Reference signal beam configuration in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A first network node (10, 400) is configured to be used in a wireless communication network. The first network node (10, 400) determines a modified configuration of reference signal beams of a serving cell of the first network node (10, 400). The first network node (10, 400) sends a first indication (14) to a second network node (20, 400). The first indication (14) comprises a configuration update message describing the modified configuration of reference signal beams of the serving cell.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates generally to communications, and more specifically to communication methods supporting wireless communications, as well as related devices and nodes. Background Technology

[0002] Figure 1 This illustrates, for example, a 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) architecture based on 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.401 v15.4.0, also known as the Next Generation (NG) RAN architecture. The NG-RAN consists of a group of gNBs connected to the 5G Core (5GC) via NG interfaces. gNBs can support Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), or dual-mode operation. gNBs can interconnect via Xn interfaces. A gNB can consist of gNB-CUs and gNB-DUs. gNB-CUs and gNB-DUs are connected via the F1 logical interface. A gNB-DU is connected to only one gNB-CU. For flexibility, a gNB-DU can be connected to multiple gNB-CUs through appropriate implementations. NG, Xn, and F1 are logical interfaces. The NG-RAN is layered into a Radio Network Layer (RNL) and a Transport Network Layer (TNL). The NG-RAN architecture (i.e., the NG-RAN logical nodes and the interfaces between them) is defined as part of the RNL. For each NG-RAN interface (NG, Xn, F1), the associated TNL protocol and functions are specified. TNL provides services for user plane transport and signaling transport.

[0003] The gNB can also connect to a Long Term Evolution (LTE) eNB via the X2 interface. According to another architectural option, an LTE eNB connected to the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network connects to a so-called nr-gNB via the X2 interface. The latter is a gNB that connects to the eNB via X2 for the sole purpose of performing dual connectivity without directly connecting to the core network (CN).

[0004] Figure 1 The architecture can be extended by splitting the gNB-CU into two entities: a gNB Centralized Unit (CU) User Plane (UP) (gNB-CU-UP), which serves the user plane and carries the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP); and a gNB CU Control Plane (gNB-CU-CP), which serves the control plane and carries PDCP and Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocols. For completeness, it should be said that the gNB-DU carries the RLC / MAC / PHY protocols, where RLC stands for Radio Link Control, MAC stands for Media Access Control, and PHY stands for Physical Access Control.

[0005] The XnAP and X2AP procedures are defined in 3GPP, which enable RAN nodes to provide information to second RAN nodes for capacity and coverage optimization (CCO).

[0006] For example, the purpose of the eNB configuration update procedure is to update the application layer configuration data required for two eNBs to interoperate correctly on the X2 interface. This procedure uses non-UE associated signaling, where the UE represents the User Equipment. In this procedure, eNB 1 sends an eNB configuration update message to its peer eNB 2 to transmit the TNBL-associated update information. If the operation is successful, eNB 2 responds with an eNB configuration update confirmation message; if the operation fails, eNB 2 responds with an eNB configuration update failure message.

[0007] eNB configuration update messages can be configured to include a Coverage Modification List Information Element (IE), which is a list of cells with modified coverage. For each cell in the list, the Coverage Modification List IE includes: (i) an ECGI IE indicating the E-UTRAN Cell Global Identifier (ECGI) of the cell to be modified; (ii) a cell coverage status IE, which indicates that the cell is inactive when it is "0" or that the cell is active when it is another (non-zero) value, and also indicates the coverage configuration of the cell; (iii) an optional cell deployment status indicator IE, which, if present, indicates that the cell coverage status is planned to be used on the next reconfiguration; and (iv) a cell replacement information IE, which includes a list of one or more ECGIs of one or more cells, which can replace all or part of the coverage of the cell to be modified.

[0008] If the eNB configuration update message contains an Overlay Modification List IE, eNB 2 can use the information in the Cell Overlay Status IE to identify the cell deployment configuration enabled by eNB 1 and use it to configure mobility toward the cell indicated by the ECGI IE, as described in TS 36.300v15.10.0. If the Overlay Modification List IE contains a Cell Deployment Status Indicator IE, eNB 2 will treat the cell deployment configuration of the cell to be modified as the next planned configuration and will remove any planned configurations stored for that cell. If a Cell Deployment Status Indicator IE exists and the Cell Replacement Information IE contains a list of non-empty cells, eNB 2 can use this list to avoid connectivity or rebuild failures during reconfiguration, for example, by treating cells in the list as potential handover targets. If no Cell Deployment Status Indicator IE exists, eNB 2 will treat the cell deployment configuration of the cell to be modified as active and replace any previous configuration of the cell indicated in the Overlay Modification List IE.

[0009] Similarly, the purpose of the E-UTRA-New Radio (NR) Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) configuration update procedure is to update the application layer configuration data required for proper interoperability between the eNB and en-gNB on the X2 interface. This procedure uses non-UE-associated signaling. In this procedure, the initiating node (e.g., the eNB) sends an EN-DC configuration update message to its peer neighbor (e.g., the en-gNB), where both nodes are capable of interacting with EN-DC to transmit TNL-associated update information. If the operation is successful, the peer neighbor responds with an EN-DC configuration update acknowledgment message; if the operation is unsuccessful, the peer neighbor responds with an EN-DC configuration update failure message.

[0010] For NG-RAN, the NG-RAN node configuration update procedure is used to update the application layer configuration data required for two NG-RAN nodes to interoperate correctly on the Xn-C interface. This procedure uses non-UE associated signaling. In this procedure, an NG-RAN node sends an NG-RAN node configuration update message to its neighboring NG-RAN node to transmit updated information for the Xn-C interface instance. If the operation is successful, the neighboring NG-RAN node responds with an NG-RAN configuration update acknowledgment message; if the operation fails, the neighboring NG-RAN node responds with an NG-RAN configuration update failure message.

[0011] For gNB, the "NG-RAN Node Configuration Update" message includes updated configuration data ("Serving Cell NR to be Updated" IE) and "Cell Auxiliary Information NR" for the NR cell served by the node sending the message. For ng-eNB, the "NG-RAN Node Configuration Update" message is defined to include updated configuration data ("Serving Cell E-UTRA to be Updated" IE) and "Cell Auxiliary Information NR" for the E-UTRA cell served by the node sending the message.

[0012] For gNB, the definition of the "NG-RAN Node Configuration Update Confirmation" message includes the configuration data of the NR cell served by the node sending the message ("Serving Cell Information NR" IE within the "Serving NR Cell" IE), the configuration data of the NR neighbors of the NR cell served by the node sending the message ("Neighbor Information NR" IE within the "Serving NR Cell" IE), and the configuration data of the E-UTRA neighbors of the NR cell served by the node sending the message ("Neighbor Information E-UTRA" IE within the "Serving NR Cell" IE).

[0013] In this context, two types of reference signals are defined for NR, including synchronization signal blocks (SSB or SS block) and channel state information (CSI) reference signals (CSI-RS).

[0014] Regarding SSBs, the IE SSB index identifies the SS blocks within an SS burst. See TS 38.213v15.10.0, Clause 4.1. Use IE SSB-MTC to configure the measurement timing configuration, i.e., the timing at which the UE measures the SSB. Use IE SSB-PositionQCL-Relationship to indicate the quasi-co-position (QCL) relationship between SSB positions on the frequency indicated by ssbFrequency (see TS 38.213v15.10.0, Clause 4.1). Value n1 corresponds to 1, value n2 corresponds to 2, and so on. Use IE SSB-ToMeasure to configure the SSB mode.

[0015] Regarding CSI-RS, the IE NZP-CSI-RS-Resource is used to configure non-zero power (NZP) CSI-RS transmitted in the cell that includes this IE, which the UE can be configured to measure (see TS 38.214v15.10.0, Clause 5.2.2.3.1). Configuration changes between periodic, semi-persistent, and aperiodic modes for NZP-CSI-RS-Resource are not supported without release and addition. An NZP-CSI-RS-Resource is identified using the IE NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceId. An IE NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet is a collection of non-zero power (NZP) CSI-RS resources (their IDs) and set-specific parameters. An NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet is identified using the IE NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSetId. Summary of the Invention

[0016] Some embodiments of this paper address shortcomings of existing methods for providing configuration updates between network nodes in a wireless communication network. Specifically, configuration data exchanged using existing methods lacks support for cell shaping in dual-connectivity scenarios (e.g., EN-DC or NR-DC). Furthermore, existing methods lack support for network capacity and coverage optimization through actions on reference signal beam configurations (SSB beams or CSI-RS beams). In this regard, some embodiments provide signaling between two network nodes sharing a communication interface (e.g., X2AP, XnAP, or F1AP interface) to support coverage or capacity optimization through cell shaping when the coverage area of ​​the serving radio cell is divided by one or more partitions, defined, for example, by the coverage area of ​​reference signal beams (e.g., SSB beams or CSI-RS beams) transmitted by the network nodes.

[0017] More specifically, embodiments of this document include a method performed by a first network node in a wireless communication network. The method includes: determining a modified configuration of a reference signal beam of a serving cell of the first network node; and sending a first indication to a second network node. In this case, the first indication includes a configuration update message describing the modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell.

[0018] In some embodiments, the configuration modification changes the identifier of the reference signal beam. Additionally or alternatively, the configuration modification changes the coverage status of the coverage configuration indicating the reference signal beam. Additionally or alternatively, the configuration modification changes the identifier of the cell to which the reference signal beam is mapped.

[0019] In some embodiments, the configuration modification is a modification of the coverage configuration of the reference signal beam.

[0020] In some embodiments, the configuration update message includes a list of cells and / or a list of reference signal beams for which the first network node plans to use the modified configuration.

[0021] In some embodiments, the configuration update message indicates the identifier of the serving cell.

[0022] Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the configuration update message includes a list of one or more reference signal beams of the serving cell prior to the coverage modification. In one embodiment, the list of one or more reference signal beams of the serving cell prior to the coverage modification includes reference signal beams, and the list indicates the coverage status of the reference signal beams prior to the coverage modification for each of the one or more reference signal beams. Here, the coverage status indicates whether the reference signal beams were active prior to the coverage modification and indicates the coverage configuration of the reference signal beams prior to the coverage modification.

[0023] Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the configuration update message includes a list of one or more replacement cells that will replace all or part of the coverage of the serving cell after the coverage modification. In one embodiment, the list of one or more replacement cells that will replace all or part of the coverage of the serving cell after the coverage modification indicates, for each of the one or more replacement cells, a list of one or more replacement reference signal beams for the replacement cell. In this case, the list of one or more replacement reference signal beams indicates, for each of the one or more replacement reference signal beams, the coverage status of the replacement reference signal beam after the coverage modification. Here, the coverage status indicates whether the replacement reference signal beam will be active after the coverage modification and indicates the coverage configuration of the replacement reference signal beam after the coverage modification.

[0024] In one or more embodiments, modifying the configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell includes modifying the coverage state of the reference signal beam.

[0025] In some embodiments, the configuration update message includes a list of one or more reference signal beams that will replace all or part of the reference signal beams according to the modified configuration of the reference signal beams.

[0026] In some embodiments, the reference signal beam includes a downlink reference signal beam carrying a synchronization signal block or channel state information reference signal.

[0027] In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving at a first network node an indication of a capacity and coverage optimization (CCO) problem of the serving cell of the first network node from a second network node. In this case, in response to the received indication, a modified configuration for determining a reference signal beam is performed, and the indicated CCO problem includes at least one of the following: capacity problem; coverage problem; interference problem; and / or uplink / downlink imbalance.

[0028] In some embodiments, modifying the configuration includes changing the shape of the reference signal beam, merging the reference signal beam with at least one other reference signal beam, or splitting the reference signal beam into at least a plurality of reference signal beams.

[0029] In some embodiments, the first network node is a distributed unit (DU) of the gNB, and the second network node is a control unit (CU) of the gNB. In this case, the configuration update message is a gNB-DU configuration update message.

[0030] In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving a second indication from a second network node, the second indication including confirmation of the first indication.

[0031] In some embodiments, the first indication includes information regarding possible configurations of cells and / or beams of neighboring cells of the serving cell. For example, the first network node may consider the possible configuration to be compatible with a modified configuration described in the first indication. Alternatively, where the modified configuration described in the first indication describes a change in the shape of the reference signal beam of the serving cell, the possible configuration may include suggested changes to the shape of beams in neighboring cells. In any case, in some embodiments, the method further includes receiving a second indication from a second network node, the second indication including confirmation of the possible configuration.

[0032] Other embodiments of this document include a method performed by a second network node in a wireless communication network. The method includes: receiving a first indication from a first network node, the first indication including a configuration update message describing a modified configuration of a reference signal beam of a serving cell of the first network node; determining, based on the first indication, whether a neighboring cell list needs to be modified; and updating cell configuration information associated with the first network node.

[0033] In some embodiments, the configuration modification changes the identifier of the reference signal beam. Additionally or alternatively, the configuration modification changes the coverage status of the coverage configuration indicating the reference signal beam. Additionally or alternatively, the configuration modification changes the identifier of the cell to which the reference signal beam is mapped.

[0034] In some embodiments, the configuration modification is a modification of the coverage configuration of the reference signal beam.

[0035] In some embodiments, the configuration update message includes a list of cells and / or a list of reference signal beams for which the first network node plans to use the modified configuration.

[0036] In some embodiments, the configuration update message indicates the identifier of the serving cell.

[0037] Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the configuration update message also indicates a list of one or more reference signal beams of the serving cell prior to the coverage modification. In one such embodiment, the list includes reference signal beams, and for each of the one or more reference signal beams, the list indicates the coverage status of the reference signal beam prior to the coverage modification, and the coverage status indicates whether the reference signal beam was active and its coverage configuration prior to the coverage modification.

[0038] In some embodiments, the configuration update message alternatively or additionally includes a list of one or more replacement cells that will replace all or part of the coverage of the serving cell after a coverage modification. In one such embodiment, the list of one or more replacement cells indicates, for each of the one or more replacement cells, a list of one or more replacement reference signal beams for the replacement cell, and the list of one or more replacement reference signal beams indicates, for each of the one or more replacement reference signal beams, the coverage status of the replacement reference signal beam after the coverage modification, and the coverage status indicates whether the replacement reference signal beam will be active after the coverage modification and indicates the coverage configuration of the replacement reference signal beam after the coverage modification. In one or more of these embodiments, the modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell includes a modification of the coverage status of the reference signal beam.

