Shared common beam update across multiple component carriers

Abstract

The base station and the UE can use directional beams, such as downlink directional beams (for transmitting downlink channels) and uplink directional beams (for transmitting uplink channels), to communicate, each beam carrying one or more data channels, control channels, and / or reference signals. According to an aspect, signaling for managing uplink and downlink channels can be sent on shared common beams. The shared common beams are different from the uplink directional beams and the downlink directional beams. In one example, a first shared common channel can be used to manage or update uplink data channels (on uplink directional beams) and downlink data channels (on downlink directional beams), while a second shared common channel can be used to manage or update uplink control channels (on uplink directional beams) and downlink control channels (on downlink directional beams).

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority and benefit to non-provisional patent application No. 17 / 365,879 filed July 1, 2021 with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and provisional patent application No. 63 / 047,878 filed July 2, 2020 with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference as fully set forth herein and for all applicable purposes. Technical Field

[0003] The technologies discussed below generally relate to wireless communication networks, and more particularly to shared beams used for channel management of uplink and downlink beams in wireless communication networks.

[0004] background

[0005] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunications services such as telephone, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. A typical wireless communication system may employ multiple access technology that can support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power).

[0006] In a 5G New Radio (NR) wireless communication system, one or more base stations (e.g., access points or gNodeBs) can wirelessly communicate with one or more user equipment (UEs) (e.g., smartphones). UEs can communicate with base stations via downlink channels and uplink channels. A downlink channel refers to the communication link from the base station to the UE, while an uplink channel refers to the communication link from the UE to the base station.

[0007] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has defined a set of standards for 5G NR that are designed to enhance support for mobile broadband Internet access by: improving spectrum efficiency, reducing costs, improving service, utilizing new spectrum, and better integrating with other open standards that support beamforming, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technologies and carrier aggregation on downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with cyclic prefix (CP).

[0008] Massive MIMO antennas are used to facilitate beamforming, which allows for the formation of a relatively narrow beam that directs transmission in a specific direction to the UE, thereby improving communication quality. The base station and UE can perform analog beamforming to achieve a narrow beam with low radio frequency (RF) link costs.

[0009] However, with the continued growth in demand for mobile broadband access, there is a need for further improvements to NR technology.

[0010] A brief overview of some examples

[0011] The following provides an overview of one or more aspects of this disclosure to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This overview is not an exhaustive summary of all the features conceived in this disclosure, and is neither intended to identify key or decisive elements of all aspects of this disclosure, nor to define the scope of any or all aspects of this disclosure. Its sole purpose is to provide some concepts of one or more aspects of this disclosure in one form as a prelude to the more detailed description that follows.

[0012] One approach provides a method for managing uplink and downlink channels using a shared beam at a base station. The base station may establish a downlink directional beam for downlink channel transmissions to a user equipment (UE). The base station may also establish an uplink directional beam for uplink channel transmissions from the UE. The base station may also establish a shared beam between the base station and the UE. Uplink and downlink channels, at least two uplink channels and / or at least two downlink channels, may be concurrently controlled or updated using the shared beam. In one example, using the shared beam to concurrently control or update each uplink channel and each downlink channel may include sending a single transmission via the shared beam to update the UE on which uplink and downlink channels the UE should use.

[0013] In one example, each downlink channel may include at least one of the following: Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Downlink Scheduling Channel (PDSCH), Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), and Positioning Reference Signal (PRS). In some instances, the CR-RS in the downlink channel may be used as a Path Loss Reference Signal (PLRS) or a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS).

[0014] In some implementations, each uplink channel may include at least one of the following: Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Scheduling Channel (PUSCH), Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), and Probe Reference Signal (SRS). In some instances, the SRS in the downlink channel can be used for codebook-based uplink probe, non-codebook-based transmission, device location, and / or antenna switching.

[0015] In some implementations, multiple shared beams can be established between the base station and the UE, and each shared beam can be individually identified by a unique beam identifier.

[0016] Based on one characteristic, a shared beam can be used for PDSCH transmission. The UE can identify the shared beam for PDSCH transmission based on whether the scheduling DCI and the scheduling offset between the PDSCH and the scheduling DCI are greater than a predefined threshold QCL time duration (timeDurationForQCL). If the scheduling offset is greater than the threshold, the UE uses the shared beam indicated in (or identified by) the DCI. Otherwise, the UE can use a predefined default shared beam to receive PDSCH transmission. The default shared beam can be the shared beam with the smallest beam identifier (e.g., beam ID value).

[0017] Similarly, the UE can use this shared beam to transmit PUCCH, PUSCH, and / or SRS. If the spatial relation information or uplink transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state is configured for the scheduled PUCCH, PUSCH, and / or SRS, the UE can use the shared beam indicated in the spatial relation information or uplink TCI state for transmission. Otherwise, the UE can use the beam corresponding to the default shared beam. This default shared beam can be the shared beam with the smallest beam identifier (e.g., beam ID value).

[0018] In one example, the base station may transmit a message via a shared beam indicating to the UE: (a) to use a first shared beam for managing uplink transmissions, and (b) to use a second shared beam for managing downlink transmissions. In another example, the base station may transmit a message via a shared beam indicating to the UE: (a) to use a first shared beam for uplink and downlink data transmissions, and (b) to use a second shared beam for uplink and downlink control transmissions. In yet another example, the base station may transmit a message via a shared beam indicating to the UE: (a) to use a first shared beam for managing uplink and downlink data channel transmissions, and (b) to use a second shared beam for managing uplink and downlink control channel transmissions. The first shared beam for uplink and downlink control channel transmissions may have a first beamwidth, and the second shared beam for uplink and downlink data channel transmissions may have a second beamwidth, wherein the first bandwidth is wider than the second bandwidth.

[0019] In some implementations, the base station may use one of the following to send a shared beam identifier to the UE: Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), or Downlink Control Indicator (DCI).

[0020] In various examples, the shared beam is assigned a first beam identifier, and the first beam identifier is mapped to at least one of the following: (a) a downlink beam identifier associated with a downlink directional beam; (b) an uplink beam identifier associated with an uplink directional beam; or (c) a reference signal identifier.

[0021] In one implementation, the base station can assign a beam identifier to a shared beam. The beam identifier can be associated with a resource group that defines one or more resources used between the base station and the UE. The base station can then notify the UE of the resource group associated with the beam identifier. In one example, the base station can update the UE on changes to the resource group by either (a) sending a new beam identifier for a different shared beam now associated with that resource group, or (b) sending a new resource group identifier associated with that shared beam.

[0022] According to one aspect, multiple component carriers (CCs) can be used to transmit one or more channels in each of the uplink directional beam and the downlink directional beam. A shared beam can be associated with all of the multiple CCs.

[0023] The base station can also maintain a list of component carriers (CCs) for the bandwidth portion used for transmission between the base station and the UE. The beam identifier for a shared beam can be associated with at least one component carrier in this list.

[0024] In one example, a base station may transmit a message to a UE via a shared common channel to instruct the UE to update the shared common beam configuration associated with at least one CC in the list, which causes the UE to use the updated shared common beam configuration for all CCs in the list.

[0025] On the other hand, a method is provided at a user equipment (UE) for managing uplink and downlink channels using a shared beam. The UE may receive the establishment of a downlink directional beam for downlink channel transmission from a base station. The UE may also establish an uplink directional beam for uplink channel transmission to a base station. The UE may also establish a shared beam between the base station and the UE. The UE may receive signals from the base station within the shared beam that concurrently control or update: (a) uplink and downlink channels, (b) at least two uplink channels, and / or (c) at least two downlink channels. In one example, receiving signals within the shared beam may include receiving a single transmission via the shared beam that updates the UE with which uplink and downlink channels the UE should use. In some implementations, each downlink channel may include at least one of the following: a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical downlink scheduling channel (PDSCH), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), and a positioning reference signal (PRS). Additionally, each uplink channel includes at least one of the following: Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Scheduling Channel (PUSCH), Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), and Probe Reference Signal (SRS). In some instances, the CSI-RS in the downlink channel may be used as a Path Loss Reference Signal (PLRS) or a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS). In other instances, the SRS in the downlink channel may be used for codebook-based uplink probe, non-codebook-based transmission, device location, and / or antenna switching.

[0026] According to one feature, the base station can transmit PDSCH transmission to the UE based on the scheduling downlink control indicator (DCI), and depends on whether the scheduling offset between the PDSCH transmission and the scheduling DCI is greater than a predefined threshold. In the case where the shared common beam is identified by the DCI, if the scheduling offset is greater than the predefined threshold, the shared common beam is used for PDSCH transmission; otherwise, the default shared common beam is used for PDSCH transmission.

[0027] Another feature provides the allocation of a shared beam to transmit PUCCH, PUSCH, or SRS transmissions from the UE to the base station, depending on the scheduling performed via spatial relation information or Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI). If the shared beam is indicated in the spatial relation information or TCI, then the shared beam is used for PUCCH, PUSCH, or SRS transmissions; otherwise, the default shared beam is used for PUCCH, PUSCH, or SRS transmissions.

[0028] Multiple shared beams can be established between the base station and the UE, each of which can be individually identified by a unique beam identifier. The UE can receive messages via the shared beams instructing it to: (a) use a first shared beam for managing uplink transmissions, and (b) use a second shared beam for managing downlink transmissions. The UE can also receive messages via the shared beams instructing it to: (a) use the first shared beam for uplink and downlink data transmissions, and (b) use the second shared beam for uplink and downlink control transmissions. In yet another example, the UE can receive messages via the shared beams instructing it to: (a) use the first shared beam for managing uplink and downlink data channel transmissions, and (b) use the second shared beam for managing uplink and downlink control channel transmissions. In one implementation, a first shared beam for uplink and downlink control channel transmission may have a first beamwidth, and a second shared beam for uplink and downlink data channel transmission may have a second beamwidth, wherein the first bandwidth is wider than the second bandwidth.

[0029] The UE may also use one of the following to receive the beam identifier of the shared beam destined for the UE: Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), or Downlink Control Indicator (DCI).

[0030] In some implementations, a shared beam may be assigned a first beam identifier, and the first beam identifier is mapped to at least one of the following: (a) a downlink beam identifier associated with a downlink directional beam; (b) an uplink beam identifier associated with an uplink directional beam; or (c) a reference signal identifier.

[0031] According to one feature, the UE can receive an indication of the beam identifier of the shared beam, which is associated with a resource group, wherein the resource group defines one or more resources utilized between the base station and the UE.

[0032] In one example, receiving an instruction to change a resource group from a base station may include either (a) receiving a new beam identifier for a different shared beam now associated with the resource group, or (b) receiving a new resource group identifier associated with the shared beam.

[0033] In some implementations, multiple component carriers (CCs) can be used to transmit one or more channels in each of the uplink directional beam and the downlink directional beam, and a shared beam is associated with all of the multiple CCs.

[0034] The UE can maintain a list of component carriers (CCs) for the bandwidth portion used for transmission between the base station and the UE. A beam identifier for a shared beam can be associated with at least one component carrier in this list based on an indication from the base station. A message is also received from the base station via a shared channel instructing the UE to update the shared beam configuration associated with at least one CC in the list, causing the UE to use the updated shared beam configuration for all CCs in the list.

[0035] These and other aspects will be more fully understood after reading the following detailed description. Other aspects, features, and embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the following description of specific exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Although features may be discussed below with respect to certain embodiments and drawings, all embodiments may include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, although one or more embodiments may be discussed having certain advantageous features, one or more such features may also be used according to the various embodiments discussed herein. Similarly, although exemplary embodiments may be discussed below as embodiments of devices, systems, or methods, such exemplary embodiments may be implemented in various devices, systems, and methods. Brief description of the attached diagram

[0037] Figure 1 It is a schematic explanation based on some aspects of wireless communication systems.

[0038] Figure 2 It is a conceptual explanation based on examples of radio access networks from various aspects.

[0039] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a frame structure used in a radio access network, based on several aspects.

[0040] Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating a wireless communication system that supports beamforming and / or multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication based on several aspects.

