channel Measurement Resource

[0038] IMR: Interference Measurement Resource

[0039] ZP: Zero Power

[0040] NZP: Non-Zero Power

[0041] CQI: Channel Quality Indicator

[0042] PMI: Precoding Matrix Indicator

[0043] RI: Rank Indicator

[0044] the term

[0045] The following is a glossary of terms that will appear in this disclosure:

[0046] Memory medium - any of various types of non-transitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include installation media, such as CD-ROM, floppy disk or tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory such as flash memory, magnetic media, for example, hard disk drive or optical storage device; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. The memory medium may also include other types of non-transitory memory or their combinations. In addition, the memory medium may be located in the first computer system executing the program, or may be located in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In the latter example, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer system for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media that may reside in different locations in different computer systems connected, for example, via a network. The memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., expressed as a computer program) that may be executed by one or more processors.

[0047] Carrier Medium—storage media as described above, and physical transmission media such as a bus, network, and / or other physical transmission media that transport signals such as electrical, electromagnetic or digital signals.

[0048] Computer System (or Computer) - Any of various types of computing or processing systems, including a personal computer system (PC), a mainframe computer system, a workstation, a network appliance, an Internet appliance, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a television system, a grid computing system, or other devices or combinations of devices. In general, the term "computer system" may be broadly defined as any device (or combination of devices) that includes at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0049] User Equipment (UE) (or "UE device") - any of various types of computer systems or devices that are mobile or portable and that perform wireless communications. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smart phones (e.g., iPhone TM , based on Android TM phones), tablets (e.g., iPad TM 、Samsung Galaxy TM ), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS TM , PlayStation Portable TM 、Gameboy Advance TM , iPhone TM ), wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart glasses), laptops, PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, automobiles and / or motor vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., drones), UAV controllers (UACs), etc. In general, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to cover any electronic device, computing device, and / or telecommunication device (or a combination of these devices) that is easily transportable by a user and capable of wireless communication.

[0050] Wireless Device—Any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform wireless communications. A wireless device may be portable (or mobile), or may be stationary or fixed at a certain location. A UE is an example of a wireless device.

[0051] Communication device - any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform communication, where the communication may be wired or wireless. A communication device may be portable (or mobile), or may be stationary or fixed at a location. A wireless device is an example of a communication device. A UE is another example of a communication device.

[0052] Base Station (BS) - the term "base station" has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station installed at a fixed location and used to communicate as part of a wireless telephone system or a radio system.

[0053] Processing element (or processor) – refers to various elements or combinations of elements that are capable of performing functions in a device, such as a user equipment device or a cellular network device. Processing elements may include, for example, a processor and associated memory, portions or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, processor arrays, circuits such as ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), programmable hardware elements such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and any of the above combinations.

[0054] Wi-Fi - The term "Wi-Fi" has the full scope of its usual meaning and includes at least wireless communication networks or RATs that are served by wireless LAN (WLAN) access points and provide connectivity to the Internet through these access points. Most modern Wi-Fi networks (or WLAN networks) are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard and are marketed under the name "Wi-Fi". Wi-Fi (WLAN) networks are different from cellular networks.

[0055] Automatic—refers to an action or operation performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by a computer system) or a device (e.g., a circuit, a programmable hardware element, an ASIC, etc.) without the need for user input to directly specify or perform the action or operation. Thus, the term "automatic" is in contrast to a user manually performing or specifying an action, where the user provides input to directly perform the action. An automatic process may be initiated by input provided by a user, but subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user, i.e., are not performed "manually," where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing in information, selecting checkboxes, radio selections, etc.) is manually filling out the form, even though the computer system must update the form in response to the user action. The form may be automatically filled out by a computer system, where the computer system (e.g., software executed on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills out the form without any user input specifying the answers to the fields. As indicated above, a user may invoke automatic filling out of a form, but not participate in the actual filling out of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify the answers to the fields but rather they are automatically completed). This specification provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions taken by a user.

[0056] Configured to - Various components may be described as being "configured to" perform one or more tasks. In such environments, "configured to" is a broad statement that generally means "having a structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, a component can be configured to perform a task even when the component is not currently performing the task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect a module to another module even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured to" can be a broad statement that generally means "having a structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, the component can be configured to perform a task even when the component is not currently turned on. Typically, the circuitry that forms the structure corresponding to "configured to" may include hardware circuitry.

[0057] For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase "configured to". The description of a component configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph, interpretation of that component.

[0058] Figure 1 and Figure 2 -Exemplary Communication System

[0059] Figure 1 An exemplary (and simplified) wireless communication system is shown that can implement various aspects of the present disclosure according to some embodiments. Note that Figure 1 The system is only one example of a possible system, and the embodiment may be implemented in any of a variety of systems as desired.

[0060] As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102, which communicates with one or more (e.g., any number) user equipment 106A, 106B, etc. to 106N via a transmission medium. Each user equipment may be referred to herein as a "user equipment" (UE) or a UE device. Therefore, the user equipment 106 is referred to as a UE or a UE device.

[0061] The base station 102 may be a base transceiver station (BTS) or a cell site, and may include hardware and / or software that implements wireless communication with UEs 106A to UE 106N. If the base station 102 is implemented in the context of LTE, it may be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB". If the base station 102 is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternatively be referred to as a "gNodeB" or "gNB". The base station 102 may also be equipped to communicate with a network 100 (e.g., a core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunications network such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and / or the Internet, and various possible networks). Therefore, the base station 102 may facilitate communication between user devices and / or between user devices and the network 100. The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a "cell". Also as used herein, with respect to a UE, sometimes a base station may be considered to represent a network in consideration of the uplink and downlink communications of the UE. Therefore, a UE that communicates with one or more base stations in a network may also be understood as a UE that communicates with a network.

[0062] The base station 102 and the user equipment may be configured to communicate over a transmission medium using any of a variety of radio access technologies (RATs), also referred to as wireless communication technologies or telecommunication standards, such as GSM, UMTS (WCDMA), LTE, Advanced LTE (LTE-A), LAA / LTE-U, 5G NR, 3GPP2, CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), Wi-Fi, and the like.

