System and method for selecting among asymmetric uplink (UL) antenna panels for user equipment (UE)

Abstract

An exemplary method for wireless communication, the method comprising: transmitting, via a user equipment, to a base station: (1) a capability report for each of a plurality of antenna panels; and (2) an initial antenna panel index; receiving configuration information corresponding to each of the plurality of antenna panels from the base station; selecting a first antenna panel for a first uplink (UL) transmission to the base station, wherein the first antenna panel corresponds to an antenna panel having the initial antenna panel index; selecting first configuration information corresponding to the selected first antenna panel; and transmitting a first UL transmission to the base station using the selected first antenna panel and the selected first configuration information. In other aspects, the user equipment may receive the configuration information for each antenna panel when each panel is selected for UL transmission, rather than initially receiving the configuration information corresponding to each antenna panel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to wireless devices, including apparatus, systems and methods that facilitate selecting an asymmetric uplink antenna panel for user equipment (UE or "user equipment") uplink (UL) transmissions in a cellular communication system. Background Art

[0002] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. In recent years, wireless devices such as smart phones and tablet computers have become increasingly sophisticated. In addition to supporting phone calls, many mobile devices now also provide access to the Internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using the Global Positioning System (GPS), and are capable of operating sophisticated applications that utilize these capabilities. In addition, there are many different wireless communication technologies and wireless communication standards. Some examples of wireless communication standards include GSM, UMTS (e.g., associated with WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, Advanced LTE (LTE-A), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), IEEE 802.11 (WLAN or Wi-Fi), BLUETOOTH (BLUETOOTH), and UMTS (e.g., associated with WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces). TM wait.

[0003] The introduction of an ever-increasing number of features and functions in wireless communication devices also requires continuous improvements in wireless communications and improvements in wireless communication devices. In order to increase coverage and better serve the increased demand and range of intended uses of wireless communications, in addition to the above-mentioned communication standards, there are wireless communication technologies being developed, including fifth generation (5G) new air interface (NR) communications. Therefore, there is a need for improvements in the field of supporting such development and design. Summary of the invention

[0004] Disclosed herein are apparatus, systems, and methods that facilitate selecting an asymmetric uplink antenna panel for user equipment (UE or "user device") uplink (UL) transmissions in a cellular communication system. (As used herein, the term "asymmetric" refers to different UE antenna panels having different properties from one another, such as different numbers of antennas, etc.) In particular, in 5G / NR, to enhance the link budget (i.e., calculating the total gain and loss in the system to derive the received signal received power (RSRP) at the UE), the UE may include multiple "antenna panels."

[0005] As used herein, an antenna panel may be defined as a transmission process, a transmission entity, an antenna array, or an antenna port group. An antenna panel may include one or more antenna arrays, wherein the same azimuth is applied to a given antenna array. Different antenna panels within a UE may be, for example, orthogonal or non-orthogonal to each other. Alternatively, an antenna panel may include antennas with the same azimuth and the same polarization. The antenna panel used by a particular UE for a given UL transmission may be selected, for example, by a gNodeB ("gNB") using control signaling such as carried in, for example, downlink control information (DCI), a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), and / or a radio resource control (RRC). Alternatively, the antenna panel may be selected by the UE and reported to the gNB using uplink signaling (e.g., uplink control information carried by a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and / or a MAC CE).

[0006] Each antenna panel of the UE may be configured to target a different transmit direction. Analog beams may be applied to each antenna panel. In order to communicate more efficiently with the gNB, an antenna panel with a higher link budget may be selected for UL transmissions. In some implementations, the UE may select one (or more) antenna panels to transmit uplink signals to a base station such as a gNB in ​​one or more uplink channels (e.g., PUSCH, PUCCH, Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), and / or Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH)). In cases where more than one antenna panel (e.g., N antenna panels) may be selected for UL transmissions, in some implementations, the UE and / or gNB may select the N available UE antenna panels with the best transmit capability and / or signal quality.

[0007] In general, various control signaling schemes may be used to support antenna panel selection for UEs having antenna panels with different properties. For example, in some aspects, dynamic panel and control signaling switching may be used, as will be described below with reference to Figure 8 , Fig.10 and Fig.13 In other aspects, control signaling updates may be transmitted each time a new antenna panel is selected for UL transmission, as will be referenced below. Fig. 9 , Fig.11 and Fig.14 A more detailed description is given.

[0008] Different antenna panels may also have different maximum transmit powers, so the UE may transmit a power headroom report (PHR) to help the gNB identify PHR changes (e.g., see 3GPP Technical Specification 38.321 Section 5.4.6 - "Power Headroom Reporting"). Thus, in some aspects, the PHR may be triggered in response to any one or more of the following conditions: whenever the UE selects a new antenna panel; or whenever the UE selects a new antenna panel, where the difference between the maximum transmit power of the selected new antenna panel and the maximum transmit power of the previously selected antenna panel is greater than a threshold. In some aspects, whenever a "normal" or "Type 1" PHR is triggered at the UE, the UE may also transmit a "virtual PHR" for one or more inactive antenna panels of the UE. Although the Type 1 PHR is calculated based on the UE's actual PUSCH transmissions, if there are no PUSCH transmissions scheduled for a given antenna panel, the UE may report a "virtual PHR" (also known as a "Type 3" PHR) for the inactive antenna panel, as defined in Section 7.7.3 of 3GPP Technical Specification 38.213.

[0009] The techniques described herein may be applicable to various frequency ranges, such as the frequency range 2 (FR2) high band defined in 5G / NR. However, they may also be used in other frequency bands, such as the so-called FR1 and / or FR4 bands in 5G / NR.

[0010] Thus, according to some aspects disclosed herein, a method for wireless communication is disclosed, the method comprising: transmitting, via a user device, to a base station: (1) a capability report for each of a plurality of antenna panels; and (2) an initial antenna panel index; receiving configuration information corresponding to each of the plurality of antenna panels from the base station; selecting a first antenna panel for a first uplink (UL) transmission to the base station, wherein the first antenna panel corresponds to an antenna panel having the initial antenna panel index; selecting first configuration information corresponding to the selected first antenna panel; and transmitting a first UL transmission to the base station using the selected first antenna panel and the selected first configuration information. In other aspects, the user device may receive configuration information for each antenna panel when each panel is selected for UL transmission, rather than initially receiving configuration information corresponding to each antenna panel.

[0011] The techniques described herein may be implemented in and / or used with a number of different types of devices, including, but not limited to, any of cellular telephones, wireless devices, base stations, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, portable media players, and a variety of other computing devices.

[0012] This disclosure is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the topics described in this document. Therefore, it should be understood that the above features are only examples and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or essence of the topics described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the topics described herein will become apparent through the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] A better understanding of the present subject matter may be obtained when the following detailed description of various aspects is considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0014] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system according to some aspects is shown;

[0015] Figure 2 A base station (BS) in communication with a user equipment (UE) device is shown according to some aspects;

[0016] Figure 3 An exemplary block diagram of a UE according to some aspects is shown;

[0017] Figure 4 An exemplary block diagram of a BS according to some aspects is shown;

[0018] Figure 5 An exemplary block diagram of a cellular communication circuit according to some aspects is shown;

[0019] Figure 6 An exemplary block diagram of a network element according to some aspects is shown;

[0020] Figure 7 illustrates an exemplary multi-antenna panel UE in communication with an exemplary gNodeB according to some aspects;

[0021] Figure 8 An exemplary process for supporting dynamic antenna panel and control signaling switching according to some aspects is shown;

[0022] Fig. 9 An exemplary process for supporting control signaling updates when selecting a new antenna panel for UL transmissions according to some aspects is shown;

[0023] Fig.10 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for a UE to support dynamic antenna panel and control signaling switching according to some aspects;

[0024] Fig.11 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for a UE to support control signaling updates when a new antenna panel is selected for UL transmission according to some aspects;

[0025] Fig.12Example conditions for triggering PHR transmission by a UE according to some aspects are shown;

[0026] Fig.13 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for a base station to support dynamic antenna panels and control signaling switching according to some aspects;

[0027] Fig.14 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for a base station to support control signaling updates when a new antenna panel is selected for UL transmission according to some aspects; and

[0028] Fig.15 Example conditions for triggering PHR reception by a base station according to some aspects are shown.

[0029] Although the features described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific aspects thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and detailed description thereof are not intended to limit this document to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the purpose is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives that fall within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The following is a glossary of terms that may be used in this disclosure:

[0031] Memory medium - any of various types of non-transitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include installation media, such as CD-ROM, floppy disk or tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory such as flash memory, magnetic media, for example, hard disk drive or optical storage device; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. The memory medium may also include other types of non-transitory memory or a combination thereof. In addition, the memory medium may be located in the first computer system executing the program, or may be located in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In the latter case, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media that may reside in different locations in different computer systems connected, for example, via a network. The memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., in the form of a computer program) that may be executed by one or more processors.

[0032] Carrier Medium—storage media as described above and physical transmission media such as a bus, network, and / or other physical transmission media that convey signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals.

[0033] Programmable hardware element - includes various hardware devices that include multiple programmable function blocks connected via programmable interconnects. Examples include FPGA (field programmable gate array), PLD (programmable logic device), FPOA (field programmable object array), and CPLD (complex PLD). Programmable function blocks can vary from fine-grained (combinational logic unit or lookup table) to coarse-grained (arithmetic logic unit or processor core). Programmable hardware elements may also be referred to as "configurable logic units".

[0034] Computer System—Any of various types of computing or processing systems, including a personal computer system (PC), a mainframe computer system, a workstation, a network appliance, an Internet appliance, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a television system, a grid computing system, or other devices or combinations of devices. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0035] User Equipment (UE) (also referred to as "user device" / "UE device") - any of various types of computer systems or devices that are mobile or portable and that perform wireless communications. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhone TM , based on Android TM phones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS TM , PlayStation Portable TM 、Gameboy Advance TM , iPhone TM ), laptops, wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart glasses), PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices or other handheld devices, etc. In general, the term "user equipment", "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to cover any electronic device, computing device and / or telecommunication device (or combination of devices) that is convenient for a user to carry and capable of wireless communication.

