Sidelink carrier aggregation for beamforming and path loss reference signals

Abstract

Aspects relate to mechanisms for a wireless communication device to update transmission configuration indicator states (TCI states), spatial relation indicators (SRs), or path loss reference signals (PL-RSs) for a group of two or more component carriers (CCs) for multi-CC communication. A base station can generate a message including an index identifying a group of two or more CCs (access or sidelink) associated with one or more TCI states, one or more SRs, or one or more PL-RSs to be used for multi-CC communication. A user equipment (UE) can receive the message and update the one or more TCI states, the one or more SRs, or the one or more PL-RSs for the group of two or more CCs for multi-CC communication based on the message.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The technology discussed below relates generally to wireless communication networks, and more particularly, to configuration and indication of beams and path loss reference signals for sidelink communications. BACKGROUND

[0002] Wireless communication between devices can be facilitated through various network configurations. In one configuration, a cellular network can enable wireless communication devices (e.g., user equipment (UE)) to communicate with each other through signaling with nearby base stations or cells. Another wireless communication network configuration is a device-to-device (D2D) network, in which wireless communication devices can signal directly to each other, rather than via an intermediate base station or cell. For example, a D2D communication network can utilize sidelink signaling to facilitate direct communication between wireless communication devices. In some sidelink configurations, wireless communication devices can also communicate in a cellular network, typically under the control of a base station. Thus, wireless communication devices can be configured for uplink and downlink signaling via a base station, as well as for sidelink signaling directly between wireless communication devices, without passing transmissions through a base station.

[0003] In wireless communication systems, such as those specified in accordance with standards for 5G New Radio (NR), both base stations and wireless communication devices can utilize beamforming to compensate for high path loss and short range. Beamforming is a signal processing technique that is used with an antenna array for directional signal transmission and / or reception. For example, antennas in an antenna array can transmit signals that combine with other signals of other antennas of the same array in such a way that signals at a particular angle experience constructive interference, while other signals experience destructive interference. Beamforming can be implemented on higher frequency bands in both traditional cellular network configurations and sidelink network configurations to support increased data rates. SUMMARY

[0004] The following presents a summary of one or more aspects of the disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor delineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the disclosure in a general

[0005] A method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE) is provided. The method includes receiving a message indicating one or more transmission configuration indicator states (TCI states) or one or more spatial relations (SRs) to be used for multi-component carrier communications. The message can include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers, of a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers, associated with the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs. The method further includes updating, based on the message, the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for the group of the two or more component carriers used for the multi-component carrier communications.

[0006] A user equipment (UE) in a radio access network (RAN) of a wireless communication system is provided. The UE includes a wireless transceiver, a memory, and a processor communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory. The processor and the memory are configured to receive a message indicating one or more transmission configuration indicator states (TCI states) or one or more spatial relations (SRs) to be used for multi-component carrier communications. The message includes an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers, of a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers, associated with the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs. The processor and the memory are further configured to update, based on the message, the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for the group of the two or more component carriers used for the multi-component carrier communications.

[0007] A method for wireless communication at a radio access network (RAN) node is provided. The method includes generating a message indicating one or more transmission configuration indicator states (TCI states) or one or more spatial relations (SRs) to be used for multi-component carrier communications. The message can include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers, of a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers, associated with the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs. The method further includes transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), the message to update, based on the message, the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for the group of the two or more component carriers used for the multi-component carrier communications.

[0008] A radio access network (RAN) entity in a wireless communication system is provided. The RAN entity includes a wireless transceiver, a memory, and a processor communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory. The processor and the memory are configured to generate a message indicating one or more transmission configuration indicator states (TCI states) or one or more spatial relations (SRs) to be used for a multi-component carrier communication. The message can include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers, of a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers, associated with the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs. The processor and the memory are further configured to transmit, to a user equipment (UE), the message to update the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for the group of the two or more component carriers used for the multi-component carrier communication based on the message.

[0009] A method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE) is provided. The method includes receiving a message indicating one or more path loss reference signals (PL-RSs) to be used for a multi-component carrier communication. The message can include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers, of a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers, associated with the one or more PL-RSs. The method further includes updating the one or more PL-RSs for the group of the two or more component carriers used for the multi-component carrier communication based on the message.

[0010] A user equipment (UE) in a radio access network (RAN) of a wireless communication system is provided. The UE includes a wireless transceiver, a memory, and a processor communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory. The processor and the memory are configured to receive a message indicating one or more path loss reference signals (PL-RSs) to be used for a multi-component carrier communication. The message can include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers, of a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers, associated with the one or more PL-RSs. The processor and the memory are further configured to update the one or more PL-RSs for the group of the two or more component carriers used for the multi-component carrier communication based on the message.

[0011] A method for wireless communication at a radio access network (RAN) node is provided. The method includes generating a message indicating one or more path loss reference signals (PL-RSs) to be used for a multi-component carrier communication. The message can include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers, of a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers, associated with the one or more PL-RSs. The method further includes transmitting the message to update the one or more PL-RSs for the group of two or more component carriers used for the multi-component carrier communication based on the message.

[0012] A RAN entity in a radio access network (RAN) of a wireless communication system is provided. The RAN entity includes a wireless transceiver, a memory, and a processor communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory. The processor and the memory are configured to generate a message indicating one or more path loss reference signals (PL-RSs) to be used for a multi-component carrier communication. The message can include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers, of a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers, associated with the one or more PL-RSs. The processor and the memory are further configured to transmit the message to update the one or more PL-RSs for the group of two or more component carriers used for the multi-component carrier communication based on the message.

[0013] These and other aspects will become more fully understood upon review of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Other aspects, features, and embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, upon reviewing the following description of specific, exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying figures. While features may be discussed relative to certain embodiments and figures below, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that one or more embodiments can incorporate one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, while one or more embodiments may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features can also be used in accordance with the various embodiments discussed herein. In a similar manner, different illustrative embodiments can be discussed herein in relation to the various figures. It should be appreciated that these and other embodiments can incorporate one or more of the features discussed herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless radio access network in accordance with some aspects.

[0015] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication network employing sidelink communication in accordance with some aspects.

[0016] Figure 3FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communications system for facilitating both cellular communications and sidelink communications in accordance with some aspects.

[0017] Figure 4 FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a wireless communications system that supports beamforming and / or multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications in accordance with some aspects.

[0018] Figure 5 FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating communicating between devices using beamformed signals in accordance with some aspects.

[0019] Figure 6 FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a frame structure for use in a wireless communication network in accordance with some aspects.

[0020] Figure 7 FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a multi-component carrier transmission environment in accordance with some aspects.

[0021] Figure 8 FIG. 6 is a signaling diagram illustrating an example of beam indication in accordance with some aspects.

[0022] Figure 9 FIG. 7 is another signaling diagram illustrating an example of path loss reference signal indication in accordance with some aspects.

[0023] Figure 10 FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a radio access network (RAN) entity employing a processing system in accordance with some aspects.

[0024] Figure 11 FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of a method for generating and transmitting a transmission configuration indicator state (TCI state) or spatial relation (SR) to be used for multi-component communications in accordance with some aspects.

[0025] Figure 12 FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a method for generating and transmitting a path loss reference signal (PL-RS) to be used for multi-component communications in accordance with some aspects.

[0026] Figure 13 FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of another method for generating and transmitting a path loss reference signal (PL-RS) to be used for multi-component communications in accordance with some aspects.

[0027] Figure 14 FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a user equipment (UE) employing a processing system in accordance with some aspects.

[0028] Figure 15 FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of a method for receiving and updating a transmission configuration indicator state (TCI state) or spatial relation (SR) to be used for multi-component communications in accordance with some aspects.

[0029] Figure 16 is a flowchart of another method for receiving and updating a transmission configuration indicator state (TCI state) or spatial relation (SR) to be used for multi-component communication according to some aspects.

[0030] Figure 17 is a flowchart of another method for receiving and updating a transmission configuration indicator state (TCI state) or spatial relation (SR) to be used for multi-component communication according to some aspects. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The detailed description set forth below, in connection with the appended drawings and embodiments described therewith, is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of 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 in order to avoid obscuring such concepts.

[0032] The electromagnetic spectrum is often subdivided, based on frequency / wavelength, into various classes, bands, channels, and so on. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz - 7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz - 52.6 GHz). It should be understood that although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often referred to, interchangeably, as a “Sub-6 GHz” band in various documents and articles. A similar nomenclature issue sometimes occurs with regard to FR2, which is often referred to, interchangeably, as a “millimeter wave” band in documents and articles, despite being different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz - 300 GHz) which is identified by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as a “millimeter wave” band.

[0033] The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are often referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR studies have identified operating bands for these mid-band frequencies as frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz - 24.25 GHz). Bands falling within FR3 can inherit FR1 characteristics and / or FR2 characteristics, and thus can effectively extend features of FR1 and / or FR2 to mid-band frequencies. Additionally, even higher bands are currently under exploration to extend 5G NR operation beyond 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR4-a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz - 71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz - 114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz - 300 GHz). Each of these higher bands falls within the EHF band.

[0034] With the above in mind, unless specifically stated otherwise, it should be appreciated that the term “sub-6 GHz” or the like, if used herein, can refer to frequencies that can be less than 6 GHz, can be within FR1, or can include mid-bandwidth frequencies. Further, unless specifically stated otherwise, it should be appreciated that the term “millimeter wave” or the like, if used herein, can refer to frequencies that can include mid-bandwidth frequencies, can be within FR2, FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1, and / or FR5, or can be within the EHF frequency band.

[0035] While aspects and embodiments are described in this application by illustration to some examples, those skilled in the art will understand that additional implementations and use cases can come about in many different arrangements and scenarios. Innovations described herein can be implemented across many differing platform types, devices, systems, form factors, sizes, packaging arrangements, etc. For example, embodiments and / or uses can come about in the context of integrated chip embodiments, and other non-module-component based devices (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial devices, retail / purchasing devices, medical devices, AI-enabled devices, etc.). While some examples can or can not be specifically directed to use cases or applications, a wide assortment of applicable uses can come about. 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 settings, devices incorporating described aspects and features can also necessarily include additional components and features that can not be specifically described herein, but will nevertheless fall within the scope of claims as such claims can be interpreted based on the specification as a whole. For example, transmission and reception of wireless signals necessarily includes a number of components, not all of which can be specifically depicted in descriptions of receiver and transmitter implementations herein. Such components include, for example, hardware components including antennas, RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors, interleavers, adders / accumulators, etc.

[0036] Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to a scheduling entity (e.g., a UE for sidelink communications, a base station for access communications) generating a message indicating one or more transmission configuration indicator states (TCI states) or one or more spatial relations (SRs) to be used for multi-component carrier communications. The message can include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers, of a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers, associated with the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs. For example, the message can be a sidelink, medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), radio access network (RAN) (e.g., access) MAC-CE, sidelink control information (SCI), downlink control information (DCI), RAN (e.g., access) radio resource control (RRC) message, and / or the like.

[0037] The scheduling entity can transmit the message to a scheduled entity (e.g., another UE) to update the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for the group of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communications based on the message. In response to receiving the message, the scheduled entity can update the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for the group of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communications based on the message. For example, when the scheduled entity receives the updated TCI states or SRs for the group of two or more component carriers, the scheduled entity can identify whether the update is for an access link, a sidelink, or both. Thus, the system allows for updating TCI states or SRs on an access link, a sidelink, or both.

[0038] Similarly, various aspects of the present disclosure relate to a scheduling entity (e.g., a UE for sidelink communications, a base station for access communications) generating a message indicating one or more path loss reference signals (PL-RSs) to be used for multi-component carrier communications. The message can include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers, of a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers, associated with the one or more PL-RSs. For example, the message can be a sidelink MAC-CE, a RAN MAC-CE, SCI, DCI, RAN RRC message, and / or the like.

[0039] The scheduling entity can send this message to the scheduled entity (e.g., another UE) to update one or more PL-RSs based on the message for the group of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication. In response to receiving the message, the scheduled entity can update one or more PL-RSs based on the message for the group of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication. For example, when the scheduled entity receives the updated PL-RS for the group of two or more component carriers, it can identify whether the update is for the access link, the sidelink, or both. Therefore, the system allows updating the PL-RS on the access link, the sidelink, or both.

[0040] The various concepts presented throughout this disclosure can be implemented across a wide range of telecommunications systems, network architectures, and communication standards. See now for reference. Figure 1 For example, and not as a limitation, a schematic diagram of a radio access network 100 is provided. RAN 100 can implement any suitable one or more wireless communication technologies to provide radio access. As an example, RAN 100 may operate according to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) specification (often referred to as 5G). As another example, RAN 100 may operate according to a hybrid of 5G NR and the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (eUTRAN) standard (often 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.

[0041] The geographic area covered by RAN 100 can be divided into multiple cellular areas (cells), which can be uniquely identified by user equipment (UE) based on an identifier broadcast from an access point or base station within the geographic area. Figure 1 Cells 102, 104, and 106, as well as cell 108, are shown. Each of these cells 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 can be identified by a single logical identifier belonging to that sector. In a cell divided into sectors, multiple sectors within the cell can be formed by antenna groups, where each antenna is responsible for communicating with a UE within a portion of the cell.

[0042] Generally, a corresponding base station (BS) serves each cell. Broadly speaking, a base station is a network element in a radio access network responsible for radio transmission and reception to and from UEs in one or more cells. A BS can also be referred to as a base transceiver station (BTS), a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), an access point (AP), a NodeB (NB), an evolved NodeB (eNB), a gNodeB (gNB), a transmission and reception point (TRP), or some other suitable terminology. In some examples, a base station can include two or more TRPs that can be collocated or non-collocated. Each TRP can communicate on the same or different frequency bands and at the same or different carrier frequencies. In examples where the RAN 100 operates according to both LTE and 5G NR standards, one of the base stations can be an LTE base station, while another base station can be a 5G NR base station.

