Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) state application method and user equipment

Abstract

A method and a terminal (UE) for applying a transmission configuration indication (TCI) state are provided. Specifically, the UE may receive an indication of a specific TCI state from a network. The UE may then apply the specific TCI state of at least one transmission to a core set associated with at least one search space set in the following situations: (1) the at least one search space set is configured as a first type; or (2) any one of the at least one search space set is configured as a second type and the associated core set is configured to follow the specific TCI state.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119 of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 226,806, filed on July 29, 2021, entitled “Transmission Configuration Indication for PDCCH and PDSCH”; and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 275,981, filed on November 5, 2021, entitled “Transmission Configuration Indication for PDCCH and PDSCH”, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The disclosed embodiments relate generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to methods and user equipment for a transmission configuration indication (TCI) status application. Background Art

[0004] In a legacy network of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5G New Radio (NR), a user equipment (UE) may be configured by a base station (BS) with: (1) one or more control resource sets (CORESETs); (2) one or more search space sets; and (3) multiple TCI states. The BS may send an activation command to the UE for the UE to apply at least one of the multiple TCI states. However, some details of applying the at least one TCI state have not yet been determined and require further discussion. Summary of the Invention

[0005] A method and user equipment (UE) for TCI state application is provided. Specifically, the UE may receive an indication of a specific TCI state from a network. The UE may then apply the specific TCI state to reception corresponding to a core set associated with at least one search space set in the following circumstances: (1) the at least one search space set is configured as a first type; or (2) any one of the at least one search space set is configured as a second type and the core set is configured to follow the specific TCI state.

[0006] According to the method and user equipment for applying the transmission configuration indication state provided by the present invention, a new application mode of applying the transmission configuration indication state to reception corresponding to a control resource set is proposed.

[0007] Other embodiments and advantages are described in the detailed description that follows. This summary is not intended to define the invention. The invention is defined by the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals represent like components, illustrate embodiments of the present invention.

[0009] Figure 1 An exemplary 5G New Radio network supporting activation of power control settings for uplink transmissions according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0010] Figure 2 is a simplified block diagram of a gNB and a UE according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] Figure 3 An embodiment of message transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated.

[0012] Figure 4A An example of association between at least one SS set, one CORESET, and at least one transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0013] Figure 4B An example of association between at least one SS set, one CORESET, and at least one transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0014] Figure 5 An embodiment of message transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated.

[0015] Figure 6A An example of association between at least one SS set, one CORESET, and at least one transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0016] Figure 6B An example of association between at least one SS set, one CORESET, and at least one transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0017] Figure 7 is a flowchart of a method for applying TCI status according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 8 is a flowchart of a method for applying TCI status according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 9 is a flow chart of a method for applying TCI status according to one novel aspect. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

[0021] Figure 1 An exemplary 5G NR network 100 supporting activation of power control settings for uplink (UL) transmissions according to aspects of the present invention is illustrated. 5G NR network 100 includes a UE 110 communicatively connected to a gNB 121 operating in a licensed frequency band (e.g., 30 GHz to 300 GHz for mmWave) of an access network 120, which provides radio access using a radio access technology (RAT) (e.g., 5G NR technology). Access network 120 is connected to a 5G core network 130 via an NG interface, more specifically, to a user plane function (UPF) via an NG user-plane part (NG-u), and to a mobility management function (AMF) via an NG control-plane part (NG-c). A gNB can be connected to multiple UPFs / AMFs for load sharing and redundancy. UE 110 may be a smartphone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a tablet computer, etc. Alternatively, UE 110 may be a notebook (NB) or a personal computer (PC) with a data card including a modem and one or more radio frequency transceivers inserted or installed therein to provide wireless communication capabilities.

[0022] The gNB 121 may provide communication coverage for a geographic coverage area with UE 110 supporting communication via a communication link 101. The communication link 101 shown in the 5G NR network 100 may include UL transmissions from the UE 110 to the gNB 121 (e.g., on a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) or a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH)) or downlink (DL) transmissions from the gNB 121 to the UE 110 (e.g., on a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) or a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH)).

[0023] Figure 2 Figure 1 is a simplified block diagram of gNB 121 and UE 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention. For gNB 121, antenna 197 transmits and receives radio signals. A radio frequency (RF) transceiver module 196, coupled to the antenna, receives RF signals from the antenna, converts them to baseband signals, and transmits the baseband signals to processor 193. RF transceiver 196 also converts baseband signals received from processor 193, converts them to RF signals, and transmits them to antenna 197. Processor 193 processes the received baseband signals and invokes various functional modules and circuits to perform functions within gNB 121. Memory 192, including both volatile and non-volatile computer-readable storage media, stores program instructions and data 190 to control the operation of gNB 121.

