Beam management enhancements for fr2 with v-pol / h-pol virtualization

Abstract

Various systems and methods disclosed herein describe improvements with virtualized beam management across vertical polarization (V-Pol) and horizontal polarization (H-Pol). One or more of a user equipment (UE) and a base station can include an antenna array that includes V-Pol antenna elements and H-Pol antenna elements. The UE can determine a number of receive (Rx) beams of an Rx beam sweep needed, signal the number to the base station, and perform a beam sweep according to one or both of V-Pol and H-Pol. The UE can use a group-based beam report to indicate to the base station a transmit (Tx) beam on which downlink MIMO using V-Pol and H-Pol can be supported by reporting a same transmission configuration indication (TCI) corresponding to a Tx beam for both a first Rx beam and a second Rx beam in the group-based beam report message.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates generally to wireless communication systems, including systems and methods using virtualization across horizontal and vertical polarizations. BACKGROUND

[0002] Wireless mobile communication technology uses various standards and protocols to transmit data between base stations and wireless mobile devices. Wireless communication system standards and protocols can include the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G) or New Radio (NR) (e.g., 5G); the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standard, which is commonly referred to as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX); and the IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless local area networks (WLANs), which is commonly referred to as Wi-Fi. In a 3GPP radio access network (RAN) in an LTE system, base stations can comprise RAN nodes such as the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly denoted as evolved Node B, enhanced Node B, eNode B, or eNB) and / or a radio network controller (RNC) in the E-UTRAN, which communicate with wireless communication devices, known as user equipment (UE). In a fifth generation (5G) wireless RAN, RAN nodes can comprise 5G nodes, NR nodes (also referred to as next generation Node Bs or g NodeBs (gNBs)).

[0003] A RAN uses a radio access technology (RAT) to communicate between RAN nodes and UEs. A RAN can comprise a global system for mobile communications (GSM), enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN), universal terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN), and / or E-UTRAN, which provide access to communication services through a core network. Each RAN in a RAN operates according to a particular 3GPP RAT. For example, a GERAN implements GSM and / or EDGE RAT, a UTRAN implements universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) RAT or other 3GPP RAT, an E-UTRAN implements LTE RAT, and an NG-RAN implements 5G RAT. In certain deployments, an E-UTRAN can also implement 5G RAT.

[0004] The frequency bands of 5G NR can be split into two different frequency ranges. Frequency Range 1 (FR1) includes sub-6 GHz frequency bands, some of which can be used by previous standards but can potentially be extended to cover a new spectrum up to 7125 MHz. Frequency Range 2 (FR2) includes frequency bands in the mmWave range of 24.25 to 52.6 GHz. The bands in the mmWave range of FR2 have shorter range than the bands in FR1 but higher available bandwidth. The skilled person will recognize that the frequency ranges provided by way of example can vary over time or by region. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0005] Figure 1 An antenna panel configured for V-Pol and H-Pol communication is shown in accordance with an embodiment.

[0006] Figure 2 NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element is shown in accordance with an embodiment.

[0007] Figure 3 A method for wireless communication by a user equipment is shown in accordance with an embodiment.

[0008] Figure 4 A table corresponding to a pair of reporting sets provided by a UE during group based beam reporting is shown in accordance with an embodiment.

[0009] Figure 5 A method is shown in accordance with an embodiment.

[0010] Figure 6 A method is shown in accordance with an embodiment.

[0011] Figure 7 A UE is shown in accordance with an embodiment.

[0012] Figure 8 A network node is shown in accordance with an embodiment.

[0013] Figure 9 An exemplary service based architecture is shown in accordance with certain embodiments.

[0014] Figure 10 A system is shown in accordance with an embodiment.

[0015] Figure 11 A component is shown in accordance with an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Beam management at both the UE side and the base station side is a useful consideration in NR systems. Such considerations can be particularly prominent in FR2, where beamforming can be needed. Beam management considerations can include one or more of beam measurement, beam reporting, beam configuration (and related indications), and beam failure recovery. Beam measurement, beam configuration (and related indications), and beam failure recovery can be primarily base station driven, while beam reporting can be primarily UE driven.

[0017] During beam reporting by a UE, the UE can report information about one or more beams to a base station. It is recognized that NR supports: periodic, aperiodic, and / or semi-persistent reference signals; periodic, aperiodic, and / or semi-persistent beam reporting; and group-based and non-group-based beam reporting. NR further supports UE communication to the base station in beam reporting using one or more beam indices / transmission configuration indication (TCI) (e.g., synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB) resource indicator (SSBRI) and / or channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource indicator (CRI)) and corresponding reference signal received power (RSRP) information, reference signal received quality (RSRQ) information, and / or signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) levels.

[0018] In group-based beam reporting, the UE reports the quality of G group beams, and in each group, reports K beams. The beams in one group can be received simultaneously, or beams across multiple groups can be received simultaneously. In some aspects, layer 1 (LI)-RSRQ / LI-SINR can be reported in non-group-based beam reporting or group-based beam reporting or both. In one option, the UE reports LI-RSRQ / LI-SINR for each of the beams. In another aspect, the UE reports LI-RSRQ / LI-SINR for X best beams and differential LI-RSRQ / LI-RSRP for other beams, where X can be fixed, e.g., 1, for non-group-based beam reporting, and X can be 1 or equal to the number of groups or the number of beams within a group for group-based beam reporting. In some aspects, if X > 1 for group-based beam reporting, the differential LI-RSRQ / LI-SINR can be based on a reference beam in the same group or the same index within a group.

[0019] Given the fact that beam measurement, beam configuration (and related indications), and beam failure recovery can be primarily base station driven, it can be fair to say that beam management can be primarily base station driven. However, it has been observed that, under the above conditions, the base station can not have (at least initially) complete information about UE radio frequency (RF) and / or UE codebook information that is useful to effectively perform beam management.

[0020] In practice, due to considerations at the UE, it can be desirable to implement more advanced beam management procedures (and / or improvements to the above beam management procedures) than those described above. These more advanced / improved procedures can enable the UE to have more influence on beam management than in those existing systems.

[0021] It has been observed that beam management can be improved by utilizing one or more of the following approaches: using hybrid analog and digital beamforming, using dynamic codebook size; using virtualization across vertical polarization (V-Pol) and horizontal polarization (H-Pol); and using dynamic antenna element activation and deactivation. Enhancements to various beam management procedures (e.g., receive (Rx) beam sweep enhancements and group-based beam report enhancements to support downlink (DL) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)) are described herein that utilize considerations from one or more of these approaches.

[0022] Some embodiments disclosed herein are particularly directed to, for example, V-Pol and H-Pol considerations. Figure 1 An antenna panel 102 configured for V-Pol and H-Pol communication is shown in accordance with an embodiment. The antenna panel 102 can include one or more V-Pol antenna elements 104 and one or more H-Pol antenna elements 106. The V-Pol antenna elements 104 and the H-Pol antenna elements 106 can be disposed orthogonal to each other. Thus, when data is transmitted using one or more of the V-Pol antenna elements 104, the resulting electric field will be orthogonal to the electric field resulting from transmitting data using one or more of the H-Pol antenna elements 106. In the systems and methods described below, the antenna panel 102 (or an antenna panel similar to the antenna panel 102, with a different number of elements) can be found on either or both of a UE and a base station. Data transmitted / received on the V-Pol antenna elements 104 is referred to as being transmitted / received using V-Pol, and data transmitted / received on the H-Pol antenna elements 106 is referred to as being transmitted / received using H-Pol.

[0023] The UE can implement and perform a beam sweep across one or more of the UE’s Rx beams in accordance with a configuration provided to the UE by a base station. One way the base station can communicate the configuration to the UE is by using a “non-zero-power (NZP)-CSI-RS-ResourceSet” information element. Figure 2The NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element 200 is shown in accordance with an embodiment. As shown, the NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element 200 can include a sequence of CSI-RS resources 202 to be transmitted by the base station. As shown, the sequence of CSI-RS resources 202 can include an indication of a maximum number of CSI-RS resources 204 in the sequence of CSI-RS resources 202 (e.g., a “maxNrofNZP-CSI-RS-ResourcesPerSet” of the NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element 200).