[0039] In some embodiments, the configuration update message includes a list of one or more reference signal beams that will replace all or part of the reference signal beams according to the modified configuration of the reference signal beams.

[0040] In some embodiments, the reference signal beam includes a downlink reference signal beam carrying a synchronization signal block or channel state information reference signal.

[0041] In some embodiments, the method further includes sending an indication to the first network node of a capacity and coverage optimization (CCO) problem of the serving cell of the first network node. In this case, a first indication is received in response to the sent indication, and the indicated CCO problem includes at least one of the following: capacity problem; coverage problem; interference problem; and / or uplink / downlink imbalance.

[0042] In some embodiments, modifying the configuration includes changing the shape of the reference signal beam, merging the reference signal beam with at least one other reference signal beam, or splitting the reference signal beam into at least a plurality of reference signal beams.

[0043] In some embodiments, the first network node is a distributed unit (DU) of the gNB, the second network node is a control unit (CU) of the gNB, and the configuration update message is a gNB-DU configuration update message.

[0044] In some embodiments, the method further includes sending a second indication to a first network node, the second indication including confirmation of the first indication.

[0045] In some embodiments, the first indication includes information regarding possible configurations of cells and / or beams of neighboring cells of the serving cell. For example, the first network node may consider the possible configuration to be compatible with a modified configuration described in the first indication. Alternatively, where the modified configuration described in the first indication describes a change in the shape of the reference signal beam of the serving cell, the possible configuration may include suggested changes to the shape of beams in neighboring cells. In any case, in some embodiments, the method further includes sending a second indication to the first network node, the second indication including confirmation of the possible configuration.

[0046] Other embodiments of this document include a method performed by a first network node in a wireless communication network. The method includes: receiving from a second network node in the wireless communication network an indication of a capacity and coverage optimization (CCO) problem of the serving cell of the first network node; and resolving the indicated CCO problem.

[0047] In some embodiments, the indicated CCO problem includes at least one of the following: capacity problem, coverage problem, interference problem, and / or uplink / downlink imbalance of the serving cell of the first network node.

[0048] In some embodiments, the solution includes determining new cell and / or beam configurations.

[0049] In some embodiments, the method further includes: determining a modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell of the first network node in response to receiving an indication of a CCO problem; and sending a first indication to the second network node. In this case, the first indication includes a configuration update message describing the modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell.

[0050] Other embodiments of this document include a method performed by a second network node in a wireless communication network. The method includes: identifying a capacity and coverage optimization (CCO) problem of the serving cell of a first network node; and sending an indication of the CCO problem to the first network node.

[0051] In some embodiments, the indicated CCO problem includes at least one of the following: capacity problem, coverage problem, interference problem, and / or uplink / downlink imbalance of the serving cell of the first network node.

[0052] Other embodiments of this document include a first network node configured for use in a wireless communication network. The first network node is configured to: determine a modified configuration of a reference signal beam of a serving cell of the first network node; and send a first indication to a second network node. In this case, the first indication includes a configuration update message describing the modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell.

[0053] In some embodiments, the first network node is configured to perform the steps described above for the first network node.

[0054] Other embodiments of this document include a second network node configured for use in a wireless communication network. The second network node is configured to receive a first indication from a first network node, the first indication including a configuration update message describing a modified configuration of a reference signal beam of the first network node's serving cell. The second network node is also configured to: determine, based on the first indication, whether a neighboring cell list needs to be modified; and update cell configuration information associated with the first network node.

[0055] In some embodiments, the second network node is configured to perform the steps described above for the second network node.

[0056] Other embodiments of this document include a computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a first network node, cause the first network node to perform the steps described above for the first network node. Other embodiments of this document include a computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a second network node, cause the second network node to perform the steps described above for the second network node. In one or more of these embodiments, the carrier containing the above-described computer program is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

[0057] Other embodiments of this document include a first network node configured for use in a wireless communication network. The first network node includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. In this case, the memory includes computer program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the first network node to: determine a modified configuration of a reference signal beam for a serving cell of the first network node; and send a first indication to a second network node, wherein the first indication includes a configuration update message describing the modified configuration of the reference signal beam for the serving cell.

[0058] In some embodiments, the memory includes computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the first network node to perform the steps described above for the first network node.

[0059] Other embodiments of this document include a second network node (400) configured for use in a wireless communication network. The second network node includes a processor and memory coupled to the processor. In this case, the memory includes computer program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the second network node to receive a first indication from a first network node, the first indication including a configuration update message describing a modified configuration of a reference signal beam of the first network node's serving cell. The memory also includes computer program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the second network node to: determine, based on the first indication, whether a neighboring cell list needs to be modified; and update cell configuration information associated with the first network node.

[0060] In some embodiments, the memory includes computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor, configure the second network node to perform the steps described above for the second network node.

[0061] Of course, the present invention is not limited to the features and advantages described above. In fact, those skilled in the art will recognize other features and advantages upon reading the following detailed description and reviewing the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0062] Figure 1This is a block diagram of the 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) architecture.

[0063] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the signaling call between a first network node and a second network node according to some embodiments.

[0064] Figure 3 It is a flowchart of the signaling call between a first network node and a second network node in the form of first and second NG-RAN nodes, according to some embodiments.

[0065] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating the cell coverage area of ​​an NG-RAN cell defined based on the coverage area of ​​the corresponding SSB beam, according to some embodiments.

[0066] Figure 5 This is an illustration of an embodiment in which a first network node receives an instruction on a CCO problem from a second network node, according to some embodiments.

[0067] Figure 6 This is an illustration of an embodiment in which the gNB-DU receives an indication of a CCO problem from the gNB-CU via the F1AP interface, according to some embodiments.

[0068] Figure 7 This is an example of a serving cell defined by a single SSB beam according to some embodiments, which is split into two SSB beams to create two new cells.

[0069] Figure 8 This is an example of cell splitting with a new PCI via SSB beam reconfiguration.

[0070] Figure 9 This is an example of a serving cell defined by a single SSB beam according to some embodiments, which is split into two SSB beams to create two virtual cells characterized by the same Physical Cell Identifier (PCI) but identified by different SSB indices.

[0071] Figure 10 This is an example of an embodiment of a new configuration of a CSI-RS beam located under the coverage area of ​​an SSB, determined by a first network node according to some embodiments.

[0072] Figure 11 This is an example of a first network node, according to some embodiments, merging two cells whose coverage areas are each defined by a single SSB beam into a new cell whose coverage area is also defined by a single SSB beam.

[0073] Figure 12This is an example, according to some embodiments, of a first network node merging two SSB beams located under the coverage area of ​​a serving cell into a single SSB beam.

[0074] Figure 13 This is an example, according to some embodiments, of a first network node merging two SSB beams located under the coverage area of ​​a serving cell into a single SSB beam.

[0075] Figure 14 This is a block diagram illustrating elements of a wireless device UE according to some embodiments.

[0076] Figure 15 This is a block diagram illustrating elements of a radio access network (RAN) node configured to provide cellular communications according to some embodiments.

[0077] Figure 16 This is a block diagram illustrating elements of a core network (CN) node of a communication network configured to provide cellular communication according to some embodiments.

[0078] Figure 17 This is a logic flowchart of a method for operating a first network node in a wireless communication network according to some embodiments.

[0079] Figure 18 This is a logic flowchart of a method for operating a first network node in a wireless communication network according to other embodiments.

[0080] Figure 19 This is a logic flowchart of a method for operating a second network node in a wireless communication network according to some embodiments.

[0081] Figure 20 This is a logic flowchart of a method for operating a second network node in a wireless communication network according to other embodiments.

[0082] Figure 21 This is a logic flowchart of a method for operating a second network node in a wireless communication network according to some other embodiments.

[0083] Figure 22 This is a logic flowchart of a method for operating a second network node in a wireless communication network according to some other embodiments.

[0084] Figure 23 This is a block diagram of a wireless communication network according to some embodiments.

[0085] Figure 24 This is a block diagram of a user device according to some embodiments.

[0086] Figure 25 This is a block diagram of a virtualized environment according to some embodiments.

[0087] Figure 26 This is a block diagram of a communication network having a host computer according to some embodiments.

[0088] Figure 27 This is a block diagram of a host computer according to some embodiments.

[0089] Figure 28 This is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment.

[0090] Figure 29 This is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment.

[0091] Figure 30 This is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment.

[0092] Figure 31 This is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0093] Figure 2 Embodiments of a method for a first network node 10 and a second network node 20 are illustrated. Some embodiments provide signaling between two network nodes 10, 20 sharing a communication interface (e.g., an X2AP, XnAP, or F1AP interface) to support coverage or capacity optimization through cell shaping when the coverage area of ​​a serving radio cell is divided by one or more partitions, which are defined, for example, by the coverage area of ​​a reference signal beam (e.g., an SSB beam or a CSI-RS beam) transmitted by the network nodes.

[0094] Some embodiments provide a method performed by a first network node 10 for optimizing the coverage area of ​​a reference signal (RS) beam. The method includes: determining a new configuration of at least one serving cell of the first network node 10 by modifying the configuration of at least one RS beam of the serving cell; and sending a first indication 14 to at least a second network node 20, which includes a configuration update for one or more RS beams of the at least one serving cell.

[0095] The method may further include, as part of the first instruction 14, signaling to the second network node 20 information regarding possible configurations of cells adjacent to the first network node cell whose configuration has undergone a change. Such possible configurations may constitute a configuration that the first network node 10 considers best matched to the new configuration being adopted by the cells of the first network node 10. For example, if the first network node 10 is applying a new shape to some or all of the beams in one of its serving cells, the first network node 10 may indicate to the second network node 20 a configuration considered best for the beam shape of the cells adjacent to the first network node cell.

[0096] The method may further include: receiving a second indication 16 from at least a second network node 20, which includes confirmation of the first indication 14 and optionally confirmation of whether a suggested configuration of a cell applicable to the second network node 20 is included from the first network node 10.

[0097] In one embodiment, the configuration update includes a list of cells and / or RS beams for which the first network node 10 plans to use a modified configuration (e.g., at the next reconfiguration), a list of cells and / or RS beams that replace all or part of the configuration of the cells and / or RS beams indicated as to be modified for the first network node 10, and / or a list of cells of neighboring nodes that signal the configuration information to it, wherein each cell in the list is associated with a recommended configuration that the transmitting node determines to be optimal based on the configuration change of the cells served by the transmitting node.

[0098] In another embodiment, the RAN node may receive configuration updates of one or more RS beams from one or more neighboring cells and send such configuration updates as the configuration of the neighboring RAN node to another RAN node.

[0099] In some embodiments, an eNB may receive configuration updates of the capacity and coverage configuration of at least one or more beams of at least one or more cells including an en-gNB and send them as the CCO configuration of a neighboring en-gNB to another en-gNB.

[0100] In some embodiments, the first network node 10 modifies the configuration of at least one RS of a serving cell for coverage or capacity optimization.

[0101] In some embodiments, a new configuration of the RS beam of a radio cell is determined by modifying the shape of at least one RS beam of the radio cell, merging two or more RS beams of the radio cell into a new (single) RS beam, and / or splitting at least one RS beam of the radio cell into at least two new RS beams.

[0102] The RS type used to reconfigure the first network node 10 can be a downlink RS such as a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) beam or Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), or an uplink RS such as a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS).

[0103] This information may include information related to the RAN node configuration before and / or after the new configuration, which is associated with the serving cell itself and / or the RS beams within the serving cell, such as the mapping between one or more serving cells before reconfiguration and one or more serving cells after reconfiguration, the list of cells for which the first network node 10 has modified the configuration of the downlink (DL) RS beams, the mapping between one or more RS beams of the serving cell before reconfiguration and one or more RS beams of the serving cell after reconfiguration, and / or the list of RS beams (e.g., SSB beams or CSI-RS beams) for which the first network node 10 has modified the configuration.

[0104] This information may include information related to the possible configuration to be adopted by the second receiving network node 20, which is signaled by the first network node 10, and this information may be applied to cells of the second network node 20 adjacent to cells in the first network node 10 that have applied or will apply configuration changes.

[0105] Some embodiments provide a corresponding method performed by a second network node 20 for optimizing the coverage area of ​​a reference signal (RS) beam. The method includes receiving a first indication 14 from a first network node 10, which includes information associated with at least one serving cell or the configuration of the RS beam of the serving cell. The method further includes: verifying, based on the first indication 14, whether a neighboring cell list needs to be modified; and updating cell configuration information associated with the first network node 10.

[0106] The method of the second network node 20 may further include: evaluating whether possible configurations of the cell or beam of the second network node 20 are feasible and optimal upon receiving possible configurations of the cell or beam of the second network node 20 from the first network node 10. In this case, the method of the second network node 20 may further include: responding to the first network node 14 with a second instruction 16, which includes confirmation of adopting the recommended configuration, or having any new configuration applicable to such a cell or any other serving cell; and sending the second instruction 16 to the first network node 10, which includes confirmation of the information received along with the first instruction 14.

[0107] In another embodiment of the method, the second network node 20 identifies potential problems that need to be better analyzed and resolved by the first network node 10 using its collected measurement results, key performance indicators (KPIs), performance counters, etc. Such problems can be one or more of the following: (i) capacity problems: these problems can be associated with one or more cells or beam areas of the first network node 10 that detected the capacity problem; (ii) coverage problems: these problems can be associated with one or more cells or beam areas of the first network node 10 that detected the capacity problem; (iii) interference problems: these problems can be associated with one or more cells or beam areas of the first network node 10 that detected the capacity problem.

[0108] Figure 3 The following exemplary scenario is shown: the first network node 10 and the second network node 20 are 3GPP gNBs, the first indication 14 includes an NG RAN node configuration update message, and the second indication 16 includes an NG RAN node configuration update confirmation message.