[0063] Base station 102 and other similar base stations operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards may thus be provided as one or more cell networks that may provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping service to UE 106 and similar devices over a geographic area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0064] Note that UE 106 can communicate using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, UE 106 can be configured to communicate using either or both of the 3GPP cellular communication standard or the 3GPP2 cellular communication standard. In some embodiments, UE 106 can be configured to perform techniques for activating and deactivating periodic reference signals in a wireless communication system, such as according to the various methods described herein. UE 106 can also or alternatively be configured to use WLAN, BLUETOOTH, or other wireless communication standards. TM, one or more global navigation satellite systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one and / or more mobile television broadcast standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H), etc. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0065] Figure 2 An exemplary user equipment 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A to 106N) in communication with a base station 102 according to some embodiments is shown. UE 106 may be a device with wireless network connectivity, such as a mobile phone, a handheld device, a wearable device, a computer or tablet, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), an unmanned flight controller (UAC), a car, or almost any type of wireless device. UE 106 may include a processor (processing element) configured to execute program instructions stored in a memory. UE 106 may execute any of the method embodiments described in the present invention by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or in addition, UE 106 may include a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), an integrated circuit, and / or any of various other possible hardware components configured to execute (e.g., individually or in combination) any of the method embodiments described herein or any of any of the method embodiments described herein. UE 106 may be configured to communicate using any of a plurality of wireless communication protocols. For example, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using two or more of CDMA2000, LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, WLAN, or GNSS. Other combinations of wireless communication standards are also possible.

[0066] UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols according to one or more RAT standards. In some embodiments, UE 106 may share one or more parts of a receive chain and / or a transmit chain between multiple wireless communication standards. The shared radio component may include a single antenna, or may include multiple antennas for performing wireless communication (e.g., for MIMO). Typically, the radio component may include any combination of a baseband processor, an analog radio frequency (RF) signal processing circuit (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or a digital processing circuit (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio component may use the aforementioned hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains.

[0067] In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include a separate transmit chain and / or receive chain (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol with which it is configured to communicate. As another possibility, the UE 106 may include one or more radio components shared between multiple wireless communication protocols, and one or more radio components used uniquely by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, the UE 106 may include a shared radio component for communicating using either LTE or CDMA2000 1xRTT (or LTE or GSM), and a shared radio component for communicating using Wi-Fi and BLUETOOTH. TM Each of the independent radio components for communication. Other configurations are also possible.

[0068] Figure 3 - Block diagram of an exemplary UE device

[0069] Figure 3 A block diagram of an exemplary UE 106 according to some embodiments is shown. As shown, the UE 106 may include a system on chip (SOC) 300, which may include parts for various purposes. For example, as shown, the SOC 300 may include a processor 302 that can execute program instructions for the UE 106, and a display circuit 304 that can perform graphics processing and provide display signals to a display 360. The SOC 300 may also include a sensor circuit 370, which may include a component for sensing or measuring any of various possible characteristics or parameters of the UE 106. For example, the sensor circuit 370 may include a motion sensing circuit that is configured to detect the motion of the UE 106, for example, using a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and / or any of various other motion sensing components. As another possibility, the sensor circuit 370 may include one or more temperature sensing components, which are used, for example, to measure the temperature of each of one or more antenna panels and / or other components of the UE 106. As required, any of various other possible types of sensor circuits may also or alternatively be included in the UE 106. Processor 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 302 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 306, read-only memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310) and / or other circuits or devices, such as display circuit 304, radio 330, connector I / F 320, and / or display 360. MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, MMU 340 may be included as part of processor 302.

[0070] As shown, SOC 300 can be coupled to various other circuits of UE 106. For example, UE 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), connector interface 320 (e.g., for coupling to a computer system, a docking station, a charging station, etc.), display 360, and wireless communication circuitry 330 (e.g., for LTE, LTE-A, NR, CDMA2000, BLUETOOTH TM , Wi-Fi, GPS, etc.). The UE device 106 may include at least one antenna (e.g., 335a), and may include multiple antennas (e.g., as shown by antennas 335a and 335b) for performing wireless communications with base stations and / or other devices. Antennas 335a and 335b are shown by way of example, and the UE device 106 may include fewer or more antennas. In general, one or more antennas are collectively referred to as antennas 335. For example, the UE device 106 may use antenna 335 to perform wireless communications with the aid of radio circuitry 330. As described above, in some embodiments, the UE may be configured to perform wireless communications using multiple wireless communication standards.

[0071] The UE 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing methods for activating and deactivating periodic reference signals in a wireless communication system, such as those described further herein. The processor 302 of the UE device 106 may be configured to implement part or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). In other embodiments, the processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). In addition, as Figure 3 As shown, the processor 302 can be coupled to other components and / or can interoperate with other components to perform techniques for activating and deactivating periodic reference signals in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments disclosed herein. The processor 302 can also implement various other applications and / or end-user applications running on the UE 106.

[0072] In some embodiments, radio 330 may include a separate controller dedicated to controlling communications for each respective RAT standard. Figure 3 As shown, the radio component 330 may include a Wi-Fi controller 352, a cellular controller (eg, an LTE and / or LTE-A controller) 354, and a BLUETOOTH controller. TMController 356, and in at least some embodiments, one or more or all of these controllers may be implemented as respective integrated circuits (referred to as ICs or chips) that communicate with each other and with SOC 300 (more specifically, with processor 302). For example, Wi-Fi controller 352 may communicate with cellular controller 354 via a cell-ISM link or WCI interface, and / or BLUETOOTH TM The controller 356 may communicate with the cellular controller 354 via a cell-ISM link, etc. Although three separate controllers are shown within the radio 330, other embodiments may be implemented in the UE device 106 having fewer or more similar controllers for various different RATs.

[0073] Additionally, embodiments are contemplated in which the controller may implement functionality associated with multiple radio access technologies. For example, according to some embodiments, in addition to hardware and / or software components for performing cellular communications, the cellular controller 354 may also include hardware and / or software components for performing one or more activities associated with Wi-Fi, such as Wi-Fi preamble detection, and / or generation and transmission of Wi-Fi physical layer preamble signals.

[0074] Figure 4 - Block diagram of an exemplary base station

[0075] Figure 4 1 shows a block diagram of an exemplary base station 102 according to some embodiments. Note that Figure 4 The base station of is only one example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station 102 may include a processor 404 that may execute program instructions for the base station 102. The processor 404 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 or other circuit or device, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 404 and convert these addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450).

