Method and apparatus for indication of reference signals in wireless systems

Abstract

This disclosure relates to pre-fifth generation (5G) or 5G communication systems provided for supporting higher data rates than fourth-generation (4G) communication systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE). A user equipment (UE) is provided in a wireless communication system, the UE comprising: a transceiver; and at least one processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to: receive, via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, from a base station (BS) a configuration of a first set of reference element resources associated with Quasi-Coordinated Positioning (QCL) information and a configuration of a second set of Channel State Information Reference Signals (CSI-RS) resources associated with Channel State Information (CSI) reports; receive from the BS a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE); and identify, based on the received MAC CE, the activation of the one or more CSI-RS resources and the QCL relationship between the CSI-RS resources of the one or more CSI-RS resources and the reference element resources of the one or more reference element resources.

Description

[0001] This case is a divisional application of the invention patent application filed on March 21, 2018, with application number 201880033726.1 and invention title "Method and apparatus for indicating reference signals in a wireless system". Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure generally relates to reference signals in wireless communication systems, and more specifically, to methods for indicating reference signals in advanced wireless communication systems. Background Technology

[0003] To meet the growing demand for wireless data services since the deployment of 4G communication systems, efforts have been made to develop and improve 5G or pre-5G communication systems. Therefore, 5G or pre-5G communication systems are also referred to as "beyond 4G networks" or "post-LTE systems".

[0004] 5G communication systems are considered for implementation in higher frequency (mmWave) bands (e.g., the 60GHz band) to achieve higher data rates. To reduce radio wave propagation loss and increase transmission distance, beamforming, massive MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output), full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas, analog beamforming, and massive MIMO technologies are discussed in 5G communication systems.

[0005] In addition, in 5G communication systems, the development of system network improvements based on advanced small cells, radio access network (RAN), ultra-dense networks, device-to-device (D2D) communication, wireless backhaul, mobile networks, cooperative communication, coordinated multi-points (CoMP), and receiver interference cancellation is underway.

[0006] In 5G systems, hybrid frequency shift keying (FSK) and quadrature amplitude modulation (FQAM) as advanced coding modulation (ACM), as well as sliding window superposition coding (SWSC), have been developed. Filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), and sparse code multiple access (SCMA) have also been developed as advanced access technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Technical issues

[0008] Embodiments of this disclosure provide indication of reference signals in a wireless communication system.

[0009] Technical solution

[0010] In one embodiment, a user equipment (UE) is provided in a wireless communication system. The UE includes a transceiver configured to receive Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) signaling from a base station (BS), the signaling including a quasi-co-location (QCL) indication between a first resource and a second resource, and activation of the second resource, wherein the UE is configured to use the second resource for CSI reporting. The UE also includes a processor operatively connected to the transceiver, the processor being configured to identify from the MAC-CE signaling the activation of the second resource and the QCL relationship between the first and second resources based on the QCL indication.

[0011] In another embodiment, a base station (BS) in a wireless communication system is provided. The BS includes a processor configured to generate Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) signaling, the signaling including a quasi-co-location (QCL) indication between a first resource and a second resource, and activation of the second resource. The BS also includes a transceiver operatively connected to the processor, the transceiver configured to transmit MAC-CE signaling to a user equipment (UE) indicating the activation of the second resource and the QCL relationship between the first and second resources.

[0012] In yet another embodiment, a method for operating a UE or BS is provided.

[0013] In another embodiment, a user equipment (UE) is provided in a wireless communication system, the UE comprising: a transceiver; and at least one processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to: receive from a base station (BS) via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling a configuration of a first set of reference element resources associated with Quasi-Coordinated Positioning (QCL) information and a configuration of a second set of Channel State Information Reference Signals (CSI-RS) resources associated with Channel State Information (CSI) reports; receive from the BS a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE), including: information for indicating one or more CSI-RS resources in the second set and information for indicating one or more reference element resources in the first set; and identify, based on the received MAC CE, the activation of the one or more CSI-RS resources and the QCL relationship between the CSI-RS resources of the one or more CSI-RS resources and the reference element resources of the one or more reference element resources, wherein the QCL information is associated with a parameter set, and wherein the parameter set includes one or more of reception Rx, beam-related spatial parameters, delay-related parameters, and Doppler-related parameters.

[0014] In another embodiment, a base station (BS) is provided in a wireless communication system, the BS comprising: a transceiver; and at least one processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to: transmit to a user equipment (UE) via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling a configuration of a first set of reference element resources associated with Quasi-Coordinated Positioning (QCL) information and a configuration of a second set of Channel State Information Reference Signals (CSI-RS) resources associated with Channel State Information (CSI) reports; transmit to the UE a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE), including: information for indicating one or more CSI-RS resources in the second set and information for indicating one or more reference element resources in the first set; and wherein the MAC CE identifies the activation of the one or more CSI-RS resources and the QCL relationship between the CSI-RS resources of the one or more CSI-RS resources and the reference element resources of the one or more reference element resources, wherein the QCL information is associated with a parameter set, and wherein the parameter set includes one or more of reception Rx, beam-related spatial parameters, delay-related parameters, and Doppler-related parameters.

[0015] In another embodiment, a method executed by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system is provided, the method comprising: receiving from a base station (BS) via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling a configuration of a first set of reference element resources associated with Quasi-Cooperative Positioning (QCL) information and a configuration of a second set of Channel State Information Reference Signals (CSI-RS) resources associated with Channel State Information (CSI) reports; receiving from the BS a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE), including: information for indicating one or more CSI-RS resources in the second set and information for indicating one or more reference element resources in the first set; and identifying, based on the received MAC CE, the activation of the one or more CSI-RS resources and the QCL relationship between the CSI-RS resources of the one or more CSI-RS resources and the reference element resources of the one or more reference element resources, wherein the QCL information is associated with a parameter set, and wherein the parameter set includes one or more of reception Rx, beam-related spatial parameters, delay-related parameters, and Doppler-related parameters.

[0016] In another embodiment, a method executed by a base station (BS) in a wireless communication system is provided, the method comprising: transmitting to a user equipment (UE) via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling a configuration of a first set of reference element resources associated with Quasi-Coordinated Positioning (QCL) information and a configuration of a second set of Channel State Information Reference Signals (CSI-RS) resources for Channel State Information (CSI) reporting; transmitting to the UE a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE), including: information for indicating one or more CSI-RS resources in the second set and information for indicating one or more reference element resources in the first set; and wherein the MAC CE identifies the activation of the one or more CSI-RS resources and the QCL relationship between the CSI-RS resources of the one or more CSI-RS resources and the reference element resources of the one or more reference element resources, wherein the QCL information is associated with a parameter set, and wherein the parameter set includes one or more of reception Rx, beam-related spatial parameters, delay-related parameters, and Doppler-related parameters.

[0017] Other technical features may be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following figures, description and claims.

[0018] Beneficial effects of the invention

[0019] Embodiments of this disclosure provide indication of reference signals in a wireless communication system. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To gain a more complete understanding of this disclosure and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like parts:

[0021] Figure 1 An example wireless network according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0022] Figure 2 An example eNB according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0023] Figure 3 An example UE according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0024] Figure 4A A high-level diagram of an orthogonal frequency division multiple access transmission path according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0025] Figure 4B A high-level diagram of an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM) receiving path according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0026] Figure 5 A block diagram of a transmitter for PDSCH in a subframe is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 6 A receiver block diagram for PDSCH in a subframe is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 7 A transmitter block diagram for PUSCH in a subframe is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 8 A receiver block diagram for PUSCH in a subframe is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 9 An example antenna block according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0031] Figure 10 An example LTE cell search process according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0032] Figure 11 An example PSS / SSS / PBCH transmission according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0033] Figure 12 An example IFDMA and subcarrier spacing are shown according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0034] Figure 13 A flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown; and

[0035] Figure 14 Another flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0036] Before proceeding with the detailed description below, it may be advantageous to define certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document. The term “coupled” and its derivatives refer to any direct or indirect communication between two or more elements, regardless of whether those elements are physically in contact with each other. The terms “transmit,” “receive,” and “communicate,” and their derivatives cover both direct and indirect communication. The terms “comprising” and “including,” and their derivatives refer to, but are not limited to, those including. The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and / or. The phrase “associated with,” and its derivatives refer to, including, being contained within, interconnected, containing, being included in, connected or connected to, coupled or coupled to, communicating with, cooperating, intertwining, juxtaposed, proximate, bound or bound to, having, having attributes, having a relationship or being related to, etc. The term “controller” refers to any device, system, or part thereof that controls at least one operation. Such a controller may be implemented in hardware, or a combination of hardware and software and / or firmware. The functionality associated with any particular controller may be centralized or distributed, local or remote. The phrase "at least one" when used with a list of items means that different combinations of one or more of the listed items may be used, and that only one item from the list may be required. For example, "at least one of A, B, and C" includes any of the following combinations: A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, A and B and C.

[0037] Furthermore, the various functions described below can be implemented or supported by one or more computer programs, each computer program being formed by computer-readable program code and embodied in a computer-readable medium. The terms "application" and "program" refer to one or more computer programs, software components, instruction sets, procedures, functions, objects, classes, instances, associated data, or portions thereof suitable for implementation in suitable computer-readable program code. The phrase "computer-readable program code" includes any type of computer code, including source code, object code, and executable code. The phrase "computer-readable medium" includes any type of medium accessible by a computer, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), hard disk drive, optical disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), or any other type of storage. "Non-transitory" computer-readable media does not include wired, wireless, optical, or other communication links that transmit transient electrical or other signals. A non-transitory computer-readable medium includes media where data can be permanently stored and media where data can be stored and later rewritten, such as rewritable optical discs or erasable storage devices.

[0038] Definitions of other specific words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document. Those skilled in the art will understand that, in many, if not most, cases, such definitions apply to the prior and future use of the words and phrases thus defined.