[0109] Typically, some embodiments can provide efficient optimization of network coverage and capacity by adapting RS beams (SSB beams or CSI-RS beams) through modification of the RS beam shape, or by merging or splitting RS beams used to define the coverage or capacity of network cells. Another advantage of some embodiments is the ability to better utilize radio resources in the network, thereby improving spectral efficiency and network performance.

[0110] Now consider the following scenario: the coverage and / or capacity of a radio cell controlled by a first network node 10 is defined by the coverage area of ​​one or more reference signal (RS) beams. Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating the cell coverage area of ​​an NG-RAN cell, defined based on the coverage area of ​​the corresponding SSB beam.

[0111] For example, in an NG-RAN system, the downlink coverage or capacity of a cell is determined by the envelope of one or more downlink RS beams (e.g., Synchronization Block (SSB) beams or Channel State Information Reference (CSI-RS) beams), such as Figure 4 As shown. Figure 4 Two gNBs, 1 and 2, are shown, each connected to an Access and Mobility Function (AMF) and an Operation and Maintenance (OAM) node. In this example, gNB 1 transmits a single SSB beam (i.e., SSB 0) in cell 1, so that the coverage area of ​​cell 1 coincides with the coverage area of ​​SSB 0. On the other hand, gNB 2 transmits two SSB beams (i.e., SSB 0 and SSB 1) in cell 2, so that the coverage area of ​​cell 2 is determined by the envelope of the coverage areas of SSB 0 and SSB 1 transmitted in cell 2.

[0112] In this and other scenarios, some embodiments provide a method for capacity and coverage optimization (CCO) performed by a first network node 10. The method includes: determining a new configuration for at least one serving cell of the first network node 10 by modifying the configuration of at least one RS beam of the serving cell; and sending a first indication 14 to at least a second network node 20, which includes a configuration update for one or more RS beams of the at least one serving cell.

[0113] In one embodiment, in the case of a capacity and coverage optimization (CCO) problem in at least one radio cell, the first network node 10 can resolve the CCO problem of the serving cell by determining the reconfiguration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell.

[0114] Figure 5 This is an illustration of an embodiment where the first network node 10 receives an indication of a CCO problem from the second network node 20. Specifically, in one embodiment ( Figure 5 As shown, the method performed by the first network node 10 may further include: receiving a third indication 18 from the second network node 20, which indicates that one or more serving cells of the first network node 10 have a potential CCO problem. The second network node 20 may send the third indication 18, for example, when a CCO problem is detected (box 17).

[0115] The indicated CCO problem can be one or a combination of the following: (i) a capacity problem, wherein the problem can be associated with one or more cells or beam areas of the first network node 10 that detects the capacity problem; (ii) a coverage problem, wherein the problem can be associated with one or more cells or beam areas of the first network node 10 that detects the coverage problem; (iii) an interference problem, wherein the problem can be associated with one or more cells or beam areas of the first network node 10 that detects the interference problem; (iv) an uplink / downlink imbalance, wherein the problem can be associated with a coverage imbalance between uplink and downlink coverage in one or more cells or beam areas of the first network node 10 that detects the imbalance problem.

[0116] Based on the third instruction 18, the first network node 10 can take action to resolve the indicated CCO problem, for example, by taking action to adjust coverage optimization 12. In one example, the first network node 10 determines the new configuration of at least one serving cell by modifying the configuration of at least one RS beam of the serving cell. As described above, the first network node 10 can then send a first instruction 14 to the second network node 20 and receive a second instruction 16 from the second network node 20.

[0117] For example, in the case of a 3GPP NG-RAN system with a split architecture, Figure 6 An example is shown where the first network node 10 is gNB-DU and the second network node 20 is gNB-CU-CP. Figure 6 This is an illustration of an embodiment in which gNB-DU 10 receives an indication of a CCO problem from gNB-CU-CP 20 via the F1AP interface, such as an indication sent by gNB-CU-CP when a CCO problem is detected (box 17). Based on the indicated CCO problem, gNB-DU 10 determines a new configuration of the serving cell by modifying the configuration of at least one RS beam of at least one serving cell of gNB-DU 10 and indicates this configuration to gNB-CU-CP 20.

[0118] In this case, such as Figure 6 As shown, gNB-DU 10 receives instruction 18 from gNB-CU-CP 20 via F1AP, which includes a gNB-CU configuration update message indicating a potential CCO problem in one or more serving cells of gNB-DU 10. gNB-DU 10 takes action to resolve the CCO problem 12, for example, by modifying the configuration of at least one RS beam of at least one serving cell of gNB-DU 10 to determine the new configuration of the serving cell and sending a first instruction 14 including a gNB-DU configuration update message with information associated with the new configuration of the at least one serving cell or the RS beam of the serving cell.

[0119] In some embodiments, gNB-DU 10 sends gNB-DU configuration update confirmation message 16 to gNB-CU-CP 20.

[0120] In addition, Figure 6 In this example and in other examples, the first network node 10 can determine what changes are needed in the cells of the second network node 20 adjacent to one or more cells in which configuration changes have been applied in the first network node 10.

[0121] In one embodiment, each configuration of a beam region or cell can be associated with an index. Once the RAN node knows the index corresponding to a given cell / beam configuration, the RAN node can learn over time (using measurements, key performance indicators (KPIs), statistics, etc.) which of the index configurations of neighboring cells and beams performs best for a given configuration of the serving cell. Using this mechanism, the first network node 10 can suggest to the second network node 20, based on configuration changes at the cells in the first network node 10, what the optimal configuration for the cells / beams at the second network node 20 should be.

[0122] Note that in one embodiment, the first network node 10 determines a new configuration for the downlink synchronization signal block (SSB) beam, such as a configuration defined for an NG-RAN system. In this case, the RS beam is identified by an SSB index. Thus, the first network node 10 can determine the new configuration of the SSB signal by modifying the SSB index list transmitted in the serving cell.

[0123] In another embodiment, the first network node 10 determines a new configuration for the downlink channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), such as a configuration defined for an NG-RAN system or an LTE-A system.

[0124] Now consider a CCO solution via RS beam splitting.

[0125] In some embodiments of CCO for RS beam splitting, the first network node 10 addresses the CCO problem for at least one serving cell or at least one RS beam within a serving cell by determining a new configuration including one or more of the following: (i) information on splitting the serving cell into two or more cell partitions or a new serving cell; and (ii) information on splitting the RS beam into two or more RS partitions.

[0126] In some embodiments, configuration information related to splitting a serving cell or an RS within a serving cell determines that the coverage area of ​​the serving cell or an RS within a serving cell will be split into two or more partitions. Such partitions may correspond to the coverage areas of one or more new serving cells and / or one or more new RS beams.

[0127] Cell splitting example 1: Cell splitting via SSB beam splitting and PCI reconfiguration

[0128] In one embodiment, the first network node 10 splits a serving cell configured with one or more RS beams defining the coverage area of ​​the cell into two or more new cells, each new cell being configured with one or more new RS beams defining the coverage area of ​​each new cell. In this case, the first network node 10 configures each new cell and its associated RS beam with a new cell identifier.

[0129] In some embodiments, the first network node 10 determines to split a serving cell defined by a single RS beam into two or more serving cells, each serving cell being configured with one or more RS beams, wherein the RS beam associated with each new cell is configured with a different Physical Cell Identifier (PCI). Figure 7This is an example of a serving cell (cell 2 of gNB 2) defined by a single SSB beam (left side of the figure, SSB 1), which is split into two SSB beams to create two new cells (cell A and cell B in the right side of the figure). Each new cell is identified by a different Physical Cell Identifier (PCI), namely PCI A and PCI B. In this case, the SSB index used in each cell can be the same (as in SSB 1 in this figure) or different.

[0130] More specifically, such as Figure 7 As shown, gNB 1 and gNB 2 are associated with the same AMF and OAM. gNB 1 serves cell 1, while gNB 2 serves cell 2. As shown on the left side of the figure, cell 2 is initially defined by a single RS beam in the form of a single SSB beam. However, cell 2 has a capacity issue. To address this capacity issue, as shown on the right side of the figure, the configuration of the single SSB beam is modified so that the single SSB beam defining cell 2 is split into two SSB beams to create two new cells. Specifically, the single SSB beam is split into two SSB beams that define two new cells, namely cell A identified by PCI A and cell B identified by PCI B. However, note here that when the SSB beam is split into two SSB beams corresponding to the new cells, the two new SSB beams in this example still use the same SSB index, namely SSB 1.

[0131] Figure 7 This illustrates an example of a first network node 10 determining a new configuration that splits the serving cell defined by a single SSB beam (SSB 1) into two new cells, each configured with a single SSB beam and a different PCI.

[0132] In this scenario, the same or different SSB indices can be configured for the SSB of the new cell. Each of the two SSB beams created by the first network node 10 defines a new serving cell whose coverage area is consistent with the coverage area of ​​the corresponding SSB index.

[0133] Conversely, this example applies to any number of SSB beams that are split into two or more SSB beams within the cell of the first network node 10.

[0134] Split Example 2: Cell Split via SSB Beam Reconfiguration with Different PCIs

[0135] In one embodiment, the first network node 10 splits a serving cell configured with two or more RS beams into two or more new cells by changing the configuration of at least one RS beam with a new cell identifier (e.g., a new PCI).

[0136] Figure 8 This is an example of cell splitting via SSB beam reconfiguration using the new PCI. In one exemplary case ( Figure 8 As shown), the first network node 10 splits the coverage area of ​​a serving cell A (defined by PCI A) that has two (or more) SSB beams with different SSB indices (e.g., SSB 1 and SSB 2) into two cells, such as cell A and cell B, by determining a new PCI configuration for the original SSB beams. In this example, the first network node 10 reconfigures the SSB beams such that PCI number A is used in SSB beam 1 and PCI number B is used in SSB beam 2. Thus, the coverage area of ​​each new cell is determined by the coverage area of ​​one (or more) SSB beams. Furthermore, the first network node 10 can further modify its SSB beam indices (... Figure 8 (Not shown in the image) to reconfigure the SSB beam without changing the result.

[0137] More specifically, such as Figure 8 As shown, gNB 1 and gNB 2 are associated with the same AMF and OAM. gNB 1 serves cell 1, while gNB 2 serves cell 2. As shown on the left side of the figure, cell 2 was initially defined by a single RS beam in the form of a single SSB beam. However, cell 2 has a capacity problem. To solve this capacity problem, as shown on the right side of the figure, the configuration of the single SSB beam is modified so that the single SSB beam defining cell 2 is split into two SSB beams to create two new cells. Specifically, the single SSB beam is split into two SSB beams, which define two new cells, namely cell A identified by PCI A and cell B identified by PCI B. Note here that, with Figure 7 Unlike other examples, the two new SSB beams in this example use different SSB indices, namely SSB 1 and SSB 2.

[0138] Split Example 3: SSB Beam Split by Reconfiguring SSB Index (Maintaining Cell PCI)

[0139] In one embodiment, the first network node 10 splits the coverage area of ​​the serving cell defined by one or more RS beams by determining a new configuration of the RS beams without changing the cell identifier.

[0140] Figure 9 This is an example of a serving cell defined by a single SSB beam (left figure), which is split into two SSB beams to create two virtual cells characterized by the same Physical Cell Identifier (PCI) but identified by different SSB indices (e.g., SSB 1 and SSB 2).

[0141] In one exemplary case ( Figure 9 As shown), the serving cell coverage area is defined by a single SSB beam (SSB 1), and the first network node 10 splits the serving cell (cell 2) by determining a new configuration of the RS that splits the original SSB beam (SSB 1) into multiple SSB beams (SSB 1 and SSB 2), each SSB beam being configured with the same physical cell identifier (PCI) and a different SSB index.

[0142] In this configuration, each new SSB beam created by the first network node 10 defines a virtual cell identified by an SSB index, whose coverage area coincides with the coverage area of ​​the corresponding SSB index. However, the entire serving cell coverage area is defined by the envelope of the coverage areas of the two virtual cells / the SSB beam coverage area.

[0143] More specifically, then such as Figure 9 As shown, gNB 1 and gNB 2 are associated with the same AMF and OAM. gNB 1 serves cell 1, while gNB 2 serves cell 2. As shown on the left side of the figure, cell 2 is initially defined by a single RS beam in the form of a single SSB beam with SSB index 1. However, cell 2 has a capacity problem. To solve this capacity problem, as shown on the right side of the figure, the configuration of the single SSB beam is modified such that the single SSB beam defining cell 2 is split into two SSB beams identified by different SSB indices 1 and 2 to create two virtual cells represented by the same PCI. Specifically, the single SSB beam is split into two SSB beams with indices SSB 1 and SSB 2, which define corresponding virtual cells identified by the same PCI.

[0144] Example 4: Split the CSI-RS beam under the SSB beam into multiple CSI-RS beams

[0145] In one embodiment, the first network node 10 determines a configuration that splits the first RS beam located under the coverage area of ​​the second RS beam into two or more new RS beams. Figure 10 This is an example of an embodiment where the first network node 10 determines a new configuration of the CSI-RS beam located under the coverage area of ​​the SSB. The new configuration splits the CSI-RS beam into two new CSI-RS beams.

[0146] Figure 10An example is shown where gNB 1 and gNB 2 are associated with the same AMF and OAM. gNB 1 serves cell 1, while gNB 2 serves cell 2. As shown on the left of the figure, cell 2 is initially defined by two SSB beams with corresponding SSB indices 1 and 2. The CSI-RS beam with CSI-RS beam index 1 lies below the coverage area of ​​the SSB with SSB index 2. For example, the CSI-RS beam can be explicitly associated with the SSB beam with SSB index 2. However, the CSI-RS beam has a capacity issue. To address this capacity issue, as shown on the right of the figure, the first network node 10 determines a new configuration for the CSI-RS beam with CSI-RS beam index 1 located below the coverage area of ​​SSB 2. The new configuration splits the CSI-RS beam with CSI-RS beam index 1 into two new CSI-RS beams (CSI-RS 1 and CSI-RS 2). In this example, the new configuration results in two new CSI-RS beams whose coverage areas remain within the coverage area of ​​the SSB beam (SSB 2). Thus, the new configuration can implicitly or explicitly associate the new CSI-RS beams with the original SSB beam. In an alternative solution, the new configuration can result in two new CSI-RS beams whose coverage areas fall within the coverage areas of two different SSB beams. Thus, the new configuration can explicitly or implicitly associate the new CSI-RS beams with different SSB beams.