[0036] Wireless Device—Any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform wireless communications. A wireless device may be portable (or mobile), or may be stationary or fixed at a certain location. A UE is an example of a wireless device.

[0037] Communication device - any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform communication, where the communication may be wired or wireless. A communication device may be portable (or mobile), or may be stationary or fixed at a location. A wireless device is an example of a communication device. A UE is another example of a communication device.

[0038] Base Station—The term “base station” has the full scope of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is installed at a fixed location and used to communicate as part of a wireless telephone system or a radio system. For example, if a base station is implemented in the context of LTE, it may alternatively be referred to as an “eNodeB” or “eNB”. If a base station is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternatively be referred to as a “gNodeB” or “gNB”.

[0039] Processing element (or processor) - refers to various elements or combinations of elements that are capable of performing functions in a device such as user equipment or cellular network equipment. Processing elements may include, for example, processors and associated memory, portions or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, separate processors, processor arrays, circuits such as ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), programmable hardware elements such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and any of the above combinations.

[0040] Channel - a medium used to transmit information from a sender (transmitter) to a receiver. It should be noted that since the characteristics of the term "channel" may vary according to different wireless protocols, the term "channel" used in the present invention may be considered to be used in a manner that conforms to the standards of the type of device to which the term is used. In some standards, the channel width may be variable (e.g., depending on device capabilities, frequency band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE may support scalable channel bandwidths of 1.4MHz to 20MHz. In contrast, a WLAN channel may be 22MHz wide, while a Bluetooth channel may be 1Mhz wide. Other protocols and standards may include different definitions of channels. In addition, some standards may define and use multiple types of channels, such as different channels for uplink or downlink and / or different channels for different purposes such as data, control information, etc.

[0041] Frequency band—The term “frequency band” has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a segment of the spectrum (eg, radio frequency spectrum) in which channels are used or set aside for the same purpose.

[0042] Automatic—refers to an action or operation being performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by a computer system) or a device (e.g., a circuit, a programmable hardware element, an ASIC, etc.) without the need for the action or operation to be directly specified or performed by a user input. Thus, the term "automatic" is in contrast to an operation that is manually performed or specified by a user, where the user provides input to directly perform the operation. An automatic process may be initiated by input provided by a user, but the subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user, i.e., are not performed "manually," where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing in information, selecting checkboxes, radio selections, etc.) is manually filling out the form, even though the computer system must update the form in response to the user action. The form may be automatically filled out by a computer system, where the computer system (e.g., software executed on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills out the form without any user input specifying the answers to the fields. As indicated above, a user may invoke automatic filling out of a form, but not participate in the actual filling out of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify the answers to the fields but rather they are automatically completed). This specification provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions taken by a user.

[0043] About - refers to a value that is close to a correct or exact value. For example, about can refer to a value that is within 1% to 10% of an exact (or desired) value. However, it should be noted that the actual threshold (or tolerance) may depend on the application. For example, in some aspects, "about" may mean within 0.1% of some specified or desired value, while in various other aspects, the threshold may be, for example, 2%, 3%, 5%, etc., depending on the desires or requirements of a particular application.

[0044] Concurrency - refers to parallel execution or implementation, where tasks, processes, or programs are executed in an at least partially overlapping manner. For example, concurrency can be achieved using "strong" or strict parallelism, where tasks are executed (at least partially) in parallel on respective computing elements, or using "weak parallelism," where tasks are executed in an interleaved manner (e.g., by time multiplexing of execution threads).

[0045] Configured to - Various components may be described as being "configured to" perform one or more tasks. In such environments, "configured to" is a broad statement that generally means "having a structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, a component can be configured to perform a task even when the component is not currently performing the task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect a module to another module even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured to" can be a broad statement that generally means "having a structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, the component can be configured to perform a task even when the component is not currently turned on. Typically, the circuitry that forms the structure corresponding to "configured to" may include hardware circuitry.

[0046] For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase "configured to". The description of a component being configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke 35 U.S.C. §112(f) interpretation of that component.

[0047] Exemplary Wireless Communication System

[0048] Now go to Figure 1 , shows a simplified example of a wireless communication system according to some aspects. Note that Figure 1 The system is only one example of possible systems, and features of the present disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of systems as desired.

[0049] As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102A, which communicates with one or more user equipment 106A, user equipment 106B to user equipment 106N, etc. through a transmission medium. Each user equipment may be referred to as a "user equipment" (UE) in this article. Therefore, user equipment 106 is referred to as UE or UE device.

[0050] The base station (BS) 102A may be a base transceiver station (BTS) or a cell site ("cellular base station") and may include hardware that enables wireless communications with the UEs 106A through 106N.

[0051] The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a “cell.” The base station 102A and the user equipment 106 may be configured to communicate over a transmission medium using any of a variety of radio access technologies (RATs), also referred to as wireless communication technologies or telecommunication standards, such as GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 5G New Radio (5G NR), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), and the like.

[0052] As shown, base station 102A may also be configured to communicate with network 100 (e.g., a core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunications network such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and / or the Internet, among other possibilities). Thus, base station 102A may facilitate communications between user devices and / or between user devices and network 100. In particular, cellular base station 102A may provide UE 106 with various communication capabilities, such as voice, SMS, and / or data services.

[0053] Base station 102A and other similar base stations (such as base stations 102B...102N) operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards can therefore be provided as a network of cells that can provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping service to UE 106A-N and similar devices over a geographic area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0054] Thus, although base station 102A may function as Figure 1 106A-N, but each UE 106 may also be able to receive signals from (and possibly be within communication range of) one or more other cells (which may be provided by base stations 102B-N and / or any other base stations), which may be referred to as "neighboring cells." Such cells may also be able to facilitate communications between user devices and / or between user devices and network 100. Such cells may include "macro" cells, "micro" cells, "pico" cells, and / or cells of any various other granularity of service area size. For example, in Figure 1 The base stations 102A-102B shown in FIG. 1 may be macro cells, while the base station 102N may be a micro cell. Other configurations are also possible.

[0055] In some aspects, base station 102A may be a next generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5GNR) base station or "gNB". In some aspects, the gNB may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) / 5G core (5GC) network. In addition, a gNB cell may include one or more transition and reception points (TRPs). In addition, a UE capable of operating in accordance with 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs. For example, base station 102A and one or more other base stations 102 may support joint transmissions such that UE 106 may be able to receive transmissions from multiple base stations (and / or multiple TRPs provided by the same base station). For example, as Figure 1 As shown, base station 102A and base station 102C are both shown serving UE 106A.

[0056] It should be noted that the UE 106 is capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, in addition to at least one cellular communication protocol (e.g., GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interface), LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, HSPA, 3GPP2CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc.), the UE 106 can be configured to communicate using wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and / or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.). If desired, the UE 106 can also or alternatively be configured to communicate using one or more global navigation satellite systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcast standards (e.g., Advanced Television Systems Committee-Mobile / Handheld (ATSC-M / H)), and / or any other wireless communication protocol. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0057] Exemplary User Equipment (UE)

[0058] Figure 2 A user equipment 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A-106N) is shown in accordance with some aspects in communication with base station 102. UE 106 may be a device with cellular communication capabilities, such as a mobile phone, handheld device, computer, laptop, tablet, smart watch or other wearable device, or indeed any type of wireless device.

[0059] UE 106 may include a processor (processing element) configured to execute program instructions stored in a memory. UE 106 may perform any of the methods described in the present invention by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or in addition, UE 106 may include a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), an integrated circuit, and / or any of various other possible hardware components configured to perform (e.g., alone or in combination) any of the methods described herein or any part of any of the methods described herein.

[0060] UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some aspects, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using, for example, NR or LTE using at least some shared radio components. As an additional possibility, the UE 106 may be configured to communicate using CDMA2000 (1xRTT / 1xEV-DO / HRPD / eHRPD) or LTE using a single shared radio component and / or GSM or LTE using a single shared radio component. The shared radio may be coupled to a single antenna, or may be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communications. Typically, the radio component may include any combination of a baseband processor, an analog radio frequency (RF) signal processing circuit (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or a digital processing circuit (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio component may use the aforementioned hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains. For example, UE 106 may share one or more portions of a receive chain and / or transmit chain between multiple wireless communication technologies such as those discussed above.

[0061] In some aspects, the UE 106 may include a separate transmit chain and / or receive chain (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol with which it is configured to communicate. As another possibility, the UE 106 may include one or more radio components shared between multiple wireless communication protocols, and one or more radio components used uniquely by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, the UE 106 may include a shared radio component for communicating using either LTE or 5G NR (or, in various possibilities, either LTE or 1xRTT, or either LTE or GSM), and an independent radio component for communicating using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.

[0062] Exemplary Communication Devices

[0063] Figure 31 shows an exemplary simplified block diagram of a communication device 106 according to some aspects. Note that Figure 3 The block diagram of the communication device is only an example of a possible communication device. According to various aspects, the communication device 106 can be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, a notebook or a portable computing device), a tablet computer and / or a combination of devices, in addition to other devices. As shown, the communication device 106 may include a group of components 300 configured to perform core functions. For example, the group of components may be implemented as a system on a chip (SOC), which may include parts for various purposes. Alternatively, the group of components 300 may be implemented as a separate component or group of components for various purposes. This group of components 300 may be coupled to various other circuits of the communication device 106 (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly).