[0041] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating an example of using beamforming in communication between a base station and a user equipment (UE) based on several aspects.

[0042] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating a wireless communication system that uses shared beams between a base station and a UE to manage channels in the downlink and uplink beams, based on several aspects.

[0043] Figure 7 It explains an example of using a shared beam between the base station and the UE to concurrently manage uplink and downlink channels.

[0044] Figure 8 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the hardware implementation of an exemplary base station employing a processing system.

[0045] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating examples of methods for managing channels in uplink and downlink beams using shared beams, based on several aspects.

[0046] Figure 10 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a model UE employing a processing system.

[0047] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating examples of methods for managing channels in uplink and downlink beams using shared beams, based on several aspects.

[0048] Detailed description

[0049] The detailed description that follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent only the configurations in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. This detailed description includes specific details to provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring such concepts.

[0050] In current 5G NR communication networks, uplink and downlink channels are controlled by separate control channels that are susceptible to latency. Base stations and UEs can communicate using directional beams (such as downlink directional beams (for transmitting downlink channels) and uplink directional beams (for transmitting uplink channels)), each beam carrying one or more data channels, control channels, and / or reference signals. According to one aspect, signaling for managing the uplink and downlink channels can be transmitted on a shared common beam. This shared common beam is distinct from the uplink and downlink directional beams. In one example, a first shared common channel can be used to manage or update both the uplink data channel (on the uplink directional beam) and the downlink data channel (on the downlink directional beam), while a second shared common channel can be used to manage or update both the uplink control channel (on the uplink directional beam) and the downlink control channel (on the downlink directional beam).

[0051] The advantage of using a shared channel to manage both uplink and downlink directional beamforming is reduced latency and overhead. Specifically, overhead is reduced by avoiding the use of separate control channels for both uplink and downlink channels. Additionally, the use of a shared channel can also reduce latency when managing and / or updating uplink and downlink channels.

[0052] The aspects of this disclosure can be implemented in 5G NR communication networks. The electromagnetic spectrum used for such networks can be subdivided into different categories, bands, channels, etc., based on frequency / wavelength. For example, in 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR1 (410MHz–7125 MHz) and FR2 (24250MHz–52600MHz). Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6GHz (>6000MHz), FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the sub-6GHz band. Similar naming issues regarding FR2 sometimes arise in various documents and articles on the topic of 5G NR. Although a portion of FR2 is less than 30GHz (<30000MHz), FR2 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the millimeter-wave band. However, some define wireless signals with wavelengths between 1 and 10 millimeters as falling within the millimeter-wave band (30GHz–300GHz).

[0053] Considering the examples above, unless otherwise stated, it should be understood that, when used as an example herein, the term "sub-6GHz" may refer to all or a portion of FR1 for 5G NR. Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, it should be understood that, as used as an example herein, the term "millimeter wave" may refer to all or a portion of FR2 for 5G NR and / or all or a portion of the 30GHz-300GHz band. It should also be understood that the terms "sub-6GHz" and "millimeter wave" are intended to indicate modifications to such example frequency bands that may occur due to the author's / entity's decisions regarding wireless communication, for example, as given by example herein.

[0054] It should be understood that the above examples are not necessarily intended to limit the claimed subject matter. For example, unless specifically stated otherwise, the claimed subject matter related to wireless communications is not necessarily intended to be limited to frequency bands defined by any particular author / entity.

[0055] While aspects and embodiments are described herein by way of example, those skilled in the art will understand that additional implementations and use cases may arise in many different arrangements and scenarios. The innovations described herein can be implemented across many different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and package arrangements. For example, embodiments and / or devices may arise via integrated chip embodiments and other devices based on non-modular components (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment, retail / shopping devices, medical devices, AI-enabled devices, etc.). While some examples may or may not be specific to particular use cases or applications, broad applicability of the described innovations is possible. Implementations can range from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level implementations, and further to aggregated, distributed, or OEM devices or systems incorporating one or more aspects of the described innovations. In some practical contexts, devices incorporating the described aspects and features may also necessarily include additional components and features for implementing and practicing the claimed and described embodiments. For example, the transmission and reception of wireless signals requires several components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antennas, RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors, interleavers, adders / summers, etc.). The innovations described herein are intended to be implemented in a wide variety of devices, chip-level components, systems, distributed deployments, end-user devices, etc., of various sizes, shapes, and configurations.

[0056] The various concepts presented throughout this disclosure can be implemented across a wide range of telecommunications systems, network architectures, and communication standards. Now refer to... Figure 1 Various aspects of this disclosure are explained with reference to a wireless communication system 100, as illustrative examples and not limitation. The wireless communication system 100 includes three interaction domains: a core network 102, a radio access network (RAN) 104, and a user equipment (UE) 106. The wireless communication system 100 enables the UE 106 to perform data communication with an external data network 110 (such as, but not limited to, the Internet).

[0057] RAN 104 can implement any suitable one or more wireless communication technologies to provide radio access to UE 106. As an example, RAN 104 can operate according to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) specification (commonly referred to as 5G). As another example, RAN 104 can operate in a hybrid of 5G NR and the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (eUTRAN) standard (commonly referred to as LTE). 3GPP refers to this hybrid RAN as Next Generation RAN, or NG-RAN. Of course, many other examples can be utilized within the scope of this disclosure.

[0058] As explained, RAN 104 includes multiple base stations 108. Broadly speaking, a base station is a network element in a radio access network responsible for radio transmissions to and from a UE in one or more cells. In different technologies, standards, or contexts, a base station may be referred to by those skilled in the art as a base transceiver station (BTS), radio base station, radio transceiver, transceiver function, basic service set (BSS), extended service set (ESS), access point (AP), B-node (NB), evolved B-node (eNB), gB-node (gNB), or some other suitable term.

[0059] Radio access network 104 is further described as supporting wireless communication for multiple mobile devices. In 3GPP standards, a mobile device may be referred to as User Equipment (UE), but may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a mobile station (MS), subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, radio unit, remote unit, mobile device, radio device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal (AT), mobile terminal, radio terminal, remote terminal, handheld device, terminal, user agent, mobile client, client, or any other suitable term. A UE may be a device that provides users with access to network services.

[0060] In this document, a “mobile” device does not necessarily need to be mobile and may be stationary. The term mobile device or mobile equipment refers to a wide variety of devices and technologies. A UE may include several hardware structural components that are sized, shaped, and arranged to facilitate communication; such components may include antennas, antenna arrays, RF chains, amplifiers, one or more processors, etc., electrically coupled to each other. For example, some non-limiting examples of mobile devices include mobile devices, cellular phones, smartphones, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal computers (PCs), laptops, netbooks, smartbooks, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and a wide variety of embedded systems, such as those corresponding to the “Internet of Things” (IoT). Additionally, mobile devices can be automobiles or other transportation vehicles, remote sensors or actuators, robots or robotic equipment, satellite radios, Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, object tracking devices, drones, multi-rotor aircraft, quadcopters, remote control devices, consumer and / or wearable devices (such as glasses), wearable cameras, virtual reality devices, smartwatches, health or fitness trackers, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players), cameras, game consoles, etc. Additionally, mobile devices can be digital home or smart home devices, such as home audio, video and / or multimedia equipment, appliances, vending machines, smart lighting equipment, home security systems, smart meters, etc. Mobile devices can also be smart energy devices, security devices, solar panels or solar arrays, municipal infrastructure equipment controlling electricity, lighting, and water (e.g., smart grids), industrial automation and enterprise equipment, logistics controllers, agricultural equipment, etc. Furthermore, mobile devices can provide connected healthcare or telemedicine support, i.e., remote health care. Remote healthcare devices may include remote healthcare monitoring devices and remote healthcare supervision devices, whose communications may be given priority or preferential access over other types of information, for example, in the form of priority access for critical service data transmission and / or relevant QoS for critical service data transmission.

[0061] Wireless communication between RAN 104 and UE 106 can be described as utilizing an air interface. Transmissions over the air interface from base station 108 (e.g., a scheduling entity) to one or more UEs (e.g., UE 106) can be referred to as downlink (DL) transmissions. According to certain aspects of this disclosure, the term downlink can refer to point-to-multipoint transmissions originating at base station 108 (e.g., a scheduling entity). Another way to describe this scheme is to use the term broadcast channel multiplexing. Transmissions from a UE (e.g., UE 106) to base station 108 (e.g., a scheduling entity) can be referred to as uplink (UL) transmissions. According to a further aspect of this disclosure, the term uplink can refer to point-to-point transmissions originating at a scheduled entity (further described below; e.g., UE 106).

[0062] In some examples, access to the air interface can be scheduled, where base station 108 (e.g., a scheduling entity) allocates resources for communication among some or all of the equipment and devices within its service area or cell. Within this disclosure, as further discussed below, the scheduling entity may be responsible for scheduling, assigning, reconfiguring, and releasing resources for one or more scheduled entities. That is, for scheduled communication, UE 106 (which may be a scheduled entity) may utilize the resources allocated by base station 108.

[0063] Base station 108 is not the only entity that can be used as a scheduling entity. That is, in some examples, a UE can be used as a scheduling entity to schedule resources for one or more scheduled entities (e.g., one or more other UEs). And as discussed below, a UE can communicate directly with other UEs in a peer-to-peer manner and / or in a relay configuration.

[0064] like Figure 1 As explained, base station 108 may broadcast downlink traffic 112 to one or more UEs 106 (e.g., scheduled entities). More broadly, base station 108 may be a node or device responsible for scheduling traffic (including downlink traffic 112 and, in some examples, uplink traffic 116 from one or more UEs 106 to base station 108) in a wireless communication network. On the other hand, UE 106 may be a node or device receiving downlink control information 114 (including, but not limited to, scheduling information (e.g., permission), synchronization or timing information), or other control information from another entity in the wireless communication network (such as base station 108).

[0065] Additionally, uplink and / or downlink control information and / or traffic information can be temporally divided into frames, subframes, time slots, and / or symbols. As used herein, a symbol may refer to a time unit in which one resource element (RE) is carried per subcarrier in an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) waveform. A time slot may carry 7 or 14 OFDM symbols. A subframe may refer to a duration of 1 ms. Multiple subframes or time slots may be grouped together to form a single frame or radio frame. Of course, these definitions are not mandatory, and any suitable scheme can be used to organize the waveform, and the various time divisions of the waveform can have any suitable duration.

[0066] Generally, base station 108 may include a backhaul interface for communicating with the backhaul section 120 of a wireless communication system. Backhaul 120 provides a link between base station 108 and core network 102. Furthermore, in some examples, the backhaul network provides interconnection between the respective base stations 108. Any suitable transport network can be used to employ various types of backhaul interfaces, such as direct physical connections, virtual networks, etc.

[0067] Core network 102 may be part of wireless communication system 100 and may be independent of the radio access technology used in RAN 104. In some examples, core network 102 may be configured according to 5G standards (e.g., 5GC). In other examples, core network 102 may be configured according to 4G Evolved Packet Core (EPC), or any other suitable standard or configuration.

[0068] Now refer to Figure 2 The illustrative explanation of RAN 200 is provided as an example, not a limitation. In some examples, RAN 200 may be used in conjunction with the above description and in Figure 1 The same applies to RAN 104 as explained in the text. The geographical area covered by RAN 200 can be divided into cellular areas (cells), which can be uniquely identified by the user equipment (UE) based on an identifier broadcast from an access point or base station. Figure 2 Macrocells 202, 204, and 206, and small cell 208, are described, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of ​​a cell. All sectors within a cell are served by the same base station. Radio links within a sector may be identified by a single logical identifier belonging to that sector. In a cell divided into sectors, multiple sectors within the cell may be formed by an antenna array, where each antenna is responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell.