[0039] The following discussion Figures 1 to 14 The various embodiments used to describe the principles of this disclosure in this patent document are merely exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure in any way. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of this disclosure can be implemented in any suitably arranged system or device.

[0040] The following documents and standards are incorporated herein by reference, as if fully set forth herein: 3GPP TS 36.211v13.0.0, “E-UTRA, Physical Channels and Modulation”; 3GPP TS 36.212v13.0.0, “E-UTRA, Multiplexing and Channel Coding”; 3GPP TS 36.213v13.0.0, “E-UTRA, Physical Layer Procedures”; and 3GPP TS 36.321v13.0.0, “E-UTRA Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Specification”; 3GPP TS 36.331v13.0.0.

[0041] In wireless communication networks, network access and radio resource management (RRM) are implemented by physical layer synchronization signals and higher-level (MAC) procedures. Specifically, the UE attempts to detect the presence of a synchronization signal and at least one cell identifier (ID) for initial access. Once the UE is in the network and associated with a serving cell, it monitors several neighboring cells by attempting to detect their synchronization signals and / or measuring the associated cell-specific reference signal (RS). For next-generation cellular systems such as 3GPP-NR (3rd Generation Partnership Project - New Radio Access or Interface), efficient and uniform radio resource acquisition or tracking mechanisms for various use cases, such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC), and massive machine-type communication (mMTC), each corresponding to different coverage requirements and frequency bands with different propagation losses, are desired. The most likely design employs different network and radio resource paradigms, and seamless and low-latency RRM is also desirable.

[0042] The following Figure 1-4BVarious embodiments of implementation in wireless communication systems and implementation using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication technologies are described. Figure 1-3 The description is not intended to limit the physical or architectural aspects, but rather to allow for implementation in various ways. Different embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in any suitably arranged communication system.

[0043] Figure 1 An example wireless network according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 1 The embodiments of the wireless network shown are for illustrative purposes only. Other embodiments of the wireless network 100 may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0044] like Figure 1 As shown, the wireless network includes eNB 101, eNB 102, and eNB 103. eNB 101 communicates with eNB 102 and eNB 103. eNB 101 also communicates with at least one network 130, such as the Internet, a proprietary Internet Protocol (IP) network, or other data network.

[0045] eNB 102 provides wireless broadband access to network 130 to a first plurality of user equipments (UEs) within its coverage area 120. The first plurality of UEs includes: UE 111, which may be located in a small business (SB); UE 112, which may be located in an enterprise (E); UE 113, which may be located in a WiFi hotspot; UE 114, which may be located in a first residence (R); UE 115, which may be located in a second residence (R); and UE 116, which may be a mobile device (M), such as a cellular phone, wireless laptop computer, wireless PDA, etc. eNB 103 provides wireless broadband access to network 130 to a second plurality of UEs within its coverage area 125. The second plurality of UEs includes UE 115 and UE 116. In some embodiments, one or more of eNBs 101-103 may communicate with each other and with UEs 111-116 using 5G, LTE, LTE-A, WiMAX, WiFi, or other wireless communication technologies.

[0046] Depending on the network type, the term "base station" or "BS" can refer to any component (or set of components) configured to provide wireless access to a network, such as a transmit point (TP), transmit-receive point (TRP), enhanced base station (eNodeB or eNB), 5G base station (gNB), macrocell, femtocell, WiFi access point (AP), or other wireless-enabled device. A base station can provide wireless access according to one or more wireless communication protocols, such as 5G 3GPP New Radio Interface / Access (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac, etc. For convenience, the terms "BS" and "TRP" are used interchangeably in this patent document, referring to network infrastructure components that provide wireless access to remote terminals. Additionally, depending on the network type, the term "user equipment" or "UE" can refer to any component such as a "mobile station," "subscriber station," "remote terminal," "wireless terminal," "receiving point," or "user device." For convenience, the terms “user equipment” and “UE” used in this patent document refer to remote wireless equipment for wireless access to a BS, whether the UE is a mobile device (such as a mobile phone or smartphone) or a fixed device as commonly considered (such as a desktop computer or vending machine).

[0047] The dashed lines indicate the approximate extent of coverage areas 120 and 125, which are shown as roughly circular for illustrative and explanatory purposes only. It should be clearly understood that, depending on the configuration of the eNB and variations in the radio environment associated with natural and man-made obstacles, the coverage areas associated with the base station, such as coverage areas 120 and 125, may have other shapes, including irregular shapes.

[0048] As described in more detail below, one or more of UEs 111-116 include circuitry, programming, or a combination thereof for effective covariance matrix feedback in an advanced wireless communication system. In some embodiments, one or more of eNBs 101-103 include circuitry, programming, or a combination thereof for receiving effective covariance matrix feedback in an advanced wireless communication system.

[0049] although Figure 1 An example of a wireless network is shown, but more can be found on... Figure 1Various modifications can be made. For example, the wireless network can include any number of eNBs and any number of UEs in any suitable arrangement. Furthermore, eNB 101 can communicate directly with any number of UEs and provide those UEs with wireless broadband access to network 130. Similarly, each eNB 102-103 can communicate directly with network 130 and provide UEs with direct wireless broadband access to network 130. Additionally, eNB 101, eNB 102, and / or eNB 103 can provide access to other or additional external networks, such as external telephone networks or other types of data networks.

[0050] Figure 2 An exemplary eNB 102 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 2 The embodiment of eNB 102 shown is for illustrative purposes only, and Figure 1 eNB 101 and eNB 103 can have the same or similar configurations. However, eNBs come in a wide variety of configurations, and Figure 2 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of any particular implementation of the eNB.

[0051] like Figure 2 As shown, the eNB 102 includes multiple antennas 205a-205n, multiple radio frequency transceivers 210a-210n, transmit (TX) processing circuitry 215, and receive (RX) processing circuitry 220. The eNB 102 also includes a controller / processor 225, a memory 230, and a backhaul or network interface 235.

[0052] Radio frequency transceivers 210a-210n receive input RF signals, such as signals transmitted by a UE in network 100, from antennas 205a-205n. RF transceivers 210a-210n down-convert the input RF signals to generate IF or baseband signals. The IF or baseband signals are sent to RX processing circuitry 220, which generates a processed baseband signal by filtering, decoding, and / or digitizing the baseband or IF signals. RX processing circuitry 220 transmits the processed baseband signal to controller / processor 225 for further processing.

[0053] TX processing circuit 215 receives analog or digital data (such as voice data, network data, email, or interactive video game data) from controller / processor 225. TX processing circuit 215 encodes, multiplexes, and / or digitizes the transmitted baseband data to generate a processed baseband or IF signal. RF transceivers 210a-210n receive the processed baseband or IF signal transmitted from TX processing circuit 215 and up-convert the baseband or IF signal into an RF signal transmitted via antennas 205a-205n.

[0054] The controller / processor 225 may include one or more processors or other processing devices that control the overall operation of the eNB 102. For example, the controller / processor 225 may control the reception of forward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signals through RF transceivers 210a-210n, RX processing circuitry 220, and TX processing circuitry 215, based on well-known principles. The controller / processor 225 may also support additional functions, such as more advanced wireless communication capabilities.

[0055] For example, the controller / processor 225 can support beamforming or directional routing operations, where outgoing signals from multiple antennas 205a-205n are weighted differently to efficiently direct the outgoing signals in the desired direction. Any of a variety of other functions can be supported in the eNB 102 via the controller / processor 225.

[0056] The controller / processor 225 is also capable of executing programs and other processes, such as an operating system, residing in the memory 230. The controller / processor 225 can move data into or out of the memory 230 as needed for the execution process.

[0057] The controller / processor 225 is also coupled to the backhaul or network interface 235. The backhaul or network interface 235 allows the eNB 102 to communicate with other devices or systems via a backhaul connection or over a network. Interface 235 can support communication via any suitable wired or wireless connection. For example, when the eNB 102 is implemented as part of a cellular communication system (such as a cellular communication system supporting 5G, LTE, or LTE-A), interface 235 can allow the eNB 102 to communicate with other eNBs via a wired or wireless backhaul connection. When the eNB 102 is implemented as an access point, interface 235 can allow the eNB 102 to communicate via a wired or wireless local area network or via a wired or wireless connection to a larger network (such as the Internet). Interface 235 includes any suitable architecture that supports communication via wired or wireless connections, such as Ethernet or RF transceivers.

[0058] The memory 230 is coupled to the controller / processor 225. A portion of the memory 230 may include RAM, and another portion of the memory 230 may include flash memory or other ROM.

[0059] although Figure 2 An example of an eNB 102 is shown, but more can be found on other eNBs. Figure 2 Various changes can be made. For example, eNB 102 can include any number of Figure 2Each component is shown in the diagram. As a specific example, an access point may include multiple interfaces 235, and the controller / processor 225 may support routing capabilities for routing data between different network addresses. As another specific example, although shown as a single instance including TX processing circuitry 215 and a single instance including RX processing circuitry 220, the eNB 102 may include multiple instances of each (e.g., one for each RF transceiver). Furthermore, Figure 2 The various components can be combined, further subdivided, or omitted, and additional components can be added as needed.

[0060] Figure 3 An example UE 116 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 3 The embodiment of UE 116 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 1 UEs 111-115 can have the same or similar configurations. However, UEs have a wide variety of configurations, and Figure 3 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of any particular implementation of the UE.

[0061] like Figure 3 As shown, UE 116 includes an antenna 305, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver 310, a TX processing circuit 315, a microphone 320, and a receive (RX) processing circuit 325. UE 116 also includes a speaker 330, a processor 340, an input / output (I / O) interface (IF) 345, a touchscreen 350, a display 355, and a memory 360. The memory 360 includes an operating system (OS) 361 and one or more applications 362.