[0064] For example, the communication device 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), input / output interfaces such as connector I / F 320 (e.g., for connecting to a computer system; a docking station; a charging station; input devices such as a microphone, camera, keyboard; output devices such as speakers; etc.), a display 360 that may be integrated with the communication device 106 or external to it, and wireless communication circuitry 330 (e.g., for LTE, LTE-A, NR, UMTS, GSM, CDMA2000, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, GPS, etc.). In some aspects, the communication device 106 may include wired communication circuitry (not shown), such as, for example, a network interface card for Ethernet.

[0065] Wireless communication circuitry 330 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as one or more antennas 335 as shown. Wireless communication circuitry 330 may include cellular communication circuitry and / or short- to medium-range wireless communication circuitry, and may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) configuration.

[0066] In some aspects, as further described below, the cellular communication circuitry 330 can include one or more receive chains (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR) for multiple RATs. Moreover, in some aspects, the cellular communication circuitry 330 can include a single transmit chain that can switch between radio components dedicated to specific RATs. For example, a first radio component can be dedicated to a first RAT (e.g., LTE) and can communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a transmit chain shared with a second radio component. A second radio component can be dedicated to a second RAT (e.g., 5G NR) and can communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a shared transmit chain.

[0067] The communication device 106 may also include and / or be configured for use with one or more user interface elements. The user interface elements may include various elements such as a display 360 (which may be a touch screen display), a keyboard (which may be a separate keyboard or may be implemented as part of a touch screen display), a mouse, a microphone and / or speakers, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any of a variety of other elements capable of providing information to a user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.

[0068] The communication device 106 may also include one or more smart cards 345 having SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC cards (one or more Universal Integrated Circuit Cards) 345 .

[0069] As shown, the SOC 300 may include a processor 302 that may execute program instructions for the communication device 106 and a display circuit 304 that may perform graphics processing and provide display signals to a display 360. The one or more processors 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340 (which may be configured to receive addresses from the one or more processors 302 and convert those addresses to locations in a memory (e.g., a memory 306, a read-only memory (ROM) 350, a NAND flash memory 310)), and / or to other circuits or devices (such as the display circuit 304, the wireless communication circuit 330, the connector I / F 320, and / or the display 360). The MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some aspects, the MMU 340 may be included as part of the processor 302.

[0070] As described above, the communication device 106 may be configured to communicate using wireless and / or wired communication circuits. As described herein, the communication device 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing any of the various features and techniques described herein. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transient computer-readable memory medium), the processor 302 of the communication device 106 may be configured to implement part or all of the features described in the present invention. Alternatively (or in addition thereto), the processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). Alternatively (or in addition thereto), in combination with one or more components in other components 300, 304, 306, 310, 320, 330, 340, 345, 350, 360, the processor 302 of the communication device 106 may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein.

[0071] In addition, as described in the present invention, processor 302 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 302 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 302. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., first circuits, second circuits, etc.) configured to perform the functions of one or more processors 302.

[0072] In addition, as described herein, wireless communication circuit 330 may include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in wireless communication circuit 330. Therefore, wireless communication circuit 330 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of wireless communication circuit 330. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of wireless communication circuit 330.

[0073] Exemplary Base Station

[0074] Figure 4 1 shows an exemplary block diagram of a base station 102 according to some aspects. Note that Figure 4 The base station of is only one example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station 102 may include a processor 404 that may execute program instructions for the base station 102. The processor 404 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 or other circuit or device, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 404 and convert these addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450).

[0075] Base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. Network port 470 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide access to the telephone network described above. Figure 1 and Figure 2 Multiple devices of the telephone network described in, such as UE device 106.

[0076] The network port 470 (or an additional network port) may also or alternatively be configured to couple to a cellular network, such as a core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices, such as the UE device 106. In some cases, the network port 470 may be coupled to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0077] In some aspects, base station 102 may be a next generation base station, e.g., a 5G New Radio (5GNR) base station or "gNB". In such aspects, base station 102 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) / 5G core (5GC) network. Furthermore, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more transition and reception points (TRPs). Furthermore, a UE capable of operating in accordance with 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0078] The base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434 and possibly multiple antennas. The at least one antenna 434 may be configured to function as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with the UE device 106 via the radio component 430. The antenna 434 communicates with the radio component 430 via a communication chain 432. The communication chain 432 may be a receive chain, a transmit chain, or both. The radio component 430 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including but not limited to 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc.

[0079] Base station 102 may be configured to perform wireless communications using multiple wireless communication standards. In some cases, base station 102 may include multiple radios that enable base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, base station 102 may include an LTE radio component for performing communications according to LTE and a 5GNR radio component for performing communications according to 5GNR. In this case, base station 102 may be able to operate as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. As another possibility, base station 102 may include a multimode radio component that can perform communications according to any one of multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and LTE, 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.).

[0080] As further described later herein, BS 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting specific implementations of the features described herein. The processor 404 of base station 102 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the embodiments of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, processor 404 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition thereto), in combination with one or more of other components 430, 432, 434, 440, 450, 460, 470, the processor 404 of base station 102 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the embodiments of the features described herein.

[0081] In addition, as described herein, the one or more processors 404 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, the processor 404 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the processor 404. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., first circuits, second circuits, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the one or more processors 404.

[0082] In addition, as described herein, radio 430 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, radio 430 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of radio 430. In addition, each integrated circuit may include a circuit (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio 430.

[0083] Exemplary Cellular Communications Circuitry

[0084] Figure 5 An exemplary simplified block diagram of a cellular communication circuit according to some aspects is shown. Note that Figure 5 The block diagram of the cellular communication circuitry of is only one example of possible cellular communication circuitry; other circuitry, such as circuitry that includes or is coupled to sufficient antennas for different RATs to perform uplink activities using separate antennas, or circuitry that includes or is coupled to fewer antennas, such as circuitry that can be shared between multiple RATs, is also possible. According to some aspects, the cellular communication circuitry 330 may be included in a communication device such as the communication device 106 described above. As described above, the communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, notebook, or portable computing device), a tablet computer, and / or a combination of devices, among other devices.

[0085] The cellular communication circuitry 330 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as antennas 335a-b and 336 as shown. In some aspects, the cellular communication circuitry 330 may include dedicated receive chains for multiple RATs (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). For example, Figure 5 As shown, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include a first modem 510 and a second modem 520. The first modem 510 may be configured for communication according to a first RAT (e.g., such as LTE or LTE-A), and the second modem 520 may be configured for communication according to a second RAT (e.g., such as 5G NR).

[0086] As shown, the first modem 510 may include one or more processors 512 and a memory 516 in communication with the processor 512. The modem 510 may communicate with a radio frequency (RF) front end 530. The RF front end 530 may include circuits for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front end 530 may include a receiving circuit (RX) 532 and a transmitting circuit (TX) 534. In some aspects, the receiving circuit 532 may communicate with a downlink (DL) front end 550, which may include circuits for receiving radio signals via an antenna 335a.

[0087] Similarly, the second modem 520 may include one or more processors 522 and a memory 526 in communication with the processor 522. The modem 520 may communicate with the RF front end 540. The RF front end 540 may include circuits for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front end 540 may include a receiving circuit 542 and a transmitting circuit 544. In some aspects, the receiving circuit 542 may communicate with the DL front end 560, which may include circuits for receiving radio signals via the antenna 335b.

[0088] In some aspects, the switch 570 may couple the transmit circuit 534 to an uplink (UL) front end 572. In addition, the switch 570 may couple the transmit circuit 544 to the UL front end 572. The UL front end 572 may include circuitry for transmitting radio signals via the antenna 336. Thus, when the cellular communication circuit 330 receives an instruction to transmit according to a first RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including the transmit circuit 534 and the UL front end 572) supported by the first modem 510, the switch 570 may be switched to a first state that allows the first modem 510 to transmit signals according to the first RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including the transmit circuit 534 and the UL front end 572). Similarly, when the cellular communication circuit 330 receives an instruction to transmit according to a second RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including the transmit circuit 544 and the UL front end 572) supported by the second modem 520, the switch 570 may be switched to a second state that allows the second modem 520 to transmit signals according to the second RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including the transmit circuit 544 and the UL front end 572).

[0089] As described herein, the first modem 510 and / or the second modem 520 may include hardware and software components for implementing any of the various features and techniques described herein. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), the processors 512, 522 may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or in addition), the processors 512, 522 may be configured as programmable hardware elements, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), in combination with one or more of the other components 530, 532, 534, 540, 542, 544, 550, 570, 572, 335, and 336, the processors 512, 522 may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein.

[0090] In addition, as described herein, the processors 512, 522 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, the processors 512, 522 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the processors 512, 522. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., first circuits, second circuits, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the processors 512, 522.

[0091] In some aspects, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include only one transmit / receive chain. For example, the cellular communication circuit 330 may not include the modem 520, the RF front end 540, the DL front end 560, and / or the antenna 335b. As another example, the cellular communication circuit 330 may not include the modem 510, the RF front end 530, the DL front end 550, and / or the antenna 335a. In some aspects, the cellular communication circuit 330 may also not include the switch 570, and the RF front end 530 or the RF front end 540 may communicate with the UL front end 572, for example, directly.

[0092] Exemplary Network Elements

[0093] Figure 6 An exemplary block diagram of a network element 600 according to some aspects is shown. According to some aspects, the network element 600 may implement one or more logical functions / entities of a cellular core network, such as a mobility management entity (MME), a serving gateway (S-GW), an access and management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), a network slice quota management (NSQM) function, etc. It should be noted that Figure 6 The network element 600 is only one example of a possible network element 600. As shown, the core network element 600 may include one or more processors 604 that may execute program instructions of the core network element 600. The processor 604 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 640 (which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 604 and translate these addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 660 and read-only memory (ROM) 650)), or to other circuits or devices.

[0094] The network element 600 may include at least one network port 670. The network port 670 may be configured to couple to one or more base stations and / or other cellular network entities and / or devices. The network element 600 may communicate with a base station (e.g., eNB / gNB) and / or other network entities / devices by means of any of a variety of communication protocols and / or interfaces.