[0043] Various base station arrangements can be utilized. For example, in Figure 1 , two base stations 110 and 112 are shown as serving cells 102 and 104; and a third base station 114 is shown as controlling a remote radio head (RRH) 116 in cell 106. That is, a base station can have integrated antennas, or can be connected by feeder cables to antennas or RRHs. In the illustrated example, cells 102, 104, and 106 can be referred to as macrocells, since base stations 110, 112, and 114 support cells with large sizes. Further, base station 118 is shown as serving cell 108, which can overlap one or more macrocells. In this example, cell 108 can be referred to as a small cell (e.g., a microcell, picocell, femtocell, home base station, home nodeB, home eNodeB, etc.), since base station 118 supports a cell with a relatively small size. Cell size can be set according to system design and component constraints.

[0044] It will be appreciated that wireless access network 100 can include any number of wireless base stations and cells. Further, relay nodes can be deployed to extend the size or coverage area of a given cell. Base stations 110, 112, 114, 118 provide wireless access points to a core network for any number of mobile apparatuses.

[0045] Figure 1 Also included is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 120, which can be a drone or quadcopter. UAV 120 can be configured to act as a base station, or more specifically, as a mobile base station. That is, in some examples, a cell can not necessarily be stationary, and the geographic area of a cell can move according to the location of a mobile base station, such as UAV 220.

[0046] Generally, the base stations can include a backhaul interface for communication with a backhaul portion of the network (not shown). The backhaul can provide a link between the base stations and a core network (not shown), and in some examples, can provide interconnection between respective base stations. The core network can be part of the wireless communication system and can be independent of the radio access technology used in the radio access network. Various types of backhaul interfaces can be employed, such as a direct physical connection, a virtual network, or the like using any suitable transport network.

[0047] The RAN 100 is shown to include a plurality of base stations 110 and an access network 105. A base station can communicate with a core network 130, and also with other base stations 110. In the present context, the term "access network" can refer to "Radio Access Network" (RAN). The access network 105 can be a part of the RAN. The core network 130 can be a part of the wireless communication system. The core network 130 can also be independent of the radio access technology used in the access network 105. The core network 130 can include a Home Location Register (HLR) 132, a Visitor Location Register (VLR) 134, and / or other elements of a core network. The core network 130 can also include a Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (SGSN) 136 and / or a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) 138. The core network 130 can be a part of a 5G Core (5GC) network. The base stations 110 can interface with the core network 130 through the access network 105. The base stations 110 can also communicate with one another directly or over the core network 130. The base stations 110 can wirelessly communicate with the UEs 120 with the aid of base station antennas.

[0048] Within the present document, a "mobile" device need not have a capability to move, and can be stationary. The term mobile device or mobile equipment refers to a broad variety of devices and technologies. Some non-limiting examples of mobile devices include mobile stations, cellular (cell) phones, smart phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, laptop computers, personal computers (PCs), notebooks, netbooks, smartbooks, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and a variety of embedded systems, e.g., corresponding to the Internet of Things (IoT). Additionally, a mobile device can be an automotive or other transportation vehicle, a remote sensor or actuator, a robot or robotics device, a satellite radio, a global positioning system (GPS) device, an object tracking device, a drone, a multi-copter, a quad-copter, a remote control device, a wearable device such as a watch, a camera, a virtual reality device, a smart watch, a health or fitness tracker, a digital audio player (e.g., MP3 player), a game console, etc. Additionally, a mobile device can be a digital home or smart home device, such as a home audio, video, and / or multimedia device, a domestic appliance, a vending machine, intelligent lighting, a home security system, a smart meter, etc. Additionally, a mobile device can be a smart energy device, a security device, a solar panel or solar array, a municipal infrastructure device controlling electric power (e.g., smart grid), lighting, water, etc., an industrial automation and enterprise device, a logistics controller, agricultural equipment, etc. Additionally, a mobile device can provide for connected medicine or telemedicine support (i.e., medicine from a distance). Telehealth devices can include telehealth monitoring devices and telehealth management devices, whose communication can be given preferential treatment or prioritized access over other types of information, e.g., in terms of prioritized access for transport of critical service data, and / or related QoS for transport of critical service data.

[0049] Within the RAN 100, a cell can include UEs that can be in communication with one or more sectors of each cell. For example, UEs 122 and 124 can be in communication with base station 110; UEs 126 and 128 can be in communication with base station 112; UEs 130 and 132 can be in communication with base station 114 by way of RRHs 116; UE 134 can be in communication with base station 118; and UE 136 can be in communication with mobile base station 120. Here, each base station 110, 112, 114, 118, and 120 can be configured to provide access to a core network (not shown) for all UEs in a corresponding cell. In some examples, UAV 120 (e.g., quadcopter) can be a mobile network node and can be configured to act as a UE. For example, UAV 120 can operate within cell 102 by communicating with base station 110.

[0050] Wireless communication between a RAN 100 and a UE (e.g., UEs 122 or 124) can be described as utilizing an air interface that transmits over a wireless radio frequency spectrum. Transmissions from a base station (e.g., base station 110) to one or more UEs (e.g., UEs 122 and 124) can be referred to as downlink (DL) transmission. In accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure, the term downlink can refer to a point-to-multipoint transmission originating at a scheduling entity (described further below; e.g., base station 110). Another way to describe this scenario can be to use the term broadcast channel multiplexing. Transmissions from a UE (e.g., UE 122) to a base station (e.g., base station 110) can be referred to as uplink (UL) transmissions. In accordance with further aspects of the present disclosure, the term uplink can refer to a point-to-point transmission originating at a scheduled entity (described further below; e.g., UE 122).

[0051] For example, a DL transmission can include unicast or broadcast transmissions of control information and / or traffic data (e.g., user data traffic) from a base station (e.g., base station 110) to one or more UEs (e.g., UEs 122 and 124), while a UL transmission can include transmissions of control information and / or traffic information originating at a UE (e.g., UE 122). Further, uplink and / or downlink control information and / or traffic information can be partitioned in time into frames, subframes, time slots and / or symbols. As used herein, a symbol can refer to a time unit that carries one resource element (RE) per subcarrier in an orthogonal frequency -division multiplexing (OFDM) waveform. A time slot can carry 7 or 14 OFDM symbols. A subframe can refer to a duration of 1 ms. Multiple subframes or time slots can be grouped to form a single frame or radio frame. Within the present disclosure, a frame can refer to a predetermined duration (e.g., 10 ms) for wireless transmissions, where each frame is comprised of, for example, 10 subframes, each having a duration of 1 ms. Of course, these definitions are not required, and any suitable scheme for organizing waveforms can be utilized, and various time divisions of the waveforms can have any suitable duration.

[0052] In some examples, access to the air interface can be scheduled, where a scheduling entity (e.g., a base station) allocates resources (e.g., time frequency resources) for communication by devices and apparatuses within its service area or cell. In the present disclosure, as discussed further below, a scheduling entity can be responsible for scheduling, assigning, reconfiguring and releasing resources for one or more scheduled entities. That is, for scheduled communication, UEs or scheduled entities utilize resources allocated by the scheduling entity.

[0053] A base station is not the only entity that can act as a scheduling entity. That is, in some examples, UEs can act as scheduling entities, scheduling resources for one or more scheduled entities (e.g., one or more other UEs). For example, two or more UEs (e.g., UEs 138, 140, and 142) can communicate with each other using sidelink signals 137 without relay of this communication by a base station. In some examples, UEs 138, 140, and 142 can each act as a scheduling entity or transmitting sidelink device, and / or a scheduled entity or receiving sidelink device, to schedule resources and communicate sidelink signals 137 therebetween without relying on scheduling or control information from a base station. In other examples, two or more UEs (e.g., UEs 126 and 128) within the coverage area of a base station (e.g., base station 112) can also communicate sidelink signals 127 over a direct link (sidelink) without relay of this communication by the base station 112. In this example, the base station 112 can allocate resources for the sidelink communication to UEs 126 and 128. In either case, such sidelink signaling 127 and 137 can be implemented in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, a device-to-device (D2D) network, a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) network, a vehicle-to- everything (V2X) network, a mesh network, or other suitable

[0054] In some examples, a D2D relay framework can be included within a cellular network to facilitate relaying communications to / from a base station 112 via a D2D link (e.g., sidelink 127 or 137). For example, one or more UEs (e.g., UE 128) within the coverage area of base station 112 can operate as a relay UE to extend the range of the base station 112, improve transmission reliability to one or more UEs (e.g., UE 126), and / or allow the base station to recover from a failed UE link, for example, due to blockage or fading.

[0055] Two main technologies that can be used by V2X networks include Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) based on the IEEE 802.1 lp standard and cellular V2X based on LTE and / or 5G (New Radio) standards. For simplicity, various aspects of the present disclosure can refer to New Radio (NR) cellular V2X networks (referred to herein as V2X networks). However, it should be understood that the concepts disclosed herein can not be limited to a particular V2X standard, or can be directed to sidelink networks other than V2X networks.

[0056] To enable transmissions over the air interface to achieve a low block error rate (BLER) while still achieving very high data rates, channel coding can be used. That is, wireless communication can generally use an appropriate error correcting block code. In a typical block code, an information message or sequence is divided into code blocks (CBs), and an encoder (e.g., a CODEC) at the transmitting device then mathematically adds redundancy to the information message. Exploitation of this redundancy in the encoded information message can improve the reliability of the message, enabling correction for any bit errors that can occur due to noise.

[0057] Data encoding can be implemented in a variety of ways. In early 5G NR specifications, user data is encoded using quasi-cyclic low-density parity check (LDPC) with two different base graphs: one base graph is used for large code blocks and / or high code rates, while another base graph is used otherwise. Control information and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) are encoded using polar coding, based on nested sequences. For these channels, puncturing, shortening, and repetition are used for rate matching.

[0058] Aspects of the present disclosure can utilize any appropriate channel code for implementation. Various implementations of base stations and UEs can include appropriate hardware and capabilities (e.g., encoders, decoders, and / or CODECs) for wireless communication utilizing one or more of these channel codes.

[0059] In the RAN 100, the ability for a UE to communicate while moving, independent of its location, is referred to as mobility. The various physical channels described herein can be established through single-input and

[0060] In some examples, the RAN 100 can implement mobility and handovers (i.e., transfer of a UE’s connection from one wireless channel to another). For example, during a call with a scheduling entity, or at any other time, a UE can monitor various parameters of the signal from its serving cell as well as various parameters of neighboring cells. Depending on the quality of these parameters, the UE can maintain communication with one or more of the neighboring cells. During this time, if the UE moves from one cell to another, or if the signal quality from a neighboring cell becomes better than that of the serving cell for a given amount of time, the UE can perform a handoff or handover from the serving cell to the neighboring (target) cell. For example, the UE 124 can move from the geographic area corresponding to its serving cell 102 to the geographic area corresponding to a neighbor cell 106. When the signal strength or quality from the neighbor cell 106 exceeds that of its serving cell 102 for a given amount of time, the UE 124 can send a reporting message to its serving base station 110 indicating this condition. In response, the UE 124 can receive a handover command, and the UE can make a handover to cell 106.

[0061] In various implementations, the air interface in the RAN 100 can utilize licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or shared spectrum. Licensed spectrum provides for exclusive usage of a portion of the spectrum by a licensee on an ongoing basis. Unlicensed spectrum is available for anyone to use without a license, although generally use of the unlicensed spectrum is still subject to some technical rules and / or limitations. Shared spectrum can fall between licensed and unlicensed spectrum, where a license might not be required for access but there might be technical rules or limitations on the use of the spectrum.

[0062] The air interface in the RAN 100 can utilize one or more multiplexing and multiple access algorithms to enable simultaneous communication with multiple devices. For example, 5G NR specifications utilize orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP) to provide orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) for downlink (DL) or forward link (FL) transmissions and discrete Fourier transform-spread-OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), also known as single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), for uplink (UL) or reverse link (RL) transmissions. However, the scope of the disclosure is not limited to the above schemes, and can be applied to any multiplexing and multiple access scheme, such as time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), sparse code multiple access (SCMA), resource spread multiple access (RSMA), or other suitable multiple access schemes. Further, multiplexing for DL transmissions from a base station 110 to a UE 122 and 124 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.

[0063] Further, the air interface in the RAN 100 can utilize one or more duplex algorithms. Duplex refers to a point-to-point communication link where both endpoints can communicate with one another. Full duplex means both endpoints can communicate with one another simultaneously. Half duplex means only one endpoint can send information to the other endpoint at a time. Half duplex emulation is often implemented for wireless links using time division duplex (TDD). In TDD, transmissions in different directions are separated by using different time slots. That is, at some times, the channel is dedicated for transmissions in one direction, while at other times, the channel is dedicated for transmissions in the other direction. The direction can change very rapidly, e.g., several times per slot. In a wireless link, full duplex channels typically rely on physical isolation between the transmitter and receiver, as well as clever interference

[0064] Figure 2 An example of a wireless communication network 200 configured to support D2D or sidelink communication is shown. In some examples, the sidelink communication can include V2X communication. V2X communication involves not only the wireless exchange of information directly between vehicles (e.g., vehicles 202 and 204), but also the wireless exchange of information directly between vehicles 202 / 204 and infrastructure (e.g., roadside units (RSUs) 206), such as street lights, buildings, traffic cameras, toll booths, or other stationary objects, vehicles 202 / 204 and pedestrians 208, and vehicles 202 / 204 and wireless communication networks (e.g., base station 210). In some examples, V2X communication can be implemented according to New Radio (NR) cellular V2X standards defined by 3GPP Release 16 or other appropriate standards.

[0065] V2X communication enables vehicles 202 and 204 to obtain information related to weather, nearby accidents, road conditions, activities of nearby vehicles and pedestrians, objects in the vicinity of the vehicles, and other relevant information that can be leveraged to improve vehicle driving experience and increase vehicle safety. For example, such V2X data can enable autonomous driving as well as improve road safety and traffic efficiency. For example, V2X connected vehicles 202 and 204 can utilize exchanged V2X data to provide in-vehicle collision warnings, road hazard warnings, approaching emergency vehicle warnings, pre- / post-crash warnings and information, emergency brake warnings, forward traffic congestion warnings, lane change warnings, intelligent navigation services, and other similar information. Further, V2X data received by a V2X connected mobile device of a pedestrian / bicyclist 208 can be leveraged to trigger warning sounds, vibrations, flashing lights, etc. in the event of an impending hazard.