[0024] The NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element 200 can also include a repetition parameter 206. The repetition parameter 206 can be associated with the sequence of CSI-RS resources 202 and can define whether the UE can assume that the CSI-RS resources within the sequence of CSI-RS resources 202 are transmitted with the same downlink (DL) spatial domain transmission filter (e.g., on the same transmit (Tx) beam). By setting the repetition parameter 206 to “ON,” the NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element 200 indicates to the UE that the base station will transmit the CSI-RS resources in the sequence of CSI-RS resources 202 on the same Tx beam of the base station. The Tx beam of the base station can have been previously determined (e.g., using a Tx beam sweep at the base station). The transmission of some or all of the CSI-RS resources in the sequence of CSI-RS resources 202 on the same base station Tx beam can then allow the UE to perform a Rx beam sweep useful in determining an optimal UE Rx beam. Assuming the current Tx beam continues to be used at the base station next, the optimal Rx beam can be determined as the Rx beam with the best reception, and the optimal Rx beam can be determined according to the RSRP and / or SINR corresponding to each of the Rx beams.

[0025] The UE can be able to signal to the base station a preferred number of beams it wants to use for Rx beam sweeping at the UE. This signaling can be accomplished by sending a "maxNumberRxBeam" parameter to the base station indicating the preferred number of Rx beams the UE will use for beam sweeping. The preferred number of Rx beams can be based on a preferred UE data rate and / or a preferred UE power usage (and can change based on changes in both). For example, if an application running on the UE requires a high data rate, the UE can determine that narrow, precisely selected beams are needed in order to meet the data rate requirement. Thus, the UE can signal a higher number of Rx beams to use for Rx beam sweeping so that the UE can test a large number of relatively narrow, precise beams during the Rx beam sweep. On the other hand, the UE can determine that reducing power usage will be a guiding consideration for the Rx beam sweep. In this case, the UE can signal a relatively lower number of Rx beams to use for the Rx beam sweep so that the UE can more quickly determine the beams to use (which can be wider and less precise than beams selected according to an Rx beam sweep using a relatively higher number of beams).

[0026] To provide transmissions from the base station side for the Rx beam sweep, the base station can then use a fixed Tx beam to individually transmit one or more of the CSI-RSs in the sequence 202 of CSI-RS resources, the total number of transmissions equaling the preferred number of Rx beams indicated by the UE to the base station (allowing one such transmission for each Rx beam the UE sweeps through).

[0027] As shown, a sequence 202 of CSI-RS resources can include up to "maxNrofNZP-CSI-RS-ResourcesPerSet" of CSI-RS resources. In some network configurations, this value can be as high as 64. Thus, for the Rx beam sweep under discussion, it is contemplated that the base station can be able to provide transmission of up to 64 CSI-RS on the same Tx beam. It is also to be understood that a large number of antenna elements can be included in the UE (as well as a corresponding large codebook for forming beams with those antenna elements), allowing the UE to use up to a large number of beams (e.g., in some cases up to 64 beams). Thus, it is desirable for the UE to be able to signal a preferred number of Rx beams (e.g., via the "maxNumberRxBeam" parameter as discussed above) that is greater than eight (which can be the limit according to some network configurations), up to, for example, 64. As a specific (non-limiting) example, it is contemplated that the UE can signal a number selected from the set of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, and 64 (or any subset thereof) as the preferred number of Rx beams. Other values between 2 and 64 not listed here are also contemplated. Values greater than 64 are also contemplated (assuming compatibility on the base station side).

[0028] It can be beneficial to allow the UE to dynamically determine (e.g., change) the preferred number of Rx beams to use for the Rx beam sweep at the UE under certain conditions. For example, a UE that is currently using one number of beams for the Rx beam sweep can dynamically determine (e.g., based on a changed application preferred data rate, a changed signal condition, and / or a changed preferred power usage at the UE) that a different beam sweep (of a different number of Rx beams) should be performed in order to identify different Rx beams (e.g., narrower or wider beams determined according to a different number of preferred Rx beams) that are more compatible with the new environment (or to change the power usage and / or time associated with the Rx beam sweep as it proceeds with the new configuration). Thus, a new preferred number of Rx beams can be indicated to the base station to enable the base station to provide CSI-RS transmissions in an amount relative to the new Rx beam sweep and according to the new preferred number of Rx beams indicated.

[0029] In some cases, the new preferred number of Rx beams for the Rx beam sweep can be indicated to the base station as part of a MAC-CE, a Layer 1 (L1) measurement report, and / or a Layer 3 (L3) measurement report. The new preferred number of Rx beams can be indicated using the "maxNumberRxBeam" parameter in the manner described above.

[0030] In some embodiments, the UE can have previously provided the base station with a list of preferred numbers of Rx beams that the UE can potentially use. This list can be a subset of the possible values (e.g., a subset of the values described above) that the UE can be able to indicate to the UE as preferred numbers of Rx beams. The UE can then signal one or more of the preferred numbers of Rx beams on this pre-sent list. Using such a list can reduce the complexity at the base station of responding to a new number of preferred numbers of Rx beams. For example, if the pre-sent list indicates that the UE can potentially indicate one of 4, 16, and 64 to the base station as a preferred number of Rx beams to use for an Rx beam sweep, the base station only needs to account for changes to its procedure with respect to these indicated potential preferred numbers of Rx beams (as described above) (rather than, for example, the entire set of possibilities, which in some embodiments described above can range anywhere from 2 to 64 (or more)). This reduction in complexity at the base station can be particularly useful in cases where the base station is serving a large number of beamformed UEs, for example.

[0031] It has further been determined that the above flexibility in the preferred number of Rx beams according to a beam sweep performed at the UE can be applied in cases where the UE and the base station are capable of communicating using one or more of V-Pol and H-Pol. Due to the orthogonality between V-Pol and H-Pol, it is possible to usefully perform an Rx beam sweep on V-Pol using V-Pol antenna elements 104 at the same time that a beam sweep is performed on H-Pol using H-Pol antenna elements 106.

[0032] In one possible application of polarization-dependent beam sweeping, the UE signals to the base station the number of CSI-RS resources necessary to support receiving unique CSI-RS on one or both of V-Pol, H-Pol, and V-Pol and H-Pol. For example, to perform a beam sweep with 16 beams on only one of V-Pol and H-Pol, the UE can signal a “maxNumberRxBeam” equal to 16. To perform a beam sweep with 16 beams on each of V-Pol and H-Pol, the UE can instead signal a “maxNumberRxBeam” equal to 32 (when the base station provides 32 CSI-RS corresponding to a “maxNumberRxBeam” equal to 32, the UE sweeps over 16 beams on one polarization and 16 beams on the other polarization).

[0033] In another possible application of beam sweeping according to polarization, the CSI-RS of the first NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element 200 can be transmitted on the V-Pol antenna elements 104 of the base station and received at the V-Pol antenna elements 104 of the UE while the CSI-RS of the second NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element 200 is transmitted by the H-Pol antenna elements 106 of the base station and received at the H-Pol antenna elements 106 of the UE. Thus, the first and second NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information elements can contain the same number of CSI-RS to enable this.

[0034] In this case, the first and second NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information elements can share the same quasi co-location (QCL), such as, for example, QCL Type A and / or QCL Type D, as applicable. This can mean, among other things, that the Tx beam used by the base station to transmit the CSI-RS according to the first NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element on the V-Pol is the same as the Tx beam used by the base station to simultaneously transmit the CSI-RS according to the second NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element on the H-Pol.

[0035] The UE can then perform its Rx beam sweep through each of its Rx beams on both the V-Pol and the H-Pol. For example, while the UE is receiving the CSI-RS from the second NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet on Rx beam 0 according to the H-Pol, the UE can be receiving the CSI-RS from the first NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet on Rx beam 0 according to the V-Pol. The UE can then continue to receive the second CSI-RS from the second NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet on Rx beam 1 according to the H-Pol while receiving the second CSI-RS from the first NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet on Rx beam 1 according to the V-Pol. This process can continue through the total number of Rx beams of the beam sweep. In this way, the UE can determine, for example, the quality of each of the Rx beams on each of the V-Pol and the H-Pol.

[0036] The UE can then be configured to indicate whether the base station should use V-Pol (and corresponding CSI-RS), H-Pol (and corresponding CSI-RS), or both V-Pol and H-Pol (and corresponding CSI-RS on both V-Pol and H-Pol). To accomplish this indication, the UE can indicate to the UE whether to use 1 NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet or 2 NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet. If the UE indicates to use one NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet, the base station can accordingly transmit the CSI-RS of one NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet on one of V-Pol and H-Pol. If the UE indicates to use two NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet, the base station can accordingly transmit the CSI-RS of each of the two NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet on each of V-Pol and H-Pol.

