Enhanced ssb beam reporting

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to enhanced SSB beam reporting. Systems, apparatus, methods, and computer programs for reference signal measurement reporting by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system. In one aspect, the method can include the following acts: measuring a reference signal received power (RSRP) value for each of a plurality of synchronization signal block (SSB) beams from a base station; determining that a maximum RSRP value of the measured RSRP values is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold; calculating, in response to the determination, an ordering of the plurality of SSB beams based at least in part on a horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalance of each of the plurality of SSB beams and the measured RSRP values; and reporting at least one SSB beam of the ordered plurality of SSB beams to the base station.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 247,788, filed September 23, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Technology

[0003] Wireless communication networks provide an integrated communication platform and telecommunications services to wireless user equipment. Exemplary telecommunications services include telephone, data (e.g., voice, audio, and / or video data), messaging, internet access, and / or other services. Wireless communication networks have wireless access nodes that exchange wireless signals with wireless user equipment using wireless network protocols, such as those described in various telecommunications standards issued by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Exemplary wireless communication networks include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) networks, Long Term Evolution (LTE), and 5G New Radio (5G NR). Wireless communication networks use techniques such as OFDM, Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Advanced Channel Coding, Massive MIMO, beamforming, and / or other features to facilitate mobile broadband services. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure relates to systems, apparatus, methods, and computer programs for reporting enhanced SSB beam RSRP based on horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalances associated with one or more beams.

[0005] Specifically, this disclosure relates to user equipment configured to determine that the highest RSRP value of a set of reference signals associated with multiple beams from a base station does not meet a predetermined threshold. Based on this determination, the UE then calculates a horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalance for each of the multiple beams. The UE then sorts each of the multiple beams based on the calculated H / V polarization imbalance. The UE then reports one or more of the sorted beams to the base station. In some embodiments, based on the received report, the base station may then switch the UE to a different beam to maintain NR performance. The different beam may be a better beam than the beam previously used by the UE, wherein the better beam is a beam with, for example, a higher RSRP value.

[0006] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a method for reporting reference signal measurements performed by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system is disclosed. In one aspect, the method may include: measuring the reference signal received power (RSRP) value of each of a plurality of synchronization signal block (SSB) beams from a base station; determining that the largest RSRP value among the measured RSRP values ​​is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold; calculating, in response to the determination, a sorting of the plurality of SSB beams based at least in part on the horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalance of each of the plurality of SSB beams and the measured RSRP values; and reporting at least one of the sorted plurality of SSB beams to the base station.

[0007] Other aspects include devices, systems, and computer programs used to perform the actions described above.

[0008] Details of one or more embodiments of these systems and methods are set forth in the following figures and description. Other features, objects, and advantages of these systems and methods will be apparent from the specification, figures, and claims. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system is shown.

[0010] Figure 2 An example of data obtained through laboratory testing is shown, indicating that the UE switches to a beam with high H / V polarization imbalance, resulting in poor DL ​​performance and link failure.

[0011] Figure 3 An example of data obtained through field testing of pedestrian mobility is illustrated, indicating that the UE switches to a beam with high H / V polarization imbalance, resulting in poor DL ​​performance and link failure.

[0012] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for enhancing RSRP reporting for SSB beams, according to one aspect of this disclosure.

[0013] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of another example of a process for enhancing RSRP reporting for SSB beams, according to one aspect of this disclosure.

[0014] Figure 6 Exemplary architectures of systems including a first CN according to various implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0015] Figure 7 The architecture of a system including a second CN is illustrated according to various implementation schemes.

[0016] Figure 8 Examples of infrastructure equipment based on various implementation schemes are shown.

[0017] Figure 9 Examples of platforms or devices based on various implementation schemes are shown.

[0018] Figure 10 Exemplary components of baseband circuitry and radio front-end modules (RFEMs) according to various implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0019] Figure 11 Various protocol functions that can be implemented in wireless communication devices according to various implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0020] Figure 12 Examples of core network components according to various implementation schemes are shown.

[0021] Figure 13 This is a block diagram illustrating components of an NFV-supporting system according to some example implementations.

[0022] Figure 14 This is a block diagram illustrating components according to some exemplary embodiments that are capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and performing any or more of the methods discussed herein. Detailed Implementation

[0023] This disclosure relates to systems, apparatus, methods, and computer programs for reporting enhanced SSB beam RSRP based on horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalances associated with one or more beams.

[0024] Specifically, this disclosure relates to user equipment configured to determine that the highest RSRP value of a set of reference signals associated with multiple beams from a base station does not meet a predetermined threshold. Based on this determination, the UE then calculates a horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalance for each of the multiple beams. The UE then sorts each of the multiple beams based on the calculated H / V polarization imbalance. The UE then reports one or more of the sorted beams to the base station. In some embodiments, based on the received report, the base station may then switch the UE to a different beam to maintain NR performance. The different beam may be a better beam than the beam previously used by the UE, wherein the better beam is a beam with, for example, a higher RSRP value.

[0025] Figure 1An example of a wireless communication system 100 is illustrated. For convenience and not limitation, the exemplary system 100 is described in the context of Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR) communication standards, as defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) technical specifications. More specifically, the wireless communication system 100 is described in the context of a non-standalone (NSA) network combining both LTE and NR, such as an E-UTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access)-NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) network and a NE-DC network. However, the wireless communication system 100 could also be a standalone (SA) network combining only NR. Furthermore, other types of communication standards are also possible, including future 3GPP systems (e.g., sixth generation (6G)) systems, IEEE 802.16 protocols (e.g., WMAN, WiMAX, etc.), etc.

[0026] like Figure 1 As shown, system 100 includes UE 101a and UE 101b (collectively referred to as "UE 101"). In this example, UE 101 is shown as a smartphone (e.g., a handheld touchscreen mobile computing device that can connect to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as consumer electronics devices, mobile phones, smartphones, feature phones, tablets, wearable computing devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), pagers, wireless handheld devices, desktop computers, laptops, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), in-vehicle entertainment (ICE) devices, instrument cluster (IC), head-up display (HUD) devices, onboard diagnostic (OBD) devices, dashtop mobile equipment (DME), mobile data terminal (MDT), electronic engine management system (EEMS), electronic / engine electronic control unit (ECU), electronic / engine electronic control module (ECM), embedded systems, microcontrollers, control modules, engine management system (EMS), connected or "smart" appliances, MTC devices, M2M, IoT devices, etc.

[0027] In some implementations, any of UEs 101 may be an IoT UE, which may include a network access layer designed to utilize low-power IoT applications with short-lived UE connections. The IoT UE may use technologies such as M2M or MTC to exchange data with an MTC server or device via PLMN, ProSe or D2D communication, sensor networks, or IoT networks. M2M or MTC data exchange may be machine-initiated data exchange. The IoT network describes interconnected IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure) with short-lived connections. The IoT UE may execute background applications (e.g., keeping track of activity messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate connectivity within the IoT network.

[0028] UE 101 can be configured to connect to RAN 110, for example, communicatively coupled. In implementations, RAN 110 can be an NG RAN or 5G RAN, E-UTRAN, or a legacy RAN such as UTRAN or GERAN. As used herein, the term "NG RAN," etc., can refer to RAN 110 operating in NR or 5G system 100, while the term "E-UTRAN," etc., can refer to RAN 110 operating in LTE or 4G system 100. Multiple UEs 101 utilize connections (or channels) 103 and 104 respectively, each connection including a physical communication interface or layer (discussed in further detail below).

[0029] In this example, connections 103 and 104 are shown as air interfaces for communication coupling and can be consistent with cellular communication protocols such as GSM, CDMA, PTT, POC, UMTS, 3GPP LTE, LTE-A (LTE-Advanced Long Term Evolution), LTE-U (LTE-U), 5G, NR, NR-U (NR-U), and / or any other communication protocols discussed herein. In an implementation, UE 101 can directly exchange communication data via ProSe interface 105. ProSe interface 105 may also be referred to as SL interface 105 and may include one or more logical channels, including but not limited to PSCCH, PSSCH, PSDCH, and PSBCH.

[0030] The diagram shows UE 101b configured to access AP 106 (also referred to as "WLAN node 106", "WLAN 106", "WLAN terminal 106", "WT 106", etc.) via connection 107. Connection 107 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, where AP 106 will include Wireless Fibre. Router. In this example, AP 106 is shown connected to the Internet but not to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below). In various implementations, UE 101b, RAN 110, and AP 106 can be configured to utilize LWA operation and / or LWIP operation. LWA operation may involve RAN nodes 111a-b configuring UE 101b, which is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, to utilize the radio resources of LTE and WLAN. LWIP operation may involve UE 101b using WLAN radio resources (e.g., connection 107) via an IPsec protocol tunnel to authenticate and encrypt packets (e.g., IP packets) transmitted through connection 107. IPsec tunneling may include encapsulating the entire original IP packet and adding a new packet header to protect the original header of the IP packet.

[0031] RAN 110 includes one or more AN nodes or RAN nodes 111a and 111b (collectively referred to as "RAN node 111") that enable connections between 103 and 104. As used herein, the terms "access node," "access point," etc., can describe equipment that provides radio baseband functionality for data and / or voice connections between the network and one or more users. These access nodes can be referred to as BS, gNB, RAN node, eNB, NodeB, RSU, TRxP, or TRP, etc., and can include ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). As used herein, the terms "NG RAN node," etc., can refer to RAN node 111 (e.g., gNB) operating in NR or 5G system 100, while the terms "E-UT RAN node," etc., can refer to RAN node 111 (e.g., eNB) operating in LTE or 4G system 100. According to various implementation schemes, RAN node 111 may be implemented as one or more of dedicated physical devices such as macro cell base stations and / or low-power (LP) base stations for providing smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity or higher bandwidth compared to macro cells.

[0032] In some implementations, all or part of RAN node 111 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network, which may be referred to as CRAN and / or Virtual Baseband Unit Pool (vBBUP). In these implementations, CRAN or vBBUP may implement RAN function partitioning, such as PDCP partitioning, where the RRC and PDCP layers are operated by CRAN / vBBUP while other L2 protocol entities are operated by individual RAN nodes 111; MAC / PHY partitioning, where the RRC, PDCP, RLC, and MAC layers are operated by CRAN / vBBUP, and the PHY layer is operated by individual RAN nodes 111; or "lower PHY" partitioning, where the upper portion of the RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC, and PHY layers is operated by CRAN / vBBUP, and the lower portion of the PHY layer is operated by individual RAN nodes 111. This virtualization framework allows the idle processor cores of multiple RAN nodes 111 to execute other virtualized applications. In some specific implementations, a single RAN node 111 may represent a virtual network via various F1 interfaces (…). Figure 1 (Not shown) Individual gNB-DUs connected to the gNB-CU. In these specific implementations, the gNB-DU may include one or more remote radio head units or RFEMs (see, for example, Figure 8 The gNB-CU can be operated by a server (not shown) located in RAN 110 or by a server pool in a manner similar to CRAN / vBBUP. Alternatively, one or more RAN nodes in RAN 111 can be next-generation eNBs (ng-eNBs) that provide E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminals toward UE 101 and are connected to the 5GC (e.g., via an ng interface (discussed below)). Figure 7 RAN node of CN 720.

[0033] In a V2X scenario, one or more nodes in RAN Node 111 can be an RSU or act as an RSU. The term "roadside unit" or "RSU" can refer to any traffic infrastructure entity used for V2X communication. An RSU can be implemented in or by a suitable RAN node or a stationary (or relatively stationary) UE, wherein an RSU implemented in or by a UE can be referred to as a "UE-type RSU", an RSU implemented in or by an eNB can be referred to as an "eNB-type RSU", an RSU implemented in or by a gNB can be referred to as a "gNB-type RSU", and so on. In one example, an RSU is a computing device coupled to radio frequency circuitry located on the roadside that provides connectivity support to a passing vehicle UE 101 (vUE 101). An RSU may also include internal data storage circuitry for storing intersection map geometry, traffic statistics, media, and applications / software for sensing and controlling ongoing vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The RSU may operate on the 5.9 GHz Direct Near Range Communication (DSRC) band to provide extremely low-latency communication required for high-speed events, such as collision avoidance and traffic warnings. Alternatively, the RSU may operate on the cellular V2X band to provide the aforementioned low-latency communication as well as other cellular communication services. Alternatively, the RSU may operate as a Wi-Fi hotspot (2.4 GHz band) and / or provide connectivity to one or more cellular networks to provide uplink and downlink communication. Some or all of the computing device and the RSU's radio frequency circuitry may be packaged in a weather-resistant package suitable for outdoor installation and may include a network interface controller to provide wired connectivity (e.g., Ethernet) to traffic signal controllers and / or backhaul networks.

[0034] Any node in RAN 111 can serve as the endpoint of the air interface protocol and can be the first point of contact for UE 101. In some implementations, any node in RAN 111 can perform various logical functions of RAN 110, including but not limited to the functions of the Radio Network Controller (RNC), such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

[0035] In the implementation, UE 101 may be configured to communicate with each other or with any of the RAN nodes 111 on a multi-carrier communication channel using OFDM communication signals according to various communication technologies, such as, but not limited to, OFDMA communication technology (e.g., for downlink communication) or SC-FDMA communication technology (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communication), although the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signal may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0036] In some implementations, the downlink resource grid can be used for downlink transmissions from any node in RAN 111 to UE 101, while uplink transmissions can utilize similar techniques. The grid can be a time-frequency grid, referred to as a resource grid or time-frequency resource grid, which represents the physical resources in the downlink within each time slot. This time-frequency plane representation is common practice for OFDM systems, making radio resource allocation intuitive. Each column and row of the resource grid corresponds to an OFDM symbol and an OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to a time slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in the resource grid is represented as a resource element. Each resource grid comprises multiple resource blocks that describe the mapping of certain physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block comprises a set of resource elements; in the frequency domain, this can represent the minimum amount of resources currently available for allocation. Such resource blocks are used to transmit several different physical downlink channels.

[0037] According to various implementations, UE 101 and RAN node 111 transmit data (e.g., transmit and receive data) through licensed media (also referred to as “licensed spectrum” and / or “licensed band”) and unlicensed shared media (also referred to as “unlicensed spectrum” and / or “unlicensed band”). Licensed spectrum may include channels operating in the frequency range of approximately 400 MHz to approximately 3.8 GHz, while unlicensed spectrum may include a 5 GHz band. NR in the unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U, and LTE in the unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0038] To operate in unlicensed spectrum, UE 101 and RAN node 111 may use LAA, eLAA, and / or feLAA mechanisms. In these specific implementations, UE 101 and RAN node 111 may perform one or more known medium sensing and / or carrier sensing operations to determine whether one or more channels in the unlicensed spectrum are unavailable or otherwise occupied before transmission in the unlicensed spectrum. Medium / carrier sensing operations may be performed according to a Listen-After-Talk (LBT) protocol.

