Beam management for dormant secondary cell group

Abstract

On one hand, when a secondary cell group (SCG) is associated with a dormant state, the UE receives at least one downlink transmit beam associated with at least one cell in that SCG. When the SCG is associated with the dormant state, the UE determines the uplink transmit beam of the primary and secondary cells (PSCells) of the SCG based on one or more of the following: Spatial Relationship Indication (SRI), whether there is a beam correspondence between the at least one downlink transmit beam and the uplink transmit beam, a default uplink transmit beam, or a combination thereof. The UE transmits measurement-related signals between the UE and the one or more SCells in the SCG on the determined uplink transmit beam.

Description

[0001] Public background

[0002] 1. Public domain

[0003] The various aspects of this disclosure generally relate to wireless communications, and more particularly to beam management of subcell groups in a dormant state.

[0004] 2. Description of Related Technologies

[0005] Wireless communication systems have evolved through several generations, including first-generation analog wireless telephony (1G), second-generation (2G) digital wireless telephony (including the transitional 2.5G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data wireless services with internet capabilities, and fourth-generation (4G) services (e.g., LTE or WiMax). Currently, many different types of wireless communication systems are in use, including cellular and Personal Communication Services (PCS) systems. Known examples of cellular systems include cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), and GSM TDMA variants.

[0006] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard (known as New Radio (NR)) achieves higher data transmission speeds, a greater number of connections, better coverage, and other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGC), the 5G standard is designed to provide tens of megabits per second (Mbps) of data rate to each of tens of thousands of users, and 1 gigabits per second (Gbps) to dozens of employees on an office floor. It should support hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections to support large-scale wireless sensor deployments. Therefore, the spectral efficiency of 5G mobile communications should be significantly improved compared to the current 4G standard. Furthermore, signaling efficiency should be improved and latency significantly reduced compared to the current standard.

[0007] Overview

[0008] The following is a simplified overview relating to one or more aspects disclosed herein. Therefore, this overview should not be considered an exhaustive overview relating to all aspects of the conception, nor should it be considered to identify key or decisive elements relating to all aspects of the conception or to depict the scope associated with any particular aspect. Accordingly, the sole purpose of the following overview is to present, in a simplified form, certain concepts relating to one or more aspects of the mechanism disclosed herein before the detailed description given below.

[0009] One aspect relates to a method of operating user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving at least one downlink transmit beam associated with at least one cell in the SCG when the subcell group (SCG) is associated with a dormant state; determining an uplink transmit beam of a primary and secondary cell (PSCell) of the SCG based on one or more of the following: spatial relationship indication (SRI), whether there is a beam correspondence between the at least one downlink transmit beam and the uplink transmit beam, a default uplink transmit beam, or a combination thereof; and transmitting measurement-related signals between the UE and the PSCell and / or the one or more SCells in the SCG on the determined uplink transmit beam.

[0010] On the other hand, a user equipment (UE) is provided, comprising: means for receiving at least one downlink transmit beam associated with at least one cell in the SCG when the subcell group (SCG) is associated with a dormant state; means for determining, when the SCG is associated with the dormant state, an uplink transmit beam of the primary and secondary cells (PSCells) of the SCG based on one or more of the following: spatial relationship indication (SRI), whether there is a beam correspondence between the downlink transmit beam and the uplink transmit beam, a default uplink transmit beam, or a combination thereof; and means for transmitting measurement-related signals between the UE and the one or more SCells in the SCG on the determined uplink transmit beam.

[0011] On the other hand, a user equipment (UE) is involved, comprising: a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: receive at least one downlink transmit beam associated with at least one cell in the SCG when the subcell group (SCG) is associated with a dormant state; determine the uplink transmit beam of the primary and secondary cells (PSCell) of the SCG based on one or more of the following when the SCG is associated with the dormant state: spatial relationship indication (SRI), whether there is a beam correspondence between the downlink transmit beam and the uplink transmit beam, a default uplink transmit beam, or a combination thereof; and transmit measurement-related signals between the UE and the one or more SCells in the SCG on the determined uplink transmit beam.

[0012] On the other hand, a non-transient computer-readable medium containing instructions stored thereon is used to instruct at least one processor in a user equipment (UE) to: receive at least one downlink transmit beam associated with at least one cell in the SCG when the subcell group (SCG) is associated with a sleep state; determine the uplink transmit beam of the primary and secondary cells (PSCell) of the SCG based on one or more of the following when the SCG is associated with the sleep state: spatial relationship indication (SRI), whether there is a beam correspondence between the downlink transmit beam and the uplink transmit beam, a default uplink transmit beam, or a combination thereof; and transmit measurement-related signals between the UE and one or more SCells in the SCG on the determined uplink transmit beam.

[0013] Other objectives and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description. Brief description of the attached diagram

[0015] The accompanying drawings are provided to help describe various aspects of this disclosure, and the drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and not for limiting the aspects.

[0016] Figure 1 Exemplary wireless communication systems based on various aspects are explained.

[0017] Figure 2A and 2B The example wireless network architecture is explained from various aspects.

[0018] Figures 3A to 3C It is a simplified block diagram of several exemplary aspects of components that can be adopted in wireless communication nodes and configured to support communications as taught in this document.

[0019] Figure 4A and 4B This is a diagram illustrating examples of frame structures and channels within these frame structures according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0020] Figure 5A A wireless communication system 500A is depicted that demonstrates user plane connectivity supporting dual connectivity of UE 502 (which may correspond to any of the aforementioned UEs, such as UE 302).

[0021] Figure 5B A wireless communication system 500B is depicted, which demonstrates control plane connectivity supporting dual connectivity of UE 502.

[0022] Figure 6 Exemplary wireless communication processes according to various aspects of this disclosure are explained.

[0023] Figure 7 Exemplary wireless communication processes according to various aspects of this disclosure are explained.

[0024] Figure 8 and Figure 14 An example trigger sequence for non-periodic SCell measurement according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is explained.

[0025] Figure 9-13 Sections 15-21 explain the various aspects based on this disclosure. Figure 6-7 Example implementation of the process.

[0026] Figure 22 Exemplary wireless communication processes according to various aspects of this disclosure are explained.

[0027] Figure 23-25 Explaining the various aspects based on this disclosure Figure 22 Example implementation of the process.

[0028] Figure 26 A summary is described according to one aspect of this disclosure. Figure 22-25 Tables covering various aspects of beam management.

[0029] Detailed description

[0030] Various aspects of this disclosure are provided below in the description and accompanying drawings of various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects may be designed without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, elements well-known in this disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of this disclosure.

[0031] The terms “exemplary” and / or “example” are used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” and / or “example” is not necessarily to be construed as superior to or better than the others. Similarly, the term “aspects of this disclosure” does not require that all aspects of this disclosure include the features, advantages, or modes of operation discussed.

[0032] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the information and signals described below can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and arts. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the following description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the specific application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc.

[0033] Furthermore, many aspects are described in the form of sequences of actions performed by elements of, for example, computing devices. It will be appreciated that the various actions described herein can be performed by special-purpose circuitry (e.g., application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, the sequences of actions described herein can be considered to be fully embodied in any form of non-transient computer-readable storage medium storing a corresponding set of computer instructions that, upon execution, will cause an associated processor of the device to perform the functions described herein. Thus, various aspects of this disclosure can be embodied in several different forms, all of which are contemplated to fall within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, for each aspect described herein, a corresponding form of any such aspect may be described herein as, for example, "logic configured to perform the described actions."

[0034] As used herein, the terms “User Equipment” (UE) and “Base Station” are not intended to be specific to or otherwise limited to any particular Radio Access Technology (RAT) unless otherwise stated. Generally, a UE can be any wireless communication device used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network (e.g., mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, tracking device, wearable device (e.g., smartwatch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., car, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). A UE can be mobile or can (e.g., at certain times) be stationary and can communicate with a Radio Access Network (RAN). As used herein, the term “UE” can be interchangeably referred to as “Access Terminal” or “AT”, “Client Equipment”, “Wireless Equipment”, “Subscriber Equipment”, “Subscriber Terminal”, “Subscriber Station”, “User Terminal” or “UT”, “Mobile Terminal”, “Mobile Station”, or variations thereof. Generally, a UE can communicate with the core network via the RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks (such as the Internet) and other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as through a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11, etc.).

[0035] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs when communicating with a UE, depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may be alternatively referred to as an Access Point (AP), Network Node, B-Node, Evolved B-Node (eNB), New Radio (NR) B-Node (also known as gNB or gNodeB), etc. Additionally, in some systems, the base station may provide pure edge node signaling functions, while in others, it may provide additional control and / or network management functions. In some systems, the base station may correspond to a Consumer Equipment (CPE) or Roadside Unit (RSU). In some designs, the base station may correspond to a high-power UE (e.g., a vehicle UE or VUE) that provides limited infrastructure-specific functionality. The communication link through which the UE can signal to the base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., reverse traffic channel, reverse control channel, access channel, etc.). The communication link through which the base station can signal to the UE is called a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., paging channel, control channel, broadcast channel, forward traffic channel, etc.). As used in this article, the term Traffic Channel (TCH) can refer to UL / reverse or DL / forward traffic channel.

[0036] The term "base station" can refer to a single physical transmit / receive point (TRP) or multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be located in the same place. For example, when the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be a base station antenna corresponding to a cell of the base station. When the term "base station" refers to multiple physical TRPs located in the same place, the physical TRP may be an antenna array of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming). When the term "base station" refers to multiple physical TRPs not located in the same place, the physical TRP may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected via a transmission medium to a common source) or a remote radio headend (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, physical TRPs not located in the same place may be the serving base station from which the UE receives measurement reports and neighboring base stations from which the UE is measuring its reference RF signal. Since a TRP is the point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, as used herein, references to transmissions from or receptions at a base station should be understood as references to the specific TRP of that base station.

[0037] An “RF signal” refers to an electromagnetic wave of a given frequency that transmits information across the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single “RF signal” or multiple “RF signals” to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of individual RF signals through a multipath channel, a receiver may receive multiple “RF signals” corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same RF signal transmitted on different paths between the transmitter and receiver can be referred to as a “multipath” RF signal.

[0038] According to various aspects, Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system 100 has been described. The wireless communication system 100 (also referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 and various UEs 104. Base station 102 may include macrocell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one aspect, the macrocell base station may include an eNB (where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network), or a gNB (where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network), or a combination of both, and the small cell base station may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0039] Each base station 102 can collectively form a RAN and interface with a core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or next-generation core (NGC)) via a backhaul link 122, and interface with one or more location servers 172 via the core network 170. Among other functions, base station 102 can also perform functions related to one or more of the following: transmitting user data, radio channel cryptography and decoding, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, location, and delivery of alarm messages. Base stations 102 can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via EPC / NGC) on a backhaul link 134, which can be wired or wireless.

[0040] Base station 102 can wirelessly communicate with UE 104. Each base station 102 can provide communication coverage for its respective geographical coverage area 110. In one aspect, one or more cells can be supported by base station 102 in each coverage area 110. A “cell” is a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., on a frequency resource, it is referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc.) and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., Physical Cell Identifier (PCI), Virtual Cell Identifier (VCI)) to distinguish cells operating via the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells can be configured according to different protocol types that can provide access to different types of UEs (e.g., Machine Type Communication (MTC), Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), or others). Since cells are supported by specific base stations, the term “cell” can refer to either or both of the logical communication entity and the base station supporting that logical communication entity, depending on the context. In some contexts, the term "cellular" can also refer to the geographical coverage area (e.g., sector) of a base station, in the sense that the carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within a portion of the geographic coverage area 110.

[0041] While the geographic coverage areas 110 of adjacent macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in handover areas), some geographic coverage areas 110 may substantially overlap with larger geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' may have a coverage area 110' that substantially overlaps with the coverage areas 110 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell and macrocell base stations may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include home eNBs (HeNBs) that provide service to a restricted group known as a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG).