[0062] RF transceiver 310 receives an input RF signal transmitted by an eNB of network 100 from antenna 305. RF transceiver 310 down-converts the input RF signal to generate an intermediate frequency (IF) or baseband signal. The IF or baseband signal is sent to RX processing circuitry 325, which generates a processed baseband signal by filtering, decoding, and / or digitizing the baseband or IF signal. RX processing circuitry 325 transmits the processed baseband signal to speaker 330 (e.g., for voice data) or processor 340 (e.g., for web browsing data) for further processing.

[0063] The TX processing circuit 315 receives analog or digital voice data from the microphone 320, or other outgoing baseband data (such as network data, email, or interactive video game data) from the processor 340. The TX processing circuit 315 encodes, multiplexes, and / or digitizes the outgoing baseband data to generate a processed baseband or IF signal. The RF transceiver 310 receives the processed baseband or IF signal from the TX processing circuit 315 and up-converts it into an RF signal transmitted via the antenna 305.

[0064] Processor 340 may include one or more processors or other processing devices and executes OS 361 stored in memory 360 to control the overall operation of UE 116. For example, processor 340 may control the reception of forward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signals through RF transceiver 310, RX processing circuitry 325 and TX processing circuitry 315, based on well-known principles. In some embodiments, processor 340 includes at least one microprocessor or microcontroller.

[0065] Processor 340 is also capable of executing other processes and programs residing in memory 360, such as procedures for CSI reporting on PUCCH. Processor 340 can move data into or out of memory 360 as needed for the execution process. In some embodiments, processor 340 is configured to execute application 362 based on OS 361 or in response to signals received from eNB or operator. Processor 340 is also coupled to I / O interface 345, which provides UE 116 with the ability to connect to other devices, such as laptop computers and handheld computers. I / O interface 345 is the communication path between these accessories and processor 340.

[0066] The processor 340 is also coupled to the touchscreen 350 and the display 355. The operator of the UE 116 can use the touchscreen 350 to input data into the UE 116. The display 355 may be a liquid crystal display, a light-emitting diode display, or other display capable of displaying text (such as from a website) and / or at least limited graphics.

[0067] The memory 360 is coupled to the processor 340. A portion of the memory 360 may include random access memory (RAM), and another portion of the memory 360 may include flash memory or other read-only memory (ROM).

[0068] although Figure 3 An example of UE 116 is shown, but it is possible to modify it. Figure 3 Make various changes. For example, Figure 3The various components can be combined, further subdivided, or omitted, and additional components can be added according to specific needs. As a specific example, processor 340 can be divided into multiple processors, such as one or more central processing units (CPUs) and one or more graphics processing units (GPUs). Furthermore, although... Figure 3 The UE 116 is shown configured as a mobile phone or smartphone, but the UE can be configured to operate as other types of mobile devices or fixed devices.

[0069] Figure 4A This is a high-level diagram of the transmission path circuit. For example, the transmission path circuit can be used for Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication. Figure 4B This is a high-level diagram of the receive path circuitry. For example, the receive path circuitry can be used in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication. Figure 4A and Figure 4B In the context of downlink communication, the transmission path circuitry can be implemented in the base station (eNB) 102 or a relay station, and the receive path circuitry can be implemented in the user equipment (e.g., Figure 1 The user equipment 116) is implemented in other examples. For uplink communication, the receive path circuit 450 can be implemented in the base station (e.g., Figure 1 Implemented in the eNB 102 or relay station, and the transmission path circuit can be in the user equipment (e.g., Figure 1 Implemented in user equipment 116).

[0070] The transmission path circuitry includes a channel coding and modulation block 405, a serial-to-parallel (S-to-P) block 410, an N-size inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) block 415, a parallel-to-serial (P-to-S) block 420, a cyclic prefix addition block 425, and an up-converter (UC) 430. The receiving path circuitry 450 includes a down-converter (DC) 455, a cyclic prefix removal block 460, a serial-to-parallel (S-to-P) block 465, an N-size fast Fourier transform (FFT) block 470, a parallel-to-serial (P-to-S) block 475, and a channel decoding and demodulation block 480.

[0071] Figure 4A 400 and Figure 4B At least some of the components in 450 can be implemented in software, while others can be implemented in configurable hardware or a combination of software and configurable hardware. In particular, it is noted that the FFT and IFFT blocks described in this disclosure can be implemented as configurable software algorithms, wherein the value of size N can be modified according to the implementation method.

[0072] Furthermore, although this disclosure pertains to embodiments implementing the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT), this is merely exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure. It will be understood that in alternative embodiments of this disclosure, the FFT and IFFT functions can be readily replaced by Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) and Inverse Discrete Fourier Transform (IDFT) functions, respectively. It will be understood that for the DFT and IDFT functions, the value of the N variable can be any integer (i.e., 1, 4, 3, 4, etc.), while for the FFT and IFFT functions, the value of the N variable can be any integer that is a power of 2 (i.e., 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, etc.).

[0073] In the transmission path circuit 400, the channel coding and modulation block 405 receives a set of information bits and applies coding (e.g., LDPC coding) and modulation (e.g., Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) or Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM)) to the input bits to generate a frequency-domain modulated symbol sequence. The serial-to-parallel block 410 converts (i.e., demultiplexes) the serially modulated symbols into parallel data to generate N parallel symbol streams, where N is the IFFT / FFT size used in BS 102 and UE 116. Then, an IFFT block 415 of size N performs an IFFT operation on the N parallel symbol streams to generate a time-domain output signal. The parallel-to-serial block 420 converts (i.e., multiplexes) the parallel time-domain output symbols from the IFFT block 415 of size N to generate a serial time-domain signal. Then, a cyclic prefix addition block 425 inserts a cyclic prefix into the time-domain signal. Finally, the upconverter 430 modulates (i.e., upconverts) the output of the cyclic prefix addition block 425 to an RF frequency for transmission via the wireless channel. The signal can also be filtered with baseband before being converted to RF frequency.

[0074] The transmitted RF signal arrives at UE 116 after passing through the wireless channel, and the reverse operation of eNB 102 is performed. Downconverter 455 downconverts the received signal to the baseband frequency, and cyclic prefix removal block 460 removes the cyclic prefix to generate a serial time-domain baseband signal. Serial-to-parallel block 465 converts the time-domain baseband signal into a parallel time-domain signal. Then, FFT block 470 of size N performs an FFT algorithm to generate N parallel frequency-domain signals. Parallel-to-serial block 475 converts the parallel frequency-domain signals into a modulated data symbol sequence. Channel decoding and demodulation block 480 demodulates and then decodes the modulated symbols to recover the original input data stream.

[0075] Each of eNBs 101-103 can implement a transmission path similar to that used for transmission to user equipments 111-116 in the downlink, and can implement a reception path similar to that used for reception from user equipments 111-116 in the uplink. Similarly, each of user equipments 111-116 can implement a transmission path corresponding to the architecture used for transmission to eNBs 101-103 in the uplink, and can implement a reception path corresponding to the architecture used for reception from eNBs 101-103 in the downlink.

[0076] Use cases for 5G communication systems have been identified and described. These use cases can be roughly divided into three distinct groups. In one example, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) was identified as having high bit / second requirements but less stringent requirements for latency and reliability. In another example, ultra-reliable and low-latency (URLL) was identified as having less stringent bit / second requirements. In yet another example, massive machine-type communication (mMTC) was identified as having up to 100,000 to 1 million devices per square kilometer, but with less stringent requirements for reliability / throughput / latency. This scenario may also involve power efficiency requirements, as battery consumption should be minimized as much as possible.

[0077] A communication system includes a downlink (DL) that transmits signals from a transmission point (such as a base station (BS) or a node B (NodeB)) to a user equipment (UE) and an uplink (UL) that transmits signals from the UE to a receiving point (such as a node B). The UE, commonly referred to as a terminal or mobile station, can be fixed or mobile and can be a cellular phone, personal computer device, or automated device. A node B, typically a fixed station, may also be referred to as an access point or other equivalent terms. For LTE systems, a node B is typically referred to as an eNodeB.

[0078] In communication systems such as LTE, DL signals can include data signals that transmit information content, control signals that transmit DL control information (DCI), and reference signals (RS), also known as pilot signals. The eNodeB transmits data information through the Physical DL Shared Channel (PDSCH). The eNodeB transmits DCI through the Physical DL Control Channel (PDCCH) or Enhanced PDCCH.

[0079] The eNodeB transmits acknowledgment information in response to data transmission blocks (TBs) from the UE in the Physical Hybrid ARQ Indication Channel (PHICH). The eNodeB transmits one or more types of RS, including UE-Common RS (CRS), Channel State Information RS (CSI-RS), or Demodulated RS (DMRS). CRS is transmitted over the DL system bandwidth (BW) and can be used by the UE to obtain channel estimates, demodulate data or control information, or perform measurements. To reduce CRS overhead, the eNodeB can transmit CSI-RS at a lower density in the time and / or frequency domains than CRS. DMRS is transmitted only in the BW of the corresponding PDSCH and EPDCCH, and the UE can use DMRS to demodulate data or control information in the PDSCH and EPDCCH. The transmission time interval of the DL channel is called a subframe and can have a duration of, for example, 1 millisecond.

[0080] The DL signal also includes the transmission of logical channels carrying system control information. When the DL signal transmits a Master Information Block (MIB), the BCCH is mapped to a transport channel called the Broadcast Channel (BCH), or when the DL signal transmits a System Information Block (SIB), the BCCH is mapped to the DL Shared Channel (DL-SCH). Most system information is included in different SIBs that are transmitted using the DL-SCH. The presence of system information on the DL-SCH in a subframe can be indicated by the transmission of the corresponding PDCCH, which has a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) codeword scrambled with the specific system information RNTI (SI-RNTI). Alternatively, scheduling information for SIB transmission can be provided in an earlier SIB, and scheduling information for the first SIB (SIB-1) can be provided by the MIB.