[0076] Base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. Network port 470 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide access to the telephone network described above. Figure 1 and Figure 2The network port 470 may be configured to couple to a plurality of devices such as the UE device 106 of the telephone network described in the embodiment of the present invention. The network port 470 (or an additional network port) may also be configured or alternatively configured to couple to a cellular network, such as a core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to a plurality of devices such as the UE device 106. In some cases, the network port 470 may be coupled to the telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide the telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0077] The base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434 and possibly multiple antennas. One or more antennas 434 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with the UE device 106 via the radio component 430. The antenna 434 communicates with the radio component 430 via a communication chain 432. The communication chain 432 may be a receiving chain, a transmitting chain, or both. The radio component 430 may be designed to communicate via various wireless telecommunication standards, including but not limited to NR, LTE, LTE-A WCDMA, CDMA2000, etc. The processor 404 of the base station 102 may be configured to implement and / or support implementation of part or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, the processor 404 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) or a combination thereof. In the case of certain RATs (e.g., Wi-Fi), the base station 102 may be designed as an access point (AP), in which case the network port 470 may be implemented to provide access to a wide area network and / or one or more local area networks, for example it may include at least one Ethernet port, and the radio component 430 may be designed to communicate according to the Wi-Fi standard.

[0078] Reference signal

[0079] A wireless device (such as a user equipment) may be configured to perform various tasks including using reference signals (RS) provided by one or more cellular base stations. For example, initial access and beam measurements of the wireless device may be performed based at least in part on synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) provided by one or more cells provided by one or more cellular base stations within the communication range of the wireless device. Another type of reference signal commonly provided in a cellular communication system may include a channel state information (CSI) RS. In addition to various possibilities, various types of CSI-RS may be provided for tracking (e.g., for time and frequency offset tracking), beam management (e.g., CSI-RS configured with repetitions to help determine one or more beams for uplink and / or downlink communications) and / or channel measurement (e.g., CSI-RS configured in a resource set for measuring the quality of a downlink channel and reporting information related to the quality measurement to a base station). For example, in the case where the CSI-RS is used for CSI acquisition, the UE may periodically perform channel measurements and send channel state information (CSI) to the BS. The base station may then receive and use the channel state information during communication with the wireless device to determine adjustments to various parameters. In particular, the BS may use the received channel state information to adjust the coding of its downlink transmissions to improve the downlink channel quality.

[0080] In many cellular communication systems, a base station may periodically transmit some or all such reference signals (or pilot signals), such as SSB and / or CSI-RS. In some cases, aperiodic reference signals (e.g., aperiodic reference signals for aperiodic CSI reporting) may also or alternatively be provided.

[0081] As a detailed example, at least according to some embodiments, in the 3GPP NR cellular communication standard, the channel state information fed back from the UE based on the CSI-RS for CSI acquisition may include one or more of a channel quality indicator (CQI), a precoding matrix indicator (PMI), a rank indicator (RI), a CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI), a SSBRI (SS / PBCH resource block indicator, and a layer indicator (LI).

[0082] Channel quality information may be provided to the base station for link adaptation, for example, to provide guidance on which modulation and coding scheme (MCS) the base station should use when transmitting data. For example, when the downlink channel communication quality between the base station and the UE is determined to be high, the UE may feedback a high CQI value, which may cause the base station to transmit data using a relatively high modulation order and / or a low channel coding rate. For another example, when the downlink channel communication quality between the base station and the UE is determined to be low, the UE may feedback a low CQI value, which may cause the base station to transmit data using a relatively low modulation order and / or a high channel coding rate.

[0083] The PMI feedback may include preferred precoding matrix information and may be provided to the base station to indicate which MIMO precoding scheme the base station should use. In other words, the UE may measure the quality of the downlink MIMO channel between the base station and the UE based on the pilot signal received on the channel, and may recommend which MIMO precoding the desired base station applies through PMI feedback. In some cellular systems, the PMI configuration is represented in matrix form, which provides linear MIMO precoding. The base station and the UE may share a codebook consisting of multiple precoding matrices, wherein each MIMO precoding matrix in the codebook may have a unique index. Therefore, as part of the channel state information fed back by the UE, the PMI may include an index (or possibly multiple indexes) corresponding to the most preferred MIMO precoding matrix (or multiple matrices) in the codebook. This may enable the UE to minimize the amount of feedback information. Therefore, at least according to some embodiments, the PMI may indicate which precoding matrix from the codebook should be used for transmission to the UE.

[0084] For example, when the base station and UE have multiple antennas, the rank indicator information (RI feedback) may indicate the number of transmission layers that the UE determines can be supported by the channel, which can achieve multi-layer transmission through spatial multiplexing. RI and PMI together may allow the base station to know which precoding needs to be applied to which layer, for example, depending on the number of transmission layers.

[0085] In some cellular systems, the PMI codebook is defined based on the number of transmission layers. In other words, for R layer transmission, N N codebooks can be defined. t ×R matrix (for example, where R represents the number of layers, N t denotes the number of transmitter antenna ports, and N denotes the size of the codebook). In such a scenario, the number of transmission layers (R) may correspond to the rank value of the precoding matrix (N t ×R matrix), and thus R in this context may be referred to as a “rank indicator (RI)”.

[0086] Thus, the channel state information may include an assigned rank (e.g., a rank indicator or RI). For example, a MIMO-enabled UE communicating with a BS may include four receiver chains, e.g., may include four antennas. The BS may also include four or more antennas to implement MIMO communication (e.g., 4×4 MIMO). Thus, the UE is able to simultaneously receive up to four (or more) signals (e.g., layers) from the BS. Layer-to-antenna mapping may be applied, e.g., each layer may be mapped to any number of antenna ports (e.g., antennas). Each antenna port may send and / or receive information associated with one or more layers. The rank may include multiple bits and may indicate the number of signals that the BS may send to the UE in an upcoming time period (e.g., during an upcoming transmission time interval or TTI). For example, an indication of rank 4 may indicate that the BS will send 4 signals to the UE. As one possibility, the length of the RI may be two bits (e.g., because two bits are sufficient to distinguish 4 different rank values). Note that other numbers and / or configurations of antennas (e.g., at either or both of the UE or BS) and / or other numbers of data layers are also possible according to various embodiments.

[0087] Figure 5 —Activate and deactivate periodic reference signals

[0088] While periodic reference signals may be used to support various cellular communication operations with relatively efficient signaling costs, there may be situations where transmitting such periodic reference signals may incur unnecessary power consumption and transmission overhead (e.g., if there are no wireless devices to use certain time and frequency resources allocated to the periodic reference signals).