[0039] LBT is a mechanism that equipment (e.g., UE 101, RAN node 111, etc.) uses to sense a medium (e.g., a channel or carrier frequency) and transmit when the medium is sensed to be idle (or when a specific channel in the medium is sensed to be unoccupied). The medium sensing operation may include CCA, which utilizes at least ED to determine the presence of other signals on the channel in order to determine whether the channel is occupied or idle. This LBT mechanism allows cellular / LAA networks to coexist with existing systems in unlicensed spectrum and with other LAA networks. ED may include sensing RF energy in the intended transmission band over a period of time and comparing the sensed RF energy with a predefined or configured threshold.

[0040] Typically, existing systems in the 5GHz band are WLANs based on IEEE 802.11 technology. WLANs employ a contention-based channel access mechanism called CSMA / CA. Here, when a WLAN node (e.g., a mobile station (MS) such as UE 101, AP 106, etc.) intends to transmit, the WLAN node can first perform CCA before transmitting. Additionally, in cases where more than one WLAN node senses the channel as idle and transmits simultaneously, a backoff mechanism is used to avoid collisions. This backoff mechanism can be a counter randomly introduced within the CWS, which increases exponentially upon collision and resets to a minimum value upon successful transmission. The LBT mechanism designed for LAA is somewhat similar to WLAN's CSMA / CA. In some specific implementations, the LBT process for DL ​​or UL transmission bursts (including PDSCH or PUSCH transmissions) can have a variable-length LAA contention window between the X and Y ECCA time slots, where X and Y are the minimum and maximum values ​​of the LAA's CWS. In one example, the minimum CWS for LAA transmission can be 9 microseconds (μs); however, the size of the CWS and MCOT (e.g., transmission burst) can be based on government regulatory requirements.

[0041] The LAA mechanism is built upon the CA technology of LTE-Advanced systems. In CA, each aggregated carrier is called a CC. A CC can have a bandwidth of 1.4MHz, 3MHz, 5MHz, 10MHz, 15MHz, or 20MHz, and a maximum of five CCs can be aggregated, thus the maximum aggregated bandwidth is 100MHz. In FDD systems, the number of aggregated carriers can differ for DL ​​and UL, where the number of UL CCs is equal to or less than the number of DL component carriers. In some cases, individual CCs can have different bandwidths than the other CCs. In TDD systems, the number of CCs and the bandwidth of each CC are usually the same for DL ​​and UL.

[0042] The CA also includes individual serving cells to provide individual CCs. The coverage of serving cells can differ, for example, because CCs on different frequency bands will experience different path losses. The primary serving cell, or PCell, provides the PCC for both UL and DL and handles activities related to RRC and NAS. Other serving cells are called SCells, and each SCell provides individual SCCs for both UL and DL. SCCs can be added and removed as needed, and changing the PCC may require UE 101 to undergo handover. In LAA, eLAA, and feLAA, some or all of the SCells can operate in unlicensed spectrum (referred to as "LAA SCells"), and LAA SCells are assisted by PCells operating in licensed spectrum. When a UE is configured to have more than one LAA SCell, the UE can receive UL grants on the configured LAA SCells, indicating different PUSCH start positions within the same subframe.

[0043] The PDSCH carries user data and higher-layer signaling to multiple UEs 101. Among other information, the PDCCH carries information about the transmission format and resource allocation related to the PDSCH channel. It can also inform multiple UEs 101 about the transmission format, resource allocation, and HARQ information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (allocating control and shared channel resource blocks to UEs 101b within the cell) can be performed at any of the RAN nodes 111 based on channel quality information fed back from any of the UEs 101. Downlink resource allocation information can be transmitted on the PDCCH used for (e.g., allocated to) each UE in the UEs 101.

[0044] PDCCH uses CCEs to transmit control information. Before being mapped to resource elements, the complex-valued symbols of the PDCCH can first be organized into quadruplets, which can then be arranged using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. One or more of these CCEs can be used to transmit each PDCCH, where each CCE can correspond to nine sets, called REGs, each with four physical resource elements. Four Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) symbols can be mapped to each REG. Depending on the DCI size and channel conditions, one or more CCEs can be used to transmit the PDCCH. Four or more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation levels, L = 1, 2, 4, or 8) can exist.

[0045] Some implementations may use the concept of resource allocation for control channel information, which is an extension of the above concept. For example, some implementations may utilize EPDCCH, which uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. One or more ECCEs may be used to transmit EPDCCH. Similarly, each ECCE may correspond to a set of nine, each consisting of four physical resource elements, called EREG. In some cases, an ECCE may have a different number of EREGs.

[0046] RAN nodes 111 can be configured to communicate with each other via interface 112. In implementations where system 100 is an LTE system (e.g., when CN 120 is...), Figure 6 In the case of EPC 620, interface 112 can be an X2 interface 112. The X2 interface can be defined between two or more RAN nodes 111 (e.g., two or more eNBs, etc.) connected to EPC 120, and / or between two eNBs connected to EPC 120. In some implementations, the X2 interface may include an X2 user plane interface (X2-U) and an X2 control plane interface (X2-C). X2-U can provide flow control mechanisms for user packets transmitted via the X2 interface and can be used to transmit information about the delivery of user data between eNBs. For example, X2-U can provide specific sequence number information about user data transmitted from MeNB to SeNB; information about the successful in-order delivery of PDCP PDUs from SeNB to UE 101 for user data; information about PDCP PDUs not delivered to UE 101; information about the current minimum expected buffer size at SeNB for transmitting user data to the UE; and so on. The X2-C provides LTE intra-eNB access mobility functions, including context transmission from the source eNB to the destination eNB, user plane transmission control, load management functions, and inter-cell interference coordination functions.

[0047] In system 100, which is a 5G or NR system (e.g., when CN 120 is as follows), Figure 7In an implementation of 5GC 720, interface 112 may be an Xn interface 112. The Xn interface is defined between two or more RAN nodes 111 (e.g., two or more gNBs, etc.) connected to 5GC 120, between a RAN node 111 (e.g., a gNB) connected to 5GC 120 and an eNB, and / or between two eNBs connected to 5GC 120. In some specific implementations, the Xn interface may include an Xn user plane (Xn-U) interface and an Xn control plane (Xn-C) interface. Xn-U provides non-guaranteed delivery of user plane PDUs and supports / provides data forwarding and flow control functions. Xn-C provides management and error handling functions for managing the functionality of the Xn-C interface; mobility support for UE 101 in connected modes (e.g., CM-CONNECTED) includes functions for managing UE mobility in connected modes between one or more RAN nodes 111. This mobility support may include context transfer from the old (source) serving RAN node 111 to the new (destination) serving RAN node 111; and control of the user plane tunnel between the old (source) serving RAN node 111 and the new (destination) serving RAN node 111. The Xn-U protocol stack may include a transport network layer built on top of the Internet Protocol (IP) transport layer, and a GTP-U layer on top of the UDP and / or IP layers for carrying user plane PDUs. The Xn-C protocol stack may include an application layer signaling protocol (referred to as the Xn Application Protocol (Xn-AP)) and a transport network layer built on top of SCTP. SCTP may be on top of the IP layer and provides guaranteed delivery of application layer messages. In the transport IP layer, point-to-point transmission is used to deliver signaling PDUs. In other specific implementations, the Xn-U protocol stack and / or the Xn-C protocol stack may be the same as or similar to the user plane and / or control plane protocol stacks shown and described herein.

[0048] RAN 110 is shown communicatively coupled to the core network—in this embodiment, communicatively coupled to the core network (CN) 120. CN 120 may include multiple network elements 122 configured to provide various data and telecommunications services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of multiple UEs 101) connected to CN 120 via RAN 110. Components of CN 120 may be implemented in a physical node or separate physical nodes, including components for reading and executing instructions from machine-readable or computer-readable media (e.g., non-transitory machine-readable storage media). In some embodiments, NFV may be used to virtualize any or all of the aforementioned network node functions via executable instructions stored in one or more computer-readable storage media (described in further detail below). A logical instance of CN 120 may be referred to as a network slice, and a logical instance of a portion of CN 120 may be referred to as a network subslice. NFV architectures and infrastructure may be used to virtualize one or more network functions onto physical resources comprising a combination of industry-standard server hardware, storage hardware, or switches (or alternatively, performed by proprietary hardware). In other words, an NFV system can be used to perform a virtual or reconfigurable concrete implementation of one or more EPC components / functions.

[0049] Generally, application server 130 can be a component that provides IP bearer resources for use with the core network (e.g., UMTS PS domain, LTE PS data service, etc.). Application server 130 can also be configured to support one or more communication services for UE 101 via EPC 120 (e.g., VoIP sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.).

[0050] In this implementation, CN 120 may be a 5GC (referred to as "5GC 120", etc.), and RAN 110 may be connected to CN 120 via NG interface 113. In this implementation, NG interface 113 may be divided into two parts: an NG user plane (NG-U) interface 114, which carries traffic data between RAN node 111 and UPF; and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface 115, which is the signaling interface between RAN node 111 and AMF. (Reference) Figure 7 CN 120 is an implementation scheme of 5GC 120. This will be discussed in more detail.

[0051] In one implementation, CN 120 may be a 5G CN (referred to as "5GC 120", etc.), while in other implementations, CN 120 may be an EPC. When CN 120 is an EPC (referred to as "EPC 120", etc.), RAN 110 may be connected to CN 120 via S1 interface 113. In one implementation, S1 interface 113 may be divided into two parts: an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface 114, which carries traffic data between RAN node 111 and S-GW; and an S1-MME interface 115, which is the signaling interface between RAN node 111 and MME.

[0052] When a User Equipment (UE) operates in Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access-New Radio (EN-DC), the serving UE's gNodeB (gNB) configures the UE to transmit measurement reports of Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) resources, Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) resources (also known as SS / Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) or SS / PBCH), or both CSI-RS and SSB resources. Each SSB resource can be associated with a beam from multiple beams called SSB beams. The UE searches for and measures these beams, maintaining a candidate beam set. The candidate beam set can contain beams from multiple cells in the network. The Physical Cell ID (PCI) and beam ID are identifiers used to identify the beams.

[0053] Based on the measurement reports, the gNB selects the gNB transmitter (Tx) beam to serve the UE. Currently, these reports based on Layer 1 Reference Signal Received Power (L1-RSRP) measurements are calculated according to 3GPP 38.214. 3GPP 38.214 specifies the aspects of the L1-RSRP measurements outlined below.

[0054] 5.2.1.4.3 L1-RSRP Report

[0055] For L1-RSRP calculation, in some specific implementations, when quasi-co-addressed with "QCL-Type C" and "QCL-Type D" (where applicable) by resource, the UE can be configured with CSI-RS resources, SS / PBCH block resources, or both CSI-RS and SS / PBCH block resources.

[0056] In some specific implementations, the UE can be configured with CSI-RS resource settings, which can be up to 16 CSI-RS resource sets, each containing up to 64 resources. In some specific implementations, the total number of different CSI-RS resources across all resource sets does not exceed 128. For L1-RSRP reporting, in some implementations, if the higher-layer parameter nrofReportedRS in CSI-ReportConfig is configured to one, the reported L1-RSRP value is defined by a 7-bit value in the range [-140, -44] dBm with a step size of 1 dB. If the higher-layer parameter nrofReportedRS is configured to be greater than one, or if the higher-layer parameter groupBasedBeamReporting is configured to "Enable", the UE should use differential L1-RSRP reporting, where the maximum measured L1-RSRP value is quantized as a 7-bit value in the range [-140, -44] dBm with a step size of 1 dB, and the differential L1-RSRP is quantized as a 4-bit value. In some implementations, the differential L1-RSRP value is calculated with a step size of 2 dB using indexing of the maximum measured L1-RSRP value that is part of the same L1-RSRP reporting instance. In some specific implementations, the mapping between the reported L1-RSRP value and the measured quantity is described in [11, TS 38.133].

[0057] During this process, the UE measures the RSRP of both horizontal and vertical polarization. The UE then calculates and reports a filtered value to the gNB. The filtered value can be the maximum of the two measurements or the sum of the two measurements.

[0058] Significant differences, known as H / V imbalance (measured in decibels [dB]), have been found in field and laboratory tests for measurements of horizontal and vertical polarization in both areas. This imbalance can be as high as 20-30 dB.

[0059] Therefore, in the current specific implementation of the above-mentioned use of suboptimal SSB reporting, the UE may end up on a suboptimal Tx beam, which in turn leads to poor downlink performance and NR link retention.

[0060] Figure 2 An example of data obtained through laboratory testing is shown, indicating that the UE switches to a beam with high H / V polarization imbalance, resulting in poor DL ​​performance and link failure. Figure 3Examples of data obtained from field tests of pedestrian mobility are illustrated, indicating that UEs switch to beams with high H / V polarization imbalance, resulting in poor DL ​​performance and link failures. These examples show UEs reporting RSRPs of high-imbalance Tx beams that they measured, switching to that Tx beam based on the gNB's response to the reported measurements. This ultimately leads to poor DL ​​performance and link failures.

[0061] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process 400 for enhancing SSB beam RSRP reporting according to one aspect of this disclosure. For clarity, the following description generally describes method 400 within the context of the other accompanying drawings in this specification. However, it should be understood that method 400 may be performed, for example, by any suitable system, environment, software, hardware, or combination of system, environment, software, and hardware. In some specific embodiments, the individual steps of method 400 may be run in parallel, in combination, cyclically, or in any order.

[0062] At step 402, the UE determines that it is in an EN-DC connected state and that RSRP measurements are configured. At step 404, the method involves the UE determining whether the highest SSB RSRP measurement is greater than a predetermined value x (e.g., in dBm). If the highest SSB RSRP measurement is greater than the predetermined value, the UE moves to step 406. At step 406, the UE executes a default sorting / reporting method (e.g., as specified in 3GPP 38.214). However, if the highest SSB RSRP measurement is less than or equal to the predetermined value, the UE moves to step 408. At step 408, the UE sorts and sorts SSB measurements relative to RSRP. At step 410, the UE sorts RSRP measurements based on Rx beam type (e.g., if it differs from step 408). At step 412, the UE calculates a weighted sort of SSBs based on RSRP and H / V imbalance. At step 414, the UE reports the SSB measurement with the smallest H / V imbalance to the base station.

[0063] This optimized SSB measurement report led to a switch to a better gNB Tx beam, which in turn maintained NR performance and extended NR coverage.

[0064] Figure 5This is a flowchart of another example of a process 500 for enhancing SSB beam RSRP reporting according to one aspect of this disclosure. For clarity, the following description generally describes method 500 within the context of the other accompanying drawings in this specification. However, it should be understood that process 500 may be performed, for example, by any suitable system, environment, software, hardware, or combination of system, environment, software, and hardware. In some specific embodiments, the individual steps of process 500 may be run in parallel, in combination, cyclically, or in any order.