[0024] Similarly, for UE 110, antenna 177 transmits and receives RF signals. An RF transceiver module 176, coupled to the antenna, receives RF signals from the antenna, converts them to baseband signals, and transmits the baseband signals to processor 173. RF transceiver 176 also receives baseband signals from processor 173, converts them to RF signals, and transmits them to antenna 177. Processor 173 processes the received baseband signals and invokes various functional modules and circuits to execute features in UE 110. Memory 172, including both volatile and nonvolatile computer-readable storage media, stores program instructions and data 170 to control the operation of UE 110.

[0025] gNB 121 and UE 110 also include several functional modules and circuits that can be implemented and configured to perform the embodiments of the present invention. Figure 2 In the example shown, gNB 121 includes a set of control functional modules and circuits 180. Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) processing circuitry 182 processes TCI status and associated network parameters for UE 110. Configuration and control circuitry 181 provides various parameters to configure and control UE 110. UE 110 includes a set of control functional modules and circuits 160. TCI processing circuitry 162 processes TCI status and associated network parameters. Configuration and control circuitry 161 processes configuration and control parameters from gNB 121.

[0026] Note that the various functional modules and circuits may be implemented and configured via software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof. When executed by processors 193 and 173 (e.g., by executing program code 190 and 170), the functional modules and circuits enable gNB 121 and UE 110 to perform embodiments of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 3An embodiment of message transmission according to one novel aspect is illustrated. Specifically, gNB 121 sends an indication 1210 to UE 110. Indication 1210 indicates a specific TCI state. UE 110 receives indication 1210 from gNB 121. UE 110 then applies the specific TCI state to reception corresponding to a CORESET, which is associated with at least one search space (SS) set, when: (1) the at least one SS set is configured as a first type; or (2) any one of the at least one SS set is configured as a second type and the CORESET is configured to follow the specific TCI state.

[0028] Please refer to Figure 4A , which is an example of an association between at least one SS set, a CORESET, and reception. Specifically, the first type includes a UE-specific search space (USS), and the second type includes a common search space (CSS). At least one SS set includes an SS set '#X11' configured with USSs and an SS set '#Y11' configured with USSs. The CORESET includes a CORESET '#A11' associated with SS sets '#X11' and '#Y11'. The specific TCI state includes a TCI state '#T11'.

[0029] Therefore, because both SS sets '#X11' and '#Y11' are configured with USSs, UE 110 applies TCI state '#T11' to the following receptions: (1) physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) reception; and (2) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) corresponding to the PDCCH reception.

[0030] Please refer to Figure 4B , which is an example of an association between at least one SS set, a CORESET, and a receiver. Specifically, the first type includes USSs, and the second type includes CSSs. At least one SS includes an SS set '#X12' configured with USSs and an SS set '#Y12' configured with CSSs. The CORESET: (1) includes a CORESET '#A12' associated with SS sets '#X12' and '#Y12'; (2) is configured to follow a unified TCI, that is, a specific TCI state. The specific TCI state includes a TCI state '#T12'.

[0031] Accordingly, because: (1) one of SS sets '#X12' and '#Y12' is configured with CSS; and (2) CORESET '#A12' is configured to follow a specific TCI state, UE 110 applies TCI state '#T12' to: (1) PDCCH reception; and (2) PDSCH corresponding to the PDCCH reception.

[0032] Figure 5 An embodiment of message transmission according to one novel aspect is illustrated. Specifically, gNB 121 sends a first configuration 1212, a second configuration 1214, and a third configuration 1216 to UE 110. UE 110 receives the first configuration 1212, the second configuration 1214, and the third configuration 1216 from gNB 121.

[0033] The first configuration 1212 configures at least one SS set to the UE 110. The second configuration 1214 configures the CORESET to the UE 110. The first configuration 1212 further associates at least one SS set with the CORESET. The third configuration 1216 records the TCI state list.

[0034] gNB 121 sends an indication 1218 to UE 110. Indication 1218 may include an activation command (e.g., a media access control-control element (MAC-CE)) or downlink control information (DCI) indicating a specific TCI state in the TCI state list. UE 110 then applies the specific TCI state to reception corresponding to the CORESET in the following cases: (1) at least one SS set is configured only as the first type; or (2) any one of the at least one SS set is configured as the second type and the CORESET is configured to follow the specific TCI state according to specific parameters in the second configuration 1214.