[0081] DL resource allocation is performed on a per-subframe and per-set-of-physical-resource-blocks (PRBs). A transport BW consists of frequency resource elements called resource blocks (RBs). Each RB includes... Each subcarrier or resource element (RE) can have 12 REs. A unit of one RB on a subframe is called a PRB. An M can be allocated to a UE. PDSCH RB, total One RE is used for PDSCH transmission BW.

[0082] UL signals can include data signals for transmitting data information, control signals for transmitting UL control information (UCI), and UL RS. UL RS includes DMRS and Sounding RS (SRS). The UE only transmits DMRS in the BW of the corresponding PUSCH or PUCCH. The eNodeB can use DMRS to demodulate data signals or UCI signals. The UE transmits SRS to provide ULCSI to the eNodeB. The UE transmits data information or UCI through the corresponding Physical UL Shared Channel (PUSCH) or Physical UL Control Channel (PUCCH). If the UE needs to transmit data information and UCI in the same UL subframe, it can multiplex these two in the PUSCH. The UCI includes a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) message, a Scheduling Request (SR), a Rank Indicator (RI), and Channel State Information (CSI), enabling the eNodeB to perform link adaptation for PDSCH transmission to the UE. The HARQ-ACK message indicates a correct (ACK) or incorrect (NACK) detection of data TB in the PDSCH, or the absence of a PDCCH (DTX) detection. The Scheduling Request (SR) indicates whether the UE has data in its buffer. The HARQ-ACK message is also transmitted by the UE in response to the detection of a PDCCH / EPDCCH indicating the release of a semi-persistently scheduled PDSCH.

[0083] The UL subframe consists of two time slots. Each time slot includes... A symbol is used to transmit data information, UCI, DMRS, or SRS. The frequency resource unit for the UL system BW is RB. The UE is allocated N RB RB, total One RE is used to transmit BW. For PUCCH, N RB =1. The last subframe symbol can be used to multiplex SRS transmissions from one or more UEs. The number of subframe symbols available for data / UCI / DMRS transmission is... Where the last subframe symbol is used to transmit SRS, then N SRS =1, otherwise N SRS =0.

[0084] Figure 5 A block diagram 500 of a transmitter for PDSCH in a subframe is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 The embodiment of the transmitter block diagram 500 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 5 The scope of this disclosure is not limited to any particular implementation of the transmitter block diagram 500.

[0085] like Figure 5As shown, information bits 510 are encoded by encoder 520 (such as a turbo encoder) and modulated by modulator 530, for example using quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation. A serial-to-parallel (S / P) converter 540 generates M modulation symbols, which are then provided to mapper 550 to be mapped to REs selected by transmission BW selection unit 555 for the assigned PDSCH transmission BW. Unit 560 applies an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT), and the output is then serialized by parallel-to-serial (P / S) converter 570 to create a time-domain signal, filtered by filter 580, and the signal is transmitted 590. Additional features such as data scrambling, cyclic prefix insertion, time windowing, interleaving, etc., are well known in the art and are not shown for simplicity.

[0086] Figure 6 A receiver block diagram 600 for PDSCH in a subframe is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 The embodiment shown in Figure 600 is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 6 The scope of this disclosure is not limited to any particular embodiment of FIG600.

[0087] like Figure 6 As shown, the received signal 610 is filtered by filter 620, and the RE 630 for the assigned receive BW is selected by BW selector 635. Unit 640 applies Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), and the output is serialized by parallel-to-serial converter 650. Subsequently, demodulator 660 coherently demodulates the data symbols by applying a channel estimate obtained from DMRS or CRS (not shown), and decoder 670 (such as a turbo decoder) decodes the demodulated data to provide an estimate of the information data bits 680. For simplicity, additional functions such as time windows, cyclic prefix removal, descrambling, channel estimation, and deinterleaving are not shown.

[0088] Figure 7 A block diagram 700 of a transmitter for PUSCH in a subframe is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 7 The embodiment of block diagram 700 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 7 The scope of this disclosure is not limited to any particular implementation of block diagram 700.

[0089] like Figure 7As shown, information data bits 710 are encoded by encoder 720 (such as a turbo encoder) and modulated by modulator 730. Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) unit 740 applies DFT to the modulated data bits, transmission BW selection unit 755 selects RE 750 corresponding to the assigned PUSCH transmission BW, unit 760 applies IFFT, and after cyclic prefix insertion (not shown), filtering is applied by filter 770, and the signal is transmitted 780.

[0090] Figure 8 A receiver block diagram 800 for a PUSCH in a subframe is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 8 The embodiment of block diagram 800 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 8 The scope of this disclosure is not limited to any particular implementation of block diagram 800.

[0091] like Figure 8 As shown, the received signal 810 is filtered by filter 820. Subsequently, after the cyclic prefix is ​​removed (not shown), unit 830 applies FFT, and the receive BW selector 845 selects the RE 840 corresponding to the assigned PUSCH receive BW. Unit 850 applies inverse DFT (IDFT), demodulator 860 coherently demodulates the data symbols by applying a channel estimate obtained from DMRS (not shown), and decoder 870 (such as a turbo decoder) decodes the demodulated data to provide an estimate of the information data bits 880.

[0092] In next-generation cellular systems, various use cases are envisioned to exceed the capabilities of LTE systems. One requirement is that systems known as 5G, or fifth-generation cellular systems, can operate at frequencies below 6 GHz and above -6 GHz (e.g., in millimeter-wave architectures). In 3GPP TR 22.891, 74 5G use cases have been identified and described; these use cases can be roughly divided into three distinct groups. The first group, called “enhanced mobile broadband” (eMBB), targets high data rate services with less stringent requirements for latency and reliability. The second group, called “ultra-reliable and low-latency (URLL)”, targets applications with less stringent data rate requirements but less tolerance for latency. The third group, called “massive MTC (mMTC)”, targets a large number (e.g., 1 million per square kilometer) of low-power device connections with less stringent requirements for reliability, data rate, and latency.

[0093] To enable 5G networks to support such a wide variety of services with different Quality of Service (QoS), a method called network slicing has been identified in the LTE specification. To efficiently utilize PHY resources and multiplex various slices (with different resource allocation schemes, parameter sets, and scheduling strategies) in the DL-SCH, a flexible and self-contained frame or subframe design is employed.

[0094] Figure 9 An example antenna block 900 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 9 The embodiment of antenna block 900 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 9 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of any particular implementation of the antenna block 900.

[0095] For millimeter-wave bands, although the number of antenna elements can be greater for a given formation factor, the number of CSI-RS ports (which can correspond to the number of digital precoding ports) is often limited by hardware constraints (such as the feasibility of installing a large number of ADCs / DACs at millimeter-wave frequencies). Figure 9 As shown. In this case, a CSI-RS port is mapped to a large number of antenna elements, which can be controlled by a set of analog phase shifters. Then, a CSI-RS port can correspond to a subarray that generates a narrow analog beam through analog beamforming.

[0096] The analog beam can be configured to scan a wider range of angles by changing the phase shifter groups on the symbols or subframes. The number of subarrays (equal to the number of RF chains) is related to the number of CSI-RS ports N. CSI-PORT Same. Digital beamforming unit in N CSI-PORT Linear combination is performed on each analog beam to further increase the precoding gain. While the analog beams are broadband (and therefore not frequency selective), digital precoding can vary between frequency subbands or resource blocks.

[0097] Before a UE can receive data or transmit data to an eNB, it must first perform a cell search procedure to obtain time and frequency synchronization with the eNB. The four main synchronization requirements are: symbol, subframe, and frame timing; carrier frequency offset (CFO) correction; sampling clock synchronization; and physical cell ID (PCI) detection and some other potentially cell-specific parameters.

[0098] In some embodiments, the following steps are performed during synchronization. In one example of step 1, after power-on, the UE tunes its RF and attempts to measure the Wideband Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) one after another at a specific frequency (channel, as commanded by a higher layer) on a set of supported frequency bands, and sorts the associated cells based on their respective RSSI values.

[0099] In one example of step 2, the UE uses the downlink synchronization channel, namely the locally stored primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS), to associate with the received signal. For example, in an FDD system, the UE first locates the PSS in the last symbol of the first time slot of the first and sixth subframes within the frame. This allows the UE to synchronize with the eNB at the subframe level. PSS detection assists the UE in time slot timing detection and physical layer cell identifier (PCI) detection based on three sequences (0, 1, 2). These three sequences are used for the PSS to mitigate the so-called single-frequency network (SFN) effect, where the correlated output can exceed the cyclic prefix (CP) length.

[0100] In one example of step 3, for an FDD system, the SSS symbol is also located in the same subframe as the PSS, but in a symbol preceding the PSS. The UE can obtain the PCI group number (0 to 167) from the SSS. The SSS can determine additional parameters, such as radio subframe timing, CP length, and whether the eNB uses FDD or TDD. This process is in... Figure 10 The LTE cell search process is described below.

[0101] Figure 10 An example LTE cell search process 1000 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 10 The embodiment of the LTE cell search process 1000 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 10 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of any particular implementation.

[0102] In one example of step 4, once the UE knows the PCI of a given cell, it also knows the location of the Cell-Specific Reference Signal (CRS) used for channel estimation, cell selection / reselection, and handover procedures. After channel estimation using the CRS, equalization is performed to remove channel impairments from the received symbols.

[0103] In one example of step 5, during initial synchronization, the UE can decode the primary broadcast channel (PBCH) to obtain the primary information block (MIB), which carries key system information such as DL bandwidth, CRS transmission power, number of eNB transmission antennas, system frame number (SFN), and configuration of the physical hybrid ARQ channel (PHICH).

