Method and apparatus for inter-band DL / UL beam correspondence testing

Abstract

An embodiment method is provided for testing whether a UE supports inter-band beam correspondence between two different frequency bands. In one embodiment, a tester transmits a reference signal (RS) to the UE in a first frequency band and receives signals from the UE via multiple UE transmit beams in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band. The tester selects a beam from the multiple UE transmit beams that corresponds to an effective isotropic radiated power that meets a predetermined criterion and determines that the UE supports inter-band beam correspondence between the first frequency band and the second frequency band when the selected beam meets a minimum peak EIRP requirement and a spherical coverage requirement in the second frequency band.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and in particular embodiments, to a method and apparatus for inter-band downlink (DL) / uplink (UL) beam correspondence testing. Background Art

[0002] In next-generation wireless communications, such as 5G new radio (NR), high-frequency carriers, such as millimeter wave (mmWave) carriers, are used to provide high-data-rate wireless communications. Beamforming techniques are employed to combat the path loss experienced by communications using high frequencies, wherein multiple high-gain transmit and / or receive beams are formed in different angular directions and possibly at different time slots for transmitting and receiving wireless signals. Beam management procedures are also defined and used to manage the beamforming process. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Technical advantages are generally achieved by embodiments of the present disclosure describing a method and apparatus for inter-band downlink (DL) / uplink (UL) beam correspondence testing.

[0004] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided, the method including: a device sending a first signal to a user equipment (UE) in a first frequency band through a first transmit beam; the device receiving multiple signals from the UE in a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band, the multiple signals being sent by the UE in the second frequency band through multiple UE transmit beams; measuring the effective isotropic radiation power (EIRP) of the multiple signals; based on the measured EIRP, determining that a second signal from the multiple signals has a measured EIRP that meets a predetermined standard, the second signal being sent by the UE through a second transmit beam of the multiple UE transmit beams; and when the second transmit beam meets a minimum peak EIRP requirement and a spherical coverage requirement in the second frequency band, determining that the UE supports inter-band beam correspondence between the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

[0005] This makes it possible to determine whether the UE supports inter-band beam correspondence between different frequency bands and provides a mechanism for ensuring the UE's capability of inter-band beam correspondence between different frequency bands.

[0006] Optionally, in any of the aforementioned aspects, the number of the multiple UE transmit beams is related to the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

[0007] Optionally, in any preceding aspect, the number is based on a predefined mapping between the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

[0008] Optionally, in any preceding aspect, the number is based on a formula related to the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

[0009] Optionally, in any of the preceding aspects, the number satisfies:

[0010]

[0011] Among them, K bc is the number of UE transmit beams, F1_low represents the lowest frequency of the first frequency band, F2_low represents the lowest frequency of the second frequency band, F1_high represents the highest frequency of the first frequency band, F2_high represents the highest frequency of the second frequency band, and α is a constant.

[0012] Optionally, in any of the preceding aspects, the number satisfies:

[0013]

[0014] Among them, K bc is the number of UE transmit beams, F1_low represents the lowest frequency of the first frequency band, F2_high represents the highest frequency of the second frequency band, and α is a constant.

[0015] Optionally, in any of the aforementioned aspects, the first frequency band and the second frequency band have a frequency difference greater than a threshold.

[0016] Optionally, in any of the aforementioned aspects, the EIRP of the second signal satisfying the predetermined criterion includes: the EIRP of the second signal is the largest among the EIRPs of the multiple signals.

[0017] Optionally, in any of the aforementioned aspects, the method further includes: when the second transmit beam fails to meet the minimum peak EIRP requirement or the spherical coverage requirement in the second frequency band, the device generates a report indicating that the UE needs calibration corresponding to the inter-band beam.

[0018] Optionally, in any of the aforementioned aspects, the method further includes: when the second transmit beam meets the minimum peak EIRP requirement and the spherical coverage requirement in the second frequency band, the device generates a report indicating that the UE passes the calibration test corresponding to the inter-band beam.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided, comprising: a device sending a plurality of reference signals (RSs) to a user equipment (UE) in a first frequency band; the device receiving a first report from the UE, the first report including measurement results of the plurality of RSs performed by the UE; the device configuring transmission of a second RS in the second frequency band based on the first report, the second RS being quasi-colocated with a first RS of the plurality of RSs in the first frequency band according to quasi-colocated (QCL) type D, the first RS corresponding to a resource indicator included in the first report, and the second frequency band being higher than the first frequency band; the device sending the second RS to the UE in the second frequency band; the device configuring an uplink sounding reference signal (SRS) for the UE in the second frequency band. signal, SRS), the SRS having a spatial relationship with the second RS; the device receives an uplink SRS from the UE in the second frequency band; and when a beam of the SRS carrying the received uplink SRS meets the minimum peak EIRP requirement or the spherical coverage requirement in the second frequency band, the device determines that the UE supports inter-band beam correspondence between the first frequency band and the second frequency band, and the SRS has an effective isotropic radiation power (EIRP) that meets a predetermined standard.

[0020] This makes it possible to determine whether the UE supports inter-band beam correspondence between different frequency bands and provides a mechanism for ensuring the UE's capability of inter-band beam correspondence between different frequency bands.

[0021] Optionally, in any of the aforementioned aspects, the multiple RSs include a synchronization signal block (SSB).

[0022] Optionally, in any of the aforementioned aspects, the multiple RSs include a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0023] Optionally, in any of the aforementioned aspects, the first frequency band and the second frequency band have a frequency difference greater than a threshold.

[0024] Optionally, in any of the aforementioned aspects, the first report includes layer 1 received signal received power (L1-RSRP) or layer 1 signal to noise plus interference ratio (L1 SINR).