[0069] It can be deployed using various base stations. For example, in Figure 2In the illustration, two base stations 210 and 212 are shown in cells 202 and 204; and a third base station 214 is shown as a remote radio head (RRH) 216 controlling cell 206. That is, the base stations may have integrated antennas, or they may be connected to the antenna or RRH via a feed cable. In the illustrated example, cells 202, 204, and 206 may be referred to as macrocells because base stations 210, 212, and 214 support cells with large sizes. Furthermore, base station 218 is shown in a small cell 208 (e.g., microcell, picocell, femtocell, home base station, home B-node, home evolved B-node, etc.), which may overlap with one or more macrocells. In this example, cell 208 may be referred to as a small cell because base station 218 supports cells with relatively small sizes. Cell size settings can be determined based on system design and component constraints.

[0070] To understand, radio access network 200 may include any number of radio base stations and cells. Furthermore, relay nodes may be deployed to extend the size or coverage area of ​​a given cell. Base stations 210, 212, 214, and 218 provide radio access points to the core network for any number of mobile devices. In some examples, base stations 210, 212, 214, and / or 218 may be connected to the network described above and in… Figure 1 The base station / scheduling entity 108 described in the Chinese explanation is the same.

[0071] Within RAN 200, a cell may include UEs capable of communicating with one or more sectors of each cell. Furthermore, each base station 210, 212, 214, and 218 may be configured to provide access to the core network 102 for all UEs within the respective cell (see [link to core network 102]). Figure 1 Access points. For example, UEs 222 and 224 may communicate with base station 210; UEs 226 and 228 may communicate with base station 212; UEs 230 and 232 may communicate with base station 214 via RRH216; and UE 234 may communicate with base station 218. In some examples, UEs 222, 224, 226, 228, 230, 232, 234, 238, 240 and / or 242 may communicate with the base station described above and in... Figure 1 The UE / scheduled entity 106 described in the text is the same.

[0072] In some examples, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 220 (which may be a drone or a quadcopter) can be a mobile network node and can be configured to function as a UE. For example, UAV 220 can operate within cell 202 by communicating with base station 210.

[0073] In a further aspect of RAN 200, sidelink signals can be used between UEs without relying on scheduling or control information from the base station. Sidelink communication can be used in, for example, device-to-device (D2D), peer-to-peer (P2P), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) networks, and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) networks. For example, two or more UEs (e.g., UEs 226 and 228) within the coverage area of ​​serving base station 212 can communicate with each other using sidelink signal 227 without relaying the communication through the base station. In this example, base station 212 or one or both of UEs 226 and 228 can act as a scheduling entity to schedule sidelink communication between UEs 226 and 228. In some examples, sidelink signal 227 includes sidelink traffic and sidelink control. In a further example, UEs outside the coverage area of ​​the base station can communicate on a sidelink carrier. For example, UE 238 is interpreted as communicating with UEs 240 and 242. Here, UE 238 can be used as a scheduling entity or a transmitting-side link device, and UE 240 and 242 can each be used as a scheduled entity or a receiving-side link device.

[0074] In RAN 200, the ability of a UE to communicate independently of its location while moving is referred to as mobility. The various physical channels between the UE and the RAN are generally defined within the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF, not explained). Figure 1 The AMF is established, maintained, and released under the control of the core network 102 (part of the core network). In some scenarios, the AMF may include Security Context Management (SCMF) and Security Anchor Function (SEAF) for performing authentication. The SCMF can manage the security context of both the control plane and user plane functionalities, either overall or in part.

[0075] In some examples, RAN 200 enables mobility and handover (i.e., the UE's connection is transferred from one radio channel to another). For example, during a call with a scheduling entity, or at any other time, the UE can monitor various parameters of the signal from its serving cell and various parameters of neighboring cells. Depending on the quality of these parameters, the UE can maintain communication with one or more neighboring cells. During this time, if the UE moves from one cell to another, or if the signal quality from a neighboring cell exceeds the signal quality from the serving cell for a given amount of time, the UE can perform a handover or handover from the serving cell to a neighboring (target) cell. For example, UE 224 (explained as a means of transportation, but any suitable form of UE may be used) can move from a geographic area corresponding to its serving cell 202 to a geographic area corresponding to a neighboring cell 206. When the signal strength or quality from the neighboring cell 206 exceeds the signal strength or quality of its serving cell 202 for a given amount of time, UE 224 can transmit a report message indicating this condition to its serving base station 210. In response, UE 224 may receive a handover command and may undergo a handover to cell 206.

[0076] The air interface in the radio access network 200 can utilize one or more multiplexing and multiple access algorithms to enable simultaneous communication between various devices. For example, the 5G NR specification utilizes Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP) to provide multiple access for UL transmissions from UEs 222 and 224 to base station 210, and to provide multiplexing for DL ​​transmissions from base station 210 to one or more UEs 222 and 224. Additionally, for UL transmissions, the 5G NR specification provides support for Discrete Fourier Transform Extended OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) with CP (also known as Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA)). However, within the scope of this disclosure, multiplexing and multiple access are not limited to the above schemes and can be provided using Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Sparse Code Multiple Access (SCMA), Resource Extended Multiple Access (RSMA), or other suitable multiple access schemes. In addition, multiplexing of DL transmissions from base station 210 to UEs 222 and 224 can be provided using time division multiplexing (TDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), sparse code multiplexing (SCM), or other suitable multiplexing schemes.

[0077] The air interface in the radio access network 200 can further utilize one or more duplex algorithms. Duplex refers to a point-to-point communication link where both endpoints can communicate with each other in both directions. Full-duplex means that both endpoints can communicate with each other simultaneously. Half-duplex means that only one endpoint can send information to the other endpoint at a time. In a wireless link, a full-duplex channel generally relies on physical isolation between the transmitter and receiver, and appropriate interference cancellation techniques. Full-duplex simulation for wireless links is typically achieved using Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) or Time Division Duplex (TDD). In FDD, transmissions in different directions operate at different carrier frequencies. In TDD, transmissions in different directions on a given channel are separated using time division multiplexing. That is, at some times, the channel is dedicated to transmissions in one direction, and at other times, the channel is dedicated to transmissions in the other direction, where the direction can change very rapidly, for example, several times per time slot.

[0078] Reference Figure 3 The OFDM waveforms illustrated herein are used to describe various aspects of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that various aspects of this disclosure can be applied to SC-FDMA waveforms in substantially the same manner as described below. That is, while some examples of this disclosure may focus on OFDM links for clarity, it should be understood that the same principles can also be applied to SC-FDMA waveforms.

[0079] Now refer to Figure 3 An expanded view of exemplary DL subframe 302, showing the OFDM resource grid, is illustrated. However, as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, the PHY transport architecture for any particular application can vary from the example described herein depending on any number of factors. Here, time is in the horizontal direction in units of OFDM symbols; while frequency is in the vertical direction in units of subcarriers.

[0080] Resource grid 304 can be used to schematically represent time-frequency resources for a given antenna port. That is, in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) implementation with multiple antenna ports available, there can be a corresponding number of resource grids 304 available for communication. Resource grid 304 is divided into multiple resource elements (REs) 306. An RE (which is 1 subcarrier × 1 symbol) is the smallest discrete part of the time-frequency grid and contains a single complex value representing data from a physical channel or signal. Depending on the modulation used in a particular implementation, each RE may represent one or more information bits. In some examples, an RE block may be referred to as a physical resource block (PRB) or resource block (RB) 308, which contains any suitable number of coherent subcarriers in the frequency domain. In one example, an RB may include 12 subcarriers, the number of which is independent of the parameter design used. In some examples, depending on the parameter design, an RB may include any suitable number of coherent OFDM symbols in the time domain. Within this disclosure, it is assumed that a single RB (such as RB 308) corresponds exactly to a single communication direction (transmission or reception for a given device).

[0081] Scheduling of downlink or uplink transmissions for a UE (e.g., a scheduled entity) typically involves scheduling one or more resource elements 306 within one or more subbands. Thus, the UE generally utilizes only a subset of the resource grid 304. In some examples, an RB can be the smallest unit of resource that can be allocated to the UE. Therefore, the more RBs scheduled for the UE and the more advanced the modulation scheme selected for the air interface, the higher the UE's data rate.

[0082] In this explanation, RB 308 is shown to occupy less than the entire bandwidth of subframe 302, where some subcarriers above and below RB 308 are explained. In a given implementation, subframe 302 may have a bandwidth corresponding to any number of one or more RB 308s. Furthermore, in this explanation, RB 308 is shown to occupy less than the entire duration of subframe 302, but this is merely one possible example.

[0083] Each 1ms subframe 302 may include one or more adjacent time slots. As an illustrative example, in... Figure 3In the example shown, a subframe 302 includes four time slots 310. In some examples, time slots may be defined based on a specified number of OFDM symbols with a given cyclic prefix (CP) length. For example, with a nominal CP, a time slot may include 7 or 14 OFDM symbols. Additional examples may include mini time slots (sometimes referred to as shortened transmission time intervals (TTIs)) with shorter durations (e.g., one to three OFDM symbols). In some cases, these mini time slots or shortened transmission time intervals (TTIs) may occupy resources scheduled for ongoing time slot transmissions for the same or different UEs. Any number of resource blocks may be utilized within a subframe or time slot.

[0084] An expanded view of time slot 310 illustrates time slot 310 including control region 312 and data region 314. Generally, control region 312 may carry control channels, while data region 314 may carry data channels. Of course, a time slot may contain all DL, all UL, or at least one DL portion and at least one UL portion. Figure 3 The structure described herein is merely exemplary in nature and may utilize different time-slot structures, and may include one or more for each of the control region and data region.

[0085] In some examples, time slot 310 can be used for broadcast or unicast communication. For example, broadcast, multicast, or ensemble communication can refer to point-to-multipoint transmission from one device (e.g., a base station, UE, or other similar device) to other devices. Here, broadcast communication is delivered to all devices, while multicast communication is delivered to multiple intended receiving devices. Unicast communication can refer to point-to-point transmission from one device to a single other device.

[0086] In an example of cellular communication over a cellular carrier via the Uu interface, for DL ​​transmission, a scheduling entity (e.g., a base station) may allocate one or more REs 306 (e.g., within control area 312) to carry DL control information to one or more scheduled entities (e.g., UEs), including one or more DL control channels (such as the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH)). The PDCCH carries downlink control information (DCI), including but not limited to power control commands for DL ​​and UL transmissions (e.g., one or more open-loop power control parameters and / or one or more closed-loop power control parameters), scheduling information, grants, and / or RE assignments. The PDCCH may further carry HARQ feedback transmissions, such as acknowledgment (ACK) or negative acknowledgment (NACK). HARQ is a technique well known to those skilled in the art, where, for accuracy, any suitable integrity verification mechanism (such as a checksum or cyclic redundancy check (CRC)) may be used to verify the integrity of packet transmissions at the receiving side. If the integrity of the transmission is acknowledged, an ACK may be transmitted, and if it is not acknowledged, a NACK may be transmitted. In response to NACK, the transmitting device can send a HARQ retransmission, which enables catch-up retransmission, incremental redundancy, and so on.

[0087] The base station may further allocate one or more REs 306 (e.g., in control area 312 or data area 314) to carry other DL signals, such as demodulation reference signals (DMRS); phase tracking reference signals (PT-RS); channel state information (CSI) reference signals (CSI-RS); primary synchronization signals (PSS); and secondary synchronization signals (SSS). The UE may utilize the PSS and SSS to achieve radio frame, subframe, time slot, and symbol synchronization in the time domain, identify the center of the channel (system) bandwidth in the frequency domain, and identify the physical cell identity (PCI) of the cell. The synchronization signals PSS and SSS, and in some examples, PBCH and PBCH DMRS, may be transmitted in the synchronization signal block (SSB). The PBCH may further include a main information block (MIB), which includes various system information along with parameters for decoding the system information block (SIB). The SIB may be, for example, System Information Type 1 (SIB1), which may include various additional system information. Examples of system information transmitted in the MIB may include, but are not limited to, subcarrier spacing, system frame number, configuration of the PDCCH control resource set (CORESET) (e.g., PDCCH CORESET0), and search space for SIB1. Examples of additional system information transmitted in SIB1 may include, but are not limited to, random access search space, downlink configuration information, and uplink configuration information. Together, the MIB and SIB1 provide the minimum system information (SI) for initial access.