[0104] Table 1 shows the SSS locations relative to the PSS location for both TDD-based and FDD-based systems. In the FDD case, the PSS is transmitted in the last symbol of the time slot, allowing the UE to obtain time slot timing independently of the CP length. Since the UE does not know the CP length in advance, the UE needs to check a total of four possible SSS locations when searching for FDD or TDD cells. Two SSS codes are used, alternating between the first and second SSS transmissions in the subframe. This allows the UE to determine radio timing based on a single observation of the SSS, which is beneficial for the UE switching from another RAT to LTE.

[0105] Table 1. SSS Location

[0106]

[0107]

[0108] Figure 11 An example PSS / SSS / PBCH transmission 1100 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 11 The embodiment of PSS / SSS / PBCH transmission 1100 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 11 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of any particular implementation.

[0109] Figure 11 An example frame structure for PSS / SSS / PBCH transmission in an FDD configuration is shown. PSS and SSS are transmitted in the central 6 RBs, enabling even UEs with minimal bandwidth to detect the signal. In the case of multiple transmission antennas, PSS and SSS are transmitted from the same antenna port in a given subframe, while they can be switched between subframes for antenna diversity. PBCH carries only a 14-bit MIB, which contains some of the most frequently transmitted parameters necessary for initial cell access, such as DL system bandwidth, PHICH size, and SFN number. It repeats every 40 milliseconds.

[0110] Assuming the minimum DL system bandwidth is 6 RBs, the PSS and SSS are transmitted in the 6 resource blocks (RBs) at the center of the DL system bandwidth, so that the UE can detect them before determining the DL system bandwidth. The PSS is generated by a Zadoff-Chu (ZC) sequence of length 63 in the frequency domain, where the middle element is punctured to avoid transmission on the DC subcarrier.

[0111] ZC sequences satisfy the constant amplitude zero autocorrelation (CAZAC) property, which enables PSS to possess time / frequency flatness (resulting in low PAPR / CM and no dynamic range in the frequency domain), good autocorrelation / cross-correlation profiles, and low-complexity detection at the UE (through the use of complex conjugate properties, such as u1 = 29 and u2 = 63 - 29 = 34, and through the use of centrosymmetric properties in both the time and frequency domains). However, due to the duality of the CAZAC property in both the time and frequency domains, the offset of the ZC sequence in the frequency domain is also transformed in the time domain, and vice versa.

[0112] Therefore, when using ZC sequence timing synchronization, frequency / time offsets show time / frequency offsets separately, and cannot distinguish between offsets in these two dimensions. The center root index in the available root ZC sequence index vector has low frequency offset sensitivity; therefore, root indices u = 25, 29, and 34 are selected in LTE to provide three cell IDs within the cell ID group.

[0113] The selection of the root index also considers partial correlation to overcome the large frequency shift in the initial cell search. Due to the phase rotation in the time domain caused by the large frequency shift, it is necessary to consider not only the partial correlation of the ZC sequence but also the partial correlation of other sequences under large frequency shift operations, especially in the initial cell search, although the window size for each partial correlation can vary depending on the precise design.

[0114] The PSS sequence x(n) consists of a length of N ZC The root u i The ZC sequence is composed of, and is given by, the following formula:

[0115]

[0116] LTE ZC sequences are mapped to achieve centrosymmetry (i.e., index 5 corresponds to a DC subcarrier of an RB containing 12 subcarriers indexed from 0 to 11). SSS sequences are based on M-sequences. 168 sequences are generated by frequency-domain interleaving of two BPSK-modulated M-sequences of length 31, where the two 31-length M-sequences are derived from two distinct cyclic shifts of a single 31-length M-sequence. During cross-correlation, the two-part structure of the SSS results in sidelobes, which are mitigated by scrambling. For the SSS, coherent detection is possible when channel estimation can be obtained via PSS detection.

[0117] To achieve better performance for coherent SSS detection by estimating the channel based on the PSS, multiple PSS sequences are used while balancing the complexity of PSS detection. Different PSS sequences can improve channel estimation accuracy by mitigating the SFN effect caused by a single PSS sequence from all cells. Therefore, the aforementioned PSS / SSS design can support both coherent and incoherent SSS detection.

[0118] The UE needs to operate three parallel correlators for three different PSS sequences. However, root indices 29 and 34 are complex conjugates of each other, which makes a "one-shot" correlator possible—the two correlation outputs for u=29 and 34 can be obtained from the correlation for u=34 or u=29. The conjugate property applies in both the time and frequency domains for any sampling rate, with a centrosymmetric mapping in the frequency domain. Therefore, only two parallel correlators are needed (one for u=25 and the other for u=29 (or u=34)).

[0119] There is a need to enhance existing synchronization and cell search procedures for new communication systems such as 5G for at least the following reasons. In one example for beamforming support, beamforming is required for eNB (and possibly UE) transmissions to meet link budget requirements for operation in high carrier bands (such as bands above 6 GHz). Therefore, the aforementioned synchronization and cell search procedures need to be updated for beamforming support.

[0120] In another example of high bandwidth support, for operation with a large system bandwidth (such as 100 MHz or more), a different subcarrier spacing can be applied than that used for operation with a smaller system bandwidth, and this design needs to be considered in the synchronization and cell search process design.

[0121] In another example of improving coverage, for some applications, such as those associated with increased coverage requirements due to placing the UE in locations experiencing large path loss, the synchronization and cell search processes need to support enhanced coverage and increased repetition of synchronization signals.

[0122] In another example used to improve performance, the synchronization performance of the aforementioned process is limited by false alarms caused by dividing the cell ID into 1 PSS and 2 SSS, resulting in invalid combinations of PSS / SSS that cannot be completely resolved by scrambling. A new synchronization process with improved false alarm performance can be designed.

[0123] In another example of supporting variable transmission time intervals (TTIs), the TTI duration is fixed in the LTE specification. However, for 5G systems, the TTI is expected to be variable due to support for different subcarrier spacings, low latency considerations, and so on. In scenarios with variable TTIs, it is necessary to specify the mapping between intra-frame synchronization sequences and cell search.

[0124] In this disclosure, the SS burst set appears periodically with a period P, where P is an integer, such as 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 100, etc., in milliseconds.

[0125] In this disclosure, an SS burst means a set of N2 consecutive SS blocks, where N2 is an integer, such as 1, 2, 3, 4.

[0126] In this disclosure, the SS block includes a combination of synchronization signals, broadcast signals, and reference signals, which are multiplexed in TDM, FDM, CDM, or a hybrid manner.

[0127] In this disclosure, cell coverage is provided by beam scanning over SS blocks that include SS burst sets. Different Tx beams can be used for different SS blocks within the SS burst set.

[0128] Figure 12 An example IFDMA and subcarrier spacing 1200 are shown according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 12 The IFDMA and subcarrier spacing 1200 shown in the figure are for illustrative purposes only. Figure 12 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of any particular implementation.

[0129] like Figure 12 As shown, both the IFDMA scheme and the subcarrier spacing scaling scheme are considered. When using IFDMA, the length of a single sub-time unit is approximately 1 / Q1 of the time unit, where the integer Q1 refers to the repetition factor (each Q1 subcarrier carries a signal). When using subcarrier scaling, the length of a single sub-time unit is 1 / Q1 of the time unit, where Q1 refers to the subcarrier scaling factor (the subcarrier spacing is Q1 times larger than the reference subcarrier scaling ratio).

[0130] In this disclosure, QCL resources may refer to: beams, antenna ports (across all configured time units), a set of antenna ports corresponding to RS resources, CSI-RS resources, or a combination of antenna ports and RS resources time units.

[0131] In this disclosure, RS resources may refer to: CSI-RS resources, BRS (multi-beam mobility RS, which may be cell-specific and may correspond to PSS, SSS, PBCH DMRS, DMRS, CSI-RS or a newly designed RS), a set of DMRS ports, etc.

[0132] In this disclosure, RS settings may refer to a collection of RS resources.

[0133] In this disclosure, depending on the configured set of parameters, a time unit may correspond to a block of (continuous) OFDM symbols, on which the UE may assume that the same QCL parameters apply to each antenna port (and / or maintain port consistency therein).

[0134] In this disclosure, a Tx beam (ID) may refer to a QCL resource of an RS resource, where the RS resource may be a BRS or a CSI-RS. A Tx beam or RS setting of an RS resource can be indexed using a unique ID, referred to as a Tx beam ID. For example, if N Tx beams are available in an RS resource or RS setting, then N unique IDs can be assigned to these N individual Tx beams.

[0135] In this disclosure, for Rx beamforming operations of the UE, the Rx beam ID refers to an index that can be mutually understood by the UE and the gNB. The UE may be equipped with one or more digital Rx chains. When the UE is equipped with a single Rx chain, the first Rx beam ID corresponds to the first Rx beam redirected to a first angle; the second Rx beam ID corresponds to the second Rx beam redirected to a second angle, and so on. When the UE is equipped with N digital Rx chains, the first Rx beam ID corresponds to the first group of N Rx beams redirected to a first set of N angles; the second Rx beam ID corresponds to the second group of N Rx beams redirected to a second set of N angles, and so on. Here, N is a positive integer. Since the Rx beam ID can be associated with multiple Rx beams (especially in the case of multiple digital chains), the Rx beam ID may alternatively be referred to as the Rx mode.

[0136] In this disclosure, Rx-beam, Rx mode, Rx beam set, and Rx-beam-related QCL parameters are used interchangeably and refer to average AOA, ASD, or antenna correlation. The first and second QCL resources are referred to as QCL-ed in Rx-beam / Rx mode when the Rx beam of the first QCL resource can be inferred from the Rx beam of the second QCL resource.

[0137] In this disclosure, the set of QCL parameters refers to a combination of Rx beam-related parameters (average angle of arrival, angle of arrival spread, Rx antenna correlation, etc.), delay and timing-related parameters (Rx timing, delay spread, average delay), and Doppler-related parameters (average Doppler, Doppler spread).