[0065] The UE can begin execution of process 500 by measuring the reference signal received power (RSRP) value (510) of each of the multiple synchronization signal block (SSB) beams from the base station.

[0066] The UE can continue with process 500 if it determines that the largest RSRP value among the measured RSRP values ​​is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold (520). If the UE determines at stage 520 that the largest RSRP value is greater than the predetermined threshold, the UE can determine to use the default beam sequencing / reporting method. The default beam sequencing / reporting method can be any conventional or unconventional method that the UE can be configured to perform beam sequencing / reporting.

[0067] Alternatively, in response to determining at stage 520 that the RSRP value is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, the UE may continue performing process 500 by calculating an ordering (530) of the plurality of SSB beams based at least in part on the horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalance of each of the plurality of SSB beams and the measured RSRP value. In some specific implementations, the calculation at stage 530 may include determining a weight for each particular SSB beam among the plurality of SSB beams based on the RSRP value of the particular SSB beam and the H / V polarization imbalance of the SSB beam, and calculating an ordering based on the determined weights of the plurality of SSB beams.

[0068] In some specific implementations, determining the horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalance of each particular SSB beam may include: determining the horizontal RSRP value of the horizontal polarization of the particular SSB beam; determining the vertical RSRP value of the vertical polarization of the particular SSB beam; and determining the horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalance of the particular beam based on (i) the horizontal RSRP value and (ii) the vertical RSRP value.

[0069] In some implementations, determining the horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalance of a particular beam based on (i) the horizontal RSRP value and (ii) the vertical RSRP value may include (a) selecting the maximum value of the horizontal RSRP value and the vertical RSRP value. In other implementations, determining the horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalance of a particular beam based on (i) the horizontal RSRP value and (ii) the vertical RSRP value may include (b) selecting the sum of the horizontal RSRP value and the vertical RSRP value.

[0070] The UE can continue process 500 by reporting at least one of the ordered SSB beams to the base station (540). In some embodiments, reporting at least one of the ordered beams to the base station may include reporting the highest-ranked beam to the base station. In some embodiments, the highest-ranked beam has the lowest H / V imbalance among the beams.

[0071] In some implementations, the UE executing procedure 500 is operating in Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access - New Radio (EN-DC). In some implementations, the base station is either a gNodeB (gNB) or an eNB.

[0072] Examples of the process 500 described herein are described with respect to reference signals including the SSB reference signal. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto. Rather, process 500 can be used to measure other reference signals and perform the remaining operations of process 500 for other reference signals or values ​​associated with them. For example, in some embodiments, process 500 can be used to measure the RSRP value of a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) and perform the remaining operations of process 500 on the CSI-RS reference signal (or values ​​associated with it) but not on the SSB reference signal (or values ​​associated with it). In still other embodiments, process 500 can be used for combinations of reference signals (or values ​​associated with them). For example, in some embodiments, process 500 can be performed on both the SSB and CSI-RS reference signals.

[0073] Figure 6 An exemplary architecture of a system 600 including a first CN 620 according to various implementations is shown. In this example, the system 600 can implement the LTE standard, wherein CN 620 is corresponding to... Figure 1 CN 120's EPC 620. Additionally, UE 601 can be used with... Figure 1 The UE 101 is the same as or similar to it, and the E-UTRAN 610 can be the same as... Figure 1The RAN 110 is the same as or similar to the RAN 111 discussed earlier. CN 620 may include MME 621, S-GW 622, P-GW 623, HSS 624 and SGSN 625.

[0074] The MME 621 is functionally similar to the control plane of a traditional SGSN and can implement MM functions to keep track of the current location of UE 601. The MME 621 can perform various MM procedures to manage mobility aspects of access, such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. MM (also known as “EPS MM” or “EMM” in E-UTRAN systems) can refer to all applicable procedures, methods, data storage, etc., used to maintain knowledge about the current location of UE 601, provide user / subscriber confidentiality, and / or perform other similar services. Each UE 601 and MME 621 may include an MM or EMM sublayer, and an MM context can be established in both UE 601 and MME 621 upon successful attachment. The MM context can be a data structure or database object that stores MM-related information for UE 601. MME 621 can be coupled to HSS 624 via reference point S6a, to SGSN 625 via reference point S3, and to S-GW 622 via reference point S11.

[0075] SGSN 625 can be a node that serves UE 601 by tracking the location of the individual UE 601 and performing security functions. Furthermore, SGSN 625 can perform inter-EPC node signaling for mobility between 2G / 3G and E-UTRAN 3GPP access networks; such as PDN and S-GW selection as specified by MME 621; processing of UE 601 time zone functions as specified by MME 621; and MME selection for handover to the E-UTRAN 3GPP access network. The S3 reference point between MME 621 and SGSN 625 can enable user and bearer information exchange for 3GPP indirect access network mobility in idle and / or active states.

[0076] HSS 624 may include a database for network users, containing subscription-related information to support network entities in handling communication sessions. EPC 620 may include one or more HSS 624s, depending on the number of mobile subscribers, equipment capacity, network organization, etc. For example, HSS 624 can provide support for routing / roaming, authentication, authorization, naming / addressing solutions, location dependencies, etc. An S6a reference point between HSS 624 and MME 621 can enable the transfer of subscription and authentication data for authenticated / authorized user access to EPC 620 between HSS 624 and MME 621.

[0077] S-GW 622 can terminate the S1 interface 113 towards RAN 610. Figure 6 The S-GW 622 (referred to as "S1-U") routes data packets between RAN 610 and EPC 620. Additionally, the S-GW 622 can serve as a local mobility anchor for inter-RAN node handover and can also provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities may include lawful interception, billing, and enforcement of certain policies. The S11 reference point between the S-GW 622 and MME 621 provides a control plane between MME 621 and S-GW 622. The S-GW 622 can be coupled to the P-GW 623 via the S5 reference point.

[0078] The P-GW 623 can terminate the SGi interface toward the PDN 630. The P-GW 623 can be accessed via IP interface 125 (see, for example, Figure 1 The P-GW 623 routes data packets between the EPC 620 and external networks, such as a network including an application server 130 (optionally referred to as "AF"). In an implementation, the P-GW 623 may be located via an IP communication interface 125 (see, for example, ...). Figure 1 Communication is coupled to the application server. Figure 1 Application server 130 or Figure 6The S5 reference point between P-GW 623 and S-GW 622 can provide user plane tunneling and tunnel management between P-GW 623 and S-GW 622. The S5 reference point can also be used for S-GW 622 relocation due to the mobility of UE 601 and whether S-GW 622 needs to connect to the non-coordinated P-GW 623 for required PDN connectivity. P-GW 623 may also include nodes for policy enforcement and charging data collection (e.g., PCEF (not shown)). Additionally, the SGi reference point between P-GW 623 and Packet Data Network (PDN) 630 can be an external public or private PDN or an internal operator packet data network, for example, for providing IMS services. P-GW 623 can be coupled to PCRF 626 via a Gx reference point.

[0079] PCRF 626 is the policy and charging control element of EPC 620. In non-roaming scenarios, a single PCRF 626 may exist in the domestic public land mobile network (HPLMN) associated with the Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session of UE 601. In roaming scenarios with local traffic breaches, two PCRFs may exist associated with the IP-CAN session of UE 601: the home PCRF (H-PCRF) in the HPLMN and the visited PCRF (V-PCRF) in the visited public land mobile network (VPLMN). PCRF 626 can be communicatively coupled to application server 630 via P-GW 623. Application server 630 can signal PCRF 626 to indicate new service flows and select appropriate QoS and charging parameters. PCRF 626 can configure this rule to have a PCEF (not shown) with appropriate TFT and QCI, which initiates QoS and charging as specified by application server 630. The Gx reference point between PCRF 626 and P-GW 623 allows QoS policies and charging rules to be transferred from PCRF 626 to PCRF in P-GW 623. The Rx reference point can reside between PDN 630 (or "AF 630") and PCRF 626.

[0080] Figure 7An architecture of a system 700 including a second CN 720 according to various embodiments is illustrated. System 700 is shown as including a UE 701, which may be the same as or similar to UE 101 and UE 601 previously discussed; (R)AN 710, which may be the same as or similar to RAN 110 and RAN 610 previously discussed, and may include RAN node 111 previously discussed; and DN 703, which may be, for example, operator services, Internet access, or third-party services; and 5GC 720. 5GC 720 may include AUSF 722; AMF 721; SMF 724; NEF 723; PCF 726; NRF 725; UDM 727; AF 728; UPF 702; and NSSF 729.

[0081] The UPF 702 can act as an anchor point for mobility within and between RATs, an external PDU session point interconnected with the DN 703, and a branch point supporting multihomed PDU sessions. The UPF 702 can also perform packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane portion enforcement of policy rules, lawful packet interception (UP collection), traffic usage reporting, QoS processing on the user plane (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement), uplink traffic authentication (e.g., SDF-to-QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in uplink and downlink, and downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering. The UPF 702 may include an uplink classifier to support routing traffic flows to the data network. The DN 703 may represent various network operator services, Internet access, or third-party services. The DN 703 may include or be similar to the previously discussed application server 130. The UPF 702 can interact with the SMF 724 via an N4 reference point between the SMF 724 and the UPF 702.

[0082] The AUSF 722 stores data for authentication of the UE 701 and handles authentication-related functions. The AUSF 722 facilitates a common authentication framework for various access types. The AUSF 722 can communicate with the AMF 721 via the N12 reference point between the AMF 721 and the AUSF 722; and with the UDM 727 via the N13 reference point between the UDM 727 and the AUSF 722. Additionally, the AUSF 722 can present an interface based on Nausf services.

[0083] AMF 721 can handle registration management (e.g., registering UE 701, etc.), connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception of AMF-related events, and access authentication and authorization. AMF 721 can be the termination point of the N11 reference point between AMF 721 and SMF 724. AMF 721 can provide transport for SM messages between UE 701 and SMF 724 and act as a transparent proxy for routing SM messages. AMF 721 can also provide transport for UE 701 and SMSF ( Figure 7 SMS messages are transmitted between (not shown in the diagram). AMF 721 can act as a SEAF, which may include interaction with AUSF 722 and UE 701, receiving an intermediate key established due to the UE 701 authentication process. In the case of USIM-based authentication, AMF 721 may retrieve security material from AUSF 722. AMF 721 may also include an SCM function that receives a key from the SEA for deriving a network-specific access key. Furthermore, AMF 721 may be the termination point of the RAN CP interface, which may include or be the N2 reference point between (R)AN 710 and AMF 721; and AMF 721 may be the termination point of NAS (N1) signaling, performing NAS encryption and integrity protection.

[0084] The AMF 721 can also support NAS signaling with the UE 701 via the N3 IWF interface. The N3 IWF can be used to provide access to untrusted entities. The N3 IWF can be the termination point of the N2 interface between the (R)AN 710 and AMF 721 in the control plane, and can be the termination point of the N3 reference point between the (R)AN 710 and UPF 702 in the user plane. Therefore, the AMF 721 can process N2 signaling from the SMF 724 and AMF 721 for PDU sessions and QoS, encapsulate / decapsulate packets for IPSec and N3 tunneling, mark N3 user plane packets in the uplink, and perform QoS corresponding to the N3 packet marking, taking into account the QoS requirements associated with such markings received via N2. The N3IWF can also relay uplink and downlink control plane NAS signaling between UE 701 and AMF 721 via the N1 reference point between UE 701 and AMF 721, and relay uplink and downlink user plane packets between UE 701 and UPF 702. The N3IWF also provides a mechanism for establishing IPsec tunnels using UE 701. AMF 721 can present an interface based on Namf services and can be the N14 reference point between two AMF 721s and between AMF 721 and 5G-EIR (…). Figure 7 The endpoint of the N17 reference point (not shown).

[0085] UE 701 may need to register with AMF 721 to receive network services. The RM is used to register or deregister UE 701 with the network (e.g., AMF 721) and to establish a UE context within the network (e.g., AMF 721). UE 701 can operate in either RM-REGISTERED or RM-DEREGISTERED states. In RM-DEREGISTERED state, UE 701 is not registered with the network, and the UE context in AMF 721 does not maintain valid location or routing information for UE 701; therefore, AMF 721 cannot reach UE 701. In RM-REGISTERED state, UE 701 is registered with the network, and the UE context in AMF 721 can maintain valid location or routing information for UE 701; therefore, AMF 721 can reach UE 701. In the RM-REGISTERED state, UE 701 can execute mobility registration update procedures, execute periodic registration update procedures triggered by the expiration of periodic update timers (e.g., to notify the network that UE 701 is still active), and execute registration update procedures to update UE capability information or renegotiate protocol parameters with the network, etc.

[0086] The AMF 721 can store one or more RM contexts for the UE 701, where each RM context is associated with a specific access to the network. The RM context can be a data structure, database object, etc., indicating or storing, in particular, the registration status and periodic update timers for each access type. The AMF 721 can also store 5GC MM contexts that are the same as or similar to the previously discussed (E)MM contexts. In various implementations, the AMF 721 can store the CE Mode B limitation parameters of the UE 701 in the associated MM or RM context. The AMF 721 can also derive values ​​from UE usage setting parameters already stored in the UE context (and / or MM / RM context) when needed.

[0087] The CM can be used to establish and release signaling connections between UE 701 and AMF 721 via the N1 interface. The signaling connection enables NAS signaling exchange between UE 701 and CN 720, and includes signaling connections between the UE and AN (e.g., RRC connections for non-3GPP access or UE-N3IWF connections) and N2 connections between the AN (e.g., RAN 710) and AMF 721 for UE 701. UE 701 can operate in one of two CM states (CM-IDLE mode or CM-CONNECTED mode). When UE 701 operates in CM-IDLE state / mode, UE 701 may not have a NAS signaling connection established with AMF 721 via the N1 interface, and (R)AN 710 signaling connections (e.g., N2 and / or N3 connections) may exist for UE 701. When UE 701 operates in CM-CONNECTED state / mode, UE 701 may have a NAS signaling connection established with AMF 721 via the N1 interface, and may have (R)AN 710 signaling connections (e.g., N2 and / or N3 connections) for UE 701. Establishing an N2 connection between (R)AN 710 and AMF 721 can cause UE 701 to transition from CM-IDLE mode to CM-CONNECTED mode, and UE 701 can transition from CM-CONNECTED mode to CM-IDLE mode when the N2 signaling between (R)AN 710 and AMF 721 is released.