[0095] As further described later herein, network element 600 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting implementations of the features described herein. Processor 604 of core network element 600 may be configured to implement or support implementations of part or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, processor 604 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) or a combination thereof.

[0096] User Equipment (UE) Uplink (UL) Antenna Panel Selection for Asymmetric Antenna Panels

[0097] Now go to Figure 7 , according to some aspects, a scenario 700 is shown showing an exemplary multi-antenna panel UE 705 communicating with an exemplary gNodeB (gNB) 725. The exemplary UE 705 is shown as including a first antenna panel "Antenna Panel 1" (710) and a second antenna panel "Antenna Panel 2" (715), but it should be understood that there may be more (or fewer) antenna panels in a given UE. As described above, each antenna panel may include a transmit process, a transmit entity, an antenna array, or an antenna port group. The antenna panel may include one or more antenna arrays, where the same azimuth angle is applied to a given antenna array. Different antenna panels within the UE can be aimed at different directions and can be, for example, orthogonal or non-orthogonal to each other.

[0098] In the illustrated scenario 700, UE 705 uses beam 720 from antenna panel 2 (715) as indicated by shaded ellipse 720 to communicate with exemplary gNB 725. In particular, as indicated by shaded ellipse 735, gNB 725 uses beam 735 to communicate with exemplary UE 705. As will be described in further detail herein, it may be beneficial for the antenna panel selected by UE 705 for UL transmissions to vary over time (e.g., based on capabilities and / or signal conditions reported by the various antenna panels of UE 705).

[0099] Different UE antenna panels may have different properties, which may be reported to the base station in the form of capability reports. For example, the properties of each antenna panel may include: equivalent isotropic radiated power (EIRP); number of beams; power amplifier (PA) architecture; and / or number of radio frequency (RF) chains.

[0100] Regarding using different numbers of beams in different UE panels, the UE may report the following information for each panel: the maximum number of SRS resources used for beam management; and / or the number of Rx / Tx beams.

[0101] Regarding different PA architectures used by the UE in different antenna panels (for example, 23dBm+23dBm PA architecture, or 20dBm+20dBm PA architecture, etc.), the UE may report the following information for each panel: whether the UE is capable of supporting uplink full-power transmission; and / or for any supported uplink full-power transmission mode, the parameters used for such mode, for example, SRS resource configuration, full-power transmit precoding matrix indicator (TPMI) group, etc.

[0102] Regarding the different numbers of RF chains and antenna architectures used in different UE antenna panels, the UE may report the following information for each antenna panel: the maximum number of ports for each SRS resource; uplink codebook subsets, such as coherent, partially coherent, and non-coherent; the maximum number of layers used for uplink transmission; and / or supported SRS for antenna switching configurations in the form of xTyR, such as 1T4R (one antenna for transmission and four antennas for reception), 1T2R (one antenna for transmission and two antennas for reception), etc.

[0103] According to various aspects disclosed herein, a UE may report its different antenna panel attributes to a base station, for example, in the form of capability reports, in order to ensure that the UE and the base station maintain the same understanding of the current capabilities of the various antenna panels of the UE. These capability reports may be transmitted to the base station, for example, periodically, aperiodically, in response to certain triggering events, at configurable times, and / or in response to selecting a new antenna panel for UL transmission.

[0104] According to some aspects disclosed herein, the antenna panel used by the UE for UL transmission may be selected by a base station such as a gNB using, for example, control signaling in DCI, MAC CE, and / or RRC. Alternatively, the antenna panel used for UL transmission may be selected by the UE and reported to the base station using uplink signaling (e.g., in the form of uplink control information carried by PUCCH, PUSCH, and / or MAC CE).

[0105] With respect to different numbers of beams in different UE antenna panels, the base station may configure the following information for each antenna panel (e.g., initially for all antenna panels, or via an update configuration whenever a new antenna panel is selected for UL transmission): the number of SRS resources used for beam management; and / or the number of channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) resources in the resource set used for beam management.

[0106] Regarding different PA architectures that can be used in different UE antenna panels, the base station can configure the following information for each antenna panel (for example, initially for all antenna panels, or via an updated configuration whenever a new antenna panel is selected for UL transmission): uplink full power transmission mode; and / or configuration of SRS resources for codebook-based transmission, for example, the number of resources, the number of ports, etc.

[0107] Regarding the different numbers of RF chains and antenna architectures that can be used in different UE antenna panels, the base station can configure the following information for each antenna panel: the number of ports used for SRS resources; the uplink codebook subset; the maximum number of layers used for uplink transmission; the number of SRS resources used for antenna switching.

[0108] Now go to Figure 8, according to some aspects, an exemplary process 800 for supporting dynamic antenna panel and control signaling switching is shown. According to process 800, first, at step 805, the UE 705 may transmit a per-antenna panel UE capability report and an initial antenna panel index report (805) to a base station (in this case, the gNB 725). The initial antenna panel index may be used to indicate which antenna panel the UE (and / or gNB) has selected to use for initial UL communications. In some aspects, the antenna panel with the current best beam quality may be selected. In some cases, the UL beam quality may even be measured / estimated by the UE during downlink (DL) transmissions on the same antenna panel. Next, at step 810, the gNB 725 may report back configuration information (e.g., RRC configuration information in the form of an RRC parameter set) for each UE antenna panel. At step 815, the UE 705 or gNB 725 may select an RRC parameter set corresponding to the initial antenna panel selected for uplink (UL) communications. At some later time, at step 820, depending on the specific implementation, a new (e.g., second) antenna panel may again be selected, UE 705 or gNB 725. Finally, at step 825, UE 705 or gNB 725 may select an RRC parameter set corresponding to the newly selected antenna panel for uplink (UL) communications.

[0109] Now go to Fig. 9 , according to some aspects, an exemplary process 900 is shown for supporting control signaling updates when a new antenna panel is selected for UL transmissions. According to process 900, first, at step 905, the UE 705 may transmit a per-antenna-panel UE capability report and an initial antenna panel index report (905) to a base station (in this case, the gNB 725). Next, at step 910, the gNB 725 may report back configuration information (e.g., RRC configuration information in the form of an RRC parameter set) corresponding to the antenna panel indicated by the initial antenna panel index. At step 915, the UE 705 may send UL communications to the gNB 725 using the received RRC parameter set corresponding to the initial antenna panel selected for uplink (UL) communications. At some later time, at step 920, depending on the specific implementation, a new (e.g., second) antenna panel may be selected, either the UE 705 or the gNB 725, at which time new RRC configuration information (e.g., in the form of an RRC parameter set) corresponding to the newly selected antenna panel may be transmitted to the UE 705. Finally, at step 925, UE 705 may use the RRC configuration information for the newly selected antenna panel for further uplink (UL) communications.

[0110] Now go to Fig.10According to some aspects, a flowchart 1000 is shown illustrating an exemplary process for a UE to support dynamic antenna panel and control signaling switching. First, at step 1002, the process may transmit, via a user equipment, to a base station: (1) a capability report for each of a plurality of antenna panels; and (2) an initial antenna panel index. Next, at step 1004, the process may receive, at the user equipment, configuration information corresponding to each of the plurality of antenna panels from the base station. Next, at step 1006, the process may select, at the user equipment, a first antenna panel (corresponding to an antenna panel having an initial antenna panel index) for a first uplink (UL) transmission to the base station. Next, at step 1008, the process may select, at the user equipment, first configuration information corresponding to the selected first antenna panel. Next, at step 1010, the process may transmit, via the user equipment, a first UL transmission to the base station.

[0111] At step 1012, for example, if the UE or the base station determines to use a different antenna panel for UL transmission, the process may select a second antenna panel (e.g., an antenna panel different from the first antenna panel) at the user equipment to perform a second UL transmission to the base station. Next, at step 1014, the process may select second configuration information corresponding to the second antenna panel at the user equipment. Next, at step 1016, the process may transmit a second UL transmission to the base station via the user equipment using the selected second antenna panel and the selected second configuration information. Finally, for example, due to the selection of a new antenna panel, at step 1018, the process may transmit a power headroom report to the base station via the user equipment, wherein the PHR corresponds to the selected second antenna panel. According to some aspects, elements 1012-1018 are shown in dashed boxes to indicate that their performance (i.e., updating the antenna panel used for UL transmission) is optional.

[0112] Now go to Fig.11According to some aspects, a flowchart 1100 is shown illustrating an exemplary process for a UE to support control signaling updates when a new antenna panel is selected for an UL transmission. First, at step 1102, the process may transmit, via a user equipment, to a base station: (1) a capability report for each of a plurality of antenna panels; and (2) an initial antenna panel index. Next, at step 1104, the process may receive, at the user equipment, configuration information corresponding to an antenna panel having an initial antenna panel index from the base station. Next, at step 1106, the process may select, at the user equipment, a first antenna panel (corresponding to the antenna panel having the initial antenna panel index) for a first uplink (UL) transmission to the base station. Next, at step 1108, the process may transmit, via the user equipment, a first UL transmission to the base station using the selected first antenna panel and the received configuration information corresponding to the selected first antenna panel.

[0113] At step 1110, for example, if the UE or the base station determines to use a different antenna panel for UL transmission, the process may select a second antenna panel (e.g., an antenna panel different from the first antenna panel) at the user equipment to perform a second UL transmission to the base station. Next, at step 1112, the process may receive configuration information corresponding to the selected second antenna panel from the base station at the user equipment. Next, at step 1114, the process may transmit a second UL transmission to the base station via the user equipment using the selected second antenna panel and the received configuration information corresponding to the selected second antenna panel. Finally, for example, due to the selection of a new antenna panel, at step 1116, the process may transmit a power headroom report to the base station via the user equipment, wherein the PHR corresponds to the selected second antenna panel. According to some aspects, elements 1110-1116 are shown in dashed boxes to indicate that their performance (i.e., updating the antenna panel used for UL transmission) is optional.