[0037] The UE can determine whether to use one NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet or two NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet based on the relative strengths of V-Pol and H-Pol at its current location. These strengths can be determined based on, for example, a comparison of the SINR and / or RSRP of a signal received using V-Pol and the SINR and / or RSRP of a signal received using H-Pol. In the case that these strengths are similar, the UE can indicate to use two NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet for Rx beam sweeping. In the case that these strengths are not similar, and / or in the case that the strength of one of the polarizations is deficient, the UE can indicate to use one NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet for Rx beam sweeping. In the case of indicating to use one NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet, using V-Pol instead of H-Pol (or vice versa) can be based on a report from the UE to the base station of the stronger of V-Pol and H-Pol, or can alternatively be predetermined.

[0038] The specific way in which the UE indicates whether 1 or 2 NZP-CSI-RS- ResourceSet is used can depend on the type of CSI-RS used in the one or more NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet. In the case of using periodic CSI-RS (P-CSI-RS), the UE can indicate via RRC message whether to configure or release the one or more NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet. In the case of using semi-persistent CSI-RS (SP-CSI-RS), the UE can indicate via MAC-CE whether to activate or deactivate the one or more NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet. In the case of using aperiodic CSI-RS (AP-CSI-RS), the UE can indicate via uplink control information (UCI) whether to trigger one or two NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet.

[0039] Figure 3 A method 300 for wireless communication by a user equipment is shown, in accordance with embodiments. The method 300 includes determining 302 that one or more of a current UE data rate and a current UE power usage is different from a preferred UE data rate and a preferred UE power usage, respectively.

[0040] The method 300 also includes dynamically determining 304, based on one or more of the preferred data rate and the preferred power usage, a preferred number of receive (Rx) beams to use for an Rx beam sweep at the UE, where the preferred number of Rx beams is greater than eight.

[0041] The method 300 also includes signaling 306, to a base station, the preferred number of Rx beams.

[0042] The method 300 also includes signaling 308, to the base station, that the UE is configured to perform the Rx beam sweep using one of: vertical polarization, horizontal polarization, and both horizontal and vertical polarization.

[0043] A UE can implement and perform group-based beam reporting. During group-based beam reporting, a first transmission configuration indicator (TCI) and a second TCI can be indicated in a single report set. Examples of TCIs can include a SSB resource indicator (SSBRI) and a CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI).

[0044] One or more single reporting sets of the group-based beam report can be used to support virtualization of V-Pol and H-Pol in a DL MIMO context. In one example, a UE is configured for group-based beam reporting, whether by itself or by a base station. The UE determines, based on a strength of a polarization (e.g., a SINR and / or RSRP of a signal received from a Tx beam on a Rx beam on v-Pol and a SINR and / or RSRP of a signal received from a Tx beam on a Rx beam on H-Pol), that a Tx beam from a base station can be received at the UE on both V-Pol and H-Pol. The determination can be based on a respective strength of each polarization and / or a relative strength of multiple polarizations. Once the UE determines that a Tx beam from a base station can be received at the UE on both V-Pol and H-Pol, the UE can prepare a group-based beam report message including a reporting set that uses a TCI for each of a first TCI and a second TCI of the reporting set that corresponds to a same Tx beam.

[0045] Figure 4 A table 400 is shown that corresponds to a pair of reporting sets provided by a UE during a group-based beam report, according to an embodiment. The table 400 includes a first reporting set 402 (e.g., a first row of the table 400). As shown, the first reporting set 402 indicates SSBRI_0 (or alternatively, CRI_0) as each of its first TCI and second TCI. This means that the UE was able to measure an SSB (or alternatively, CSI-RS) of a Tx beam with index 0 on both V-Pol and H-Pol, as discussed above. In addition, a second reporting set 404 indicates SSBRI_3 (or alternatively, CRI_3) as each of its first TCI and second TCI. This means that the UE was able to measure an SSB (or alternatively, CSI-RS) of a Tx beam with index 3 on both V-Pol and H-Pol, as discussed above.

[0046] A base station that receives a group-based beam report message including one or more reporting sets with a TCI for both a first TCI and a second TCI that corresponds to a same Tx beam can be configured to implicitly understand that this means that the UE can receive the Tx beam on both V-Pol and H-Pol. Thus, the base station can then understand that it is free to use the Tx beam corresponding to the TCI to schedule two-layer DL MIMO for the UE.

[0047] It is contemplated that the UE can provide and the base station can make similar inferences with respect to a TCI codepoint that includes two TCI states. In this case, the UE can report the two TCI states from the TCI codepoint as each of a first TCI and a second TCI of a reporting set. For example, each of the SSBRI or CRI in each TCI state can be reported as one of the first TCI and the second TCI of the reporting set. The two-layer DL MIMO can be scheduled using the TCI codepoint that includes the two TCI states.

[0048] Figure 5 A method 500 of a UE is shown in accordance with an embodiment. The method 500 includes configuring 502 the UE for group-based beam reporting in which the UE reports quality received on a first Rx beam and a second Rx beam in a group of beams.

[0049] The method 500 also includes determining 504 that a Tx beam from a base station can be received at the UE using both a horizontally polarized antenna and a vertically polarized antenna.

[0050] The method 500 also includes generating 506 a group-based beam reporting message to be transmitted to the base station, the group-based beam reporting message including a TCI corresponding to the Tx beam for both the first Rx beam and the second Rx beam, the TCI indicating that the transmit beam can be received using both the horizontally polarized antenna and the vertically polarized antenna.

[0051] Figure 6 A method 600 of a base station is shown in accordance with an embodiment. The method 600 includes configuring 602 a UE for group-based beam reporting in which the UE reports quality received on a first Rx beam and a second Rx beam in a group of beams.

[0052] The method 600 also includes processing 604 a group-based beam reporting message from the UE, the group-based beam reporting message including a TCI corresponding to a same Tx beam for both the first beam and the second beam, the TCI indicating that the Tx beam can be received at the UE using both a horizontally polarized antenna and a vertically polarized antenna.

[0053] The 700 also includes scheduling 606 two-layer downlink (DL) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) reception at the UE with the TCI in response to the group-based beam reporting message from the UE.

[0054] Figure 7 is a block diagram of an exemplary UE 700 configurable in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, including by executing instructions corresponding to any of the exemplary methods and / or processes described herein on a computer-readable medium. The UE 700 includes one or more processors 702, a transceiver 704, a memory 706, a user interface 708, and a control interface 710.

[0055] The one or more processors 702 can include, for example, an application processor, an audio digital signal processor, a central processing unit, and / or one or more baseband processors. Each of the one or more processors 702 can include internal memory and / or can include an interface to communicate with external memory, including memory 706. The internal or external memory can store software code, programs, and / or instructions for execution by the one or more processors 702 to configure and / or facilitate the UE 700 to perform various operations, including those described herein. For example, execution of the instructions can configure the UE 700 to communicate using one or more wired or wireless communication protocols, including one or more wireless communication protocols standardized by 3GPP, such as those commonly referred to as 5G / NR, LTE, LTE-A, UMTS, HSPA, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, and so on, or any other current or future protocol that can be used in conjunction with the one or more transceivers 704, user interface 708, and / or control interface 710. As another example, the one or more processors 702 can execute program code stored in memory 706 or other memory corresponding to MAC, RLC, PDCP, and RRC layer protocols standardized by 3GPP (e.g., for NR and / or LTE). As yet another example, the processors 702 can execute program code stored in memory 706 or other memory that, together with the one or more transceivers 704, implements a corresponding PHY layer protocol, such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), and single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA).

[0056] Memory 706 can include memory regions for the one or more processors 702 to store variables used in the protocols, configurations, control, and other functions of the UE 700, including operations corresponding to or comprising any of the example methods and / or procedures described herein. Further, memory 706 can include non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic RAM), or a combination thereof. Further, memory 706 can interface with a memory slot through which one or more formats of removable memory cards (e.g., SD cards, memory sticks, compact flash, and so on) can be inserted and removed.

[0057] The one or more transceivers 704 can include radio-frequency transmitter and / or receiver circuits that facilitate communication with other equipment supporting similar wireless communication standards and / or protocols by the UE 700. For example, the one or more transceivers 704 can include switches, mixer circuits, amplifier circuits, filter circuits, and synthesizer circuits. Such RF circuits can include receive signal paths having circuitry to down-convert and provide baseband processor(s) 702 with baseband signals provided from front-end modules (FEMs) with RF signals received from one or more antennas. The RF circuits can also include transmit signal paths that can include circuitry to up-convert and provide RF output signals to FEMs for transmission via one or more antennas. The FEMs can include receive signal paths that can include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas, amplify the received signals, and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuits for further processing. The FEMs can also include transmit signal paths that can include circuitry configured to amplify transmit signals provided by the RF circuits for transmission by one or more antennas. In various embodiments, amplification via transmit or receive signal paths can be done only in the RF circuits, only in the FEMs, or in both the RF circuits and the FEM circuits. In some embodiments, the FEM circuits can include TX / RX switches to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation.