[0088] SMF 724 can be responsible for SM (e.g., session establishment, modification, and release, including tunnel maintenance between UPF and AN nodes); UE IP address allocation and management (including optional authorization); selection and control of UP functions; configuring traffic redirection of the UPF to route traffic to the correct destination; terminating the interface toward policy control functions; policy enforcement and QoS control portions; lawful interception (for SM events and interfaces with the LI system); terminating the SM portion of NAS messages; downlink data notification; initiating AN-specific SM information sent to the AN via N2 through the AMF; and determining the SSC mode of the session. SM may refer to the management of PDU sessions, and a PDU session or "session" may refer to the PDU connectivity service that provides or enables PDU exchange between UE 701, identified by the Data Network Name (DNN), and Data Network (DN) 703. A PDU session can be established, modified, and released upon request by UE 701, modified, and released upon request by both UE 701 and 5GC 720, using NAS SM signaling exchanged between UE 701 and SMF 724 via the N1 reference point. Upon request from the application server, 5GC 720 can trigger a specific application in UE 701. In response to receiving a trigger message, UE 701 can pass the trigger message (or relevant portions / information of the trigger message) to one or more identified applications in UE 701. The identified application in UE 701 can establish a PDU session to a specific DNN. SMF 724 can check whether the UE 701 request matches the user subscription information associated with UE 701. In this regard, SMF 724 can retrieve and / or request to receive update notifications regarding SMF 724 level subscription data from UDM 727.

[0089] The SMF 724 may include the following roaming functions: handling local execution to apply QoS SLAs (VPLMN); charging data collection and charging interface (VPLMN); lawful interception (for SM events and interfaces with the LI system, in the VPLMN); and support for interaction with external DNs to transmit signaling for PDU session authorization / authentication via external DNs. In roaming scenarios, an N16 reference point between two SMF 724s may be included in System 700, which may be located between another SMF 724 in the visited network and an SMF 724 in the home network. Additionally, the SMF 724 may present an interface based on Nsmf services.

[0090] The NEF 723 provides means for securely exposing services and capabilities provided by 3GPP network functions to third parties, internal exposure / re-exposure, application functions (e.g., AF 728), edge computing, or fog computing systems. In such implementations, the NEF 723 can authenticate, authorize, and / or restrict AFs. The NEF 723 can also translate information exchanged with AF 728 and information exchanged with internal network functions. For example, the NEF 723 can translate between AF service identifiers and internal 5GC information. The NEF 723 can also receive information from other network functions (NFs) based on their exposure capabilities. This information can be stored as structured data at the NEF 723 or stored at a data storage NF using a standardized interface. The stored information can then be re-exposed by the NEF 723 to other NFs and AFs, and / or used for other purposes such as analysis. Additionally, the NEF 723 can present an interface based on Nnef services.

[0091] The NRF 725 supports service discovery, receiving NF discovery requests from NF instances and providing information about discovered NF instances to them. The NRF 725 also maintains information about available NF instances and the services they support. As used herein, terms such as "instantiation" can refer to the creation of an instance, and "instance" can refer to the concrete occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during the execution of program code. Additionally, the NRF 725 can present an interface based on Nnrf services.

[0092] PCF 726 provides control plane functions to enforce their policy rules and supports a unified policy framework for managing network behavior. PCF 726 also implements a FE to access subscription information related to policy decisions in the UDR of UDM 727. PCF 726 can communicate with AMF 721 via the N15 reference point between PCF 726 and AMF 721, which can include PCF 726 in the visited network and AMF 721 in roaming scenarios. PCF 726 can communicate with AF 728 via the N5 reference point between PCF 726 and AF 728; and with SMF 724 via the N7 reference point between PCF 726 and SMF 724. System 700 and / or CN 720 may also include an N24 reference point between PCF 726 (in the home network) and PCF 726 in the visited network. Additionally, PCF 726 may present an interface based on NPCF services.

[0093] The UDM 727 can process subscription-related information to support network entities in handling communication sessions and can store the subscription data of the UE 701. For example, subscription data can be transmitted between the UDM 727 and the AMF 721 via the N8 reference point between the UDM 727 and the AMF 721. The UDM 727 may include two parts: the application FE and the UDR ( Figure 7 (FE and UDR are not shown). The UDR may store subscription data and policy data of UDM727 and PCF726, and / or structured data for exposure of NEF723, as well as application data (including PFD for application detection, application request information for multiple UE 701s). The interface based on the Nudr service may be presented by UDR221 to allow UDM727, PCF726, and NEF723 to access specific sets of stored data, as well as notifications for reading, updating (e.g., adding, modifying), deleting, and subscribing to relevant data changes in the UDR. The UDM may include UDM-FE, which is responsible for handling credentials, location management, subscription management, etc. Several different front-ends may serve the same user in different transactions. The UDM-FE accesses subscription information stored in the UDR and performs authentication credential processing, user identification processing, access authorization, registration / mobility management, and subscription management. The UDR may interact with SMF724 via the N10 reference point between UDM727 and SMF724. The UDM 727 also supports SMS management, with SMS-FE implementing similar application logic as previously discussed. Additionally, the UDM 727 can present an interface based on Nudm services.

[0094] AF 728 can provide application-level influence on traffic routing, provide access to the NCE, and interact with the policy framework for policy control. The NCE can be a mechanism allowing 5GC 720 and AF 728 to provide information to each other via NEF 723, which can be used in edge computing implementations. In such implementations, network operators and third-party services can be hosted near the UE 701 access point to achieve efficient service delivery through reduced end-to-end latency and load on the transport network. For edge computing implementations, 5GC can select UPF 702 near UE 701 and perform traffic redirection from UPF 702 to DN 703 via the N6 interface. This can be based on UE subscription data, UE location, and information provided by AF 728. Thus, AF 728 can influence UPF (re)selection and traffic routing. Based on operator deployment, when AF 728 is considered a trusted entity, network operators can allow AF 728 to interact directly with the relevant NF. Additionally, AF 728 can present an interface based on Naf services.

[0095] NSSF 729 can select a set of network slice instances to serve UE 701. If needed, NSSF 729 can also determine the allowed NSSAIs and the mapping to subscribed S-NSSAIs. NSSF 729 can also determine the AMF set, or list of candidate AMFs 721, for serving UE 701 based on appropriate configuration and possibly by querying NRF 725. The selection of a set of network slice instances for UE 701 can be triggered by AMF 721, where UE 701 registers by interacting with NSSF 729, which can result in a change to AMF 721. NSSF 729 can interact with AMF 721 via the N22 reference point between AMF 721 and NSSF 729; and via the N31 reference point (…). Figure 7 (Not shown) Communicates with another NSSF 729 in the visited network. Additionally, the NSSF 729 may present an interface based on the Nnssf service.

[0096] As discussed above, CN 720 may include an SMSF responsible for SMS subscription checks and authentication, and for relaying SM messages to / from UE 701 and to / from other entities such as SMS-GMSC / IWMSC / SMS routers. SMS may also interact with AMF 721 and UDM 727 for notification procedures indicating that UE 701 is available for SMS delivery (e.g., setting a UE unreachable flag and notifying UDM 727 when UE 701 is available for SMS).

[0097] CN 120 may also include Figure 7 Other elements not shown include data storage systems / architecture, 5G-EIR, SEPP, etc. Data storage systems may include SDSF, UDSF, etc. Any NF can communicate with UDSF via any NF ( Figure 7 The N18 reference points (not shown) between NFs store unstructured data in or retrieve it from the UDSF (e.g., UE context). Individual NFs may share a UDSF for storing their respective unstructured data, or each NF may have its own UDSF located at or near the individual NF. Additionally, the UDSF may present an interface based on the Nudsf service (…). Figure 7 (Not shown). 5G-EIR can be an NF that checks the status of PEI to determine whether to blacklist a specific device / entity from the network; and SEPP can be a non-transparent agent that performs topology hiding, message filtering, and policing on the control plane interface between PLMNs.

[0098] Furthermore, there can be more reference points and / or service-based interfaces between NF services; however, for clarity, Figure 7These interfaces and reference points are omitted. In one example, CN 720 may include an Nx interface, which is an inter-CN interface between the MME (e.g., MME 621) and AMF 721 to enable interoperability between CN 720 and CN 620. Other example interfaces / reference points may include an interface based on N5g-EIR services presented by 5G-EIR, an N27 reference point between an NRF in the visited network and an NRF in the home network; and an N31 reference point between an NSSF in the visited network and an NSSF in the home network.

[0099] Figure 8 Examples of infrastructure equipment 800 according to various implementation schemes are illustrated. Infrastructure equipment 800 (or “system 800”) may be implemented as a base station, a radio head unit, a RAN node (such as RAN node 111 and / or AP 106 previously shown and described), an application server 130, and / or any other element / device discussed herein. In other examples, system 800 may be implemented in or by a UE.

[0100] System 800 includes: application circuitry 805, baseband circuitry 810, one or more radio front-end modules (RFEMs) 815, memory circuitry 820, power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 825, power tee circuitry 830, network controller circuitry 835, network interface connector 840, satellite positioning circuitry 845, and user interface 850. In some embodiments, device 800 may include additional components such as, for example, memory / storage devices, displays, cameras, sensors, or input / output (I / O) interfaces. In other embodiments, these components may be included in more than one device. For example, the circuitry may be individually included in more than one device for CRAN, vBBU, or other similar specific implementations.

[0101] Application circuitry 805 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, and one or more of the following: a low-dropout regulator (LDO), an interrupt controller, a serial interface such as SPI, I2C, or a universal programmable serial interface module, a real-time clock (RTC), a timer-counter including an interval timer and a watchdog timer, general-purpose input / output (I / O or IO), a memory card controller such as a Secure Digital (SD) Multimedia Card (MMC) or similar, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, a Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) interface, and a Joint Test Access Group (JTAG) test access port. The processor (or core) of application circuitry 805 may be coupled to or may include memory / storage elements, and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage elements to enable various applications or operating systems to run on system 800. In some specific implementations, the memory / storage element may be an on-chip memory circuit, which may include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory and / or any other type of memory device technology, such as those discussed herein.

[0102] The processor of application circuit 805 may include, for example, one or more processor cores (CPU), one or more application processors, one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), one or more Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processors, one or more Acorn RISC machine (ARM) processors, one or more Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) processors, one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), one or more FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors or controllers, or any suitable combination thereof. In some embodiments, application circuit 805 may include or may be a dedicated processor / controller for operation according to the various embodiments described herein. As an example, the processor of application circuit 805 may include one or more Apple A-series processors, Intel processors, etc. or Processor; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Processor, Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) or Processors; ARM-based processors licensed by ARM Holdings, Ltd., such as the ARM Cortex-A series processors supplied by Cavium™, Inc. MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc., such as the MIPS Warrior P-class processor; etc. In some implementations, system 800 may not utilize application circuitry 805 and may instead include a dedicated processor / controller to process, for example, IP data received from an EPC or 5GC.

[0103] In some implementations, application circuitry 805 may include one or more hardware accelerators, which may be microprocessors, programmable processing devices, etc. These hardware accelerators may include, for example, computer vision (CV) and / or deep learning (DL) accelerators. For example, programmable processing devices may be one or more field-programmable devices (FPDs), such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs); programmable logic devices (PLDs), such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs); ASICs, such as structured ASICs; programmable SoCs (PSoCs); and so on. In such implementations, the circuitry of application circuitry 805 may include logic blocks or logic architectures, and other interconnect resources that can be programmed to perform various functions such as processes, methods, functions, etc., as discussed in the various embodiments herein. In such implementations, the circuitry of application circuit 805 may include memory cells (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, static memory (e.g., static random access memory (SRAM), antifuse, etc.)) for storing logic blocks, logic architectures, data, etc. in lookup tables (LUTs).

[0104] The baseband circuit 810 can be implemented, for example, as a soldered substrate, comprising one or more integrated circuits, a single-package integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits. See below for reference. Figure 10 This paper discusses the various hardware electronic components of the 810 baseband circuit.

[0105] User interface circuitry 850 may include one or more user interfaces designed to enable a user to interact with system 800 or peripheral component interfaces, wherein the peripheral component interfaces are designed to enable peripheral components to interact with system 800. User interfaces may include, but are not limited to, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), one or more indicators (e.g., light-emitting diodes (LEDs)), a physical keyboard or keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touchscreen, a speaker or other audio transmitting device, a microphone, a printer, a scanner, headphones, a display screen or display device, etc. Peripheral component interfaces may include, but are not limited to, non-volatile memory ports, universal serial bus (USB) ports, audio jacks, power interfaces, etc.

[0106] The Radio Front-End Module (RFEM) 815 may include a millimeter-wave (mmWave) RFEM and one or more sub-millimeter-wave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some specific implementations, the one or more sub-millimeter-wave RFICs may be physically separated from the millimeter-wave RFEM. The RFIC may be included with one or more antennas or antenna arrays (see, for example, below). Figure 10 The antenna array 1011) is a connector, and the RFEM can be connected to multiple antennas. In an alternative embodiment, both millimeter-wave and sub-millimeter-wave radio functions can be implemented in the same physical RFEM 815 that combines both millimeter-wave and sub-millimeter-wave antennas.

[0107] The memory circuit 820 may include one or more of the following: volatile memory including dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and / or synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM); non-volatile memory (NVM) including high-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as "flash memory"); phase-change random access memory (PRAM); magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM); and may be combined with and A three-dimensional (3D) XPOINT memory. The memory circuit 820 can be implemented as one or more of the following: a solder-in packaged integrated circuit, a socket memory module, and an insertable memory card.

[0108] The PMIC 825 may include a voltage regulator, surge protector, power alarm detection circuitry, and one or more backup power sources, such as batteries or capacitors. The power alarm detection circuitry can detect one or more of a power outage (undervoltage) and a power surge (overvoltage) condition. The power tee circuit 830 can provide power drawn from the network cable to provide both power and data connectivity to the infrastructure equipment 800 using a single cable.

[0109] Network controller circuitry 835 can provide connectivity to a network using standard network interface protocols such as Ethernet, GRE-tunneled Ethernet, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)-based Ethernet, or some other suitable protocol. Network connectivity can be provided to / from infrastructure equipment 800 via a physical connection via network interface connector 840, which can be an electrical connection (typically referred to as a "copper interconnect"), an optical connection, or a wireless connection. Network controller circuitry 835 may include one or more dedicated processors and / or FPGAs for communicating using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, network controller circuitry 835 may include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0110] Positioning circuit 845 includes circuitry for receiving and decoding signals transmitted / broadcast by a positioning network of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Examples of navigation satellite constellations (or GNSS) include the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia's Global Navigation System (GLONASS), the European Union's Galileo system, China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, regional navigation systems, or GNSS augmentation systems (e.g., using the Indian constellation (NAVIC), Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), France's Doppler orbit chart and satellite integrated radio positioning (DORIS), etc.). Positioning circuit 845 may include various hardware components (e.g., hardware devices such as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements, etc.) for facilitating OTA communication to communicate with components of the positioning network, such as navigation satellite constellation nodes. In some embodiments, positioning circuit 845 may include a micro-technology (micro PNT) IC for positioning, navigation, and timing, which performs position tracking / estimation using a master timing clock in the absence of GNSS assistance. The positioning circuit 845 may also be part of or interact with the baseband circuit 810 and / or RFEM 815 to communicate with nodes and components of the positioning network. The positioning circuit 845 may also provide location data and / or time data to the application circuit 805, which may use the data to synchronize operations with various infrastructures, such as RAN node 111.