[0042] The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 may include downlink (UL) transmission from UE 104 to base station 102 (also known as the reverse link) and / or downlink (DL) transmission from base station 102 to UE 104 (also known as the forward link). The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna technologies, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may use one or more carrier frequencies. Carrier allocation may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to DL compared to UL).

[0043] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 150 communicating with a WLAN station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or listen-before-speak (LBT) procedure to determine channel availability before communication.

[0044] Small cell base station 102' can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in unlicensed spectrum, small cell base station 102' can employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum as used by WLAN AP 150. Small cell base station 102' employing LTE / 5G in unlicensed spectrum can enhance access network coverage and / or increase access network capacity. NR in unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U. LTE in unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0045] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a millimeter-wave (mmW) base station 180, which can operate in mmW and / or near-mmW frequencies to communicate with the UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that contains radio frequency (RF). EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this band are referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW extends down to a 3 GHz frequency with a 100 mm wavelength. Ultra-high frequency (SHF) bands extend between 3 GHz and 30 GHz, and are also referred to as centimeter waves. Communication using mmW / near-mmW RF bands has high path loss and relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 can utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) on the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also use mmW or near-mmW and beamforming for transmission. Accordingly, it will be understood that the foregoing explanations are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the aspects disclosed herein.

[0046] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing RF signals in a specific direction. Conventionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). Using transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., a UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thus providing the receiving device with a faster (in terms of data rate) and stronger RF signal. To change the directivity of the RF signal during transmission, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of one or more transmitters broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node can use an antenna array (referred to as a "phased array" or "antenna array") that generates a beam of RF waves, which can be "guided" to different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, RF currents from the transmitters are fed to the individual antennas with the correct phase relationship so that radio waves from the separate antennas add together in the desired direction to increase radiation, while simultaneously canceling each other out in the undesired direction to suppress radiation.

[0047] Transmit beams can be quasi-co-located, meaning they appear to the receiver (e.g., the UE) to have the same parameters regardless of whether the transmit antennas of network nodes are physically co-located. In NR, there are four types of quasi-co-location (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters of the second reference RF signal on the second beam can be derived from information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. Therefore, if the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is of type QCL D, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the spatial reception parameters of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0048] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify an RF signal detected on a given channel. For example, a receiver may increase the gain setting of an antenna array and / or adjust the phase setting of the antenna array in a specific direction to amplify the RF signal received from that direction (e.g., increase its gain level). Thus, when a receiver is referred to as beamforming in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is higher than the beam gain in other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gain of all other receive beams available to the receiver in that direction. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR), etc.) of the RF signal received from that direction.

[0049] The receive beam can be spatially dependent. Spatial dependence means that the parameters of the transmit beam used for the second reference signal can be derived from information about the receive beam of the first reference signal. For example, the UE can use a specific receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam based on the parameters of the receive beam to transmit an uplink reference signal (e.g., a probe reference signal (SRS)) to that base station.

[0050] Note that, depending on the entity forming the "downlink" beam, the beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if a base station is forming a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to a UE, then the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if a UE is forming a downlink beam, then the downlink beam is a receive beam for receiving downlink reference signals. Similarly, depending on the entity forming the "uplink" beam, the beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if a base station is forming an uplink beam, then the uplink beam is an uplink receive beam, while if a UE is forming an uplink beam, then the uplink beam is an uplink transmit beam.

[0051] In 5G, the spectrum in which radio nodes (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UE 104 / 182) operate is divided into several frequency ranges: FR1 (from 450 to 6000 MHz), FR2 (from 24250 to 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). In multi-carrier systems (such as 5G), one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the “primary carrier” or “anchor carrier” or “primary serving cell” or “PCell,” and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as “secondary carriers” or “secondary serving cells” or “SCell.” In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by UE 104 / 182 and on the cell in which UE 104 / 182 performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all shared control channels as well as UE-specific control channels, and can be a carrier on a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2), which can be configured once an RRC connection is established between UE 104 and the anchor carrier, and can be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier on an unlicensed frequency. The secondary carrier may contain only the necessary signaling information and signals; for example, UE-specific signaling information and signals may not be present on the secondary carrier, since both the primary uplink and downlink carriers are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell can have different downlink primary carriers. The same applies to the uplink primary carrier. The network can change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. For example, this is done to balance the load on different carriers. Since a “serving cell” (whether PCell or SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier that a base station is using for communication, the terms “cell,” “serving cell,” “component carrier,” “carrier frequency,” etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0052] For example, still refer to Figure 1 One of the frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 can be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and other frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 and / or mmW base station 180 can be secondary carriers ("SCell"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception on multiple carriers allows UE104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rates. For example, in a multi-carrier system, two 20MHz aggregated carriers would theoretically result in twice the data rate (i.e., 40MHz) compared to the data rate obtained from a single 20MHz carrier.

[0053] The wireless communication system 100 may further include one or more UEs (such as UE 190) that are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. Figure 1 In the example, UE190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with a UE 104 connected to a base station 102 (e.g., through which UE 190 indirectly obtains cellular connectivity), and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (through which UE190 indirectly obtains WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In one example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can use any known D2D RAT (such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D)). (etc.) to support.

[0054] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a UE 164, which can communicate with the macrocell base station 102 on the communication link 120 and / or with the mmW base station 180 on the mmW communication link 184. For example, the macrocell base station 102 may support PCell and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for the UE 164.

[0055] According to various aspects, Figure 2A Example wireless network architecture 200 is explained. For example, NGC 210 (also referred to as "5GC") can be functionally considered as control plane functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.), which operate collaboratively to form the core network. User plane interface (NG-U) 213 and control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect gNB 222 to NGC 210, specifically to control plane functions 214 and user plane functions 212. In an additional configuration, eNB 224 can also connect to NGC 210 via NG-C 215 to control plane function 214 and NG-U 213 to user plane function 212. Furthermore, eNB 224 can communicate directly with gNB 222 via backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the new RAN220 may have only one or more gNB 222s, while other configurations include one or more eNB 224s and one or more gNB 222s. The gNB 222 or eNB 224 may be used with UE204 (e.g., Figure 1The UE 204 can communicate with any UE depicted in the diagram. Another optional aspect may include a location server 230 that can communicate with the NGC 210 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The location server 230 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules extending across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The location server 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which the UE 204 can connect to via the core network, the NGC 210, and / or via the Internet (not described). Furthermore, the location server 230 may be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively, may be external to the core network.

[0056] According to various aspects, Figure 2B Another example wireless network architecture 250 is described. For example, NGC 260 (also referred to as "5GC") can be functionally considered as a control plane function provided by Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) / User Plane Function (UPF) 264 and a user plane function provided by Session Management Function (SMF) 262, which operate collaboratively to form the core network (i.e., NGC 260). User plane interface 263 and control plane interface 265 connect eNB 224 to NGC 260, specifically to SMF 262 and AMF / UPF 264, respectively. In an additional configuration, gNB 222 can also connect to NGC 260 via control plane interface 265 to AMF / UPF 264 and user plane interface 263 to SMF 262. Furthermore, eNB 224 can communicate directly with gNB 222 via backhaul connection 223, regardless of whether it has direct gNB connectivity to NGC 260. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include both one or more eNBs 224 and one or more gNBs 222. The gNB 222 or eNB 224 may be used with UE 204 (e.g., Figure 1 The base station of the new RAN220 communicates with the AMF side of the AMF / UPF 264 via the N2 interface and with the UPF side of the AMF / UPF264 via the N3 interface.

[0057] The AMF's functions include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, session management (SM) messaging between UE 204 and SMF 262, transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, short message service (SMS) messaging between UE 204 and the Short Message Service Function (SMSF) (not shown), and security anchor functionality (SEAF). The AMF also interacts with the Authentication Server Function (AUSF) (not shown) and UE 204, and receives the intermediate key established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In the case of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM)-based authentication, the AMF retrieves security material from the AUSSF. The AMF's functions also include security context management (SCM). The SCM receives a key from the SEAF, which is used by the SCM to derive a key that varies depending on the access network. The functionality of AMF also includes location service management for regulatory services, transmission of location service messages between UE 204 and Location Management Function (LMF) 270 and between the new RAN 220 and LMF 270, allocation of EPS bearer identifiers for interoperability with Evolved Packet Systems (EPS), and UE 204 mobility event notification. Furthermore, AMF also supports functionality for non-3GPP access networks.

[0058] The functions of the UPF include: acting as an anchor point for intra / inter-RAT mobility (where applicable), acting as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection to a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, user plane quality of service (QoS) handling (e.g., UL / DL rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in DL), UL traffic verification (mapping of service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow), transport-level packet marking in UL and DL, DL packet buffering and DL data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node.

[0059] The functions of SMF 262 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic guidance at the UPF for routing traffic to the correct destination, control of policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface through which SMF 262 communicates with the AMF side of AMF / UPF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0060] Another optional aspect may include an LMF270 that can communicate with the NGC 260 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The LMF 270 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules extending across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which can connect to the LMF 270 via the core network, the NGC 260, and / or via the Internet (not described).

[0061] Figure 3A , 3B The document describes several sample components (represented by corresponding boxes) that can be incorporated into UE 302 (which may correspond to any UE described herein), base station 304 (which may correspond to any base station described herein), and network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any network function described herein, including location server 230 and LMF 270) to support file transfer operations as taught herein. It will be appreciated that these components can be implemented in different types of devices (e.g., in ASICs, in system-on-chips (SoCs), etc.) in different implementations. The described components can also be incorporated into other devices in a communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to those described to provide similar functionality. Furthermore, a given device may include one or more of these components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0062] UE 302 and base station 304 each include a wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceiver 310 and 350 configured to communicate via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown) (such as NR networks, LTE networks, GSM networks, etc.). WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNB, gNB)) over a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., a time / frequency resource set in a specific spectrum) via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.). WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may be configured, in various ways, to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) according to the designated RAT, and conversely, to receive and decode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, transceivers 310 and 350 each include one or more transmitters 314 and 354 for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358, respectively, and each includes one or more receivers 312 and 352 for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358, respectively.

[0063] In at least some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 also include wireless local area network (WLAN) transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. WLAN transceivers 320 and 360 may be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, for use via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, etc.). The WLAN transceivers 320 and 360 can be configured, according to a specified RAT, in various ways to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.), and conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, transceivers 320 and 360 each include one or more transmitters 324 and 364 for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, respectively, and one or more receivers 322 and 362 for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368, respectively.

[0064] A transceiver circuit system including a transmitter and a receiver may, in some implementations, include integrated devices (e.g., transmitter and receiver circuitry implemented as a single communication device), in some implementations, include separate transmitter and receiver devices, or in other implementations, may be implemented in a different manner. In one aspect, the transmitter may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 336, and 376), such as an antenna array, which allows the corresponding device to perform transmit "beamforming," as described herein. Similarly, the receiver may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 336, and 376), such as an antenna array, which allows the corresponding device to perform receive beamforming, as described herein. In another aspect, the transmitter and receiver may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 336, and 376) such that the corresponding device can only receive or transmit at a given time, rather than both simultaneously. The wireless communication devices of devices 302 and / or 304 (e.g., one or both of transceivers 310 and 320 and / or one or both of transceivers 350 and 360) may also include network eavesdropping modules (NLMs) for performing various measurements.

[0065] In at least some cases, devices 302 and 304 also include Satellite Positioning System (SPS) receivers 330 and 370. SPS receivers 330 and 370 may be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, to receive SPS signals 338 and 378 (such as Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, BeiDou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc.). SPS receivers 330 and 370 may each include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing SPS signals 338 and 378. SPS receivers 330 and 370 request information and operations from other systems as appropriate and perform necessary calculations to determine the positioning of devices 302 and 304 using measurements obtained by any suitable SPS algorithm.

[0066] Base station 304 and network entity 306 each include at least one network interface 380 and 390 for communicating with other network entities. For example, network interfaces 380 and 390 (e.g., one or more network access ports) may be configured to communicate with one or more network entities via a wired or wireless backhaul connection. In some aspects, network interfaces 380 and 390 may be implemented as transceivers configured to support wired or wireless signal communication. This communication may involve, for example, sending and receiving messages, parameters, or other types of information.