[0035] Please refer to Figure 6A , which is an example of the association between at least one SS set, CORESET, and reception. Specifically, the first type includes USS or Type3-PDCCH CSS (specified in the 3GPP specification), and the second type includes CSS other than Type3-PDCCH CSS. At least one SS set includes SS set '#X21' configured with USS and SS set '#Y21' configured with Type3-PDCCH CSS. The CORESET includes a CORESET '#A21' associated with SS sets '#X21' and '#Y21'. The specific TCI state includes TCI state '#T21'.

[0036] Therefore, because both SS sets '#X21' and '#Y21' are configured with USS or Type 3-PDCCH CSS, UE 110 applies TCI state '#T21' to the following receptions: (1) PDCCH reception; (2) PDSCH corresponding to the PDCCH reception.

[0037] More specifically, UE 110 quasi-collocates a first demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) port and a second DM-RS port with at least one reference signal in TCI state #T21'. The first DM-RS port is used for PDCCH reception. The second DM-RS port is used for PDSCH reception scheduled by DCI provided by PDCCH reception in CORESET '#A21'.

[0038] Please refer to Figure 6B , which is an example of the association between at least one SS set, CORESET, and reception. Specifically, the first type includes USS or Type3-PDCCH CSS (specified in the 3GPP specification), and the second type includes CSS other than Type3-PDCCH CSS. At least one SS includes an SS set '#X22' configured with USS and an SS set '#Y22' configured with CSS other than Type3-PDCCH CSS. CORESET: (1) includes CORESET '#A22' associated with SS sets '#X22' and '#Y22'; (2) is configured to follow a unified TCI, i.e., a specific TCI state, according to specific parameters in the second configuration 1214. The specific TCI state includes the TCI state '#T22'.

[0039] Accordingly, because: (1) one of SS sets '#X22' and '#Y22' is configured with a CSS other than Type3-PDCCH CSS; and (2) CORESET '#A22' is configured to follow a specific TCI state according to specific parameters in the second configuration 1214, UE 110 applies TCI state '#T22' to: (1) PDCCH reception; and (2) PDSCH corresponding to the PDCCH reception.

[0040] More specifically, UE 110 quasi-collocates a first DM-RS port and a second DM-RS port with at least one reference signal in TCI state #T22'. The first DM-RS port is used for PDCCH reception. The second DM-RS port is used for PDSCH reception scheduled by DCI provided by PDCCH reception in CORESET '#A22'.

[0041] Figure 7An embodiment of message transmission according to one novel aspect is illustrated. Specifically, gNB 121 sends a radio resource control (RRC) configuration 1220 to UE 110. RRC configuration 1220 indicates multiple TCI states to UE 110. gNB 121 sends an activation command 1222 (e.g., MAC-CE) to UE 110. Activation command 1222 is for UE 110 to activate a subset of the multiple TCI states. Activation command 1222 indicates an index of a coreset pool to UE 110.

[0042] In some embodiments, when the activation command 1222 is for the UE 110 to activate only one of the multiple TCI states, the UE 110 applies the only activated TCI state as the specific TCI state to the DM-RS ports of the PDCCH and PDSCH.

[0043] In some embodiments, when activation command 1222 is used for UE 110 to activate one or more of the plurality of TCI states, gNB 121 sends indication 1224 (e.g., DCI) to UE 110. Indication 1224 indicates at least one of the activated TCI states as a specific TCI state to UE 110. UE 110 applies the specific TCI state to DM-RS ports of PDCCH and PDSCH.

[0044] In some embodiments, the UE 110 applies a specific TCI state to reception corresponding to a CORESET belonging to a CORESET pool. In some embodiments, the UE 110 applies a specific TCI state to reception corresponding to a CORESET belonging to a CORESET pool and associated with at least one SS set when: (1) the at least one SS set is configured as a first type; or (2) any one of the at least one SS set is configured as a second type and the CORESET is configured to follow the specific TCI state.

[0045] In some embodiments, the reception corresponding to the CORESET includes (1) PDCCH reception on the CORESET; and (2) PDSCH reception corresponding to the PDCCH reception on the CORESET.

[0046] In some embodiments, the first type includes USS and the second type includes CSS. In some embodiments, the first type includes USS or Type3-PDCCH CSS and the second type includes CSS other than Type3-PDCCH CSS.

[0047] Figure 8801, a UE receives an indication of a specific TCI state from a network. In step 802, the UE applies the specific TCI state to reception corresponding to a CORESET associated with at least one SS set when: (1) the at least one SS set is configured as a first type; or (2) any one of the at least one SS set is configured as a second type and the CORESET is configured to follow the specific TCI state.

[0048] In one embodiment, the first type includes USS, and the second type includes CSS. In one embodiment, the first type includes USS or Type3-PDCCH CSS, and the second type includes CSS other than Type3-PDCCH CSS.