[0058] In some example embodiments, the one or more transceivers 704 include transmitters and receivers that enable the UE 700 to communicate with various 5G / NR networks according to various protocols and / or methods proposed for standardization by 3GPP and / or other standards bodies. For example, such functionality can operate in cooperation with the one or more processors 702 to implement a PHY layer based on OFDM, OFDMA, and / or SC-FDMA techniques, such as described herein with reference to other figures.

[0059] The user interface 708 can take a variety of forms, depending on the particular implementation, or can be absent from the UE 700. In some implementations, the user interface 708 includes a microphone, a speaker, slidable buttons, pressable buttons, a display, a touchscreen display, a mechanical or virtual keypad, a mechanical or virtual keyboard, and / or any other user interface features typically found on a mobile phone. In other implementations, the UE 700 can comprise a tablet computing device having a larger touchscreen display. In such implementations, one or more of the mechanical features of the user interface 708 can be replaced by a virtual user interface feature (e.g., a virtual keypad, virtual buttons, etc.) implemented using the touchscreen display, as familiar to those of ordinary skill in the art. In other implementations, the UE 700 can be a digital computing device, such as a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a workstation, etc., that includes a mechanical keyboard that can be integrated, detached, or detachable, depending on the particular exemplary implementation. Such digital computing devices can also include a touchscreen display. Many exemplary implementations of the UE 700 having a touchscreen display are capable of receiving user input, such as input related to the exemplary methods and / or processes described herein or known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0060] In some exemplary implementations of the present disclosure, the UE 700 includes an orientation sensor that can be used in a variety of ways by features and functions of the UE 700. For example, the UE 700 can use the output of the orientation sensor to determine when a user has changed the physical orientation of the touchscreen display of the UE 700. The indication signal from the orientation sensor can be used by any application program executing on the UE 700, so that the application program can automatically change the orientation of the screen display (e.g., from portrait to landscape) when the indication signal indicates approximately a 90 degree change in the physical orientation of the device. In this way, the application program is able to maintain the screen display in a user-readable manner, regardless of the physical orientation of the device. Additionally, the output of the orientation sensor can be used in conjunction with various exemplary implementations of the present disclosure.

[0061] The control interface 710 can take a variety of forms, depending on the particular implementation. For example, the control interface 710 can include an RS-232 interface, an RS-485 interface, a USB interface, an HDMI interface, a Bluetooth interface, an IEEE (“Firewire”) interface, an I 2 C interface, a PCMCIA interface, etc. In some exemplary implementations of the present disclosure, the control interface 1260 can comprise an IEEE 802.3 Ethernet interface, such as described above. In some implementations of the present disclosure, the control interface 710 can include analog interface circuitry comprising, for example, one or more digital-to-analog (D / A) converters and / or analog-to-digital (A / D) converters.

[0062] Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the above list of features, interfaces, and radio frequency communication standards is merely exemplary and not limiting to the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, the UE 700 can include more functionality than shown, including, for example, video and / or still image cameras, microphones, media players and / or recorders, etc. Moreover, the one or more transceivers 704 can include circuitry for communicating using additional radio frequency communication standards including Bluetooth, GPS, and / or others. Moreover, the one or more processors 702 can execute software code stored in the memory 706 to control such additional functionality. For example, directional velocity and / or position estimates output from a GPS receiver can be used by any application program executing on the UE 700, including various exemplary methods and / or computer readable media according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 7

[0063] Figure 8 is a block diagram of an exemplary network node 800 configurable according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, including by executing instructions corresponding to any of the exemplary methods and / or processes described herein on a computer readable medium.

[0064] The network node 800 includes one or more processors 802, a radio network interface 804, a memory 806, a core network interface 808, and other interfaces 810. The network node 800 can include, for example, a base station, an eNB, a gNB, an access node, or components thereof.

[0065] ​The one or more processors 802 can include any type of processors or processing circuitry and can be configured to perform one of the methods or processes disclosed herein. The memory 806 can store software code, programs and / or instructions executed by the one or more processors 802 to configure the network node 800 to perform various operations, including the operations described herein. For example, execution of such stored instructions can configure the network node 800 to communicate with one or more other devices using a protocol in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, including one or more of the methods and / or processes discussed above. Further, execution of such stored instructions can also configure and / or facilitate the network node 800 to communicate with one or more other devices using other protocols or protocol layers, such as one or more of the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, and RRC layer protocols standardized by 3GPP for LTE, LTE-A, and / or NR, or any other higher layer protocols used in conjunction with the radio network interface 804 and the core network interface 808. By way of example and not limitation, the core network interface 808 comprises the S1 interface, and the radio network interface 804 can comprise the Uu interface, as standardized by 3GPP. The memory 806 can also store variables used in the protocols, configuration, control, and other functions of the network node 800. Thus, the memory 806 can include non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory, hard disk, etc.), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic RAM), network-based (e.g., “cloud”) storage, or a combination thereof.

[0066] The radio network interface 804 can include transmitters, receivers, signal processors, ASICs, antennas, beamforming elements, and other circuitry that enables the network node 800 to communicate with other equipment, in some embodiments such as a plurality of compatible user equipment (UE). In some embodiments, the network node 800 can include various protocols or protocol layers, such as the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, and RRC layer protocols standardized by 3GPP for LTE, LTE-A, and / or 5G / NR. According to further embodiments of the present disclosure, the radio network interface 804 can include a PHY layer based on OFDM, OFDMA, and / or SC-FDMA techniques. In some embodiments, the functionality of such a PHY layer can be provided cooperatively by the radio network interface 804 and the one or more processors 802.

[0067] The core network interface 808 can include transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry that enables the network node 800 to communicate with other equipment in a core network, such as a circuit-switched (CS) and / or packet-switched core (PS) network, in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the core network interface 808 can comprise the SI interface standardized by 3GPP. In some embodiments, the core network interface 808 can comprise one or more interfaces to one or more SGWs, MMEs, SGSNs, GGSNs, and other physical devices, including functionality known to those of ordinary skill in the art to exist in GERAN, UTRAN, E-UTRAN, and CDMA2000 core networks. In some embodiments, the one or more interfaces can be multiplexed together on a single physical interface. In some embodiments, lower layers of the core network interface 808 can comprise one or more of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Internet Protocol (IP) over Ethernet, SDH over optical fiber, T1 / E1 / PDH over copper wire, microwave radio, or other wired or wireless transmission technologies known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0068] Other interfaces 810 can include transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry that enables the network node 800 to communicate with external networks, computers, databases, etc. for operation, administration, and maintenance of the network node 800 or other network equipment operably connected thereto.

[0069] Exemplary System Architecture

[0070] In certain embodiments, the 5G system architecture supports data connectivity and services enabling deployment using technologies such as network function virtualization and software-defined networking. The 5G system architecture can utilize service-based interaction between control plane network functions. Separation of user plane functions from control plane functions allows independent scalability, evolution, and flexible deployment (e.g., centralized location or distributed (remote) location). Modular function design allows function reuse and can enable flexible and efficient network slicing. Network functions and their network function services can interact with another NF and its network function services directly or indirectly via a service communication proxy. Another intermediate function can help route control plane messages. The architecture minimizes dependencies between AN and CN. The architecture can include an aggregated core network with an integrated common AN-CN interface of different access types (e.g., 3GPP access and non-3GPP access). The architecture can also support a unified authentication framework, stateless NFs with decoupled compute resources and storage resources, capability exposure, concurrent access to local and centralized services (to support low latency services and access to local data networks, user plane functions can be deployed near AN), and / or roaming in a visited PLMN with both home routed traffic and local breakout traffic.

[0071] The 5G architecture can be defined as service-based, and the interactions between network functions can include service-based representations, where a network function within the control plane (e.g., AMF) enables other authorized network functions to access its services. The service-based representation can also include point-to-point reference points. The reference point representation can also be used to show interactions between NF services in network functions between any two network functions (e.g., AMF and SMF) described by a point-to-point reference point (e.g., N11).