[0114] Now go to Fig.12 , according to some aspects, exemplary conditions 1202 / 1204 / 1206 for triggering a PHR transmission of a UE are shown. Conditions 1202 / 1204 / 1206 represent Fig.10 Step 1018 and Fig.11Additional possible specific implementation details related to step 1116 of . In particular, condition 1202 indicates that the user equipment may transmit a PHR whenever the user equipment selects a new antenna panel. Condition 1204 indicates that the user equipment may transmit a PHR whenever the user equipment selects a new antenna panel, wherein the difference between the maximum transmit power of the selected new antenna panel and the maximum transmit power of the previously selected antenna panel is greater than a threshold (e.g., a predetermined or configurable maximum transmit power difference threshold). It will be appreciated that condition 1204 may be used to attempt to prevent excessive signaling of PHR transmissions to the base station. Condition 1206 indicates that the user equipment may also transmit a "virtual PHR" for one or more inactive antenna panels of the user equipment, for example, whenever a "normal" or "type 1" PHR is triggered at the UE. According to some aspects, the PHR for each antenna panel may be reported jointly by the MAC CE (or, alternatively, separately by different MAC CEs). PHR-related parameters (e.g., phr-PeriodicTimer, phr-ProhibitTimer, phr-Tx-PowerFactorChange, etc.) may also be configured separately for inactive antenna panels (i.e., compared to "normal" or "type 1" PHR). Common or separate power control parameters (e.g., values ​​of P0, α, path loss reference signal, etc.) used for PHR calculation for each antenna panel may also be configured separately. In some aspects, the power headroom of an inactive antenna panel may be measured / estimated based on DL measurements from the corresponding antenna panel. In other aspects, the PHR may be given at the UE level (e.g., based on an average calculated across all antennas of the UE) rather than at the individual antenna panel level, for example to save signaling overhead.

[0115] Now go to Fig.13 According to some aspects, a flowchart 1300 is shown illustrating an exemplary process for a base station to support dynamic antenna panel and control signaling switching. First, at step 1302, the process may receive, at a base station: (1) a capability report for each of a plurality of antenna panels of a first user device; and (2) an initial antenna panel index for the first user device. Next, at step 1304, the process may transmit, from the base station to the first user device, configuration information corresponding to each of the plurality of antenna panels of the first user device. Next, at step 1306, the process may select, at the base station, first configuration information corresponding to the antenna panel of the first user device having the initial antenna panel index. Next, at step 1308, the process may receive, at the base station, a first uplink (UL) transmission from the first user device, wherein the first user device uses the selected first antenna panel corresponding to the initial antenna panel index and the first configuration information corresponding to the selected first antenna panel.

[0116] At step 1310, for example, if the UE or the base station determines to use a different antenna panel for UL transmission, the process may select second configuration information corresponding to the selected second antenna panel of the first user equipment at the base station. Next, at step 1312, the process may receive a second UL transmission from the first user equipment at the base station, wherein the first user equipment uses the second selected antenna panel and the second configuration information corresponding to the selected second antenna panel. Finally, for example, due to the selection of a new antenna panel, at step 1314, the process may receive a power headroom report (PHR) from the first user equipment at the base station, wherein the PHR corresponds to the selected second antenna panel. According to some aspects, elements 1310-1314 are shown in dashed boxes to indicate that their performance (i.e., updating the antenna panel used for UL transmission) is optional.

[0117] Now go to Fig.14 According to some aspects, a flowchart 1400 is shown illustrating an exemplary process for a base station to support control signaling updates when a new antenna panel is selected for an UL transmission. First, at step 1402, the process may receive, at a base station: (1) a capability report for each of a plurality of antenna panels of a first user device; and (2) an initial antenna panel index for the first user device. Next, at step 1404, the process may transmit, from the base station to the first user device, configuration information corresponding to an antenna panel of the first user device having the initial antenna panel index. Next, at step 1406, the process may select, at the base station, first configuration information corresponding to an antenna panel of the first user device having the initial antenna panel index. Next, at step 1408, the process may receive, at the base station, a first uplink (UL) transmission from the first user device, wherein the first user device uses the selected first antenna panel corresponding to the initial antenna panel index and the first configuration information corresponding to the selected first antenna panel.

[0118] At step 1410, for example, if the UE or the base station determines to use a different antenna panel for UL transmission, the process may select second configuration information corresponding to the selected second antenna panel of the first user equipment at the base station. Next, at step 1412, the process may transmit configuration information corresponding to the selected second antenna panel of the first user equipment from the base station to the first user equipment. Next, at step 1414, the process may receive a second UL transmission from the first user equipment at the base station, wherein the first user equipment uses the second selected antenna panel and the second configuration information corresponding to the selected second antenna panel. Finally, for example, due to the selection of a new antenna panel, at step 1416, the process may receive a power headroom report (PHR) from the first user equipment at the base station, wherein the PHR corresponds to the selected second antenna panel. According to some aspects, elements 1410-1416 are shown in dashed boxes to indicate that their performance (i.e., updating the antenna panel used for UL transmission) is optional.

[0119] Now go to Fig.15 , according to some aspects, exemplary conditions 1502 / 1504 / 1506 for triggering PHR reception by a base station are shown. Conditions 1502 / 1504 / 1506 represent Fig.13 Step 1314 and Fig.14 Additional possible specific implementation details related to step 1416 of . In particular, condition 1502 indicates that the base station may receive a PHR whenever the first user equipment selects a new antenna panel. Condition 1504 indicates that the base station may receive a PHR whenever the first user equipment selects a new antenna panel, wherein the difference between the maximum transmit power of the selected new antenna panel and the maximum transmit power of the previously selected antenna panel is greater than a threshold (e.g., a predetermined or configurable maximum transmit power difference threshold). It will be appreciated that condition 1504 may be used to attempt to prevent excessive signaling of PHRs to the base station. Condition 1506 indicates that the base station may also receive a "virtual PHR" for one or more inactive antenna panels of the user equipment, for example, whenever a "normal" or "type 1" PHR is triggered at the UE. Reference above Fig.12 Additional details regarding the virtual PHR are described.

[0120] Example

[0121] In the following sections, additional examples are provided.

[0122] According to embodiment 1, a method for communicating in a wireless system is disclosed, the method comprising: transmitting to a base station via a user equipment: (1) a capability report of each antenna panel among a plurality of antenna panels; and (2) an initial antenna panel index; receiving, at the user equipment, configuration information corresponding to each antenna panel among the plurality of antenna panels from the base station; selecting, at the user equipment, a first antenna panel for performing a first uplink (UL) transmission to the base station, wherein the first antenna panel corresponds to an antenna panel having the initial antenna panel index; selecting, at the user equipment, first configuration information corresponding to the selected first antenna panel; and transmitting, via the user equipment, a first UL transmission to the base station using the selected first antenna panel and the selected first configuration information.

[0123] Embodiment 2 includes the subject matter of embodiment 1, and further includes: selecting a second antenna panel at a user device for performing a second UL transmission to a base station; selecting second configuration information corresponding to the second antenna panel at the user device; and transmitting a second UL transmission to the base station via the user device using the selected second antenna panel and the selected second configuration information.

[0124] Embodiment 3 includes the subject matter of embodiment 2, further comprising: transmitting a power headroom report (PHR) via the user equipment to the base station, wherein the PHR corresponds to the selected second antenna panel.

[0125] Embodiment 4 includes the subject matter of embodiment 3, wherein transmitting the PHR to the base station further comprises at least one of the following operations: transmitting the PHR to the base station whenever the user equipment selects a new antenna panel; transmitting the PHR whenever the user equipment selects a new antenna panel, wherein the difference between the maximum transmit power of the selected new antenna panel and the maximum transmit power of the previously selected antenna panel is greater than a threshold; or transmitting a virtual PHR for one or more inactive antenna panels of the user equipment.

[0126] Embodiment 5 includes the subject matter of embodiment 1, wherein the capability report of each of the plurality of antenna panels includes an indication of at least one of the following attributes of the user equipment: the maximum number of SRS resources available for beam management; the maximum number of Rx / Tx beams; whether the user equipment is capable of supporting uplink full power transmission; for any supported uplink full power transmission mode, the parameters for such mode; the maximum number of available ports per SRS resource; an uplink codebook subset; the maximum number of layers available for uplink transmission; or supported SRS for antenna switching configuration.

[0127] According to Embodiment 6, a method for communicating in a wireless system is disclosed, the method comprising: transmitting to a base station via a user device: (1) a capability report of each antenna panel among a plurality of antenna panels; and (2) an initial antenna panel index; receiving, at the user device, configuration information corresponding to an antenna panel having the initial antenna panel index from the base station; selecting, at the user device, a first antenna panel for performing a first uplink (UL) transmission to the base station, wherein the first antenna panel corresponds to the antenna panel having the initial antenna panel index; and transmitting, via the user device, a first UL transmission to the base station using the selected first antenna panel and the received configuration information corresponding to the selected first antenna panel.

[0128] Embodiment 7 includes the subject matter of embodiment 6, and further includes: selecting a second antenna panel for performing a second UL transmission to a base station at a user device; receiving configuration information corresponding to the selected second antenna panel from the base station at the user device; and transmitting a second UL transmission to the base station via the user device using the selected second antenna panel and the received configuration information corresponding to the selected second antenna panel.

[0129] Embodiment 8 includes the subject matter of embodiment 7, further comprising: transmitting a power headroom report (PHR) via the user equipment to the base station, wherein the PHR corresponds to the selected second antenna panel.

[0130] Embodiment 9 includes the subject matter of embodiment 8, wherein transmitting the PHR to the base station further comprises at least one of the following operations: transmitting the PHR to the base station whenever the user equipment selects a new antenna panel; transmitting the PHR whenever the user equipment selects a new antenna panel, wherein the difference between the maximum transmit power of the selected new antenna panel and the maximum transmit power of the previously selected antenna panel is greater than a threshold; or transmitting a virtual PHR for one or more inactive antenna panels of the user equipment.