[0147] Now consider a CCO solution via RS beam combining.

[0148] In some embodiments of CCO for RS beam combining, the first network node 10 addresses the CCO problem of at least one serving cell or at least one RS beam within a serving cell by determining a new configuration including one or more of the following: (i) information for combining a serving cell with at least one other cell into a new serving cell; (ii) information for combining an RS beam with at least one or more RS beams into a new RS beam or into a new serving cell.

[0149] Merging Example 1: Merging two or more cells defined by the SSB beam into a single cell.

[0150] In one exemplary scenario, the first network node 10 merges two or more cells into a new cell, each cell being configured with one or more RB beams defining the coverage area of ​​each cell, and the new cell being configured with one or more new RS beams defining the coverage area of ​​the new cell. Figure 11 This is an example of how the first network node 10 merges two cells (cell A and cell B), each defined by a single SSB beam (SSB 1), into a new cell (cell 2) whose coverage area is also defined by a single SSB beam (SSB 1).

[0151] Figure 11 An example is shown where the first network node 10 determines a new configuration that merges two cells, each with a coverage area defined by a single SSB beam, into a new cell whose coverage area is also defined by a single SSB beam.

[0152] More specifically, then such as Figure 11 As shown, gNB 1 and gNB 2 are associated with the same AMF and OAM. gNB 1 serves cell 1, while gNB 2 serves cells A and B, identified by their respective PCIs A and B. As shown on the left side of the figure, cells A and B were initially defined by two corresponding RS beams with the same SSB index 1. However, each of cells A and B has coverage issues. To resolve this coverage problem, as shown on the right side of the figure, the configuration of the SSB beams is modified so that the two SSB beams are merged into a single SSB beam identified by the same SSB index 1, creating a single new cell 2.

[0153] Example 2: Two or more SSB beams within a cell are combined into a single SSB beam.

[0154] In another exemplary case, the first network node 10 merges two or more RS beams located within the coverage area of ​​the serving cell or within the coverage area of ​​another RS ​​beam into an RS beam without changing the configuration of the cell identifier. Figure 12 This is an example of the first network node 10 merging two SSB beams (SSB 1 and SSB 2) located under the coverage area of ​​the serving cell (cell 2) into a single SSB beam (SSB 1). In this case, the coverage area of ​​the serving cell (cell 2) is initially defined by the envelope of the coverage areas of the two original SSB beams (SSB 1 and SSB 2), and then defined by the coverage area of ​​the new SSB beam (SSB 1) after merging.

[0155] More specifically, such as Figure 12 As shown, gNB 1 and gNB 2 are associated with the same AMF and OAM. gNB 1 serves cell 1, while gNB 2 serves cell 2. As shown on the left side of the figure, cell 2 was initially defined by two RS beams with corresponding SSB beam indices 1 and 2. However, cell 2 has coverage issues. To resolve this coverage issue, as shown on the right side of the figure, the configuration of the SSB beams is modified so that for cell 2, the two SSB beams are merged into a single SSB beam identified by the same SSB index 1.

[0156] Figure 12This illustrates an example of a first network node 10 determining a new configuration that merges two SSB beams (i.e., SSB 1 and SSB 2) into a new SSB beam (i.e., SSB 1) within the serving cell. In this example, the coverage area of ​​the serving cell is initially defined by the envelope of the coverage areas of the two original SSB beams (SSB 1 and SSB 2). After the new configuration is applied to the cell, the coverage area of ​​the cell is defined solely by the coverage area of ​​the new SSB 1.

[0157] Example 3: Multiple CSI-RS beams under the coverage of the SSB beam are merged into a single CSI-RS beam.

[0158] In one embodiment, the first network node 10 determines a configuration that combines the first RS beam and the second RS beam into a single new RS beam, wherein the first and second RS beams may be located under the coverage area of ​​at least the third RS beam. Figure 13 This is an example of the first network node 10 merging two SSB beams located under the coverage area of ​​the serving cell into a single SSB beam. In this case, the coverage area of ​​the serving cell is initially defined by the envelope of the coverage areas of the two original SSB beams, and then defined by the coverage area of ​​the new SSB beam after merging.

[0159] More specifically, such as Figure 13 As shown, gNB 1 and gNB 2 are associated with the same AMF and OAM. gNB 1 serves cell 1, while gNB 2 serves cell 2. As shown on the left side of the figure, cell 2 is initially defined by three RS beams in the form of three SSB beams. One SSB beam with index 1 is defined for one virtual cell, while two other SSB beams with SSB index 2 are defined for another virtual cell. Each SSB beam with SSB index 2 has a corresponding CSI-RS beam defined within the coverage of the SSB beam, namely CSI-RS beam 1 and CSI-RS beam 2. However, SSB 2 and / or CSI-RS 2 have capacity issues. To resolve this capacity issue, as shown on the right side of the figure, the configuration of CSI-RS beams 1 and 2 is modified such that the two CSI-RS beams are merged into a single CSI-RS beam identified by the same SSB index 2 and CSI-RS index 1.

[0160] In one exemplary case ( Figure 13As shown, the first network node 10 determines a new configuration of two CSI-RS beams (i.e., CSI-RS 1 and CSI-RS 2) located below the coverage area of ​​the SSB beam (i.e., SSB 2). More generally, the two initial CSI-RS beams may be associated with or located below the coverage areas of different SSB beams. The new configuration merges the CSI-RS beams into a single new CSI-RS beam (i.e., CSI-RS 1). In this example, the new configuration results in a new CSI-RS beam whose coverage area remains within the coverage area of ​​the SSB beam associated with the initial CSI-RS beam. Thus, the new configuration can implicitly or explicitly associate the new CSI-RS beam with the original SSB beam. In an alternative solution, the new configuration can result in a new CSI-RS beam whose coverage area falls within the coverage area of ​​a different SSB beam. Thus, the new configuration can explicitly or implicitly associate the new CSI-RS beam with a different SSB beam.

[0161] Now consider a CCO solution via RS beamforming.

[0162] In some embodiments of CCO (Coverage Control Order) for RS beamforming, the first network node 10 solves the CCO problem of determining the new shape of at least one or more RS beams (e.g., SSB beams or CSI-RS beams) of the radio cell. Instructions to modify the configuration may be associated with an index (e.g., an "SSB coverage status index" or a "CSI-RS beam coverage status index") sent by the first network node 10 to the second network node 20.

[0163] Now consider an implementation example involving cell reconfiguration information.

[0164] In some embodiments involving cell reconfiguration information, the first instruction 14 sent by the first network node 10 to the second network node 20 may include a modification of the configuration of the first network node performed on a list of cells of the first network node 10 or on a list of RSs associated with one or more cells of the first network node 10 (e.g., SSB and / or CSI-RS reference signals within the coverage area of ​​the cells of the first network node 10) or on RSs associated with other RSs sent by the first network node 10 (e.g., CSI-RS beams under the coverage area of ​​the SSB beams of the first network node 10).

[0165] Note that in some embodiments, the first network node 10 determines the modification of the configuration of a cell or an RS beam (e.g., an SSB beam and a CSI-RS beam) by modifying any configuration parameters associated with the cell or RS beam (e.g., the identifier of the cell or RS beam and parameters that modify the coverage or capacity of the cell or RS beam).

[0166] In one embodiment, the information associated with the configuration of the first network node may include information related to the configuration of the first network node prior to a new configuration of one or more of the following: (i) a list of cells of the first network node 10 with a modified configuration; (ii) a list of SSB beams with modified configurations associated with at least one cell of the first network node 10; (iii) a list of CSI-RS beams with modified configurations associated with at least one cell of the first network node 10 or at least one SSB beam within a cell; and (iv) one or more of the following: a mapping between the serving cell and at least one RS beam, and a mapping between the first RS beam and at least a second RS beam.

[0167] This information may include information related to the configuration of the first network node after a new configuration of one or more of the following groups: (i) a list of cells of the first network node 10 with a modified configuration; (ii) a list of SSB beams with a modified configuration associated with at least one cell of the first network node 10; (iii) a list of CSI-RS beams with a modified configuration associated with at least one cell of the first network node 10 or at least one SSB beam within a cell; and (iv) one or more of the following groups: mapping between the serving cell and at least one RS beam, and mapping between the first RS beam and at least a second RS beam.

[0168] In some embodiments, the first instruction 14 includes an “NG-RAN node configuration update” XnAP message that indicates information associated with the RAN node configuration prior to the modification of the (cell and) RS beam configuration and information associated with the first network node configuration after the modification of the (cell and) RS beam configuration.

[0169] In some embodiments, the first network node 10 indicates to the second network node 20 reconfiguration information (e.g., overwrite modification list) of the first cell list of the first network node 10. For each cell in the first cell list, the reconfiguration information may include information associated with the cell configuration prior to the modification of the (cell and)RS beam. The information associated with the cell configuration prior to the modification of the (cell and)RS may include one or more of the following types of information.

[0170] Information associated with the cell configuration prior to the modification of (cell) and RS may include the cell identifier.

[0171] Alternatively or additionally, information associated with the cell configuration prior to the modification of (cell and)RS may include a first index indicating the cell's coverage configuration, namely the "cell coverage status index". For example, different values ​​of the first index may indicate different cell configurations, such as whether the cell is active or inactive, different cell coverage configurations, etc.

[0172] Alternatively or additionally, the information associated with the cell configuration prior to the modification of (cell and)RS may include a first SSB beam list with the modified configuration. This first list may indicate for each SSB in the list: (i) the identifier of the SSB beam (e.g., SSB index); (ii) a second index indicating the coverage configuration of the SSB beam, namely, the "SSB beam coverage status index," wherein, for example, different values ​​of the second index may indicate different configurations of the SSB beam, such as whether the SSB beam is active or inactive, different SSB coverage configurations, etc.; (iii) a first CSI-RS beam list with the modified configuration, which indicates for each CSI-RS in the list: (a) the identifier of the CSI-RS (e.g., CSI-RS index); (b) a third index indicating the coverage of the CSI-RS beam, namely, the "CSI-RS beam coverage status index." “”, where, for example, different values ​​of the third index can indicate different configurations of the CSI-RS beam, such as whether the CSI-RS beam is active or inactive, different CSI-RS beam coverage configurations, etc.; (iv) a second list of CSI-RS beams with modified configurations, which indicates for each CSI-RS in the list: (a) the identifier of the CSI-RS (e.g., the CSI-RS index); (b) a fourth index indicating the coverage of the CSI-RS beam, namely the “CSI-RS beam coverage status index”, where, for example, different values ​​of the fourth index can indicate different configurations of the CSI-RS beam, such as whether the CSI-RS beam is active or inactive, different CSI-RS beam coverage configurations, etc.

[0173] For each cell in the first cell list, the reconfiguration information may optionally or additionally include information associated with the modified cell configuration (cell and)RS beam, i.e., a "replacement information" element. For example, for each cell in the first cell list, this information may include one or more of the following types of information.

[0174] For each cell in the first cell list, the information may include a second new cell list of cells that replace the first cell list from the first network node 10. For example, for each new cell in the second cell list, the second list may include one or more information elements from a group consisting of: (i) a cell identifier; (ii) a fifth index indicating the coverage configuration of the new cell, namely a “cell coverage status index”, wherein, for example, different values ​​of the fifth index may indicate different configurations of the new cell, such as whether the new cell is active or inactive, different cell coverage configurations, etc.; (iii) a second new SSB beam list; (iv) a mapping between each new SSB beam in the second SSB beam list and one or more SSB beams in the first SSB beam list; (v) a fourth CSI-RS beam list; (vi) a second mapping between each new CSI-RS beam in the fourth CSI-RS beam list and one or more CSI-RS beams in the second CSI-RS beam list.

[0175] In some embodiments, the second new SSB beam list indicates for each SSB in the list: (a) an identifier of the new SSB beam (e.g., an SSB index); (b) a sixth index indicating the coverage configuration of the SSB beam, namely, the "SSB beam coverage status index," wherein, for example, different values ​​of the sixth index may indicate different configurations of the new SSB beam, such as whether the SSB beam is active or inactive, different SSB coverage configurations, etc.; (c) a third CSI-RS beam list; and (d) a first mapping between each new CSI-RS beam in the third CSI-RS beam list and one or more CSI-RS beams in the first CSI-RS beam list. In some embodiments, the third CSI-RS beam list includes for each CSI-RS beam in the third list: (1) an identifier of the new CSI-RS beam; and (2) a seventh index indicating the coverage of the CSI-RS beam, namely, the "CSI-RS beam coverage status index." For example, different values ​​of the seventh index can indicate different configurations of the new CSI-RS beam, such as whether the CSI-RS beam is active or inactive, different CSI-RS beam coverage configurations, etc.

[0176] In some embodiments, the fourth CSI-RS beam list includes, for each CSI-RS beam in the fourth list: (1) an identifier for the new CSI-RS beam; and (2) an eighth index indicating the coverage of the CSI-RS beam, namely, the "CSI-RS beam coverage status index". For example, different values ​​of the eighth index can indicate different configurations of the new CSI-RS beam, such as whether the CSI-RS beam is active or inactive, different CSI-RS beam coverage configurations, etc.

[0177] Now consider some implementation examples.

[0178] Example 1: CSI-RS beam information under SSB beam information

[0179] In one example embodiment of an extension based on the 3GPP Coverage Configuration Update Procedure (see 3GPP 36.423v16.2.0 technical specification), the first instruction 14 sent by the first network node 10 to the second network node 20 includes a Coverage Modification List Information Element (IE), which includes one or more information elements in the table below.

[0180]

[0181]

[0182] Example 2: CSI-RS beam information under cell information In another example, where the CSI-RS beam is not directly associated with the coverage area of ​​the SSB beam, but with the cell itself, the corresponding information element in the coverage modification list information element (IE) will appear directly under the cell information instead of the SSB information element, as illustrated in the table below.