[0088] In UL transmissions, the scheduled entity (e.g., the UE) may use one or more RE 306s to carry UL control information (UCI) to the scheduling entity. This UL control information includes one or more UL control channels, such as the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH). The UCI may include various packet types and categories, including pilots, reference signals, and information configured to enable or assist in decoding uplink data transmissions. Examples of uplink reference signals may include probe reference signals (SRS) and uplink DMRS. In some examples, the UCI may include a scheduling request (SR), i.e., a request for the scheduling entity to schedule uplink transmissions. Here, in response to the SR transmitted on the UCI, the scheduling entity may transmit downlink control information (DCI), which can schedule resources for uplink packet transmissions. The UCI may also include HARQ feedback, channel state feedback (CSF) (such as CSI reports), or any other suitable UCI.

[0089] In addition to control information, one or more REs 306 (e.g., within data area 314) may also be allocated for data traffic. Such data traffic may be carried on one or more traffic channels, such as the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) for DL ​​transmissions, or the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) for UL transmissions. In some examples, one or more REs 306 within data area 314 may be configured to carry other signals, such as one or more SIBs and DMRS.

[0090] In an example of sidelink communication on a sidelink carrier via the PC5 interface, the control area 310 of time slot 312 may include a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), which includes sidelink control information (SCI) transmitted by an initiating (transmitting) sidelink device (e.g., a V2X or other sidelink device) toward a set of one or more other receiving sidelink devices. The data area 314 of time slot 310 may include a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), which includes sidelink data traffic transmitted by the initiating (transmitting) sidelink device within resources reserved on the sidelink carrier by the transmitting sidelink device via the SCI. Other information may be further transmitted on the respective REs 306 within time slot 310. For example, HARQ feedback information may be transmitted from the receiving sidelink device to the transmitting sidelink device in the Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH) within time slot 310. Additionally, one or more reference signals, such as a sidelink SSB and / or a sidelink CSI-RS, may be transmitted within time slot 310.

[0091] These physical channels are typically multiplexed and mapped to transport channels for processing by the Media Access Control (MAC) layer. The transport channel carries blocks of information, called transport blocks (TBs). The transport block size (TBS) (which may correspond to the number of information bits) can be a controlled parameter based on the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) and the number of redundancies (RBs) in a given transmission.

[0092] The above combination Figure 1-3 The channels or carriers described are not necessarily all the channels or carriers available between the scheduling entity and the scheduled entity, and those skilled in the art will recognize that other channels or carriers, such as other traffic, control, and feedback channels, may be available in addition to those described.

[0093] In some aspects of this disclosure, base stations (e.g., scheduling entities) and / or UEs (e.g., scheduled entities) may be configured for beamforming and / or multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technologies. Figure 4An example of a wireless communication system 400 supporting beamforming and / or MIMO is described. In the MIMO system, transmitter 402 includes multiple transmit antennas 404 (e.g., N transmit antennas), and receiver 406 includes multiple receive antennas 408 (e.g., M receive antennas). Thus, there are N×M signal paths 408 from the transmit antennas 404 to the receive antennas 410. Each of transmitter 402 and receiver 406 may be implemented, for example, in a scheduling entity, a scheduled entity, or any other suitable wireless communication device.

[0094] The use of such multi-antenna techniques enables wireless communication systems to utilize the spatial domain to support spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and transmit diversity. Spatial multiplexing can be used to simultaneously transmit different data streams (also known as layers) on the same time-frequency resources. These data streams can be transmitted to a single UE to increase the data rate or to multiple UEs to increase the overall system capacity, the latter being known as multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO). This is achieved by spatially precoding each data stream (i.e., multiplying these data streams by different weights and phase shifts) and then transmitting each spatially precoded stream over multiple transmit antennas on the downlink. The spatially precoded data streams arrive at the UE with different spatial signatures, which allow each UE to recover one or more data streams intended for that UE. On the uplink, each UE transmits spatially precoded data streams, which allows the base station to identify the source of each spatially precoded data stream.

[0095] The number of data streams or layers corresponds to the transmission rank. Generally, the rank of a MIMO system 400 is limited by the lower of the number of transmit or receive antennas 404 or 408. Additionally, channel conditions at the UE and other considerations (such as available resources at the base station) may also affect the transmission rank. For example, the rank assigned to a particular UE on the downlink (and therefore the number of data streams) can be determined based on a rank indicator (RI) transmitted from that UE to the base station. The RI can be determined based on the antenna configuration (e.g., the number of transmit and receive antennas) and the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) measured on each receive antenna. The RI can indicate, for example, the number of layers that can be supported under the current channel conditions. The base station can use the RI along with resource information (e.g., available resources and the amount of data to be scheduled for the UE) to assign a transmission rank to the UE.

[0096] In one example, such as Figure 4 As shown, rank-2 spatial multiplexing transmission on a 2x2 MIMO antenna configuration delivers one data stream from each transmit antenna 404. Each data stream arrives at each receive antenna 408 along a different signal path 410. Receiver 406 can then reconstruct these data streams using the signals received from each receive antenna 408.

[0097] Beamforming is a signal processing technique that can be used at transmitter 402 or receiver 406 to shape or guide an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam or a receive beam) along a spatial path between transmitter 402 and receiver 406. Beamforming can be achieved by combining signals transmitted via antennas 404 or 408 (e.g., antenna elements of an antenna array module) such that some of these signals undergo constructive interference while others undergo destructive interference. To create the desired constructive / destructive interference, transmitter 402 or receiver 406 may apply amplitude and / or phase shifts to the signals transmitted or received from each of the antennas 402 or 406 associated with transmitter 404 or receiver 408.

[0098] In 5G New Radio (NR) systems, particularly for systems above 6 GHz or mmWave, beamformed signals can be used on most downlink channels, including the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH). Additionally, broadcast control information (such as SSB, Slot Format Indicator (SFI), and paging information) can be transmitted in a beam-sweep manner so that all scheduled entities (UEs) within the coverage area of ​​the Transmitter and Receiver Point (TRP) (e.g., gNB) can receive the broadcast control information. Furthermore, for UEs equipped with beamformed antenna arrays, beamformed signals can also be used on uplink channels (including the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) and the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH)). However, it should be understood that beamformed signals can also be used by Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) gNBs for sub-6 GHz systems.

[0099] Figure 5 This diagram illustrates communication between base station 504 and UE 502 using beamforming signals, based on various applications. Base station 504 can be... Figure 1 And / or either the base station (e.g., gNB) or the scheduling entity described in 2, while UE502 may be Figure 1 And / or either the UE or the scheduled entity as explained by 2.

[0100] exist Figure 5 In the example shown, base station 504 is configured to generate multiple beams 506a–506h, each beam associated with a different beam direction. Additionally, UE 502 is configured to generate multiple beams 508a–508e, each beam associated with a different beam direction. Base station 504 and UE 502 can select one or more beams 506a–506h on base station 504 and one or more beams 508a–508e on UE 502 for uplink and downlink signal communication between them.

[0101] In one example, base station 504 may be configured to sweep or transmit over each of a plurality of downlink transmit beams 506a–506h during one or more synchronization time slots. For example, base station 504 may transmit reference signals (such as SSB or CSI-RS) on each beam in different beam directions during synchronization time slots. The transmission of beam reference signals may occur periodically (e.g., as configured by gNB via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling), semi-persistently (e.g., as configured by gNB via RRC signaling and activated / deactivated via Media Access Control-Control Element (MAC-CE) signaling), or aperiodically (e.g., as triggered by gNB via Downlink Control Information (DCI)). It should be noted that although some beams are interpreted as being adjacent to each other, such arrangements may differ in various aspects. For example, downlink transmit beams 506a–506h transmitted during the same symbol period may not be adjacent to each other. In some examples, base station 504 can transmit more or fewer beams distributed in all directions (e.g., 360 degrees).

[0102] Additionally, UE 502 is configured to receive downlink beam reference signals on multiple downlink receive beams 508a–508e. In some examples, UE 502 searches for and identifies each of the downlink transmit beams 506a–506h based on the beam reference signals. UE 502 then performs beam measurements (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), SINR, Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), etc.) on the beam reference signals to determine the corresponding beam quality of each of the downlink transmit beams 506a–506h as measured on each of the downlink receive beams 508a–508e.

[0103] UE 502 can generate and transmit a Layer 1 (L1) measurement report to base station 504. This report includes the corresponding beam identifier (beam index) and beam measurements for one or more of the downlink transmit beams 506a–506h. Base station 504 can then select one or more downlink transmit beams on which to transmit unicast downlink control information and / or user data traffic to UE 502. In some examples, the selected downlink transmit beam(s) has the highest gain from the L1 measurement report. In some examples, UE 502 can also identify the downlink transmit beam selected by the base station from the beam measurements. The transmission of the L1 measurement report can occur periodically (e.g., as configured by gNB via RRC signaling), semi-persistently (e.g., as configured by gNB via RRC signaling and activated / deactivated via MAC-CE signaling), or aperiodically (e.g., triggered by gNB via DCI).

[0104] Base station 504 or UE 502 may further select a corresponding downlink receive beam on UE 502 for each selected serving downlink transmit beam to form a corresponding downlink beampair (BPL) for each selected serving downlink transmit beam. For example, UE 502 may use beam measurement to select the corresponding downlink receive beam for each serving downlink transmit beam. In some examples, the selected downlink receive beam to be paired with a particular downlink transmit beam may have the highest gain for that particular downlink transmit beam.

[0105] In other examples, when the channels are reciprocal (e.g., the downlink and uplink channel quality is the same), base station 504 may derive the downlink transmit beam. The derivation of the downlink transmit beam may be based on uplink measurements performed by base station 504, such as the received power, quality, or other variables of probe reference signals (SRS) measured on multiple base station beams 506a–506h or other uplink reference signals transmitted by UE 502 on one or more of UE beams 508a–508e. In some examples, base station 504 may derive the downlink beam based on a combination of L1 measurement reports and uplink measurements.

[0106] In one example, a first downlink directional beam 506d may be selected for downlink channel transmission from base station 504 to UE 502. Similarly, a first uplink directional beam 508c may be selected for uplink channel transmission from UE 502 to base station 504. Base station 504 may control all scheduling of transmissions on the downlink channels and uplink channels.

[0107] To update, modify, and / or change the configuration of uplink channels or downlink channels, the base station may use control mechanisms such as RRCs to inform the UE 502 of any changes. However, each uplink and downlink channel has a dedicated RRC that increases overhead and latency. That is, dedicated RRCs are used to control overhead transmissions for each channel, and depending on resource scheduling, the use of RRCs may also increase latency.

[0108] On the one hand, it provides the use of shared beams to concurrently control and / or update uplink channels (on the uplink directional beam) and downlink channels (on the downlink directional beam). That is, shared beams can be used to transmit updates to the resources and / or channel configurations of the channels in the uplink and downlink directional beams, instead of using other control mechanisms transmitted within the uplink and / or downlink directional beams.

[0109] Figure 6This is a diagram illustrating a wireless communication system, including a shared beam between base station 604 and UE 602, for managing channels in downlink and uplink beams. In this example, one or more downlink channels from base station 604 to UE 602 can be transmitted on one or more downlink directional beams 606a, 606b, and 606c. These one or more downlink channels may include a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), a Physical Downlink Scheduling Channel (PDSCH), a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), and a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS). Similarly, one or more uplink channels from UE 602 to base station 604 can be transmitted on one or more uplink directional beams 608a, 608b, and 608c. These one or more uplink channels may include a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), a Physical Uplink Scheduling Channel (PUSCH), a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), and a Probe Reference Signal (SRS). One or more shared beams 610a, 610b, and 610c allow base station 604 to update, control, and / or manage one or more downlink and uplink channels in downlink directional beams 606a, 606b, and 606c and uplink directional beams 608a, 608b, and 608c, respectively. That is, using shared beams to manage at least one uplink directional beam and at least one downlink directional beam combines beam control into a single resource, which can be scheduled more frequently than other update mechanisms, thereby reducing latency. In various examples, one or more shared beams can be used to transmit messages, indicators, and / or configurations to UE 602. For example, a first shared beam can be used to manage uplink and downlink data transmission (on uplink and downlink data channels), and a second shared beam can be used to manage uplink and downlink control transmission (on uplink and downlink control channels).