[0111] Figure 8 The components shown can communicate with each other using interface circuitry, which may include any number of bus and / or interconnect (IX) technologies, such as Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), Extended ISA (EISA), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Peripheral Component Interconnect Extended (PCIx), PCI Express (PCIe), or any number of other technologies. The bus / IX may be a proprietary bus, for example, used in a SoC-based system. Other bus / IX systems may be included, such as I2C interfaces, SPI interfaces, point-to-point interfaces, and power buses, etc.

[0112] Figure 9 Examples of platform 900 (or “device 900”) according to various embodiments are illustrated. In embodiments, computer platform 900 may be adapted to function as UE 101, 601, 701, application server 130 and / or any other element / device discussed herein. Platform 900 may include any combination of the components shown in the examples. Components of platform 900 may be implemented as integrated circuits (ICs), portions of ICs, discrete electronic devices or other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware or combinations thereof adapted in computer platform 900, or implemented as components otherwise integrated within the chassis of a larger system. Figure 9The block diagram is intended to show a high-level view of the components of the computer platform 900. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangements of the components shown may occur in other specific embodiments.

[0113] Application circuitry 905 includes circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, and one or more of the following: LDO, interrupt controller, serial interface (such as SPI), I2C or general programmable serial interface module, RTC, timer-counter (including interval timers and watchdog timers), general-purpose I / O, memory card controller (such as SDMMC or similar controller), USB interface, MIPI interface, and JTAG test access port. The processor (or core) of application circuitry 905 may be coupled to or may include memory / storage elements, and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage elements to enable various applications or operating systems to run on system 900. In some specific implementations, the memory / storage element may be on-chip memory circuitry that may include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory, and / or any other type of memory device technology, such as those discussed herein.

[0114] The processor 805 of the application circuit may include, for example, one or more processor cores, one or more application processors, one or more GPUs, one or more RISC processors, one or more ARM processors, one or more CISC processors, one or more DSPs, one or more FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors or controllers, multi-threaded processors, ultra-low voltage processors, embedded processors, some other known processing elements, or any suitable combination thereof. In some embodiments, the application circuit 805 may include or may be a dedicated processor / controller for operation according to the various embodiments herein.

[0115] As an example, the processor of application circuit 905 may include an Apple A-series processor. The processor of application circuit 905 may also be one or more of the following: based on... Architecture Core TM processors, such as Quark TM Atom TM i3, i5, i7 or MCU-level processors, or available from Santa Clara, California. company( Another such processor is from Corporation, Santa Clara, CA; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Processor or Accelerated Processing Unit (APU); from Snapdragon by Technologies, Inc. TM Processor, Texas Instruments Open Multimedia ApplicationsPlatform(OMAP) TM Processors; MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc., such as the MIPS Warrior M-class, Warrior I-class, and Warrior P-class processors; ARM-based designs licensed from ARM Holdings, Ltd., such as the ARM Cortex-A, Cortex-R, and Cortex-M series processors; etc. In some specific implementations, the application circuitry 905 may be part of a system-on-a-chip (SoC), where the application circuitry 905 and other components are formed as a single integrated circuit.

[0116] Additionally or alternatively, application circuitry 905 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more field-programmable devices (FPDs) such as FPGAs; programmable logic devices (PLDs) such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs); ASICs such as structured ASICs; programmable SoCs (PSoCs); and so on. In such embodiments, the circuitry of application circuitry 905 may include logic blocks or logic architectures, and other interconnect resources that can be programmed to perform various functions such as processes, methods, functions, etc., as discussed in the various embodiments herein. In such embodiments, the circuitry of application circuitry 905 may include memory cells (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, static memory (e.g., static random access memory (SRAM), antifuse, etc.)) for storing logic blocks, logic architectures, data, etc., in lookup tables (LUTs).

[0117] The baseband circuit 910 can be implemented, for example, as a soldered substrate, comprising one or more integrated circuits, a single-package integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits. See below for reference. Figure 10 This paper discusses the various hardware electronic components of the 910 baseband circuit.

[0118] The RFEM 915 may include a millimeter-wave (mmWave) RFEM and one or more sub-millimeter-wave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some specific implementations, the one or more sub-millimeter-wave RFICs may be physically separated from the millimeter-wave RFEM. The RFIC may be included with one or more antennas or antenna arrays (see, for example, below). Figure 10 The antenna array 1011) is a connector, and the RFEM can be connected to multiple antennas. In an alternative embodiment, both millimeter-wave and sub-millimeter-wave radio functions can be implemented in the same physical RFEM 915 that combines both millimeter-wave and sub-millimeter-wave antennas.

[0119] The memory circuitry 920 may include any number and type of memory devices for providing a fixed amount of system memory. For example, the memory circuitry 920 may include one or more of the following: volatile memory, including random access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), and / or synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM); and non-volatile memory (NVM), including high-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as flash memory), phase-change random access memory (PRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), etc. The memory circuitry 920 may be developed according to the Joint Electronic Equipment Committee (JEDEC) designs based on Low Power Double Data Rate (LPDDR), such as LPDDR2, LPDDR3, LPDDR4, etc. The memory circuitry 920 can be implemented as one or more of the following: solder-in packaged integrated circuits, single-die packages (SDP), dual-die packages (DDP), or quad-die packages (Q17P), socket memory modules, dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs) including micro DIMMs or mini DIMMs, and / or soldered to a motherboard via a ball grid array (BGA). In low-power implementations, the memory circuitry 920 may be an on-chip memory or register associated with application circuitry 905. To provide persistent storage for information such as data, applications, operating systems, etc., the memory circuitry 920 may include one or more mass storage devices, which may include, in particular, solid-state drives (SSDDs), hard disk drives (HDDs), miniature HDDs, resistance-changing memories, phase-change memories, holographic memories, or chemical memories. For example, the computer platform 900 may be integrated with... and 3D XPOINT memory.

[0120] The removable memory circuitry 923 may include devices, circuitry, enclosures / housings, ports, or sockets for coupling portable data storage devices to the platform 900. These portable data storage devices may be used for mass storage and may include, for example, flash memory cards (e.g., Secure Digital (SD) cards, Micro SD cards, xD picture cards, etc.), as well as USB flash drives, optical discs, external HDDs, etc.

[0121] Platform 900 may also include interface circuitry (not shown) for connecting external devices to platform 900. External devices connected to platform 900 via this interface circuitry include sensor circuitry 921 and electromechanical components (EMC) 922, as well as a removable memory device coupled to removable memory circuitry 923.

[0122] Sensor circuit 921 includes devices, modules, or subsystems designed to detect events or changes in their environment and transmit information about the detected events (sensor data) to other devices, modules, subsystems, etc. Examples of such sensors include, in particular: inertial measurement units (IMUs) including accelerometers, gyroscopes, and / or magnetometers; microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) or nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) including triaxial accelerometers, triaxial gyroscopes, and / or magnetometers; level sensors; flow sensors; temperature sensors (e.g., thermistors); pressure sensors; barometric pressure sensors; gravimeters; altimeters; image capture devices (e.g., cameras or lensless aperture devices); light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors; proximity sensors (e.g., infrared radiation detectors, etc.), depth sensors, ambient light sensors, ultrasonic transceivers; microphones or other similar audio capture devices; etc.

[0123] EMC 922 includes devices, modules, or subsystems intended to enable platform 900 to change its state, position, and / or orientation, or to move or control mechanisms or (sub)systems. Additionally, EMC 922 can be configured to generate messages / signaling and send messages / signaling to other components of platform 900 to indicate the current state of EMC 922. Examples of EMC 922 include one or more power switches, relays (including electromechanical relays (EMRs) and / or solid-state relays (SSRs)), actuators (e.g., valve actuators, etc.), audible generators, visual warning devices, motors (e.g., DC motors, stepper motors, etc.), wheels, propellers, pawls, clamps, hooks, and / or other similar electromechanical components. In embodiments, platform 900 is configured to operate one or more EMC 922s based on one or more captured events and / or commands or control signals received from service providers and / or various clients.

[0124] In some implementations, the interface circuitry can connect platform 900 to positioning circuitry 945. Positioning circuitry 945 includes circuitry for receiving and decoding signals transmitted / broadcast by a GNSS positioning network. Examples of navigation satellite constellations (or GNSS) may include the US GPS, Russia's GLONASS, the EU's Galileo system, China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, regional navigation systems, or GNSS augmentation systems (e.g., NAVIC, Japan's QZSS, France's DORIS, etc.). Positioning circuitry 945 includes various hardware components (e.g., hardware devices such as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements, etc.) for facilitating OTA communication to communicate with components of the positioning network, such as navigation satellite constellation nodes. In some implementations, positioning circuitry 945 may include a miniature PNT IC that performs position tracking / estimation using a master timing clock without GNSS assistance. Positioning circuitry 945 may also be part of or interact with baseband circuitry 810 and / or RFEM 915 to communicate with nodes and components of the positioning network. The positioning circuit 945 can also provide location data and / or time data to the application circuit 905, which can use the data to synchronize operations with various infrastructures (e.g., radio base stations) for use in turn-by-turn navigation applications, etc.

[0125] In some implementations, the interface circuitry can connect platform 900 to near-field communication (NFC) circuitry 940. NFC circuitry 940 is configured to provide contactless short-range communication based on radio frequency identification (RFID) standards, where magnetic field sensing is used to enable communication between NFC circuitry 940 and NFC-enabled devices (e.g., “NFC contacts”) external to platform 900. NFC circuitry 940 includes an NFC controller coupled to an antenna element and a processor coupled to the NFC controller. The NFC controller can be a chip / IC that provides NFC functionality to NFC circuitry 940 by executing NFC controller firmware and an NFC stack. The NFC stack can be executed by the processor to control the NFC controller, and the NFC controller firmware can be executed by the NFC controller to control the antenna element to transmit short-range RF signals. The RF signals can power passive NFC tags (e.g., microchips embedded in stickers or wristbands) to transmit stored data to NFC circuitry 940, or initiate data transfer between NFC circuitry 940 and another active NFC device (e.g., a smartphone or an NFC-enabled POS terminal) located near platform 900.

[0126] The driving circuitry 946 may include software and hardware elements for controlling specific devices embedded in, attached to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the platform 900. The driving circuitry 946 may include various drivers that allow other components of the platform 900 to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may exist within or be connected to the platform. For example, the driving circuitry 946 may include: a display driver for controlling and allowing access to a display device; a touchscreen driver for controlling and allowing access to a touchscreen interface of the platform 900; a sensor driver for acquiring sensor readings of sensor circuitry 921 and controlling and allowing access to sensor circuitry 921; an EMC driver for acquiring actuator position of EMC 922 and / or controlling and allowing access to EMC 922; a camera driver for controlling and allowing access to an embedded image capture device; and an audio driver for controlling and allowing access to one or more audio devices.

[0127] The power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 925 (also referred to as "power management circuit 925") manages the power supplied to various components of the platform 900. Specifically, relative to the baseband circuit 910, the PMIC 925 controls power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion. The PMIC 925 is typically included when the platform 900 can be powered by the battery 930, for example, when the device is included in UE 101, 601, 701.

[0128] In some implementations, the PMIC 925 can be controlled or otherwise integrated into various power-saving mechanisms of the platform 900. For example, if the platform 900 is in the RRC_Connected state, where it remains connected to the RAN node as it anticipates receiving traffic soon, it can enter a state known as Discontinuous Receive (DRX) after a period of inactivity. During this state, the platform 900 can power down for short intervals to conserve power. If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period, the platform 900 can transition to the RRC_Idle state, where the device disconnects from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback or handover. The platform 900 enters a very low-power state and performs paging, where the device periodically wakes up again to listen to the network before powering down again. The platform 900 may not receive data in this state; to receive data, the platform must transition back to the RRC_Connected state. Additional power-saving modes can allow the device to be inaccessible from the network for longer than the paging interval (ranging from a few seconds to several hours). During this period, the device is completely unable to connect to the network and can be completely powered off. Any data sent during this time will result in significant latency, which is assumed to be acceptable.

[0129] Battery 930 can power platform 900, but in some examples, platform 900 may be mounted in a fixed location and may have a power source coupled to the grid. Battery 930 may be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, etc. In some specific implementations, such as in V2X applications, battery 930 may be a typical lead-acid automotive battery.

[0130] In some implementations, battery 930 may be a "smart battery," which includes or is coupled to a battery management system (BMS) or battery monitoring integrated circuit. The BMS may be included in platform 900 to track the state of charge (SoCh) of battery 930. The BMS can be used to monitor other parameters of battery 930, such as state of health (SoH) and state of function (SoF) to provide fault prediction. The BMS can transmit information about battery 930 to application circuitry 905 or other components of platform 900. The BMS may also include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that allows application circuitry 905 to directly monitor the voltage of battery 930 or the current from battery 930. Battery parameters can be used to determine actions that platform 900 can perform, such as transmission frequency, network operation, sensing frequency, etc.

[0131] A power block coupled to the mains or other power source can be coupled to the BMS to charge the battery 930. In some examples, a wireless power receiver can replace the power block XS30 to wirelessly obtain power, for example, via a loop antenna in the computer platform 900. In these examples, wireless battery charging circuitry can be included in the BMS. The specific charging circuitry chosen may depend on the size of the battery 930 and therefore on the required current. Charging can be performed using the aviation fuel standards published by the Aviation Fuel Alliance, the Qi wireless charging standard published by the Radio Power Alliance, or the Rezence charging standard published by the Radio Power Alliance.

[0132] User interface circuitry 950 includes various input / output (I / O) devices present within or connected to platform 900, and includes one or more user interfaces designed to enable user interaction with platform 900 and / or peripheral component interfaces designed to enable interaction with peripheral components of platform 900. User interface circuitry 950 includes input device circuitry and output device circuitry. Input device circuitry includes any physical or virtual device for accepting input, particularly including one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touchscreen, a microphone, a scanner, a headset, etc. Output device circuitry includes any physical or virtual device for displaying information or otherwise conveying information (such as sensor readings, actuator positions, or other similar information). Output device circuitry may include any number and / or combination of audio or visual displays, particularly one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (e.g., binary status indicators (e.g., light-emitting diodes (LEDs)) and multi-character visual outputs, or more complex outputs such as display devices or touchscreens (e.g., liquid crystal displays (LCDs), LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.), wherein the output of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, etc., is generated or produced by the operation of platform 900. Output device circuitry may also include speakers or other audio transmitting devices, printers, etc. In some embodiments, sensor circuitry 921 may be used as input device circuitry (e.g., image capture devices, motion capture devices, etc.) and one or more EMCs may be used as output device circuitry (e.g., actuators for providing haptic feedback, etc.). In another example, NFC circuitry may be included for reading electronic tags and / or connecting to another NFC-enabled device, the NFC circuitry including an NFC controller and processing device coupled to an antenna element. Peripheral component interfaces may include, but are not limited to, non-volatile memory ports, USB ports, audio jacks, power interfaces, etc.