[0183]

[0184]

[0185] Example 3: Some CSI-RS beam information is below the cell information, while others are below the SSB beam.

[0186] It will be clear to readers of the art that in a cell configured with a CSI-RS beam associated with the cell itself or with one or more SSB beams of the cell, the reconfiguration of CSI-RS beam coverage structures suggested in the two tables above can be combined.

[0187] Example 4: Same as Example 1, but with dedicated information groups for SSB and CSI.

[0188] In another exemplary case, a dedicated information group can be used to contain information elements describing replacement information for the SSB beam and / or CSI-RS beam following a configuration modification. In this case, the replacement information in the table of Example 1 (or equivalently, in Examples 2 and 3) can be rewritten as follows.

[0189]

[0190]

[0191] In any embodiment herein, the first and second network nodes 10 and 20 may be, for example, any one or a combination of 3GPP eNB nodes, 3GPP gNB nodes, 3GPP en-gNB nodes, and 3GPP ng-eNB nodes. For example, in one embodiment, the first network node 10 is a gNB distributed unit (gN-DU) of a split RAN architecture in a 3GPP NG-RAN system, and the second network node 20 is a gNB centralized unit (gNB-CU). In another embodiment, both the first network node 10 and the second network node 20 are gNBs of a full RAN architecture in a 3GPP NG-RAN system. In yet another embodiment, the first network node 10 is a gNB of a 3GPP PPNG-RAN system, and the second network node 20 is an eNB of an LTE system using ng-eNB. In still another embodiment, the first network node 10 is a 3GPP en-gNB, and the second network node 20 is a 3GPP eNB.

[0192] In one exemplary case, as previously stated Figure 6 As shown, the second network node 20 is a gNB-CU of an NG-RAN system with a split architecture, and the first network node 10 is a gNB-DU connected to the gNB-CU via an F1AP interface. In this case, the gNB-CU-CP detects a CCO problem in the coverage area of ​​the serving cell or the RS beam of the gNB-DU, and the gNB-DU-CP resolves the CCO problem and indicates the adopted solution to the gNB-CU-CP (e.g., a new configuration of the serving cell and / or RS beam related to the CCO problem).

[0193] In the case of a 3GPP RAN system with a split architecture, this method can be executed multiple times to resolve detected CCO issues. A non-limiting example for the NR scenario is provided below.

[0194] The gNB Central Unit Control Plane (gNB-CU-CP) of the NG-RAN node provides RRC anchor points for user equipment (UEs) of gNB Distributed Units (gNB-DUs) that communicate with it via the F1AP interface. Based on RRC measurement reports (e.g., RRC reports) from the UEs, the gNB-CU-CP can detect potential coverage or capacity issues in the serving cells of the underlying gNB-DUs.

[0195] The resolution of CCO issues can be achieved by extending and / or modifying pre-existing NG RAN node configuration procedures. Specifically, this applies firstly to the gNB-CU-CP of the first NG-RAN node in a split architecture and the gNB-DU associated with the CCO issue detected by the gNB-CU-CP. In this case, the first network node 10 is the gNB-CU-CP, the second network node 20 is the gNB-DU, and this method can be implemented by extending and / or modifying the 3GPP gNB-CU configuration update procedure, according to the methods and embodiments described herein.

[0196] Then, the new gNB-DU configuration adopted by the gNB-DU to resolve the CCO problem is communicated again between the gNB-DU and the corresponding gNB-CU-CP to the gNB-CU-CP. In this case, the first network node 10 is the gNB-DU, the second network node 20 is the gNB-CU-CP, and the method can be implemented by extending and / or modifying the 3GPP gNB-DU configuration update procedure according to the methods and embodiments described herein.

[0197] Now consider an example of an implementation in the EN-DC scenario. For the EN-DC scenario, the EN-DC configuration update is extended to notify neighboring RAN nodes when cell coverage is modified. In one embodiment, the eNB sends the extended configuration update to the gNB by including LTE-related information about coverage modifications of LTE cells served by the eNB that sent the message. In a variant, the additional information is about coverage modifications of LTE or NR cells served by a third RAN node adjacent to the eNB that sent the message. In another embodiment, the gNB sends the extended configuration update to the eNB by including NR-related information about NR cell coverage modifications. In a variant, the additional information is about coverage modifications of LTE or NR cells served by a third RAN node adjacent to the gNB that sent the message.

[0198] Now consider example modifications to TS 36.423 v16.2.0 for implementing some of the embodiments described herein. The proposed example solutions extend existing X2AP signaling.

[0199] According to some embodiments, Table 8.1-2 of 3GPP TS 36.423 v16.2.0 is modified such that Category 2 basic procedures include an EN-DC configuration request with an initiation message containing an EN-DC configuration request.

[0200] The purpose of the EN-DC configuration update procedure is to request updates to the application layer configuration data required for proper interoperability between the eNB and en-gNB on the X2 interface. This procedure uses non-UE associated signaling.

[0201] For an EN-DC configuration update request initiated by an eNB, the eNB initiates the procedure by sending an EN-DC configuration update request message to its peer, the en-gNB. If a CCO issue detection IE exists, the en-gNB will use it, if supported, to generate an EUTRA overridden modification list IE and include that list in the EN-DC configuration update message.

[0202] For an EN-DC configuration update request initiated by the en-gNB, the en-gNB initiates the procedure by sending an EN-DC configuration update request message to the eNB. If a CCO issue detection IE exists, the en-gNB will use it, if supported, to generate an NG-RAN coverage modification list IE and include that list in the EN-DC configuration update message.

[0203] The EN-DC configuration update request message is sent by the initiating node to the peer neighbor node. Both nodes can interact with the EN-DC to request update information associated with the TNL.

[0204] In some embodiments, the EN-DC configuration update request message is specified as shown in the following table:

[0205]

[0206] In some embodiments, the EN-DC configuration update procedure may update in the following manner: For an EN-DC configuration update initiated by an eNB, if an EUTRA coverage modification list IE exists, the en-gNB can use the information in the EUTRA cell coverage status IE to identify the cell deployment configuration enabled by the eNB and use it to configure mobility toward the cell indicated by the ECGI IE, as described in TS 36.300. If an EUTRA cell deployment status indicator IE exists in the EUTRA coverage modification list IE, the en-gNB will treat the cell deployment configuration of the cell to be modified as the next planned configuration and will remove any planned configurations stored for that cell. If an EUTRA cell deployment status indicator IE exists and the EUTRA cell replacement information IE contains a list of non-empty cells, the en-gNB can use this list to avoid connectivity or rebuild failures during reconfiguration, for example, by treating cells in the list as possible alternative handover targets. If no EUTRA cell deployment status indicator IE exists, the en-gNB will treat the cell deployment configuration of the cell to be modified as activated and replace any previous configuration of the cell indicated in the EUTRA coverage modification list IE.

[0207] For EN-DC configuration updates initiated by the en-gNB, if an NG-RAN coverage modification list IE exists, the eNB can use the information in the NR cell coverage status IE to identify the NR cell deployment configuration and use it to configure mobility toward the cell indicated by the NR CGI IE, as described in TS 38.300v16.2.0. If an NG-RAN deployment status indicator IE exists in the NG-RAN coverage modification list IE, the eNB, if supported, will treat the NR cell deployment configuration of the NR cell to be modified as the next planned configuration and remove any planned configurations stored for that cell. If an NG-RAN deployment status indicator IE exists and the NG-RAN replacement information IE contains a list of non-empty cells, the eNB can use this list to avoid connectivity or rebuild failures during reconfiguration, for example, by treating cells in the list as potential handover targets. If an NG-RAN deployment status indicator IE does not exist, the eNB, if supported, will treat the NR cell deployment configuration of the NR cell to be modified as active and replace any previous configuration of the NR cell indicated in the NG-RAN coverage modification list IE.

[0208] In some embodiments, the EN-DC configuration update message is implemented as shown in the following section:

[0209]

[0210]

[0211] Scope Boundaries explain Maximum number of cells in an NG-RAN node The maximum number of cells that can be served by an NG-RAN node. The value is 16384.

[0212] condition explain If a cell deployment status indicator exists If a Cell Deployment Status Indicator (IE) exists, then that IE will exist. If an NGRAN deployment status indicator exists If an NG-RAN deployment status indicator (IE) exists, then that IE will exist.

[0213] The NR Neighborhood Information (IE) contains cell configuration information for NR cells that neighboring nodes may need for the X2 AP interface. In some embodiments, the NR Neighborhood Information (IE) is partially specified, as shown below:

[0214]

[0215]

[0216] The Serving NR Cell Information IE contains cell configuration information for NR cells that neighboring eNBs may need for the X2 AP interface. In some embodiments, the Serving NR Cell Information IE is partially specified, as follows:

[0217]

[0218]

[0219] Scope Boundaries explain Maximum number of BPLMN Maximum number of broadcast PLMN IDs. Value is 6. Maximum number of attached PLMNs Maximum number of PLMN IDs to be attached. Value is 6. Maximum number of extBPLMN Maximum number of extended broadcast PLMN IDs. Value is 12.

[0220] Now consider an example implementation in an NR-DC scenario. For the NR-DC scenario, NG-RAN node configuration updates are extended to notify neighboring nodes when cell coverage is modified. In one embodiment, the gNB sends the extended configuration update to the gNB by including NR-related information about the NR cell coverage modification. In a variant, the extended configuration update includes additional information about coverage modifications of LTE or NR cells served by a third RAN node adjacent to the gNB that sent the message.

[0221] The proposed example implementation extends the existing XnAP signaling. In this example implementation, the NG-RAN node configuration update request is added as a Category 2 basic procedure, where the NG-RAN node configuration update request is the initiating message.

[0222] The purpose of the NG-RAN node configuration update request procedure is to request updates to the application layer configuration data required for proper interoperability between two NG-RAN nodes on the Xn-C interface. This procedure uses non-UE associated signaling.

[0223] According to the NG-RAN Node Configuration Update Request procedure, NG-RAN Node 1 initiates the procedure by sending an NG-RAN Node Configuration Update Request message to its peer NG-RAN Node 2. If a CCO Problem Detection IE exists, NG-RAN Node 2 will use it, if supported, to generate an NG-RAN Override Modification List IE and include it in the NG-RAN Node Configuration Update message.

[0224] More specifically, an NG-RAN node sends an NG-RAN node configuration update request message to its neighboring NG-RAN nodes to request updates to its application layer configuration data. The NG-RAN node configuration update request message can be specified as follows:

[0225]

[0226] In this context, the purpose of the NG-RAN node configuration update procedure is to update the application layer configuration data required for two NG-RAN nodes to interoperate correctly on the Xn-C interface. NG-RAN node 1 initiates the procedure by sending an NG-RAN node configuration update message to its peer NG-RAN node 2.

[0227] If an NG-RAN Coverage Modification List (IE) exists, peer NG-RAN Node 2 can use the information in the NR Cell Coverage Status (IE) to identify the NR cell deployment configuration and use it to configure mobility toward the NR cell indicated by the NR CGI (Network Radio Group) IE, as described in TS 38.300v16.2.0. If an NG-RAN Coverage Modification List (IE) exists, gNB 2 can use the information in the SSB Coverage Status (IE) to identify the SSB beam deployment configuration enabled by gNB 1.

[0228] If an NG-RAN deployment status indicator IE exists in the NG-RAN coverage modification list IE, then if supported, gNB 2 will treat the NR cell deployment configuration of the NR cell to be modified as the next planned configuration and will remove any planned configurations stored for that cell.

[0229] If an NG-RAN deployment status indicator IE exists in the NG-RAN coverage modification list IE, then if supported, gNB 2 will treat the SSB beam deployment configuration of the SSB beam to be modified as the next SSB beam configuration in the cell.

[0230] If an NG-RAN deployment status indicator (IE) exists and the replacement NR cell IE contains a list of non-empty NR cells, gNB 2 can use this list to avoid connection or rebuild failures during reconfiguration, for example, by treating the NR cells in the list as potential alternative handover targets.

[0231] If the NG-RAN deployment status indicator IE is not present, then if supported, gNB 2 will treat the NR cell deployment configuration of the NR cell to be modified and the SSB beam deployment configuration of the SSB beam to be modified as active and replace any previous configurations of the NR cell and SSB beam indicated in the NG-RAN overlay modification list IE.

[0232] NG-RAN nodes send NG-RAN node configuration update messages to neighboring NG-RAN nodes to transmit update information for Xn-C interface instances.

[0233] Direction: NG-RAN node 1 → NG-RAN node 2.

[0234]

[0235]

[0236] Scope Boundaries explain Maximum number of TNL associations The maximum number of TNL associations between NG RAN nodes. The value is 32. Maximum number of cells in an NG-RAN node The maximum number of cells that can be served by an NG-RAN node. The value is 16384.

[0237] condition explain If an NGRAN deployment status indicator exists If an NG-RAN deployment status indicator (IE) exists, then that IE will exist.

[0238] Now consider the example implementation in F1AP. The proposed example implementation extends the existing F1AP signaling.

[0239] The purpose of the gNB-DU configuration update procedure is to update the application layer configuration data required for proper interoperability between the gNB-DU and gNB-CU on the F1 interface. This procedure does not affect existing UE-related context (if any). The procedure uses non-UE-associated signaling.

[0240] The gNB-DU initiates this procedure by sending a GNB-DU configuration update message to the gNB-CU, which includes a set of appropriate updated configuration data that it has just put into operation. The gNB-CU responds with a GNB-DU configuration update acknowledgment message to confirm that it has successfully updated the configuration data. If the GNB-DU configuration update message does not include information elements, the gNB-CU will interpret the corresponding configuration data as unchanged and will continue to operate the F1-C interface using the existing relevant configuration data.

[0241] If the GNB-CU configuration update message contains a coverage modification list IE and the indicated cell has been activated, then if supported, the gNB-DU will replace the NR cell indicated by the NR CGI IE with the NR cell identified in the Replace NR Cell IE. The gNB-DU can use the NR cell coverage status IE indicated in the Replace NR Cell IE for the new cell configuration.