[0067] Apparatus 302, 304, and 306 also include other components that can be used in conjunction with operations disclosed herein. UE 302 includes a processor circuitry implemented with a processing system 332 for providing, for example, functionality related to erroneous base station (FBS) detection as disclosed herein, and for providing other processing functionality. Base station 304 includes a processing system 384 for providing, for example, functionality related to FBS detection as disclosed herein, and for providing other processing functionality. Network entity 306 includes a processing system 394 for providing, for example, functionality related to FBS detection as disclosed herein, and for providing other processing functionality. In one aspect, processing systems 332, 384, and 394 may include, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices or processing circuitry.

[0068] Devices 302, 304, and 306 include memory circuitry systems that implement memory components 340, 386, and 396 (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). In some cases, devices 302, 304, and 306 may include subcell group (SCG) modules 342, 388, and 389, respectively. SCG modules 342, 388, and 389 may be hardware circuitry that is part of or coupled to processing systems 332, 384, and 394, which, when executed, cause devices 302, 304, and 306 to perform the functionality described herein. Alternatively, SCG modules 342, 388, and 398 may be memory modules (e.g., memory devices) stored in memory components 340, 386, and 396. Figure 3A (as shown in -C), these memory modules, when executed by processing systems 332, 384, and 394, enable devices 302, 304, and 306 to perform the functionality described herein.

[0069] UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to processing system 332 to provide motion and / or orientation information independent of motion data derived from signals received by WWAN transceiver 310, WLAN transceiver 320, and / or GPS receiver 330. As an example, sensor 344 may include accelerometers (e.g., microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices), gyroscopes, geomagnetic sensors (e.g., compasses), altimeters (e.g., barometric altimeters), and / or any other type of motion detection sensor. Furthermore, sensor 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, sensor 344 may use a combination of multi-axis accelerometers and orientation sensors to provide the ability to calculate positioning in 2D and / or 3D coordinate systems.

[0070] In addition, UE 302 includes a user interface 346 for providing instructions to the user (e.g., audible and / or visual instructions) and / or for receiving user input (e.g., when the user actuates a sensing device (such as a keypad, touchscreen, microphone, etc.)). Although not shown, devices 304 and 306 may also include user interfaces.

[0071] Referring more specifically to processing system 384, in the downlink, IP packets from network entity 306 can be provided to processing system 384. Processing system 384 can implement functionality for the RRC layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and Media Access Control (MAC) layer. The processing system 384 can provide RRC layer functionality associated with broadcast system information (e.g., Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration of UE measurement reports; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, security (cryptography, cryptographic decoding, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with upper-layer packet data unit (PDU) transmission, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel priority ordering.

[0072] Transmitter 354 and receiver 352 implement Layer-1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer-1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) decoding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. Transmitter 354 processes the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The decoded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., a pilot) in the time and / or frequency domains, and subsequently combined using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM stream is spatially precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from the channel estimator can be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes and for spatial processing. The channel estimates can be derived from reference signals and / or channel condition feedback transmitted by UE 302. Each spatial stream can then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. Transmitter 354 can use the corresponding spatial stream to modulate an RF carrier for transmission.

[0073] At UE 302, receiver 312 receives signals via its corresponding antenna 316. Receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides this information to processing system 332. Transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Receiver 312 can perform spatial processing on this information to recover any spatial stream destined for UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for UE 302, they can be combined by receiver 312 into a single OFDM symbol stream. Receiver 312 then uses a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to transform the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency domain signal consists of a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. Symbols on each subcarrier, along with a reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the signal constellation points most likely to be transmitted by base station 304. These soft decisions can be based on a channel estimate calculated by a channel estimator. These soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the original data and control signals transmitted by base station 304 over the physical channel. These data and control signals are then provided to processing system 332, which implements layer 3 and layer 2 functionality.

[0074] In the UL, processing system 332 provides demultiplexing, packet reassembly, cipher decoding, header decompression, and control signal processing between the transport and logical channels to recover IP packets from the core network. Processing system 332 is also responsible for error detection.

[0075] Similar to the functionality described in conjunction with DL transmissions performed by base station 304, processing system 332 provides RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) capture, RRC connectivity, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression and security (cryptography, cryptographic decoding, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with transmission of upper-layer PDUs, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing MACSDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel priority ordering.

[0076] The channel estimate derived by the channel estimator from the reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 304 can be used by the transmitter 314 to select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial stream generated by the transmitter 314 can be provided to different antennas 316. The transmitter 314 can use the corresponding spatial stream to modulate the RF carrier for transmission.

[0077] UL transmissions are processed at base station 304 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver function at UE 302. Receiver 352 receives signals via its corresponding antenna 356. Receiver 352 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides this information to processing system 384.

[0078] In the UL, processing system 384 provides demultiplexing, packet reassembly, cipher decoding, header decompression, and control signal processing between the transport and logical channels to recover IP packets from UE 302. IP packets from processing system 384 can then be provided to the core network. Processing system 384 is also responsible for error detection.

[0079] For convenience, devices 302, 304 and / or 306 are in Figures 3A-3C The box is shown as including various components that can be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it will be understood that the illustrated box may have different functionalities in different designs.

[0080] The various components of devices 302, 304 and 306 can communicate with each other via data buses 334, 382 and 392, respectively. Figures 3A-3C The components can be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, Figures 3A-3CThe components can be implemented in one or more circuits (for example, such as one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors)). Here, each circuit may use and / or incorporate at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by that circuit to provide this functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310 to 346 may be implemented by the processor and / or memory components of UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriately configuring the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350 to 389 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriately configuring the processor components). Furthermore, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390 to 396 may be implemented by the processor and / or memory components of network entity 306 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriately configuring the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, actions, and / or functions are described herein as being performed "by the UE," "by the base station," "by the positioning entity," etc. However, as will be appreciated, such operations, actions, and / or functions may actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of the UE, base station, positioning entity, etc., such as processing systems 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, memory components 340, 386, and 396, SCG modules 342, 388, and 389, etc.

[0081] Figure 4A Figure 400 illustrates an example of a DL frame structure according to various aspects of this disclosure. Figure 4B Figure 430 illustrates an example of a channel within a DL frame structure according to various aspects of this disclosure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0082] LTE, and in some cases NR, utilizes OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR also has the option to use OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are often referred to as frequency modulation, frequency slots, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Generally, modulation symbols are transmitted in the frequency domain for OFDM and in the time domain for SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing can be 15 kHz, and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) can be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz). Therefore, for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, the nominal FFT size can be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048, respectively. The system bandwidth can also be divided into subbands. For example, a subband can cover 1.08MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20MHz, there can be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands, respectively.

[0083] LTE supports a single set of parameters (subcarrier spacing, symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR can support multiple parameter designs; for example, subcarrier spacings of 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, 120kHz, and 204kHz or greater can be available. Table 1 below lists some of the various parameters used for different NR parameter sets.

[0084]

[0085] Table 1

[0086] exist Figure 4A and 4B In the example, a 15kHz parameter design is used. Therefore, in the time domain, a frame (e.g., 10ms) is divided into 10 equal-sized subframes, each 1ms, and each subframe includes one time slot. Figure 4A and 4B In this context, time is represented horizontally (e.g., on the X-axis), where time increases from left to right, while frequency is represented vertically (e.g., on the Y-axis), where frequency increases (or decreases) from bottom to top.

[0087] A resource grid can be used to represent time slots, each time slot comprising one or more concurrent resource blocks (RBs) (also known as physical RBs (PRBs)) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is further divided into multiple resource elements (REs). An RE corresponds to one symbol length in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. Figure 4A and 4B In the parameter design, for a normal cyclic prefix, the RB can contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 7 consecutive symbols in the time domain (OFDM symbols for DL; SC-FDMA symbols for UL), for a total of 84 REs. For an extended cyclic prefix, the RB can contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 6 consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0088] like Figure 4A As explained in the text, some REs carry DL reference (pilot) signals (DL-RS) for channel estimation at the UE. The DL-RS may include a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), with exemplary locations in... Figure 4A It is marked as "R".

[0089] Figure 4B Examples of various channels within the DL subframe of the explanatory frame. The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) carries DL Control Information (DCI) within one or more Control Channel Elements (CCEs). Each CCE includes nine RE Groups (REGs), and each REG includes four consecutive REs in OFDM symbols. The DCI carries information about UL resource allocation (persistent and non-persistent) and a description of the DL data transmitted to the UE. Multiple (e.g., up to eight) DCIs can be configured in the PDCCH, and these DCIs can have one of several formats. For example, different DCI formats exist for UL scheduling, for non-MIMO DL scheduling, for MIMO DL scheduling, and for UL power control.

[0090] The Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) is used by the UE to determine subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identity. The Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identity group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and physical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine the PCI. Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the aforementioned DL-RS. The Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) carrying the MIB can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form the SSB (also known as SS / PBCH). The MIB provides the number of RBs in the DL system bandwidth and the System Frame Number (SFN). The Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information (such as System Information Blocks (SIBs)) not transmitted via the PBCH, and paging messages.

[0091] Figure 5A A wireless communication system 500A is depicted, illustrating user plane connectivity supporting dual connectivity for UE 502 (which may correspond to any of the aforementioned UEs, such as UE 302). When configured for dual connectivity, UE 502 can be connected to a primary node or main node (referred to as a primary cell group (MCG) node) and one or more secondary nodes (referred to as secondary cell group (SCG) nodes). MCGs and SCGs are referred to as cell "groups" because, as will be understood, a base station typically supports multiple (e.g., three) cells, and a UE (e.g., UE 502) can communicate with one or more of them (e.g., via carrier aggregation, mobility, etc.). Figure 5A In the example, UE 502 is connected to the main evolved Node B (MeNB) 520A via communication link 524, and to the secondary evolved Node B (SeNB) 520B (collectively referred to as base station 520) via communication link 528. (See reference...) Figure 1 MeNB 520A can correspond to any of the above-mentioned BS, such as BS 304.

[0092] Communication links 524 and 528 may include uplink (UL) (also known as reverse link) transmission from UE 502 to base station 520 and / or downlink (DL) (also known as forward link) transmission from base station 520 to UE 502. Communication links 524 and 528 may use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technologies, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. Communication links 524 and 528 may use one or more carrier frequencies (also known as “component carriers” or simply “carriers”).

[0093] In an exemplary aspect, the SeNB 520B can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in unlicensed spectrum, the SeNB 520B can employ NR and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum as used by the WLAN access point. Employing NR in unlicensed spectrum can enhance the coverage and / or increase the capacity of the wireless communication system 500A.

[0094] Some wireless communication systems (such as NR systems) support operation in very high frequency (VHF) and even extremely high frequency (EHF) bands, such as millimeter wave (mmW) bands (generally with wavelengths of 1mm to 10mm, or 30GHz to 300GHz). These EHF bands can support very high throughput, such as up to six gigabits per second (Gbps). In wireless communication system 500A, the SeNB 520B can operate in mmW and / or near-mmW frequencies to communicate with UEs (e.g., UE 502) that have mmW and / or near-mmW capabilities. When the SeNB 520B / UE 502 operates at mmW or near-mmW frequencies, the SeNB 520B can be referred to as an mmW base station or mmW SeNB. Near-mmW can extend down to 3GHz frequencies with a wavelength of 100mm. The ultra-high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3GHz and 30GHz, and is also referred to as centimeter wave.

[0095] However, one of the challenges of wireless communication at very high frequencies (VHF) or extremely high frequencies is the significant propagation loss that can occur due to the high frequencies. As the frequency increases, the wavelength may decrease, and the propagation loss may also increase. In the mmW band, propagation loss can be severe. For example, propagation loss can be on the order of 22 to 27 dB compared to that observed in the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz band. The mmW SeNB 520B and / or UE 502 can utilize beamforming on the communication link 528 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range.