[0025] Optionally, in any of the aforementioned aspects, the first report includes a CSI-RS resource indicator (CSI-RSresource indicator, CRI) and / or an SSB resource indicator (SSB resource indicator, SSBRI).

[0026] Optionally, in any of the aforementioned aspects, the second RS includes a CSI-RS.

[0027] Optionally, in any of the aforementioned aspects, the method further includes: the device configuring a transmission quantity of CSI-RS, which quantity is less than a threshold.

[0028] Optionally, in any of the aforementioned aspects, the method further includes: when the beam fails to meet the minimum peak EIRP requirement or the spherical coverage requirement in the second frequency band, the device generates a report indicating that the UE needs to support calibration corresponding to the inter-band beam.

[0029] Optionally, in any of the aforementioned aspects, the method further includes: when the beam meets the minimum peak EIRP requirement and the spherical coverage requirement in the second frequency band, the device generates a report indicating that the UE passes the calibration test corresponding to the inter-band beam.

[0030] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus comprising: a non-transitory memory comprising instructions; and one or more processors in communication with the memory, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of the foregoing aspects.

[0031] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause a device to perform the method in any of the aforementioned aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0033] Figure 1 A diagram illustrating an embodiment of a communication network;

[0034] Figure 2 A diagram showing an embodiment arrangement for testing a UE's ability to support inter-band beam correspondence;

[0035] Figure 3 A diagram illustrating an embodiment method for testing a UE's ability to support inter-band beam correspondence;

[0036] Figure 4 A diagram illustrating another embodiment method for testing a UE's ability to support inter-band beam correspondence;

[0037] Figure 5 A flow chart illustrating an embodiment method for testing a UE's ability to support inter-band beam correspondence is shown;

[0038] Figure 6 A flow chart illustrating another embodiment method for testing a UE's ability to support inter-band beam correspondence is shown;

[0039] Figure 7 A block diagram illustrating an embodiment processing system; and

[0040] Figure 8 A block diagram of an embodiment transceiver suitable for sending and receiving signaling over a telecommunications network is shown.

[0041] Corresponding numerals and symbols in the different figures generally refer to corresponding parts unless otherwise indicated.The figures are drawn to clearly illustrate the relevant aspects of the embodiments and are not necessarily drawn to scale. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The following describes in detail the making and using of embodiments of the present invention. However, it should be understood that the concepts disclosed herein can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts, and that the specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims. Furthermore, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

[0043] User equipment (UE) can be configured to communicate in multiple frequency bands, where beamforming technology is used for communication in multiple frequency bands. Depending on the UE's ability to support inter-band beam correspondence between two frequency bands, the UE can determine beam-related information for one frequency band based on beam information for another frequency band. This helps facilitate UE beam management, such as beam link pairing, especially when the frequency bands involved are higher, such as in the millimeter wave band. Therefore, it is expected to ensure that the UE supports inter-band beam correspondence before it leaves the factory.

[0044] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for testing whether a UE supports inter-band beam correspondence between a first frequency band and a second frequency band, where the second frequency band is higher than the first frequency band. If the UE is able to determine one or more UE transmit (Tx) beams for uplink transmission in the second frequency band based on measurement results of signals received by the UE in the first frequency band, such that the UE Tx beams in the second frequency band meet beam correspondence requirements in the second frequency band, then the UE supports inter-band beam correspondence. Details of the embodiments are provided below.

[0045] Figure 1A network 100 for transmitting data is shown. Network 100 includes a base station 110 having a coverage area 101, multiple user equipment (UE) 120, and a backhaul network 130. As shown, base station 110 establishes uplink (dashed line) and / or downlink (dotted line) connections with UE 120, which are used to carry data from UE 120 to base station 110 and vice versa. The data carried by the uplink / downlink connections can include data transmitted between UEs 120, as well as data transmitted to / from a remote location (not shown) via backhaul network 130. As used herein, the term “base station” refers to any component (or collection of components) for providing wireless access to a network, such as a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNB), a next generation (NG) Node B (gNB), a master eNB (MeNB), a secondary eNB (SeNB), a master gNB (MgNB), a secondary gNB (SgNB), a network controller, a control node, an access node, an access point, a transmission point (TP), a transmission-reception point (TRP), a cell, a carrier, a macro cell, a femto cell, a pico cell, a relay, a customer premises equipment (CPE), a Wi-Fi access point (AP), or other wireless enabling device. The base station can provide wireless access according to one or more wireless communication protocols, such as long term evolution (LTE), LTE advanced (LTE-A), high speed packet access (HSPA), WI-FI 802.11a / b / g / n / ac, etc. As used herein, the term "user equipment" refers to any component (or collection of components) capable of establishing a wireless connection with a base station. UE may also be generally referred to as a mobile station, mobile device, mobile station, terminal, user, subscriber, station, communication device, CPE, relay, Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) relay, etc. Note that when relays (relay-based, pico, CPE, etc.), especially multi-hop relays, are used, the boundary between the controller and the node controlled by the controller may become blurred, and a dual-node (e.g., controller or node controlled by the controller) deployment of a first node that provides configuration or control information to a second node is regarded as a controller.Likewise, the concepts of UL and DL transmissions may also be expanded. In some embodiments, the network 100 may include various other wireless devices, such as relays, low power nodes, and the like.

[0046] The network 100 can provide wireless communications over a single carrier or over an aggregation of different component carriers (i.e., carrier aggregation). The different component carriers can be in different frequency bands or in the same frequency band. The network 100 can be configured to operate in one or more frequency bands, such as the Sub-6 GHz band spanning 450 MHz to 6 GHz, the millimeter wave band spanning 24.250 GHz to 52.600 GHz, the 60 GHz band, and / or unlicensed spectrum.