[0089] Therefore, it may be advantageous to specify techniques for supporting dynamic activation and deactivation of periodic reference signals (e.g., to provide the potential for reduced power consumption and / or improved efficiency in network resource usage). To illustrate a set of such possible techniques, Figure 5 is a communication flow diagram illustrating a method for activating and deactivating a periodic reference signal in a wireless communication system according to at least some embodiments.

[0090] Figure 5 Aspects of the methods of the present invention may be implemented by a wireless device, for example, in conjunction with one or more cellular base stations (such as the UE 106 and BS 102 shown and described with respect to the various figures herein), or more generally, as desired, in conjunction with any of the computer circuits, systems, devices, elements, or components, etc. shown in the above figures. For example, a processor (and / or other hardware) of such a device may be configured to cause the device to perform any combination of the method elements shown and / or other method elements.

[0091] It is noted that although the present invention is described in a manner involving the use of communication techniques and / or features associated with 3GPP and / or NR specification documents, Figure 5 However, this description is not intended to limit the present disclosure and may be used in any suitable wireless communication system as needed. Figure 5 In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed simultaneously in an order different from that shown, replaced by other method elements, or omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as needed. As shown in the figure, Figure 5 The method can be operated as follows.

[0092] In 502, the wireless device may establish a wireless link with a cellular base station. According to some embodiments, the wireless link may include a cellular link according to 5G NR. For example, the wireless device may establish a session with an AMF entity of a cellular network through one or more gNBs that provide radio access to the cellular network. As another possibility, the wireless link may include a cellular link according to LTE. For example, the wireless device may establish a session with a mobility management entity of a cellular network through an eNB that provides radio access to the cellular network. According to various embodiments, other types of cellular links are also possible, and the cellular network may also or alternatively operate according to another cellular communication technology (e.g., UMTS, CDMA2000, GSM, etc.).

[0093] Establishing a wireless link may include establishing an RRC connection with a serving cellular base station according to at least some embodiments. Establishing a first RRC connection may include configuring various parameters for communication between the wireless device and the cellular base station, establishing environmental information of the wireless device, and / or any of a variety of other possible features, for example, involving establishing an air interface of the wireless device for cellular communication with a cellular network associated with the cellular base station. After establishing the RRC connection, the wireless device may operate in an RRC connected state. In some instances, the RRC connection may also be released (e.g., after a certain period of inactivity relative to data communication), in which case the wireless device may operate in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state. In some cases, for example, due to wireless device movement, changes in wireless medium conditions, and / or any other various possible reasons, the wireless device may perform a handover (e.g., when in an RRC connected mode) or a cell reselection (e.g., when in an RRC idle mode or an RRC inactive mode) to a new serving cell.

[0094] According to at least some embodiments, a wireless device may establish multiple wireless links (e.g., multiple wireless links with multiple TRPs of a cellular network according to a multi-TRP configuration). In such a scenario, the wireless device may be configured (e.g., via RRC signaling) with one or more transmission control indicators (TCIs), which may correspond to various beams that may be used to communicate with the TRPs, for example. In addition, there may be situations where one or more configured TCI states may be activated by a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) of the wireless device at a particular time.

[0095] At least in some cases, establishing the wireless link may include the wireless device providing capability information of the wireless device.Such capability information may include information related to any of a plurality of types of wireless device capabilities.

[0096] In 504, the wireless device may receive (e.g., from a cellular base station providing a serving cell to the wireless device) ("first") information configuring a periodic reference signal. According to at least some embodiments, the information configuring the periodic reference signal may include radio resource control signaling provided by a serving cell of the wireless device. The periodic reference signal may include any of various possible types of reference signals. For example, in addition to various possibilities, the periodic reference signal may include any or all of a synchronization signal block (SSB), a channel state information (CSI) reference signal (RS) for tracking, a CSI-RS for beam management (BM), a CSI-RS for CSI acquisition, or a CSI for interference management (IM). In addition to various possibilities, the periodic reference signal may be configured for use in any of a variety of operating modes (such as single-cell operation or inter-cell multi-cell operation). At least according to some embodiments, multiple periodic reference signals of some or all such types of periodic reference signals may be configured, which may include: reference signals in any or all of a primary (e.g., serving) cell or one or more secondary (e.g., auxiliary) cells, and / or reference signals in the same bandwidth part (BWP) used to convey configuration information or in any or all of one or more different BWPs.

[0097] According to various embodiments, configuring the periodic reference signal may include configuring: the time and / or frequency resources at which the periodic reference signal occurs, the periodicity at which the periodic reference signal occurs, the time slot offset at which the periodic reference signal occurs, and / or any of various other aspects or parameters of any or all of the periodic reference signals configured by the cellular base station.

[0098] Note that the wireless device may also receive information indicating the use of certain selected reference signal resources in the configured periodic reference signal configured by the cellular base station. For example, it may be the case that one or more CSI-RS (which may also be referred to as "TRS") resources to be used for tracking are indicated to the wireless device (e.g., using TCI status indication in MAC CE signaling).

[0099] In 506, the cellular base station may determine to deactivate one or more periodic reference signal resources or to modify the periodicity of one or more periodic reference signal resources. The cellular base station may determine to deactivate one or more periodic reference signal resources or to modify the periodicity of one or more periodic reference signal resources for any of a variety of possible reasons. As one possibility, the selected resources may include one or more resources that are not currently being used by any wireless device served by the cellular base station. Alternatively, the selected resources may include one or more resources that are being used or may be being used but are used by relatively few (e.g., the usage of those resources may be below a certain configured or predefined threshold) wireless devices. A number of other reasons for determining to deactivate certain periodic reference signal resources or to modify the periodicity of certain periodic reference signal resources are also possible.

[0100] In 508, the wireless device may receive ("second") information to deactivate one or more periodic reference signal resources or to modify the periodicity of one or more periodic reference signal resources. At least according to some embodiments, the information to deactivate one or more periodic reference signal resources or to modify the periodicity of one or more periodic reference signal resources may include MAC CE or DCI signaling provided by a serving cell of the wireless device. In other words, at least according to some embodiments, the information to deactivate one or more periodic reference signal resources or to modify the periodicity of one or more periodic reference signal resources may be provided using control signaling that is different from the control signaling that configures the information of the periodic reference signal. At least in some cases, for example, providing such information using a more dynamic signaling mechanism (e.g., such as MAC CE or DCI signaling, as compared to RRC signaling) with lower overhead and / or shorter validity time can help support more dynamic activation / deactivation / periodicity modification in response to changing conditions that may affect the relative value of using the configured periodic reference signal resources for those periodic reference signals or for other purposes.