[0096] Transmitters (e.g., SeNB 520B / UE 502) can use beamforming to extend radio frequency (RF) signal coverage. Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing RF signals in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a transmitter (e.g., MeNB 520A) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectional; hence, PCell 522 is circular). Using transmit beamforming, the transmitter (e.g., SeNB 520B) determines where a given target device (e.g., UE 502) is located (relative to the transmitter) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction (hence, SCell 526 is elliptical), thereby providing a faster (in terms of data rate) and stronger RF signal to the receiving devices. To change the directivity of the RF signal during transmission, the transmitter can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each transmission point (e.g., antenna). For example, the transmitter can use an antenna array (called a "phased array" or "antenna array") that generates a beam of RF waves, which can be "guided" to different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, RF current from the transmitter is fed to the individual antennas in the correct phase relationship so that radio waves from the separate antennas add together in the desired direction to increase radiation, while canceling each other out in the undesired direction to suppress radiation.

[0097] For each carrier allocated in a carrier aggregation (CA) of up to Y x MHz (x component carriers) for transmission in each direction, the base station 520 / UE 502 may use a spectrum with a bandwidth of up to Y MHz (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100 MHz). Component carriers may be adjacent to each other in the spectrum or may not be adjacent to each other. Carrier allocation may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to DL compared to UL).

[0098] Component carriers may include a primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. The primary component carrier may be referred to as the "active carrier frequency" or primary cell (PCell), and the secondary component carriers may be referred to as secondary cells (SCells). To operate on multiple carrier frequencies, base station 520 / UE 502 is equipped with multiple receivers and / or transmitters. For example, the UE may have two receivers, receiver 1 and receiver 2, where receiver 1 is a multi-band receiver that can be tuned to either band X (i.e., carrier frequency) or band Y, while receiver 2 is a single-band receiver that can be tuned to only band Z. In this example, if the UE is being served in band X, then band X will be referred to as the PCell or active carrier frequency, and receiver 1 will need to tune from band X to band Y (SCell) to measure band Y (and vice versa). In contrast, regardless of whether the UE is being served in band X or band Y, due to the separate receiver 2, the UE can measure band Z without interrupting service on band X or band Y. Simultaneous transmission and / or reception on multiple carriers allows the UE 502 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rates.

[0099] In carrier aggregation, one of the frequencies used by base station 520 can be the PCell of UE 502, and other frequencies used by base station 520 can be SCells. For example, one of the frequencies used by base station 520A can be assigned to UE 502 as its PCell, and other frequencies used by base station 520A can be assigned as SCells. One of the frequencies assigned to UE 502 as its SCell can be assigned to a second UE (not shown) as its PCell, and other frequencies used by base station 520A (including the PCell assigned to UE 502) can be assigned to the second UE as its SCell.

[0100] However, bi-connectivity is used to achieve carrier aggregation between different base stations (and possibly between different Radio Access Technologies (RATs), rather than carrier aggregation between different cells supported by the same base station. Bi-connectivity is well-suited for heterogeneous networks (e.g., networks of macrocells and small cells), but can also be used in homogeneous networks (e.g., networks of all macrocells). Figure 5AIn the example, UE 502 is located in PCell 522 served by MeNB 520A and SCell 526 served by SeNB 520B. Although the terms “MeNB” and “SeNB” are used in this disclosure, it will be understood that MeNB 520A and SeNB 520B do not need to use the same RAT (e.g., LTE), but can use different RATs. For example, MeNB 520A may be a macrocell operating under LTE, while SeNB 520B may be a small cell base station operating under 5G NR.

[0101] The wireless communication system 500A may further include other network nodes, such as a serving gateway (SGW) 542. The serving gateway 542 may support user plane interfaces, such as the S1-U 544A / 544B with the base station 520.

[0102] The SGW 542 also supports Mobility Management Entities (MMEs) (such as...). Figure 5B The control plane interface (as shown).

[0103] Figure 5B A wireless communication system 500B is depicted, demonstrating control plane connectivity supporting dual connectivity for UE 502. Figure 5B In the example, the S1-MME 548 interface between the MME 550 and the MeNB 520A can be used as a control plane for controlling the dual connectivity provided to the UE 502. Control plane signaling may also include an interface (not shown) between the MME 550 and the SGW 542.

[0104] In the dual connectivity scenario, different bearer options are available, including split bearer options and sub-cell group (SCG) bearer options. For split bearers, for example, the S1-U interface 544A connection to the SGW 542 can be terminated in the MeNB 520A, and the MeNB 520A can offload some user plane traffic to the SeNB 520B via the X2 interface 546. In the SCG bearer scenario, for example, the SeNB 520B can be directly connected to the core network (e.g., via the SGW 542 connected to the core network via the S1-U interface 544A), and the MeNB 520A can avoid participating in the transmission of user plane data for such bearers via the Uu interface (i.e., the radio interface).

[0105] The MeNB 520A is responsible for the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer (referred to as "Layer 3" or L3) signaling of UE 502. However, both the MeNB 520A and SeNB 520B have different Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH). UE 502's data is segmented at the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, but unlike carrier convergence, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer and Media Access Control (MAC) layer are different for both the MeNB 520A and SeNB 520B (PDCP, RLC, and MAC layers are collectively referred to as "Layer 2" or L2).

[0106] In 3GPP Release 17's Multi-RAT Dual Connectivity (MR-DC), SCG deactivation / pause can be implemented during burst traffic, UE overheating, and / or special traffic types (such as VoIP). The goal of SCG pause is to reduce activation / deactivation latency and conserve power at the UE. In some cases, SCG pause is superior to deactivation due to its lower activation latency compared to SCG activation latency exceeding 79ms. To address this issue, the concept of "SCG hibernation" has been considered as an SCG pause mode.

[0107] In 3GPP NR Release 16, some features of the Carrier Aggregation (CA) SCell sleep standardization in WERE can be used for SCG sleep, while others cannot. In CA SCell sleep, the SCell is in a sleep state, with no DL monitoring or UL channel transmission. RRM, RLM, and L1 measurements are allowed in CA SCell sleep, and measurement reporting is performed through the primary and secondary cells (PSCells) of the SCG that remain active.

[0108] Measurements can be performed on PSCells or SCells that are in SCG sleep mode. The MCG does not sleep during SCG sleep, so while reporting for some measurements (such as L3 measurements) can be performed via the MCG, various problems may arise if this is attempted, such as:

[0109] Synchronization: MCG and SCG may be out of sync, so L1 measurements may be inaccurate.

[0110] Extensive modifications: Sending L1 measurements between MN and SN may require extensive modifications.

[0111] Waiting time: The waiting time involved (especially for L1 measurements) can be daunting.

[0112] In some designs, the PSCell may be characterized as "semi-dormant" during SCG sleep. The PUCCH / PUSCH can be used with the SCG's PSCell to perform measurement reporting (e.g., L1 measurements of both the PSCell and SCell). The DL channels (PDCCH / PDSCH) can also be activated on the PSCell. When the PSCell is used for measurement reporting during SCG sleep, there is a trade-off between power consumption and performance / reporting latency. This can reduce latency and improve performance when bringing the SCG out of sleep, especially in cases where the sleep bandwidth portion (BWP) overlaps with the non-sleep BWP.

[0113] In some designs, only periodic measurements are typically triggered during CA SCell sleep. However, if the PSCell is in a semi-sleep state during SCG sleep, non-periodic measurements can be used. For example, non-periodic measurements can be useful for improved power savings because the measurements do not need to be triggered with the start of sleep, but are triggered as needed based on when measurements are required for tracking on the PSCell and SCell. Therefore, one or more embodiments involve triggering non-periodic measurements (e.g., L1 measurements, L3 measurements, etc.) on(s) SCells of the SCG while the SCG is in sleep. Such embodiments can provide various technical advantages, such as providing opportunities for measurements to support tracking during SCG sleep without significantly increasing power consumption at the UE.

[0114] At higher levels, non-periodic measurements can be performed with or without periodic measurements during SCG dormancy. As used herein, non-periodic measurements performed with periodic measurements during SCG dormancy are referred to as “Case A”, while non-periodic measurements performed without periodic measurements during SCG dormancy are referred to as “Case B”.

[0115] In some designs, regarding scenario A, when entering sleep mode, it is not necessary to trigger periodic L1 measurements on all cells of the SCG. For example, periodic measurements of the PSCell can be supported at the start of SCG sleep mode or during the SCG sleep mode duration. In some designs, non-periodic measurements can also be triggered on the PSCell. Since the SCell is not used to transmit user plane data during SCG sleep mode, very little or no tracking is required, thus eliminating the need for periodic measurements. Non-periodic measurements can then be triggered on the SCell before it exits sleep mode in the scenario.

[0116] In some designs, regarding scenario B, when tracing is required, aperiodic measurements can be triggered on PSCell and SCell via PCell. Aperiodic measurements can be reported before the SCG hibernation deactivation message (e.g., with a minimum wait time with moderate signaling) or along with the hibernation deactivation message (e.g., with a moderate wait time with minimal signaling).

[0117] Figure 6 An exemplary wireless communication process 600 according to various aspects of this disclosure has been described. In one aspect, method 600 can be performed by a UE, such as any of the UEs described above (e.g., UE 302, etc.).

[0118] At 610, when the SCG is associated with a dormant state, UE 302 (e.g., processing system 332, SCG module 342, etc.) determines to perform an aperiodic measurement procedure on at least one cell of the SCG (e.g., SCells, PSCells, etc.). In some designs, the aperiodic measurement procedure includes measuring one or more downlink reference signals (e.g., aperiodic CSI-RS or A-CSI-RS) on the at least one cell, transmitting one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., aperiodic SRS or A-SRS) on the PSCell of the SCG, or a combination thereof. In some designs, the determination at 610 may be in response to receiving A-CSI-RS on the PSCell during the DL monitoring window. As will be explained in more detail below, the determination at 610 may be triggered (or initiated) at the primary node (MN) (or MeNB), the secondary node (SN) (or SeNB), or UE 302 itself.

[0119] At 620, UE 302 (e.g., receiver 312, receiver 322, transmitter 314, transmitter 314, etc.) performs aperiodic measurement procedures on the at least one cell based on this determination. In some designs, aperiodic measurement procedures are performed on the PSCell of the SCG, one or more SCells of the SCG, or combinations thereof.

[0120] Figure 7 An exemplary wireless communication process 700 according to various aspects of this disclosure is described. In one aspect, process 700 may be performed by a communication device, such as any UE described above (e.g., UE 302, etc.), a primary node (MN) (e.g., a MeNB, which may correspond to BS 304), a secondary node (e.g., a SeNB, which may correspond to BS 302), etc.

[0121] In 710, when the UE's SCG is associated with a sleep state, the communication device (e.g., processing system 332, 384, or 394, SCG module 342, 388, or 389, etc.) determines to trigger an aperiodic measurement procedure on at least one cell of the SCG (e.g., SCell, PSCell, etc.). In some designs, the aperiodic measurement procedure includes measuring one or more downlink reference signals (e.g., aperiodic CSI-RS or A-CSI-RS) on at least one cell, transmitting one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., aperiodic SRS or A-SRS) on the PSCell of the SCG, or a combination thereof.

[0122] At 720, the communication device (e.g., transmitter 354, transmitter 364, network interface 390, transmitter 314, etc.) transmits a trigger to the network component to facilitate non-periodic measurement procedures. In some designs where the communication device corresponds to the SN, the trigger can be transmitted to the UE or MN at 720. In some designs where the communication device corresponds to the MN, the trigger can be transmitted to the UE or SN at 720. In some designs where the communication device corresponds to the UE, the trigger can be transmitted to the MN or SN at 720. In some designs where the communication device corresponds to the UE, the trigger can be transmitted to the MN or SN at 720. In some designs, the trigger is transmitted before a sleep deactivation message is received, while in other designs, the trigger is transmitted in association with a sleep deactivation message.

[0123] refer to Figure 6-7 In some designs, the trigger for executing a non-periodic measurement procedure can be sent to the PSCell, which can then forward the trigger to any SCell associated with the non-periodic measurement procedure.