[0066] Sidelink communication between vehicle UEs (V-UEs) 202 and 204 or between a V-UE 202 or 204 and an RSU 206 or a pedestrian UE (P-UE) 208 can occur over a sidelink 212 utilizing a Proximity Services (ProSe) PC5 interface. In various aspects of the disclosure, the PC5 interface can also be utilized to support D2D link 212 communication in other proximity use cases (e.g., in addition to V2X). Examples of other proximity use cases can include proximity services based smart wearables, public safety or commercial (e.g., entertainment, education, office, medical, and / or interactive). In Figure 2 In the example shown in FIG. 2, ProSe communication can also occur between UEs 214 and 216.

[0067] ProSe communication can support different operational scenarios, such as in-coverage, out-of-coverage, and partial-coverage. Out-of-coverage refers to a scenario in which UEs (e.g., UEs 214 and 216) are outside of a coverage area of a base station (e.g., base station 210), but are each still configured for ProSe communication. Partial-coverage refers to a scenario in which some of the UEs (e.g., V-UE 204) are outside of a coverage area of a base station 210, while other UEs (e.g., V-UE 202 and P-UE 208) are in communication with base station 210. In-coverage refers to a scenario in which UEs (e.g., V-UE 202 and P-UE 208) are in communication with a base station 210 (e.g., gNB) via a Uu (e.g., cellular interface) connection to receive ProSe service authorization and provisioning information to support ProSe operations.

[0068] To facilitate D2D sidelink communication over sidelink 212, for example, between UEs 214 and 216, UEs 214 and 216 can transmit discovery signals between them. In some examples, each discovery signal can include a synchronization signal, such as a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and / or a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), which facilitates device discovery and enables synchronization to communication over sidelink 212. For example, UE 216 can utilize a discovery signal to measure a signal strength and channel state of a potential sidelink (e.g., sidelink 212) with another UE (e.g., UE 214). UE 216 can utilize the measurement results to select a UE (e.g., UE 214) for sidelink communication or relay communication.

[0069] In 5G NR sidelink, sidelink communication can utilize a transmit or receive resource pool. For example, a minimum resource allocation unit in frequency can be a subchannel (e.g., which can include, for example, 10, 15, 20, 25, 50, 75, or 100 contiguous resource blocks), and a minimum resource allocation unit in time can be one slot. The number of subchannels in a resource pool can include between 1 and 27 subchannels. Radio resource control (RRC) configuration of a resource pool can be preconfigured (e.g., a factory setting on a UE, which is determined, for example, by a sidelink standard or specification), or configured by a base station (e.g., base station 210).

[0070] Further, for sidelink (e.g., PC5) communications, there can be two main modes of resource allocation operation. In a first mode (Mode 1), a base station (e.g., gNB) 210 can allocate resources to sidelink devices (e.g., V2X devices or other sidelink devices) for sidelink communications between the sidelink devices in various ways. For example, the base station 210 can dynamically allocate sidelink resources (e.g., dynamic grant) to the sidelink devices in response to a request for sidelink resources from the sidelink devices. For example, the base station 210 can schedule sidelink communications via DCI 3_0. In some examples, the base station 210 can schedule PSCCH / PSSCH within uplink resources indicated in DCI 3_0. The base station 210 can further activate preconfigured sidelink grants (e.g., configured grants) for sidelink communications between the sidelink devices. In some examples, the base station 210 can activate configured grants (CGs) via RRC signaling. In Mode 1, a transmitting sidelink device can report sidelink feedback back to the base station 210.

[0071] In a second mode (Mode 2), the sidelink devices can autonomously select sidelink resources for sidelink communications between them. In some examples, a transmitting sidelink device can perform resource / channel sensing to select an unoccupied resource (e.g., subchannel) on a sidelink channel. Signaling on the sidelink is the same between the two modes. Thus, there is no difference between the modes from the receiver’s perspective.

[0072] In some examples, sidelink (e.g., PC5) communications can be scheduled using sidelink control information (SCI). The SCI can include two SCI stages. Stage 1 sidelink control information (first stage SCI) can be referred to herein as SCI-1. Stage 2 sidelink control information (second stage SCI) can be referred to herein as SCI-2.

[0073] SCI-1 can be transmitted on a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH). SCI-1 can include a resource allocation for the sidelink resources and information for decoding a second stage of sidelink control information (i.e., SCI-2). SCI-1 can further identify a priority level (e.g., quality of service (QoS)) of the PSSCH. For example, ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) traffic can have a higher priority compared to text messaging traffic (e.g., short message service (SMS) traffic). SCI-1 can also include a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) resource assignment and a resource reservation period (if enabled). In addition, SCI-1 can include a PSSCH demodulation reference signal (DMRS) pattern (if more than one pattern is configured). The receiver can use the DMRS for radio channel estimation to demodulate the associated physical channel. As indicated, SCI-1 can also include information about SCI-2, for example, SCI-1 can disclose a format of SCI-2. Here, the format indicates a resource size of SCI-2 (e.g., a number of REs allocated for SCI-2), a number of PSSCH DMRS ports, and a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) index. In some examples, SCI-1 can use two bits to indicate the SCI-2 format. Thus, in this example, four different SCI-2 formats can be supported. SCI-1 can include other information useful for establishing and decoding the PSSCH resources.

[0074] SCI-2 can also be transmitted on the PSCCH or within the PSSCH and can contain information for decoding the PSSCH. According to some aspects, SCI-2 includes a 16-bit Layer 1 (L1) Destination Identifier (ID), an 8-bit L1 Source ID, a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) Process ID, a New Data Indicator (NDI), and a Redundancy Version (RV). For unicast communications, SCI-2 can also include a CSI report trigger. For groupcast communications, SCI-2 can also include a zone identifier and a maximum communication range for NACK. SCI-2 can include other information useful for establishing and decoding the PSSCH resources.

[0075] Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system 100 that facilitates cellular and sidelink communications. The wireless communication system 100 includes a number of wireless communication devices 102a, 102b, and 102c and a base station (e.g., an eNB or gNB) 106. In some examples, the wireless communication devices 102a, 102b, and 102c can be UEs that are capable of implementing D2D or V2X within a V2X network.

[0076] Wireless communication devices 302a and 302b can communicate on a first PC5 interface 304a, while wireless communication devices 302a and 302c can communicate on a second PC5 interface 304b. Wireless communication devices 302a, 302b, and 302c can also communicate with base station 306 on respective Uu interfaces 308a, 308b, and 308b. The sidelink communications on PC5 interfaces 304a and 304b can be carried, for example, in a licensed frequency domain using radio resources operating according to a 5G NR or NR Sidelink (SL) specification and / or in an unlicensed frequency domain using radio resources operating according to a new 5G New Radio Unlicensed (NR-U) specification.

[0077] In some examples, a common carrier can be shared between PC5 interfaces 304a and 304b and Uu interfaces 308a-308c, such that resources on the common carrier can be allocated for both sidelink communications between wireless communication devices 302a-302c and cellular communications (e.g., uplink and downlink communications) between wireless communication devices 302a-302c and base station 306. For example, wireless communication system 300 can be configured to support a V2X network, where resources for both sidelink and cellular communications are scheduled by base station 306. In other examples, wireless communication devices 302a-302c can autonomously select sidelink resources (e.g., from one or more frequency bands or sub-bands designated for sidelink communications) for communications therebetween. In this example, wireless communication devices 302a-302c can act as scheduling entities and scheduled entities, scheduling sidelink resources for communications with one another.

[0078] In some aspects of the disclosure, the scheduling entities and / or scheduled entities can be configured for beamforming and / or multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) techniques. Figure 4 An example of a wireless communication system 400 that supports beamforming and / or MIMO is shown. In a MIMO system, a transmitter 402 includes multiple transmit antennas 404 (e.g., N transmit antennas), and a receiver 406 includes multiple receive antennas 408 (e.g., M receive antennas). Thus, there are N x M signal paths 410 from the transmit antennas 404 to the receive antennas 408. Each of the transmitter 402 and receiver 406 can be implemented, for example, within a scheduling entity, a scheduled entity, or other appropriate device. In some examples, the transmitter and receiver are each wireless communication devices (e.g., UEs or V2X devices) that communicate on a sidelink channel.

[0079] The use of this multi-antenna technology enables wireless communication systems to leverage 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. Data streams can be sent to a single UE to increase the data rate, or data streams can be sent to multiple UEs to increase the overall system capacity; the latter is known as multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO). This is achieved by spatially precoding each data stream (i.e., multiplying the data stream by different weights and phase shifts) and then transmitting each spatially precoded stream through multiple transmit antennas on the downlink. The spatially precoded data streams arrive at UEs with different spatial signatures, allowing each UE to recover one or more data streams destined for that UE. On the uplink, each UE transmits a spatially precoded data stream, enabling the base station to identify the source of each spatially precoded data stream.

[0080] The number of data streams or layers corresponds to the transmission rank. Typically, the rank of a MIMO system 400 is limited by the number of transmit antennas 404 or receive antennas 408 (whichever is lower). Additionally, channel conditions at the UE and other considerations, such as available resources at the base station, can also affect the transmission rank. For example, the rank (and therefore the number of data streams) allocated to a particular UE on the downlink can be determined based on a rank indicator (RI) sent from the UE to the base station. The RI can be determined based on antenna configuration (e.g., the number of transmit and receive antennas) and the measured signal-to-interference-noise ratio (SINR) on each of the receive antennas. 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 transmission ranks to the UE.

[0081] In one example, such as Figure 4 As shown, rank-2 spatial multiplexing transmission on a 2x2 MIMO antenna configuration sends a data stream from each transmit antenna 404. Each data stream arrives at each receive antenna 408 along a different signal path 410. The receiver 406 can then reconstruct the data stream using the signals received from each receive antenna 408.

[0082] 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 produce the desired constructive / destructive interference, transmitter 402 or receiver 406 can apply amplitude and / or phase shifts to the signals transmitted or received from or received by each of the antennas 404 or 408 associated with transmitter 402 or receiver 406.

[0083] In 5G New Radio (NR) systems (especially for FR2 or higher (millimeter wave) systems), beamformed signals can be used on most downlink channels (including the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH)). Furthermore, broadcast control information (such as Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs), Slot Format Indicators (SFIs), and paging information) can be transmitted in a beam-scanning manner, enabling all scheduled entities (UEs) within the coverage area of ​​a Transmitter Receiver Point (TRP) (e.g., gNB) to receive the broadcast control information. Additionally, for UEs configured with beamformed antenna arrays, beamformed signals can also be used on uplink channels (including the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) and Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH)). Moreover, beamformed signals can also be utilized in D2D systems using FR2 (such as NR SL or V2X).

[0084] Figure 5 This diagram illustrates communication between a Radio Access Network (RAN) node 502, a first wireless communication device 504, and a second wireless communication device 506 using beamformed sidelink path signals, according to some aspects. Each of the RAN node 502 (e.g., a base station (such as a gNB)) and the first wireless communication device 504 can be in... Figures 1-4 Any of the receiving or transmitting devices shown in any of the figures. Each of the first wireless communication device 504 and the second wireless communication device 506 may be in Figures 1-4 Any of the UEs, V2X devices, transmitting devices, or receiving devices shown in any of the diagrams.

[0085] exist Figure 5In the example shown in FIG. 5, the radio access network (RAN) node 502 and the first wireless communication device 504 can be configured to communicate access (e.g., Uu) signals on one or more of the plurality of beams 508a, 508b, 508c, 508d, 508e, 508f, 508g, and 508h. Although the beams 508a, 508b, 508c, 508d, 508e, 508f, 508g, and 508h are shown as being adjacent to one another, such an arrangement can vary in different aspects. In some examples, the RAN node 502 and the first wireless communication device 504 can generate more or fewer beams distributed in different directions. Figure 5 In the example shown in FIG. 5, the radio access network (RAN) node 502 and the first wireless communication device 504 can be configured to communicate access (e.g., Uu) signals on one or more of the plurality of beams 508a, 508b, 508c, 508d, 508e, 508f, 508g, and 508h. Although the beams 508a, 508b, 508c, 508d, 508e, 508f, 508g, and 508h are shown as being adjacent to one another, such an arrangement can vary in different aspects. In some examples, the RAN node 502 and the first wireless communication device 504 can generate more or fewer beams distributed in different directions.

[0086] The number of beams on which the RAN node 502 or the first wireless communication device 504 can communicate simultaneously can be defined based on the NR standards and specifications and the capabilities of the particular RAN node 502 and the first wireless communication device 504. For example, the number of beams can be determined based on the number of antenna panels configured on the RAN node 502 or the first wireless communication device 504. For example, each beam can be utilized to transmit a respective layer for MIMO communication.

[0087] In some examples, to select one or more beams for communication on an access link between the RAN node 502 and the first wireless communication device 504, the RAN node 502 can transmit access reference signals, such as access synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) or access channel state information (CSI) reference signals (RSs), on each of the plurality of beams 508a, 508b, 508c, 508d, 508e, 508f, 508g, and 508h in a beam sweep fashion toward the first wireless communication device 504. The first wireless communication device 504 searches for and identifies beams based on the beam reference signals. The first wireless communication device 504 then performs beam measurements (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), etc.) on the beam reference signals to determine a respective beam quality for each of the beams.

[0088] Then, the first wireless communication device 504 can send a beam measurement report to the RAN node 502, indicating the beam quality of one or more measured beams. The RAN node 502 can then select a specific beam for communication on the access link between the RAN node 502 and the first wireless communication device 504 based on the beam measurement report. The RAN node 502 can then notify the selected beam by signaling, for example, via a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message or via a Medium Access Control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0089] Each selected beam on each of the communication devices (e.g., RAN node 502 or the first wireless communication device 504) can be linked with a corresponding selected beamformed beam pair link (BPL) on the other communication device. Therefore, each BPL includes corresponding transmit and receive beams on RAN node 502 and the first wireless communication device 504. For example, a BPL may include a first transmit / receive beam on RAN node 502 and a second transmit / receive beam on the first wireless communication device 504. To increase data rates, multiple BPLs can be used to facilitate spatial multiplexing of multiple data streams. In some examples, different BPLs may include beams from different antenna panels.