[0101] According to some embodiments, the information may include a binary activation / deactivation indication for the affected periodic reference signal resources. As another possibility, the information may include an indication of updated periodicity, where, for example, a "no transmission" or 0 periodicity indication is configured or specified as a possible periodicity option among various other possible configurations or specified periodicity options to effectively deactivate or set to deactivate the affected periodic reference signal resources. Other frameworks for indicating activation / deactivation / periodic modification of periodic reference signal resources are also possible.

[0102] Note that, at least according to some embodiments, it is possible that the wireless device assumes by default that all periodic reference signals configured in the first configuration information are active. In addition or alternatively, for certain configured periodic reference signals (such as those configured in an active TCI state or spatial relationship, or those periodic reference signals used for path loss measurement or beam failure detection or radio link monitoring), it is possible that the wireless device assumes that those periodic reference signals are active.

[0103] It should be noted that the second information may deactivate one or more periodic reference signal resources in any or all of the various types of reference signals (such as SSB, TRS, CSI-RS for BM, CSI-RS for CSI acquisition, CSI-IM, etc.) or modify the periodicity of these periodic reference signal resources. Deactivation or periodic modification may be applied to any or all of the affected periodic reference signal resources at the resource level or the resource set level. Deactivation or periodic modification may be applied to reference signals associated with any or all of the cells from which the second information is received or the cells different from the cells from which the second information is received. Deactivation or periodic modification may be applied to reference signals associated with any or all of the BWPs on which the second information is received or the BWPs different from the BWPs on which the second information is received. In some cases, such as in a scenario in which the second information modifies the periodicity of the periodic reference signal, the second information may update the time slot offset of the periodic reference signal.

[0104] Periodic reference signal resources indicated as inactive by the cellular base station may be used by the cellular base station for one or more other purposes, such as for physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmissions or physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmissions. Thus, at least according to some embodiments, when those resources are not needed for use as reference signals, it may be possible to use those resources to improve spectral efficiency.

[0105] Note that, at least according to some embodiments, the wireless device may consider whether various configured periodic reference signal resources are active or inactive when performing rate matching on downlink channels from a TRP associated with those periodic reference signal resources. For example, for such rate matching, the wireless device may determine that active periodic reference signal resources of a TRP are considered unavailable for rate matching and that inactive periodic reference signal resources of a TRP are considered available for rate matching.

[0106] In some cases, it may be possible that the wireless device may determine a resource indicator for a channel measurement report based at least in part on which periodic reference signal resources are active and / or which periodic reference signal resources are inactive. For example, when performing channel measurement using an active periodic reference signal configured for channel measurement, it may be possible that an inactive periodic reference signal configured for channel measurement is not considered when determining a resource indicator for a channel measurement report (e.g., a CSI resource indicator (CRI) or an SSB resource indicator (SSBRI)).

[0107] In some cases, the wireless device may transmit an acknowledgment in response to the second information. For example, this may include a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgment (ACK) provided in response to MAC CE signaling or DCI signaling. In the case of DCI signaling, the wireless device may be able to determine the bit position of the HARQ ACK based on a predefined or indicated virtual PDSCH time slot, or a total / counter downlink allocation index (DAI) may be indicated by the DCI to facilitate the wireless device to determine the bit position of the HARQ ACK. Alternatively, it may be the case that the wireless device does not transmit an acknowledgment in response to the second information; for example, in some embodiments, it may be specified that such DCI-based second information does not require a HARQ ACK.

[0108] In a similar manner, the cellular base station may provide for deactivating one or more (same or different) periodic reference signal resources, modifying the periodicity of these periodic reference signal resources, or reactivating these periodic reference signal resources any number of times (e.g., in response to changing conditions in the wireless communication system). For example, if a wireless device enters the system (e.g., due to mobility, power-up, etc.) and a periodic reference signal resource that has been deactivated by the cellular base station determines that a currently inactive periodic reference signal resource would benefit the wireless device, the cellular base station may reactivate the periodic reference signal resource. Similarly, the periodicity of certain periodic reference signal resources may be modified in response to the number and distribution of wireless devices within the communication range of the cellular base station, such as, at least as one possibility, such that when more wireless devices are present and positioned to benefit from those periodic reference signal resources, those periodic reference signal resources are provided more frequently, and when fewer wireless devices are present and positioned to benefit from those periodic reference signal resources, those periodic reference signal resources are provided less frequently. Other methods of determining how and when to activate, deactivate, or modify the periodicity of periodic reference signals are also possible.

[0109] Thus, at least according to some embodiments, Figure 5 The method can be used to provide a framework according to which periodic reference signals can be dynamically activated and deactivated, which in turn can improve cellular network resource usage efficiency and / or reduce network power consumption, and in at least some cases, may have little or no negative impact on wireless device performance.

[0110] Figure 6 to Figure 7 and additional information

[0111] Figure 6 to Figure 7 Shows possible combination if necessary Figure 5 However, it should be noted that Figure 6 Medium to Figure 7 The exemplary details shown and described with respect to these figures are not intended to limit the disclosure as a whole: many variations and alternatives to the details provided below are possible and are to be considered within the scope of the disclosure.

[0112] In 3GPP Release 15, periodic reference signals for several different kinds of functions may be supported. For example, according to at least some embodiments, a synchronization signal block (SSB) may be used for initial access and beam management, a channel state information (CSI) reference signal (RS) (or "TRS") for tracking may be configured in a resource set configured with TRS-Info and may be used for time and frequency offset tracking, a CSI-RS for beam management (BM) may be configured in a resource set configured with repetitions and may be used for CSI measurement, and / or a CSI-RS for CSI acquisition may be configured in a resource set without repetitions and without TRS-Info and may be used for CSI measurement. Such periodic RS may be configured by RRC signaling. In some cases, a UE may be configured with periodic RS from all network beams, for example, to avoid overly frequent reconfiguration of RRC (e.g., because RRC signaling may typically have relatively high overhead and latency compared to other types of signaling that may be used in cellular communications, such as media access control (MAC) control elements (CEs) or downlink control information (DCI)). It is possible that a UE may be configured with periodic RS from multiple cells (e.g., serving / primary cell and auxiliary / secondary cell) (e.g., in inter-cell multi-TRP operation).