[0124] Figure 8 An example trigger sequence 800 for aperiodic SCell measurements according to an embodiment of this disclosure is described. At 802, the SCG is in a sleep state, and the UE monitors the PSCell during a periodic DL monitoring window. At 804, a trigger (e.g., A-CSI-RS) instructing the UE to perform an aperiodic measurement procedure is received from the PSCell, and a trigger is also sent to wake up the SCell (e.g., transmit A-CSI-RS). In response to the trigger at 804, the UE begins monitoring the PSCell and / or(the) SCells during an aperiodic DL monitoring window 806. After an offset 808 from the trigger, at 810, A-CSI-RS is received on the PSCell and / or(the) SCells, which is received and measured by the UE. At 812, measurement reports for the PSCell and / or(the) SCells are prepared and queued for transmission by the PSCell. After a delay period 814, during the next periodic DL monitoring window 818 of the PSCell, at 816, the measurement report is transmitted.

[0125] refer to Figure 8 In some designs, the trigger offset at 808 can be the offset from receiving the trigger to receiving the measurement RS. In some designs, the trigger offset at 808 is required to ensure that(s)cells emerge from sleep and are ready to receive the measurement RS. In some designs, the trigger offset can be set to one or more values ​​greater than the timing at which(s)cells are expected to emerge from sleep. In some designs, the trigger offset can be sent via an A-CSI trigger configuration sent to the PSCell. In some designs, the UE can monitor the DL reference signal on the PSCell and / or all SCells and can transmit measurement reports (or alternatively, UL reference signals, such as A-SRS) via the PSCell using only the PUCCH or PUSCH. In some designs, aperiodic measurements can be triggered by the SN, MN, or UE. In some designs, aperiodic measurement reports can be triggered by the UE, MN, or SN. For example, the timing for transmitting or receiving aperiodic reference signals at one or more subcells (SCells) and / or primary / subcells (PSCells) of an SCG is based on the offset from receiving the corresponding trigger.

[0126] Figure 9 Explaining the various aspects based on this disclosure Figure 6-7 The example implementation of process 600-700 is 900. Specifically, Figure 9 Examples of non-periodic measurements associated with SN triggering and dormant SCG PSCell and / or SCell are depicted.

[0127] refer to Figure 9At 902, the SCG associated with the UE is in a dormant state. During the SCG dormancy, at 904, the UE optionally transmits periodic measurement signaling (e.g., transmission of P-SRS, measurement reports of P-CSI-RS, etc.) to the SN on the PSCell. At 906, the SN determines to trigger an aperiodic measurement procedure on the PSCell and / or one or more SCells of the dormant SCG. At 908, the SN transmits the trigger to the UE via the PSCell, which is received by the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 910. At 912, the UE transmits aperiodic measurement-related signaling associated with the PSCell and / or (e.g., transmission of A-SRS, L1 measurement reports of (e.g., A-CSI-RS) on the PSCell and / or (e.g., SCells) of SCells via the PSCell. At 914, the SN determines to exit SCG dormancy. At 916, the SN transmits an SCG sleep deactivation message to the UE via the PSCell. This message is received by the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 918. At 920, the SCG exits sleep. At 922, the UE transmits an exit sleep acknowledgment (ACK) to the SN. At 924, the UE exchanges data traffic on the SCG's PSCell and SCell.

[0128] Figure 10 Explaining the various aspects based on this disclosure Figure 6-7 The process is implemented in 600-700 example steps, with 1000 steps implemented in the same way. Specifically, Figure 10 Examples of non-periodic measurements associated with MN-triggered PSCells and / or SCells of dormant SCGs are depicted.

[0129] refer to Figure 10At 1002, the SCG associated with the UE is in a dormant state. During the SCG dormancy, at 1004, the UE optionally transmits periodic measurement signaling (e.g., P-SRS transmission, P-CSI-RS measurement reports, etc.) to the SN on the PSCell. At 1006, the SN determines to trigger an aperiodic measurement procedure on one or more SCells of the dormant SCG. At 1008, the MN transmits the trigger to the UE via the MCG (which is not dormant). At 1010, the UE transmits aperiodic measurement-related signaling associated with the SCell(s) via the PSCell (e.g., A-SRS transmission, L1 measurement reports for A-CSI-RS on the PSCell and / or the SCell(s)). At 1012, the MN determines to exit SCG dormancy. At 1014, the MN transmits an SCG dormancy deactivation message to the UE via the MCG (which is not dormant). At 1016, the SCG exits dormancy. At 1018, the UE transmits an exit dormancy acknowledgment (ACK) to the SN. In 1020, the UE exchanges data traffic on the PSCell and SCell of the SCG.

[0130] Figure 11 Explaining the various aspects based on this disclosure Figure 6-7 The process is 600-700, with an example implementation of 1100. Similar to... Figure 10 , Figure 11 Another example depicting non-periodic measurements associated with MN triggering and the PSCell and / or (and other) SCells of a dormant SCG is described. However, in Figure 10 In this context, MN uses SN as a proxy for routing associated messages to trigger aperiodic measurements.

[0131] refer to Figure 11At 1102, the SCG associated with the UE is in a dormant state. During the SCG dormancy, at 1104, the UE optionally transmits periodic measurement signaling (e.g., P-SRS transmission, P-CSI-RS measurement reports, etc.) to the SN on the PSCell. At 1106, the MN determines to trigger an aperiodic measurement procedure on the PSCell and / or one or more SCells of the dormant SCG. At 1108, the MN forwards the trigger to the SN (via backhaul signaling). At 1110, the SN relays the trigger initiated by the MN to the UE via the PSCell, which is received by the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 1112. At 1114, the UE transmits aperiodic measurement-related signaling associated with the PSCell and / or (e.g., A-SRS transmission, L1 measurement reports for (e.g.,) A-CSI-RS on the PSCell and / or (e.g., SCells)). At 1116, the MN determines to exit SCG dormancy. At 1118, the MN (via backhaul signaling) forwards the SCG sleep deactivation message to the SN. At 1120, the SN transmits the MN-initiated SCG sleep deactivation message to the UE via the PSCell; this message is received by the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 1122. At 1124, the SCG exits sleep. At 1126, the UE sends an exit sleep confirmation (ACK) to the SN. At 1128, the UE exchanges data traffic on the SCG's PSCell and SCell.

[0132] Figure 12 Explaining the various aspects based on this disclosure Figure 6-7 The process is 600-700, with an example implementation of 1200. Similar to... Figure 11 , Figure 12 Another example is described, where the SN is used as a proxy to route associated messages to trigger non-periodic measurements. However, in Figure 12 In this context, the UE is the entity that triggers non-periodic measurements associated with the PSCell and / or (other) SCells of the dormant SCG.

[0133] refer to Figure 12At 1202, the SCG associated with the UE is in a dormant state. During the SCG dormancy period, at 1204, the UE optionally transmits periodic measurement signaling (e.g., P-SRS transmission, P-CSI-RS measurement report, etc.) to the SN on the PSCell. At 1206, the UE determines to trigger an aperiodic measurement procedure on the PSCell and / or one or more SCells of the dormant SCG. At 1208, the UE transmits the trigger (via the PSCell) to the SN. At 1210, the SN relays the UE-initiated trigger back to the UE via the PSCell, which is received by the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 1212. At 1214, the UE transmits aperiodic measurement-related signaling associated with the PSCell and / or (e.g., A-SRS transmission, L1 measurement report of A-CSI-RS on the PSCell and / or (e.g., SCell(s)) via the PSCell. At 1216, the SN determines to exit SCG dormancy. At 1218, the SN transmits an SCG sleep deactivation message to the UE via the PSCell. This message is received by the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 1220. At 1222, the SCG exits sleep. At 1224, the UE transmits an exit sleep acknowledgment (ACK) to the SN. At 1226, the UE exchanges data traffic on the SCG's PSCell and SCell.

[0134] Figure 13 Explaining the various aspects based on this disclosure Figure 6-7 The process is 600-700, with an example implementation of 1300. Similar to... Figure 12 , Figure 13 Another example is depicted where the UE triggers non-periodic measurements associated with the PSCell and / or (various) SCells of the sleeping SCG. However, in Figure 13 In this context, the UE uses MN as a proxy for routing associated messages to trigger aperiodic measurements.

[0135] refer to Figure 13At 1302, the SCG associated with the UE is in a dormant state. During the SCG dormancy period, at 1304, the UE optionally transmits periodic measurement signaling (e.g., P-SRS transmission, P-CSI-RS measurement report, etc.) to the SN on the PSCell. At 1306, the UE determines to trigger an aperiodic measurement procedure on the PSCell and / or one or more SCells of the dormant SCG. At 1308, the UE (via the MCG) transmits the trigger to the MN. At 1310, the MN (via backhaul signaling) relays the UE-initiated trigger to the SN. At 1312, the SN then relays the UE-initiated trigger back to the UE via the PSCell, which is received by the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 1314. At 1316, the UE transmits aperiodic measurement-related signaling associated with the PSCell and / or (e.g., A-SRS transmission, L1 measurement reports for (e.g., A-CSI-RS) on the PSCell and / or (e.g., SCells) and (e.g., SCells). At 1318, the SN determines that it wants to exit SCG sleep mode. At 1320, the SN transmits an SCG sleep mode deactivation message to the UE via the PSCell, which is received by the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 1322. At 1324, the SCG exits sleep mode. At 1326, the UE transmits an exit sleep confirmation (ACK) to the SN. At 1328, the UE exchanges data traffic on the PSCell and SCell of the SCG.

[0136] Figure 14 An example trigger sequence 1400 for non-periodic SCell measurement according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is explained. Figure 14 Similar in some aspects Figure 8 In addition to Figure 14 In this process, measurement RS (e.g., A-CSI-RS) is received by the UE during SCG sleep, while the measurement report itself is transmitted after SCG sleep is deactivated.

[0137] At 1402, the SCG is in sleep mode, and the UE monitors the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window. At 1404, a trigger instructing the UE to perform an aperiodic measurement procedure (e.g., A-CSI-RS) is received via the PSCell, and a trigger is also sent to wake up the SCell (e.g., to transmit A-CSI-RS). In response to the trigger at 1404, the UE begins monitoring the PSCell and / or(the SCells) during the aperiodic DL monitoring window 1406. After an offset of 1408 from the trigger, at 1410, A-CSI-RS is received on the PSCell and / or(the SCells), which is received and measured by the UE. At 1412, measurement reports for the PSCell and / or(the SCells) are prepared and queued for transmission by the PSCell. At 1414, the SCG transitions out of sleep mode. After a delay period of 1416, at 1418, the measurement report is transmitted along with an exit sleep ACK. For example, the timing of transmitting or receiving aperiodic reference signals at one or more subcells (SCells) and / or primary / secondary cells (PSCells) of an SCG is based on an offset from the corresponding trigger of reception.

[0138] Figure 15 Explaining the various aspects based on this disclosure Figure 6-7 The process has 600-700 example implementations, with 1500. Specifically, Figure 15 Examples of non-periodic measurements associated with SN triggering and dormant SCG PSCell and / or SCell are depicted. Figure 15 The process is similar to Figure 9 In addition, after the SCG sleep mode is disabled, the UE transmits non-periodic measurement-related signaling.

[0139] refer to Figure 15At 1502, the SCG associated with the UE is in a dormant state. During the SCG dormancy period, at 1504, the UE optionally transmits periodic measurement signaling (e.g., P-SRS transmission, P-CSI-RS measurement report, etc.) to the SN on the PSCell. At 1506, the SN determines to (i) trigger an aperiodic measurement procedure on the PSCell and / or one or more SCells of the dormant SCG and (ii) exit SCG dormancy. At 1508, the SN transmits a trigger to the UE via the PSCell to (i) execute the aperiodic measurement procedure and (ii) exit SCG dormancy, which is received by the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 1510. At 1512, the SCG exits dormancy. In 1514, the UE (i) transmits aperiodic measurement-related signaling associated with the PSCell and / or (e.g., A-SRS transmission, L1 measurement reports for (e.g.,) A-CSI-RS on the PSCell and / or (e.g., SCells) and (ii) transmits an exit sleep acknowledgment (ACK) to the SN. In 1516, the UE exchanges data traffic on the PSCell and SCell of the SCG.