[0110] Figure 7 This section explains an example of using a shared beam between base station 704 and UE 702 to concurrently manage uplink and downlink channels. UE 702 can correspond to... Figure 1 , 2 Any of the UEs or scheduled entities shown in 4, 5, and / or 6. Furthermore, base station 704 may correspond to... Figure 1 , 2 Any of the base stations or scheduling entities shown in 4, 5 and / or 6.

[0111] Base station 704 may establish a downlink directional beam 706 to UE 702, which carries one or more downlink channels. In one example, this may be performed by the base station, which performs beam sweeping to transmit a reference signal (e.g., SSB or CSI-RS) to UE 702 on each of a plurality of downlink transmit beams. UE 702 identifies and measures the RSRP or other suitable beam measurement of the corresponding beam reference signal transmitted on each downlink transmit beam. For example, UE 702 may measure the RSRP on each downlink receive beam of the UE for each downlink transmit beam from base station 704. Additionally, UE 702 may transmit an L1 measurement report including the beam measurements to base station 704. Base station 704 may then select one or more serving downlink transmit beams on which to transmit unicast downlink control information and / or user data traffic to UE 702. In some examples, the selected service downlink transmit beam (e.g., downlink directional beam) may have the highest gain from L1 measurement reports.

[0112] In some implementations, UE 702 may form a downlink BPL between a serving downlink transmit beam and a serving downlink receive beam. In some examples, UE 702 may select a corresponding serving downlink receive beam for each selected serving downlink transmit beam to form the downlink BPL. For example, UE 702 may identify the serving downlink transmit beam (e.g., the downlink transmit beam with the highest gain, where the number of downlink transmit beams is known based on, for example, UE capabilities). UE 702 may then select a corresponding downlink receive beam for each serving downlink transmit beam based on beam measurements. In some examples, the selected downlink receive beam to be paired with a particular downlink transmit beam may have the highest gain for that particular downlink transmit beam.

[0113] Similarly, UE 702 may also establish an uplink directional beam 708 to base station 704, which carries one or more uplink channels. In one example, this may be done by UE 702, which performs beam sweeping to transmit a reference signal (e.g., SRS) to base station 704 on each of a plurality of uplink transmit beams. Base station 704 identifies and measures the RSRP or other suitable beam measurement of the corresponding beam reference signal transmitted on each uplink transmit beam. For example, UE 702 may measure the RSRP on each downlink receive beam of the UE for each downlink transmit beam from base station 704. Additionally, base station 704 may transmit a measurement report including beam measurements to UE 702. UE 702 may then select one or more serving uplink transmit beams on which to transmit unicast uplink data traffic to base station 704. In some examples, the selected service uplink transmit beam (e.g., uplink directional beam) may have the highest gain from the measurement report.

[0114] Base station 704 can also establish one or more shared beams 710 with UE 702. Through these shared beams 710, base station 704 can manage downlink channels and uplink channels carried by downlink beams and uplink beams, respectively. Base station 704 can establish one or more shared beams 710 using a method similar to that used to establish downlink transmit beams(s). For example, base station 704 can send configuration, update, and / or control messages / signaling 712 for downlink and uplink channels to UE 702. Furthermore, UE 702 can adjust its uplink and downlink beams and / or uplink and downlink channels 714 based on the received configuration, update, and / or control information / signaling. Base station 704 can periodically or non-periodically send configuration messages 716 on the shared beams for managing, controlling, and / or updating uplink and downlink channels.

[0115] Figure 8 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example hardware implementation of an exemplary base station 800 employing a processing system 814. For example, the base station could be... Figure 1 , 2 And / or any of the base stations or scheduling entities described in any one or more of 5-7.

[0116] According to various aspects of this disclosure, an element, or any part thereof, or any combination thereof, may be implemented using a processing system 814 including one or more processors 804. The processing system 814 may include a bus interface 808, a bus 802, a memory 805, a processor 804, and a processor-readable medium 806. Furthermore, the base station 800 may include an optional user interface 812 and a transceiver 810. That is, the processor 804 utilized in the base station 800 may be used to implement any one or more of the processes described below.

[0117] In some aspects of this disclosure, processor 804 may include circuitry configured for various functions. For example, processor 804 may include resource assignment and scheduling circuitry 842 configured to generate, schedule, and modify resource assignments or grants to time-frequency resources (e.g., a set comprising one or more resource elements). For example, resource assignment and scheduling circuitry 842 may schedule time-frequency resources within multiple time-division multiplexing (TDD) and / or frequency-division multiplexing (FDD) subframes, time slots, and / or mini-time slots to carry user data traffic and / or control information to and / or from multiple UEs on uplink and downlink channels.

[0118] In some examples, the resource assignment and scheduling circuitry 842 can be configured to schedule resources for downlink channels (on the downlink beam) and uplink channels (on the uplink beam) to / from the UE. The uplink / downlink channel configuration 820 can be stored, for example, in memory 805. In some examples, the uplink / downlink channel configuration 820 can be transmitted via, for example, a shared beam.

[0119] The resource assignment and scheduling circuitry 842 may be further configured to execute resource assignment and scheduling instructions 852 stored on the processor-readable medium 806 to implement one or more of the functions described herein.

[0120] The processor 804 may further include a shared beamforming circuit 844 configured to establish a directional beam between the base station 800 and the UE. The shared beamforming circuit 844 may be further configured to generate and transmit beamformed signals via the transceiver 810 and the antenna array 830.

[0121] The shared beamforming circuit 844 can be further configured to execute shared beamforming instructions 854 stored on the processor-readable medium 806 to implement one or more of the functions described herein.

[0122] Processor 804 may further include channel management circuitry 846 configured to manage uplink channels (on the uplink beam) and downlink channels (on the downlink beam) using a shared beam. Channel management circuitry 846 may be further configured to operate in conjunction with resource assignment and scheduling circuitry 842 to update and / or manage the configuration of one or more uplink channels (transmitted on the uplink beam) and one or more downlink channels (transmitted on the downlink beam) on the shared beam. Channel management circuitry 846 may be further configured to execute channel management instructions 856 stored on processor-readable medium 806 to implement one or more of the functions described herein.

[0123] Figure 9 This is a flowchart 900 illustrating an example of a method for managing channels in uplink and downlink beams using shared beams, according to some aspects. As described below, some or all of the described features may be omitted in a particular implementation within the scope of this disclosure, and some described features are not required to be used in implementing all embodiments. In some examples, the method may be as described above and in… Figure 8 The base station 800 described herein is executed by a processor or processing system, or by any suitable means for performing the described functions.

[0124] In box 902, the base station can establish a downlink directional beam for downlink channel transmission to user equipment (UE).

[0125] In box 904, the base station can also establish an uplink directional beam for uplink channel transmission from the UE.

[0126] In box 906, the base station can also establish a shared beam between the base station and the UE.

[0127] In box 908, a shared beam can be used to concurrently control or update (a) uplink and downlink channels, (b) at least two uplink channels and / or (c) at least two downlink channels. In one example, using the shared beam to concurrently control or update each uplink channel and / or each downlink channel may include sending a single transmission via the shared beam to update the UE on which uplink and downlink channels (or their configuration) the UE should use.

[0128] In one example, each downlink channel may include at least one of the following: Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Downlink Scheduling Channel (PDSCH), Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), and Positioning Reference Signal (PRS). In some instances, the CSI-RS in the downlink channel may be used as a Path Loss Reference Signal (PLRS) or a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS).

[0129] In some implementations, each uplink channel may include at least one of the following: Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Scheduling Channel (PUSCH), Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), and Probe Reference Signal (SRS). In some instances, the SRS in the downlink channel can be used for codebook-based uplink probe, non-codebook-based transmission, device location, and / or antenna switching.

[0130] In some implementations, multiple shared beams can be established between the base station and the UE, and each shared beam can be individually identified by a unique beam identifier.

[0131] Based on one characteristic, a shared common beam can be used for PDSCH transmission. The UE can identify the shared common beam for PDSCH transmission based on whether the scheduling DCI and the scheduling offset between the PDSCH and the scheduling DCI are greater than a predefined threshold QCL time duration. If the scheduling offset is greater than the threshold, the UE uses the shared common beam indicated in (or identified by) the DCI. Otherwise, the UE can use a predefined default shared common beam to receive PDSCH transmission. The default shared common beam can be the shared common beam with the smallest beam identifier (e.g., beam ID value).

[0132] Similarly, the UE can use this shared beam to transmit PUCCH, PUSCH, and / or SRS. If the spatial relation information or uplink transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state is configured for the scheduled PUCCH, PUSCH, and / or SRS, the UE can use the shared beam indicated in the spatial relation information or uplink TCI state for transmission. Otherwise, the UE can use the beam corresponding to the default shared beam. This default shared beam can be the shared beam with the smallest beam identifier (e.g., beam ID value).

[0133] In one example, the base station may transmit a message via a shared beam to instruct the UE to use: (a) a first shared beam for managing uplink transmissions, and (b) a second shared beam for managing downlink transmissions. In another example, the base station may transmit a message via a shared beam to instruct the UE to use: (a) a first shared beam for uplink and downlink data transmissions, and (b) a second shared beam for uplink and downlink control transmissions. In yet another example, the base station may transmit a message via a shared beam to instruct the UE to use: (a) a first shared beam for managing uplink and downlink data channel transmissions, and (b) a second shared beam for managing uplink and downlink control channel transmissions. The first shared beam for uplink and downlink control channel transmissions may have a first beamwidth, and the second shared beam for uplink and downlink data channel transmissions may have a second beamwidth, wherein the first bandwidth is wider than the second bandwidth.

[0134] In some implementations, the base station may use one of the following to send a shared beam identifier to the UE: Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), or Downlink Control Indicator (DCI).

[0135] In various examples, the shared beam is assigned a first beam identifier, and the first beam identifier is mapped to at least one of the following: (a) a downlink beam identifier associated with a downlink directional beam; (b) an uplink beam identifier associated with an uplink directional beam; or (c) a reference signal identifier.

[0136] In one implementation, the base station can assign a beam identifier to a shared beam. The beam identifier can be associated with a resource group that defines one or more resources used between the base station and the UE. The base station can then notify the UE of the resource group associated with the beam identifier. In one example, the base station can update the UE on changes to the resource group by either (a) sending a new beam identifier for a different shared beam now associated with that resource group, or (b) sending a new resource group identifier associated with that shared beam.

[0137] According to one aspect, multiple component carriers (CCs) can be used to transmit one or more channels in each of the uplink directional beam and the downlink directional beam. A shared beam can be associated with all of the multiple CCs.

[0138] The base station can also maintain a list of component carriers (CCs) for the bandwidth portion used for transmission between the base station and the UE. The beam identifier for a shared beam can be associated with at least one component carrier in this list.

[0139] In one example, a base station may transmit a message to a UE via a shared common channel to instruct the UE to update the shared common beam configuration associated with at least one CC in the list, which causes the UE to use the updated shared common beam configuration for all CCs in the list.

[0140] In one configuration, UE 800 includes functions for performing... Figure 8 The apparatus for the various functions and processes described. In one aspect, the aforementioned apparatus may be... Figure 8 The processor 804 shown is configured to perform the functions described in the aforementioned apparatus. Alternatively, the aforementioned apparatus may be a circuit or any device configured to perform the functions described in the aforementioned apparatus.

[0141] Of course, in the above example, the circuitry included in processor 804 is provided merely as an example, and other means for performing the functions described may be included within various aspects of this disclosure, including but not limited to those stored in processor-readable storage medium 806, or... Figure 1 , 2 In and / or any other suitable equipment or device described in any of 4-8 and utilizing, for example, the descriptions herein. Figure 9 Instructions for the described process and / or algorithm.