[0113] Figure 6 An exemplary wireless communication system is shown in which periodic reference signals may be configured for several UEs. As shown, there may be 3 UEs and 2 TRPs in the system, with 4 periodic TRSs configured in the resource sets of each TRP. For UE 1, TRS 1 in set 1 is configured in its TCI state; for UE 2, TRS 2 in set 1 and TRS 3 in set 2 are configured in their TCI states; and for UE 3, TRS 4 in set 2 is configured in its TCI state. For these 4 periodic TRSs, it may be the case that the UE assumes that those resource elements are "unavailable" for rate matching (e.g., at least for PDCCH / PDSCH in the same TRP). The gNB may be able to select another TCI (e.g., with a different TRS) for the UE using MAC CE signaling to update the UE's beam.

[0114] In some scenarios, it may be the case that there are no UEs in a given direction, in which case, maintaining transmission of periodic RS in that direction may result in a waste of network power consumption and overhead. For example, it may be the case that such resources are not used as RS by any UE and cannot be used for PDCCH / PDSCH transmission. Figure 7 Such an exemplary wireless communication is shown, in which a periodic reference signal can be configured. Figure 6In such scenarios similar to the scenario of , TRP 1 and TRP 2 may be configured with 4 periodic TRSs, and UE 2 may be configured with TRS 2 in set 1 and TRS 3 in set 2. However, there may not be UEs configured with TRS 1 or TRS 4, so that there may be no need to transmit TRS 1 or TRS 4. Therefore, it may be beneficial to support dynamic activation and deactivation of at least some types of periodic reference signals, for example, to be able to release such unused resources to reduce network power consumption and / or increase resources that can be used for other purposes, and techniques for maintaining a consistent understanding between the gNB and the UE about when to activate or deactivate periodic RSs on certain resources or resource sets may help support such dynamic activation and deactivation.

[0115] As a method of providing control signaling for dynamic activation / deactivation of periodic RS, MAC CE may be introduced for dynamic activation / deactivation of periodic CSI-RS / SSB. At least according to some embodiments, MAC CE may indicate the active / inactive state of periodic CSI-RS at the resource level and / or resource set level. MAC CE may indicate the active / inactive state of periodic RS in the same serving cell or different serving cells or multiple serving cells. MAC CE may indicate the active / inactive state of periodic RS in the same bandwidth part (BWP) or different BWP or multiple BWP. It is possible that the UE is configured to assume by default that all periodic CSI-RS / SSBs configured by RRC are active. In addition, for periodic RS configured in an active TCI state or spatial relationship, or for periodic RS used for path loss measurement or beam failure detection or radio link monitoring, it is possible that the UE is configured to assume that the periodic RS should be active.

[0116] As another possible method of providing control signaling for dynamic activation / deactivation of periodic RS, a MAC CE may be introduced for updating the periodicity of a periodic CSI-RS / SSB (e.g., one of the possible periodicity states may indicate "no transmission"). For a periodic RS configured in an active TCI state or spatial relationship, or for a periodic RS used for path loss measurement or beam failure detection or radio link monitoring, it may be the case that the UE is configured to assume that the periodic RS should not be configured with a periodicity set to "no transmission". At least according to some embodiments, the MAC CE may update the periodicity of the periodic CSI-RS at the resource level and / or resource set level. The MAC CE may update the periodicity of a periodic RS in the same serving cell or in different serving cells or in multiple serving cells. The MAC CE may update the periodicity of a periodic RS in the same bandwidth part (BWP) or in different BWPs or in multiple BWPs. At least in some cases, in addition to the periodicity, the MAC CE may be able to update the slot offset of the CSI-RS.

[0117] As another possible approach, a dedicated DCI format may be introduced for dynamic activation / deactivation of periodic CSI-RS / SB. The DCI may be associated with a new radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) (e.g., associated with a corresponding cyclic redundancy check (CRC) sequence of a PDCCH based on the new RNTI). It is possible that the same RNTI value may be predefined or configured for multiple UEs (e.g., to support multicast activation / deactivation). According to at least some embodiments, the DCI may indicate the active / inactive state of the periodic CSI-RS at the resource level and / or at the resource set level. The DCI may indicate the active / inactive state of a periodic RS in the same serving cell or in different serving cells or in multiple serving cells. The DCI may indicate the active / inactive state of a periodic RS in the same bandwidth part (BWP) or in different BWPs or in multiple BWPs. It is possible that the UE is configured to assume by default that all periodic CSI-RS / SSBs configured by RRC are active. In addition, for periodic RS configured in active TCI state or spatial relationship, or periodic RS used for path loss measurement or beam failure detection or radio link monitoring, it may be the case that the UE is configured to assume that the periodic RS should be active.

[0118] As another possible approach, a dedicated DCI format may be introduced to update the periodicity of the periodic CSI-RS / SB (e.g., one of the possible periodic states may indicate "no transmission"). The DCI may be associated with a new RNTI (e.g., associated with a corresponding CRC sequence of a PDCCH based on the new RNTI). Possibly, the same RNTI value may be predefined or configured for multiple UEs (e.g., to support multicast periodic updates). According to at least some embodiments, the DCI may indicate the active / inactive state of the periodic CSI-RS at the resource level and / or at the resource set level. The DCI may indicate the active / inactive state of a periodic RS in the same serving cell or in different serving cells or in multiple serving cells. The DCI may indicate the active / inactive state of a periodic RS in the same bandwidth part (BWP) or in different BWPs or in multiple BWPs. At least in some cases, in addition to the periodicity, the DCI may be able to update the slot offset of the CSI-RS.

[0119] Although for MAC CE-based signaling methods, it may be possible to use existing acknowledgment (ACK) schemes to support UE acknowledgment of new MAC CEs, for DCI-based signaling methods, it may be useful to introduce a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) ACK for DCI. As one such possibility, for a type 1 codebook, a virtual PDSCH time slot may be predefined or indicated so that the UE can determine the bit order of the HARQ bit position of the DCI. As another possibility, for a type 2 codebook, a total / counter downlink allocation index (DAI) may be indicated by the DCI to facilitate the UE to determine the HARQ bit position of the DCI. It is possible that the action delay (e.g., the length of time (e.g., in terms of the number of symbols) until the instruction indicated in the DCI is implemented by the UE and the network) is counted from the HARQ-ACK of the DCI. Alternatively, the DCI may not require HARQ-ACK. In this scenario, it is possible that the action delay is counted from the last symbol of the DCI. The action delay may be predefined or configured by higher layer signaling.