[0090] In addition, Figure 5 In the example shown, the first wireless communication device 504 and the second wireless communication device 506 can be configured to transmit sidelink signals on one or more of a plurality of beams 510a, 510b, 510c, 510d, 510e, 510f, 510g, and 510h. Although beams 510a, 510b, 510c, 510d, 510e, 510f, 510g, and 510h... Figure 5 The beams are shown as being generated on the first wireless communication device 504, but it should be understood that the same concepts described herein apply to beams generated on the second wireless communication device 506. For example, each of the first wireless communication device 504 and the second wireless communication device 506 may select one or more beams to transmit sidelink signals to the other wireless communication device. In some examples, due to channel reciprocity, the beams selected on each of the first wireless communication device 504 and the second wireless communication device 506 may be used for both transmitting and receiving sidelink signals. It should be noted that although some beams are shown as adjacent to each other, such arrangement may differ in different aspects. In some examples, the first wireless communication device 504 and the second wireless communication device 506 may generate more or fewer beams distributed in different directions.

[0091] The number of beams on which the first wireless communication device 504 or the second wireless communication device 506 can simultaneously communicate can be defined based on the NR SL standards and specifications and the capabilities of the particular first wireless communication device 504 and second wireless communication device 506. For example, the number of beams can be determined based on the number of antenna panels configured on the first wireless communication device 504 or the second wireless communication device 506. For example, each beam can be utilized to transmit a respective layer for MIMO communication.

[0092] In some examples, to select one or more beams for communicating on the sidelink between the first wireless communication device 504 and the second wireless communication device 506, the first wireless communication device 504 can transmit sidelink reference signals, such as sidelink synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) or sidelink channel state information (CSI) reference signals (RSs), in a beam sweep fashion on each of the plurality of beams 510a, 510b, 510c, 510d, 510e, 510f, 510g, and 510h toward the second wireless communication device 506. The second wireless communication device 506 searches for and identifies beams based on the beam reference signals. The second wireless communication device 506 then performs beam measurements (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), etc.) on the beam reference signals to determine a respective beam quality for each of the beams.

[0093] The second wireless communication device 506 can then transmit a beam measurement report to the first wireless communication device 504 indicating the beam qualities of the one or more measured beams. The first wireless communication device 504 can then select particular beams for communicating on the sidelink between the first wireless communication device 504 and the second wireless communication device 506 based on the beam measurement report. For example, the first wireless communication device 504 can forward the beam measurement report to a base station to select the beams. The base station can then signal the selected beams via, for example, a radio resource control (RRC) message or via a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0094] Each selected beam on one of the wireless communication devices (e.g., the first wireless communication device 504 or the second wireless communication device 506) can form a beam pair link (BPL) with a corresponding selected beam on the other wireless communication device. Thus, each BPL includes a corresponding transmit beam and receive beam on the first wireless communication device 504 and the second wireless communication device 506. For example, a BPL can include a first transmit / receive beam on the first wireless communication device 504 and a second transmit / receive beam on the second wireless communication device 506. To increase data rates, multiple BPLs can be used to facilitate spatial multiplexing of multiple data streams. In some examples, different BPLs can include beams from different antenna panels.

[0095] Various aspects of the present disclosure will be described with reference to an OFDM waveform, which is schematically illustrated in Figure 6 FIG. 1. It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various aspects of the present disclosure can be applied in substantially the same manner to SC-FDMA waveforms. That is, while some examples of the present disclosure can focus on OFDM links for clarity, it will be understood that the same principles can be applied to SC-FDMA waveforms as well.

[0096] Reference is now made to Figure 6 FIG. 2, which shows an expanded view of an exemplary subframe 602, illustrating an OFDM resource grid. However, as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, the PHY transmission structure for any particular application can differ from this example in various ways, depending on the number of antennas involved in the transmission and reception, the multiple-access technique employed (e.g., frequency division duplex (FDD), time division duplex (TDD), etc.), the number of carriers used (e.g., in a carrier aggregation (CA) arrangement), and many other factors. Here, time is on the horizontal axis, in the form of OFDM symbols; and frequency is on the vertical axis, in the form of subcarriers of the carrier.

[0097] The resource grid 604 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 available antenna ports, a corresponding multiple number of resource grids 604 can be available for communication. The resource grid 604 is divided into multiple resource elements (REs) 606. An RE, which is 1 subcarrier x 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, each RE can represent one or more bits of information. In some examples, a block of REs can be referred to as a physical resource block (PRB) or more simply a resource block (RB) 608, which contains any suitable number of consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. In one example, an RB can include 12 subcarriers, a number independent of the numerology used. In some examples, depending on the numerology, an RB can include any suitable number of consecutive OFDM symbols in the time domain. Within the present disclosure, it is assumed that a single RB such as the RB 608 entirely corresponds to a single direction of communication (transmit or receive for a given device).

[0098] Scheduling a UE or sidelink device (hereafter collectively referred to as a UE) for downlink, uplink, or sidelink transmission generally involves scheduling one or more resource elements 606 within one or more subbands. Thus, a UE generally utilizes only a subset of the resource grid 604. In some examples, an RB can be the smallest unit of resources that can be assigned to a UE. Thus, the more RBs scheduled for a UE, and the higher the modulation scheme chosen for the air interface, the higher the data rate for the UE. The RBs can be scheduled by a base station (e.g., gNB, eNB, etc.) or can be self-scheduled by a UE / sidelink device implementing D2D sidelink communication.

[0099] In this diagram, the RB 608 is shown as occupying less than the entire bandwidth of the subframe 602, with some subcarriers shown above and below the RB 608. The subframe 602 can have a bandwidth corresponding to any number of RBs 608 in a given implementation. Further, in this diagram, while the RB 608 is shown as occupying less than the entire duration of the subframe 602, this is merely one possible example.

[0100] Each 1ms subframe 602 can be made up of one or more adjacent slots. In Figure 6In the example shown, a subframe 602 includes four time slots 610, as an illustrative example. 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, a time slot may include 7 or 14 OFDM symbols with a nominal CP. Other examples may include micro-time slots with shorter durations (e.g., one to three OFDM symbols), sometimes referred to as shortened transmission time intervals (TTIs). In some cases, these micro-time slots or shortened transmission time intervals (TTIs) may be transmitted by consuming resources scheduled for ongoing time slot transmissions for the same or different UEs. Any number of resource blocks can be utilized within a subframe or time slot.

[0101] An expanded view of one time slot in time slot 610 shows that time slot 610 includes a control region 612 and a data region 614. Typically, control region 612 can carry a control channel, and data region 614 can carry a data channel. Of course, the time slot can contain all DL, all UL, or at least one DL portion and at least one UL portion. Figure 4 The simple structure shown is merely exemplary in nature, and different time slot structures can be utilized, which may include one or more regions of each of the control region and the data region.

[0102] Despite Figure 6 Although not shown, each RE 606 within RB 608 can be scheduled to carry one or more physical channels, including control channels, shared channels, data channels, etc. Other REs 606 within RB 608 can also carry pilot or reference signals. These pilot or reference signals can prepare the receiving device for channel estimation of the corresponding channels, enabling coherent demodulation / detection of the control and / or data channels within RB 608.

[0103] In some examples, time slot 610 can be used for broadcast or unicast communication. For example, broadcast, multicast, or multicast 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.

[0104] In the example of cellular communication over a cellular carrier via a Uu interface, for DL transmissions, a scheduling entity (e.g., a base station) can allocate one or more REs 606 (e.g., within the control region 612) to carry DL control information including one or more DL control channels, such as a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), to one or more scheduled entities (e.g., UEs). The PDCCH carries downlink control information (DCI) including but not limited to power control commands (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 an assignment of REs for DL and UL transmissions. The PDCCH can further carry HARQ feedback transmissions, such as an acknowledgement (ACK) or negative acknowledgement (NACK). HARQ is a technique well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art, wherein the integrity of packet transmissions can be checked at the receiving side for accuracy, e.g., utilizing any suitable integrity checking mechanism, such as a checksum or a cyclic redundancy check (CRC). If the integrity of a transmission is confirmed, an ACK can be transmitted, whereas if not confirmed, a NACK can be transmitted. In response to a NACK, the transmitting device can send a HARQ retransmission, which can implement chase combining, incremental redundancy, etc.

[0105] The base station can further allocate one or more REs 606 (e.g., in the control region 612 or the data region 614) to carry other DL signals such as a demodulation reference signal (DMRS); a phase-tracking reference signal (PT-RS); a channel state information (CSI) reference signal (CSI-RS); a primary synchronization signal (PSS); and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS). A UE can utilize the PSS and SSS to implement time-domain synchronization to a wireless frame, subframe, time slot and symbol, identify the center of the channel (system) bandwidth in the frequency domain, and identify the physical cell identity (PCI) of the cell in the frequency domain. The synchronization signals PSS and SSS (and in some examples, the PBCH and PBCH DMRS) can be transmitted in a synchronization signal block (SSB). The PBCH can also include a master information block (MIB) (which includes various system information) and parameters for decoding a system information block (SIB). The SIB can be, for example, a SystemInformationType 1 (SIB1), which can include various additional system information. Examples of system information transmitted in the MIB can include, but are not limited to, a subcarrier spacing, a system frame number, a configuration of a PDCCH control resource set (CORESET) (e.g., PDCCH CORESET0), and a search space for SIB1. Examples of additional system information transmitted in the SIB1 can include, but are not limited to, a random access search space, downlink configuration information, and uplink configuration information. The MIB and SIB1 together provide the minimum system information (SI) for initial access.

[0106] In UL transmissions, a scheduled entity (e.g., UE) can utilize one or more REs 606 to carry UL control information (UCI) including one or more UL control channels (such as a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)) to a scheduling entity. UCI can include various groupings and categories of information including pilots, reference signals, and information configured to enable or assist in decoding uplink data transmissions. In some examples, UCI can include a scheduling request (SR), i.e., a request to the scheduling entity to schedule uplink transmissions. Here, in response to the SR transmitted on the UCI, the scheduling entity can transmit downlink control information (DCI) which can schedule resources for uplink packet transmissions. UCI can also include HARQ feedback, channel state feedback (CSF) such as a CSI report, or any other suitable UCI.

[0107] In addition to control information, one or more REs 606 (e.g., within the data region 614) can be allocated for data traffic. Such data traffic can be carried in one or more traffic channels, such as, for DL transmission, a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); or for UL transmission, a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). In some examples, one or more REs 606 within the data region 614 can be configured to carry other signals, such as one or more SIBs and DMRSs.

[0108] In the example of sidelink communications over a sidelink carrier via a PC5 interface, the control region 612 of the slot 610 can include a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) including 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 region 614 of the slot 610 can include a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) including sidelink data traffic transmitted by the initiating (transmitting) sidelink device within resources reserved by the transmitting sidelink device over the sidelink carrier via the SCI. Other information can also be transmitted over various REs 606 within the slot 610. For example, HARQ feedback information can be transmitted from a receiving sidelink device to a transmitting sidelink device in a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) within the slot 610. Additionally, one or more reference signals (such as a sidelink SSB and / or a sidelink CSI-RS) can be transmitted within the slot 610.

[0109] The physical channels described above are typically multiplexed with and mapped to transport channels, which are handled at the medium access control (MAC) layer. The transport channels carry information that can be referred to as transport blocks (TBs). The transport block size (TBS), which can correspond to the number of information bits, can be a controlled parameter based on the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) and the number of RBs in a given transmission.

[0110] In Figure 6 The channels or carriers illustrated in FIG. 13 are not necessarily all the channels or carriers that can be utilized between devices, and those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize other channels or carriers that can be utilized in addition to those shown in FIG. 13, such as other traffic, control, and feedback channels.

[0111] Figure 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a multi-component carrier transmission environment 700, in accordance with some aspects. The multi-component carrier transmission environment 700 can include a base station 702 (e.g., a RAN node) and a UE 704. The base station 702 or scheduling entity can be similar to the base station 102 or scheduling entity 350 described in Figures 1-5those base stations or scheduling entities shown in any of FIGs. 1-3. The UE 704 or scheduled entity can be similar to the UEs or scheduled entities shown and described in any of FIGs. 1-3. Figures 1-5 The multi -component carrier transmission environment 700 can also include a first component carrier 706, a second component carrier 708, a third component carrier 710, a fourth component carrier 712, and a fifth component carrier 714. Each of the first component carrier 706, the second component carrier 708, the third component carrier 710, the fourth component carrier 712, and the fifth component carrier 714 can be co-located with one another. The coverage of each of the first component carrier 706, the second component carrier 708, the third component carrier 710, the fourth component carrier 712, and the fifth component carrier 714 can be different because component carriers in different frequency bands can experience different path losses. In some aspects, the first component carrier 706 can be a primary component carrier (e.g., an anchor component carrier), and each of the second component carrier 708, the third component carrier 710, the fourth component carrier 712, and the fifth component carrier 714 can be a secondary component carrier.

[0112] When carrier aggregation is configured, one or more of the secondary component carriers can be activated or added to the primary component carrier to form serving component carriers that serve the UE 704. In some examples, the base station 702 can add or remove one or more secondary component carriers to improve the reliability of the connection to the UE 704 and / or to increase the data rate. The primary component carrier can be changed when switching to another base station or another primary component carrier.

[0113] In some examples, the primary component carrier can be a low-band component carrier and the secondary component carriers can be high-band component carriers. A low-band (LB) component carrier has a lower frequency band than a high-band component carrier. For example, the high-band component carriers can use mmWave component carriers and the low-band component carriers can use component carriers in a frequency band lower than mmWave (e.g., a sub-6 GHz frequency band). Generally, mmWave component carriers can provide a larger bandwidth than low-band component carriers.

[0114] In some examples, the primary component carrier or the primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers can form a group of two or more component carriers of a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers that are associated with one or more TCI states, one or more SRs, or one or more PL-RSs.

[0115] In some examples, the UE 704 can transmit uplink signals (e.g., PUCCH or PUSCH) on a component carrier using an uplink transmit power, which can be controlled based on a path loss between the UE 704 and the base station 702. For example, the UE 704 can calculate the uplink transmit power for an uplink transmission based on an estimated or measured path loss, a transmit power control (TPC) command received from the base station 702, and other appropriate parameters (e.g., transport block size (TBS)). The path loss can be measured or estimated, for example, by measuring a received power of a path loss reference signal (PL-RS). Examples of a PL-RS include, but are not limited to, SSB and CSI-RS. In a 5G NR network, the UE 704 can maintain up to four PL-RSs for each serving cell. The maintained PL-RSs can include PL-RSs configured by a serving cell via radio resource control (RRC) signaling or MAC-CE activation and a default PL-RS on the UE 704.