[0072] Figure 9 A service-based architecture 900 in a 5GS is shown in accordance with one embodiment. The service-based architecture 900 includes NFs such as NSSF 908, NEF 910, NRF 914, PCF 912, UDM 926, AUSF 918, AMF 920, SMF 922 to communicate with UE 916, (R)AN 906, UPF 902, and DN 904, as described in 3GPP TS 23.501. The NFs and NF services can communicate directly (referred to as direct communication) or indirectly via SCP 924 (referred to as indirect communication). Figure 9 Corresponding service-based interfaces including Nutm, Naf, Nudm, Npcf, Nsmf, Nnrf, Namf, Nnef, Nnssf, and Nausf, and reference points N1, N2, N3, N4, and N6 are also shown. Some example functions provided by the NFs shown are described below. Figure 9

[0073] The NSSF 908 supports functions such as: selection of a set of network slice instances to serve the UE; determination of allowed NSSAI, and if needed, determination of mapping to subscribed S-NSSAI(s); determination of configured NSSAI, and if needed, determination of mapping to subscribed S-NSSAI(s); and / or determination of a set of AMFs to be used to serve the UE, or possibly determine a list of candidate AMFs by querying the NRF based on configuration.

[0074] ​The NEF 910 supports exposure of capabilities and events. NF capabilities and events can be securely exposed by the NEF 910 (e.g., for third party, application functions, and / or edge computing). The NEF 910 can use a standardized interface to UDR (Nudr) to store / retrieve information as structured data. The NEF 910 can also securely provide information from external applications to the 3GPP network and can host application functions to securely provide information to the 3GPP network (e.g., expected UE behavior, 5GLAN group information, and service specific information), where the NEF 910 can authenticate and authorize and facilitate throttling of application functions. The NEF 910 can provide translation of internal-external information by translating between information exchanged with AFs 928 and information exchanged with internal network functions. For example, the NEF 910 translates between AF service identifiers and internal 5G core information, such as DNNs and S-NSSAIs. The NEF 910 can handle masking of network and user sensitive information for external AFs, according to network policies. The NEF 910 can receive information from other network functions (based on exposure capabilities of other network functions) and store the received information as structured data using a standardized interface to UDR. The stored information can be accessed by the NEF 910 and re-exposed to other network functions and application functions, and used for other purposes such as analytics. For external exposure of services related to a specific UE, the NEF 910 can reside in the HPLMN. Depending on operator agreements, the NEF 910 in the HPLMN can have an interface to NFs in the VPLMN. When a UE is capable of switching between EPC and 5GC, the SCEF + NEF can be used for service exposure.

[0075] The NRF 914 supports service discovery functionality by receiving NF discovery requests from NF instances or SCPs and providing information of discovered NF instances to NF instances or SCPs. The NRF 914 can also support P-CSCF discovery (a special case of SMF discovery of AFs), maintain NF profiles of available NF instances and their supported services, and / or notify subscribed NF service consumers or SCPs of newly registered / updated / deregistered NF instances together with their NF services. In the context of network slicing, based on network implementation, multiple NRFs can be deployed at different levels, such as the PLMN level (NRFs configured with information of the entire PLMN), the shared slice level (NRFs configured with information belonging to a set of network slices), and / or the slice-specific level (NRFs configured with information belonging to an S-NSSAI). In the context of roaming, multiple NRFs can be deployed in different networks, where the NRFs in the visited PLMN (referred to as vNRFs) are configured with information of the visited PLMN, and where the NRFs in the home PLMN (referred to as hNRFs) are configured with information of the home PLMN, referenced by the vNRFs via the N27 interface.

[0076] The PCF 912 supports a unified policy framework to govern the network behavior. The PCF 912 provides policy rules for control plane functions to enforce them. The PCF 912 has access to subscription information relevant for policy decisions in a Unified Data Repository (UDR). The PCF 912 can access the UDR located in the same PLMN as the PCF.

[0077] The UDM 926 supports generation of 3GPP AKA authentication credentials, user identification handling (e.g., storage and management of SUPI per subscriber in 5G systems), de-concealment of privacy protected subscriber identifier (SUCI), access authorization based on subscription data (e.g., roaming restrictions), management of the UE’s registered service NFs (e.g., storing service AMFs for the UE, storing service SMFs for the UE’s PDU Sessions), service / session continuity (e.g., by keeping the SMF / DNN assignments for ongoing sessions), MT-SMS delivery, lawful interception functionality (especially in outbound roaming cases where the UDM is the only point of contact for LI), subscription management, SMS management, 5GLAN group management handling, and / or external parameter configuration (expected UE behavior parameters or network configuration parameters). To provide such functionality, the UDM 926 uses subscription data (including authentication data) that can be stored in the UDR—in this case, the UDM implements application logic and can not need an internal user data store, and several different UDMs can serve the same user in different transactions. The UDM 926 can be located in the HPLMN of the subscriber it serves and can access information of a UDR located in the same PLMN.

[0078] The AUSF 918 supports authentication for 3GPP access and non-trusted non-3GPP access. The AUSF 918 can also provide support for network slice- specific authentication and authorization.

[0079] The AMF 920 supports termination of RAN CP interface (N2), termination of NAS (Nl) for NAS ciphering and integrity protection, registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful intercept (for AMF events and interface to LI system), transport for SM messages between the UE and the SMF, transparent proxy for routing SM messages, access authentication, access authorization, transport for SMS messages between the UE and the SMSF, SEAF, location management for regulatory services, transport for location service messages between the UE and the LMF, and between the RAN and the LMF, EPS Bearer ID allocation for interworking with EPS, UE mobility event notification, Control Plane CIoT 5GS Optimization, User Plane CIoT 5GS Optimization, configuration of external parameters (expected UE behavior parameters or network configuration parameters), and / or network slice- specific authentication and authorization. Some or all of the AMF functions can be supported in a single instance of the AMF 920. Irrespective of the number of network functions, there is only one NAS interface instance between the UE and the CN terminated at one of the network functions implementing at least NAS security and mobility management per access network in certain embodiments. The AMF 920 can also include policy-related functionality.

[0080] In addition to the above functions, the AMF 920 can also include the following functions to support non-3GPP access networks: support of N2 interface with N3IWF / TNGF over which some information (e.g., 3GPP cell identification) and procedures (e.g., handover related) defined over 3GPP access can not apply and non-3GPP access specific information that does not apply to 3GPP access can be applied; support of NAS signaling with the UE over N3IWF / TNGF where some procedures supported by NAS signaling over 3GPP access can not apply for untrusted non-3GPP (e.g., paging) access; support of authentication of UEs connected over N3IWF / TNGF; management of mobility, authentication, and separate security context state for UEs connected via non-3GPP access or simultaneously via 3GPP access or non-3GPP access; support of coordinated RM management context valid on 3GPP access and non-3GPP access; and / or support of dedicated CM management context for UEs connected over non-3GPP access. Not all of the above functions can need to be supported in instances of network slicing.

[0081] The SMF 922 supports session management (e.g., session establishment, modify and release, including tunnel maintain between UPF and AN node), UE IP address allocation and management (including optional authorization) (wherein UE IP address can be allocated from a UPF or from a external data network), DHCPv4 (server and client) and DHCPv6 (server and client) functionality, functionality to respond to address resolution protocol requests and / or IPv6 neighbor advertisement requests with Ethernet PDU-based cached information (e.g., the SMF responds to ARP and / or IPv6 neighbor advertisement requests by providing a MAC address that corresponds to an IP address sent in the request), selection and control of user plane functions (including control of UPF to proxy ARP or IPv6 neighbor discovery or forward all ARP / IPv6 neighbor advertisement traffic to the SMF for Ethernet PDU sessions), configuration of traffic steering at the UPF to route traffic to the appropriate destination, 5G VN group management (e.g., maintaining topology of involved PSA UPFs, establishing and releasing N19 tunnels between PSA UPFs, configuring traffic forwarding at UPFs to apply local switching, and / or N6-based forwarding or N19-based forwarding), termination of interfaces toward policy control functions, lawful intercept (for SM events and interface to LI system), charging data collection for accounting and support of charging interface, control and

[0082] SCP 924 includes one or more of the following functions: indirect communication; delegated discovery; message forwarding and routing to destination NFs / NF services; communication security (e.g., authorization of NF service consumers to access NF service manufacturer APIs), load balancing, monitoring, overload control, etc.; and / or optionally interacting with UDR to resolve UDM group ID / UDR group ID / AUSF group ID / PCF group ID / CHF group ID / HSS group ID based on UE identity (e.g., SUPI or IMPI / IMPU). Some or all of the SCP functions can be supported in a single instance of the SCP. In certain embodiments, SCP 924 can be deployed in a distributed manner and / or more than one SCP can be present in a communication path between NF services. SCPs can be deployed at a PLMN level, shared slice level, and slice-specific level. It can be left to operator deployment to ensure that SCPs can communicate with relevant NRFs.