[0047] Typically, communications using low frequencies can provide large coverage and robust connections, but the data rate is relatively low, while communications using high frequencies can provide high data rates due to the large bandwidth of the high frequencies. However, high-frequency communications suffer from large path losses (and thus, provide small coverage). To address this problem, beamforming technology is employed, in which multiple high-gain transmit and / or receive beams are formed for transmitting and receiving wireless signals. Each beam may only cover a small area in an angular direction. These beams may be referred to as directional beams. As a result, the transmission performed by the formed beams becomes highly directional, and alignment of the transmit and receive beams is required. Beamforming can be used to simulate omnidirectional transmission or transmission covering a large area within an angular range by forming multiple beams in different directions, possibly at different time slots. In high-frequency communications, a large number of antenna elements, such as antenna arrays, are required to bring sufficient transmit / receive gain.

[0048] A base station may transmit beamformed signals on one or more downlink (DL) beams of the base station (also referred to as transmit (Tx) beams of the base station). A UE may receive signals on one or more DL beams of the UE (also referred to as receive (Rx) beams of the UE). The DL beam of the base station used for transmitting signals (i.e., Tx beam) and the DL beam of the UE used for receiving signals (i.e., Rx beam) form a beam pair or beam link pair (also referred to as a DL beam pair). Similarly, the UE may transmit beamformed signals on one or more uplink (UL) beams of the UE (also referred to as Tx beams of the UE). The base station may receive signals on one or more UL beams of the base station (also referred to as Rx beams of the base station). The UL beam of the UE used for transmitting signals and the UL beam of the base station used for receiving signals form a beam pair or beam link pair (also referred to as a UL beam pair). In some cases, the DL beam pair and the UL beam pair may be the same (e.g., may represent the same beam pair). In other cases, there may be a distinction between DL beam pairs and UL beam pairs.

[0049] Beam management can be performed to manage the beamforming process at the UE side or the base station (e.g., TRP) side. rd The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) technical report (TR) 38.802 V14.2.0 (2017-09), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, defines beam management in NR as (see Section 6.1.6.1):

[0050] A set of L1 / L2 procedures for acquiring and maintaining a set of TRPs and / or UE beams that can be used for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmission / reception, including at least the following aspects:

[0051] -Beam determination: For a TRP or UE, select its own Tx / Rx beam.

[0052] -Beamform measurement: For TRP or UE, measures the characteristics of the received beamformed signal

[0053] -Beam reporting: For UE, reports information about beamformed signals based on beam measurement results

[0054] - Beam scanning: operation covering a spatial area, beams being transmitted and / or received during time intervals in a predetermined manner.

[0055] In NR, beam mapping is introduced to take advantage of the uplink and downlink reciprocity of beamforming channels. According to 3GPP38.802V14.2.0 (2017-09), the Tx / Rx beam mapping at the TRP and the UE is defined as follows:

[0056] - The Tx / Rx beam correspondence at the TRP is maintained if at least one of the following is true:

[0057] -TRP is able to determine the TRP Rx beam for uplink reception based on the UE's downlink measurements of one or more Tx beams of the TRP.

[0058] -TRP is able to determine the TRP Tx beam for downlink transmission based on the TRP's uplink measurements of one or more Rx beams of the TRP.

[0059] - The Tx / Rx beam correspondence at the UE is maintained if at least one of the following is satisfied:

[0060] -The UE is able to determine the UE Tx beam to use for uplink transmission based on the UE's downlink measurements of one or more UE Rx beams.

[0061] -The UE is able to determine the UE Rx beam for downlink reception based on the indication of TRP based on uplink measurements of one or more Tx beams of the UE.

[0062] - Supports the capability indication of UE beam corresponding related information for TRP.

[0063] The higher the carrier frequency used in the network, the narrower the beamwidth of the formed beams, and the greater the number of beams required to provide the desired communication coverage. This makes beam management, such as beam link pairing, more challenging. For example, to pair 1024 transmit beams and 256 receive beams, 262,144 beam pairs need to be scanned. This consumes UE resources and places a heavy burden on the UE. It is desirable to configure UEs with the capability to support beam pairing to reduce UE overhead in beam management.

[0064] A UE supports beam mapping when it meets the beam mapping requirement. According to 3GPP 38.101-2, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, the beam mapping requirement for power class 3 UEs consists of three components: UE minimum peak EIRP (as defined in clause 6.2.1.3), UE spherical coverage (as defined in clause 6.2.1.3), and beam mapping tolerance (as defined in clause 6.6.4.2). As defined in TS 38.306, based on the UE's beam mapping capability, the beam mapping requirement is met if the UE meets one of the following conditions:

[0065] - If [bit -1], the UE shall meet the minimum peak EIRP requirement according to Table 6.2.1.3-1 and the spherical coverage requirement according to Table 6.2.1.3-3 with its autonomously selected UL beam and without uplink beam scanning. Such a UE is considered to meet the beam correspondence tolerance requirement.

[0066] - If [bit-0], the UE shall meet the minimum peak EIRP requirements according to Table 6.2.1.3-1 and the spherical coverage requirements according to Table 6.2.1.3-3 with uplink beam scanning. Such a UE shall meet the beam correspondence tolerance requirements defined in clause 6.6.4.2 and shall support uplink beam management as defined in TS 38.306.

[0067] Whether the UE supports beam mapping can be determined by testing whether the UE meets the above beam mapping requirements. However, the beam mapping requirements are only applicable to testing whether the UE supports beam mapping within the same component carrier (CC).