[0116] In some aspects, a carrier aggregation can be configured for sidelink. As similarly described with respect to an access link, in the case of carrier aggregation for sidelink, one or more of the secondary component carriers can be activated or added to the primary component carrier to form a serving component carrier that is served by a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE). In some examples, a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE) can add or remove one or more of the secondary component carriers to improve reliability of a connection to another UE and / or increase a data rate.

[0117] In some examples, the UE 704 can utilize one or more transmission configuration indicator states (TCI states) or one or more spatial relations (SRs) for multi-component carrier communications. The UE 704 can receive a message from the base station 702 indicating one or more transmission configuration indicator states (TCI states) or one or more spatial relations (SRs) and including an index that identifies a group of two or more component carriers of a plurality of access component carriers that are associated with the one or more TCI states or one or more SRs. The index can also identify a group of two or more component carriers of a plurality of sidelink component carriers that are associated with the one or more TCI states or one or more SRs. The UE 704 can update the one or more TCI states or one or more SRs for the group of two or more component carriers associated with an access link, a sidelink, or both for multi-component carrier communications based on the message.

[0118] In some examples, the UE 704 can utilize one or more path loss reference signals (PL-RSs) for multi-component carrier communications. The UE 704 can receive, from the base station 702, a message indicating one or more PL-RSs and including an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers of a plurality of access component carriers associated with the one or more PL-RSs. The index can also identify a group of two or more component carriers of a plurality of sidelink component carriers associated with the one or more PL-RSs. The UE 704 can update, based on the message, the one or more PL-RSs for the group of two or more component carriers associated with an access link, a sidelink, or both for multi-component carrier communications.

[0119] Figure 8 is a signaling diagram illustrating an example of beam indication according to some aspects. In the example shown in Figure 8 , the RAN node 802 is in wireless communication with a first wireless communication device (UE1) 804 on an access link. The first wireless communication device (UE1) 804 can be in wireless communication with a second wireless communication device (UE2) 806 on a sidelink. The RAN node 802 can correspond to any of the entities, gNodeB, UE, V2X device, or D2D device shown in Figures 1-5 and Figure 7 . The UE1 804 and / or the UE2 806 can correspond to any of the entities, gNodeB, UE, V2X device, or D2D device shown in Figures 1-5 and 7.

[0120] At 708, the RAN node 802, which can be a transmitting wireless communication device, generates a message indicating one or more transmission configuration indicator states (TCI states) or one or more spatial relations (SRs) to be used for multi-component carrier communications on an access link or a sidelink. The message can include at least one of a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE) or downlink control information (DCI).

[0121] A TCI state or an SR can indicate spatial properties (e.g., beam direction and / or beam width) of a transmit beam to be utilized by a wireless communication device. For example, for access communications, a TCI state can include quasi-co-location (QCL) information (e.g., QCL Type-D) referencing an access SSB beam or an access CSI-RS transmit beam on a wireless communication device. Similarly, an SRI can indicate a spatial relationship between an access SSB or an access CSI-RS beam and an uplink transmit beam used by a UE (e.g., UE1 804) for uplink transmissions. In this example, the wireless communication device can identify a selected uplink transmit beam having a spatial direction in the same direction as the indicated access SSB or CSI-RS beam. Similarly, for sidelink communications, a TCI state or an SR can indicate a sidelink transmit beam to be used for communications on a sidelink between UEs (e.g., between UE1 804 and UE2 806). Subsequently, a receive beam can be determined by a BPL.

[0122] The message can include one of a TCI state activation and deactivation message or an SRI activation and deactivation message. For example, the message can include a binary string of one or more “0s” and one or more “1s” to activate or deactivate each of a plurality of TCI states including one or more TCI states or each of a plurality of SRs including one or more SRs. The message can also include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers of a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers associated with the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs. In some aspects, the index can identify a group of two or more component carriers of a set of all configured component carriers of the plurality of access component carriers or the plurality of sidelink component carriers. In some aspects, the index can identify a group of two or more component carriers of a set of all active component carriers of the plurality of access component carriers or the plurality of sidelink component carriers. In some aspects, the index can include a group index identifying a designated component carrier used to represent the group of two or more component carriers.

[0123] The message can include a first entry indicating a first TCI state or a first SR to be used for access multi-component carrier communications. The first entry can include a first index identifying a group of second two or more component carriers of a plurality of access component carriers associated with the first TCI state or the first SR. Additionally or alternatively, the message can include a second entry indicating a second TCI state or a second SR to be used for sidelink multi-component carrier communications. The second entry can include a second index identifying a second group of two or more component carriers of a plurality of sidelink component carriers associated with the second TCI state or the second SR.

[0124] At 810, the RAN node 802 transmits the message to a user equipment (UE) to update the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for the set of two or more component carriers for multi-component carrier communications based on the message. For example, the RAN node 802 can transmit the message to the UE1 804 to update the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for the set of two or more component carriers for multi-component carrier communications based on the message. It will be appreciated that the transmitting device can be a RAN node (as shown) or a UE. Thus, for sidelink, a UE can receive the message from a RAN node and subsequently transmit the information provided in the message to another UE using SCI on the sidelink. In other examples, a UE can autonomously transmit a message to another UE on the sidelink via SCI for updating the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for the set of two or more sidelink component carriers. Figure 8

[0125] At 812, the UE1 804 updates the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for the set of two or more component carriers for multi-component carrier communications based on the message. For example, in response to receiving the message from the RAN node 802, the UE1 804 can update the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for the set of two or more component carriers for multi-component carrier communications based on the message. In some aspects, the UE1 804 can update the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for the set of two or more component carriers of a plurality of access carriers when a reference signal source of a TCI state or an SRI of one or more SRs in the message is associated with access communications. In some aspects, the UE1 804 can update the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for the set of two or more component carriers of a plurality of sidelink carriers when a reference signal source of a TCI state or an SRI of one or more SRs in the message is associated with sidelink communications.

[0126] ​At 814, UE1 804 communicates using access communications by aggregating at least two access component carriers of the plurality of access component carriers for multi-component carrier communications. For example, UE1 804 can communicate with RAN node 802 using access communications by aggregating at least two access component carriers of the plurality of access component carriers for multi-component carrier communications. In some examples, UE1 804 can communicate with RAN node 802 on one or more beams on each of the aggregated access component carriers (as indicated in the message). For example, the message can indicate a downlink receive beam or a transmit uplink beam to use on one or more of the aggregated access component carriers.

[0127] At 816, UE1 804 communicates using sidelink communications by aggregating at least two sidelink component carriers of the plurality of sidelink component carriers for sidelink multi-component carrier communications. For example, UE1 804 can communicate with UE2 806 using sidelink communications by aggregating at least two sidelink component carriers of the plurality of sidelink component carriers for sidelink multi-component carrier communications. In some examples, UE1 804 can communicate with UE2 806 on one or more beams on each of the aggregated sidelink component carriers (as indicated in the message). For example, the message can indicate a transmit sidelink beam to be used by UE1 804 or UE2 806 on one or more of the aggregated sidelink component carriers.

[0128] Figure 9 is a signaling diagram illustrating an example of path loss reference signal indication for multi-component carrier communications according to some aspects. In the example shown in Figure 9 In the example shown in FIG. 9, RAN node 902 is in wireless communication with a first wireless communication device (UE1) 904 over an access link. First wireless communication device (UE1) 904 can be in wireless communication with a second wireless communication device (UE2) 906 over a sidelink. Each of RAN node 902, UE1 904, and UE2 906 can correspond to any of the entities, gNodeBs, UEs, V2X devices, or D2D devices shown in FIGS. 1, 7, and 8. Figures 1-5

[0129] ​At 908, the RAN node 902 (which can be a transmitting wireless communication device) generates a message indicating one or more path loss reference signals (PL-RSs) to be used for multi-component carrier communication. The message can include at least one of a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE) or downlink control information (DCI). It should be understood that the transmitting device can be a RAN node or a UE. Thus, for sidelink, a UE can receive the message from a RAN node and subsequently transmit the information provided in the message to another UE using SCI in the sidelink.

[0130] The message can include one of a PL-RS activation and deactivation message. For example, the message can include a binary string of one or more “0s” and one or more “1s” to activate or deactivate each of a plurality of PL-RSs. The message can also include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers of a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers associated with the one or more PL-RSs. In some aspects, the index can identify the group of two or more component carriers among a set of all configured component carriers of the plurality of access component carriers or the plurality of sidelink component carriers. In some aspects, the index can identify the group of two or more component carriers among a set of all active component carriers of the plurality of access component carriers or the plurality of sidelink component carriers. In some aspects, the index can include a group index identifying a designated component carrier representing the group of two or more component carriers.

[0131] The message can include a first entry indicating a first PL-RS to be used for access multi-component carrier communication. The first entry can include a first index identifying a group of second two or more component carriers of a plurality of access component carriers associated with the first PL-RS. Additionally or alternatively, the message can include a second entry indicating a second PL-RS to be used for sidelink multi-component carrier communication. The second entry can include a second index identifying a second group of two or more component carriers of a plurality of sidelink component carriers associated with the second PL-RS.

[0132] At 910, the RAN node 902 transmits the message for updating the one or more PL-RSs for the group of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication based on the message. For example, the RAN node 902 can transmit the message to the UE1 904 for updating the one or more PL-RSs for the group of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication based on the message. It should be understood that the transmitting device can be a RAN node (as Figure 8The message can be received from a RAN node (e.g., gNB or eNB) or a UE. Thus, for sidelink, a UE can receive the message from a RAN node and then transmit the information provided in the message to another UE using SCI over sidelink. In other examples, a UE can transmit the message to update the one or more PL-RSs for a set of two or more sidelink component carriers autonomously to another UE via SCI over sidelink.

[0133] At 912, UE1 904 updates the one or more PL-RSs for the set of two or more component carriers for multi-component carrier communications based on the message. For example, in response to receiving the message from RAN node 902, UE1 904 can update the one or more PL-RSs for the set of two or more component carriers for multi-component carrier communications based on the message. In some aspects, UE1 904 updates the one or more PL-RSs for the set of two or more component carriers of a plurality of access component carriers when a reference signal source of a PL-RS of the one or more PL-RSs in the message is associated with access communications. In some aspects, UE1 904 updates the one or more PL-RSs for the set of two or more component carriers of a plurality of sidelink component carriers when a reference signal source of a PL-RS of the one or more PL-RSs in the message is associated with sidelink communications.

[0134] At 914, UE1 904 communicates using access communications by aggregating at least two access component carriers of a plurality of access component carriers for multi-component carrier communications. For example, UE1 904 can communicate with RAN node 902 using access communications by aggregating at least two access component carriers of a plurality of access component carriers for multi-component carrier communications. At 916, UE1 904 communicates using sidelink communications by aggregating at least two sidelink component carriers of a plurality of sidelink component carriers for sidelink multi-component carrier communications. For example, UE1 904 can communicate with UE2 906 using sidelink communications by aggregating at least two sidelink component carriers of a plurality of sidelink component carriers for sidelink multi-component carrier communications.

[0135] Figure 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a radio access network (RAN) node employing a processing system 1014. For example, the RAN node 1000 can be a base station (e.g., gNB or eNB) as illustrated in any of Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. Figures 1-5 , any of the base stations (e.g., gNBs or eNBs) illustrated in any one or more of Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

[0136] RAN node 1000 may be implemented using processing system 1014, which includes 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 circuitry, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functions described throughout this disclosure. In various examples, RAN node 1000 may be configured to perform any one or more of the functions described herein. That is, the processor 1004 utilized in RAN node 1000 may be used to implement any one or more of the functions described herein. In some cases, processor 1004 may be implemented via a baseband or modem chip, while in other implementations, processor 1004 itself may include multiple devices that are distinct from and different from the baseband or modem chip (e.g., in scenarios where they can work together to implement the aspects discussed herein). Furthermore, as mentioned above, various hardware arrangements and components other than the baseband modem processor can be used in various implementations, including RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, interleavers, adders / converters, etc.

[0137] In this example, processing system 1014 can be implemented using a bus architecture, typically 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 (typically represented by processor 1004) and computer-readable media (typically represented by computer-readable storage 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 units for communicating with various other devices over a transmission medium (e.g., an air interface). User interface 1012 (e.g., keypad, display, speaker, microphone, joystick) may also be provided.

[0138] Processor 1004 is responsible for managing bus 1002 and general processing, including executing software stored on computer-readable storage medium 1006. When executed by processor 1004, this software causes processing system 1014 to perform the various functions described herein for any particular device. Computer-readable storage medium 1006 can also be used to store data manipulated by processor 1004 while executing the software.

[0139] One or more processors 1004 in the processing system can execute software. Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. The software can reside on a computer-readable storage medium 1006.

[0140] The computer-readable storage medium 1006 can be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. A non-transitory computer-readable medium includes, for example, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk; floppy disk); optical disk devices (e.g., compact disk (CD); digital versatile disk (DVD)); smart cards; flash memory devices (e.g., card; stick; key drive); random access memories (RAMs); read only memories (ROMs); programmable ROMs (PROMs); erasable PROMs (EPROMs); electrically erasable PROMs (EEPROMs); registers; removable disk; and any other suitable medium for storing software and / or instructions that can be accessed and read by a computer. The computer-readable storage medium 1006 can reside in the processing system 1014, the processing system 1014, or distributed across multiple entities including the processing system 1014. The computer-readable storage medium 1006 can be embodied in a computer program product. By way of example, a computer program product can include a computer-readable medium in packaging material. Those skilled in the art will recognize how best to implement the described functionality presented throughout this disclosure depending on the particular application and the overall design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0141] In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 1004 can include circuitry configured for various functions. For example, the processor 1004 can include generating circuitry 1040 configured to generate a message indicating one or more transmission configuration indicator states (TCI states) or one or more spatial relations (SRs) to be used for multi-component carrier communications. The message can include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers, of a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers, associated with the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs. Additionally or alternatively, the generating circuitry 1040 can be configured to generate a message indicating one or more path loss reference signals (PL-RSs) to be used for multi-component carrier communications. The message can include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers, of a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers, associated with the one or more PL-RSs. The generating circuitry 1040 can be further configured to execute generating instructions 1050 stored in the computer-readable storage medium 1006 to implement any of one or more of the functions described herein.