[0138] The 3GPP NR standard defines the following resource units for configuring resource settings: port ∈ resource; resource ∈ resource set; resource set ∈ resource setting; and resource setting ∈ a set of resource settings.

[0139] In this disclosure, time slots and subframes are used interchangeably.

[0140] In some embodiments, the use cases for the first set of resource settings (or alternatively referred to as Level 1 CSI-RS) are for intra-cell and inter-cell beam management (BM) and potentially for mobility.

[0141] Multiple such resource settings can be configured for a UE, one setting per serving cell. The first setting for the intra-cell BM can be a cell-specific configuration or pre-configured. Alternatively, the first setting can also be UE-specific. The first setting can be called the "service setting," and it corresponds to the CSI-RS of the serving cell, for which a subset of parameters can be obtained through the physical cell ID and SS block mapping of the serving cell. For the service setting, the basic configuration (e.g., periodicity and subframe offset, number of ports, etc.) is provided or pre-configured in the MIB or Residual Minimal System Information (RMSI), and additional configurations can be provided later (e.g., if the PBCH provides the basic configuration, the RMSI / SIB can provide additional configurations), such as how the resources in the setting are divided into sets.

[0142] Other settings (for neighboring cells) are UE-specific configurations (but they may still be cell-specific transmissions).

[0143] For UE-specific configurations of resource settings, at least the following parameters should be provided: a PCID to indicate the association between the CSI-RS settings and the corresponding SS block; and a VCID for CSI-RS scrambling, which is different from the PCID.

[0144] For this type of resource setup, the following relationship can be maintained between the setup and the SS blocks. In one example, a one-to-one mapping between SS blocks with configured / detected PCIDs and CSI-RS resources (or CSI-RS sets) in the setup can be considered. In such an example, within a subset of QCL parameters, the i-th SS block is QCL-ized using the i-th CSI-RS resource (or CSI-RS set). In such an example, the CSI-RS time locations can be self-discovered with respect to the SS block time locations. In such an example, the actual number of CSI-RS time locations can be the same as the actual number of SS blocks transmitted. In such an example, the UE can perform rate matching based on the actual CSI-RS time locations.

[0145] In one embodiment, a unit resource is defined for resource management, instruction, and reporting. In such an embodiment, the unit resource for instruction and reporting can be one of the following: (resource, port) or (resource), or (set, resource, port) or (set, resource). In such an embodiment, each unit resource is assigned a unique ID. In such an embodiment, the total number of unit resources in the setup reaches

[128] .

[0146] Each resource unit in each resource setting corresponding to the first group can be semi-dynamically activated and / or deactivated via MAC. Activation / deactivation MAC signaling is supported at least for service settings. Activation / deactivation MAC signaling is provided separately for different settings.

[0147] Regarding service settings, all sets (resources) corresponding to the actual transmitted SS blocks are activated. If this setting is configured by RRC, the initially activated sets (resources) can also be indicated by RRC configuration. After this setting is configured (via RRC or broadcast signaling), the activated sets can be updated via UE-specific MAC signaling.

[0148] In some embodiments, for a serving cell, the UE may be configured with "service resource settings". The unit resources in the service resource settings can be used as reference unit resources.

[0149] In some embodiments, the identifier of a reference unit resource can be indicated to associate it with a unit resource in another resource setting. Indication signaling can be used by the UE to establish a QCL relationship between two unit resources.

[0150] In some embodiments, when the service settings are configured to cell-specific, the UE may assume that all unit resources corresponding to the activated SS block are initially activated. On the other hand, when the service settings are configured to UE-specific, the UE may also be initially identified by the activated unit resources in the service settings.

[0151] In some embodiments, the set of activated units of each resource setting can be updated in MAC signaling.

[0152] In some embodiments, a second set of resource settings (Level 2 CSI-RS) is considered. The use case for the second set of resource settings is Tx / Rx beam refinement for UE-specific beam management.

[0153] Below is a configuration example for the second set of resource settings, where resources may be grouped for TP-level QCL in the first set of QCL parameters. The second set of resource settings can correspond to the following example. In one example with several resource settings, one setting per TP, QCL indication can be provided between the resource settings in the second set and the unit resources (unit resources are not necessarily resource settings) in the first set.

[0154] In another example of resource settings with several sets, one set (a group of resources) per TP, QCL indication can be provided between sets in the second set and unit resources in the first set (unit resources are not necessarily resource settings).

[0155] In another example of a resource setup with multiple resources, one resource per TP, a QCL indicator can be provided between resources in the second set (resource, port) and unit resources in the first set (unit resources are not necessarily resource setups).

[0156] The first set of QCL parameters may include spatial parameters related to the Rx beam.

[0157] In some embodiments, the CSI-RS for beamfinding or CSI reporting can be configured via at least one of the following methods: (1) one setting per TP; (2) one set per TP; and (3) one resource per TP. In each method, the UE can assume that all antenna ports in each unit resource corresponding to the TP are QCL-ized to each other in a first set of QCL parameters.

[0158] In some embodiments, consideration is given to the indication of unit resources in the reference resource settings used for CSI / BSI measurements and / or reporting, which depend on the second resource settings.

[0159] In this disclosure, the first group can be replaced by SS blocks. Depending on the unit resources in the second resource setting, the UE can obtain the indicated unit resources in the "Reference Resource Setting" used for CSI measurement / reporting. The unit resources indicated in the reference resource setting can be used to establish QCL relationships with the unit resources in the second resource setting within a first subset of QCL parameters. This indication helps the UE select a set of Rx beams available for possible Rx beam scanning based on the second resource setting. The reference resource setting can be a service resource setting. Alternatively, it can be a resource setting in the first group. Or, it can be a set of actually transmitted SS blocks; in this case, the unit resources correspond to the SS blocks.

[0160] The signaling method used for this indication can be semi-dynamic (MAC signaling) or dynamic (aperiodic CSI / BSI triggering in a UL-related DCI). For signaling and reporting purposes, unit resources in the reference setting can be selected from the activated subset, in which case the number of bits used to indicate the unit resources from the reference setting is determined corresponding to the number of unit resources (e.g., n) in the activated subset. The number of bits used to indicate the unit resources can then be determined as log2(n).

[0161] In some embodiments, for each resource setting used for CSI / BSI reporting, an identifier for a reference resource setting may be indicated. The reference unit resource used for a resource setting (e.g., for a QCL indication) is selected from the indicated reference resource setting. In one example, the reference resource setting for CSI / BSI reporting used for a non-service resource setting is defaulted to a service resource setting. In another example, the reference resource setting for CSI / BSI reporting used for a service resource setting is defaulted to the actual set of SS blocks transported. In yet another example, the reference resource setting used for a resource setting may be updated.

[0162] In some embodiments of CSI / BSI reporting, aperiodic CSI reporting can be considered as an indication of which CSI / BSI will be reported in a scheduled PUSCH. In one example, an aperiodic CSI / BSI trigger explicitly indicates (e.g., via a bit field) whether a CSI or BSI is being reported. In another example, an aperiodic CSI / BSI trigger indicates which measurement / reporting settings are used for measurement and reporting. In this case, the measurement / reporting settings include the BSI / CSI status.

[0163] Example information transmitted for aperiodic CSI / BSI reports in a subframe / slot includes the following. In one instance, an aperiodic CSI / BSI report includes whether it is a CSI report or a BSI report. In one instance, the measurement / reporting settings for the current aperiodic report are determined by an active subset, which may include at least one of the following: measurement / reporting type (e.g., CSI or BSI); a set of resource settings to be used for measurement (e.g., this set of resource settings may be included in the measurement / reporting settings); a subset of unit resources (e.g., CSI-RS resources) from the selected set of resource settings to be used for measurement; and partial information about the size of the CSI / BSI report payload… the maximum number of bits to be reported in the current report.

[0164] In one instance, the measurement / reporting settings include unit resources in the resource settings that will be used for measurement and reporting, wherein the unit resources are selected from an active subset, and the number of unit resources used for measurement and reporting can be equal to or less than the number of unit resources in the active subset. The payload size of the current report is determined by the selected unit resources in the selected measurement / reporting settings.

[0165] In one instance, the measurement / reporting setting includes a unit resource ID for a reference resource setting, which can be a service resource setting, a resource setting in the first group, or a set of actually transmitted SS blocks. The UE can assume a QCL relationship between the unit resources indicated by the unit resource ID in the first set of QCL parameters and the unit resources in the second group of resource settings. In such an instance, if the measurement / reporting setting to be used for the current report is in the second group, the unit resource ID of the reference resource setting corresponds to the unit resource ID in the service setting; if the measurement / reporting setting is in the first group (e.g., a service setting), the unit resource ID corresponds to the SS block index. In such an instance, information related to the reference resource setting (e.g., ID) is explicitly indicated in the UL-related DCI.

[0166] In some embodiments, a UE can be dynamically triggered to report a BSI or CSI by a common field of the UL-related DCI. In one example, the dynamic signaling includes a bit field indicating whether a BSI or CSI is being reported; in another approach, the measurement / reporting setting includes the reporting type of the BSI or CSI, and the dynamic signaling indicates the ID of the measurement / reporting setting.

[0167] In some embodiments, information regarding the quantity and identification of unit resources (e.g., CSI-RS resources or CSI-RS resource sets) in the selected resource setting for the current measurement / report to be used for non-periodic CSI / BSI reporting can also be provided by dynamic signaling. This signaling can also determine the payload size used for reporting.

[0168] In some embodiments, information about the reference unit resource in the unit resource pairing for measurement / reporting resource settings triggered by UL-related DCI (e.g., for QCL purposes) can also be provided via dynamic signaling (e.g., non-periodic CSI / BSI trigger-related information).