[0049] Figure 9 901. The UE receives a first configuration of at least one SS set, a second configuration of a core set, and a third configuration of a TCI state list from a network. The core set is associated with the at least one SS set according to the first configuration.

[0050] In step 902, the UE receives an indication of a specific TCI state from the network, which is on the TCI state list. In step 903, the UE applies the specific TCI state to reception corresponding to the CORESET associated with at least one SS set in the following cases: (1) the at least one SS set is configured as a first type; or (2) any one of the at least one SS set is configured as a second type and the CORESET is configured to follow the specific TCI state according to specific parameters in the second configuration.

[0051] In one implementation, the indication includes an activation command (e.g., MAC-CE) or a DCI. In one embodiment, the first type includes a USS and the second type includes a CSS. In one embodiment, the first type includes a USS or a Type 3-PDCCH CSS and the second type includes a CSS other than a Type 3-PDCCH CSS.

[0052] In one implementation, the operation of applying the specific TCI state to reception in step 903 includes applying the specific TCI state to PDCCH reception and PDSCH reception corresponding to the PDCCH reception. More specifically, the operation of applying the specific TCI state to reception in step 903 includes quasi-co-locating a first DM-RS port and a second DM-RS port with at least one reference signal of the specific TCI state, wherein the first DM-RS port is used for PDCCH reception and the second DM-RS port is used for PDSCH reception corresponding to the PDCCH reception.

[0053] Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with certain specific embodiments for guiding purposes, it is not limited thereto. Therefore, various modifications, amendments and combinations of the various features of the described embodiments may be implemented without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting a configuration indication status application, comprising: receiving, by the user equipment, an indication of a specific transmission configuration indication (TCI) status from the network; as well as In the following case, the user equipment applies the specific TCI state to reception corresponding to a control resource set (CORESET) associated with at least one search space set: Any one of the at least one search space set is configured as a common search space of a type other than Type 3-PDCCH CSS and the CORESET is configured to follow the specific TCI state.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The user equipment receives a first configuration of the at least one search space set from the network, wherein the CORESET is associated with the at least one search space set according to the first configuration.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: The user equipment receives a second configuration of the CORESET from the network.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The CORESET is configured to follow the specific TCI state according to specific parameters in the second configuration.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The user equipment receives a third configuration of the TCI state list, The specific TCI state is on the TCI state list.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The step of applying the specific TCI state to the reception corresponding to the CORESET comprises: The user equipment applies the specific TCI state to physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) reception and physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) reception corresponding to the PDCCH reception.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The step of applying the specific TCI state to the reception corresponding to the CORESET comprises: The user equipment quasi-co-locates a first demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) port and a second DM-RS port with at least one reference signal of the specific TCI state, wherein the first DM-RS port is used for physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) reception and the second DM-RS port is used for physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) reception corresponding to the PDCCH reception.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The indication includes an activation command or downlink control information.

9. A user equipment for transmitting a configuration indication status application, comprising: a transceiver that receives an indication of a specific transmission configuration indication (TCI) status from a network; as well as A transmission configuration indication (TCI) processing circuit applies the specific TCI state to reception corresponding to a control resource set (CORESET) associated with at least one search space set in the following circumstances: Any one of the at least one search space set is configured as a common search space of a type other than Type 3-PDCCH CSS and the CORESET is configured to follow the specific TCI state.

10. The user equipment according to claim 9, wherein: The transceiver further receives a first configuration of the at least one search space set from the network, and the CORESET is associated with the at least one search space set according to the first configuration.

11. The user equipment according to claim 10, wherein: The transceiver further receives a second configuration of the CORESET from the network.

12. The user equipment according to claim 11, wherein: The CORESET is configured to follow the specific TCI state according to specific parameters in the second configuration.

13. The user equipment according to claim 9, wherein: The transceiver also receives a third configuration of a TCI state list, and the specific TCI state is on the TCI state list.

14. The user equipment according to claim 9, wherein: The TCI processing circuit further applies the specific TCI state to a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) reception and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) reception corresponding to the PDCCH reception.

15. The user equipment according to claim 9, wherein: The TCI processing circuit further quasi-collocates a first demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) port and a second DM-RS port with at least one reference signal of the specific TCI state, wherein the first DM-RS port is used for physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) reception, and the second DM-RS port is used for physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) reception corresponding to the PDCCH reception.

16. The user equipment according to claim 9, wherein: The indication includes an activation command or downlink control information.

17. A non-volatile computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions and data, which, when executed by a processor of a user device that transmits a configuration indicating a status application, causes the user device to perform the operations described in any one of the methods of claims 1-8.

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