[0140] Figure 16 Explaining the various aspects based on this disclosure Figure 6-7 The process has 600-700 example implementations, with 1600. Specifically, Figure 16 Examples of non-periodic measurements associated with SN triggering and dormant SCG PSCell and / or SCell are depicted. Figure 16 The process is similar to Figure 15 In addition to MN acting as a proxy for non-periodic measurement signaling.

[0141] refer to Figure 16At 1602, the SCG associated with the UE is in a dormant state. During the SCG dormancy, at 1604, the UE optionally transmits periodic measurement signaling (e.g., transmission of P-SRS, measurement report of P-CSI-RS, etc.) to the MN, which then optionally forwards the periodic measurement signaling to the SN (via backhaul signaling) at 1606. At 1608, the SN determines to (i) trigger an aperiodic measurement procedure (e.g., A-CSI-RS measurement / report) on the PSCell and / or one or more SCells of the dormant SCG and (ii) exit SCG dormancy. At 1610, the SN transmits a trigger to the UE via backhaul signaling to perform an aperiodic measurement procedure (e.g., A-CSI-RS measurement / report), which is relayed to the UE by the MN (via the MCG) at 1612. At 1614, the SN transmits A-CSI-RS to the UE, which is received and measured by the UE during the periodic downlink monitoring window 1616. At 1618, the UE transmits aperiodic measurement-related signaling (e.g., A-CSI-RS measurement / report) associated with the PSCell and / or (e.g., SCells) to the MN. The MN then forwards this aperiodic measurement-related signaling to the SN via backhaul signaling at 1620. At 1622, the SN transmits an SCG sleep deactivation message to the MN via backhaul signaling. The MN then relays the SCG sleep deactivation message to the UE at 1624 (via the MCG). At 1626, the SCG exits sleep mode. At 1628, the UE transmits an exit sleep confirmation (ACK) to the SN. At 1630, the UE exchanges data traffic on the PSCell and SCell of the SCG.

[0142] Figure 17 Explaining the various aspects based on this disclosure Figure 6-7 The example implementation of process 600-700 is 1700. Specifically, Figure 17 An example of non-periodic measurement associated with SN triggering and the PSCell of a dormant SCG is depicted. Figure 16 The process is similar to Figure 17 In addition to non-periodic measurement signaling, it includes uplink A-SRS measurements / reports instead of downlink A-CSI-RS measurements.

[0143] refer to Figure 17At 1702, the SCG associated with the UE is in a dormant state. During the SCG dormancy, at 1704, the UE optionally transmits periodic measurement signaling (e.g., P-SRS transmission, P-CSI-RS measurement report, etc.) to the MN, which then optionally (via backhaul signaling) forwards the periodic measurement signaling to the SN at 1706. At 1708, the SN determines to (i) trigger an aperiodic measurement procedure (e.g., A-SRS transmission) on the PSCell of the dormant SCG and (ii) exit SCG dormancy. At 1710, the SN transmits a trigger to the UE via backhaul signaling to perform an aperiodic measurement procedure (e.g., A-SRS transmission), which is relayed to the UE by the MN (via the MCG) at 1712. At 1714, the SN transmits A-SRS on the PSCell. At 1716, the SN transmits an SCG sleep deactivation message to the MN via backhaul signaling. The MN then relays the SCG sleep deactivation message to the UE at 1718 (via the MCG). At 1720, the SCG exits sleep mode. At 1722, the UE transmits an exit sleep confirmation (ACK) to the SN. At 1724, the UE exchanges data traffic on the PSCell and SCell of the SCG.

[0144] Figure 18 Explaining the various aspects based on this disclosure Figure 6-7 The example implementation of process 600-700 is 1800. Specifically, Figure 18 Examples are depicted in which the deactivation of MN with SCG dormancy triggers non-periodic measurements associated with the PSCell and / or (other) SCells of the dormant SCG.

[0145] refer to Figure 18At 1802, the SCG associated with the UE is in a dormant state. During the SCG dormancy, at 1804, the UE optionally transmits periodic measurement signaling (e.g., transmission of P-SRS, measurement report of P-CSI-RS, etc.) to the SN via the PSCell. At 1806, the MN determines to (i) trigger an aperiodic measurement procedure (e.g., transmission of A-SRS, L1 measurement report of A-CSI-RS on the PSCell and / or (the) SCells) and (ii) exit SCG dormancy. At 1808, the MN transmits a trigger to the UE via the MCG to (i) execute an aperiodic measurement procedure (e.g., transmission of A-SRS, L1 measurement report of A-CSI-RS on the PSCell and / or (the) SCells) and (ii) deactivate SCG dormancy. At 1810, the SCG exits dormancy. In 1812, the UE (i) transmits aperiodic measurement-related signaling associated with the PSCell and / or (e.g., A-SRS transmission, L1 measurement reports for (e.g.,) A-CSI-RS on the PSCell and / or (e.g., SCells) and (ii) transmits an exit sleep acknowledgment (ACK) to the SN. In 1814, the UE exchanges data traffic on the PSCell and SCell of the SCG.

[0146] Figure 19 Explaining the various aspects based on this disclosure Figure 6-7 The example implementation of process 600-700 is 1900. Specifically, Figure 19 An example is described where the deactivation of MN in relation to SCG sleep triggers non-periodic measurements associated with the PSCell and / or (e.g.) SCell of the sleep SCG, and SN is used as a proxy.

[0147] refer to Figure 20In 1902, the SCG associated with the UE is in a dormant state. During the SCG dormancy, in 1904, the UE optionally transmits periodic measurement signaling (e.g., transmission of P-SRS, measurement report of P-CSI-RS, etc.) to the SN via the PSCell. In 1906, the MN determines to (i) trigger aperiodic measurement procedures (e.g., transmission of A-SRS, L1 measurement report of A-CSI-RS on the PSCell and / or (the) SCells) and (ii) exit SCG dormancy. In 1908, the MN transmits a trigger to the SN via backhaul signaling to cause the UE to (i) perform aperiodic measurement procedures (e.g., transmission of A-SRS, L1 measurement report of A-CSI-RS on the PSCell and / or (the) SCells) and (ii) deactivate SCG dormancy. In 1910, the SN then forwards the trigger to the UE via the PSCell, which is received by the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 1912. In 1914, the SCG exits sleep mode. In 1916, the UE (i) transmits aperiodic measurement-related signaling associated with the PSCell and / or (e.g., A-SRS transmissions, L1 measurement reports for (e.g.,) A-CSI-RS on the PSCell and / or (e.g., SCells) and (ii) sends an exit sleep confirmation (ACK) to the SN. In 1918, the UE exchanges data traffic on the PSCell and SCell of the SCG.

[0148] Figure 20 Explaining the various aspects based on this disclosure Figure 6-7 The process is illustrated in the example implementation 600-700. Specifically, Figure 20 An example is described where the UE triggers non-periodic measurements associated with the PSCell and / or (other) SCells of the sleeping SCG in connection with the deactivation of the SCG.

[0149] refer to Figure 20In 2002, the SCG associated with the UE was in a dormant state. During the SCG dormancy, in 2004, the UE optionally transmitted periodic measurement signaling (e.g., transmission of P-SRS, measurement reports of P-CSI-RS, etc.) to the SN via the PSCell. In 2006, the UE determined to (i) trigger aperiodic measurement procedures (e.g., transmission of A-SRS, L1 measurement reports of A-CSI-RS on the PSCell and / or (the) SCells) and (ii) exit SCG dormancy. In 2008, the UE transmitted a trigger to the SN via the PSCell to cause the UE to (i) perform aperiodic measurement procedures (e.g., transmission of A-SRS, L1 measurement reports of A-CSI-RS on the PSCell and / or (the) SCells) and (ii) deactivate SCG dormancy. In 2010, the SN then forwarded the trigger back to the UE via the PSCell, which was received by the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window of 2012. In 2014, the SCG exited sleep mode. In 2016, the UE (i) transmitted aperiodic measurement-related signaling associated with the PSCell and / or (e.g., A-SRS transmissions, L1 measurement reports for (e.g.,) A-CSI-RS on the PSCell and / or (e.g., SCells) and (ii) transmitted an exit sleep acknowledgment (ACK) to the SN. In 2018, the UE exchanged data traffic on the PSCell and SCell of the SCG.

[0150] Figure 21 Explaining the various aspects based on this disclosure Figure 6-7 The example implementation of process 600-700 is 2100. Specifically, Figure 21 An example is described where the UE triggers non-periodic measurements associated with the PSCell and / or (various) SCells of the sleeping SCG in conjunction with the deactivation of the SCG, and MN is used as a proxy.

[0151] refer to Figure 21At 2102, the SCG associated with the UE is in a dormant state. During the SCG dormancy, at 2104, the UE optionally transmits periodic measurement signaling (e.g., transmission of P-SRS, measurement report of P-CSI-RS, etc.) to the SN via the PSCell. At 2106, the UE determines to (i) trigger an aperiodic measurement procedure (e.g., transmission of A-SRS, L1 measurement report of A-CSI-RS on the PSCell and / or (the) SCells) and (ii) exit SCG dormancy. At 2108, the MN transmits a trigger to the SN via the MCG to cause the UE to (i) perform an aperiodic measurement procedure (e.g., transmission of A-SRS, L1 measurement report of A-CSI-RS on the PSCell and / or (the) SCells) and (ii) deactivate SCG dormancy. At 2110, the MN forwards the trigger to the SN via backhaul signaling. At 2112, the SN then forwards or relays the trigger back to the UE via the PSCell, which is received by the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 2114. At 2116, the SCG exits sleep mode. At 2118, the UE (i) transmits aperiodic measurement-related signaling associated with the PSCell and / or (e.g., A-SRS transmissions, L1 measurement reports for (e.g.,) A-CSI-RS on the PSCell and / or (e.g., SCells) and (ii) sends an exit sleep confirmation (ACK) to the SN. At 2120, the UE exchanges data traffic on the PSCell and SCell of the SCG.

[0152] One or more embodiments further relate to beam management associated with a dormant SCG. Such embodiments offer various technical advantages, including improved beam selection associated with measuring DL RS (e.g., A-CSI-RS or P-CSI-RS) and / or transmitting UL RS (e.g., A-SRS or P-SRS) and / or transmitting measurement reports (e.g., aperiodic or periodic).

[0153] Figure 22 An exemplary wireless communication process 2200 according to various aspects of this disclosure has been described. In one aspect, method 2200 can be performed by a UE, such as any of the UEs described above (e.g., UE 302, etc.).

[0154] In 2210, when a secondary cell group (SCG) is associated with a dormant state, UE 302 (e.g., receiver 312, receiver 322, etc.) receives at least one downlink transmit beam associated with at least one cell in that SCG. (Refer to the following...) Figure 23-25In more detail, the at least one downlink transmit beam may be associated with one or more cells of the SCG (e.g., PSCell and / or one or more SCells). In some designs, the at least one downlink transmit beam may transmit signals such as SSB or CSI-RS.

[0155] At 2220, when the SCG is associated with the sleep state, UE 302 (e.g., processing system 332, etc.) determines the uplink transmit beam of the SCG's PSCell based on one or more of the following: Spatial Relationship Indication (SRI), whether there is a beam correspondence between the at least one downlink transmit beam and the uplink transmit beam, default uplink transmit beam, or a combination thereof.

[0156] At 2230, UE 302 (e.g., transmitter 314, transmitter 324, etc.) transmits measurement-related signals between the UE and at least one cell (e.g., PSCell, (etc.) in the SCG) on the determined uplink transmit beam.