[0142] The processor 1004 can also include transmitting circuitry 1042 configured to transmit, via the transceiver 1010, the message to a user equipment (UE) to update one or more TCI states or one or more SRs for the group of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communications based on the message. Additionally or alternatively, the transmitting circuitry 1042 can be configured to transmit, via the transceiver 1010, the message to update one or more PL-RSs for the group of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communications based on the message. The transmitting circuitry 1042 can be further configured to execute transmitting instructions 1052 stored in the computer-readable storage medium 1006 to implement any of one or more of the functions described herein.

[0143] The processor 1004 can also include communication circuitry 1044 configured to communicate with a user equipment using access communications utilizing a communication link and by aggregating at least two access component carriers, of a plurality of access component carriers, used for multi-component carrier communications. The communication circuitry 1044 can be further configured to execute communication instructions 1054 stored in the computer-readable storage medium 1006 to implement any of one or more of the functions described herein.

[0144] Figure 11This is a flowchart 1100 of a method for generating and transmitting Transmission Configuration Indicator State (TCI State) or Spatial Relationship (SR) for use in multi-component communication, based on certain aspects. As described below, in specific implementations within the scope of this disclosure, some or all of the shown features may be omitted, and some shown features may not be necessary for all example implementations. In some examples, the method may be as described above and in… Figure 10 The RAN node 1000 shown is executed by a processor or processing system, or by any suitable unit for performing the described functions.

[0145] At box 1102, RAN node 1000 generates a message indicating one or more Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) states or one or more Spatial Relationships (SRs) to be used for multi-component carrier communication. This message may include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers among multiple access component carriers or multiple sidelink component carriers associated with the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs. This message may include at least one of a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE) or Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0146] The TCI state or SR can indicate the spatial attributes (e.g., beam direction and / or beamwidth) of the transmit beam to be utilized by the wireless communication device. For example, for access communication, the TCI state may include quasi-co-location (QCL) information (e.g., QCL type D) of the access SSB beam or access CSI-RS transmit beam on the reference transmitting wireless communication device. Similarly, the SRI can indicate the spatial relationship between the access SSB or access CSI-RS beam and the uplink transmit beam used by the UE for uplink transmission. In this example, the wireless communication device can identify an uplink transmit beam with a selected spatial orientation in the same direction as the indicated access SSB or CSI-RS beam. Similarly, for sidelink communication, the TCI state or SR can indicate the sidelink transmit beam to be used for communication between UEs on the sidelink. Subsequently, the receive beam can be determined by the BPL.

[0147] The message may include either a TCI state activation and deactivation message or an SRI activation and deactivation message. For example, the message may include a binary string of one or more "0"s and one or more "1"s used to activate or deactivate each of a plurality of TCI states including the one or more TCI states, or each of a plurality of SRs including the one or more SRs. The message may also include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers associated with the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs among a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers. In some aspects, the index may identify a group of two or more component carriers among a set of all configured component carriers in a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers. In some aspects, the index may identify a group of two or more component carriers among a set of all active component carriers in a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers. In some aspects, the index may include a group index identifying a specified component carrier representing a group of two or more component carriers.

[0148] The message may include a first entry indicating a first TCI state or a first SR to be used for access multi-component carrier communication. The first entry may include a first index identifying a group of two or more component carriers among a plurality of access component carriers associated with the first TCI state or the first SR. Alternatively, the message may include a second entry indicating a second TCI state or a second SR to be used for sidelink multi-component carrier communication. The second entry may include a second index identifying a second group of two or more component carriers among a plurality of sidelink component carriers associated with the second TCI state or the second SR.

[0149] Regarding the information provided in this article Figures 1-5 The descriptions in 7, 8, and 9 further describe the generation of messages indicating one or more Transport Configuration Indicator (TCI) states or one or more Spatial Relationships (SRs) to be used for multi-component carrier communication. The above, combined with... Figure 10 The generation circuit 1040 shown and described may provide a unit for generating messages indicating one or more Transmission Configuration Indicator States (TCI States) or one or more Spatial Relationships (SRs) to be used for multi-component carrier communication.

[0150] At box 1104, RAN node 1000 sends the message to user equipment (UE) to update the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for the group of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication based on the message. For example, RAN node 802 may send the message to UE1 804 to update the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for the group of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication based on the message. It should be understood that the sending device can be either a RAN node or a UE. Therefore, for the sidelink, the UE can receive the message from the RAN node and subsequently use SCI on the sidelink to send the information provided in the message to another UE. (The above is combined with...) Figure 10 The transmitting circuit 1042 shown and described, together with the transceiver 1010, can provide elements for transmitting the message to the user equipment (UE) to update the state of one or more TCIs or the state of one or more SRs based on the message for the set of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication.

[0151] At box 1106, RAN node 1000 communicates using access communication by aggregating at least two access component carriers from a plurality of access component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication. For example, UE1 804 can communicate with RAN node 802 using access communication by aggregating at least two access component carriers from a plurality of access component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication. In some examples, UE1 804 can communicate with RAN node 802 on one or more beams (as indicated in this message) on each of the aggregated access component carriers. For example, the message may indicate a downlink receive beam or a transmit uplink beam to be used on one or more of the aggregated access component carriers. (The above is in conjunction with...) Figure 10 The communication circuit 1044 shown and described, together with the transceiver 1010, can provide a unit for communicating using access communication by aggregating at least two of a plurality of access component carriers.

[0152] Figure 12 This is a flowchart 1200 of a method for generating and transmitting a path loss reference signal (PL-RS) for use in multi-component communication, based on some aspects. As described below, in certain implementations within the scope of this disclosure, some or all of the shown features may be omitted, and some shown features may not be necessary for all implementations of the aspects. In some examples, the method may be as described above and in… Figure 10 The RAN node 1000 shown is executed by a processor or processing system, or by any suitable unit for performing the described functions.

[0153] At box 1202, RAN node 1000 generates a message indicating one or more Path Loss Reference Signals (PL-RS) to be used for multi-component carrier communication. This message includes an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers associated with the one or more PL-RS from among multiple access component carriers or multiple sidelink component carriers. The message may include at least one of a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE) or Downlink Control Information (DCI). It should be understood that the transmitting device can be either the RAN node or a UE. Therefore, for the sidelink, a UE can receive this message from the RAN node and subsequently use the SCI in the sidelink to transmit the information provided in the message to another UE.

[0154] The message may include one of a PL-RS activation and deactivation message. For example, the message may include a binary string of one or more "0"s and one or more "1"s used to activate or deactivate each of the plurality of PL-RSs. The message may also include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers associated with one or more PL-RSs from among the plurality of access component carriers or the plurality of sidelink component carriers. In some aspects, the index may identify a group of two or more component carriers from among all configured component carrier sets in the plurality of access component carriers or the plurality of sidelink component carriers. In some aspects, the index may identify a group of two or more component carriers from among all active component carrier sets in the plurality of access component carriers or the plurality of sidelink component carriers. In some aspects, the index may include a group index identifying a specified component carrier representing a group of two or more component carriers.

[0155] The message may include a first entry indicating a first PL-RS to be used for access multi-component carrier communication. The first entry may include a first index identifying a group of two or more component carriers associated with the first PL-RS among a plurality of access component carriers. Alternatively, the message may include a second entry indicating a second PL-RS to be used for sidelink multi-component carrier communication. The second entry may include a second index identifying a second group of two or more component carriers associated with the second PL-RS among a plurality of sidelink component carriers.

[0156] Regarding the information provided in this article Figures 1-5 The descriptions in 7, 8, and 9 further describe the generation of messages indicating one or more PL-RS to be used for multi-component carrier communication. The above, combined with... Figure 10 The generation circuit 1040 shown and described can provide a unit for generating messages indicating one or more PL-RS to be used for multi-component carrier communication.

[0157] At box 1204, RAN node 1000 sends the message to update one or more PL-RSs based on the message for the group of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication. For example, RAN node 1000 may send the message to the UE to update one or more PL-RSs based on the message for the group of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication. (The above is in conjunction with...) Figure 10 The transmitting circuit 1042 shown and described, together with the transceiver 1010, can provide a unit for transmitting the message to update the one or more PL-RS based on the message for the set of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication.

[0158] At box 1206, RAN node 1000 communicates using access communication by aggregating at least two access component carriers from a plurality of access component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication. For example, UE1 804 can communicate with RAN node 802 using access communication by aggregating at least two access component carriers from a plurality of access component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication. In some examples, UE1 804 can communicate with RAN node 802 on one or more beams (as indicated in this message) on each of the aggregated access component carriers. (The above is in conjunction with...) Figure 10 The communication circuit 1044 shown and described, together with the transceiver 1010, can provide a unit for communicating using access communication by aggregating at least two of a plurality of access component carriers.

[0159] Figure 13 This is a flowchart of another method for generating and transmitting a path loss reference signal (PL-RS) for use in multi-component communication, based on some aspects. As described below, in certain implementations within the scope of this disclosure, some or all of the shown features may be omitted, and some shown features may not be necessary for all implementations of all aspects. In some examples, the method may be as described above and in… Figure 10 The RAN node 1000 shown is executed by a processor or processing system, or by any suitable unit for performing the described functions.

[0160] At box 1302, RAN node 1000 generates a message indicating one or more Path Loss Reference Signals (PL-RS) to be used for multi-component carrier communication. This message includes an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers associated with the one or more PL-RS among multiple access component carriers or multiple sidelink component carriers. The message may include at least one of a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE) or Downlink Control Information (DCI). It should be understood that the transmitting device can be either the RAN node or a UE. Therefore, for the sidelink, a UE can receive this message from the RAN node and subsequently use the SCI in the sidelink to transmit the information provided in the message to another UE.

[0161] The message may include one of a PL-RS activation and deactivation message. For example, the message may include a binary string of one or more "0"s and one or more "1"s used to activate or deactivate each of the plurality of PL-RSs. The message may also include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers associated with one or more PL-RSs from among the plurality of access component carriers or the plurality of sidelink component carriers. In some aspects, the index may identify a group of two or more component carriers from among all configured component carrier sets in the plurality of access component carriers or the plurality of sidelink component carriers. In some aspects, the index may identify a group of two or more component carriers from among all active component carrier sets in the plurality of access component carriers or the plurality of sidelink component carriers. In some aspects, the index may include a group index identifying a specified component carrier representing a group of two or more component carriers.

[0162] The message may include a first entry indicating a first PL-RS to be used for access multi-component carrier communication. The first entry may include a first index identifying a group of two or more component carriers associated with the first PL-RS among a plurality of access component carriers. Alternatively, the message may include a second entry indicating a second PL-RS to be used for sidelink multi-component carrier communication. The second entry may include a second index identifying a second group of two or more component carriers associated with the second PL-RS among a plurality of sidelink component carriers.

[0163] Regarding the information provided in this article Figures 1-5 The descriptions in 7-9, 11, and 12 further describe the generation of messages indicating one or more PL-RS to be used for multi-component carrier communication. The above, combined with... Figure 10 The generation circuit 1040 shown and described can provide a unit for generating messages indicating one or more PL-RS to be used for multi-component carrier communication.

[0164] At box 1304, RAN node 1000 sends the message to update one or more PL-RSs based on the message for the group of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication. For example, RAN node 1000 may send the message to the UE to update one or more PL-RSs based on the message for the group of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication. (The above is in conjunction with...) Figure 10 The transmitting circuit 1042 shown and described, together with the transceiver 1010, can provide a unit for transmitting the message to update the one or more PL-RS based on the message for the set of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication.

[0165] At box 1306, RAN node 1000 communicates using access communication by aggregating at least two access component carriers from a plurality of access component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication. For example, UE1 804 can communicate with RAN node 802 using access communication by aggregating at least two access component carriers from a plurality of access component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication. In some examples, UE1 804 can communicate with RAN node 802 on one or more beams (as indicated in this message) on each of the aggregated access component carriers. (The above is in conjunction with...) Figure 10 The communication circuit 1044 shown and described, together with the transceiver 1010, can provide a unit for communicating using access communication by aggregating at least two of a plurality of access component carriers.

[0166] Figure 14 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a UE 1400 (e.g., a wireless communication device) employing a processing system 1414, according to some aspects. For example, the UE 1400 may correspond to the above-described... Figures 1-5 Any UE shown and described in any one or more of the figures 7, 8 and / or 9.

[0167] According to various aspects of this disclosure, the processing system 1414 can be used to implement elements, any part of elements, or any combination of elements, including one or more processors 1404. The processing system 1414 can be used with... Figure 10 The processing system 1014 shown is substantially the same as that described above, including a bus interface 1408, a bus 1402, a processor 1404, and a computer-readable storage medium 1406. Furthermore, the UE 1400 may include a user interface 1412 and a transceiver 1410, which are substantially similar to those described above. Figure 10Those described herein. That is, the processor 1404, as utilized in UE 1400, can be used to implement any one or more of the procedures described herein.

[0168] In some aspects of this disclosure, processor 1404 may include circuitry configured for various functions. For example, processor 1404 may include receiving circuitry 1440 configured to receive from a RAN node (e.g., a base station, such as a gNB or eNB) and via transceiver 1410 a message indicating one or more Transmission Configuration Indicator States (TCI states) or one or more Spatial Relationships (SRs) for use in multi-component carrier communication. This message may include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers among a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers associated with the one or more TCI states or SRs. Alternatively or additionally, receiving circuitry 1440 may be configured to receive a message indicating one or more Path Loss Reference Signals (PL-RS) for use in multi-component carrier communication. This message may include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers among a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers associated with the one or more PL-RS. Receiving circuitry 1440 may also be configured to execute receiving instructions 1450 stored in computer-readable storage medium 1406 to perform any of the functions described herein.