[0083] The UE 916 can include a device with radio communication capabilities. For example, the UE 916 can include a smartphone (e.g., a handheld touchscreen mobile computing device connectable to one or more cellular networks). The UE 916 can also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as a personal data assistant (PDA), a pager, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a wireless hand-held device, or any computing device including a wireless communication interface. A UE is also known as a client, a mobile phone, a mobile device, a mobile terminal, a user terminal, a mobile unit, a mobile station, a mobile subscriber, a subscriber, a user, a remote station, an access agent, a user agent, a receiver, a radio equipment, a reconfigurable radio equipment, or a reconfigurable mobile device. The UE 916 can include an IoT UE, which can include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications using short-lived UE connections. An IoT UE can utilize technologies (e.g., M2M, MTC, or mMTC technology) to exchange data with an MTC server or device via a PLMN, other UEs using ProSe or D2D

[0084] The UE 916 can be configured to connect or communicate with the (R)AN 906 through a radio interface 930, which can be a physical communication interface or layer configured to operate with cellular communication protocols, such as GSM protocols, CDMA network protocols, Push-to-Talk (PTT) protocols, Cellular PTT (POC) protocols, UMTS protocols, 3 GPP LTE protocols, 5G protocols, NR protocols, and / or the like. For example, the UE 916 and the (R)AN 906 can use a Uu interface (e.g., an LTE-Uu interface) to exchange control plane data via a protocol stack including PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, and RRC layers. DL transmissions can be from the (R)AN 906 to the UE 916 and UL transmissions can be from the UE 916 to the (R)AN 906. The UE 916 can also use a sidelink to directly communicate with another UE (not shown) for D2D, P2P, and / or ProSe communications. For example, a ProSe interface can include one or more logical channels including, but not limited to, a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), a Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), and a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH).

[0085] The (R)AN 906 can include one or more access nodes that can be referred to as base stations (BSes), Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), next Generation Node Bs (gNBs), RAN nodes, controllers, transmit receive points (TRPs), and / or the like, and can include ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage over a geographic area, e.g., a cell. The (R)AN 906 can include one or more RAN nodes for providing macrocells, pico cells, femtocells, or other types of cells. A macrocell can cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., having a radius of several kilometers) and can allow unrestricted access to the UEs with service subscription. A pico cell can cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a business district) and can allow restricted access to the UEs with service subscription. A femto cell can cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and can allow restricted access to the UEs with service subscription, e.g., a UE in the associated femto cell (e.g., a UE in a CSG, a UE of users in the home, etc.).

[0086] Although not shown, multiple RAN nodes such as the (R)AN 906 can be used, where an Xn interface is defined between two or more of the nodes. In some implementations, the Xn interface can include an Xn-User plane (Xn-U) interface and an Xn-Control plane (Xn-C) interface. The Xn-U can provide non-guaranteed delivery of user plane PDUs and support / provide data forwarding and traffic control functionality. The Xn-C can provide management and error handling functionality, for management of the Xn-C interface; mobility support for UEs 916 in a connected mode (e.g., CM-CONNECTED) including functionality to manage the connected mode mobility of UEs between one or more (R)AN nodes. The mobility support can include a context transfer from an old (source) serving (R)AN node to a new (target) serving (R)AN node; and control of user plane tunnels between the old (source) serving (R)AN node to the new (target) serving (R)AN node.

[0087] The UPF 902 can act as an anchor point for intra-RAT and inter-RAT mobility, a external PDU session point of interconnect to DN 904, and a branching point to support multi-homed PDU session. The UPF 902 can also perform packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, enforce QoS related packet filtering (e.g., reflective QoS), lawfully intercept packets (UP collection); traffic usage reporting, perform Uplink Traffic verification (e.g., SDF to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in the uplink and downlink, and downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering. The UPF 902 can include an uplink classifier to support routing uplink packets based on packet filters or flow control filters. The DN 904 can represent various network operator services, Internet access, or third party services. The DN 904 can include, for example, application server.

[0088] Figure 10 An architecture of a system 1000 of a network in accordance with some embodiments is shown. The system 1000 includes one or more user equipment (UE), shown in this example as UE 1036 and UE 1034. The UE 1036 and UE 1034 are shown as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices connectable to one or more cellular networks), but can also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as a personal data assistant (PDA), palmtop computer, laptop computer, desktop computer, wireless handsets, or any computing device including a wireless communications interface.

[0089] In some embodiments, either of the UE 1036 and the UE 1034 can comprise an Internet of Things (loT) UE, which can comprise a network access layer designed for low-power loT applications using short-lived UE connections. A loT UE can utilize technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M) or machine-type communications (MTC) for exchanging data with an MTC server or device via a public land mobile network (PLMN), Proximity-based service (ProSe) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, sensor networks, or loT networks. The M2M or MTC exchange of data can be a machine-initiated data exchange. loT networks describe interconnecting loT UEs, which can include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure), with short-lived connections to a base station, such as a gateway of a PLMN or to a

[0090] The UE 1036 and the UE 1034 can be configured to connect (e.g., communicatively couple) with a radio access network (RAN), illustrated as the RAN 1008. The RAN 1008 can be, for example, an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a NextGen RAN (NG RAN), or some other type of RAN. The UE 1036 and the UE 1034 utilize connections 1004 and 1002, respectively, with each connection comprising a physical

[0091] In this embodiment, the UE 1036 and the UE 1034 can also directly exchange communication data via a ProSe interface 1010. The ProSe interface 1010 can alternatively be referred to as a sidelink interface comprising one or more logical channels, including but not limited to a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), a Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), and a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH).

[0092] The UE 1034 is shown to be configured to access an access point (AP), shown as AP 1012, via connection 1038. The connection 1038 can comprise a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any of the IEEE 802.11 standards, wherein the AP 1012 would comprise a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi®) router. The connection 1038 can alternatively or additionally comprise a near-field communication (NFC) connection, a Bluetooth® connection, a Bluetooth® low energy (LE) connection, or any other wireless connection scheme(s). The UE 1034 is further shown to be configured to access a network (e.g., the Internet) via connection 1040. The connection 1040 can comprise a wired connection (e.g., a digital subscriber line (DSL) connection, a cable modem connection, or an ISDN connection), a wireless connection, or a combination of both (e.g., a wireless connection to an access point that is itself wired to a modem, router, switch, or hub).

[0093] The RAN 1008 can include one or more access nodes that enable the connections 1004 and 1002. These access nodes (ANs) can be referred to as base stations (BSs), NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), next Generation NodeBs (gNBs), RAN nodes, and so forth, and can comprise ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations providing coverage over a geographic area (e.g., a cell) or cells. The RAN 1008 can include one or more RAN nodes for providing macrocells, e.g., macro RAN node 1014, and one or more RAN nodes for providing femtocells or femitocells (e.g., cells having a smaller coverage area, a smaller user capacity, or a higher bandwidth than macrocells), e.g., low power (LP) RAN node 1016.

[0094] Any of the macro RAN node 1014 and the LP RAN node 1016 can terminate the air interface protocol and can be the first point of contact for the UEs 1036 and 1034. In some embodiments, any of the macro RAN node 1014 and the LP RAN node 1016 can fulfill various logical functions for the RAN 1008 including, but not limited to, radio network controller (RNC) functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

[0095] According to some embodiments, the UEs 1036 and 1034 can be configured to communicate using Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals with any of the macro RAN node 1014 and the LP RAN node 1016, or with each other, over a multicarrier communication channel in accordance with various communication techniques, such as, but not limited to, an Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication technique (e.g., for downlink communications) or a Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) communication technique (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communications), although the scope of the subject matter is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signals can comprise orthogonal or non-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (FDM) signals. The OFDM signals can comprise single-input and single-output (SISO), multiple-input and single-output (MISO), or a multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) technique.