[0157] Figure 23 Explaining the various aspects based on this disclosure Figure 22An example implementation of process 2200 is 2300. At 2302, the SCG associated with the UE is in a dormant state. At 2304, the SN transmits P-CSI-RS to the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 2306. At 2308, the UE transmits N periodic measurement reports to the SN via the PSCell based on the P-CSI-RS from 2304. For example, the N periodic measurement reports can be beam-sweeped across at least one candidate uplink transmit beam on multiple symbols or time slots. At 2310, the SN transmits control information (e.g., beam information, timing information, power control information, etc.) and triggers for performing aperiodic measurement procedures (e.g., A-CSI-RS measurements / reports), which are received by the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 2312. In some designs, the control information at 2310 may include an SRI that specifies a particular uplink transmit beam for the PSCell (e.g., for measurement reports, SRS, etc.). In some designs, the beam sweep at 2308 for ULTx beam determination can be performed upon entering SCG sleep mode. In some designs, the beam sweep at 2308 for ULTx beam determination can be performed periodically during SCG sleep mode (e.g., to refresh the ULTx beam) or on demand during SCG sleep mode. At 2314, the SN transmits A-CSI-RS on (e.g., the PSCell and / or (e.g., the SCell of the SCG) based on a trigger from 2310, which is received and measured by the UE during the periodic DL monitoring window 2316. At 2318, the UE transmits an aperiodic measurement report to the SN via the PSCell based on the A-CSI-RS from 2314. At 2324, the SN transmits P-CSI-RS to the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 2326. At 2328, the UE transmits periodic measurement reports to the SN via PSCell based on the P-CSI-RS from 2324. At 2330, the SN transmits control information (e.g., beam information, timing information, power control information, etc.), which is received by the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 2332. In this case, the control information at 2330 includes an SCG sleep deactivation command. At 2334, the SCG exits sleep mode. At 2336, the UE transmits an exit sleep confirmation (ACK) to the SN. At 2338, the UE exchanges data traffic on the SCG's PSCell and SCell.

[0158] refer to Figure 22-23 In some designs, the signal may include periodic measurement reports (e.g., reports of measurements from P-CSI-RS of PSCell, such as 2308 or 2328) or periodic SRS (e.g., see below). Figure 24In some designs, the at least one downlink transmit beam is determined based on the following: beams associated with the System Synchronization Block (SSB), the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status signaled in connection with a previous P-CSI-RS measurement, or the default downlink transmit beam.

[0159] refer to Figure 22-23 In the case of periodic measurements during SCG sleep, the UE can wake up in each measurement cycle using (e.g.) DL TX beams to monitor P-CSI, which are obtained by using the following:

[0160] SSB beam,

[0161] The TCI status is signaled in the parameter change message (from a previous CSI measurement).

[0162] Default beam (e.g., if there is no TCI field in the DCI and the scheduling offset is greater than the threshold PDSCH default beam, then the PDSCH beam follows the scheduling PDCCH beam, and the PDCCH default beam will be the SSB beam).

[0163] After the measurement, periodic measurement reports are transmitted using the UL TX beam (e.g., in 2308, 2328, etc.), for example:

[0164] If a beam correspondence exists, the uplink TX beam is derived from the (various) DL TX beams based on the CSI-RS, which serves as the QCL source.

[0165] If no beam correspondence exists, the uplink TX beam can be determined using measurements (e.g., specifically using DMRS in the measurement report). For the first measurement report (e.g., as shown in 2308), the UE can sweep the UL Tx beam across multiple time slots (multiple measurement reports). The gNB receives the measurement report on the uplink that finds the optimal UL RX beam and sends the signal of the optimal UL spatial relationship back to the UE in the SRI in the parameter change message.

[0166] If no corresponding beam exists and the UL beam is not signaled, the uplink TX beam follows the UL default beam, which is the TCI state of the CORSET with the lowest ID.

[0167] In other words, in some periodic measurement designs, if there is a beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam, the uplink transmit beam is determined based on the at least one downlink transmit beam; or if there is no beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam, the uplink transmit beam is determined based on the SRI; or if there is no beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam and the uplink transmit beam is not signaled via the SRI, the uplink transmit beam is determined as the default uplink transmit beam.

[0168] Reference Figure 22-23 In some designs, the gNB can send parameter updates with or without aperiodic measurement triggering. In other designs, periodic measurements are sent if needed to ensure beam updates for each time period.

[0169] refer to Figure 22-23 In some designs, for non-periodic measurements, non-periodic measurement triggers (e.g.) Figure 23 (2310) will include offsets. For SCG cells (e.g., PSCell and / or SCells), the DL TX beams can be based on the last signaled TCI state or the default beam (if no signaled state was given). For UL TX beams, the UE can use the spatial relationships signaled in the SRI. If there is no signaled spatial relationship and beam correspondence, the UE TX beam will follow the DL TX beams determined according to A-CSI measurements. Otherwise, we use the UL default beam. In some designs, the gNB only sends DL information to the UE as a response to periodic measurements / reports (e.g., to minimize time spent in downlink monitoring). Accordingly, in some non-periodic measurement designs, if there is a beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam and the uplink transmit beam, then the uplink transmit beam is determined based on the at least one downlink transmit beam; or if there is a beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam and the uplink transmit beam, then the uplink transmit beam is signaled from the SRI; or if there is no beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam and the uplink transmit beam is not signaled via the SRI, then the uplink transmit beam is determined as the default uplink transmit beam. In some designs, the at least one downlink transmit beam is based on a beam associated with a system synchronization block (SSB) or is signaled by the SRI.

[0170] Figure 24 Explaining the various aspects based on this disclosure Figure 22 An example implementation of process 2200 is 2400. At 2402, the SCG associated with the UE is in a dormant state. At 2404, the SN transmits an SSB to the UE on the PSCell during a periodic DL monitoring window 2406. At 2408, the UE transmits N P-SRSs to the SN via the PSCell. For example, the N P-SRSs can be beam-sweeped across at least one candidate uplink transmit beam on multiple symbols or time slots. At 2410, the SN transmits control information (e.g., beam information, timing information, power control information, etc.) and triggers for performing aperiodic measurement procedures (e.g., A-SRS transmissions on the PSCell), which are received by the UE on the PSCell during a periodic DL monitoring window 2412. In some designs, the control information at 2410 may include an SRI that specifies a particular uplink transmit beam for the PSCell (e.g., for measurement reporting, SRS, etc.). In some designs, the beam sweep at 2408 for UL Tx beam determination can be performed when entering SCG sleep mode. In some designs, the beam sweep at 2408 for UL Tx beam determination can be performed periodically during SCG sleep mode (e.g., to refresh the UL Tx beam), or it can be performed on demand during SCG sleep mode. At 2414, the SN transmits an SSB to the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 2416. At 2418, the UE transmits an A-SRS on the SCell(s) based on a trigger from 2410, which is received and measured by the SCell(s). At 2420, the SN transmits control information (e.g., beam information, timing information, power control information, etc.) which is received by the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 2422. At 2424, the SN transmits an SSB to the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 2426. At 2428, the UE transmits P-SRS (e.g., using a Tx beam selected based on SSB) to the SN via the PSCell. At 2430, the SN transmits control information (e.g., beam information, timing information, power control information, etc.), which is received by the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 2432. In this case, the control information at 2430 includes an SCG sleep deactivation command. At 2434, the SCG exits sleep. At 2436, the UE transmits an exit sleep acknowledgment (ACK) to the SN. At 2438, the UE exchanges data traffic on the SCG's cells (e.g., the PSCell and / or the SCells).

[0171] refer to Figure 22 and 24 In some designs, for UL TX beams, for example:

[0172] For each of the first transmissions, multiple P-SRSs will be sent to the gNB, and the gNB will respond with a parameter change message in response to the UL spatial relationship signaled in the SRI.

[0173] If there is no spatial relationship notified by a signal and there is beam correspondence, then the UE uses the (multiple) DL TX beams that are coexisting with the SSB as the source, and

[0174] Otherwise, the UE follows the UL Tx default / common beam.

[0175] For DL ​​TX beams, for example, the QCL source of the downlink beam is the SSB, so the UE uses the SSB to determine the DL TX beam(s). The SSB can be measured before SRS transmission, but this is not necessary.

[0176] refer to Figure 22 and Figure 24 In some designs, the gNB can indicate the opportunities for beam management during P-SRS transmissions and subsequent messages. In some designs, P-SRS periodicity can be selected, such that the RX / TX beams remain relatively constant during that period. In some designs, beam management is not performed on the SCell because SRS is transmitted on the PSCell. In some designs, UE DL monitoring opportunities can be tied to P-SRS transmissions.

[0177] Figure 25 Explaining the various aspects based on this disclosure Figure 22 Example implementation of process 2200. (Compared to...) Figure 23-24 Unlike other embodiments, this one does not configure either P-CSI-RS or P-SRS.

[0178] At 2502, the SCG associated with the UE is in a dormant state. At 2504, the SN transmits an SSB to the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 2506. 2504-2506 may then be repeated multiple times while the SCG remains dormant. At 2508, the SN transmits an SSB to the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 2510. At 2512, the SN further transmits control information (e.g., beam information, timing information, power control information, etc.) and triggers for performing non-periodic measurement procedures (e.g., A-CSI-RS measurement / reporting), which are also received by the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 2510. At 2514, the SN transmits A-CSI-RS on (e.g., PSCell and / or (e.g., SCell) based on the trigger from 2512, which is received and measured by the UE during the periodic DL monitoring window 2516. At 2518, the UE transmits N non-periodic measurement reports to the SN via the PSCell based on the A-CSI-RS from 2514. For example, the N periodic measurement reports can be beam-scanned across at least one candidate uplink transmit beam on multiple symbols or time slots. At 2520, the SN transmits control information (e.g., beam information, timing information, power control information, etc.) which is received by the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 2522. In some designs, the control information at 2520 may include an SRI that designates a specific uplink transmit beam for the PSCell (e.g., for measurement reports, SRS, etc.). In some designs, the beam sweep for UL Tx beam determination at 2520 can be performed upon entering SCG sleep mode. In some designs, the beam sweep for UL Tx beam determination at 2518 can be performed periodically during SCG sleep mode (e.g., to refresh the UL Tx beam) or on demand during SCG sleep mode. At 2524, the SN transmits the SSB to the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 2526. At this time, 2520-2524 can be repeated for a period of time during the SCG sleep period.

[0179] At 2528, the SN determines that it wants to exit SCG sleep mode. At 2530, the SN transmits an SSB to the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 2532. At 2534, the SN further transmits control information (e.g., beam information, timing information, power control information, etc.) and triggers for performing non-periodic measurement procedures (e.g., A-CSI-RS measurement / reporting), which are also received by the UE on the PSCell during the periodic DL monitoring window 2532. In this case, the control information at 2534 includes an SCG sleep mode deactivation command. At 2536, the SCG exits sleep mode. At 2538, the UE transmits an exit sleep confirmation (ACK) to the SN. At 2540, the UE exchanges data traffic on the SCG's cellular cells (e.g., PSCell and / or (various) SCells).

[0180] Reference Figure 22 and Figure 25 In some designs, the UE monitors the SSB and DL channel (PDCCH / PDSCH) during the periodic DL monitoring window. In some designs, non-periodic measurement triggers and configurations can be sent to the UE during the DL monitoring window and bound to periodic SSB monitoring. In some designs, the DL TX beam is set based on periodic SSB measurements or SRI beam updates signaled due to measurement CSI-RS reports. In some designs, the UL TX beam is set as follows:

[0181] In the presence of beam correspondence, the UL TX beam follows the (various) DL TX beams.

[0182] In the absence of a corresponding signal, the UE sends multiple PUCCHs, the gNB determines the optimal UL beam and notifies the UE in the SRI, or

[0183] If there is no corresponding beam and no SRI transmitted via PUCCH, the UE relies on the default / common beam.

[0184] Figure 26 A summary is described according to one aspect of this disclosure. Figure 22-25 Table 2600 shows various aspects of beam management.

[0185] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and skills. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the above description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or light particles, or any combination thereof.