[0133] Although not shown, components of platform 900 may communicate with each other using suitable bus or interconnect (IX) technologies, which may include any number of technologies, including ISA, EISA, PCI, PCIx, PCIe, Time Triggered Protocol (TTP) systems, FlexRay systems, or any number of other technologies. The bus / IX may be a proprietary bus / IX, for example, used in a SoC-based system. Other bus / IX systems may be included, such as I2C interfaces, SPI interfaces, point-to-point interfaces, and power buses, etc.

[0134] Figure 10 Exemplary components of a baseband circuit 1010 and a radio front-end module (RFEM) 1015 according to various embodiments are shown. The baseband circuit 1010 corresponds to... Figure 8 The baseband circuit 810 and Figure 9The baseband circuit 910. RFEM 1015 corresponds to respectively Figure 8 RFEM 815 and Figure 9 The RFEM 915. As shown in the figure, the RFEM 1015 may include a radio frequency (RF) circuit 1006, a front-end module (FEM) circuit 1008, and an antenna array 1011 coupled together as shown in the figure.

[0135] The baseband circuit 1010 includes circuitry and / or control logic components configured to perform various radio / network protocols and radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuit 1006. Radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, RF shifting, etc. In some embodiments, the modulation / demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuit 1010 may include Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functions. In some embodiments, the encoding / decoding circuitry of the baseband circuit 1010 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity-check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functions. Implementations of the modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functions are not limited to these examples, and other suitable functions may be included in other embodiments. The baseband circuit 1010 is configured to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of the RF circuit 1006 and to generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 1006. The baseband circuit 1010 is configured to work with the application circuit 805 / XS205 (see...). Figure 8 and Figure 9 The baseband circuit 1010 is used to generate and process baseband signals and control the operation of the RF circuit 1006. The baseband circuit 1010 can handle various radio control functions.

[0136] The aforementioned circuitry and / or control logic components of the baseband circuit 1010 may include one or more single-core or multi-core processors. For example, the one or more processors may include a 3G baseband processor 1004A, a 4G / LTE baseband processor 1004B, a 5G / NR baseband processor 1004C, or other baseband processors 1004D for other existing, developing, or future generations (e.g., sixth generation (6G)). In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of the baseband processors 1004A-1004D may be included in modules stored in memory 1004G and executed via a central processing unit (CPU) 1004E. In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of the baseband processors 1004A-D may be provided as hardware accelerators (e.g., FPGAs, ASICs, etc.) loaded with appropriate bitstreams or logic blocks stored in the respective memory cells. In various implementations, memory 1004G may store program code for a real-time operating system (RTOS), which, when executed by CPU 1004E (or other baseband processor), will enable CPU 1004E (or other baseband processor) to manage resources of baseband circuitry 1010, schedule tasks, etc. Examples of RTOS may include those developed by... The provided Operating System Embedded (OSE) TM By Mentor Nucleus RTOS provided TM By Mentor The provided Versatile Real-Time Executive (VRTX) is by Express. ThreadX provided TM ,Depend on The provided FreeRTOS and REX OS are based on the Open Kernel (OK). The provided OKL4, or any other suitable RTOS, such as those discussed herein. Furthermore, the baseband circuitry 1010 includes one or more audio digital signal processors (DSPs) 1004F. The audio DSP 1004F includes elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and in other embodiments may include other suitable processing elements.

[0137] In some implementations, each processor in processors 1004A-XT104E includes a corresponding memory interface for sending data to / receiving data from memory 1004G. Baseband circuitry 1010 may also include one or more interfaces for communicatively coupling to other circuitry / devices, such as interfaces for sending data to / receiving data from memory external to baseband circuitry 1010; interfaces for sending data to / receiving data from memory external to baseband circuitry 1010; and interfaces for sending data to / receiving data from memory external to baseband circuitry 1010. Figures 8 to X The application circuit interface for sending / receiving data from the application circuit 805 / XS205 of T; Figure 10 RF circuit 1006 is an RF circuit interface for transmitting / receiving data from / from one or more wireless hardware components (e.g., near field communication (NFC) components). Low power components A wireless hardware connection interface for transmitting data from / receiving data from these wireless hardware components; and a power management interface for sending power or control signals to / receiving power or control signals from the PMIC 925.

[0138] In an alternative embodiment (which may be combined with the embodiments described above), the baseband circuit 1010 includes one or more digital baseband systems coupled to each other and to a CPU subsystem, an audio subsystem, and an interface subsystem via interconnect subsystems. The digital baseband subsystems may also be coupled to a digital baseband interface and a mixed-signal baseband subsystem via another interconnect subsystem. Each of the interconnect subsystems may include a bus system, point-to-point connections, a network-on-chip (NOC) architecture, and / or some other suitable bus or interconnect technology, such as those discussed herein. The audio subsystem may include DSP circuitry, buffer memory, program memory, voice processing accelerator circuitry, data converter circuitry such as analog-to-digital converter circuitry and digital-to-analog converter circuitry, analog circuitry including one or more amplifiers and filters, and / or other similar components. In one aspect of this disclosure, the baseband circuit 1010 may include protocol processing circuitry having one or more instances of control circuitry (not shown) to provide control functions for the digital baseband circuitry and / or radio frequency circuitry (e.g., radio front-end module 1015).

[0139] although Figure 10Not shown, but in some embodiments, baseband circuitry 1010 includes various processing devices (e.g., a "multi-protocol baseband processor" or "protocol processing circuit") for operating one or more wireless communication protocols and various processing devices for implementing PHY layer functions. In these embodiments, PHY layer functions include the aforementioned radio control functions. In these embodiments, the protocol processing circuit operates or implements various protocol layers / entities of one or more wireless communication protocols. In a first example, when baseband circuitry 1010 and / or RF circuitry 1006 are part of millimeter-wave communication circuitry or some other suitable cellular communication circuitry, the protocol processing circuit can operate LTE protocol entities and / or 5G / NR protocol entities. In the first example, the protocol processing circuit will operate MAC, RLC, PDCP, SDAP, RRC, and NAS functions. In a second example, when baseband circuitry 1010 and / or RF circuitry 1006 are part of a Wi-Fi communication system, the protocol processing circuit can operate one or more IEEE-based protocols. In the second example, the protocol processing circuit will operate Wi-Fi MAC and Logical Link Control (LLC) functions. The protocol processing circuitry may include one or more memory structures (e.g., 1004G) for storing program code and data for operating protocol functions, and one or more processing cores for executing program code and performing various operations using the data. The baseband circuitry 1010 may also support radio communication using more than one wireless protocol.

[0140] The various hardware components of the baseband circuit 1010 discussed herein can be implemented, for example, as a solderable substrate comprising one or more integrated circuits (ICs), a single-packaged IC soldered to a main board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more ICs. In one example, components of the baseband circuit 1010 may be suitably combined in a single chip or a single chipset, or disposed on the same board. In another example, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 1010 and the RF circuit 1006 may be implemented together, such as, for example, a system-on-a-chip (SOC) or a system-in-package (SiP). In yet another example, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 1010 may be implemented as a separate SoC communicatively coupled to the RF circuit 1006 (or multiple instances of the RF circuit 1006). In yet another example, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 1010 and the application circuit 805 / XS205 may be implemented together as a separate SoC mounted to the same board (e.g., a “multi-chip package”).

[0141] In some implementations, baseband circuit 1010 can provide communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some implementations, baseband circuit 1010 can support communication with E-UTRAN or other WMAN, WLAN, WPAN. Implementations in which baseband circuit 1010 is configured to support radio communication with more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuits.

[0142] RF circuit 1006 enables communication with a wireless network using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, RF circuit 1006 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc., to facilitate communication with the wireless network. RF circuit 1006 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry for down-converting the RF signal received from FEM circuit 1008 and providing a baseband signal to baseband circuit 1010. RF circuit 1006 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry for up-converting the baseband signal provided by baseband circuit 1010 and providing an RF output signal for transmission to FEM circuit 1008.

[0143] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of RF circuit 1006 may include mixer circuit 1006a, amplifier circuit 1006b, and filter circuit 1006c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of RF circuit 1006 may include filter circuit 1006c and mixer circuit 1006a. RF circuit 1006 may also include synthesizer circuit 1006d for synthesizing frequencies used by mixer circuit 1006a for both the receive and transmit signal paths. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1006a for the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from FEM circuit 1008 based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuit 1006d. Amplifier circuit 1006b may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and filter circuit 1006c may be a low-pass filter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal can be provided to the baseband circuit 1010 for further processing. In some embodiments, although not required, the output baseband signal may be a zero-frequency baseband signal. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1006a receiving the signal path may include a passive mixer, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0144] In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1006a of the transmit signal path can be configured to up-convert the input baseband signal based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 1006d to generate an RF output signal for the FEM circuit 1008. The baseband signal can be provided by the baseband circuit 1010 and can be filtered by the filter circuit 1006c.

[0145] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1006a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1006a for the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1006a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1006a for the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image suppression (e.g., Hartley image suppression). In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1006a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1006a for the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct down-conversion and direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1006a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1006a for the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0146] In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, the RF circuit 1006 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry, and the baseband circuit 1010 may include a digital baseband interface for communicating with the RF circuit 1006.

[0147] In some dual-mode implementations, separate radio IC circuits can be provided to process signals for each spectrum, but the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect.

[0148] In some implementations, synthesizer circuit 1006d may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer, but the scope of implementations is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may also be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 1006d may be a Δ-∑ synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0149] The synthesizer circuit 1006d can be configured to synthesize an output frequency based on the frequency input and the divider control input for use by the mixer circuit 1006a of the RF circuit 1006. In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 1006d can be a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0150] In some implementations, the frequency input may be provided by a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), although this is not mandatory. The divider control input may be provided by the baseband circuit 1010 or the application circuit 805 / XS205 according to the desired output frequency. In some implementations, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a lookup table based on the channel indicated by the application circuit 805 / XS205.

[0151] The synthesizer circuit 1006d of the RF circuit 1006 may include a frequency divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the frequency divider may be a dual-mode divider (DMD), and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by N or N+1 (e.g., based on carry) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a cascaded, tunable delay element, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a set of D-type flip-flops. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to divide the VCO cycle into Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. Thus, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0152] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 1006d may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and may be used in conjunction with quadrature generator and frequency divider circuitry to generate multiple signals having multiple different phases relative to each other at that carrier frequency. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be the LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, RF circuit 1006 may include an IQ / polarity converter.

[0153] FEM circuit 1008 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from antenna array 1011, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to RF circuit 1006 for further processing. FEM circuit 1008 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry configured to amplify transmit signals provided by RF circuit 1006 for transmission by one or more antenna elements in antenna array 1011. In various embodiments, amplification via the transmit or receive signal path may be performed only in RF circuit 1006, only in FEM circuit 1008, or in both RF circuit 1006 and FEM circuit 1008.

[0154] In some embodiments, FEM circuit 1008 may include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit and receive mode operation. FEM circuit 1008 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of FEM circuit 1008 may include an LNA to amplify the received RF signal and provide the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., to RF circuit 1006). The transmit signal path of FEM circuit 1008 may include a power amplifier (PA) for amplifying the input RF signal (e.g., provided by RF circuit 1006), and one or more filters for generating the RF signal for subsequent transmission by one or more antenna elements of antenna array 1011.

[0155] Antenna array 1011 includes one or more antenna elements, each configured to convert electrical signals into radio waves to travel through the air and to convert received radio waves back into electrical signals. For example, a digital baseband signal provided by baseband circuit 1010 is converted into an analog RF signal (e.g., a modulated waveform), which is amplified and transmitted via the antenna elements of antenna array 1011, which includes one or more antenna elements (not shown). Antenna elements can be omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof. Antenna elements can be arranged in various configurations as known and / or discussed herein. Antenna array 1011 may include microstrip antennas or printed antennas fabricated on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards. Antenna array 1011 may be formed as a patch of metal foil of various shapes (e.g., a patch antenna) and may be coupled to RF circuit 1006 and / or FEM circuit 1008 using metal transmission lines, etc.

[0156] The processors of the application circuit 805 / XS205 and the baseband circuit 1010 are elements that can be used to execute one or more instances of the protocol stack. For example, the processor of the baseband circuit 1010 can be used alone or in combination to execute layer 3, layer 2, or layer 1 functions, while the processor of the application circuit 805 / XS205 can utilize data received from these layers (e.g., packet data) and further execute layer 4 functions (e.g., TCP and UDP layers). As mentioned herein, layer 3 may include the RRC layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 2 may include the MAC layer, RLC layer, and PDCP layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 1 may include the PHY layer of the UE / RAN node, which will be described in further detail below.

[0157] Figure 11 Various protocol functions that can be implemented in wireless communication devices according to various implementation schemes are illustrated. Specifically, Figure 11This includes an arrangement 1100 illustrating the interconnections between various protocol layers / entities. It provides various protocol layers / entities operating in conjunction with 5G / NR system standards and LTE system standards. Figure 11 The following description, but Figure 11 Some or all of these aspects may also be applicable to other wireless communication network systems.

[0158] In addition to other higher-layer functions not shown, the protocol layers of arrangement 1100 may also include one or more of PHY 1110, MAC 1120, RLC 1130, PDCP 1140, SDAP 1147, RRC 1155, and NAS layer 1157. These protocol layers may include one or more service access points (e.g., capable of providing communication between two or more protocol layers) that can provide communication between two or more protocol layers. Figure 11 Items 1159, 1156, 1150, 1149, 1145, 1135, 1125, and 1115.

[0159] PHY 1110 can transmit and receive physical layer signals 1105, which can be received from or transmitted to one or more other communication devices. Physical layer signals 1105 may include one or more physical channels, such as those discussed herein. PHY 1110 can also perform link adaptive or adaptive modulation and coding (AMC), power control, cell search (e.g., for initial synchronization and handover purposes), and other measurements used by higher layers (e.g., RRC1155). PHY 1110 can further perform error detection on transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of transport channels, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. In some embodiments, instances of PHY 1110 may process requests from instances of MAC 1120 and provide indications to them via one or more PHY-SAP 1115. According to some embodiments, requests and indications transmitted via PHY-SAP 1115 may include one or more transport channels.

[0160] An instance of MAC 1120 can process requests from instances of RLC 1130 and provide instructions to them via one or more MAC-SAP 1125s. These requests and instructions transmitted via MAC-SAP 1125s may include one or more logical channels. MAC 1120 can perform mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs from one or more logical channels onto a TB to be delivered to PHY 1110 via a transport channel, demultiplexing MAC SDUs from a TB delivered from PHY 1110 via a transport channel onto one or more logical channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs onto TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via HARQ, and logical channel prioritization.