[0096] In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid can be used for downlink transmissions from any of the RAN nodes 1014 and LP RAN nodes 1016 to the UEs 1036 and 1034, while uplink transmissions can utilize similar techniques. The grid can be a time-frequency grid, called a resource grid or time-frequency resource grid, which is the physical resource in the downlink in each slot. For an OFDM system, such a time-frequency plane representation is commonly used to speak about the physical resources available in the wireless

[0097] The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) can carry user data and higher layer signaling to the UEs 1036 and 1034. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) can carry information about the transport format and resource allocations related to the PDSCH channel, among other things. It can also inform the UEs 1036 and 1034 about the transport format, resource allocation, and H-ARQ (Hybrid-ARQ) information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (assigning control and shared channel resource blocks to the UEs 1036 and 1034 within a cell) can be performed at any of the macro RAN nodes 1014 and LP RAN nodes 1016 based on the channel quality feedback and scheduling information reported by the UEs 1036 and 1034. Downlink resource assignment information can be transmitted to a UE 1036 and 1034 on the PDCCH (e.g., in the form of Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) code words scrambled with an identifier specific to the UE 1036 and 1034).

[0098] The PDCCH can use control channel elements (CCEs) to convey the control information. Before being mapped to resource elements, the PDCCH complex-valued symbols can first be organized into quadruplets, which can then be permuted using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. One or more of these CCEs can be used to transmit each PDCCH, where each CCE can correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements known as resource element groups (REGs). Four Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) symbols can be mapped to each REG. The PDCCH can have different bandwidths (e.g., a first PDCCH bandwidth of two CCEs, a second PDCCH bandwidth of one CCE, or other PDCCH bandwidths) and can use one or more CCEs per PDCCH depending on the desired bandwidth. There can be four or more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE (e.g., format 1A, 1, 1B, 2, 2A, or 2B).

[0099] Some embodiments can use concepts for resource allocation for control channel information that are an extension of the above-described concepts. For instance, some embodiments can utilize an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH) that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. The EPDCCH can be transmitted using one or more enhanced control channel elements (ECCEs). Similar to above, each ECCE can correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements known as enhanced resource element groups (EREGs). In some cases, an ECCE can have other numbers of EREGs.

[0100] The RAN 1008 is communicatively coupled to a core network (CN) - illustrated as the CN 1006 - via an S1 interface 1018. In embodiments, the CN 1006 can be an evolved packet core (EPC) network, a next-generation packet core (NPC) network, or some other type of CN. In this embodiment, the S1 interface 1018 is split into two parts: the S1 -U interface 1040, which carries traffic data between the macro RAN nodes 1014 and the LPRAN node 1016 and a serving gateway (S-GW) (shown as the S-GW 1024); and the S1 -Mobility Management Entity (MME) interface (shown as the S1 -MME interface 1042), which is a signaling interface between the macro RAN nodes 1014, the LPRAN node 1016, and MMEs 1020.

[0101] In this embodiment, the CN 1006 includes the MMEs 1020, the S-GW 1024, a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW) (shown as the P-GW 1032), and a home subscriber server (HSS) (shown as the HSS 1022). The MMEs 1020 can be similar in function to the control plane of legacy Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Nodes (SGSN) and can manage mobility aspects in access such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. The HSS 1022 can comprise a database for network users, including subscription-related information to support the network entities’ handling of

[0102] The S-GW 1024 can terminate the SI interface 322 toward RAN 1008, and routes data packets between the RAN 1008 and the CN 1006. Additionally, the S-GW 1024 can be a local mobility anchor point for inter-RAN node handovers and also can provide an anchor for inter-3 GPP mobility. Other responsibilities can include lawful intercept, charging, and some policy enforcement and implementation.

[0103] The P-GW 1032 can terminate an SGi interface toward a PDN. The P-GW 1032 can route data packets between the CN 1006 (e.g., an EPC network) and external networks such as the Internet 1040, which can include application servers 1030, via an Internet Protocol (IP) interface, which is shown as an IP communications interface 1028. Generally, the application servers 1030 can be elements of a core network that employ IP bearing resources for use by application programs (e.g., UMTS Packet Services (PS) domain, LTE PS data services, etc.) with the core network. In this embodiment, the P-GW 1032 is shown to be communicatively coupled to the application server 1030 via the IP communications interface 1028. The application server 1030 can also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.) for UEs 1036 and 1034 via the CN 1006.

[0104] The P-GW 1032 can also be a node for policy enforcement and charging data collection. The Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCRF) 1026 is the policy and charging control element of the CN 1006. In a non-roaming scenario, there can be a single PCRF 1026 in the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) associated with a UE's Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session. In a roaming scenario with local breakout of traffic, there can be two PCRFs associated with a UE's IP-CAN session: a Home PCRF (H-PCRF) within the HPLMN and a Visited PCRF (V-PCRF) within a Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN). The PCRF 1026 can be communicatively coupled to the application server 1030 via the P-GW 1032. The application server 1030 can signal the PCRF 1026 to indicate a new service flow and select the appropriate Quality of Service (QoS) and charging

[0105] Figure 11is a block diagram illustrating a component 1100 that is capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and of executing any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, according to some example embodiments. Specifically, Figure 11 A diagram is shown of hardware resources 1102 including one or more processors 1106 (or processor cores), one or more memory / storage devices 1114, and one or more communication resources 1124, each of which can be communicatively coupled via a bus 1116. For embodiments wherein node virtualization (e.g., NFV) is utilized, a hypervisor 1122 can be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices / sub-slices to utilize the hardware resources 1102.

[0106] The processors 1106 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP) such as a baseband processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) can include, for example, a processor 1108 and a processor 1110.

[0107] The memory / storage devices 1114 can include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage devices 1114 can include, but are not limited to, any type of volatile or nonvolatile memory such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), Flash memory, solid-state storage, etc.

[0108] The communication resources 1124 can include interconnection or network components such as a modem, a network interface card (e.g., Ethernet), a Bluetooth®, Bluetooth® Low Energy), and other communication components.

[0109] ​The instructions 1112 can include software, programs, applications, applets, app, or other executable code that is used to cause at least one of the processors 1106 to perform any of the methods discussed herein. The instructions 1112 can reside entirely within at least one of the processors 1106 (e.g., within the cache memory of the processor), the memory / storage devices 1114, or any suitable combination thereof. Furthermore, any portion of the instructions 1112 can be transferred between any combination of the storage devices 1104 or databases 1120 and the hardware resources 1102. Accordingly, the memory of processors 1106, the memory / storage devices 1114, the peripheral devices 1104, and the databases 1120 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0110] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the preceding figures can be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods described in the Example section below. For example, the baseband circuitry described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures can be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described below. In another example, circuitry associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc. described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures can be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples shown in the Example section below.

[0111] Embodiment Section

[0112] The following embodiments relate to additional embodiments.

[0113] Example 1 is a method for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: determining that one or more of a current UE data rate and a current UE power usage is different from a preferred UE data rate and a preferred UE power usage, respectively; dynamically determining, based on one or more of the preferred data rate and the preferred power usage, a preferred number of receive (Rx) beams to use for an Rx beam sweep at the UE, wherein the preferred number of Rx beams is greater than eight; and signaling the preferred number of Rx beams to a base station.

[0114] Example 2 is the method of Example 1, wherein the preferred number of Rx beams is a number selected from the group consisting of 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, and 64.

[0115] Example 3 is the method of any one of Examples 1-2, wherein the preferred number of Rx beams is signaled to the base station as part of one of a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a layer 1 measurement report, and a layer 3 measurement report.

[0116] Example 4 is the method of any of Examples 1-3, wherein the preferred number of Rx beams is a number that is present on a list of preferred numbers of Rx beams previously transmitted by the UE to the base station.

[0117] Example 5 is the method of any of Examples 1-4, further comprising signaling, to the base station, that the UE is configured to perform the Rx beam sweep using one of: vertical polarization, horizontal polarization, and both the vertical polarization and the horizontal polarization.

[0118] Example 6 is the method of Example 5, wherein the signaling that the UE is configured to perform the Rx beam sweep using one of: vertical polarization, horizontal polarization, and both the vertical polarization and the horizontal polarization is included in one of: a radio resource control (RRC) message, a MAC-CE, and uplink control information (UCI).

[0119] Example 7 is a computing device of a user equipment (UE), comprising: a memory; and a processing circuit coupled with the memory and configured to: determine that one or more of a current UE data rate and a current UE power usage is different from a preferred UE data rate and a preferred UE power usage, respectively; dynamically determine, based on one or more of the preferred data rate and the preferred power usage, a preferred number of receive (Rx) beams to use for an Rx beam sweep at the UE, wherein the preferred number of Rx beams is greater than eight; and generate a message indicating the preferred number of Rx beams.