[0068] The UE can be used to operate in multiple CCs in different frequency bands. In some cases, a carrier operating in a frequency band (hereinafter referred to as the second frequency band) may have a companion carrier in another frequency band (hereinafter referred to as the first frequency band) lower than the second frequency band, where the current beam management is already working. The beamforming information obtained for the first frequency band (i.e., the lower frequency band) can be used for beamforming in the second frequency band to speed up and simplify the beam link scanning process in the second frequency band. This is particularly beneficial when the two frequency bands have a large frequency gap, that is, the difference between the frequencies of the two frequency bands is large, for example, greater than a frequency threshold. Therefore, it should be understood that the UE also supports beam correspondence between different frequency bands, which is referred to as inter-band beam correspondence in this disclosure. That is, the UE has inter-band beam correspondence capability.

[0069] The UE can be manufactured to support inter-band beam correspondence, however, inter-band beam correspondence cannot be guaranteed. This may be caused by various reasons. For example, different antenna panels (or elements) are used to achieve communication in different frequency bands, especially for frequency bands with large frequency gaps, such as 15 GHz and 60 GHz. The panels can be collocated, but can be located in different positions and have different orientations. Other reasons may include the large frequency gap of the operating band, manufacturing technology, manufacturing quality, etc. Therefore, there is a need to provide a method to test whether the UE supports inter-band beam correspondence and to determine whether calibration is required so that the UE can support inter-band beam correspondence. This will provide another level of assurance for the UE's capability regarding inter-band beam correspondence.

[0070] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for determining or testing whether a UE supports inter-band beam correspondence between a first frequency band and a second frequency band, wherein the second frequency band is higher than the first frequency band. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, if the UE is able to determine one or more UE Tx beams for uplink transmission in the second frequency band based on the UE's measurement results of signals received in the first frequency band, so that the UE Tx beam in the second frequency band meets the beam correspondence requirements in the second frequency band according to 3GPP 38.101-2, then the UE supports inter-band beam correspondence. Each of the first frequency band and the second frequency band is a frequency band that uses beamforming for wireless communications in the corresponding frequency band. Example frequency bands may include 6 GHz, 8 GHz, 28 GHz, 40 GHz, and 60 GHz, etc. In the example, the first frequency band and the second frequency band have a frequency difference greater than a threshold value (e.g., 30 GHz).

[0071] Figure 2 A diagram of an embodiment arrangement 200 is shown for testing the ability of a UE to support inter-band beam correspondence between a first frequency band and a second frequency band. As shown in the figure, a device under test (DUT) 210 is located at a position where a beam can be transmitted along angles θ and The center of the freely rotating spherical chamber 220. The DUT 210 can be any UE being tested. The test equipment (also called tester) 230 is located at a fixed position in the chamber 220. When the chamber 220 rotates, the tester 230 moves to different positions relative to the DUT 210, such as position 240, thereby forming different communication directions with the DUT 210. The tester 230 is equipped with a Tx / RX antenna for communicating with the DUT 210. The tester 230 is used to generate signals for transmission in multiple frequency bands, receive signals from the DUT 210 in multiple frequency bands, and process the received signals to determine whether the DUT 210, i.e., the UE, supports inter-band beam correspondence between different frequency bands. The two frequency bands to be tested form a frequency band pair. The tester 230 can generate a report indicating the test results. The report may include information about the band pair (i.e., the first band and the second band), whether the DUT 210 supports inter-band beam correspondence for the band pair, and / or whether the DUT 210 requires calibration to enable the UE to support inter-band beam correspondence between the first band and the second band. The tester 230 may test the ability of the DUT 210 to support inter-band beam correspondence for one or more band pairs. The test for supporting inter-band beam correspondence between the first band and the second band is based on the UE supporting beam correspondence within the same band. That is, as specified in 3GPP 38.101-2, the UE has been determined or assumed to support beam correspondence in the first band and supports beam correspondence in the second band.

[0072] Figure 3 Shows the use Figure 2 A diagram of an embodiment method 300 for testing a UE's ability to support inter-band beamforming between a first frequency band and a second frequency band is shown in a test arrangement 200. In this example, analog beamforming is employed for communication between a DUT 210 and a tester 230 using the first and second frequency bands.

[0073] As shown in the figure, the tester 230 sends a signal (DL) to the DUT 210 in the first frequency band on one or more DL beams (or tester Tx beams) (step 312). The signal sent by the tester 230 can serve as a trigger for the test. The signal sent by the tester 230 can include SSB or CSI-RS. The signal can be sent similarly to the signal sent by the base station to the UE for measurement. The DUT 210 can measure the received signal and adjust one or more receive beams in the first frequency band, such as the beamforming direction, based on the measurement results, such as RSRP. The DUT 210 receives the signal sent by the tester 230 in the first frequency band and, in response, determines the number (or number) K of UL Tx beams (DUT Tx beams) used for uplink transmission (transmission to the tester 230) in the second frequency band (step 314). If the DUT 210 supports inter-band beam correspondence, the DUT 210 can determine the beamforming directions of the K UL Tx beams in the second frequency band based on the beamforming directions in the first frequency band. That is, the beamforming directions of the K UL Tx beams in the second frequency band are determined based on the DL signal measurement in the first frequency band. Therefore, based on the UL transmission of the DUT 210 on the K UL Tx beams in the second frequency band, the tester 230 can determine whether the DUT 210 supports inter-band beam correspondence between the first frequency band and the second frequency band. The DUT 210 can determine the maximum K in the second frequency band. bc UL Tx beam. That is, K≤K bc In some embodiments, K may be determined based on a mapping between the first frequency band and the second frequency band. bc In one embodiment, the mapping may be provided using a mapping table such as shown in Table 1 below. Each row of Table 1 shows a frequency band pair and a corresponding number K bc For example, the first row shows the frequency band pair {B11, B21} and the maximum number K of its ULTx beams. bc is 4. An example of the pair {B11, B21} may be {28 GHz, 60 GHz}. Another example of the frequency band pair {B12, B22} may be {6 GHz, 28 GHz}. By using the check table 1 for the first and second frequency bands to be tested, K is found. bc .