[0131] Embodiment 10 includes the subject matter of embodiment 6, wherein the capability report of each antenna panel of the plurality of antenna panels includes an indication of at least one of the following attributes of the user equipment: the maximum number of SRS resources available for beam management; the maximum number of Rx / Tx beams; whether the user equipment is capable of supporting uplink full power transmission; for any supported uplink full power transmission mode, the parameters for such mode; the maximum number of available ports per SRS resource; an uplink codebook subset; the maximum number of layers available for uplink transmission; or supported SRS for antenna switching configuration.

[0132] According to embodiment 11, a user device is disclosed, which includes: multiple antenna panels; a radio component that is capable of being operably coupled to the multiple antenna panels; and a processor that is capable of being operably coupled to the radio component; wherein the user device is configured to: transmit to a base station: (1) a capability report of each of the multiple antenna panels; and (2) an initial antenna panel index; receive configuration information corresponding to each of the multiple antenna panels from the base station; select a first antenna panel for performing a first uplink (UL) transmission to the base station, wherein the first antenna panel corresponds to an antenna panel with an initial antenna panel index; select first configuration information corresponding to the selected first antenna panel; and transmit a first UL transmission to the base station using the selected first antenna panel and the selected first configuration information.

[0133] Embodiment 12 includes the subject matter of embodiment 11, wherein the user equipment is further configured to: select a second antenna panel for a second UL transmission to the base station; select second configuration information corresponding to the second antenna panel; and transmit a second UL transmission to the base station using the selected second antenna panel and the selected second configuration information.

[0134] Embodiment 13 includes the subject matter of embodiment 12, wherein the user equipment is further configured to: transmit a power headroom report (PHR) to the base station, wherein the PHR corresponds to the selected second antenna panel.

[0135] Embodiment 14 includes the subject matter of embodiment 13, wherein transmitting the PHR to the base station further includes the user equipment being configured to perform at least one of the following operations: transmitting the PHR to the base station each time the user equipment selects a new antenna panel; transmitting the PHR each time the user equipment selects a new antenna panel, wherein the difference between the maximum transmit power of the selected new antenna panel and the maximum transmit power of the previously selected antenna panel is greater than a threshold; or transmitting a virtual PHR for one or more inactive antenna panels of the user equipment.

[0136] Embodiment 15 includes the subject matter of embodiment 11, wherein the capability report of each of the plurality of antenna panels includes an indication of at least one of the following attributes of the user equipment: the maximum number of SRS resources available for beam management; the maximum number of Rx / Tx beams; whether the user equipment is capable of supporting uplink full power transmission; for any supported uplink full power transmission mode, the parameters for such mode; the maximum number of available ports per SRS resource; an uplink codebook subset; the maximum number of layers available for uplink transmission; or supported SRS for antenna switching configuration.

[0137] According to embodiment 16, a user equipment is disclosed: multiple antenna panels; a radio component capable of being operably coupled to the multiple antenna panels; and a processor capable of being operably coupled to the radio component; wherein the user equipment is configured to: transmit to a base station: (1) a capability report of each antenna panel in the multiple antenna panels; and (2) an initial antenna panel index; receive configuration information corresponding to an antenna panel with the initial antenna panel index from the base station; select a first antenna panel at the user equipment for a first uplink (UL) transmission to the base station, wherein the first antenna panel corresponds to the antenna panel with the initial antenna panel index; and transmit a first UL transmission to the base station using the selected first antenna panel and the received configuration information corresponding to the selected first antenna panel.

[0138] Embodiment 17 includes the subject matter of embodiment 16, wherein the user equipment is further configured to: select a second antenna panel for performing a second UL transmission to the base station; receive configuration information corresponding to the selected second antenna panel from the base station at the user equipment; and transmit a second UL transmission to the base station using the selected second antenna panel and the received configuration information corresponding to the selected second antenna panel.

[0139] Embodiment 18 includes the subject matter of embodiment 17, wherein the user equipment is further configured to: transmit a power headroom report (PHR) to the base station, wherein the PHR corresponds to the selected second antenna panel.

[0140] Embodiment 19 includes the subject matter of embodiment 18, wherein transmitting the PHR to the base station further includes the user equipment being configured to perform at least one of the following operations: transmitting the PHR to the base station each time the user equipment selects a new antenna panel; transmitting the PHR each time the user equipment selects a new antenna panel, wherein the difference between the maximum transmit power of the selected new antenna panel and the maximum transmit power of the previously selected antenna panel is greater than a threshold; or transmitting a virtual PHR for one or more inactive antenna panels of the user equipment.

[0141] Embodiment 20 includes the subject matter of embodiment 16, wherein the capability report of each of the plurality of antenna panels includes an indication of at least one of the following attributes of the user equipment: the maximum number of SRS resources available for beam management; the maximum number of Rx / Tx beams; whether the user equipment is capable of supporting uplink full power transmission; for any supported uplink full power transmission mode, the parameters for such mode; the maximum number of available ports per SRS resource; an uplink codebook subset; the maximum number of layers available for uplink transmission; or supported SRS for antenna switching configuration.

[0142] According to embodiment 21, an integrated circuit is disclosed, which includes a circuit configured to enable a user equipment to perform the following operations: transmit to a base station: (1) a capability report of each antenna panel among a plurality of antenna panels; and (2) an initial antenna panel index; receive configuration information corresponding to each antenna panel among the plurality of antenna panels from the base station; select a first antenna panel for performing a first uplink (UL) transmission to the base station, wherein the first antenna panel corresponds to an antenna panel having the initial antenna panel index; select first configuration information corresponding to the selected first antenna panel; and transmit a first UL transmission to the base station using the selected first antenna panel and the selected first configuration information.

[0143] Embodiment 22 includes the subject matter of embodiment 21, wherein the circuit is further configured to cause the user equipment to: select a second antenna panel for a second UL transmission to the base station; select second configuration information corresponding to the second antenna panel; and transmit a second UL transmission to the base station using the selected second antenna panel and the selected second configuration information.

[0144] Embodiment 23 includes the subject matter of embodiment 22, wherein the circuit is further configured to cause the user equipment to: transmit a power headroom report (PHR) to the base station, wherein the PHR corresponds to the selected second antenna panel.

[0145] Embodiment 24 includes the subject matter of embodiment 23, wherein transmitting the PHR to the base station further includes the circuit being further configured to cause the user equipment to perform at least one of the following operations: transmitting the PHR to the base station each time the user equipment selects a new antenna panel; transmitting the PHR each time the user equipment selects a new antenna panel, wherein the difference between the maximum transmit power of the selected new antenna panel and the maximum transmit power of the previously selected antenna panel is greater than a threshold; or transmitting a virtual PHR for one or more inactive antenna panels of the user equipment.

[0146] Embodiment 25 includes the subject matter of embodiment 21, wherein the capability report of each of the plurality of antenna panels includes an indication of at least one of the following attributes of the user equipment: the maximum number of SRS resources available for beam management; the maximum number of Rx / Tx beams; whether the user equipment is capable of supporting uplink full power transmission; for any supported uplink full power transmission mode, the parameters for such mode; the maximum number of available ports per SRS resource; an uplink codebook subset; the maximum number of layers available for uplink transmission; or supported SRS for antenna switching configuration.

[0147] According to embodiment 26, an integrated circuit is disclosed, comprising a circuit configured to enable a user equipment to perform the following operations: transmitting to a base station: (1) a capability report of each antenna panel among a plurality of antenna panels; and (2) an initial antenna panel index; receiving configuration information corresponding to an antenna panel having the initial antenna panel index from the base station; selecting at the user equipment a first antenna panel for performing a first uplink (UL) transmission to the base station, wherein the first antenna panel corresponds to the antenna panel having the initial antenna panel index; and transmitting a first UL transmission to the base station using the selected first antenna panel and the received configuration information corresponding to the selected first antenna panel.

[0148] Embodiment 27 includes the subject matter of embodiment 26, wherein the circuit is further configured to cause the user equipment to: select a second antenna panel for a second UL transmission to the base station; receive configuration information corresponding to the selected second antenna panel from the base station at the user equipment; and use the selected second antenna panel and the received configuration information corresponding to the selected second antenna panel to transmit a second UL transmission to the base station.

[0149] Embodiment 28 includes the subject matter of embodiment 27, wherein the circuitry is further configured to cause the user equipment to: transmit a power headroom report (PHR) to the base station, wherein the PHR corresponds to the selected second antenna panel.

[0150] Embodiment 29 includes the subject matter of embodiment 28, wherein transmitting the PHR to the base station further includes the circuit being further configured to cause the user equipment to perform at least one of the following operations: transmitting the PHR to the base station each time the user equipment selects a new antenna panel; transmitting the PHR each time the user equipment selects a new antenna panel, wherein the difference between the maximum transmit power of the selected new antenna panel and the maximum transmit power of the previously selected antenna panel is greater than a threshold; or transmitting a virtual PHR for one or more inactive antenna panels of the user equipment.

[0151] Embodiment 30 includes the subject matter of embodiment 26, wherein the capability report of each of the plurality of antenna panels includes an indication of at least one of the following attributes of the user equipment: the maximum number of SRS resources available for beam management; the maximum number of Rx / Tx beams; whether the user equipment is capable of supporting uplink full power transmission; for any supported uplink full power transmission mode, the parameters for such mode; the maximum number of available ports per SRS resource; an uplink codebook subset; the maximum number of layers available for uplink transmission; or supported SRS for antenna switching configuration.