[0120] Example 8 is the computing device of Example 7, wherein the preferred number of Rx beams is a number selected from the group consisting of: 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, and 64.

[0121] Example 9 is the computing device of any of Examples 7-8, wherein the message is included in one of: a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a layer 1 measurement report, and a layer 3 measurement report.

[0122] Example 10 is the computing device of any of Examples 7-9, wherein the preferred number of Rx beams is a number that is present on a list of preferred numbers of Rx beams previously transmitted by the UE to the base station.

[0123] Example 11 is the computing device of any of Examples 7-10, further comprising generating a second message indicating that the UE is configured to perform the Rx beam sweep using one of: vertical polarization, horizontal polarization, and both the vertical polarization and the horizontal polarization.

[0124] Example 12 is the computing device of Example 11, wherein the second message is included in one of a radio resource control (RRC) message, a MAC-CE, and uplink control information (UCI).

[0125] Example 13 is a method of a UE, comprising: configuring the UE for group-based beam reporting, wherein the UE reports on a first receive (Rx) beam and a second Rx beam of a group of beams; determining that a transmit (Tx) beam from a base station is receivable at the UE using both horizontal polarization antennas and vertical polarization antennas; and generating a group-based beam report message to be transmitted to the base station, the group-based beam report message including a same TCI corresponding to the Tx beam for both the first Rx beam and the second Rx beam, the TCI indicating that the Tx beam is receivable using both the horizontal polarization antennas and the vertical polarization antennas.

[0126] Example 14 is the method of Example 13, wherein the TCI corresponding to the Tx beam for each of the first Rx beam and the second Rx beam includes a channel state information (CSI) reference signal (CSI-RS) resource indicator (CRI) or a synchronization signal block resource indicator (SSBRI).

[0127] Example 15 is the method of any of Examples 13-14, wherein the group-based beam report message includes a TCI codepoint, the TCI codepoint including two TCI states, each TCI state corresponding to one of the first beam and the second beam and each TCI state indicating the same TCI corresponding to the Tx beam.

[0128] Example 16 is a method of a base station, comprising: configuring a UE for group-based beam reporting, wherein the UE reports on a first receive (Rx) beam and a second Rx beam of a group of beams; processing a group-based beam report message from the UE, the group-based beam report message including a same transmission configuration indication (TCI) corresponding to a transmit (Tx) beam for both the first Rx beam and the second Rx beam, the TCI indicating that the Tx beam is receivable at the UE using both horizontal polarization antennas and vertical polarization antennas; and in response to the group-based beam report message from the UE, scheduling two-layer downlink (DL) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) reception at the UE with the TCI.

[0129] Example 17 is a method as described in Example 16, wherein the TCI corresponding to the same Tx beam for each of the first Rx beam and the second Rx beam comprises a channel state information (CSI) reference signal (CSI-RS) resource indicator (CRI) or a synchronization signal block resource indicator (SSBRI).

[0130] Example 18 is a method as described in any one of Examples 16-17, wherein the group-based beam report message comprises a TCI codepoint that includes two TCI states, each TCI state corresponding to one of the first beam and the second beam and each TCI state using the same TCI corresponding to the Tx beam.

[0131] Example 19 can include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of the above Examples or any other method or process described herein.

[0132] Example 20 can include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions to cause an electronic device, upon execution of the instructions by one or more processors of the electronic device, to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of the above Examples, or any other method or process described herein.

[0133] Example 21 can include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, or circuitry to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of the above Examples or any other method or process described herein.

[0134] Example 22 can include a method, technique, or process as described in or related to any of the above Examples, or portions or parts thereof.

[0135] Example 23 can include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions to cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process as described in or related to any of the above Examples, or portions thereof, when executed by the one or more processors.

[0136] Example 24 can include a signal as described in or related to any of the above Examples, or portions or parts thereof.

[0137] Example 25 can include a datagram, packet, frame, segment, protocol data unit (PDU), or message as described in or related to any of the above Examples, or portions or parts thereof, or otherwise described in the present disclosure.

[0138] Example 26 can include a signal encoded with data, or portions or parts thereof, of any of the above or below listed embodiments or aspects thereof, or otherwise described in the present disclosure.

[0139] Example 27 can include a signal encoded with datagrams, packets, frames, segments, PDUs, or messages, or portions or parts thereof, of any of the above or below listed embodiments or aspects thereof, or otherwise described in the present disclosure.

[0140] Example 28 can include an electromagnetic signal carrying computer-readable instructions, wherein execution of the computer-readable instructions by one or more processors will cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process as described in any of the above or below listed embodiments or aspects thereof, or portions thereof.

[0141] Example 29 can include a computer program comprising instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processing element will cause the processing element to perform a method, technique, or process as described in any of the above or below listed embodiments or aspects thereof, or portions thereof.

[0142] Example 30 can include a signal in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0143] Example 31 can include a method of communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0144] Example 32 can include a system for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

[0145] Example 33 can include an apparatus for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

[0146] Any of the above or below listed embodiments can be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments), unless explicitly stated otherwise. The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides functionality and / or technical advantages, but do not limit claimed embodiments to the precise form described. Modifications and adaptations are possible, or can be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the above teachings, or can be acquired from practice of various implementations.

[0147] Implementations and specific embodiments of the systems and methods described herein can include various operations, which can be embodied in machine-executable instructions to be executed by a computer system. The computer system can include one or more general-purpose or special-purpose computers (or other electronic devices). The computer system can include hardware components, including specific logic for performing the operations, or can include a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0148] It should be appreciated that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific embodiments. These embodiments can be combined into a single system, combined partially into other systems, split into multiple systems, or otherwise divided or combined. In addition, it is contemplated that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of one embodiment can be used in another embodiment. For clarity, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. are only described in one or more embodiments, and it should be appreciated that these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. can be combined with or substituted for parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of another embodiment unless specifically stated otherwise herein.

[0149] It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices deemed appropriate within the industry or government requirements to protect user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to the user.

[0150] While the foregoing has been described in some detail for purposes of clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications can be made without departing from the principles thereof. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing both the processes and apparatuses described herein. Accordingly, embodiments of the present application are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the description is not to be limited to the details given herein, but can be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: determining that one or more of a current UE data rate and a current UE power usage is different from a preferred UE data rate and a preferred UE power usage, respectively; dynamically determining, based on one or more of the preferred UE data rate and the preferred UE power usage, a preferred number of receive (Rx) beams to use for an Rx beam sweep at the UE, wherein the preferred number of Rx beams is greater than eight; signaling, to a base station, the preferred number of Rx beams; and signaling, to the base station, that the UE is configured to perform the Rx beam sweep using one of: a vertical polarization, a horizontal polarization, and both the vertical polarization and the horizontal polarization.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferred number of Rx beams is a number selected from a group comprising 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, and 64.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferred number of Rx beams is signaled to the base station as part of one of a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a layer 1 measurement report, and a layer 3 measurement report.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferred number of Rx beams is a number that is present on a list of preferred numbers of Rx beams previously sent by the UE to the base station.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the signaling that the UE is configured to perform the Rx beam sweep using one of the vertical polarization, the horizontal polarization, and both the vertical polarization and the horizontal polarization is included in one of a radio resource control (RRC) message, a MAC-CE, and uplink control information (UCI).

6. A computing device of a user equipment (UE), comprising: a memory; and processing circuitry connected with the memory and configured to: determine that one or more of a current UE data rate and a current UE power usage is different from a preferred UE data rate and a preferred UE power usage, respectively; dynamically determine, based on one or more of the preferred UE data rate and the preferred UE power usage, a preferred number of receive (Rx) beams to use for an Rx beam sweep at the UE, wherein the preferred number of Rx beams is greater than eight; generate a message indicating the preferred number of Rx beams; and generate a second message indicating that the UE is configured to perform the Rx beam sweep using one of: a vertical polarization, a horizontal polarization, and both the vertical polarization and the horizontal polarization.

7. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the preferred number of Rx beams is a number selected from a group comprising 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, and 64.

8. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the message is included in one of a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a layer 1 measurement report, and a layer 3 measurement report.

9. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the preferred number of Rx beams is a number that is present on a list of preferred numbers of Rx beams previously sent by the UE to a base station.

10. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the second message is included in one of a radio resource control (RRC) message, a MAC-CE, and uplink control information (UCI).

11. An apparatus for a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: means for performing operations included in a method of any of claims 1-5.

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