[0242] If the coverage modification list IE in the GNB-CU configuration update message contains an SSB beam list IE, then, if supported, the gNB-DU will replace the SSB beam identified by the SSB beam index IE in the SSB beam list IE with the SSB beam identified in the replacement SSB beam IE. The gNB-DU can use the SSB beam cell coverage status IE indicated in the replacement SSB beam for the new SSB beam configuration.

[0243] More specifically, the GNB-DU configuration update message is sent by the gNB-DU to convey update information associated with the F1-C interface instance. In some embodiments, the GNB-DU configuration update message is specified in the relevant section as follows:

[0244]

[0245]

[0246] The purpose of the gNB-CU configuration update procedure is to update the application layer configuration data required for proper interoperability between the gNB-DU and gNB-CU on the F1 interface. This procedure does not affect existing UE-related context (if any). The procedure uses non-UE-associated signaling.

[0247] The gNB-CU initiates this procedure by sending a GNB-CU configuration update message to the gNB-DU, which includes the appropriate updated configuration data. The gNB-DU responds with a GNB-CU configuration update acknowledgment message to confirm that it has successfully updated the configuration data. If the GNB-CU configuration update message does not include information elements, the gNB-DU will interpret it as the corresponding configuration data remaining unchanged and will continue to operate the F1-C interface using the existing relevant configuration data.

[0248] If the GNB-CU configuration update message includes a CCO issue detection IE, then the gNB-DU will use it to determine the new cell and beam configuration, if supported.

[0249] More specifically, in this respect, the GNB-CU configuration update message is sent by the gNB-CU to convey update information associated with the F1-C interface instance. In some embodiments, the GNB-CU configuration update message is specified in the relevant section as follows:

[0250]

[0251] In view of the modifications and changes in this article, Figure 14 This is a block diagram illustrating elements of a wireless device UE 300 (also referred to as a mobile terminal, mobile communication terminal, wireless communication device, wireless terminal, wireless communication terminal, user equipment (UE), user equipment node / terminal / device, etc.) configured to provide wireless communication according to some embodiments. (For example, it can be as follows regarding...) Figure 23 The wireless device UE discussed in the context of wireless device 2310 provides wireless device 300. As shown in the figure, the wireless device UE may include antenna 307 (e.g., corresponding to...). Figure 23 Antenna 2311) and transceiver circuit 301 (also referred to as transceiver, for example, corresponding to Figure 23 The transceiver circuit 301 includes an interface 2314), and is configured to provide access to a base station (e.g., corresponding to a radio access network) of a radio access network. Figure 23 The network node 2360) provides uplink and downlink radio communication transmitters and receivers. The wireless device UE may also include processing circuitry 303 (also referred to as a processor, for example, corresponding to...) coupled to the transceiver circuitry. Figure 23 The processing circuit 2320) and the memory circuit 305 (also referred to as memory, for example, corresponding to the processing circuit) coupled to the processing circuit. Figure 23The device-readable medium 2330. The memory circuitry 305 may include computer-readable program code that, when executed by the processing circuitry 303, causes the processing circuitry to perform operations according to embodiments disclosed herein. According to other embodiments, the processing circuitry 303 may be defined to include memory, thereby eliminating the need for separate memory circuitry. The wireless device UE may also include an interface (e.g., a user interface) coupled to the processing circuitry 303, and / or the wireless device UE may be integrated into a vehicle.

[0252] As discussed herein, the operation of the wireless device UE can be performed by processing circuitry 303 and / or transceiver circuitry 301. For example, processing circuitry 303 can control transceiver circuitry 301 to transmit communications to a radio access network node (also known as a base station) on the radio interface via transceiver circuitry 301 and / or to receive communications from a RAN node on the radio interface via transceiver circuitry 301. Furthermore, modules can be stored in memory circuitry 305, which can provide instructions such that when processing circuitry 303 executes the instructions of the modules, processing circuitry 303 performs corresponding operations (e.g., the operations discussed below with respect to example embodiments related to the wireless device).

[0253] Figure 15 This is a block diagram illustrating elements of a radio access network (RAN) node 400 (also referred to as a network node, base station, eNodeB / eNB, gNodeB / gNB, etc.) configured to provide cellular communications according to some embodiments. (For example, it can be described below regarding...) Figure 23 The network node 2360 discussed here provides RAN node 400. As shown in the figure, the RAN node may include transceiver circuitry 401 (also referred to as a transceiver, for example, corresponding to...). Figure 23 The transceiver circuitry 401 (part of interface 2390) includes a transmitter and a receiver configured to provide uplink and downlink radio communication with the mobile terminal. The RAN node may include network interface circuitry 407 (also referred to as a network interface, e.g., corresponding to...). Figure 23 The interface 2390 is configured to provide communication with other nodes in the RAN and / or core network (CN), such as other base stations. The network node may also include processing circuitry 403 (also referred to as a processor, e.g., corresponding to processing circuitry 2370) coupled to the transceiver circuitry and memory circuitry 405 (also referred to as a memory, e.g., corresponding to...) coupled to the processing circuitry. Figure 23The device-readable medium 2380. The memory circuitry 405 may include computer-readable program code that, when executed by the processing circuitry 403, causes the processing circuitry to perform operations according to embodiments disclosed herein. According to other embodiments, the processing circuitry 403 may be defined to include memory, thereby eliminating the need for separate memory circuitry.

[0254] As discussed herein, the operation of the RAN node can be performed by processing circuitry 403, network interface 407, and / or transceiver 401. For example, processing circuitry 403 can control transceiver 401 to transmit downlink communications to one or more mobile terminal UEs via the transceiver 401 on the radio interface and / or to receive uplink communications from one or more mobile terminal UEs via the transceiver 401 on the radio interface. Similarly, processing circuitry 403 can control network interface 407 to transmit communications to one or more other network nodes via the network interface and / or to receive communications from one or more other network nodes via the network interface. Furthermore, modules can be stored in memory 405 that can provide instructions such that when processing circuitry 403 executes the instructions of the modules, processing circuitry 403 performs corresponding operations (e.g., the operations discussed below with respect to example embodiments related to the RAN node).

[0255] According to some other embodiments, the network node can be implemented as a core network (CN) node without a transceiver. In such an embodiment, transmission to the wireless device (UE) can be initiated by the network node, thereby providing transmission to the wireless device via a network node that includes a transceiver (e.g., via a base station or RAN node). According to an embodiment where the network node is an RAN node that includes a transceiver, initiating the transmission can include transmission via the transceiver.

[0256] Figure 16 This is a block diagram illustrating elements of a core network (CN) node 500 (e.g., an SMF node, an AMF node, etc.) of a communication network configured to provide cellular communications according to some embodiments. As shown, the CN node may include network interface circuitry 507 (also referred to as a network interface) configured to provide communication with other nodes in the core network and / or radio access network (RAN). The CN node may also include processing circuitry 503 (also referred to as a processor) coupled to the network interface circuitry and memory circuitry 505 (also referred to as a memory) coupled to the processing circuitry. The memory circuitry 505 may include computer-readable program code that, when executed by the processing circuitry 503, causes the processing circuitry to perform operations according to embodiments disclosed herein. According to other embodiments, the processing circuitry 503 may be defined to include memory, thereby eliminating the need for separate memory circuitry.

[0257] As discussed herein, the operation of the CN node can be performed by processing circuitry 503 and / or network interface circuitry 507. For example, processing circuitry 503 can control network interface circuitry 507 to send communications to or / or receive communications from one or more other network nodes via network interface circuitry 507. Furthermore, modules can be stored in memory 505 that can provide instructions such that when processing circuitry 503 executes the instructions of a module, processing circuitry 503 performs corresponding operations (e.g., the operations discussed below in example embodiments related to the core network node).

[0258] Reference will now be made to some embodiments based on the inventive concept. Figure 25 and 26 Discussion of the first network node 400 (using Figure 15 The operation is implemented using the structure. For example, it can be implemented using the structure. Figure 15 The memory 405 stores modules that can provide instructions so that when the corresponding network node processing circuit 403 executes the instructions of the modules, the processing circuit 403 performs the corresponding operation described herein.

[0259] refer to Figure 17 A method for operating a first network node 10, 400 in a wireless communication network includes: determining 102 a modified configuration of a reference signal beam of a serving cell of the first network node 10, 400; and sending 104 a first instruction 14 to a second network node 20, the first instruction 14 including a configuration update describing the modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell. In some embodiments, for example, the first instruction 14 includes a configuration update message describing the modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell.

[0260] In some embodiments, the configuration modification modifies the identifier of the reference signal beam. Additionally or alternatively, the configuration modification modifies the index indicating the coverage configuration of the reference signal beam. Additionally or alternatively, the configuration modification modifies the identifier of the cell to which the reference signal beam is mapped.

[0261] In some embodiments, the configuration modification is a modification of the coverage configuration of the reference signal beam.

[0262] In some embodiments, the configuration update message indicates the identifier of the serving cell, a list of one or more reference signal beams of the serving cell before the coverage modification, and / or a list of one or more replacement cells that will replace all or part of the coverage of the serving cell after the coverage modification. In one embodiment, the list of one or more reference signal beams of the serving cell before the coverage modification includes reference signal beams, and the list indicates the coverage status and index of the reference signal beam before the coverage modification for each of the one or more reference signal beams. Here, the coverage status indicates whether the reference signal beam was active before the coverage modification and indicates the coverage configuration of the reference signal beam before the coverage modification. Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the list of one or more replacement cells that will replace all or part of the coverage of the serving cell after the coverage modification indicates the identifier of the replacement cell and a list of one or more replacement reference signal beams of the replacement cell for each of the one or more replacement cells. In this case, the list of one or more replacement reference signal beams indicates the coverage status and index of the replacement reference signal beam after the coverage modification for each of the one or more replacement reference reference beams. Here, the coverage status indicates whether the replacement reference signal beam will be active after the coverage modification and indicates the coverage configuration of the replacement reference signal beam after the coverage modification.

[0263] In one or more embodiments, modifying the configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell includes modifying the coverage state of the reference signal beam.

[0264] In some embodiments, the configuration update message includes a list of one or more reference signal beams that will replace all or part of the reference signal beams according to the modified configuration of the reference signal beams.

[0265] In some embodiments, the reference signal beam includes a downlink reference signal beam carrying a synchronization signal block or channel state information reference signal.

[0266] In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving at the first network node 10, 400 an indication of a capacity and coverage optimization (CCO) problem of the serving cell of the first network node 10, 400 from the second network node 20. In this case, in response to the received indication, a modified configuration for determining the reference signal beam is performed, and the indicated CCO problem includes at least one of the following: capacity problem; coverage problem; interference problem; and / or uplink / downlink imbalance.

[0267] In some embodiments, configuration modification includes changing the shape of the reference signal beam, merging the reference signal beam with at least one other reference signal beam, or splitting the reference signal beam into at least a plurality of reference signal beams. In some embodiments, merging includes merging the reference signal beam with at least one other reference signal beam from a different serving cell as part of merging the serving cell and the different serving cells. In other embodiments, merging includes merging the reference signal beam with at least one other reference signal beam from the serving cell. In still other embodiments, splitting includes splitting the reference signal beam into at least a plurality of reference signal beams from different serving cells as part of splitting the serving cell into a plurality of serving cells of a first radio network node. In still other embodiments, splitting includes splitting the reference signal beam into at least a plurality of reference signal beams from the serving cell, wherein the plurality of reference signal beams of the serving cell have different identifiers.

[0268] In some embodiments, the first network nodes 10 and 400 are distributed units (DUs) of the gNB, and the second network node 20 is a control unit (CU) of the gNB. In this case, the configuration update message is a gNB-DU configuration update message.

[0269] In some embodiments, the configuration update message indicates that the coverage configuration of the reference signal beam will be modified to the modified coverage configuration.

[0270] In some embodiments, the configuration update message describes the modified configuration of the reference signal beam by indicating an index associated with the modified configuration.

[0271] In some embodiments, the configuration update message indicates that the configuration of the reference signal beam will be modified as follows: (i) from an initial configuration where the reference signal beam is active to the modified coverage configuration where the reference signal beam is inactive; or (ii) from an initial configuration where the reference signal beam is inactive to the modified coverage configuration where the reference signal beam is active.

[0272] Although not shown, in some embodiments, the method further includes receiving a second instruction 16 from a second network node 20, the second instruction 16 including confirmation of the first instruction 14.

[0273] refer to Figure 18 The method of operating the first network node 10, 400 in a wireless communication network may alternatively or additionally include receiving at the first network node 10, 400 a third instruction 18 from the second network node 20 regarding the capacity and coverage optimization (CCO) problem of the serving cell of the first network node 10, 400, wherein a modified configuration for determining the reference signal beam is performed in response to the third instruction 18.

[0274] Reference will now be made to some embodiments. Figures 27 to 30 Discussion of the second network node 400 (using Figure 15 The operation is implemented using the structure. For example, it can be implemented using the structure. Figure 15 The memory 405 stores modules that can provide instructions so that when the corresponding network node processing circuit 403 executes the instructions of the modules, the processing circuit 403 performs the corresponding operation described herein.

[0275] refer to Figure 19 A method for operating a second network node 20, 400 in a wireless communication system includes: receiving 202 a first indication 14 from a first network node 10, the first indication 14 including a configuration update describing a modified configuration of a reference signal beam of a serving cell of the first network node 10. In some embodiments, for example, the first indication 14 includes a configuration update message describing a modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell. In any embodiment, the method further includes: determining 204 whether a neighboring cell list needs to be modified based on the first indication 14; and updating 206 cell configuration information associated with the first network node 10.

[0276] In some embodiments, the configuration modification modifies the identifier of the reference signal beam. Additionally or alternatively, the configuration modification modifies the index indicating the coverage configuration of the reference signal beam. Additionally or alternatively, the configuration modification modifies the identifier of the cell to which the reference signal beam is mapped.

[0277] In some embodiments, the configuration modification is a modification of the coverage configuration of the reference signal beam.