[0074] Table 1

[0075]

[0076]

[0077] In some embodiments, the mapping can be provided by a formula. For example, K bc It can be calculated as follows:

[0078]

[0079] Where F1_low represents the lowest frequency of the first frequency band, F2_low represents the lowest frequency of the second frequency band, F1_high represents the highest frequency of the first frequency band, F2_high represents the highest frequency of the second frequency band, and α is a constant. Other applicable formulas can also be used to calculate the maximum number of DUT UL Tx beams.

[0080] The DUT 210 can scan K(≤K bc ) determined UL beams, transmitting UL signals in the second frequency band (step 316). The tester 230 receives UL signals in the second frequency band on the K UL beams, measures the effective isotropic radiation power (EIRP) of the received UL signals on the K UL beams, and finds or selects the UL beam with the highest EIRP among the K UL beams (step 318). In other words, the selected UL beam carries the UL signal with the highest EIRP among the received UL signals. Selecting such a UL beam can be expressed as the following mathematical problem:

[0081]

[0082] In another example, the tester 230 may select a beam whose EIRP satisfies a threshold, eg, is greater than or equal to the threshold, among the K UL beams.

[0083] The tester 230 then determines whether the selected beam meets the beam correspondence requirement in the second frequency band according to 3GPP 38.101-2 (step 320). In the case where the DUT 210 does not support uplink beam management (i.e., the case of bit-1), if the selected beam meets the minimum peak EIRP requirement and the spherical coverage requirement without uplink beam sweeping, then the selected beam meets the beam correspondence requirement for the second frequency band, as specified in 3GPP 38.101-2 Section 6.2.1.3. In the case where the DUT 210 supports uplink beam management (i.e., the case of bit-0), if the selected beam meets the minimum peak EIRP requirement, the spherical coverage requirement, and the beam correspondence tolerance requirement with uplink beam sweeping, then the selected beam meets the beam correspondence requirement for the second frequency band, as specified in 3GPP 38.101-2 Section 6.2.1.3.

[0084] The fact that the selected beams satisfy the beam correspondence requirement in the second frequency band in step 320 indicates that the DUT 210 is capable of determining K UL beams based on the DL signal transmitted to the DUT 210 by the tester 230 in the first frequency band, that is, based on the measurement results of the DL signal transmitted by the tester 230, such that the K UL beams have a spatial relationship with the DL signal transmitted by the tester 230. Therefore, the DUT 210 supports inter-band beam correspondence between the first frequency band and the second frequency band. If the selected beams do not satisfy the beam correspondence requirement for the second frequency band, the tester 230 determines that the DUT 210 does not support inter-band beam correspondence.

[0085] The tester 230 may generate a report (step 322) based on the determination made in step 320. For example, when the selected beam does not meet the minimum peak EIRP requirement or the spherical coverage requirement in the second frequency band, the report may indicate that the DUT 210 requires calibration corresponding to the inter-band beam between the first frequency band and the second frequency band. In another example, when the selected beam meets the minimum peak EIRP requirement and the spherical coverage requirement in the second frequency band, the report may indicate that the DUT 210 passes the calibration test corresponding to the inter-band beam between the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

[0086] Figure 4 Shows the use Figure 2The test arrangement 200 shown is a diagram of another embodiment of a method 400 for testing a UE's ability to support inter-band beam correspondence between a first frequency band and a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band. As shown, the tester 230 sends multiple reference signals (RS) in the first frequency band to the DUT 210 (step 412). The RS sent by the tester 230 can serve as a trigger for the test. The RS can include a synchronization signal block (SSB) or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). The RS can be sent similarly to the signal sent by the base station to the UE for measurement. The DUT 210 performs measurements based on the received RS and generates a measurement report (step 414). The DUT 210 then sends the report to the tester 230 (step 416). The measurements of the DUT 210 can be performed according to conventional methods and configurations known in the art. For example, the DUT 210 can measure the layer 1 received signal received power (L1-RSRP) or the layer 1 signal-to-noise-and-interference ratio (L1 SINR). The measurement report may include L1-RSRP and / or L1SINR. The measurement report may include a CSI-RS resource indicator (CSI-RS resource indicator, CRI) indicating the RS resource of the CSI-RS carrying multiple RSs in the first frequency band, or an SSB resource indicator (SSBRI) indicating the RS resource of the SSB carrying multiple RSs in the first frequency band. The RS resource indicated by the CRI or SSBRI, for example, the tester Tx beam (or DL ​​Tx beam) may correspond to the best L1RSRP or L1SINR among the RS resources carrying multiple RSs in the first frequency band, or may correspond to the L1RSRP or L1SINR that meets the standard (for example, greater than a threshold).