[0142] Figure 10 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example hardware implementation of an exemplary UE 1000 employing a processing system 1014. For example, the UE 1000 may be as follows: Figure 1 , 2 The UE or any of the scheduled entities described in any one or more of 4-9.

[0143] UE 1000 can be implemented using a processing system 1014 including one or more processors 1004. Examples of processors 1004 include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionalities described throughout this disclosure. In various examples, UE 1000 can be configured to perform any or more of the functions described herein. That is, the processor 1004 utilized in UE 1000 can be used to implement the following combined Figure 10 One or more of the things described in the process.

[0144] In some instances, processor 1004 may be implemented via a baseband or modem chip, while in other implementations, processor 1004 itself may include several devices that are different from and distinct from the baseband or modem chip (e.g., in such scenarios they may work together to achieve the embodiments discussed herein). Furthermore, as mentioned above, various hardware arrangements and components other than the baseband modem processor can be used in the implementation, including RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, interleavers, adders / summers, etc.

[0145] In this example, processing system 1014 can be implemented using a bus architecture generally represented by bus 1002. Depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of processing system 1014, bus 1002 may include any number of interconnect buses and bridges. Bus 1002 communicatively couples together various circuits including one or more processors (generally represented by processor 1004), memory 1005, and computer-readable media (generally represented by processor-readable media 1006). Bus 1002 may also link various other circuits, such as timing sources, peripheral devices, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described further. Bus interface 1008 provides an interface between bus 1002 and transceiver 1010. Transceiver 1010 provides means for communicating with various other devices via a transmission medium (e.g., an air interface). User interface 1012 (e.g., keypad, display, speaker, microphone, joystick) may also be provided.

[0146] Processor 1004 is responsible for managing bus 1002 and general processing, including the execution of instructions stored on processor-readable medium 1006. When executed by processor 1004, instructions cause processing system 1014 to perform various functions described below for any particular device. Processor-readable medium 1006 and memory 1005 can also be used to store data manipulated by processor 1004 during instruction execution.

[0147] One or more processors 1004 in the processing system can execute instructions. Such instructions should be broadly interpreted as instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., regardless of whether they are referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or other terms. Software may reside on processor-readable medium 1006.

[0148] The processor-readable medium 1006 may be a non-transient computer-readable medium. As examples, non-transient computer-readable media include magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic tapes), optical disks (e.g., compact discs (CDs) or digital multi-purpose discs (DVDs)), smart cards, flash memory devices (e.g., cards, sticks, or key-type drives), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), registers, removable disks, and any other suitable medium for storing software and / or instructions that can be accessed and read by a computer. The processor-readable medium 1006 may reside in the processing system 1014, be external to the processing system 1014, or be distributed across multiple entities including the processing system 1014. The processor-readable medium 1006 may be implemented in a computer program product. In some examples, the processor-readable medium 1006 may be part of memory 1005. As an example, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium within packaging material. Those skilled in the art will recognize how the functionality described throughout this disclosure can be best achieved, depending on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system as a whole.

[0149] In some aspects of this disclosure, processor 1004 may include circuitry configured for various functions. For example, processor 1004 may include channel resource management circuitry 1042 configured to manage information and / or configuration of uplink and downlink channels to / from the UE. In some examples, channel resource management circuitry 1042 may include one or more hardware components providing a physical structure for performing processes related to wireless communication (e.g., signal reception and / or signal transmission) and signal processing (e.g., processing received signals and / or processing signals for transmission).

[0150] In some examples, the channel resource management circuit 1042 may be configured to receive and process downlink beamforming signals via transceiver 1010 and antenna array 1030. For example, the channel resource management circuit 1042 may be configured to receive appropriate reference signals (e.g., SSB or CSI-RS) from a base station on one or more downlink beams for CSI feedback based on channel state information (CSI) report settings and associated CSI resource settings.

[0151] The channel resource management circuit 1042 may be further configured to execute channel resource management instructions 1052 stored on the processor-readable medium 1006 to implement one or more of the functions described herein.

[0152] The processor 1004 may further include a shared-beam monitoring circuit 1044 configured to monitor one or more shared beams (and / or channels carried on them) between the UE 1000 and the base station. The shared-beam monitoring circuit 1044 may be further configured to maintain component carrier mapping between component carriers (CCs) and beam identifiers. The shared-beam monitoring circuit 1044 may be further configured to execute shared-beam monitoring instructions 1054 stored on the processor-readable medium 1006 to implement one or more of the functions described herein.

[0153] Figure 11 This is a flowchart 1100 illustrating an example of a method for managing channels in uplink and downlink beams using shared beams, according to some aspects. As described below, some or all of the described features may be omitted in a particular implementation within the scope of this disclosure, and some described features are not required to be used in all embodiments. In some examples, the method may be derived from the methods described above and in… Figure 10 The UE 1000 described herein is executed by a processor or processing system, or by any suitable means for performing the described functions.

[0154] In box 1102, the UE may receive the establishment of a downlink directional beam for use in downlink channel transmission from the base station.

[0155] In box 1104, the UE can also establish an uplink directional beam for uplink channel transmission to the base station.

[0156] In box 1106, the UE can also establish a shared beam between the base station and the UE.

[0157] In box 1108, the UE can receive signals from the base station within the shared beam, which concurrently control or update: (a) uplink and downlink channels, (b) at least two uplink channels, and / or (c) at least two downlink channels. In one example, receiving signals within the shared beam may include receiving a single transmission via the shared beam that updates the UE on which uplink and downlink channels the UE should use. In some implementations, each downlink channel may include at least one of the following: Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Downlink Scheduling Channel (PDSCH), Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), and Positioning Reference Signal (PRS). Additionally, each uplink channel includes at least one of the following: Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Scheduling Channel (PUSCH), Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), and Probe Reference Signal (SRS). In some instances, the CSI-RS in the downlink channel can be used as a path loss reference signal (PLRS) or a tracking reference signal (TRS). In other instances, the SRS in the downlink channel can be used for codebook-based uplink breakthrough, non-codebook-based transmission, device location, and / or antenna switching.

[0158] According to one aspect, the base station can transmit PDSCH transmission to the UE based on a scheduled downlink control indicator (DCI) and depending on whether the scheduling offset between the PDSCH transmission and the scheduled DCI is greater than a predefined threshold. In the case of a shared common beam indicated by the DCI, if the scheduling offset is greater than the predefined threshold, the shared common beam is used for PDSCH transmission; otherwise, the default shared common beam is used for PDSCH transmission.

[0159] On the other hand, it provides the allocation of a shared beam to transmit PUCCH, PUSCH, or SRS transmissions from the UE to the base station, depending on the scheduling performed via spatial relation information or transmission configuration indicator (TCI). If the shared beam is indicated in the spatial relation information or TCI, then the shared beam is used for PUCCH, PUSCH, or SRS transmissions; otherwise, the default shared beam is used for PUCCH, PUSCH, or SRS transmissions.

[0160] Multiple shared beams can be established between the base station and the UE, each of which can be individually identified by a unique beam identifier. The UE can receive messages via the shared beam instructing it to: (a) use a first shared beam for managing uplink transmissions, and (b) use a second shared beam for managing downlink transmissions. The UE can also receive messages via the shared beam instructing it to: (a) use the first shared beam for uplink and downlink data transmissions, and (b) use the second shared beam for uplink and downlink control transmissions. In yet another example, the UE can also receive messages via the shared beam instructing it to: (a) use the first shared beam for managing uplink and downlink data channel transmissions, and (b) use the second shared beam for managing uplink and downlink control channel transmissions. In one implementation, a first shared beam for uplink and downlink control channel transmission may have a first beamwidth, and a second shared beam for uplink and downlink data channel transmission may have a second beamwidth, wherein the first bandwidth is wider than the second bandwidth.

[0161] The UE may also use one of the following to receive a shared beam identifier from the base station: Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), or Downlink Control Indicator (DCI).

[0162] In some implementations, a shared beam may be assigned a first beam identifier, and the first beam identifier is mapped to at least one of the following: (a) a downlink beam identifier associated with a downlink directional beam; (b) an uplink beam identifier associated with an uplink directional beam; or (c) a reference signal identifier.

[0163] According to one aspect, the UE may receive an indication of a beam identifier for the shared beam, which is associated with a resource group, wherein the resource group is defined as one or more resources utilized between the base station and the UE.

[0164] In one example, receiving an instruction to change a resource group from a base station may include either (a) receiving a new beam identifier for a different shared beam now associated with the resource group, or (b) receiving a new resource group identifier associated with the shared beam.

[0165] In some implementations, multiple component carriers (CCs) can be used to transmit one or more channels in each of the uplink directional beam and the downlink directional beam, and a shared beam is associated with all of the multiple CCs.

[0166] The UE can maintain a list of component carriers (CCs) for the bandwidth portion used for transmission between the base station and the UE. A beam identifier for a shared beam can be associated with at least one component carrier in this list based on an indication from the base station. A message is also received from the base station via a shared channel instructing the UE to update the shared beam configuration associated with at least one CC in the list, causing the UE to apply the updated shared beam configuration to all CCs in the list.

[0167] In one configuration, UE 1000 includes features for performing operations related to... Figure 11 The apparatus for the various functions and processes described. In one aspect, the aforementioned apparatus may be... Figure 10 The processor 1004 shown is configured to perform the functions described in the aforementioned apparatus. Alternatively, the aforementioned apparatus may be a circuit or any device configured to perform the functions described in the aforementioned apparatus.

[0168] Of course, in the above example, the circuitry included in processor 1004 is provided merely as an example, and other means for performing the functions described may be included within various aspects of this disclosure, including but not limited to those stored in processor-readable storage medium 1006, or... Figure 1 , 2 In and / or any other suitable equipment or device described in any of 4-10 and utilizing, for example, the descriptions herein. Figure 11 Instructions for the described process and / or algorithm.

[0169] The following provides an overview of the various aspects of this disclosure:

[0170] Aspect 1: A method for wireless communication at a base station, comprising: establishing a downlink directional beam for downlink channel transmission to a user equipment (UE); establishing an uplink directional beam for uplink channel transmission from the UE; establishing a shared beam between the base station and the UE; and using the shared beam to concurrently control or update: (a) an uplink channel and a downlink channel, (b) at least two uplink channels, and / or (c) at least two downlink channels.

[0171] Aspect 2: The method as described in Aspect 1, wherein using the shared beam to concurrently control or update each uplink channel and each downlink channel includes sending a single transmission via the shared beam to update the UE on which uplink channel and / or downlink channel the UE should use.

[0172] Aspect 3: The method as described in either Aspect 1 or 2, wherein each downlink channel includes at least one of the following: physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), physical downlink scheduling channel (PDSCH), channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), and positioning reference signal (PRS); and each uplink channel includes at least one of the following: physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), physical uplink scheduling channel (PUSCH), physical random access channel (PRACH), and probe reference signal (SRS).

[0173] Aspect 4: The method as described in any of Aspects 1, 2 or 3 further comprises: allocating the shared common beam to transmit PUCCH, PUSCH or SRS transmissions from the UE to the base station, depending on scheduling performed via spatial relation information or Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI), wherein if the shared common beam is indicated in the spatial relation information or TCI, the shared common beam is used for the PUCCH, PUSCH or SRS transmissions; otherwise, a default shared common beam is used for the PUCCH, PUSCH or SRS transmissions.

[0174] Aspect 5: The method of any one of Aspects 1, 2, 3 or 4 further includes: establishing a plurality of shared common beams between the base station and the UE, each of the plurality of shared common beams being individually identifiable by a unique beam identifier.

[0175] Aspect 6: The method as described in any of Aspects 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 further includes transmitting a message via the shared beam, the message instructing the UE to: use a first shared beam to manage the uplink channel transmission and use a second shared beam to manage the downlink channel transmission.