[0278] In some embodiments, the configuration update message indicates the identifier of the serving cell, a list of one or more reference signal beams of the serving cell before the coverage modification, and / or a list of one or more replacement cells that will replace all or part of the coverage of the serving cell after the coverage modification. In one embodiment, the list of one or more reference signal beams of the serving cell before the coverage modification includes reference signal beams, and the list indicates the coverage status and index of the reference signal beam before the coverage modification for each of the one or more reference signal beams. Here, the coverage status indicates whether the reference signal beam was active before the coverage modification and indicates the coverage configuration of the reference signal beam before the coverage modification. Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the list of one or more replacement cells that will replace all or part of the coverage of the serving cell after the coverage modification indicates the identifier of the replacement cell and a list of one or more replacement reference signal beams of the replacement cell for each of the one or more replacement cells. In this case, the list of one or more replacement reference signal beams indicates the coverage status and index of the replacement reference signal beam after the coverage modification for each of the one or more replacement reference reference beams. Here, the coverage status indicates whether the replacement reference signal beam will be active after the coverage modification and indicates the coverage configuration of the replacement reference signal beam after the coverage modification.

[0279] In one or more embodiments, modifying the configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell includes modifying the coverage state of the reference signal beam.

[0280] In some embodiments, the configuration update message includes a list of one or more reference signal beams that will replace all or part of the reference signal beams according to the modified configuration of the reference signal beams.

[0281] In some embodiments, the reference signal beam includes a downlink reference signal beam carrying a synchronization signal block or channel state information reference signal.

[0282] In some embodiments, configuration modification includes changing the shape of the reference signal beam, merging the reference signal beam with at least one other reference signal beam, or splitting the reference signal beam into at least a plurality of reference signal beams. In some embodiments, merging includes merging the reference signal beam with at least one other reference signal beam from a different serving cell as part of merging the serving cell and the different serving cells. In other embodiments, merging includes merging the reference signal beam with at least one other reference signal beam from the serving cell. In still other embodiments, splitting includes splitting the reference signal beam into at least a plurality of reference signal beams from different serving cells as part of splitting the serving cell into a plurality of serving cells of a first radio network node. In still other embodiments, splitting includes splitting the reference signal beam into at least a plurality of reference signal beams from the serving cell, wherein the plurality of reference signal beams of the serving cell have different identifiers.

[0283] In some embodiments, the first network nodes 10 and 400 are distributed units (DUs) of the gNB, and the second network node 20 is a control unit (CU) of the gNB. In this case, the configuration update message is a gNB-DU configuration update message.

[0284] In some embodiments, the configuration update message indicates that the coverage configuration of the reference signal beam will be modified to the modified coverage configuration.

[0285] In some embodiments, the configuration update message describes the modified configuration of the reference signal beam by indicating an index associated with the modified configuration.

[0286] In some embodiments, the configuration update message indicates that the configuration of the reference signal beam will be modified as follows: (i) from an initial configuration where the reference signal beam is active to the modified coverage configuration where the reference signal beam is inactive; or (ii) from an initial configuration where the reference signal beam is inactive to the modified coverage configuration where the reference signal beam is active.

[0287] refer to Figure 20 The method of operating the second network nodes 20 and 400 may further include: evaluating (210) whether possible cell and / or beam configurations of neighboring cells are feasible; and sending (212) a second instruction 16 including confirmation of the first instruction 14 to the first network node 10. In some embodiments, the method further includes: implementing (214) possible cell and / or beam configurations of neighboring cells.

[0288] refer to Figure 21 The method of operating the second network node 20, 400 may also include: sending (222) information about the possible configuration of the cell and / or beam of the neighboring cell to the third network node.

[0289] refer to Figure 22 The method of operating the second network nodes 20 and 400 may further include: identifying 232 the capacity and coverage optimization (CCO) problem of the serving cell of the first network node 10; and sending 234 a third instruction 18 on the CCO problem of the serving cell of the first network node 10 from the second network nodes 20 and 400 to the first network node 10.

[0290] While the subject matter described herein can be implemented in any suitable type of system using any appropriate components, the embodiments disclosed herein are described with respect to wireless networks, for example... Figure 23 The example wireless network shown is for simplicity. Figure 23 The wireless network depicted only includes network 2306, network nodes 2360 and 2360b, and WD 2310, 2310b, and 2310c (also referred to as mobile terminals). In practice, the wireless network may also include any additional elements suitable for supporting communication between wireless devices or between a wireless device and another communication device (e.g., a landline telephone, a service provider, or any other network node or terminal device). Among the components shown, network node 2360 and wireless device (WD) 2310 are depicted in additional detail. The wireless network can provide communication and other types of services to one or more wireless devices to facilitate access to and / or use of services provided by or via the wireless network.

[0291] A wireless network may include any type of communications, telecommunications, data, cellular and / or radio network or other similar system, and / or interface with any type of communications, telecommunications, data, cellular and / or radio network or other similar system. In some embodiments, a wireless network may be configured to operate according to a specific standard or other type of predefined rules or procedures. Thus, specific embodiments of a wireless network may implement: communication standards such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G or 5G standards; wireless local area network (WLAN) standards such as the IEEE 802.11 standard; and / or any other suitable wireless communication standards such as Global Microwave Access Interoperability (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave and / or ZigBee standards.

[0292] Network 2306 may include one or more backhaul networks, core networks, IP networks, public switched telephone networks (PSTN), packet data networks, optical networks, wide area networks (WAN), local area networks (LAN), wireless local area networks (WLAN), wired networks, wireless networks, metropolitan area networks, and other networks to enable communication between devices.

[0293] Network node 2360 and WD 2310 include various components described in more detail below. These components work together to provide network node and / or wireless device functionality, such as providing wireless connectivity in a wireless network. In different embodiments, the wireless network may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, base stations, controllers, wireless devices, relay stations, and / or any other components or systems that can facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals (whether via wired or wireless connections).

[0294] As used herein, a network node is a device capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with wireless devices and / or with other network nodes or devices in a wireless network to enable and / or provide wireless access to the wireless devices and / or perform other functions (e.g., management) in the wireless network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points) and base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), and NR NodeBs (gNBs)). Base stations can be classified based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, in other words, based on their transmit power levels), and thus they can also be referred to as femtocells, picocells, microcells, or macrocells. A base station can be a relay node or a relay host node that controls a relay. A network node can also include one or more (or all) portions of a distributed radio base station, such as a centralized digital unit and / or a remote radio unit (RRU) (sometimes referred to as a remote radio headend (RRH)). Such a remote radio unit may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna-integrated radio. A portion of a distributed radio base station can also be referred to as a node in a distributed antenna system (DAS). Further examples of network nodes include multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment (such as an MSR BS), network controllers (such as a radio network controller (RNC) or base station controller (BSC)), base transceiver stations (BTS), transport points, transport nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), core network nodes (e.g., MSC, MME), O&M nodes, OSS nodes, SON nodes, location nodes (e.g., E-SMLC), and / or MDTs. As another example, a network node can be a virtual network node, as described in more detail below. However, more generally, a network node can represent any suitable device (or group of devices) capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to enable and / or provide access to or a service to wireless devices already connected to a wireless network.

[0295] exist Figure 23In the network node 2360, processing circuitry 2370, device-readable medium 2380, interface 2390, auxiliary equipment 2384, power supply 2386, power supply circuitry 2387, and antenna 2362 are included. Although Figure 23 The network node 2360 shown in the example wireless network can represent a device including the illustrated combination of hardware components, but other embodiments may include network nodes with different combinations of components. It should be understood that a network node includes any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. Furthermore, while the components of network node 2360 are depicted as a single box located within a larger box or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, a network node may include multiple different physical components constituting a single illustrated component (e.g., device-readable medium 2380 may include multiple separate hard disk drives and multiple RAM modules).

[0296] Similarly, network node 2360 may consist of multiple physically separate components (e.g., NodeB components and RNC components, or BTS components and BSC components, etc.), each of which may have its own respective components. In some scenarios where network node 2360 includes multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of these separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may be considered a single, separate network node in some instances. In some embodiments, network node 2360 may be configured to support multiple Radio Access Technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate device-readable media 2380 for different RATs), and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 2362 may be shared by the RATs). Network node 2360 may also include multiple sets of various illustrated components for integrating different wireless technologies (e.g., GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, or Bluetooth wireless technologies) into network node 2360. These wireless technologies can be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets and other components within network node 2360.

[0297] Processing circuitry 2370 is configured to perform any determination, calculation, or similar operation (e.g., certain acquisition operations) described herein as being provided by a network node. These operations performed by processing circuitry 2370 may include processing information acquired by processing circuitry 2370 by: for example, converting the acquired information into other information, comparing the acquired or converted information with information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the acquired or converted information; and making a determination as a result of said processing.

[0298] Processing circuitry 2370 may include a combination of one or more of the following: a microprocessor, controller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field-programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or coding logic, operable to provide network node 2360 functionality, either alone or in combination with other network node 2360 components (e.g., device-readable medium 2380). For example, processing circuitry 2370 may execute instructions stored in device-readable medium 2380 or in memory within processing circuitry 2370. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features, functions, or benefits discussed herein. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 2370 may include a system-on-a-chip (SoC).

[0299] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 2370 may include one or more of a radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 2372 and a baseband processing circuitry 2374. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 2372 and the baseband processing circuitry 2374 may be located on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units (e.g., radio units and digital units). In alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 2372 and the baseband processing circuitry 2374 may be on the same chip or chipset, board, or unit.

[0300] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein as being provided by a network node, base station, eNB, or other such network device can be performed by processing circuitry 2370, which executes instructions stored on device-readable medium 2380 or memory within processing circuitry 2370. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions can be provided by processing circuitry 2370, for example, in a hard-wired manner, without executing instructions stored on separate or discrete device-readable media. In any of these embodiments, processing circuitry 2370 can be configured to perform the described functions regardless of whether instructions stored on device-readable storage media are executed. The benefits provided by such functions are not limited to processing circuitry 2370 or other components of network node 2360, but are enjoyed by network node 2360 as a whole and / or generally by end users and the wireless network.

[0301] Device-readable medium 2380 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage, including but not limited to permanent storage devices, solid-state storage, remotely mounted storage, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drives, compact discs (CDs), or digital video discs (DVDs)) and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable storage device that stores information, data, and / or instructions usable by processing circuitry 2370. Device-readable medium 2380 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including computer programs, software, applications including one or more of logic, rules, codes, tables, etc., and / or other instructions executable by processing circuitry 2370 and usable by network node 2360. Device-readable medium 2380 may be used to store any calculations performed by processing circuitry 2370 and / or any data received via interface 2390. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 2370 and the device-readable medium 2380 may be considered as integrated.

[0302] Interface 2390 is used for wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network node 2360, network 2306, and / or WD 2310. As shown, interface 2390 includes a port / terminal 2394 for transmitting and receiving data to and from network 2306, for example, via a wired connection. Interface 2390 also includes radio front-end circuitry 2392, which may be coupled to antenna 2362, or is part of antenna 2362 in some embodiments. Radio front-end circuitry 2392 includes filter 2398 and amplifier 2396. Radio front-end circuitry 2392 may be connected to antenna 2362 and processing circuitry 2370. Radio front-end circuitry 2392 may be configured to modulate the signal transmitted between antenna 2362 and processing circuitry 2370. Radio front-end circuitry 2392 may receive digital data that will be transmitted wirelessly to other network nodes or WD. The radio front-end circuit 2392 can use a combination of filter 2398 and / or amplifier 2396 to convert digital data into radio signals with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signals can then be transmitted via antenna 2362. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 2362 can collect radio signals, which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuit 2392. The digital data can be passed to processing circuitry 2370. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0303] In some alternative embodiments, network node 2360 may not include a separate radio front-end circuit 2392. Instead, processing circuitry 2370 may include radio front-end circuitry and may be connected to antenna 2362 without requiring a separate radio front-end circuitry 2392. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of RF transceiver circuitry 2372 may be considered part of interface 2390. In other embodiments, interface 2390 may include one or more ports or terminals 2394, radio front-end circuitry 2392, and RF transceiver circuitry 2372 (as part of a radio unit (not shown),) and interface 2390 may communicate with baseband processing circuitry 2374 (which is part of a digital unit (not shown)).

[0304] Antenna 2362 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna 2362 may be coupled to radio front-end circuitry 2392 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, antenna 2362 may include one or more omnidirectional, sector, or planar antennas operable for transmitting / receiving radio signals between, for example, 2 GHz and 66 GHz. Omnidirectional antennas can be used to transmit / receive radio signals in any direction, sector antennas can be used to transmit / receive radio signals to / from devices within a specific area, and planar antennas can be line-of-sight antennas used to transmit / receive radio signals in a relatively straight line. In some cases, the use of more than one antenna may be referred to as MIMO. In some embodiments, antenna 2362 may be detachable from network node 2360 and may be connected to network node 2360 via an interface or port.

[0305] Antenna 2362, interface 2390, and / or processing circuitry 2370 can be configured to perform any receive operation and / or certain acquire operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals can be received from a wireless device, another network node, and / or any other network device. Similarly, antenna 2362, interface 2390, and / or processing circuitry 2370 can be configured to perform any transmit operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals can be transmitted to a wireless device, another network node, and / or any other network device.

[0306] Power supply circuit 2387 may include or be coupled to power management circuitry and is configured to provide power to the components of network node 2360 to perform the functions described herein. Power supply circuit 2387 may receive power from power source 2386. Power source 2386 and / or power supply circuit 2387 may be configured to provide power to various components of network node 2360 in a manner suitable for the individual components (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required by each respective component). Power source 2386 may be included in or outside power supply circuit 2387 and / or network node 2360. For example, network node 2360 may be connected to an external power source (e.g., a power outlet) via input circuitry or an interface such as a cable, thereby supplying power to power supply circuit 2387. As another example, power source 2386 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack, which is connected to or integrated into power supply circuit 2387. The battery can provide backup power if the external power source fails. Other types of power sources, such as photovoltaic devices, may also be used.