[0087] The tester 230 receives the report and, based on the report, configures RS transmission in the second frequency band and signals the configuration (step 418). The configured RS may include a CSI-RS. The RS configured in the second frequency band may be quasi-colocated with the RS among the multiple RSs transmitted in the first frequency band in step 412 according to quasi-colocation (QCL) type D (i.e., spatial Rx parameter), and the RS among the multiple RSs transmitted in the first frequency band is carried in the DL resources reported in the report, for example, in a DL Tx beam. For example, the DL resources may be indicated by a CRI or SSBRI in the report. The DL resources may correspond to an L1RSRP or L1SINR that meets a criterion, for example, is the highest or greater than a threshold. The tester 230 may configure an RS resource set, for example, a CSI-RS resource set and / or other information, for example, a period for periodically transmitting the configured RS. The tester 230 signals the configuration of RS transmission in the second frequency band to the DUT 210.

[0088] The tester 230 then transmits an RS to the DUT 210 in the second frequency band according to the configuration performed in step 418 (step 420). The tester 230 also configures the DUT 210 for transmission of an UL sounding reference signal (SRS) in the second frequency band, with the configured UL SRS having a spatial relationship with the RS transmitted in the second frequency band in step 420 (step 422). The tester 230 may configure resources for the DUT 210 to transmit the UL SRS. The tester 230 may transmit information to the DUT 210 indicating that the UL SRS of the DUT 210 in step 420 has a spatial relationship with the downlink RS transmitted to the DUT 210. The DUT 210 transmits the UL SRS in the second frequency band according to the configuration of the tester 230 (step 424). DUT 210 receives the RS transmitted in the second frequency and can determine the beamforming direction of the UL SRS based on the spatial relationship between the UL SRS and the RS received in the second frequency band configured by tester 230, and transmit the UL SRS in the beamforming direction and the configured resources. If DUT 210 supports beam correspondence between the first frequency band and the second frequency band, DUT 210 can determine the beamforming direction for receiving the downlink RS in the second frequency transmitted to DUT 210 in step 420 based on the measurement performed on the RS received in the first frequency band, and thus determine the beamforming direction for transmitting the UL SRS. Therefore, based on the UL SRS transmitted by DUT 210, tester 230 can determine whether DUT 210 supports inter-band beam correspondence between the first frequency band and the second frequency band. When receiving the UL SRS from the DUT 210, the tester 230 measures the EIRP of the UL SRS received in the second frequency band and finds or selects the UL SRS from the UL SRS received in the second frequency band based on the EIRP measurement result (step 426). The UL SRS can be selected based on the EIRP standard. For example, the UL SRS can be selected when the UL SRS has the highest EIRP among the UL SRSs. In another example, the UL SRS can be selected when the UL SRS has an EIRP greater than a threshold. The selected UL SRS is carried on the UL resource of the DUT 210, for example, the UL Tx beam.

[0089] The tester 230 then determines whether the UL resource carrying the selected UL SRS, e.g., the UL Tx beam, meets the beam correspondence requirement in the second frequency band according to 3GPP 38.101-2 (step 428). If the DUT 210 does not support uplink beam management (i.e., bit-1), if the UL Tx beam meets the minimum peak EIRP requirement and the spherical coverage requirement without uplink beam scanning, the UL Tx beam meets the beam correspondence requirement as specified in 3GPP 38.101-2. If the DUT 210 supports uplink beam management (i.e., bit-0), if the UL Tx beam meets the minimum peak EIRP requirement, the spherical coverage requirement, and the beam correspondence tolerance requirement with uplink beam scanning, the UL Tx beam meets the beam correspondence requirement as specified in 3GPP 38.101-2.

[0090] The UL resource, e.g., the UL Tx beam, that satisfies the beam correspondence requirement in the second frequency band in step 428 indicates that the DUT 210 supports inter-band beam correspondence between the first frequency band and the second frequency band. If the UL resource, e.g., the UL Tx beam, does not satisfy the beam correspondence requirement in the second frequency band in step 428, the tester 230 determines that the DUT 210 does not support inter-band beam correspondence between the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

[0091] The tester 230 may generate a report based on the determination made in step 428. For example, when the UL resources do not meet the minimum peak EIRP requirement or the spherical coverage requirement in the second frequency band, the report may indicate that the DUT 210 needs calibration of inter-band beam correspondence between the first frequency band and the second frequency band. In another example, when the UL resources meet the minimum peak EIRP requirement and the spherical coverage requirement in the second frequency band, the report may indicate that the DUT 210 passes the calibration test of inter-band beam correspondence between the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

[0092] The embodiment method for testing inter-band beam correspondence can be viewed as testing the UE beam direction mapping between different frequency bands of the UE and different antenna panels. The panels may have different positions and orientations in the UE, which may adversely affect the UE's ability to support inter-band beam correspondence. Calibration may be required to adjust the panels, such as the position and / or orientation of the panels, for communication in different frequency bands in order to calibrate the UE's inter-band beam correspondence capability. In the embodiment method, the tester communicates signals with the DUT in different frequency bands, where the beam widths of the different frequency bands may have large differences. The multiple UL Tx beams of the DUT may depend on the frequency of the frequency band pairs, such as Figure 3 The embodiment method of determining the inter-band beam correspondence capability of the UE requires that the UL Tx beam of the DUT selected by the tester meets the same inter-band beam correspondence requirement of the RAN 4.

[0093] An embodiment method is provided to test a UE's ability to support inter-band beam mapping between two different frequency bands. This test helps ensure that the UE has such capability, facilitating the UE to perform beam management, such as performing fast beam scanning for initial beam search and new candidate beam search.