[0120] At least according to some embodiments, any of the periodic MAC CE or DCI-based methods for activating / deactivating periodic RS and / or updating periodic RS may be applicable to one, a subset, or all of the following types of periodic RS: SSB; CSI-RS for tracking (TRS); CSI-RS for BM; CSI-RS for CSI acquisition; and / or CSI for interference measurement (CSI-IM).

[0121] For rate matching of PDCCH / PDSCH from at least the same TRP as the periodic RS configured by RRC, it is possible that the UE may consider resource elements for active periodic CSI-RS and resource blocks for active SSBs to be "unavailable", and the UE may consider resource elements for inactive periodic CSI-RS and resource blocks for inactive SSBs to be "available".

[0122] For periodic RS-based CSI / L1-RSRP / L1-SINR reporting, it is possible that the UE is configured to consider only active periodic RS for CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI) or SSB resource indicator (SSBRI) reporting. For example, if CSI reporting is configured (e.g., configured using RRC signaling) for CSI-RS resources {1,2,3,4}, where {1,3} is configured to be inactive (e.g., using MAC CE or DCI), it is possible that the reported CRI contains 1 bit, where a value of 0 indicates CSI-RS resource 2 and a value of 1 indicates CSI-RS resource 4. When calculating UE complexity, it is possible that inactive periodic RS should not occupy the CSI processing unit (CPU). It is also possible or alternatively possible that for UE capabilities for CSI-L1-RSRP / L1-SINR reporting (e.g., UE capabilities for the maximum number of resources for beam measurement), inactive periodic RS should not be considered.

[0123] At least in some cases, when determining UE behavior for quasi-co-location (QCL) Type D collision handling, it may be the case that only active periodic RSs are considered, and inactive periodic RSs of QCL-TypeD should not be considered. Thus, for example, when PDCCH collides with periodic CSI-RS, it may be defined that they should be based on the same QCL-TypeD. However, if the periodic CSI-RS is deactivated, it is acceptable for the PDCCH QCL-TypeD to be different from the QCL-TypeD of the inactive CSI-RS.

[0124] According to at least some embodiments, for CSI / L1-SINR measurements based on channel measurement resources (CMR) and interference measurement resources (IMR), it may be the case that the same active / inactive state should be configured for each CMR-IMR pair.

[0125] In the following, further exemplary embodiments are provided.

[0126] A set of embodiments may include an apparatus comprising: a processor configured to cause a wireless device to: establish a wireless link with a cellular base station; receive first information, wherein the first information configures one or more periodic reference signals; and receive second information, wherein the second information updates the periodicity of one or more reference signal resources in the one or more periodic reference signals, wherein the second information is received using signaling of a different type than signaling used to receive the first information.

[0127] According to some embodiments, the second information updates the periodicity of the one or more reference signal resources to be inactive.

[0128] According to some embodiments, the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: perform rate matching on one or more downlink channels from a transmission reception point (TRP), wherein for the rate matching: active periodic reference signal resources of the TRP are considered unavailable, and inactive periodic reference signal resources of the TRP are considered available.

[0129] According to some embodiments, the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: perform one or more channel measurements using an active periodic reference signal configured for channel measurement; and determine a resource indicator for a channel measurement report based on the one or more channel measurements, wherein an inactive periodic reference signal configured for channel measurement is not considered when determining the resource indicator for the channel measurement report.

[0130] According to some embodiments, the second information updates the periodicity of the one or more reference signal resources at one or more of a resource level or a resource set level, wherein the one or more reference signal resources whose periodicity the second information updates are associated with one or more of a cell from which the second information is received or a cell different from the cell from which the second information is received, wherein the one or more reference signal resources whose periodicity the second information updates are associated with one or more of a bandwidth part (BWP) on which the second information is received or a BWP different from the BWP on which the second information is received.

[0131] According to some embodiments, the second information updates the periodic reference signal whose periodicity includes one or more of the following: a synchronization signal block (SSB); a channel state information (CSI) reference signal (RS) for tracking; a CSI-RS for beam management; a CSI-RS for CSI acquisition; or a CSI for interference management (IM).

[0132] According to some embodiments, the second information updates a time slot offset of one or more periodic reference signals.

[0133] Another set of embodiments may include a method comprising: by a wireless device: establishing a wireless link with a cellular base station; receiving first configuration information, wherein the first configuration information configures one or more periodic reference signals, wherein the first configuration information is received using radio resource control (RRC) signaling; and receiving second configuration information, wherein the second configuration information deactivates at least a subset of the one or more periodic reference signals, wherein the second configuration information is received using a signaling type other than RRC signaling.

[0134] According to some embodiments, the second configuration information deactivates the periodic reference signal at one or more of a resource level or a resource set level.

[0135] According to some embodiments, the second configuration information deactivates a periodic reference signal associated with one or more of: a cell from which the second configuration information is received; or a cell different from the cell from which the second configuration information is received.

[0136] According to some embodiments, the second configuration information deactivates a periodic reference signal associated with one or more of: a bandwidth part (BWP) over which the second configuration information is received; or a BWP different from the BWP over which the second configuration information is received.

[0137] According to some embodiments, the second configuration information is received using a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE).

[0138] According to some embodiments, the second configuration information is received using downlink control information (DCI).

[0139] According to some embodiments, the method further comprises transmitting an acknowledgment in response to the second configuration information.

[0140] Another set of embodiments may include a cellular base station, comprising: an antenna; a radio component, the radio component being operably coupled to the antenna; and a processor, the processor being operably coupled to the radio component; wherein the cellular base station is configured to: transmit first configuration information, wherein the first configuration information uses one or more resources to configure a periodic reference signal; determine to deactivate the periodic reference signal on at least one of the one or more resources; and transmit second configuration information, wherein the second configuration information indicates to deactivate the periodic reference signal on the at least one resource.

[0141] According to some embodiments, the first configuration information is provided in a radio resource control (RRC) message, wherein the second configuration information is provided in one of a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) or downlink control information (DCI).

[0142] According to some embodiments, the cellular base station is further configured to: transmit third configuration information, wherein the third configuration information indicates to reactivate the periodic reference signal on the at least one resource.

[0143] According to some embodiments, the first configuration information uses multiple resources to configure multiple periodic reference signals; wherein the cellular base station is further configured to determine to activate the multiple periodic reference signals on the multiple resources; wherein the second configuration information indicates to activate the multiple periodic reference signals on the multiple resources.