[0161] An instance of RLC 1130 can process requests from instances of PDCP 1140 and provide them with instructions via one or more Radio Link Control Service Access Points (RLC-SAP) 1135. These requests and instructions transmitted via RLC-SAP 1135 may include one or more RLC channels. RLC 1130 can operate in several modes, including: Transparent Mode (TM), Unacknowledged Mode (UM), and Acknowledged Mode (AM). RLC 1130 can perform transmission of Upper Layer Protocol Data Units (PDUs), error correction via Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) for AM data transmission, and concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLCSDUs for UM and AM data transmission. RLC 1130 can also resegment RLC data PDUs for AM data transmission, reorder RLC data PDUs for UM and AM data transmission, detect duplicate data for UM and AM data transmission, discard RLC SDUs for UM and AM data transmission, detect protocol errors for AM data transmission, and perform RLC re-establishment.

[0162] An instance of PDCP 1140 can process and provide instructions to instances of RRC 1155 and / or SDAP 1147 via one or more Packet Data Convergence Protocol Service Points (PDCP-SAP) 1145. These requests and instructions transmitted via PDCP-SAP 1145 may include one or more radio bearers. PDCP 1140 can perform header compression and decompression of IP data, maintain PDCP sequence numbers (SNs), perform sequential delivery of upper-layer PDUs during lower-layer re-establishment, eliminate duplication of lower-layer SDUs during lower-layer re-establishment for radio bearers mapped on RLCAM, encrypt and decrypt control plane data, perform integrity protection and integrity verification on control plane data, control timer-based data discarding, and perform security operations (e.g., encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification, etc.).

[0163] An instance of SDAP 1147 can process requests from one or more higher-layer protocol entities and provide them with indications via one or more SDAP-SAP 1149s. These requests and indications transmitted via SDAP-SAP 1149s may include one or more QoS flows. SDAP 1147 can map QoS flows to DRBs and vice versa, and can also tag QFIs in DL and UL packets. A single SDAP entity 1147 can be configured for a single PDU session. In the UL direction, NG-RAN 110 can control the mapping of QoS flows to DRBs in two different ways (reflective mapping or explicit mapping). For reflective mapping, UE 101's SDAP 1147 can monitor the QFI of DL packets for each DRB and can apply the same mapping for packets flowing in the UL direction. For DRBs, UE 101's SDAP 1147 can map UL packets belonging to a QoS flow that corresponds to the QoS flow ID and PDU session observed in the DL packets of that DRB. To implement reflection mapping, the NG-RAN 710 can tag DL packets with QoS flow IDs via the Uu interface. Explicit mapping may involve the RRC 1155 configuring the SDAP 1147 with explicit mapping rules from QoS flows to the DRB; these rules can be stored and followed by the SDAP 1147. In implementations, the SDAP 1147 may be used only in NR-specific implementations and may not be used in LTE-specific implementations.

[0164] RRC 1155 can be configured with aspects of one or more protocol layers via one or more Management Service Access Points (M-SAPs), which may include one or more instances of PHY 1110, MAC 1120, RLC 1130, PDCP 1140, and SDAP 1147. In an implementation, an instance of RRC 1155 may handle requests from one or more NAS entities 1157 and provide them with instructions via one or more RRC-SAPs 1156. The main services and functions of RRC 1155 may include broadcasting system information (e.g., included in NAS-related MIBs or SIBs), broadcasting system information related to the Access Layer (AS), paging, establishment, maintenance, and release of RRC connections between UE 101 and RAN 110 (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), establishment, configuration, maintenance, and release of point-to-point radio bearers, security functions including key management, inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting. These MIBs and SIBs may include one or more IEs, each of which may include a separate data field or data structure.

[0165] The NAS 1157 forms the highest layer of the control plane between UE 101 and AMF 721. The NAS 1157 supports the mobility and session management procedures of UE 101 to establish and maintain IP connections between UE 101 and the P-GW in an LTE system.

[0166] According to various implementation schemes, one or more protocol entities deployed in 1100 may be implemented in UE 101, RAN node 111, AMF 721 in NR implementation or MME 621 in LTE implementation, UPF 702 in NR implementation or S-GW 622 and P-GW 623 in LTE implementation, etc., for use in the control plane or user plane communication protocol stack between the aforementioned devices. In such implementation schemes, one or more protocol entities that may be implemented in one or more of UE 101, gNB 111, AMF 721, etc., may communicate with corresponding peer protocol entities that may be implemented in another device or on another device (using the services of the corresponding lower-level protocol entity to perform such communication). In some implementations, the gNB-CU of gNB 111 may host the RRC 1155, SDAP 1147, and PDCP 1140 of gNB 111 for controlling one or more gNB-DU operations, and the gNB-DU of gNB 111 may each host the RLC 1130, MAC 1120, and PHY 1110 of gNB 111.

[0167] In the first example, the control plane protocol stack may include NAS 1157, RRC 1155, PDCP 1140, RLC 1130, MAC 1120, and PHY 1110 in order from the highest to the lowest layer. In this example, the upper layer 1160 may be built on top of NAS 1157, which includes IP layer 1161, SCTP 1162, and application layer signaling protocol (AP) 1163.

[0168] In a specific NR implementation, AP 1163 may be an NG application protocol layer (NGAP or NG-AP) 1163 for an NG interface 113 that is limited between NG-RAN node 111 and AMF 721, or AP 1163 may be an Xn application protocol layer (XnAP or Xn-AP) 1163 for an Xn interface 112 that is limited between two or more RAN nodes 111.

[0169] NG-AP 1163 can support the functionality of NG interface 113 and may include a basic procedure (EP). The NG-AP EP can be the interaction unit between NG-RAN node 111 and AMF 721. NG-AP 1163 services may include two groups: UE-related services (e.g., services related to UE 101) and non-UE-related services (e.g., services related to the entire NG interface instance between NG-RAN node 111 and AMF 721). These services may include, but are not limited to: paging functions for sending paging requests to NG-RAN nodes 111 involved in a specific paging area; UE context management functions for allowing AMF 721 to establish, modify, and / or release UE contexts in AMF 721 and NG-RAN nodes 111; mobility functions for UE 101 in ECM-CONNECTED mode, enabling intra-system HOs to support mobility within the NG-RAN and inter-system HOs to support mobility from / to EPS systems; NAS signaling transmission functions for transmitting or rerouting NAS messages between UE 101 and AMF 721; NAS node selection functions for determining the association between AMF 721 and UE 101; NG interface management functions for setting up the NG interface and monitoring for errors via the NG interface; warning message transmission functions for providing means to transmit warning messages or cancel ongoing warning message broadcasts via the NG interface; and functions for transmitting warning messages via CN. 120 has the configuration transfer function for requesting and transferring RAN configuration information (e.g., SON information, performance measurement (PM) data, etc.) between two RAN nodes 111; and / or other similar functions.

[0170] XnAP 1163 supports the functions of Xn interface 112 and may include XnAP basic mobility procedures and XnAP global procedures. XnAP basic mobility procedures may include processes for handling UE mobility within NG RAN 111 (or E-UTRAN 610), such as handover preparation and cancellation procedures, SN state transfer procedures, UE context retrieval and UE context release procedures, RAN paging procedures, and procedures related to dual connectivity. XnAP global procedures may include procedures independent of a specific UE 101, such as Xn interface setup and reset procedures, NG-RAN update procedures, and cell activation procedures.

[0171] In a specific LTE implementation, AP 1163 can be an S1 application protocol layer (S1-AP) 1163 for an S1 interface 113 defined between E-UTRAN node 111 and MME, or AP 1163 can be an X2 application protocol layer (X2AP or X2-AP) 1163 for an X2 interface 112 defined between two or more E-UTRAN nodes 111.

[0172] The S1 Application Protocol Layer (S1-AP) 1163 supports the functions of the S1 interface and, similar to the previously discussed NG-AP, may include an S1-AP EP. The S1-AP EP can be the interaction unit between the E-UTRAN node 111 and the MME 621 within the LTE CN 120. The S1-AP 1163 services may include two sets: UE-associated services and non-UE-associated services. These services perform functions including, but not limited to: E-UTRAN Radio Access Bearer (E-RAB) management, UE capability indication, mobility, NAS signaling transmission, RAN Information Management (RIM), and configuration transmission.

[0173] X2AP 1163 supports the functions of X2 interface 112 and may include X2AP basic mobility procedures and X2AP global procedures. X2AP basic mobility procedures may include procedures for handling UE mobility within E-UTRAN 120, such as handover preparation and cancellation procedures, SN state transmission procedures, UE context retrieval and UE context release procedures, RAN paging procedures, and procedures related to dual connectivity. X2AP global procedures may include procedures independent of a specific UE 101, such as X2 interface setup and reset procedures, load indication procedures, error indication procedures, and cell activation procedures.

[0174] The SCTP layer (optionally referred to as the SCTP / IP layer) 1162 provides guaranteed delivery of application layer messages (e.g., NGAP or XnAP messages in NR implementations, or S1-AP or X2AP messages in LTE implementations). SCTP 1162 may, in part, rely on the IP protocols supported by IP 1161 to ensure reliable delivery of signaling messages between RAN node 111 and AMF 721 / MME 621. The Internet Protocol layer (IP) 1161 can be used to perform packet addressing and routing functions. In some implementations, IP layer 1161 may use point-to-point transmission to deliver and transmit PDUs. In this regard, RAN node 111 may include L2 and L1 layer communication links (e.g., wired or wireless) with the MME / AMF to exchange information.

[0175] In the second example, the user plane protocol stack may include SDAP 1147, PDCP 1140, RLC 1130, MAC 1120, and PHY 1110 in order from the highest to the lowest layer. The user plane protocol stack can be used for communication between UE 101, RAN node 111, and UPF 702 in the NR implementation or S-GW 622 and P-GW 623 in the LTE implementation. In this example, the upper layer 1151 may be built on top of SDAP 1147 and may include User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and IP Security Layer (UDP / IP) 1152, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) tunneling protocol for the user plane layer (GTP-U) 1153, and User Plane PDU Layer (UPPDU) 1163.

[0176] The transport network layer 1154 (also known as the "transport layer") can be built on top of IP transport, and GTP-U 1153 can be used on top of the UDP / IP layer 1152 (which includes the UDP layer and the IP layer) to carry user plane PDUs (UP-PDUs). The IP layer (also known as the "Internet layer") can be used to perform packet addressing and routing functions. The IP layer can assign IP addresses to user data packets in any of the formats, such as IPv4, IPv6, or PPP.

[0177] The GTP-U 1153 can be used to carry user data within the GPRS core network and between the radio access network and the core network. For example, the transmitted user data can be packets in any of the IPv4, IPv6, or PPP formats. The UDP / IP 1152 provides checksums for data integrity, port numbers for addressing different functions at the source and destination, and encryption and authentication for selected data streams. RAN node 111 and S-GW 622 can exchange user plane data via the S1-U interface through a protocol stack including L1 layer (e.g., PHY 1110), L2 layer (e.g., MAC 1120, RLC 1130, PDCP 1140, and / or SDAP 1147), UDP / IP layer 1152, and GTP-U 1153. The S-GW 622 and P-GW 623 can exchange user plane data via an S5 / S8a interface through a protocol stack including L1 layer, L2 layer, UDP / IP layer 1152, and GTP-U 1153. As previously discussed, the NAS protocol supports the mobility and session management procedures of UE 101 to establish and maintain the IP connection between UE 101 and P-GW 623.

[0178] Furthermore, despite Figure 11Not shown, but the application layer may exist above AP 1163 and / or transport network layer 1154. The application layer may be a layer in which users of UE 101, RAN node 111, or other network elements interact with software applications, for example, executed by application circuitry 805 or application circuitry 905, respectively. The application layer may also provide one or more interfaces for software applications to interact with the communication systems of UE 101 or RAN node 111, such as baseband circuitry 1010. In some implementations, the IP layer and / or application layer may provide the same or similar functionality as layers 5 through 7 of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model, or portions thereof (e.g., OSI layer 7—application layer, OSI layer 6—presentation layer, and OSI layer 5—session layer).

[0179] Figure 12 Components of a core network according to various embodiments are illustrated. Components of CN 620 may be implemented in a single physical node or separate physical nodes, including components for reading and executing instructions from machine-readable or computer-readable media (e.g., non-transitory machine-readable storage media). In embodiments, components of CN 720 can be implemented in the same or similar manner as discussed herein with respect to components of CN 620. In some embodiments, NFV is used to virtualize any or all of the aforementioned network node functions via executable instructions stored in one or more computer-readable storage media (described in further detail below). A logical instance of CN 620 may be referred to as network slice 1201, and individual logical instances of CN 620 may provide specific network functions and network characteristics. A portion of a logical instance of CN 620 may be referred to as network subslice 1202 (e.g., network subslice 1202 is shown as including P-GW 623 and PCRF 626).

[0180] As used herein, the term "instantiation" can refer to the creation of an instance, and "instance" can refer to the concrete occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during the execution of program code. A network instance can refer to information identifying a domain that can be used for service detection and routing in the case of different IP domains or overlapping IP addresses. A network slice instance can refer to a set of network function (NF) instances and the resources (e.g., compute, storage, and network resources) required to deploy a network slice.

[0181] Compared to 5G systems (see example) Figure 7Network slices always consist of RAN and CN portions. Support for network slices relies on the principle that traffic for different slices is handled by different PDU sessions. Different network slices can be implemented through scheduling and also by providing different L1 / L2 configurations. If provided by NAS, UE 701 provides auxiliary information for network slice selection in the appropriate RRC message. While the network can support a large number of slices, the UE does not need to support more than eight slices simultaneously.

[0182] Network slices may include the CN 720 control plane and user plane NF, the NG RAN 710 in the serving PLMN, and the N3IWF functionality in the serving PLMN. Each network slice may have a different S-NSSAI and / or a different SST. An NSSAI includes one or more S-NSSAIs, and each network slice is uniquely identified by its S-NSSAI. Network slices may differ for supported features and network function optimizations, and / or multiple network slice instances may deliver the same service / function, but differ for different UE 701 groups (e.g., enterprise users). For example, each network slice may deliver different committed services and / or be dedicated to a specific customer or enterprise. In this example, each network slice may have different S-NSSAIs with the same SST but different slice differentiators. Additionally, a single UE may be served simultaneously by one or more network slice instances via the 5G AN and associated with eight different S-NSSAIs. Furthermore, an AMF 721 instance serving a single UE 701 may belong to each network slice instance serving that UE.