[0094] Figure 5 A diagram of an embodiment method 500 for testing a UE's ability to support inter-band beam correspondence between a first frequency band and a second frequency band is shown. Method 500 can be performed by a tester configured to perform such testing, such as tester 230. As shown, in step 502, the tester transmits a first signal to a user equipment (UE) in a first frequency band via a first transmit beam. In step 504, the tester receives a plurality of signals from the UE in a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band, wherein the plurality of signals are transmitted by the UE in the second frequency band via a plurality of UE transmit beams. The second frequency band is higher than the first frequency band. In step 506, the tester measures the effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) of the plurality of signals. In step 508, the tester determines, based on the measured EIRP, that a second signal from the plurality of signals has a measured EIRP that meets a predetermined criterion, wherein the second signal is transmitted by the UE via a second transmit beam of the plurality of UE transmit beams. At step 510 , when the second transmit beam satisfies the minimum peak EIRP requirement and the spherical coverage requirement in the second frequency band, the tester determines that the UE supports inter-band beam correspondence between the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

[0095] Figure 6A diagram illustrates an embodiment method 600 for testing a UE's ability to support inter-band beam correspondence between a first frequency band and a second frequency band. Method 600 may be performed by a tester configured to perform such testing, such as tester 230. As shown, in step 602, the tester transmits a plurality of reference signals (RSs) to a user equipment (UE) in a first frequency band. In step 604, the tester receives a first report from the UE, the first report including measurement results of the plurality of RSs performed by the UE. In step 606, the tester configures transmission of a second RS in a second frequency band based on the first report, wherein the second RS is quasi-co-located with a first RS of the plurality of RSs in the first frequency band according to quasi co-location (QCL) type D, the first RS corresponding to a resource indicator included in the first report. The second frequency band is higher than the first frequency band. In step 608, the tester transmits the second RS to the UE in the second frequency band. In step 610, the tester configures transmission of an uplink sounding reference signal (SRS) for the UE in the second frequency band, the SRS having a spatial relationship with the second RS. In step 612, the tester receives an uplink SRS from the UE in the second frequency band. In step 614, the tester determines that the UE supports inter-band beam correspondence between the first frequency band and the second frequency band when a beam of the SRS carrying the received uplink SRS meets a minimum peak EIRP requirement or a spherical coverage requirement in the second frequency band, wherein the SRS has an effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) that meets a predetermined criterion.

[0096] Figure 7 A block diagram of an embodiment processing system 700 that can be installed in a host device for executing the methods described herein is shown. As shown, the processing system 700 includes a processor 704, a memory 706, and interfaces 710-714, which may (or may not) be as Figure 7 Arrangement shown. Processor 704 can be any component or collection of components suitable for performing computing and / or other processing related tasks, and memory 706 can be any component or collection of components suitable for storing programs and / or instructions executed by processor 704. In one embodiment, memory 706 includes non-transitory computer-readable media. Interfaces 710, 712, 714 can be any component or collection of components that allow processing system 700 to communicate with other devices / components and / or users. For example, one or more of interfaces 710, 712, 714 can be suitable for transmitting data, control or management messages from processor 704 to applications installed on a host device and / or a remote device. As another example, one or more of interfaces 710, 712, 714 can be suitable for allowing a user or user device (e.g., a personal computer (PC), etc.) to interact / communicate with processing system 700. Processing system 700 may include Figure 7Additional components not depicted, such as long-term storage (e.g., non-volatile memory, etc.).

[0097] In some embodiments, the processing system 700 is included in a network device that is accessing a telecommunications network or is part of a telecommunications network. In one example, the processing system 700 is in a network-side device in a wireless or wired telecommunications network, such as a base station, a relay station, a scheduler, a controller, a gateway, a router, an application server, or any other device in the telecommunications network. In other embodiments, the processing system 700 is in a user-side device that accesses a wireless or wired telecommunications network, such as a mobile station, user equipment (UE), a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, a wearable communication device (e.g., a smart watch, etc.), or any other device suitable for accessing a telecommunications network.

[0098] In some embodiments, one or more of interfaces 710, 712, 714 connects processing system 700 to a transceiver suitable for sending and receiving signaling over a telecommunications network. Figure 8 A block diagram of a transceiver 800 suitable for sending and receiving signaling through a telecommunications network is shown. The transceiver 800 can be installed in a host device. As shown, the transceiver 800 includes a network side interface 802, a coupler 804, a transmitter 806, a receiver 808, a signal processor 810, and a device side interface 812. The network side interface 802 may include any component or component set suitable for sending or receiving signaling through a wireless or wired telecommunications network. The coupler 804 may include any component or component set suitable for facilitating bidirectional communication through the network side interface 802. The transmitter 806 may include any component or component set (e.g., an upconverter, a power amplifier, etc.) suitable for converting a baseband signal into a modulated carrier signal suitable for transmission through the network side interface 802. The receiver 808 may include any component or component set (e.g., a downconverter, a low noise amplifier, etc.) suitable for converting a carrier signal received through the network side interface 802 into a baseband signal. The signal processor 810 may include any component or collection of components suitable for converting baseband signals into data signals suitable for communication via the device-side interface 812, and vice versa. The device-side interface 812 may include any component or collection of components suitable for transmitting data signals between the signal processor 810 and components within the host device (e.g., the processing system 700, a local area network (LAN) port, etc.).

[0099] The transceiver 800 can send and receive signaling via any type of communication medium. In some embodiments, the transceiver 800 sends and receives signaling via a wireless medium. For example, the transceiver 800 can be a wireless transceiver suitable for communicating according to a wireless telecommunication protocol such as a cellular protocol (e.g., long-term evolution (LTE)), a wireless local area network (WLAN) protocol (e.g., Wi-Fi), or any other type of wireless protocol (e.g., Bluetooth, near field communication (NFC), etc.). In such an embodiment, the network side interface 802 includes one or more antennas / radiating elements. For example, the network side interface 802 can include a single antenna, multiple separate antennas, or a multi-antenna array configured for multi-layer communication, such as single input multiple output (SIMO), multiple input single output (MISO), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), etc. In other embodiments, the transceiver 800 sends and receives signaling via a wired medium, such as a twisted pair cable, a coaxial cable, an optical fiber, etc. A particular processing system and / or transceiver may utilize all of the components shown, or only a subset, and the level of integration may vary from device to device.