[0169] Processor 1404 may further include update circuitry 1442 configured to update one or more TCI states or one or more SRs for the set of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication based on the message. Alternatively or additionally, update circuitry 1442 may be configured to update one or more PL-RSs for the set of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication based on the message. Update circuitry 1442 may also be configured to execute update instructions 1452 stored in computer-readable storage medium 1406 to perform any of the functions described herein.

[0170] The processor 1404 may further include communication circuitry 1444 configured to communicate with a base station using access communication by aggregating at least two access component carriers of a plurality of access component carriers for multi-component carrier communication via a communication link. Alternatively, the communication circuitry 1444 may be configured to communicate with another UE using sidelink communication by aggregating at least two sidelink component carriers of a plurality of sidelink component carriers for multi-component carrier communication via a communication link. The communication circuitry 1444 may also be configured to execute communication instructions 1454 stored in the computer-readable storage medium 1406 to perform any of the functions described herein.

[0171] Figure 15 This is a flowchart 1500 of a method for receiving and updating Transmission Configuration Indicator State (TCI State) or Spatial Relationship (SR) for use in multi-component communication, based on some aspects. As described below, in certain implementations within the scope of this disclosure, some or all of the shown features may be omitted, and some shown features may not be necessary for all implementations of all aspects. In some examples, the method may be as described above and in… Figure 14 The UE 1400 shown herein is executed by a processor or processing system, or by any suitable unit for performing the described functions.

[0172] At box 1502, UE 1400 receives a message indicating one or more Transport Configuration Indicator States (TCI states) or one or more Spatial Relationships (SRs) to be used for multi-component carrier communication. This message may include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers among multiple access component carriers or multiple sidelink component carriers associated with the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs. This message may include at least one of a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE) or Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0173] The TCI state or SR can indicate the spatial attributes (e.g., beam direction and / or beamwidth) of the transmit beam to be utilized by the wireless communication device. For example, for access communication, the TCI state may include quasi-co-location (QCL) information (e.g., QCL type D) of the access SSB beam or access CSI-RS transmit beam on the reference transmitting wireless communication device. Similarly, the SRI can indicate the spatial relationship between the access SSB or access CSI-RS beam and the uplink transmit beam used by the UE for uplink transmission. In this example, the wireless communication device can identify an uplink transmit beam with a selected spatial orientation in the same direction as the indicated access SSB or CSI-RS beam. Similarly, for sidelink communication, the TCI state or SR can indicate the sidelink transmit beam to be used for communication between UEs on the sidelink. Subsequently, the receive beam can be determined by the BPL.

[0174] The message may include either a TCI state activation and deactivation message or an SRI activation and deactivation message. For example, the message may include a binary string of one or more "0"s and one or more "1"s used to activate or deactivate each of a plurality of TCI states including the one or more TCI states, or each of a plurality of SRs including the one or more SRs. The message may also include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers associated with the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs among a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers. In some aspects, the index may identify a group of two or more component carriers among a set of all configured component carriers in a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers. In some aspects, the index may identify a group of two or more component carriers among a set of all active component carriers in a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers. In some aspects, the index may include a group index identifying a specified component carrier representing a group of two or more component carriers.

[0175] The message may include a first entry indicating a first TCI state or a first SR to be used for access multi-component carrier communication. The first entry may include a first index identifying a group of two or more component carriers among a plurality of access component carriers associated with the first TCI state or the first SR. Alternatively, the message may include a second entry indicating a second TCI state or a second SR to be used for sidelink multi-component carrier communication. The second entry may include a second index identifying a second group of two or more component carriers among a plurality of sidelink component carriers associated with the second TCI state or the second SR.

[0176] Regarding the information provided in this article Figures 1-5The descriptions in 7, 8, and 9 further describe the reception of messages indicating one or more Transport Configuration Indicator (TCI) states or one or more Spatial Relationships (SRs) for use in multi-component carrier communication. The above is combined with... Figure 14 The receiver circuit 1440 shown and described may provide a unit for receiving one or more Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) states or one or more spatial relationships (SRs) indicating that they are to be used for multi-component carrier communication.

[0177] At box 1504, UE 1400 updates the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for the group of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication based on this message. For example, in response to receiving this message from the RAN node, the UE may update the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for the group of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication based on this message. In some aspects, when the reference signal source of the SRI of one or more TCI states or one or more SRs in the message is associated with access communication, the UE may update the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for the group of two or more component carriers among multiple access carriers. In some aspects, when the reference signal source of the SRI of one or more TCI states or one or more SRs in the message is associated with sidelink communication, the UE may update the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for the group of two or more component carriers among multiple sidelink carriers. (The above is in conjunction with...) Figure 14 The update circuit 1442 shown and described may provide a unit for updating the state of one or more TCIs or the state of one or more SRs for the group of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication based on the message.

[0178] At box 1506, UE 1400 communicates using access communication by aggregating at least two access component carriers from a plurality of access component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication. For example, the UE can use access communication to communicate with a RAN node by aggregating at least two access component carriers from a plurality of access component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication. In some examples, the UE can communicate with the RAN node on one or more beams (as indicated in this message) on each of the aggregated access component carriers. For example, the message can provide means for indicating whether to use a transmit downlink beam or a transmit uplink beam on one or more of the aggregated access component carriers. (The above is in conjunction with...) Figure 14The communication circuit 1444 shown and described, together with the transceiver 1410, can provide a unit for communicating using access communication by aggregating at least two access component carriers of a plurality of access component carriers for multi-component carrier communication.

[0179] At box 1508, UE 1400 communicates using sidelink communication by aggregating at least two access component carriers from a plurality of access component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication. For example, a UE can communicate with another UE using sidelink communication by aggregating at least two sidelink component carriers from a plurality of sidelink component carriers used for sidelink multi-component carrier communication. In some examples, as indicated in the message, a UE can communicate with another UE on one or more beams (as indicated in the message) on each of the aggregated sidelink component carriers. For example, the message may indicate the transmit sidelink beams to be used by the UE or another UE on one or more of the aggregated sidelink component carriers. (The above is in conjunction with...) Figure 14 The communication circuit 1444 shown and described, together with transceiver 1410, can provide a unit for communicating using sidelink communication by aggregating at least two of the multiple access component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication.

[0180] Figure 16 This is a flowchart of a method for receiving and updating a path loss reference signal (PL-RS) to be used in multi-component communication, based on some aspects. As described below, in certain implementations within the scope of this disclosure, some or all of the shown features may be omitted, and some shown features may not be necessary for all implementations of the aspects. In some examples, the method may be as described above and in… Figure 14 The UE 1400 shown herein is executed by a processor or processing system, or by any suitable unit for performing the described functions.

[0181] At box 1602, UE 1400 receives a message indicating one or more Path Loss Reference Signals (PL-RS) to be used for multi-component carrier communication. This message includes an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers associated with the one or more PL-RS from among multiple access component carriers or multiple sidelink component carriers. This message may include at least one of a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE) or Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0182] The message may include one of a PL-RS activation and deactivation message. For example, the message may include a binary string of one or more "0"s and one or more "1"s used to activate or deactivate each of the plurality of PL-RSs. The message may also include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers associated with one or more PL-RSs from among the plurality of access component carriers or the plurality of sidelink component carriers. In some aspects, the index may identify a group of two or more component carriers from among all configured component carrier sets in the plurality of access component carriers or the plurality of sidelink component carriers. In some aspects, the index may identify a group of two or more component carriers from among all active component carrier sets in the plurality of access component carriers or the plurality of sidelink component carriers. In some aspects, the index may include a group index identifying a specified component carrier representing a group of two or more component carriers.

[0183] The message may include a first entry indicating a first PL-RS to be used for access multi-component carrier communication. The first entry may include a first index identifying a group of two or more component carriers associated with the first PL-RS among a plurality of access component carriers. Alternatively, the message may include a second entry indicating a second PL-RS to be used for sidelink multi-component carrier communication. The second entry may include a second index identifying a second group of two or more component carriers associated with the second PL-RS among a plurality of sidelink component carriers.

[0184] Regarding the information provided in this article Figures 1-5 The descriptions in 7, 8, and 9 further describe the reception of messages indicating one or more PL-RS to be used for multi-component carrier communication. The above is combined with... Figure 14 The receiver circuit 1440 shown and described, together with the transceiver 1410, can provide a unit for receiving one or more PL-RS messages indicating that they are to be used for multi-component carrier communication.

[0185] At box 1604, UE 1400 updates the one or more PL-RSs for the group of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication based on the message. For example, in response to receiving the message from the RAN node, the UE may update the one or more PL-RSs for the group of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication based on the message. In some aspects, when the reference signal source of the PL-RS in one or more PL-RSs in the message is associated with access communication, the UE updates the one or more PL-RSs for the group of two or more component carriers among multiple access carriers. In some aspects, when the reference signal source of the PL-RS in one or more PL-RSs in the message is associated with sidelink communication, the UE updates the one or more PL-RSs for the group of two or more component carriers among multiple sidelink carriers. (The above is in conjunction with...) Figure 14 The update circuit 1442 shown and described can provide a unit for updating the one or more PL-RS based on the message for the set of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication.

[0186] At box 1606, UE 1400 communicates using access communication by aggregating at least two access component carriers from a plurality of access component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication. For example, the UE can use access communication to communicate with a RAN node by aggregating at least two access component carriers from a plurality of access component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication. In some examples, the UE can communicate with the RAN node on one or more beams (as indicated in this message) on each of the aggregated access component carriers. (The above is combined with...) Figure 14 The communication circuit 1444 shown and described, together with the transceiver 1410, can provide a unit for communicating using access communication by aggregating at least two of a plurality of component carriers.

[0187] At box 1608, UE 1400 communicates using sidelink communication by aggregating at least two access component carriers from a plurality of access component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication. For example, a UE can communicate with another UE using sidelink communication by aggregating at least two sidelink component carriers from a plurality of sidelink component carriers used for sidelink multi-component carrier communication. In some examples, a UE can communicate with other UEs on one or more beams on each of the aggregated sidelink component carriers. For example, the message may indicate PL-RS to be used by the UE or another UE on one or more sidelink component carriers from the aggregated sidelink component carriers. (The above is in conjunction with...) Figure 14The communication circuit 1444 shown and described, together with transceiver 1410, can provide a unit for communicating using sidelink communication by aggregating at least two of a plurality of access component carriers.

[0188] Figure 17 This is a flowchart 1700 of a method for receiving and updating Transmission Configuration Indicator State (TCI State) or Spatial Relationship (SR) for use in multi-component communication, based on some aspects. As described below, in certain implementations within the scope of this disclosure, some or all of the shown features may be omitted, and some shown features may not be necessary for all implementations of all aspects. In some examples, the method may be as described above and in… Figure 14 The UE 1400 shown herein is executed by a processor or processing system, or by any suitable unit for performing the described functions.

[0189] At box 1702, UE 1400 receives a message indicating one or more Transport Configuration Indicator States (TCI states) or one or more Spatial Relationships (SRs) to be used for multi-component carrier communication. This message includes an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers among multiple access component carriers or multiple sidelink component carriers associated with the one or more TCI states or one or more SRs. The message may include at least one of an Access Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE) or Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0190] The TCI state or SR can indicate the spatial attributes (e.g., beam direction and / or beamwidth) of the transmit beam to be utilized by the wireless communication device. For example, for access communication, the TCI state may include quasi-co-location (QCL) information (e.g., QCL type D) of the access SSB beam or access CSI-RS transmit beam on the reference transmitting wireless communication device. Similarly, the SRI can indicate the spatial relationship between the access SSB or access CSI-RS beam and the uplink transmit beam used by the UE for uplink transmission. In this example, the wireless communication device can identify an uplink transmit beam with a selected spatial orientation in the same direction as the indicated access SSB or CSI-RS beam. Similarly, for sidelink communication, the TCI state or SR can indicate the sidelink transmit beam to be used for communication between UEs on the sidelink. Subsequently, the receive beam can be determined by the BPL.

[0191] The message may include either a TCI state activation and deactivation message or an SRI activation and deactivation message. For example, the message may include a binary string of one or more "0"s and one or more "1"s used to activate or deactivate each of a plurality of TCI states including the one or more TCI states, or each of a plurality of SRs including the one or more SRs. The message may also include an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers associated with the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs among a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers. In some aspects, the index may identify a group of two or more component carriers among a set of all configured component carriers in a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers. In some aspects, the index may identify a group of two or more component carriers among a set of all active component carriers in a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers. In some aspects, the index may include a group index identifying a specified component carrier representing a group of two or more component carriers.

[0192] The message may include a first entry indicating a first TCI state or a first SR to be used for access multi-component carrier communication. The first entry may include a first index identifying a group of two or more component carriers among a plurality of access component carriers associated with the first TCI state or the first SR. Alternatively, the message may include a second entry indicating a second TCI state or a second SR to be used for sidelink multi-component carrier communication. The second entry may include a second index identifying a second group of two or more component carriers among a plurality of sidelink component carriers associated with the second TCI state or the second SR.

[0193] Regarding the information provided in this article Figures 1-5 The descriptions in 7, 8, and 9 further describe the reception of messages indicating one or more Transport Configuration Indicator (TCI) states or one or more Spatial Relationships (SRs) for use in multi-component carrier communication. The above is combined with... Figure 14 The receiver circuitry 1440 shown and described, together with transceiver 1410, can provide units for receiving messages indicating one or more Transmission Configuration Indicator States (TCI states) or one or more Spatial Relationships (SRs) for use in multi-component carrier communication. The messages include indices identifying a group of two or more component carriers among a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers associated with the one or more TCI states or one or more SRs.

[0194] At box 1704, UE 1400 uses this message to transmit updates to one or more TCI states or one or more SRs for the group of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication. For example, in response to receiving a message from the RAN node, the UE can update the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for the group of two or more component carriers used for multi-component carrier communication based on this message. In some aspects, when the reference signal source of the SRI of one or more TCI states or one or more SRs in the message is associated with access communication, the UE can update the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for the group of two or more component carriers among multiple access carriers. In some aspects, when the reference signal source of the SRI of one or more TCI states or one or more SRs in the message is associated with sidelink communication, the UE can update the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for the group of two or more component carriers among multiple sidelink carriers. (The above is in conjunction with...) Figures 1-17 The communication circuit 1444 shown and described, together with the transceiver 1410, can provide a unit for transmitting updates to one or more TCI states or one or more SRs of the group of two or more component carriers for multi-component carrier communication based on the message.