[0169] In some embodiments, updated configurations for service resource settings are considered in RRC connected mode. When the UE is in connected mode, further information related to cell-wide CSI-RS (also known as service resource settings) or DCI in the PHY can be provided to the UE. Cell-wide CSI-RS can be used for beam management for initial beam alignment and beam switching purposes. Additional information includes one or more of the following.

[0170] Additional information may include the updated CSI-RS period. This information helps the UE measure CSI / BSI more accurately (if the updated period is shorter than the cell-specific period) or measure CSI / BSI with less UE power consumption (if the updated period is longer than the cell-specific period). This can be transmitted in RRC signaling.

[0171] Additional information may include details about a subset of CSI-RS resources for UE measurement. This information helps reduce the measurement burden on the UE when the entire set of cell-specific CSI-RS resources is large. The subset is selected from a set of K CSI-RS resources. Subset signaling can be performed using a bitmap, where a bit state of b=1 at position p indicates that CSI-RS resource p is configured for UE measurement; b=0 indicates that the UE is configured not to measure CSI-RS resource p. The UE needs to measure the beam RSRP on the subset of CSI-RS resources and report the selected subset of RSRPs within the beam RSRPs. This can be transmitted in MAC signaling.

[0172] Additional information may include information about a subset of CSI-RS ports for the UE to measure. The purpose of this information is similar to that of information about a subset of CSI-RS resources. When a subset of CSI-RS ports is configured, the UE only needs to measure the beam RSRP on the configured antenna ports across all K resources and report the selected subset of RSRPs within the beam RSRP. This can be transmitted in MAC signaling.

[0173] In some embodiments, an updated configuration for beam-refining CSI-RS in RRC connection mode is considered.

[0174] Assume the UE is configured with a first set of CSI-RS resources (Set 1, or Service Resource Settings) and a second set of CSI-RS resources (Set 2). The first set of CSI-RS resources is configured for the UE to measure beam-specific RSRPs across the entire cell, thus the number of beams to be measured is relatively large, and coarse or wide beams are used for beamforming. The second set of CSI-RS resources is configured for the UE to measure beam-specific RSRPs, thereby enabling beam refinement.

[0175] For the first set of CSI-RS resources, the UE is allowed to perform measurements on multiple time slots to derive beam-specific RSRP (i.e., no measurement constraints are applied in the time domain) and perform measurement quantization, such as RSRP / RSRQ, which can correspond to time averages.

[0176] On the other hand, for the second set of CSI-RS resources, the UE can perform measurements per time slot to derive beam-specific RSRP. In this case, measurement constraints are applied, with the measurement unit being one time slot.

[0177] For the initial RRC configuration of the resource settings, the unit resources in the reference resource settings can be indicated as each unit resource in the resource settings. For example, this allows the UE to establish QCL relationships between unit resources in different resource settings within the first set of QCL parameters. Here, the unit resources in the reference resource settings (hereinafter referred to as reference unit resources) and the configured resource settings may or may not have the same resource granularity. Here, the first set of QCL parameters includes one or more of the following: Rx beam-related spatial parameters, gain, delay, and Doppler.

[0178] In one example, the UE is configured with two sets of CSI-RS. The first set (e.g., resources 0-99 and resource quantity N1 = 100) corresponds to the resource settings of the service resource settings or RRC configuration. The second set (e.g., resources 0-2 and resource quantity N2 = 3) corresponds to the resource settings of a separate RRC configuration.

[0179] When the second set is configured by RRC, the unit resource ID of the first set is used to further instruct the UE, so that the UE can assume that each unit resource of the second set is a QCL in the first set of parameters that utilizes the indicated reference unit resource (the reference resource corresponds to the first set).

[0180] In one example, for resource 0 of the second set, the RRC configuration is determined based on information entities, which include: unit resource x in the reference resource (used for QCL); and / or RE mapping mode, number of antenna ports, periodicity, offset, power control, sub-time unit composition, etc. For resource 1 of the second set, the RRC configuration is determined based on information entities, which include: unit resource y in the reference resource (used for QCL); and / or RE mapping mode, number of antenna ports, periodicity, offset, power control, sub-time unit composition, etc. For resource 2 of the second set, the RRC configuration is determined based on information entities: unit resource z in the reference resource (used for QCL); and / or RE mapping mode, number of antenna ports, periodicity, offset, power control, sub-time unit composition, etc.

[0181] In another example, the RRC configuration of the second set (resource 0) is determined based on unit resource x (for QCL) in the reference resource. The RRC configuration of the second set (resource 1) is determined based on unit resource y (for QCL) in the reference resource. In one example, the RRC configuration of the second set (resource 2) is determined based on unit resource z (for QCL) in the reference resource. A common set of values ​​is provided for RE mapping mode, number of antenna ports, periodicity, offset, power control, sub-time unit composition, etc., applicable to all resources. In such an example, the RE mapping mode of resource 0 can be determined based on the configured RE mapping parameters. The resource mapping modes of resources 1 and 2 can be determined by applying a time or frequency offset to the RE mapping mode of resource 0. For example, for resource 1, a one-time-unit offset is applied to the RE mapping mode of resource 0; and for resource 2, a two-time-unit offset is applied to the RE mapping mode of resource 0. Other parameters, namely the number of antenna ports, periodicity, offset, power control, sub-time unit composition, etc., are typically configured together for all three resources. The sub-time unit composition can correspond to the number of sub-time units including time units.

[0182] The foregoing example illustrates the scenario where three resources are configured for the second set. Typically, the number of resources that can be configured for the second set can be an integer, such as 1, 2, 3, ...; the foregoing embodiment can be applied to any integer number of such resources.

[0183] When the UE moves (potentially to a different TRP or a different TRP beam), based on the measurement / reporting results of the first set, the network can determine to update a subset of configuration parameters, such as the reference unit resource for the second set. The updated reference unit resource can be indicated via DCI or MAC CE signaling to reduce signaling overhead and latency compared to RRC signaling. Update signaling is lighter than initial RRC signaling because it only updates a subset of parameters; other configurations remain unchanged.

[0184] Update commands can include individual activation and deactivation of CSI-RS resources in the second set.

[0185] In some embodiments, the update command may include the following information: a selected unit resource index (or multiple indexes) in the second set; and / or a reference unit resource index (or multiple indexes) to map to a unit resource in the second set (e.g., for QCL).

[0186] In one example, according to the update command, the UE is instructed to update the reference unit resource of a single resource (e.g., resource 1) in update set 2 from reference unit resource x to reference unit resource w. In other words, the reference unit resource of resource 1 is updated from x to w.

[0187] Alternatively, the update command may include information on update parameters for all active resources in the second set. If an active resource is indicated in another signaling (e.g., MAC CE signaling), only the updated reference unit resource index, matched sequentially with the active unit resources in the second set, is signaled. For example, when unit resources 0, 1, and 2 are activated in the second set, the UE is instructed to update the QCL resources according to the update command.

[0188] In one example of the update configuration for the second set, resource a (used for QCL) from the first set is configured for unit resource 0; resource b from the first set is configured for unit resource 1; and resource c from the first set is configured for unit resource 2. The update command contains three numbers {a, b, c} to indicate the resource index of the first set.

[0189] In an alternative embodiment, the reference unit resource may correspond to an SS block.

[0190] In some embodiments of aperiodic CSI / BSI triggering and parameter updates, the update command can be transmitted in the PHY via aperiodic CSI triggering. The aperiodic CSI triggering field in the UL-related DCI can notify the UE to measure and report CSI / BSI on A NZP CSI-RS resources in a second set, and also provides information in the same DCI about the reference unit resource selected from the first CSI-RS set (or SS block) for the A NZP CSI-RS resources. In this embodiment, the CSI-RS resource can be replaced by a unit resource.

[0191] In one embodiment, the state of the aperiodic CSI trigger field indicates the number of NZP CSI-RS resources to be used for measurement and reporting. When the number n is indicated, the UE is configured to use NZP CSI-RS resources 0, 1, …, n−1 for measurement and reporting, where n is a positive integer.

[0192] In another embodiment, the state of the aperiodic CSI trigger field indicates the identity of the NZP CSI-RS resources to be used for measurement and reporting. The identity can be represented by a bitmap. When bit i is set, it means that NZP CSI-RS resource i needs to be used for measurement and reporting, where i = 0, 1, …, N2−1. The identities of A CSI-RS resources (reference set) in the first set can also be indicated in the same UL-related DCI, where the identities of the A CSI-RS resources in the first set are QCLed in a subset of QCL parameters by using the A CSI-RS resources in the second set for the current aperiodic reporting.

[0193] In yet another embodiment, the number of bits used for indicating the identities of the CSI-RS resources in the first set is proportional to A (i.e., the number of CSI-RS resources to be used for measurement and reporting). For example, if each CSI-RS resource in the second set uses 7 bits, if A = 3, then 21 bits are used to indicate the three CSI-RS resources in set A, and these three CSI-RS resources are QCLed by using the CSI-RS resources in set B.

[0194] In some embodiments, considering two-step indication (e.g., MAC and PHY), in order to reduce the number of bits used for QCL indication, MAC CE and PHY signaling can be used jointly.

[0195] MAC CE signaling is used to indicate the activated subset of the first set of N1 CSI-RS resources to reduce the number of CSI-RS resources to be indicated in the DCI. The number of CSI-RS resources in the activated subset (e.g., N3) can be preconfigured in the specification so that the bit payload for each CSI-RS resource to be indicated in the DCI can be static. Alternatively, the number (and identity) of CSI-RS resources in the activated subset can also be configured in the RRC / MAC signaling, in which case, greater flexibility can be achieved at the cost of variable bit payloads. Generally, N3 < N1, so that the DCI payload for QCL indication can be reduced. In the UL-related DCI used to trigger aperiodic CSI / BSI reporting, the unit resource in the reference resource setting is indicated for the unit resource to be measured, where each reference unit resource has log2(N3) bits.