[0100] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, this description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications and combinations of the exemplary embodiments and other embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art with reference to the specification. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to cover any such modifications or embodiments.

Claims

1. A beam correspondence testing method, characterized in that: include: The device sends a first signal to a user equipment UE in a first frequency band through a first transmit beam; receiving, by the device, a plurality of signals from the UE in a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band, the plurality of signals being sent by the UE in the second frequency band through a plurality of UE transmit beams; The device measures the effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) of the plurality of signals; determining, based on the measured EIRP, that a second signal from the plurality of signals has a measured EIRP that satisfies a predetermined criterion, the second signal being transmitted by the UE via a second transmit beam of the plurality of UE transmit beams; as well as When the second transmit beam meets the minimum peak EIRP requirement and the spherical coverage requirement in the second frequency band, it is determined that the UE supports inter-band beam correspondence between the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The number of the multiple UE transmit beams is related to the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The number is based on a predefined mapping between the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The number is based on a formula related to the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The quantity meets the following requirements: Among them, K bc is the number of the multiple UE transmit beams, F1_low represents the lowest frequency of the first frequency band, F2_low represents the lowest frequency of the second frequency band, F1_high represents the highest frequency of the first frequency band, F2_high represents the highest frequency of the second frequency band, and α is a constant.

6. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The quantity meets the following requirements: Among them, K bc is the number of the multiple UE transmit beams, F1_low represents the lowest frequency of the first frequency band, F2_high represents the highest frequency of the second frequency band, and α is a constant.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The first frequency band and the second frequency band have a frequency difference that is greater than a threshold.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The EIRP of the second signal that meets the predetermined criterion includes: The EIRP of the second signal is the largest among the EIRPs of the plurality of signals.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that Also includes: When the second transmit beam fails to meet the minimum peak EIRP requirement or the spherical coverage requirement in the second frequency band, the device generates a report indicating that the UE needs calibration corresponding to an inter-band beam.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that Also includes: When the second transmit beam satisfies the minimum peak EIRP requirement and the spherical coverage requirement in the second frequency band, the device generates a report indicating that the UE passes a calibration test corresponding to the inter-band beam.

11. A beam correspondence testing method, characterized in that: include: The device sends a plurality of reference signals RS to a user equipment UE in a first frequency band; The device receives a first report from the UE, the first report including measurement results of the plurality of RSs performed by the UE; The apparatus configures transmission of a second RS in a second frequency band based on the first report, the second RS being quasi-co-located with a first RS of the plurality of RSs in the first frequency band according to a quasi-co-located QCL type D, the first RS corresponding to a resource indicator included in the first report, and the second frequency band being higher than the first frequency band; The device sends the second RS to the UE in the second frequency band; The device configures, for the UE, transmission of an uplink sounding reference signal (SRS) in the second frequency band, the SRS having a spatial relationship with the second RS; receiving, by the device, an uplink SRS from the UE in the second frequency band; as well as When the beam of the SRS carrying the received uplink SRS meets the minimum peak EIRP requirement or the spherical coverage requirement in the second frequency band, the device determines that the UE supports inter-band beam correspondence between the first frequency band and the second frequency band, and the SRS has an effective isotropic radiated power EIRP that meets a predetermined standard.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The plurality of RSs include synchronization signal blocks SSB.

13. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The plurality of RSs include a channel state information reference signal CSI-RS.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that The first frequency band and the second frequency band have a frequency difference that is greater than a threshold.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that The first report includes layer 1 received signal received power L1-RSRP or layer 1 signal-to-noise-and-interference ratio L1 SINR.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that The first report includes a CSI-RS resource indicator CRI and / or an SSB resource indicator SSBRI.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that The second RS includes a CSI-RS.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that Also includes: The device configures a transmission quantity of a CSI-RS, where the quantity is less than a threshold.

19. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that Also includes: When the beam fails to meet the minimum peak EIRP requirement or the spherical coverage requirement in the second frequency band, the device generates a report indicating that the UE needs to support calibration corresponding to the inter-band beam.

20. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that Also includes: When the beam satisfies the minimum peak EIRP requirement and the spherical coverage requirement in the second frequency band, the device generates a report indicating that the UE passes a calibration test corresponding to supported inter-band beams.

21. A device, characterized in that include: non-temporal storage for instructions; as well as One or more processors in communication with the memory, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 10.

22. A device, characterized in that include: non-temporal storage for instructions; as well as One or more processors in communication with the memory, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 11 to 20.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer instructions, characterized in that: When the computer instructions are executed by one or more processors, the apparatus is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer instructions, characterized in that: When the computer instructions are executed by one or more processors, the apparatus is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 11 to 20.

25. A chip, characterized in that: include: A logic circuit, the logic circuit being configured to be coupled to an input / output interface and to transmit data via the input / output interface, so as to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

26. A chip, characterized in that: include: A logic circuit, the logic circuit being configured to be coupled to an input / output interface and to transmit data via the input / output interface, so as to execute the method according to any one of claims 11 to 20.

27. A communication system, characterized in that: The communication system includes a device and a user equipment, and the device and the user equipment perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

28. A communication system, characterized in that: The communication system includes a device and a user equipment, and the device and the user equipment perform the method according to any one of claims 11 to 20.

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