[0195] The following provides an overview of aspects of this disclosure:

[0196] Aspect 1: A method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a message indicating one or more Transmission Configuration Indicator States (TCI states) or one or more Spatial Relationships (SRs) for use in multi-component carrier communication, the message including an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers among a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers associated with the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs; and updating the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs based on the message for the group of two or more component carriers used in the multi-component carrier communication.

[0197] Aspect 2: According to the method of aspect 1, wherein the index is used to identify a group of two or more component carriers in all configured component carrier sets among the plurality of access component carriers or the plurality of sidelink component carriers.

[0198] Aspect 3: According to the method of aspect 1, wherein the index is used to identify a group of two or more component carriers in the set of all active component carriers among the plurality of access component carriers or the plurality of sidelink component carriers.

[0199] Aspect 4: According to the method of aspect 1, wherein the index includes a group index for identifying a specified component carrier representing a group of the two or more component carriers.

[0200] Aspect 5: The method according to aspect 1, wherein the message includes at least one of a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE), Side Link Control Information (SCI), or Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0201] Aspect 6: The method according to aspect 1, wherein the message includes one of a TCI state activation and deactivation message or an SRI activation and deactivation message.

[0202] Aspect 7: The method according to aspect 6, wherein the message includes a binary string for activating or deactivating each of a plurality of TCI states including the one or more TCI states or each of a plurality of SRs including the one or more SRs.

[0203] Aspect 8: The method according to aspect 1 further includes: in response to the reference signal source of the TCI state or the SR of the one or more TCI states in the message being associated with access communication, updating the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for a group of two or more component carriers of the plurality of access carriers.

[0204] Aspect 9: The method according to aspect 1 further includes: updating the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs in response to the access communication as a reference signal source of the TCI state or the SR of the one or more SRs in the message being associated with the access communication, for a group of two or more component carriers among the plurality of sidelink carriers.

[0205] Aspect 10: The method according to aspect 1 further includes at least one of the following: using access communication to communicate with a base station by aggregating at least two access component carriers of the plurality of access component carriers used for the multi-component carrier communication, or using sidelink communication to communicate with another UE by aggregating at least two sidelink component carriers of the plurality of sidelink component carriers used for the sidelink multi-component carrier communication.

[0206] Aspect 11: According to the method of aspect 1, wherein the message includes at least one of the following: a first entry indicating a first TCI state or a first SR for accessing multi-component carrier communication, the first entry including a first index identifying a group of two or more component carriers among the plurality of access component carriers associated with the first TCI state or the first SR; or a second entry indicating a second TCI state or a second SR for sidelink multi-component carrier communication, the second entry including a second index identifying a second group of two or more component carriers among the plurality of sidelink component carriers associated with the second TCI state or the second SR.

[0207] Aspect 12: A user equipment (UE) in a radio access network (RAN) of a wireless communication system, the UE 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 perform the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 11.

[0208] Aspect 13: A user equipment (UE) comprising: a unit for performing the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 11.

[0209] Aspect 14: A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium storing processor-executable instructions for causing processing circuitry to perform the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 11.

[0210] Aspect 15: A method for wireless communication at a radio access network (RAN) node, comprising: generating a message indicating one or more Transmission Configuration Indicator States (TCI states) or one or more Spatial Relationships (SRs) for use in multi-component carrier communication, the message including an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers among a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers associated with the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs; and sending the message to a user equipment (UE) to update the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs based on the message for the group of two or more component carriers used in the multi-component carrier communication.

[0211] Aspect 16: According to the method of aspect 15, wherein the index is used to identify a group of two or more component carriers in a set of all configured component carriers among the plurality of access component carriers or the plurality of sidelink component carriers.

[0212] Aspect 17: According to the method of aspect 15, wherein the index is used to identify a group of two or more component carriers in a set of all active component carriers among the plurality of access component carriers or the plurality of sidelink component carriers.

[0213] Aspect 18: The method according to aspect 15, wherein the index includes a group index for identifying a specified component carrier representing a group of the two or more component carriers.

[0214] Aspect 19: The method according to aspect 15, wherein the message includes at least one of a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE), a Side Link Control Message (SCI), or a Downlink Control Message (DCI).

[0215] Aspect 20: The method according to aspect 15, wherein the message includes one of a TCI state activation and deactivation message or an SR activation and deactivation message.

[0216] Aspect 21: The method according to aspect 20, wherein the message includes a binary string for activating or deactivating each of a plurality of TCI states including the one or more TCI states or each of a plurality of SRs including the one or more SRs.

[0217] Aspect 22: The method according to aspect 15 further includes: in response to the association of a reference signal source of one or more TCI states or one or more SRs in the message with access communication, updating the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs for a group of two or more component carriers among the plurality of access carriers.

[0218] Aspect 23: The method according to aspect 15 further includes: updating the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs in response to a reference signal source associated with the access communication for a group of two or more component carriers among the plurality of sidelink carriers.

[0219] Aspect 24: The method according to aspect 15 further includes at least one of the following: using access communication to communicate by aggregating at least two access component carriers of the plurality of access component carriers used for the multi-component carrier communication, or using sidelink communication to communicate by aggregating at least two sidelink component carriers of the plurality of sidelink component carriers used for the multi-component carrier communication.

[0220] Aspect 25: A radio access network (RAN) node for a wireless communication system, the RAN node 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 perform the method according to any one of aspects 15 to 24.

[0221] Aspect 26: A radio access network (RAN) node comprising: a unit for performing the method according to any one of aspects 15 to 24.

[0222] Aspect 27: A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium storing processor-executable instructions for causing processing circuitry to perform the method according to any one of aspects 15 to 24.

[0223] For example, the 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). The aspects can also be extended to systems defined by 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 depend on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system.

[0224] In this disclosure, the term "exemplary" is used to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any implementation or aspect described herein as "exemplary" should not be construed as being superior or advantageous to 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, objects A and C can still be considered coupled, even if they are not in direct physical contact with each other. For example, a first object can be coupled to a second object, even if the first object never physically contacts the second object. The terms “circuit” and “circuitry” are used extensively, and they are intended to include both hardware implementations of electronic devices and conductors (wherein such electronic devices and conductors, when connected and configured, perform the functions described in this disclosure, without limitation on the type of electronic circuit) and software implementations of information and instructions (wherein such information and instructions, when executed by a processor, perform the functions described in this disclosure).

[0225] Can be used in Figures 1-17 The components, steps, features, and / or functions shown herein may be rearranged and / or combined into a single component, step, feature, or function, or embodied in several components, steps, or functions. Furthermore, additional stages, components, steps, and / or functions may be added without departing from the novel features disclosed herein. ​ The apparatus, devices, and / or components shown may be configured to perform one or more of the methods, features, or steps described herein. The novel algorithms described herein may also be efficiently implemented in software and / or embedded in hardware.

[0226] It is to be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed herein is an illustration of an exemplary process. It is to be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in these methods may be rearranged based on design preferences. The appended method claims give the stages of each step in an illustrative order, but are not intended to limit one to the given specific order or hierarchy unless expressly stated herein.

[0227] 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 be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are to be given the full scope consistent with the text of the claims, wherein references to the singular form of a stage are not intended to mean “one and only one,” but rather “one or more,” unless expressly stated otherwise. Unless expressly stated otherwise, the term “some” means one or more. The phrase “at least one” referring to a list of items means any combination of those items, including a single member. For 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 known or to be known by those skilled in the art throughout the various aspects described in this disclosure are expressly incorporated herein by reference, and are intended to be included by the claims. Furthermore, no disclosure herein is intended to be offered to the public, whether or not such disclosure is expressly recited in the claims.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) in a radio access network (RAN) of a wireless communication system, the UE comprising: One or more memory units; as well as One or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: Receive a message indicating one or more Transmission Configuration Indicator States (TCI states) or one or more Spatial Relationships (SRs) for use in multi-component carrier communication, the message including an index for identifying a group of two or more component carriers among multiple access component carriers or multiple sidelink component carriers associated with the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs; and Based on the association of at least one reference signal source of the TCI state in the one or more TCI states in the message or the SR in the one or more SRs, the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs are updated for the group of two or more component carriers used for the multi-component carrier communication, wherein the at least one reference signal source is associated with at least one of access communication or side link communication.

2. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, The index is used to identify a group of two or more component carriers from the set of all configured component carriers of the plurality of access component carriers or the plurality of sidelink component carriers.

3. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, The index is used to identify a group of two or more component carriers from the set of all active component carriers from the plurality of access component carriers or the plurality of sidelink component carriers.

4. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, The index includes a group index, which identifies a specified component carrier representing a group of the two or more component carriers.

5. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, The message includes at least one of a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE), a Side Link Control Message (SCI), or a Downlink Control Message (DCI).

6. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, The message includes either a TCI state activation and deactivation message or an SR activation and deactivation message.

7. The UE according to claim 6, wherein, The message includes a binary string for activating or deactivating each of a plurality of TCI states including the one or more TCI states, or each of a plurality of SRs including the one or more SRs.

8. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, The one or more processors are further configured to: In response to the at least one reference signal source associated with the access communication in the message, the TCI state or the SR of the one or more component carriers of the plurality of access carriers is updated for the group of the two or more component carriers.

9. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, The one or more processors are further configured to: In response to the at least one reference signal source associated with the TCI state in one or more TCI states or the SR in one or more SRs in the message being linked to the side link communication, the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs are updated for a group of two or more component carriers among the plurality of side link carriers.

10. The UE of claim 1, further comprising at least one of the following: By aggregating at least two access component carriers from the plurality of access component carriers used for the multi-component carrier communication, access communication is used to communicate with the RAN node, or By aggregating at least two sidelink component carriers used for sidelink multi-component carrier communication from the plurality of sidelink component carriers, sidelink communication is used to communicate with another UE.

11. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, The message includes at least one of the following: The first entry indicates a first TCI state or first SR to be used for accessing multi-component carrier communication. The first entry includes a first index identifying two or more component carriers in a first group associated with the first TCI state or the first SR among the plurality of access component carriers. The second entry indicates a second TCI state or second SR to be used for sidelink multi-component carrier communication. The second entry includes a second index identifying two or more component carriers in a second group associated with the second TCI state or second SR among the plurality of sidelink component carriers.

12. A method for conducting wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: Receive a message indicating one or more Transmission Configuration Indicator States (TCI states) or one or more Spatial Relationships (SRs) for use in multi-component carrier communication, the message including an index for identifying a group of two or more component carriers associated with the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs among a plurality of access component carriers or a plurality of sidelink component carriers; as well as Based on the association of at least one reference signal source of the TCI state in the one or more TCI states in the message or the SR in the one or more SRs, the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs are updated for the group of two or more component carriers used for the multi-component carrier communication, wherein the at least one reference signal source is associated with at least one of access communication or side link communication.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The index is used to identify a group of two or more component carriers from the set of all configured component carriers of the plurality of access component carriers or the plurality of sidelink component carriers.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The index is used to identify a group of two or more component carriers from the set of all active component carriers from the plurality of access component carriers or the plurality of sidelink component carriers.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The index includes a group index, which identifies a specified component carrier representing a group of the two or more component carriers.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The message includes at least one of a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE), a Side Link Control Message (SCI), or a Downlink Control Message (DCI).

17. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The message includes either a TCI state activation and deactivation message or an SR activation and deactivation message.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein, The message includes a binary string for activating or deactivating each of a plurality of TCI states including the one or more TCI states, or each of a plurality of SRs including the one or more SRs.

19. A radio access network (RAN) node for a wireless communication system, comprising: One or more memory units; as well as One or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: Generate a message indicating one or more Transport Configuration Indicator States (TCI states) or one or more Spatial Relationships (SRs) for use in multi-component carrier communication. The message includes an index identifying a group of two or more component carriers among a plurality of sidelink component carriers used for communication between a first user equipment (UE) and a second UE, the group of two or more component carriers being associated with the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs. The message is sent to the first UE to update the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs based on the message for the group of two or more component carriers used for the multi-component carrier communication.

20. The RAN node according to claim 19, wherein, The index is used to identify a group of two or more component carriers from the set of all configured component carriers in the plurality of side link component carriers.

21. The RAN node according to claim 19, wherein, The index is used to identify a group of two or more component carriers from the set of all active component carriers from the plurality of side link component carriers.

22. The RAN node according to claim 19, wherein, The index includes a group index, which identifies a specified component carrier representing a group of the two or more component carriers.

23. The RAN node according to claim 19, wherein, The message includes at least one of a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE), a Side Link Control Message (SCI), or a Downlink Control Message (DCI).

24. The RAN node according to claim 19, wherein, The message includes either a TCI state activation and deactivation message or an SR activation and deactivation message.

25. The RAN node according to claim 24, wherein, The message includes a binary string for activating or deactivating each of a plurality of TCI states including the one or more TCI states, or each of a plurality of SRs including the one or more SRs.

26. The RAN node according to claim 21, wherein, The message also includes: An access entry indicates an access TCI state or access SR to be used for accessing multi-component carrier communication. The access entry includes an access index that identifies a group of two or more access component carriers associated with the access TCI state or the access SR.

27. A method for conducting wireless communication at a radio access network (RAN) node, comprising: Generate a message indicating one or more Transport Configuration Indicator States (TCI states) or one or more Spatial Relationships (SRs) for use in multi-component carrier communication. The message includes an index for identifying a group of two or more component carriers among a plurality of sidelink component carriers for communication between a first user equipment (UE) and a second UE. The group of two or more component carriers is associated with the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs. as well as The message is sent to the first UE to update the one or more TCI states or the one or more SRs based on the message for the group of two or more component carriers used for the multi-component carrier communication.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein, The index is used to identify a group of two or more component carriers from the set of all configured component carriers in the plurality of side link component carriers.

29. The method according to claim 27, wherein, The index is used to identify a group of two or more component carriers from the set of all active component carriers from the plurality of side link component carriers.

30. The method according to claim 27, wherein, The index includes a group index, which identifies a specified component carrier representing a group of the two or more component carriers.

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