[0186] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability between hardware and software, the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are described above in a generalized manner in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be construed as departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0187] The various illustrative logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented or executed using a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in alternatives, it may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors cooperating with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0188] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of both. The software module may reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor such that the processor can read and write information from / to the storage medium. In an alternative, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor. The processor and storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., a UE). In an alternative, the processor and storage medium may reside as discrete components in the user terminal.

[0189] In one or more exemplary aspects, the described functionality may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functionality may be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on or through a computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another. A storage medium may be any available medium accessible to a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disc storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and is accessible to a computer. Similarly, any connection is also legitimately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then such coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. As used in this article, disks and discs include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital multi-purpose discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs. Disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of these should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0190] While the foregoing disclosure has illustrated illustrative aspects of this disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps, and / or actions in the method claims according to the aspects of this disclosure described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of this disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, pluralism is also contemplated unless explicitly stated to be limited to the singular.

Claims

1. A method for operating a user equipment (UE), comprising: When the subcell group SCG is associated with a dormant state, it receives at least one downlink transmit beam associated with at least one cell in the SCG; When the SCG is associated with the dormant state, the uplink transmit beam of the primary and secondary cells PSCell of the SCG is determined based on one or more of the following: Spatial Relationship Indication (SRI), whether there is a beam correspondence between the at least one downlink transmit beam and the uplink transmit beam, the default uplink transmit beam, or a combination thereof. Transmit measurement-related signals between the UE and at least one cell in the SCG via the determined uplink transmit beam; The method further includes performing the following operations as part of or before determining the uplink transmit beam: When the SCG is associated with the sleep state, the message beam is swept to the PSCell by transmitting a beam across at least one candidate uplink through multiple symbols or time slots. as well as In response to the beam sweep, a Spatial Relationship Indication (SRI) for a specified uplink transmit beam is received, wherein the received SRI is used to determine the uplink transmit beam of the PSCell.

2. The method as described in claim 1, The at least one of the cellular cells includes the PSCell, or The at least one cellular cell mentioned above includes one or more sub-cellular cells (SCells) in the SCG, or Its combination.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal includes a periodic measurement report or a periodic breakthrough reference signal P-SRS.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one downlink transmit beam is associated with a periodic channel state information reference signal P-CSI-RS that monitors the PSCell.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one downlink transmit beam is determined based on: a beam associated with a system synchronization block (SSB), a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state associated with a previous P-CSI-RS measurement, or a default downlink transmit beam.

6. The method as described in claim 3, Wherein, if there is a beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam, then the uplink transmit beam is determined based on the at least one downlink transmit beam, or If there is no beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam, then the uplink transmit beam is determined based on the received SRI, or If there is no beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam, and the uplink transmit beam is not notified via the received SRI signal, then the uplink transmit beam is determined as the default uplink transmit beam.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the beam sweep message includes a measurement report or a probe reference signal (SRS).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal includes an aperiodic measurement report or an aperiodic probe reference signal A-SRS.

9. The method as described in claim 8, If there is a beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam, then the uplink transmit beam is determined based on the at least one downlink transmit beam. If there is a beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the downlink transmit beam and the uplink transmit beam, then the received SRI signals the uplink transmit beam, or If there is no beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam, and the uplink transmit beam is not notified via the received SRI signal, then the uplink transmit beam is determined as the default uplink transmit beam.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the beam sweep message includes a measurement report or a probe reference signal (SRS).

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the downlink transmit beam is based on a beam associated with the system synchronization block (SSB) or is signaled by the SRI.

12. A user equipment (UE), comprising: A means for receiving at least one downlink transmit beam associated with at least one cell in a subcell group (SCG) when the SCG is associated with a dormant state; A means for determining the uplink transmit beam of the primary and secondary cells (PSCells) of an SCG when the SCG is associated with the dormant state, based on one or more of the following: Spatial Relationship Indication (SRI), whether there is a beam correspondence between the downlink transmit beam and the uplink transmit beam, a default uplink transmit beam, or a combination thereof. A means for transmitting measurement-related signals between the UE and at least one cell in the SCG on a determined uplink transmit beam; The UE further includes: A means for sweeping a message beam across at least one candidate uplink transmit beam using multiple symbols or time slots to the PSCell when the SCG is associated with the sleep state; and A means for receiving a spatial relationship indication (SRI) of a specified uplink transmit beam in response to the beam sweep, wherein the received SRI is used by means for determining the uplink transmit beam of the PSCell.

13. The UE as described in claim 12, The at least one of the cellular cells includes the PSCell, or The at least one cellular cell mentioned above includes one or more sub-cellular cells (SCells) in the SCG, or Its combination.

14. The UE of claim 12, wherein the signal includes a periodic measurement report or a periodic probe reference signal P-SRS.

15. The UE of claim 14, wherein the at least one downlink transmit beam is associated with a periodic channel state information reference signal P-CSI-RS that monitors the PSCell.

16. The UE of claim 15, wherein the at least one downlink transmit beam is determined based on: a beam associated with a system synchronization block (SSB), a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state associated with a previous P-CSI-RS measurement, or a default downlink transmit beam.

17. The UE as described in claim 14, Wherein, if there is a beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam, then the uplink transmit beam is determined based on the at least one downlink transmit beam, or If there is no beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam, then the uplink transmit beam is determined based on the received SRI, or If there is no beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam, and the uplink transmit beam is not notified via the received SRI signal, then the uplink transmit beam is determined as the default uplink transmit beam.

18. The UE of claim 17, wherein the beam sweep message includes a measurement report or a probe reference signal (SRS).

19. The UE of claim 12, wherein the signal includes an aperiodic measurement report or an aperiodic probe reference signal A-SRS.

20. The UE as claimed in claim 19, If there is a beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the downlink transmit beam, then the uplink transmit beam is determined based on the at least one downlink transmit beam. If there is a beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam and the uplink transmit beam, then the received SRI signals the uplink transmit beam, or If there is no beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam, and the uplink transmit beam is not notified via the received SRI signal, then the uplink transmit beam is determined as the default uplink transmit beam.

21. The UE of claim 20, wherein the beam sweep message includes a measurement report or a probe reference signal (SRS).

22. The UE of claim 19, wherein the at least one downlink transmit beam is based on a beam associated with a system synchronization block (SSB) or is signaled by the SRI.

23. A user equipment (UE), comprising: Memory; At least one transceiver; as well as At least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to perform the following operations: When the subcell group SCG is associated with a dormant state, it receives at least one downlink transmit beam associated with at least one cell in the SCG; When the SCG is associated with the dormant state, the uplink transmit beam of the primary and secondary cells PSCell of the SCG is determined based on one or more of the following: Spatial Relationship Indicator (SRI), whether there is a beam correspondence between the downlink transmit beam and the uplink transmit beam, the default uplink transmit beam, or a combination thereof. as well as Transmit measurement-related signals between the UE and at least one cell in the SCG on the determined uplink transmit beam; The at least one processor is further configured to perform the following operations as part of or before determining the uplink transmit beam: When the SCG is associated with the sleep state, the message beam is swept to the PSCell by transmitting a beam across at least one candidate uplink through multiple symbols or time slots. as well as In response to the beam sweep, a Spatial Relationship Indication (SRI) for a specified uplink transmit beam is received, wherein the received SRI is used to determine the uplink transmit beam of the PSCell.

24. The UE as claimed in claim 23, The at least one of the cellular cells includes the PSCell, or The at least one cellular cell mentioned above includes one or more sub-cellular cells (SCells) in the SCG, or Its combination.

25. The UE of claim 23, wherein the signal includes a periodic measurement report or a periodic breakthrough reference signal P-SRS.

26. The UE of claim 25, wherein the at least one downlink transmit beam is associated with a periodic channel state information reference signal P-CSI-RS that monitors the PSCell.

27. The UE of claim 26, wherein the at least one downlink transmit beam is determined based on: a beam associated with a system synchronization block (SSB), a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state associated with a previous P-CSI-RS measurement, or a default downlink transmit beam.

28. The UE as described in claim 25, If there is a beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the downlink transmit beam, then the uplink transmit beam is determined based on the at least one downlink transmit beam, or If there is no beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the downlink transmit beam, then the uplink transmit beam is determined based on the received SRI, or If there is no beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the downlink transmit beam, and the uplink transmit beam is not notified via the received SRI signal, then the uplink transmit beam is determined as the default uplink transmit beam.

29. The UE of claim 28, wherein the beam sweep message includes a measurement report or a probe reference signal (SRS).

30. The UE of claim 23, wherein the signal includes an aperiodic measurement report or an aperiodic probe reference signal A-SRS.

31. The UE as described in claim 30, If there is a beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam, then the uplink transmit beam is determined based on the at least one downlink transmit beam. If there is a beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam and the uplink transmit beam, then the received SRI signals the uplink transmit beam, or If there is no beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam, and the uplink transmit beam is not notified via the received SRI signal, then the uplink transmit beam is determined as the default uplink transmit beam.

32. The UE of claim 31, wherein the beam sweep message includes a measurement report or a probe reference signal (SRS).

33. The UE of claim 30, wherein the at least one downlink transmit beam is based on a beam associated with a system synchronization block (SSB) or is signaled by the SRI.

34. A non-transient computer-readable medium containing instructions stored thereon for equipping a user with at least one processor in a UE: When the subcell group SCG is associated with a dormant state, it receives at least one downlink transmit beam associated with at least one cell in the SCG; When the SCG is associated with the dormant state, the uplink transmit beam of the primary and secondary cells PSCell of the SCG is determined based on one or more of the following: Spatial Relationship Indicator (SRI), whether there is a beam correspondence between the downlink transmit beam and the uplink transmit beam, the default uplink transmit beam, or a combination thereof. Transmit measurement-related signals between the UE and at least one cell in the SCG on the determined uplink transmit beam; The instructions further cause the at least one processor to perform the following operations as part of or before the determination of the uplink transmit beam: When the SCG is associated with the sleep state, the message beam is swept to the PSCell by transmitting a beam across at least one candidate uplink through multiple symbols or time slots. as well as In response to the beam sweep, a Spatial Relationship Indication (SRI) for a specified uplink transmit beam is received, wherein the received SRI is used to determine the uplink transmit beam of the PSCell.

35. The non-transient computer-readable medium as described in claim 34, The at least one of the cellular cells includes the PSCell, or The at least one cellular cell mentioned above includes one or more sub-cellular cells (SCells) in the SCG, or Its combination.

36. The non-transient computer-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the signal includes a periodic measurement report or a periodic probe reference signal P-SRS.

37. The non-transient computer-readable medium of claim 36, wherein the at least one downlink transmit beam is associated with a periodic channel state information reference signal P-CSI-RS that monitors the PSCell.

38. The non-transient computer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the at least one downlink transmit beam is determined based on: a beam associated with a system synchronization block (SSB), a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state associated with a previous P-CSI-RS measurement, or a default downlink transmit beam.

39. The non-transient computer-readable medium as described in claim 36, Wherein, if there is a beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam, then the uplink transmit beam is determined based on the at least one downlink transmit beam, or If there is no beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam, then the uplink transmit beam is determined based on the received SRI, or If there is no beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam, and the uplink transmit beam is not notified via the received SRI signal, then the uplink transmit beam is determined as the default uplink transmit beam.

40. The non-transient computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the beamsweep message includes a measurement report or a probe reference signal (SRS).

41. The non-transient computer-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the signal includes an aperiodic measurement report or an aperiodic probe reference signal A-SRS.

42. The non-transient computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 41, If there is a beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam, then the uplink transmit beam is determined based on the at least one downlink transmit beam. If there is a beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam and the uplink transmit beam, then the received SRI signals the uplink transmit beam, or If there is no beam correspondence between the uplink transmit beam and the at least one downlink transmit beam, and the uplink transmit beam is not notified via the received SRI signal, then the uplink transmit beam is determined as the default uplink transmit beam.

43. The non-transient computer-readable medium of claim 42, wherein the beamsweep message includes a measurement report or a probe reference signal (SRS).

44. The non-transient computer-readable medium of claim 41, wherein the at least one downlink transmit beam is based on a beam associated with a system synchronization block (SSB) or is signaled by the SRI.

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