[0144] According to some embodiments, the second configuration information updates the periodicity of the periodic reference signal on the at least one resource to deactivate the periodic reference signal on the at least one resource.

[0145] According to some embodiments, the cellular base station is further configured to perform non-reference signal transmission using one or more deactivated periodic reference signal resources.

[0146] Yet another exemplary embodiment may include a method comprising: performing, by a device, any or all of the foregoing examples.

[0147] Another example embodiment may include a device comprising: an antenna; a radio component, the radio component coupled to the antenna; and a processing element operably coupled to the radio component, wherein the device is configured to implement any or all portions of the foregoing examples.

[0148] Another exemplary set of embodiments may include a non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium including program instructions that, when executed at a device, cause the device to implement any or all portions of any of the foregoing examples.

[0149] Another exemplary set of embodiments may include a computer program comprising instructions for performing any or all portions of any of the foregoing examples.

[0150] Another exemplary set of embodiments may include an apparatus including means for performing any or all of the elements of any of the preceding examples.

[0151] Another exemplary set of embodiments may include an apparatus comprising a processing element configured to cause a wireless device to perform any or all elements of any of the foregoing examples.

[0152] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0153] By interpreting each message / signal X received by a user equipment (UE) in the downlink as a message / signal X transmitted by the base station, and interpreting each message / signal Y transmitted by the UE in the uplink as a message / signal Y received by the base station, any of the methods for operating a UE described herein may become the basis for the corresponding method for operating a base station.

[0154] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, in some embodiments, the subject matter may be implemented as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable storage medium, or a computer system. In other embodiments, one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs may be used to implement the subject matter. In other embodiments, one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs may be used to implement the subject matter.

[0155] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory storage element) may be configured to store program instructions and / or data, wherein if the program instructions are executed by a computer system, the computer system is caused to perform a method, such as any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets.

[0156] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., a UE) may be configured to include a processor (or a group of processors) and a memory medium (or a memory element), wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, wherein the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method implementations described herein (or any combination of the method implementations described herein, or any subset of any method implementations described herein or any combination of such subsets). The device may be implemented in any of various forms.

[0157] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to encompass all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A device for wireless communication, comprising: A processor configured to cause the wireless device to: Establishing a wireless link with a cellular base station; receiving first information, wherein the first information configures one or more periodic reference signals; as well as receiving second information, wherein the second information updates the periodicity of one or more reference signal resources in the one or more periodic reference signals, The second information is received using signaling that is different from signaling used to receive the first information.

2. The device according to claim 1, The second information updates the periodicity of the one or more reference signal resources to be inactive.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: performing rate matching on one or more downlink channels from a transmission reception point TRP, wherein for said rate matching: The active periodic reference signal resource of the TRP is considered unavailable, and The inactive periodic reference signal resources of the TRP are considered available.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: performing one or more channel measurements using an active periodic reference signal configured for channel measurement; and A resource indicator for a channel measurement report is determined based on the one or more channel measurements, wherein an inactive periodic reference signal configured for channel measurement is not considered when determining the resource indicator for the channel measurement report.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second information updates the periodicity of the one or more reference signal resources at one or more of a resource level or a resource set level, wherein the one or more reference signal resources of which the second information updates the periodicity are associated with one or more of a cell from which the second information is received or a cell different from the cell from which the second information is received, The one or more reference signal resources whose periodicity the second information updates are associated with one or more of a bandwidth part BWP over which the second information is received or a BWP different from the BWP over which the second information is received.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second information updates the periodic reference signal of the periodicity thereof, comprising one or more of the following: Synchronization signal block SSB; Channel state information reference signal CSI-RS for tracking; CSI-RS for beam management; CSI-RS for CSI acquisition; or CSI for interference management IM.

7. The device according to claim 1, The second information updates the time slot offset of one or more periodic reference signals.

8. A method for wireless communication, comprising: By wireless device: Establishing a wireless link with a cellular base station; receiving first configuration information, wherein the first configuration information configures one or more periodic reference signals, wherein the first configuration information is received using radio resource control (RRC) signaling; as well as Second configuration information is received, wherein the second configuration information activates or deactivates at least a subset of the one or more periodic reference signals, wherein the second configuration information is received using a signaling type other than RRC signaling.

9. The method according to claim 8, The second configuration information activates or deactivates a periodic reference signal at one or more of a resource level or a resource set level.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the second configuration information activates or deactivates a periodic reference signal associated with one or more of: A cell from which the second configuration information is received; or A cell different from the cell from which the second configuration information is received.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the second configuration information activates or deactivates a periodic reference signal associated with one or more of: a bandwidth part BWP over which said second configuration information is received; or A BWP different from the BWP on which the second configuration information is received.

12. The method according to claim 8, The second configuration information is received using a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

13. The method according to claim 8, The second configuration information is received using downlink control information (DCI).

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein the method further comprises: An acknowledgement is transmitted in response to the second configuration information.

15. A cellular base station, comprising: antenna; a radio operably coupled to the antenna; and a processor operatively coupled to the radio; The cellular base station is configured as follows: Transmitting first configuration information, wherein the first configuration information uses one or more resources to configure a periodic reference signal; determining to activate or deactivate the periodic reference signal on at least one of the one or more resources; as well as Second configuration information is transmitted, wherein the second configuration information indicates activation or deactivation of the periodic reference signal on the at least one resource.

16. The cellular base station according to claim 15, The first configuration information is provided in a radio resource control (RRC) message, and the second configuration information is provided in one of a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) or downlink control information (DCI).

17. The cellular base station according to claim 15, wherein the cellular base station is further configured to: Transmit third configuration information, wherein the third configuration information indicates to reactivate the periodic reference signal on the at least one resource.

18. The cellular base station according to claim 15, The first configuration information uses multiple resources to configure multiple periodic reference signals; wherein the cellular base station is further configured to determine to activate or deactivate a plurality of periodic reference signals on a plurality of resources; The second configuration information indicates to deactivate the multiple periodic reference signals on the multiple resources.

19. The cellular base station according to claim 15, The second configuration information updates the periodicity of the periodic reference signal on the at least one resource to activate or deactivate the periodic reference signal on the at least one resource.

20. The cellular base station of claim 15, wherein the cellular base station is further configured to: Non-reference signal transmission is performed using one or more deactivated periodic reference signal resources.

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