[0183] Network slicing in NG-RAN 710 involves RAN slice awareness. RAN slice awareness includes the differentiation processing of traffic for different pre-configured network slices. Slice awareness in NG-RAN 710 is introduced at the PDU session level by indicating the S-NSSAI corresponding to the PDU session in all signaling, including PDU session resource information. How NG-RAN 710 supports slice enablement in terms of NG-RAN functions (e.g., a set of network functions per slice) is implementation-specific. NG-RAN 710 uses auxiliary information provided by UE 701 or 5GC 720 to select the RAN portion of a network slice, which explicitly identifies one or more pre-configured network slices in the PLMN. NG-RAN 710 also supports resource management and policy enforcement across slices according to SLAs. A single NG-RAN node can support multiple slices, and NG-RAN 710 can also apply appropriate RRM policies for the appropriate SLAs to each supported slice. NG-RAN 710 also supports QoS differentiation within slices.

[0184] If available, NG-RAN 710 may also use UE auxiliary information to select AMF 721 during initial attachment. NG-RAN 710 uses the auxiliary information to route initial NAS to AMF 721. If NG-RAN 710 cannot use the auxiliary information to select AMF 721, or if UE 701 does not provide any such information, NG-RAN 710 sends NAS signaling to the default AMF 721 in the pool of AMF 721s that may be located there. For subsequent access, UE 701 provides a temp ID assigned to UE 701 by 5GC 720 so that NG-RAN 710 can route NAS messages to the appropriate AMF 721, provided that temp ID is valid. NG-RAN 710 knows and can reach the AMF 721 associated with the temp ID. Otherwise, the method used for initial attachment is applied.

[0185] NG-RAN 710 supports resource isolation between slices. NG-RAN 710 resource isolation can be achieved through RRM policies and protection mechanisms, which should prevent shared resource shortages in cases where one slice interrupts the service level protocol of another slice. In some implementations, NG-RAN 710 resources can be completely assigned to a specific slice. How NG-RAN 710 supports resource isolation depends on the specific implementation.

[0186] Some slices may only be partially available in the network. The NG-RAN 710 is aware that slices supported in its neighboring cells may be beneficial for inter-frequency mobility in connected mode. Slice availability may remain unchanged within the UE's registered area. The NG-RAN 710 and 5GC 720 are responsible for processing service requests for slices that may or may not be available in a given area. Admission or denial of slice access may depend on factors such as slice support, resource availability, and NG-RAN 710 support for the requested service.

[0187] UE 701 can be associated with multiple network slices simultaneously. When UE 701 is associated with multiple slices, only one signaling connection is maintained, and for intra-frequency cell reselection, UE 701 attempts to pre-occupy the best cell. For inter-frequency cell reselection, a dedicated priority can be used to control the frequency pre-occupied by UE 701. 5GC 720 will verify that UE 701 has the right to access network slices. Before receiving the Initial Context Setup Request message, NG-RAN 710 may apply some temporary / local policies based on knowing the specific slice UE 701 is requesting access to. During Initial Context Setup, NG-RAN 710 is notified of the slices requesting its resources.

[0188] NFV architectures and infrastructure can be used to virtualize one or more NFs onto a physical resource that includes a combination of industry-standard server hardware, storage hardware, or switches (or alternatively, proprietary hardware). In other words, NFV systems can be used to perform virtual or reconfigurable concrete implementations of one or more EPC components / functions.

[0189] Figure 13 This is a block diagram illustrating components of an NFV-supporting system 1300 according to some exemplary embodiments. System 1300 is shown as including VIM 1302, NFVI 1304, VNFM 1306, VNF 1308, EM 1310, NFVO 1312, and NM 1314.

[0190] VIM 1302 manages the resources of NFVI 1304. NFVI 1304 may include physical or virtual resources and applications (including hypervisors) used to execute system 1300. VIM 1302 can utilize NFVI 1304 to manage the lifecycle of virtual resources (e.g., the creation, maintenance, and teardown of VMs associated with one or more physical resources), track VM instances, track the performance, failure, and security of VM instances and associated physical resources, and expose VM instances and associated physical resources to other management systems.

[0191] VNFM 1306 manages VNF 1308. VNF 1308 can be used to perform EPC components / functions. VNFM 1306 manages the lifecycle of VNF 1308 and tracks the performance, faults, and security of VNF 1308 virtualization. EM 1310 tracks the performance, faults, and security of VNF 1308 functionality. Tracking data from VNFM 1306 and EM 1310 may include, for example, PM data used by VIM 1302 or NFVI 1304. Both VNFM 1306 and EM 1310 can scale the number of VNFs in System 1300.

[0192] NFVO 1312 can coordinate, authorize, release, and engage the resources of NFVI 1304 to provide requested services (e.g., to perform EPC functions, components, or slices). NM 1314 can provide end-user function packages responsible for network management, which may include network elements with VNFs, non-virtualized network functions, or both (management of VNFs may occur via EM 1310).

[0193] Figure 14This is a block diagram illustrating components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and executing any or more of the methods discussed herein, according to some exemplary embodiments. Specifically, Figure 14 A schematic diagram of hardware resource 1400 is shown, including one or more processors (or processor cores) 1410, one or more memory / storage devices 1420, and one or more communication resources 1430, each of which is communicatively coupled via bus 1440. For implementations utilizing node virtualization (e.g., NFV), a hypervisor 1402 can be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices / subslices to utilize hardware resource 1400.

[0194] Processor 1410 may include, for example, processor 1412 and processor 1414. Processor 1410 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a DSP such as a baseband processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor (including those discussed herein), or any suitable combination thereof.

[0195] Memory / storage device 1420 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. Memory / storage device 1420 may include, but is not limited to, any type of volatile or non-volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state storage devices, etc.

[0196] Communication resource 1430 may include interconnect or network interface components or other suitable devices for communicating with one or more peripheral devices 1404 or one or more databases 1406 via network 1408. For example, communication resource 1430 may include wired communication components (e.g., for coupling via USB), cellular communication components, NFC components, etc. (or Low-power components Components and other communication components.

[0197] Instructions 1450 may include software, programs, applications, applets, or other executable code for causing at least any one of processors 1410 to perform any or more of the methods discussed herein. Instructions 1450 may reside wholly or partially within processor 1410 (e.g., within the processor's cache), memory / storage device 1420, or any suitable combination thereof. Furthermore, any portion of instructions 1450 may be transferred to hardware resource 1400 from any combination of peripheral device 1404 or database 1406. Thus, the memory of processor 1410, memory / storage device 1420, peripheral device 1404, and database 1406 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0198] As is widely recognized, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are generally accepted to meet or exceed industry or governmental requirements for protecting user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

[0199] Example

[0200] Example 1 may include a method for reporting reference signal measurements by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: for each specific beam of a plurality of beams from a base station, measuring a reference signal received power (RSRP) value of one or more reference signals associated with the specific beam; determining that the largest RSRP value among the measured RSRP values ​​is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold; in response to the determination, calculating an order of the plurality of beams based at least in part on the horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalance of each of the plurality of beams and the measured RSRP values; and reporting at least one of the ordered plurality of beams to the base station.

[0201] Example 2 may include the method according to Example 1 and / or some other embodiments herein, wherein calculating the ordering of the plurality of beams based at least in part on the horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalance and the measured RSRP value of each of the plurality of beams involves: determining a weight for each particular SSB beam among the plurality of SSB beams based on the RSRP value of the particular SSB beam and the H / V polarization imbalance of the SSB beam; and calculating the ordering based on the determined weights of the plurality of SSB beams.

[0202] Example 3 may include the method according to Examples 1 to 2 and / or some other embodiments herein, wherein reporting at least one of the sorted plurality of beams to the base station includes reporting the highest-ranked beam to the base station.

[0203] Example 4 may include the method according to Examples 1 to 3 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the highest-ranked beam has the lowest H / V imbalance among the plurality of beams.

[0204] Example 5 may include the method described according to Examples 1 to 4 and / or some other embodiments herein, wherein the one or more reference signals are at least one of a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) resource or a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) resource.

[0205] Example 6 may include the method described according to Examples 1 to 5 and / or some other embodiments herein, wherein the UE operates in Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access-New Radio Interface (EN-DC).

[0206] Example 7 may include the method described according to Examples 1 to 6 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the base station is one of a gNodeB (gNB) or an eNB.

[0207] Example 8 may include the method according to claims 1 to 7 and / or some other embodiments herein, wherein determining the horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalance of each particular beam involves: determining the horizontal RSRP value of the horizontal polarization of the particular beam; determining the vertical RSRP value of the vertical polarization of the particular beam; and determining the horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalance of the particular beam based on (i) the horizontal RSRP value and (ii) the vertical RSRP value.

[0208] Example 9 may include the method according to claims 1 to 8 and / or some other embodiments herein, wherein determining the horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalance of a particular beam based on (i) the horizontal RSRP value and (ii) the vertical RSRP value involves selecting the maximum value of the horizontal RSRP value and the vertical RSRP value.

[0209] Example 10 may include the method according to claims 1 to 9 and / or some other embodiments herein, wherein determining the horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalance of a particular beam based on (i) the horizontal RSRP value and (ii) the vertical RSRP value involves selecting the sum of the horizontal RSRP value and the vertical RSRP value.

[0210] Example 11 may include an apparatus comprising one or more elements for performing the method described or associated with any of Examples 1 to 10 or any other method or process described herein.

[0211] Example 12 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, which include instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of the method or any other method or process described herein according to any one of Examples 1 to 10.

[0212] Example 13 may include an apparatus comprising logic components, modules, or circuitry for performing one or more elements of the method described or associated with any of Examples 1 to 10 or any other method or process described herein.

[0213] Example 14 may include a method, technique, or process, or a part or component thereof, as described or associated with any of Examples 1 to 10.

[0214] Example 15 may include an apparatus comprising one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media, the one or more computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the methods, techniques or processes or portions thereof described or associated with any of Examples 1 to 10.

[0215] Example 16 may include a computer program comprising instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processing element will cause the processing element to perform any of the methods, techniques, or processes or portions thereof described or associated with any of Examples 1 to 10.

[0216] Example 17 may include a system for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

[0217] Example 18 may include a device for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

[0218] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the examples above may be combined with any other example (or combination of examples). The foregoing description of one or more specific embodiments provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. In light of the teachings above, modifications and variations are possible, or modifications and variations may be derived from practice of various embodiments.

Claims

1. A method for reporting reference signal measurements in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: Measure the reference signal received power (RSRP) value of each of the multiple synchronization signal block (SSB) beams from the base station; In response to determining that the largest RSRP value among the measured RSRP values ​​is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold: Determine the horizontal RSRP value for the horizontal polarization of each specific SSB beam among the plurality of SSB beams. Determine the vertical RSRP value of the vertical polarization of each specific SSB beam among the plurality of SSB beams, and The horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalance of each particular SSB beam in the plurality of SSB beams is determined based at least on (i) the horizontal RSRP value and (ii) the vertical RSRP value. The ordering of the plurality of SSB beams is calculated based at least on the determined H / V polarization imbalance; as well as At least one of the sorted SSB beams is reported to the base station. At least one of the sorted SSB beams has a low H / V imbalance among the sorted SSB beams.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein calculating the order of the plurality of SSB beams comprises: For each specific SSB beam among the plurality of SSB beams, the weight is determined based on the RSRP value of the specific SSB beam and the H / V polarization imbalance of the SSB beam; as well as The ranking is calculated based on the determined weights of the plurality of SSB beams.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein reporting at least one of the sorted plurality of SSB beams to the base station includes reporting the highest-ranked SSB beam to the base station.

4. The method according to claim 1, The method is performed by a user equipment (UE) operating in an evolved universal terrestrial radio access-new air interface (EN-DC).

5. The method according to claim 1, The base station is either a gNodeB (gNB) or an eNB.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalance comprises: (a) Select the maximum value of the horizontal RSRP value and the vertical RSRP value, or (b) Select the sum of the horizontal RSRP value and the vertical RSRP value.

7. A processor of one or more devices in a wireless system, said processor being configured to perform operations including: Measure the reference signal received power (RSRP) value of each of the multiple synchronization signal block (SSB) beams from the base station; In response to determining that the largest RSRP value among the measured RSRP values ​​is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold: Determine the horizontal RSRP value for the horizontal polarization of each specific SSB beam among the plurality of SSB beams. Determine the vertical RSRP value of the vertical polarization of each specific SSB beam among the plurality of SSB beams, and The horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalance of each particular SSB beam in the plurality of SSB beams is determined based at least on (i) the horizontal RSRP value and (ii) the vertical RSRP value. The ordering of the plurality of SSB beams is calculated based at least on the determined H / V polarization imbalance; as well as At least one of the sorted SSB beams is reported to the base station. At least one of the sorted SSB beams has a low H / V imbalance among the sorted SSB beams.

8. The processor of claim 7, wherein calculating the order of the plurality of SSB beams comprises: For each specific SSB beam among the plurality of SSB beams, the weight is determined based on the RSRP value of the specific SSB beam and the H / V polarization imbalance of the SSB beam; as well as The ranking is calculated based on the determined weights of the plurality of SSB beams.

9. One or more processors according to claim 7, wherein reporting at least one of the sorted plurality of SSB beams to the base station includes reporting the highest-ranked SSB beam to the base station.

10. One or more processors according to claim 7, The device in question is operating in Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access - New Radio (EN-DC).

11. One or more processors according to claim 7, The base station is either a gNodeB (gNB) or an eNB.

12. One or more processors according to claim 7, wherein determining the horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalance comprises: (a) Select the maximum value of the horizontal RSRP value and the vertical RSRP value, or (b) Select the sum of the horizontal RSRP value and the vertical RSRP value.

13. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations, the operations including: Measure the reference signal received power (RSRP) value of each of the multiple synchronization signal block (SSB) beams from the base station; In response to determining that the largest RSRP value among the measured RSRP values ​​is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold: Determine the horizontal RSRP value for the horizontal polarization of each specific SSB beam among the plurality of SSB beams. Determine the vertical RSRP value of the vertical polarization of each specific SSB beam among the plurality of SSB beams, and The horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalance of each particular SSB beam in the plurality of SSB beams is determined based at least on (i) the horizontal RSRP value and (ii) the vertical RSRP value. The ordering of the plurality of SSB beams is calculated based at least on the determined H / V polarization imbalance; as well as At least one of the sorted SSB beams is reported to the base station. At least one of the sorted SSB beams has a low H / V imbalance among the sorted SSB beams.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein calculating the order of the plurality of SSB beams comprises: For each specific SSB beam among the plurality of SSB beams, the weight is determined based on the RSRP value of the specific SSB beam and the H / V polarization imbalance of the SSB beam; as well as The ranking is calculated based on the determined weights of the plurality of SSB beams.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein determining the horizontal / vertical (H / V) polarization imbalance comprises: (a) Select the maximum value of the horizontal RSRP value and the vertical RSRP value, or (b) Select the sum of the horizontal RSRP value and the vertical RSRP value.

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