[0152] According to embodiment 31, a method for communicating in a wireless system is disclosed, the method comprising: receiving at a base station: (1) a capability report of each of a plurality of antenna panels of a first user device; and (2) an initial antenna panel index of the first user device; transmitting from the base station to the first user device configuration information corresponding to each of the plurality of antenna panels of the first user device; selecting at the base station first configuration information corresponding to the antenna panel of the first user device having the initial antenna panel index; and receiving at the base station a first uplink (UL) transmission from the first user device, wherein the first user device uses the selected first antenna panel corresponding to the initial antenna panel index and the first configuration information corresponding to the selected first antenna panel.

[0153] Embodiment 32 includes the subject matter of embodiment 31, further comprising: selecting second configuration information corresponding to a selected second antenna panel of a first user device at a base station; and receiving a second UL transmission from the first user device at the base station, wherein the first user device uses a second selected antenna panel and the second configuration information corresponding to the selected second antenna panel.

[0154] Embodiment 33 includes the subject matter of embodiment 32, further comprising: receiving, at the base station, a power headroom report (PHR) from the first user equipment, wherein the PHR corresponds to the selected second antenna panel.

[0155] Embodiment 34 includes the subject matter of embodiment 33, wherein receiving the PHR at the base station further includes the base station performing at least one of the following operations: receiving the PHR each time the first user device selects a new antenna panel; receiving the PHR each time the first user device selects a new antenna panel, wherein the difference between the maximum transmit power of the selected new antenna panel and the maximum transmit power of the previously selected antenna panel is greater than a threshold; or receiving a virtual PHR for one or more inactive antenna panels for the first user device.

[0156] Embodiment 35 includes the subject matter of embodiment 31, wherein the capability report of each of the multiple antenna panels of the first user device includes an indication of at least one of the following attributes of the first user device: the maximum number of SRS resources available for beam management; the maximum number of Rx / Tx beams; whether the first user device is capable of supporting uplink full-power transmission; for any supported uplink full-power transmission mode, the parameters for such mode; the maximum number of available ports for each SRS resource; an uplink codebook subset; the maximum number of layers available for uplink transmission; or supported SRS for antenna switching configuration.

[0157] According to embodiment 36, a method for communicating in a wireless system is disclosed, the method comprising: receiving at a base station: (1) a capability report of each antenna panel of a plurality of antenna panels of a first user device; and (2) an initial antenna panel index of the first user device; transmitting from the base station to the first user device configuration information corresponding to the antenna panel of the first user device having the initial antenna panel index; selecting at the base station first configuration information corresponding to the antenna panel of the first user device having the initial antenna panel index; and receiving at the base station a first uplink (UL) transmission from the first user device, wherein the first user device uses the selected first antenna panel corresponding to the initial antenna panel index and the first configuration information corresponding to the selected first antenna panel.

[0158] Embodiment 37 includes the subject matter of embodiment 36, further comprising: selecting second configuration information corresponding to a selected second antenna panel of a first user equipment at a base station; transmitting configuration information corresponding to the selected second antenna panel of the first user equipment from the base station to the first user equipment; receiving a second UL transmission from the first user equipment at the base station, wherein the first user equipment uses the second selected antenna panel and the second configuration information corresponding to the selected second antenna panel.

[0159] Embodiment 38 includes the subject matter of Embodiment 37, further comprising: receiving, at a base station, a power headroom report (PHR) from a first user equipment, wherein the PHR corresponds to the selected second antenna panel.

[0160] Embodiment 39 includes the subject matter of embodiment 38, wherein receiving the PHR at the base station further includes the base station performing at least one of the following operations: receiving the PHR each time the first user device selects a new antenna panel; receiving the PHR each time the first user device selects a new antenna panel, wherein the difference between the maximum transmit power of the selected new antenna panel and the maximum transmit power of the previously selected antenna panel is greater than a threshold; or receiving a virtual PHR for one or more inactive antenna panels for the first user device.

[0161] Embodiment 40 includes the subject matter of embodiment 36, wherein the capability report of each of the multiple antenna panels of the first user device includes an indication of at least one of the following attributes of the first user device: the maximum number of SRS resources available for beam management; the maximum number of Rx / Tx beams; whether the first user device is capable of supporting uplink full-power transmission; for any supported uplink full-power transmission mode, the parameters for such mode; the maximum number of available ports for each SRS resource; an uplink codebook subset; the maximum number of layers available for uplink transmission; or supported SRS for antenna switching configuration.

[0162] According to embodiment 41, a base station is disclosed, comprising: one or more antenna panels; a radio component, the radio component being operably coupled to the one or more antenna panels; and a processor, the processor being operably coupled to the radio component; wherein the base station is configured to: receive: (1) a capability report of each of a plurality of antenna panels of a first user device; and (2) an initial antenna panel index of the first user device; transmit configuration information corresponding to each of the plurality of antenna panels of the first user device to the first user device; select first configuration information corresponding to the antenna panel of the first user device having the initial antenna panel index; and receive a first uplink (UL) transmission from the first user device, wherein the first user device uses the selected first antenna panel corresponding to the initial antenna panel index and the first configuration information corresponding to the selected first antenna panel.

[0163] Embodiment 42 includes the subject matter of embodiment 41, wherein the base station is further configured to: select second configuration information corresponding to a selected second antenna panel of a first user device; and receive a second UL transmission from the first user device, wherein the first user device uses a second selected antenna panel and the second configuration information corresponding to the selected second antenna panel.

[0164] Embodiment 43 includes the subject matter of embodiment 42, wherein the base station is further configured to: receive a power headroom report (PHR) from the first user equipment, wherein the PHR corresponds to the selected second antenna panel.

[0165] Embodiment 44 includes the subject matter of embodiment 43, wherein receiving the PHR at the base station further includes the base station being configured to perform at least one of the following operations: receiving the PHR each time the first user device selects a new antenna panel; receiving the PHR each time the first user device selects a new antenna panel, wherein the difference between the maximum transmit power of the selected new antenna panel and the maximum transmit power of the previously selected antenna panel is greater than a threshold; or receiving a virtual PHR for one or more inactive antenna panels for the first user device.

[0166] Embodiment 45 includes the subject matter of embodiment 41, wherein the capability report of each of the multiple antenna panels of the first user device includes an indication of at least one of the following attributes of the first user device: the maximum number of SRS resources available for beam management; the maximum number of Rx / Tx beams; whether the first user device is capable of supporting uplink full power transmission; for any supported uplink full power transmission mode, the parameters for such mode; the maximum number of available ports for each SRS resource; an uplink codebook subset; the maximum number of layers available for uplink transmission; or supported SRS for antenna switching configuration.

[0167] According to embodiment 46, a base station is disclosed, comprising: one or more antenna panels; a radio component, the radio component being operably coupled to the one or more antenna panels; and a processor, the processor being operably coupled to the radio component; wherein the base station is configured to: receive: (1) a capability report of each of a plurality of antenna panels of a first user device; and (2) an initial antenna panel index of the first user device; transmit configuration information corresponding to the antenna panel of the first user device having the initial antenna panel index to the first user device; select first configuration information corresponding to the antenna panel of the first user device having the initial antenna panel index; and receive a first uplink (UL) transmission from the first user device, wherein the first user device uses the selected first antenna panel corresponding to the initial antenna panel index and the first configuration information corresponding to the selected first antenna panel.

[0168] Embodiment 47 includes the subject matter of embodiment 46, wherein the base station is further configured to: select second configuration information corresponding to a selected second antenna panel of a first user device; transmit configuration information corresponding to the selected second antenna panel of the first user device to the first user device; receive a second UL transmission from the first user device, wherein the first user device uses the second selected antenna panel and the second configuration information corresponding to the selected second antenna panel.

[0169] Embodiment 48 includes the subject matter of embodiment 47, wherein the base station is further configured to: receive a power headroom report (PHR) from the first user equipment, wherein the PHR corresponds to the selected second antenna panel.

[0170] Embodiment 49 includes the subject matter of embodiment 48, wherein receiving the PHR at the base station further includes the base station being configured to perform at least one of the following operations: receiving the PHR each time the first user device selects a new antenna panel; receiving the PHR each time the first user device selects a new antenna panel, wherein the difference between the maximum transmit power of the selected new antenna panel and the maximum transmit power of the previously selected antenna panel is greater than a threshold; or receiving a virtual PHR for one or more inactive antenna panels for the first user device.

[0171] Embodiment 50 includes the subject matter of embodiment 46, wherein the capability report of each of the multiple antenna panels of the first user device includes an indication of at least one of the following attributes of the first user device: the maximum number of SRS resources available for beam management; the maximum number of Rx / Tx beams; whether the first user device is capable of supporting uplink full-power transmission; for any supported uplink full-power transmission mode, the parameters for such mode; the maximum number of available ports for each SRS resource; an uplink codebook subset; the maximum number of layers available for uplink transmission; or supported SRS for antenna switching configuration.

[0172] According to embodiment 51, an integrated circuit is disclosed, which includes a circuit configured to enable a user device to perform the following operations: receive: (1) a capability report of each antenna panel among multiple antenna panels of a first user device; and (2) an initial antenna panel index of the first user device; transmit configuration information corresponding to each antenna panel among the multiple antenna panels of the first user device to the first user device; select first configuration information corresponding to the antenna panel of the first user device having the initial antenna panel index; and receive a first uplink (UL) transmission from the first user device, wherein the first user device uses the selected first antenna panel corresponding to the initial antenna panel index and the first configuration information corresponding to the selected first antenna panel.

[0173] Embodiment 52 includes the subject matter of embodiment 51, wherein the circuit is further configured to cause the base station to: select second configuration information corresponding to a selected second antenna panel of a first user device; and receive a second UL transmission from the first user device, wherein the first user device uses a second selected antenna panel and the second configuration information corresponding to the selected second antenna panel.

[0174] Embodiment 53 includes the subject matter of embodiment 52, wherein the circuit is further configured to cause the base station to: receive a power headroom report (PHR) from the first user equipment, wherein the PHR corresponds to the selected second antenna panel.