[0176] Aspect 7: The method of any one of Aspects 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 further includes transmitting a message via the shared common beam, the message instructing the UE to: (a) use the first shared common beam for uplink and downlink data transmission and the second shared common beam for uplink and downlink control transmission; or (b) use the third shared common beam for managing uplink and downlink data channel transmission and the fourth shared common beam for managing uplink and downlink control channel transmission.

[0177] Aspect 8: The method of aspect 7, wherein the first shared beam for uplink and downlink control channel transmission has a first beamwidth, and the second shared beam for uplink and downlink data channel transmission has a second beamwidth, wherein the first beamwidth is wider than the second beamwidth.

[0178] Aspect 9: The method of any one of Aspects 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 further comprises: using one of the following to send the beam identifier of the shared beam to the UE: Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) or Downlink Control Indicator (DCI).

[0179] Aspect 10: The method as described in any of Aspects 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9, wherein the shared beam is assigned a first beam identifier, and the first beam identifier is mapped to at least one of: (a) a downlink beam identifier associated with the downlink directional beam; (b) an uplink beam identifier associated with the uplink directional beam; or (c) a reference signal identifier.

[0180] Aspect 11: The method of any one of Aspects 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10, further comprising: assigning a beam identifier to the shared common beam; associating the beam identifier with a resource group that defines one or more resources used between the base station and the UE; and notifying the UE of the resource group associated with the beam identifier; and updating the UE with changes in the resource group by one of the following operations: sending a new beam identifier for a different shared common beam now associated with the resource group, or sending a new resource group identifier associated with the shared common beam.

[0181] Aspect 12: The method as described in any of Aspects 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or 11, wherein a plurality of component carriers (CCs) are used to transmit one or more channels in each downlink directional beam and / or each uplink directional beam, and the shared common beam is associated with all of the plurality of CCs.

[0182] Aspect 13: The method of any one of Aspects 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 further includes: maintaining a list of component carriers (CCs) for transmission of a bandwidth portion between the base station and the UE; and associating a beam identifier of the shared beam with at least one component carrier in the list of component carriers.

[0183] Aspect 14: The method of any one of Aspects 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 or 13, further comprising: transmitting a message to the UE via the shared common channel to instruct the UE to update the shared common beam configuration associated with at least one CC in the list, which causes the UE to use the updated shared common beam configuration for all CCs in the list.

[0184] Aspect 15: A base station comprising: a wireless transceiver; a memory; and a processor communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to: establish a downlink directional beam for downlink channel transmission to a user equipment (UE); establish an uplink directional beam for uplink channel transmission from the UE; establish a shared beam between the base station and the UE; and use the shared beam to concurrently control or update: (a) an uplink channel and a downlink channel, (b) at least two uplink channels, and / or (c) at least two downlink channels.

[0185] Aspect 16: A base station as described in Aspect 15, wherein using the shared beam to concurrently control or update each uplink channel and / or each downlink channel includes transmitting a single transmission via the shared beam to update the UE on which uplink channel and downlink channel the UE should use.

[0186] Aspect 17: A base station as described in any of Aspects 15 or 16, wherein each downlink channel includes at least one of the following: a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical downlink scheduling channel (PDSCH), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), and a positioning reference signal (PRS); and each uplink channel includes at least one of the following: a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical uplink scheduling channel (PUSCH), a physical random access channel (PRACH), and a probe reference signal (SRS).

[0187] Aspect 18: A base station as described in any of Aspects 15, 16, or 17, wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to send a beam identifier of the shared common beam to the UE using one of the following: Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), or Downlink Control Indicator (DCI), and the beam identifier is mapped to at least one of the following: (a) a downlink beam identifier associated with the downlink directional beam; (b) an uplink beam identifier associated with the uplink directional beam; or (c) a reference signal identifier.

[0188] Aspect 19: A method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: establishing a downlink directional beam for downlink channel transmission from a base station; establishing an uplink directional beam for uplink channel transmission to the base station; establishing a shared beam between the base station and the UE; and receiving a signal from the base station within the shared beam, the signal using the shared beam to concurrently control or update: (a) an uplink channel and a downlink channel, (b) at least two uplink channels, and / or (c) at least two downlink channels.

[0189] Aspect 20: The method as described in aspect 19, wherein receiving signals within the shared beam comprises:

[0190] A single transmission is received via the shared beam, which updates the UE with which uplink channel and / or downlink channel the UE should use.

[0191] Aspect 21: The method as described in any of Aspects 19 or 20, wherein each downlink channel includes at least one of the following: a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical downlink scheduling channel (PDSCH), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), and a positioning reference signal (PRS); and each uplink channel includes at least one of the following: a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical uplink scheduling channel (PUSCH), a physical random access channel (PRACH), and a probe reference signal (SRS).

[0192] Aspect 22: The method of any of Aspects 19, 20, or 21, further comprising: receiving, from the base station, a PDSCH transmission destined for the UE based on a scheduling downlink control indicator (DCI) and depending on whether a scheduling offset between the PDSCH transmission and the scheduling DCI is greater than a predefined threshold.

[0193] In cases where the shared beam is identified by the scheduling DCI, if the scheduling offset is greater than the predefined threshold, the shared beam is used for PDSCH transmission; otherwise, the default shared beam is used for PDSCH transmission.

[0194] Aspect 23: The method of any of Aspects 19, 20, 21 or 22 further comprises: transmitting PUCCH transmissions, PUSCH transmissions or SRS transmissions from the UE to the base station via the shared common beam depending on scheduling performed via spatial relation information or a transmission configuration indicator (TCI), wherein if the shared common beam is indicated in the spatial relation information or TCI, the shared common beam is used for the PUCCH transmissions, the PUSCH transmissions or the SRS transmissions; otherwise, a default shared common beam is used for the PUCCH transmissions, the PUSCH transmissions or the SRS transmissions.

[0195] Aspect 24: The method of any one of Aspects 19, 20, 21, 22 or 23, wherein a plurality of shared common beams are established between the base station and the UE, each shared common beam being individually identifiable by a unique beam identifier, and the method further comprising receiving a message via the shared common beams, the message instructing the UE to: (a) use a first shared common beam to manage the uplink channel transmission and a second shared common beam to manage the downlink channel transmission, or (b) use a third shared common beam for uplink and downlink data transmission and a fourth shared common beam for uplink and downlink control transmission.

[0196] Aspect 25: The method of any one of aspects 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 or 24 further includes: using one of the following to receive a beam identifier of the shared common beam to the UE: Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) or Downlink Control Indicator (DCI).

[0197] Aspect 26: The method as described in any of Aspects 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 or 25, wherein the shared beam is assigned a first beam identifier, and the first beam identifier is mapped to at least one of: (a) a downlink beam identifier associated with the downlink directional beam; (b) an uplink beam identifier associated with the uplink directional beam; or (c) a reference signal identifier.

[0198] Aspect 27: The method of any one of aspects 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25 or 26, further comprising: receiving an indication of a beam identifier for the shared common beam, the beam identifier being associated with a resource group, wherein the resource group is defined as one or more resources utilized between the base station and the UE.

[0199] Aspect 28: The method of any one of aspects 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26 or 28 further comprises: receiving from the base station an instruction to change a resource group by one of the following operations: receiving a new beam identifier of a different shared beam now associated with the resource group, or receiving a new resource group identifier associated with the shared beam.

[0200] Aspect 29: A user equipment (UE) comprising: a radio transceiver; a memory; and a processor communicatively coupled to the radio transceiver and the memory, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to: establish a downlink directional beam for downlink channel transmission from a base station; establish an uplink directional beam for uplink channel transmission to the base station; establish a shared beam between the base station and the UE; and receive a signal from the base station within the shared beam, the signal using the shared beam to concurrently control or update: (a) an uplink channel and a downlink channel, (b) at least two uplink channels, and / or (c) at least two downlink channels.

[0201] Aspect 30: The UE as described in Aspect 29, wherein receiving signals within the shared common beam includes receiving a single transmission via the shared common beam, the single transmission updating the UE which uplink channel and downlink channel the UE should use.

[0202] Several aspects of wireless communication networks have been described with reference to exemplary implementations. As will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, the various aspects described herein can be extended to other telecommunications systems, network architectures, and communication standards.

[0203] As examples, various aspects can be implemented within other systems defined by 3GPP, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Evolved Packet System (EPS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), and / or Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). These aspects can also be extended to systems defined by 3GPP2 (3GPP2), such as CDMA2000 and / or Evolved Data Optimized (EV-DO). Other examples can be implemented within systems employing IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Ultra Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth, and / or other suitable systems. The actual telecommunications standards, network architecture, and / or communication standards employed will depend on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system.

[0204] Within this disclosure, the term "exemplary" is used to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any implementation or aspect described herein as "exemplary" need not be construed as superior to or better than other aspects of this disclosure. Similarly, the term "aspect" does not require that all aspects of this disclosure include the features, advantages, or modes of operation discussed. The term "coupling" is used herein to refer to direct or indirect coupling between two objects. For example, if object A physically contacts object B, and object B contacts object C, then objects A and C can still be considered coupled to each other—even if they are not in direct physical contact. For example, a first object can be coupled to a second object, even if the first object never directly contacts the second object. The terms "circuit" and "circuit system" are used broadly and are intended to include both hardware implementations of electronic devices and conductors, and software implementations of information and instructions, which, when connected and configured, enable the performance of the functions described in this disclosure, without limitation on the type of electronic circuit, and which, when executed by a processor, enable the performance of the functions described in this disclosure.

[0205] Figure 1-11 One or more of the components, steps, features, and / or functions described herein may be rearranged and / or combined into a single component, step, feature, or function, or implemented in several components, steps, or functions. Additional elements, components, steps, and / or functions may also be added without departing from the novel features disclosed herein. Figure 1 , 2 The apparatus, devices, and / or components described in Sections 4-11 can be configured to perform one or more of the methods, features, or steps described herein. The novel algorithms described herein can also be efficiently implemented in software and / or embedded in hardware.

[0206] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of the steps in the disclosed methods is an illustration of an exemplary process. Based on design preferences, it will be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of the steps in these methods can be rearranged. The appended method claims present the elements of various steps in a sample order and are not intended to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented, unless specifically stated herein.

[0207] The preceding description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will readily be understood by those skilled in the art, and the universal principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are to be granted the full scope consistent with the language of the claims, wherein references to the singular form of an element are not intended to mean “one and only one”—unless specifically stated otherwise—but are intended to mean “one or more.” Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some / a” refers to one or more. The phrase “at least one of” referring to a list of items refers to any combination of these items, including a single member. As an example, “at least one of a, b, or c” is intended to cover: a; b; c; a and b; a and c; b and c; and a, b, and c. All structural and functional equivalents of the aspects described throughout this disclosure that are currently or hereafter known to a person skilled in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be covered by the claims. Furthermore, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be donated to the public, whether or not such disclosure is expressly stated in the claims.

Claims

1. A method for conducting wireless communication at a base station, comprising: Establish a downlink directional beam for downlink channel transmission to the user equipment (UE); Establish an uplink directional beam for uplink channel transmission from the UE; Establish a shared beam between the base station and the UE; The shared beam is used to concurrently control or update: (a) uplink and downlink channels, (b) at least two uplink channels, and / or (c) at least two downlink channels; Maintain a list of component carriers (CCs) for the bandwidth portion of the uplink directional beam and downlink directional beam transmission between the base station and the UE; The beam identifier used for the shared beam is associated with at least one CC in the component carrier list; as well as The transmission indicates the beam identifier used for the shared beam, the beam identifier being associated with a resource group, wherein the resource group defines one or more resources utilized between the base station and the UE.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein using the shared beam to concurrently control or update each uplink channel and each downlink channel comprises: A single transmission is sent via the shared beam to update the UE on which uplink channel and / or downlink channel the UE should use.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein Each downlink channel includes at least one of the following: Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Downlink Scheduling Channel (PDSCH), Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), and Positioning Reference Signal (PRS); and Each uplink channel includes at least one of the following: Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Scheduling Channel (PUSCH), Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), and Probe Reference Signal (SRS).