[0196] Individual indications of combinations of numerous first-set CSI-RS resources in a MAC require substantial signaling. For example, if a bitmap is used to indicate combinations of N1 = 100 CSI-RS resources, the MAC signaling would need to be able to handle 100 bits of indication, which seems too large to be reliably transmitted in a single transmission. Therefore, some optimization of the MAC signaling indication may be necessary.

[0197] In one example, the activated resource is represented by two numbers: (1) the resource offset n1, and (2) the resource quantity, N3. When these two numbers are indicated, the activated resource is: n1, n1+1, ..., n1+N3-1. The candidate values ​​used to indicate the resource offset and the resource quantity can also be subsets of all possible values ​​to further reduce the number of bits required to indicate these two values. In one example, 4 bits are used for n1 and 4 bits are used for N3; the candidate values ​​for n1 are 0, α, 2α, ..., 15α; the candidate values ​​for N3 are 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, and 128. Based on the indicated N3 value, the (log 2 (N3)) Round up to the nearest integer, i.e., 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, to determine the number of bits used for QCL indication in the DCI signaling. Note that the numbers used in this example are for illustrative purposes only, and other examples can be constructed similarly without departing from the principles of the present embodiment.

[0198] PHY signaling, such as UL-related DCI, can also transmit information about which CSI-RS set is used by the UE for measurement and reporting in the scheduled PUSCH.

[0199] In one example, this information instructs the UE to report CSI-BSI on the first set of CSI-RS resources (or alternatively referred to as SS blocks) or the second set of CSI-RS resources.

[0200] In another example, the information instructs the UE to measure and report CSI / BSI on one of three types of resources: (1) SS blocks; (2) the first set of CSI-RS resources; and (3) the second set of CSI-RS resources. Since the number of resources differs among these three different types, the number of bits for the identifier and QCL used to indicate the resource can also be determined accordingly.

[0201] In some embodiments, RRC signaling configured to configure UE-specific resource settings includes multiple resource sets in the resource settings. Time-frequency resources can be shared across multiple resource sets, but the indicated reference unit resource can differ for different resource sets. Resource sets in UE-specific resource settings can be semi-dynamically activated / deactivated. In the UL-related DCI used to trigger aperiodic CSI reporting, a resource set selected from the activated resource sets in each resource setting is indicated, allowing the UE to measure and report on the selected resource set. The size of the information bits used to indicate the selected resource set can be semi-dynamically determined based on the number of activated resource sets in each resource setting.

[0202] In some embodiments, non-periodic reporting information in UL-related DCIs can indicate the identification of reference unit resources without any compression.

[0203] In some embodiments, the reference unit resource can be selected from a subset of unit resources in the reference resource settings. The subset selection signaling may correspond to resource activation / deactivation signaling in the MAC CE. The number of bits used to indicate the reference unit resource ID is determined based on the number of active unit resources in the subset indicated in the reference resource settings.

[0204] In some embodiments, the association between the reference unit resource and the unit resource set in each resource set of the resource settings specific to the UE configuration is performed semi-statically via RRC signaling. The DCI signaling indicates the set ID in the setting ID, and the QCL relationship is inferred from the semi-static association.

[0205] Figure 13 A flowchart of a method 1300 that can be performed by a user equipment (UE) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 13 The embodiments of method 1300 shown are for illustrative purposes only. Figure 13 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of any particular implementation.

[0206] like Figure 13 As shown, method 1300 begins at step 1305. In step 1305, the UE receives Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) signaling from the base station (BS), which includes a Quasi-Co-location (QCL) indication between a first resource and a second resource, and activation of the second resource, wherein the UE is configured with a second resource for CSI reporting. In step 1305, the first resource is a Synchronization Signal (SS) block.

[0207] In step 1305, the first resource is a first CSI reference signal (RS) resource, and the second resource is a second CSI-RS resource. In step 1305, the resource set including the second resource includes multiple resource identifiers (IDs), and the MAC-CE signaling also includes an indication of a selected subset of the multiple resource IDs. The subset selection in step 1305 indicates which resources in the resource set are QCL-ized using the resources of the second resource.

[0208] In some embodiments, in step 1305, the UE receives information from the BS about a resource set including the second resource. In such step 1305, the QCL indicates QCL parameters including the first resource. In such embodiments, the QCL parameters are spatial parameters associated with the Rx beams of the first and second resources.

[0209] In step 1310, the UE identifies the activation of the second resource and the QCL relationship between the first resource and the second resource based on the QCL indication from the MAC-CE signaling.

[0210] In some embodiments, in step 1310, the UE identifies a second resource to be used as a QCL reference for the first resource.

[0211] Figure 14 A flowchart of a method 1400 that can be performed by a base station (BS) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 14 The embodiments of method 1400 shown are for illustrative purposes only. Figure 14 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of any particular implementation.

[0212] like Figure 14 As shown, method 1400 begins at step 1405. In step 1405, the BS generates a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) signaling, which includes a Quasi-Co-address (QCL) indication between the first and second resources and activation of the second resource. In step 1405, the first resource is a Synchronization Signal (SS) block.

[0213] In step 1405, the first resource is a first CSI reference signal (RS) resource, and the second resource is a second CSI-RS resource. In step 1405, the resource set including the second resource includes multiple resource identifiers (IDs), and the MAC-CE signaling also includes an indication of a selected subset of the multiple resource IDs. The subset selection indicates which resources in the resource set utilize the resources of the second resource for QCL (Quick Classification).

[0214] In step 1410, the BS transmits MAC-CE signaling to the user equipment (UE) indicating the activation of the second resource and the QCL relationship between the first resource and the second resource.

[0215] In some embodiments, the BS transmits information to the UE about a resource set including the second resource, and the QCL indicates QCL parameters including the first resource. In such embodiments, the QCL parameters are spatial parameters associated with the Rx beams of the first and second resources.

[0216] Although this disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, various changes and modifications may be suggested to those skilled in the art. This disclosure is intended to cover such changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

[0217] Nothing described in this application should be construed as implying that any particular element, step, or function is an essential element that must be included within the scope of the claims. The scope of the patent subject matter is defined only by the claims.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, the UE comprising: transceiver; and At least one processor, coupled to the transceiver and configured to: The system receives first configuration information of at least one reference cell resource associated with Quasi-Cooperative Positioning (QCL) information and second configuration information of a set including Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) resources from the base station (BS) via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. The Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) is received from the BS, including: Information used to indicate the set of CSI-RS resources included in the second configuration information, and Information used to indicate at least one reference unit resource included in the first configuration information; as well as Based on the received MAC CE, the activation of the set of CSI-RS resources and the QCL relationship between at least one CSI-RS resource and at least one reference cell resource in the set of CSI-RS resources are identified. Among them, QCL information is associated with the received Rx and beam-related spatial parameters.

2. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one reference unit resource is a CSI-RS resource or a synchronization signal SS block.

3. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, The second configuration information also includes: Information about resource elements (REs) and mapping modes. Information regarding the number of antenna ports. Information about power control, and Information regarding periodicity and offset.

4. A base station (BS) in a wireless communication system, the BS comprising: transceiver; and At least one processor, coupled to the transceiver, is configured to: The first configuration information of at least one reference cell resource associated with quasi-cooperative positioning (QCL) information and the second configuration information including a set of channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources are transmitted to the user equipment (UE) via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. Transmits a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) to the UE, including: Information used to indicate the set of CSI-RS resources included in the second configuration information, and Information used to indicate at least one reference unit resource included in the first configuration information; and Wherein, MAC CE is used to indicate the activation of the set of CSI-RS resources and the QCL relationship between at least one CSI-RS resource in the set of CSI-RS resources and at least one reference cell resource. Among them, QCL information is associated with the received Rx and beam-related spatial parameters.

5. The BS according to claim 4, wherein, The at least one reference unit resource is a CSI RS resource or a synchronization signal SS block.

6. The BS according to claim 4, wherein, The second configuration information also includes: Information about resource elements (REs) and mapping modes. Information regarding the number of antenna ports. Information about power control, and Information regarding periodicity and offset.

7. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: The system receives first configuration information of at least one reference cell resource associated with Quasi-Cooperative Positioning (QCL) information and second configuration information of a set including Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) resources from the base station (BS) via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. The Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) is received from the BS, including: Information used to indicate the set of CSI-RS resources included in the second configuration information, and Information used to indicate at least one reference unit resource included in the first configuration information; and Based on the received MAC CE, the activation of the set of CSI-RS resources and the QCL relationship between at least one CSI-RS resource and at least one reference cell resource in the set of CSI-RS resources are identified. Among them, QCL information is associated with the received Rx and beam-related spatial parameters.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The at least one reference unit resource is a CSI-RS resource or a synchronization signal SS block.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The second configuration information also includes: Information about resource elements (REs) and mapping modes. Information regarding the number of antenna ports. Information about power control, and Information regarding periodicity and offset.

10. A method performed by a base station (BS) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: The first configuration information of at least one reference cell resource associated with quasi-cooperative positioning (QCL) information and the second configuration information including a set of channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources are transmitted to the user equipment (UE) via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. Transmits a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) to the UE, including: Information used to indicate the set of CSI-RS resources included in the second configuration information, and Information used to indicate at least one reference unit resource included in the first configuration information; and Wherein, MAC CE is used to indicate the activation of the set of CSI-RS resources and the QCL relationship between at least one CSI-RS resource in the set of CSI-RS resources and at least one reference cell resource. Among them, QCL information is associated with the received Rx and beam-related spatial parameters.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The at least one reference unit resource is a CSI reference signal RS resource or a synchronization signal SS block.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The second configuration information also includes: Information about resource elements (REs) and mapping modes. Information regarding the number of antenna ports. Information about power control, and Information regarding periodicity and offset.

Images