[0175] Embodiment 54 includes the subject matter of embodiment 53, wherein receiving the PHR at the base station further includes the circuit being further configured to cause the base station to perform at least one of the following operations: receiving the PHR each time the first user device selects a new antenna panel; receiving the PHR each time the first user device selects a new antenna panel, wherein the difference between the maximum transmit power of the selected new antenna panel and the maximum transmit power of the previously selected antenna panel is greater than a threshold; or receiving a virtual PHR for one or more inactive antenna panels for the first user device.

[0176] Embodiment 55 includes the subject matter of embodiment 51, wherein the capability report of each of the multiple antenna panels of the first user device includes an indication of at least one of the following attributes of the first user device: the maximum number of SRS resources available for beam management; the maximum number of Rx / Tx beams; whether the first user device is capable of supporting uplink full-power transmission; for any supported uplink full-power transmission mode, the parameters for such mode; the maximum number of available ports for each SRS resource; an uplink codebook subset; the maximum number of layers available for uplink transmission; or supported SRS for antenna switching configuration.

[0177] According to embodiment 56, an integrated circuit is disclosed, which includes a circuit configured to enable a user device to perform the following operations: receive: (1) a capability report of each of a plurality of antenna panels of a first user device; and (2) an initial antenna panel index of the first user device; transmit to the first user device configuration information corresponding to the antenna panel of the first user device having the initial antenna panel index; select first configuration information corresponding to the antenna panel of the first user device having the initial antenna panel index; and receive a first uplink (UL) transmission from the first user device, wherein the first user device uses the selected first antenna panel corresponding to the initial antenna panel index and the first configuration information corresponding to the selected first antenna panel.

[0178] Embodiment 57 includes the subject matter of embodiment 56, wherein the circuit is further configured to cause the base station to: select second configuration information corresponding to a selected second antenna panel of a first user device; transmit configuration information corresponding to the selected second antenna panel of the first user device to the first user device; receive a second UL transmission from the first user device, wherein the first user device uses the second selected antenna panel and the second configuration information corresponding to the selected second antenna panel.

[0179] Embodiment 58 includes the subject matter of Embodiment 57, wherein the circuitry is further configured to cause the base station to: receive a power headroom report (PHR) from the first user equipment, wherein the PHR corresponds to the selected second antenna panel.

[0180] Embodiment 59 includes the subject matter of embodiment 58, wherein receiving the PHR at the base station further includes the circuit being further configured to cause the base station to perform at least one of the following operations: receiving the PHR each time the first user device selects a new antenna panel; receiving the PHR each time the first user device selects a new antenna panel, wherein the difference between the maximum transmit power of the selected new antenna panel and the maximum transmit power of the previously selected antenna panel is greater than a threshold; or receiving a virtual PHR for one or more inactive antenna panels for the first user device.

[0181] Embodiment 60 includes the subject matter of embodiment 56, wherein the capability report of each of the multiple antenna panels of the first user device includes an indication of at least one of the following attributes of the first user device: the maximum number of SRS resources available for beam management; the maximum number of Rx / Tx beams; whether the first user device is capable of supporting uplink full power transmission; for any supported uplink full power transmission mode, the parameters for such mode; the maximum number of available ports for each SRS resource; an uplink codebook subset; the maximum number of layers available for uplink transmission; or supported SRS for antenna switching configuration.

[0182] Yet another exemplary embodiment may include a method, the method comprising, performing, by a device, any or all portions of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0183] Still another exemplary embodiment may include a non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium including program instructions that, when executed at a device, cause the device to implement any or all portions of any of the foregoing examples.

[0184] Yet another exemplary embodiment may include a computer program including instructions for performing any or all portions of any of the foregoing examples.

[0185] Still another exemplary embodiment may include an apparatus including means for performing any or all of the elements of any of the preceding examples.

[0186] Yet another example embodiment may include an apparatus comprising a processor configured to cause the device to perform any or all elements of any of the foregoing examples.

[0187] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0188] Aspects of the present disclosure can be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, some aspects can be implemented as computer-implemented methods, computer-readable storage media, or computer systems. Other aspects can be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Other aspects can be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0189] In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium may be configured such that it stores program instructions and / or data, wherein if executed by a computer system, the program instructions cause the computer system to perform a method, such as any of the methods described herein, or any combination of the methods described herein, or any subset of any of the methods described herein or any combination of such subsets.

[0190] In some aspects, a device (e.g., UE 106, BS 102, network element 600) may be configured to include a processor (or a group of processors) and a memory medium, wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, wherein the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various methods described herein (or any combination of the methods described herein, or any subset of any of the methods described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device may be implemented in any of various forms.

[0191] Although the above aspects have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to encompass all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A method for communicating in a wireless system, the method comprising: Transmitting, via the user equipment, to the base station: (1) a capability report of each antenna panel of the plurality of antenna panels; and (2) initial antenna panel index; receiving, at the user equipment, configuration information corresponding to each of the plurality of antenna panels from a base station; transmitting, via the user equipment, a first uplink (UL) transmission to the base station using a first antenna panel corresponding to the initial antenna panel index and first configuration information corresponding to the first antenna panel; selecting a second antenna panel for transmitting a second UL transmission to the base station; determining that a difference between a maximum transmit power of the second antenna panel and a maximum transmit power of the first antenna panel is greater than a threshold; as well as Based on the difference being greater than the threshold, a power headroom report PHR is transmitted to the base station.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: selecting, at the user equipment, second configuration information corresponding to the second antenna panel; as well as The second UL transmission is transmitted to the base station via the user equipment using the selected second antenna panel and the selected second configuration information.

3. The method according to claim 2, The PHR corresponds to the selected second antenna panel.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting the PHR to the base station further comprises: A virtual PHR is transmitted for one or more inactive antenna panels of the user equipment.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the capability report for each of the plurality of antenna panels comprises an indication of at least one of the following attributes of the user equipment: The maximum number of sounding reference signal (SRS) resources that can be used for beam management; Maximum number of receive / transmit Rx / Tx beams; Whether the user equipment can support uplink full power transmission; For any supported uplink full power transmit mode, the parameters for that mode; The maximum number of available ports for each SRS resource; Uplink codebook subset; The maximum number of layers that can be used for uplink transmission; or Supported SRS for antenna switching configurations.

6. A user equipment, comprising: multiple antenna panels; a radio component operably coupled to the plurality of antenna panels; as well as a processor operatively coupled to the radio; The user equipment is configured as follows: transmitting to a base station: (1) a capability report for each of the plurality of antenna panels; and (2) an initial antenna panel index; receiving, from a base station, configuration information corresponding to each of the plurality of antenna panels; transmitting a first uplink (UL) transmission to the base station using a first antenna panel corresponding to the initial antenna panel index and first configuration information corresponding to the first antenna panel; selecting a second antenna panel for transmitting a second UL transmission to the base station; determining that a difference between a maximum transmit power of the second antenna panel and a maximum transmit power of the first antenna panel is greater than a threshold; as well as Based on the difference being greater than the threshold, a power headroom report PHR is transmitted to the base station.

7. The user equipment according to claim 6, wherein the user equipment is further configured to: selecting second configuration information corresponding to the second antenna panel; and The second UL transmission is transmitted to the base station using the selected second antenna panel and the selected second configuration information.

8. The user equipment according to claim 7, The PHR corresponds to the selected second antenna panel.

9. The user equipment of claim 8, wherein transmitting the PHR to the base station further comprises the user equipment being configured to: A virtual PHR is transmitted for one or more inactive antenna panels of the user equipment.

10. The user equipment of claim 6, wherein the capability report of each of the plurality of antenna panels comprises an indication of at least one of the following attributes of the user equipment: The maximum number of sounding reference signal (SRS) resources that can be used for beam management; Maximum number of receive / transmit Rx / Tx beams; Whether the user equipment can support uplink full power transmission; For any supported uplink full power transmit mode, the parameters for that mode; The maximum number of available ports for each SRS resource; Uplink codebook subset; The maximum number of layers that can be used for uplink transmission; or Supported SRS for antenna switching configurations.

11. An integrated circuit comprising circuitry configured to cause a user device to: transmitting to a base station: (1) a capability report for each of a plurality of antenna panels; and (2) an initial antenna panel index; receiving, from a base station, configuration information corresponding to each of the plurality of antenna panels; transmitting a first uplink (UL) transmission to the base station using a first antenna panel corresponding to the initial antenna panel index and first configuration information corresponding to the first antenna panel; selecting a second antenna panel for transmitting a second UL transmission to the base station; determining that a difference between a maximum transmit power of the second antenna panel and a maximum transmit power of the first antenna panel is greater than a threshold; as well as Based on the difference being greater than the threshold, a power headroom report PHR is transmitted to the base station.

12. The integrated circuit of claim 11, wherein the circuit is further configured to cause the user equipment to: selecting second configuration information corresponding to the second antenna panel; and The second UL transmission is transmitted to the base station using the selected second antenna panel and the selected second configuration information.

13. The integrated circuit according to claim 12, The PHR corresponds to the selected second antenna panel.

14. The integrated circuit of claim 13, wherein transmitting the PHR to the base station further comprises the circuit being further configured to: A virtual PHR is transmitted for one or more inactive antenna panels of the user equipment.

15. The integrated circuit of claim 11, wherein the capability report of each of the plurality of antenna panels comprises an indication of at least one of the following attributes of the user equipment: The maximum number of sounding reference signal (SRS) resources that can be used for beam management; Maximum number of receive / transmit Rx / Tx beams; Whether the user equipment can support uplink full power transmission; For any supported uplink full power transmit mode, the parameters for that mode; The maximum number of available ports for each SRS resource; Uplink codebook subset; The maximum number of layers that can be used for uplink transmission; or Supported SRS for antenna switching configurations.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions which, when executed, cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 5 to be performed.

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