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: The shared beam is allocated based on scheduling via spatial relation information or transmission configuration indicator (TCI) to transmit PUCCH, PUSCH, or SRS transmissions from the UE to the base station. If the shared beam is indicated in the spatial relation information or TCI, the shared beam is used for the PUCCH, PUSCH, or SRS transmissions; otherwise, the default shared beam is used for the PUCCH, PUSCH, or SRS transmissions.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Multiple shared beams are established between the base station and the UE, and each of the multiple shared beams can be individually identified by a unique beam identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The message is transmitted via the shared beam to instruct the UE to: The first shared beam is used to manage the uplink channel transmission, and The second shared beam is used to manage the downlink channel transmission.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The message is transmitted via the shared beam to instruct the UE to: (a) Using the first shared beam for uplink and downlink data transmission, and using the second shared beam for uplink and downlink control transmission; or (b) Use the third shared beam to manage uplink and downlink data channel transmissions, and use the fourth shared beam to manage uplink and downlink control channel transmissions.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first shared beam for uplink and downlink control channel transmission has a first beamwidth, and the second shared beam for uplink and downlink data channel transmission has a second beamwidth, wherein the first beamwidth is wider than the second beamwidth.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Use one of the following to send the beam identifier of the shared beam to the UE: Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), or Downlink Control Indicator (DCI).

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the shared beam is assigned a first beam identifier, and the first beam identifier is mapped to at least one of the following: (a) The downlink beam identifier associated with the downlink directional beam; (b) The uplink beam identifier associated with the uplink directional beam; or (c) Reference signal identifier.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Assign the beam identifier to the shared beam; The beam identifier is associated with the resource group that defines one or more resources to be used between the base station and the UE; as well as The resource group associated with the beam identifier is notified to the UE; And update the changes in the resource group to the UE through one of the following operations: Send the new beam identifier of the different shared beam now associated with the resource group, or Send a new resource group identifier associated with the shared beam.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of component carriers (CCs) are used to transmit one or more channels in each downlink directional beam and / or each uplink directional beam, and the shared beam is associated with all of the plurality of CCs.

13. A base station, comprising: Wireless transceiver; Memory; as well as A processor communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory, wherein the processor is configured to: Establish a downlink directional beam for downlink channel transmission to the user equipment (UE); Establish an uplink directional beam for uplink channel transmission from the UE; Establish a shared beam between the base station and the UE; The shared beam is used to concurrently control or update: (a) uplink and downlink channels, (b) at least two uplink channels, and / or (c) at least two downlink channels; Maintain a list of component carriers (CCs) for the bandwidth portion of the uplink directional beam and downlink directional beam transmission between the base station and the UE; The beam identifier used for the shared beam is associated with at least one CC in the component carrier list; as well as The transmission indicates the beam identifier used for the shared beam, the beam identifier being associated with a resource group, wherein the resource group defines one or more resources utilized between the base station and the UE.

14. The base station of claim 13, wherein using the shared beam to concurrently control or update each uplink channel and / or each downlink channel comprises: A single transmission is sent via the shared beam to update the UE on which uplink and downlink channels the UE should use.

15. The base station as claimed in claim 13, wherein Each downlink channel includes at least one of the following: Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Downlink Scheduling Channel (PDSCH), Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), and Positioning Reference Signal (PRS); and Each uplink channel includes at least one of the following: Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Scheduling Channel (PUSCH), Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), and Probe Reference Signal (SRS).

16. The base station of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to: The shared beam is allocated based on scheduling via spatial relation information or transmission configuration indicator (TCI) to transmit PUCCH, PUSCH, or SRS transmissions from the UE to the base station. If the shared beam is indicated in the spatial relation information or TCI, the shared beam is used for the PUCCH, PUSCH, or SRS transmissions; otherwise, the default shared beam is used for the PUCCH, PUSCH, or SRS transmissions.

17. The base station of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to: Multiple shared beams are established between the base station and the UE, and each of the multiple shared beams can be individually identified by a unique beam identifier.

18. The base station of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to: The message is transmitted via the shared beam to instruct the UE to: The first shared beam is used to manage the uplink channel transmission, and The second shared beam is used to manage the downlink channel transmission.

19. The base station of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to: The message is transmitted via the shared beam to instruct the UE to: (a) Using the first shared beam for uplink and downlink data transmission, and using the second shared beam for uplink and downlink control transmission; or (b) Use the third shared beam to manage uplink and downlink data channel transmissions, and use the fourth shared beam to manage uplink and downlink control channel transmissions.

20. The base station of claim 19, wherein the first shared beam for uplink and downlink control channel transmission has a first beamwidth, and the second shared beam for uplink and downlink data channel transmission has a second beamwidth, wherein the first beamwidth is wider than the second beamwidth.

21. The base station of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to: The beam identifier of the shared beam is sent to the UE using one of the following: Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), or Downlink Control Indicator (DCI), wherein the shared beam is assigned a first beam identifier and the first beam identifier is mapped to at least one of the following: (a) The downlink beam identifier associated with the downlink directional beam; (b) The uplink beam identifier associated with the uplink directional beam; or (c) Reference signal identifier.

22. The base station of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to: Assign the beam identifier to the shared beam; The beam identifier is associated with the resource group that defines one or more resources to be used between the base station and the UE; The resource group associated with the beam identifier is notified to the UE; as well as The changes in the resource group are updated to the UE using one of the following operations: Send the new beam identifier of the different shared beam now associated with the resource group, or Send a new resource group identifier associated with the shared beam.

23. The base station of claim 13, wherein a plurality of component carriers (CCs) are used to transmit one or more channels in each downlink directional beam and / or each uplink directional beam, and the shared beam is associated with all of the plurality of CCs.

24. A method for conducting wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: Establish downlink directional beams for downlink channel transmission from the base station; Establish an uplink directional beam for uplink channel transmission to the base station; A shared beam is established between the base station and the UE, wherein multiple component carriers (CCs) are used to transmit one or more channels in each downlink directional beam and / or each uplink directional beam, and the shared beam is associated with all of the multiple CCs; Signals are received from the base station within the shared beam, the signals using the shared beam to concurrently control or update: (a) an uplink channel and a downlink channel, (b) at least two uplink channels, and / or (c) at least two downlink channels; as well as Receive an indication of a beam identifier for the shared beam, the beam identifier being associated with a resource group, wherein the resource group defines one or more resources utilized between the base station and the UE.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein receiving a signal within the shared beam comprises: A single transmission is received via the shared beam, which updates the UE with which uplink channel and / or downlink channel the UE should use.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein Each downlink channel includes at least one of the following: Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Downlink Scheduling Channel (PDSCH), Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), and Positioning Reference Signal (PRS); and Each uplink channel includes at least one of the following: Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Scheduling Channel (PUSCH), Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), and Probe Reference Signal (SRS).

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising: The PDSCH transmission destined for the UE is received from the base station based on the scheduling downlink control indicator (DCI) and depending on whether the scheduling offset between the PDSCH transmission and the scheduling DCI is greater than a predefined threshold. If the scheduling offset is greater than the predefined threshold when the shared common beam is identified by the scheduling DCI, the shared common beam is used for the PDSCH transmission; otherwise, the default shared common beam is used for the PDSCH transmission.

28. The method of claim 24, further comprising: Depending on the scheduling performed via the spatial relationship information or the transmission configuration indicator (TCI), PUCCH, PUSCH, or SRS transmissions are transmitted from the UE to the base station via the shared common beam. If the shared common beam is indicated in the spatial relationship information or the TCI, the shared common beam is used for the PUCCH, PUSCH, or SRS transmissions; otherwise, the default shared common beam is used for the PUCCH, PUSCH, or SRS transmissions.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein a plurality of shared beams are established between the base station and the UE, each shared beam being individually identifiable by a unique beam identifier, and the method further comprises: The message received via the shared beam indicates that the UE should: (a) Using a first shared beam to manage the uplink channel transmission, and using a second shared beam to manage the downlink channel transmission, or (b) Use the third shared beam for uplink and downlink data transmission, and use the fourth shared beam for uplink and downlink control transmission.

30. The method of claim 24, further comprising: Use one of the following to receive the beam identifier for the shared beam destined for the UE: Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), or Downlink Control Indicator (DCI).

31. The method of claim 24, wherein the shared beam is assigned a first beam identifier, and the first beam identifier is mapped to at least one of the following: (a) The downlink beam identifier associated with the downlink directional beam; (b) The uplink beam identifier associated with the uplink directional beam; or (c) Reference signal identifier.

32. The method of claim 24, further comprising: The instruction to change the resource group is received from the base station through one of the following operations: Receive new beam identifiers for the different shared beams now associated with the resource group, or Receive a new resource group identifier associated with the shared beam.

33. A user equipment (UE), comprising: Wireless transceiver; Memory; as well as A processor communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory, wherein the processor is configured to: Establish downlink directional beams for downlink channel transmission from the base station; Establish an uplink directional beam for uplink channel transmission to the base station; A shared beam is established between the base station and the UE, wherein multiple component carriers (CCs) are used to transmit one or more channels in each downlink directional beam and / or each uplink directional beam, and the shared beam is associated with all of the multiple CCs; Signals are received from the base station within the shared beam, the signals using the shared beam to concurrently control or update: (a) an uplink channel and a downlink channel, (b) at least two uplink channels, and / or (c) at least two downlink channels; as well as Receive an indication of a beam identifier for the shared beam, the beam identifier being associated with a resource group, wherein the resource group defines one or more resources utilized between the base station and the UE.

34. The UE of claim 33, wherein receiving a signal within the shared beam comprises: A single transmission is received via the shared beam, which updates the UE with which uplink and downlink channels the UE should use.

35. The UE of claim 33, wherein Each downlink channel includes at least one of the following: Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Downlink Scheduling Channel (PDSCH), Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), and Positioning Reference Signal (PRS); and Each uplink channel includes at least one of the following: Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Scheduling Channel (PUSCH), Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), and Probe Reference Signal (SRS).

36. The UE of claim 33, wherein the processor is further configured to: The PDSCH transmission destined for the UE is received from the base station based on the scheduling downlink control indicator (DCI) and depending on whether the scheduling offset between the PDSCH transmission and the scheduling DCI is greater than a predefined threshold. If the scheduling offset is greater than the predefined threshold when the shared common beam is identified by the scheduling DCI, the shared common beam is used for the PDSCH transmission; otherwise, the default shared common beam is used for the PDSCH transmission.

37. The UE of claim 33, wherein the processor is further configured to: Depending on the scheduling performed via the spatial relationship information or the transmission configuration indicator (TCI), PUCCH, PUSCH, or SRS transmissions are transmitted from the UE to the base station via the shared common beam. If the shared common beam is indicated in the spatial relationship information or the TCI, the shared common beam is used for the PUCCH, PUSCH, or SRS transmissions; otherwise, the default shared common beam is used for the PUCCH, PUSCH, or SRS transmissions.

38. The UE of claim 33, wherein a plurality of shared beams are established between the base station and the UE, each shared beam being individually identifiable by a unique beam identifier, and the processor is further configured to: The message received via the shared beam indicates that the UE should: (a) Using a first shared beam to manage the uplink channel transmission, and using a second shared beam to manage the downlink channel transmission, or (b) Use the third shared beam for uplink and downlink data transmission, and use the fourth shared beam for uplink and downlink control transmission.

39. The UE of claim 33, wherein the processor is further configured to: Use one of the following to receive the beam identifier for the shared beam destined for the UE: Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), or Downlink Control Indicator (DCI).

40. The UE of claim 33, wherein the shared beam is assigned a first beam identifier, and the first beam identifier is mapped to at least one of the following: (a) The downlink beam identifier associated with the downlink directional beam; (b) The uplink beam identifier associated with the uplink directional beam; or (c) Reference signal identifier.

41. The UE of claim 33, wherein the processor is further configured to: The instruction to change the resource group is received from the base station through one of the following operations: Receive new beam identifiers for the different shared beams now associated with the resource group, or Receive a new resource group identifier associated with the shared beam.

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