[0307] Alternative embodiments of network node 2360 may include more than Figure 23 Additional components of the illustrated components may be responsible for providing certain aspects of the functionality of the network node (including any of the functions described herein and / or any functionality required to support the subject matter described herein). For example, network node 2360 may include a user interface device to allow information to be input into and output from network node 2360. This can allow users to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other management functions on network node 2360.

[0308] As used herein, a wireless device (WD) means a device capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to wirelessly communicate with network nodes and / or other wireless devices. Unless otherwise stated, the term "WD" may be used interchangeably with User Equipment (UE) herein. Wireless communication may involve sending and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for transmitting information through the air. In some embodiments, a WD may be configured to send and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, a WD may be designed to send information to a network in a predetermined schedule when triggered by an internal or external event or in response to a request from the network. Examples of WDs include, but are not limited to: smartphones, mobile phones, cellular phones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, game consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback devices, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablet computers, laptop computers, devices embedded in laptop computers (LEE), devices mounted on laptop computers (LME), smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), in-vehicle wireless terminal equipment, etc. A WD can, for example, support device-to-device (D2D) communication (vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-anything (V2X)) by implementing 3GPP standards for sidelink communication, and in this case, can be referred to as a D2D communication device. As another specific example, in the Internet of Things (IoT) scenario, a WD can represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement and sends the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another WD and / or network node. In this case, the WD can be a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, which in the 3GPP context can be referred to as an MTC device. As a specific example, a WD can be a UE that implements the 3GPP Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) standard. Specific examples of such machines or devices are sensors, metering devices (e.g., electricity meters), industrial machines, or household or personal devices (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, etc.), personal wearable devices (e.g., watches, fitness trackers, etc.). In other scenarios, a WD can represent a vehicle or other device capable of monitoring and / or reporting its operational status or other functions associated with its operation. As mentioned above, WD can represent a wireless connection endpoint, in which case the device can be referred to as a wireless terminal. Furthermore, as mentioned above, WD can also be mobile, in which case it can be referred to as a mobile device or mobile terminal.

[0309] As shown in the figure, wireless device 2310 includes an antenna 2311, an interface 2314, processing circuitry 2320, a device-readable medium 2330, a user interface device 2332, auxiliary devices 2334, a power supply 2336, and a power circuit 2337. WD 2310 may include one or more of the components shown for various wireless technologies supported by WD 2310 (e.g., GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, WiMAX, or Bluetooth wireless technologies, to name just a few). These wireless technologies may be integrated into a chip or chipset that is the same as or different from other components within WD 2310.

[0310] Antenna 2311 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and is connected to interface 2314. In some alternative embodiments, antenna 2311 may be detached from WD 2310 and may be connected to WD 2310 via an interface or port. Antenna 2311, interface 2314, and / or processing circuitry 2320 may be configured to perform any receive or transmit operation described herein as being performed by a WD. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a network node and / or another WD. In some embodiments, radio front-end circuitry and / or antenna 2311 may be considered as an interface.

[0311] As shown in the figure, interface 2314 includes radio front-end circuitry 2312 and antenna 2311. Radio front-end circuitry 2312 includes one or more filters 2318 and amplifiers 2316. Radio front-end circuitry 2312 is connected to antenna 2311 and processing circuitry 2320 and is configured to modulate signals transmitted between antenna 2311 and processing circuitry 2320. Radio front-end circuitry 2312 may be coupled to antenna 2311 or be part of antenna 2311. In some embodiments, WD 2310 may not include separate radio front-end circuitry 2312; instead, processing circuitry 2320 may include radio front-end circuitry and may be connected to antenna 2311. Similarly, in some embodiments, some or all of RF transceiver circuitry 2322 may be considered part of interface 2314. Radio front-end circuitry 2312 can receive digital data that will be transmitted wirelessly to other network nodes or WD. The radio front-end circuit 2312 can use a combination of filter 2318 and / or amplifier 2316 to convert digital data into radio signals with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signals can then be transmitted via antenna 2311. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 2311 can collect radio signals, which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuit 2312. The digital data can be passed to processing circuitry 2320. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0312] Processing circuitry 2320 may include a combination of one or more of the following: a microprocessor, controller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field-programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or coding logic, operable to provide WD 2310 functionality, either alone or in combination with other WD 2310 components (e.g., device-readable medium 2330). Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features or benefits discussed herein. For example, processing circuitry 2320 may execute instructions stored in device-readable medium 2330 or in memory within processing circuitry 2320 to provide the functionality disclosed herein.

[0313] As shown in the figure, the processing circuit 2320 includes one or more of the following: RF transceiver circuit 2322, baseband processing circuit 2324, and application processing circuit 2326. In other embodiments, the processing circuit may include different components and / or different combinations of components. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 2320 of WD 2310 may include a System-on-a-Chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuit 2322, baseband processing circuit 2324, and application processing circuit 2326 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In an alternative embodiment, some or all of the baseband processing circuit 2324 and application processing circuit 2326 may be combined into a single chip or chipset, and the RF transceiver circuit 2322 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In another alternative embodiment, some or all of the RF transceiver circuit 2322 and baseband processing circuit 2324 may be on the same chip or chipset, and the application processing circuit 2326 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In other alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 2322, the baseband processing circuitry 2324, and the application processing circuitry 2326 may be combined in the same chip or chipset. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 2322 may be part of the interface 2314. The RF transceiver circuitry 2322 may modulate RF signals for use by the processing circuitry 2320.

[0314] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein as being performed by WD may be provided by processing circuitry 2320, which executes instructions stored on device-readable medium 2330, which in some embodiments may be computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by processing circuitry 2320, for example, in a hard-wired manner, without executing instructions stored on separate or discrete device-readable storage media. In any of these particular embodiments, processing circuitry 2320 may be configured to perform the described functions regardless of whether instructions stored on device-readable storage media are executed. The benefits provided by such functions are not limited to processing circuitry 2320 or other components of WD 2310, but are enjoyed by WD 2310 as a whole and / or generally by the end user and wireless network.

[0315] Processing circuitry 2320 may be configured to perform any determination, calculation, or similar operation (e.g., certain acquisition operations) described herein as being performed by WD. These operations performed by processing circuitry 2320 may include processing information acquired by processing circuitry 2320 by, for example, converting the acquired information into other information, comparing the acquired or converted information with information stored by WD 2310, and / or performing one or more operations based on the acquired or converted information; and making a determination as a result of said processing.

[0316] Device-readable medium 2330 is operable to store computer programs, software, applications including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc., and / or other instructions executable by processing circuitry 2320. Device-readable medium 2330 may include computer memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) or read-only memory (ROM)), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., CD or DVD) and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device storing information, data, and / or instructions usable by processing circuitry 2320. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 2320 and device-readable medium 2330 may be considered integrated.

[0317] User interface device 2332 can provide components that allow a human user to interact with WD 2310. This interaction can take many forms, such as visual, auditory, tactile, etc. User interface device 2332 is operable to produce output to the user and allow the user to provide input to WD 2310. The type of interaction can vary depending on the type of user interface device 2332 installed in WD 2310. For example, if WD 2310 is a smartphone, the interaction can be via a touchscreen; if WD 2310 is a smart meter, the interaction can be via a screen providing usage (e.g., the number of gallons used) or a speaker providing audible alarms (e.g., if smoke is detected). User interface device 2332 may include input interfaces, devices, and circuitry, as well as output interfaces, devices, and circuitry. User interface device 2332 is configured to allow information to be input into WD 2310 and is connected to processing circuitry 2320 to allow processing circuitry 2320 to process the input information. User interface device 2332 may include, for example, a microphone, proximity or other sensors, buttons / buttons, a touch display, one or more cameras, a USB port, or other input circuitry. User interface device 2332 is also configured to allow information output from WD 2310, and to allow processing circuitry 2320 to output information from WD 2310. User interface device 2332 may include, for example, a speaker, display, vibration circuitry, a USB port, a headphone jack, or other output circuitry. By using one or more input and output interfaces, devices, and circuitry of user interface device 2332, WD 2310 can communicate with end users and / or wireless networks, allowing them to benefit from the functionality described herein.

[0318] The auxiliary device 2334 is operable to provide more specific functions that may not typically be performed by the WD. This may include dedicated sensors for measurements for various purposes, interfaces for other types of communication such as wired communication, etc. The components included and the types of the auxiliary device 2334 may vary depending on the embodiment and / or scenario.

[0319] In some embodiments, power supply 2336 may be in the form of a battery or battery pack. Other types of power supplies may also be used, such as an external power supply (e.g., a power outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a battery cell. WD 2310 may also include power circuitry 2337 for supplying power from power supply 2336 to various parts of WD 2310 that require power from power supply 2336 to perform any function described or indicated herein. In some embodiments, power circuitry 2337 may include power management circuitry. Power circuitry 2337 may additionally or alternatively be operable to receive power from an external power source; in this case, WD 2310 may be connected to an external power source (e.g., a power outlet) via input circuitry or an interface such as a power cable. In some embodiments, power circuitry 2337 may also be operable to supply power from an external power source to power supply 2336. This may be used, for example, for charging power supply 2336. Power circuitry 2337 may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modifications on the power from power supply 2336 to suit the power supply for the various components of the powered WD 2310.

[0320] Figure 24 An embodiment of a UE according to the various aspects described herein is illustrated. As used herein, "User Equipment" or "UE" may not necessarily have the meaning of a "user" in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the associated equipment. Alternatively, a UE may refer to a device intended for sale to or operated by a human user but which may not or initially may not be associated with a particular human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may refer to a device not intended for sale to or operated by an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart meter). UE 2400 can be any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including NB-IoT UEs, Machine Type Communication (MTC) UEs, and / or Enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs. Figure 24 As shown, UE 2400 is an example of a WD configured to communicate according to one or more communication standards (e.g., 3GPP's GSM, UMTS, LTE, and / or 5G standards) published under the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). As previously stated, the terms "WD" and "UE" are used interchangeably. Therefore, although... Figure 24 This is for UE, but the components discussed in this article also apply to WD, and vice versa.

[0321] exist Figure 24In this embodiment, UE 2400 includes processing circuitry 2401 operatively coupled to an input / output interface 2405, a radio frequency (RF) interface 2409, a network connectivity interface 2411, a memory 2415 including random access memory (RAM) 2417, read-only memory (ROM) 2419, and a storage medium 2421, a communication subsystem 2431, a power supply 2433, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Storage medium 2421 includes an operating system 2423, application programs 2425, and data 2427. In other embodiments, storage medium 2421 may include other similar types of information. Some UEs may use... Figure 24 This refers to all components shown, or only a subset of those components. The level of integration between components can vary from one UE to another. Furthermore, some UEs may contain multiple instances of components, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0322] exist Figure 24 In this embodiment, processing circuitry 2401 can be configured to process computer instructions and data. Processing circuitry 2401 can be configured to implement any sequential state machine operable to execute machine instructions stored as a machine-readable computer program in memory. The state machine can be, for example, one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., implemented with discrete logic, FPGA, ASIC, etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored programs, a general-purpose processor (e.g., a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP)) together with appropriate software; or any combination thereof. For example, processing circuitry 2401 may include two central processing units (CPUs). Data can be information in a form suitable for use by a computer.

[0323] In the depicted embodiments, the input / output interface 2405 can be configured to provide a communication interface to an input device, an output device, or both input and output devices. The UE 2400 can be configured to use an output device via the input / output interface 2405. The output device can use an interface port of the same type as the input device. For example, a USB port can be used to provide input to and output from the UE 2400. The output device can be a speaker, sound card, video card, display, monitor, printer, actuator, transmitter, smart card, another output device, or any combination thereof. The UE 2400 can be configured to use an input device via the input / output interface 2405 to allow a user to capture information into the UE 2400. The input device can include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, digital camcorder, webcam, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a steering wheel, a touchpad, a scroll wheel, a smart card, etc. A presence-sensitive display can include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from the user. Sensors can be, for example, accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt sensors, force sensors, magnetometers, optical sensors, proximity sensors, other similar sensors, or any combination thereof. For example, input devices can be accelerometers, magnetometers, digital cameras, microphones, and optical sensors.

[0324] exist Figure 24 In this configuration, RF interface 2409 can be configured to provide a communication interface to RF components such as transmitters, receivers, and antennas. Network connectivity interface 2411 can be configured to provide a communication interface to network 2443a. Network 2443a may include wired and / or wireless networks, such as local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), computer networks, wireless networks, telecommunications networks, another similar network, or any combination thereof. For example, network 2443a may include a Wi-Fi network. Network connectivity interface 2411 can be configured to include receiver and transmitter interfaces for communicating with one or more other devices over the communication network according to one or more communication protocols (e.g., Ethernet, TCP / IP, SONET, ATM, etc.). Network connectivity interface 2411 can implement receiver and transmitter functions suitable for communication network links (e.g., optical, electrical, etc.). Transmitter and receiver functions may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively, may be implemented separately.

[0325] RAM 2417 can be configured to interface with processing circuitry 2401 via bus 2402 to provide storage or cache of data or computer instructions during the execution of software programs such as operating systems, applications, and device drivers. ROM 2419 can be configured to provide computer instructions or data to processing circuitry 2401. For example, ROM 2419 can be configured to store invariant low-level system code or data for basic system functions stored in non-volatile memory, such as basic input and output (I / O), startup, or reception of keystrokes from a keyboard. Storage medium 2421 can be configured to include memory such as RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), disk, optical disk, floppy disk, hard disk, removable tape cassette, or flash drive. In one example, storage medium 2421 can be configured to include operating system 2423, application 2425 such as a web browser application, widget or utility engine or another application, and data file 2427. Storage medium 2421 can store any one or a combination of various operating systems for use by UE 2400.

[0326] Storage medium 2421 can be configured to include multiple physical drive units, such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), a floppy disk drive, flash memory, a USB flash drive, an external hard disk drive, a thumb disk drive, a pen disk drive, a key disk drive, a high-density digital multifunction disc (HD-DVD) drive, an internal hard disk drive, a Blu-ray disc drive, a holographic digital data storage (HDDS) disc drive, an external mini dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro DIMM SDRAM, smart card memory such as a user identity module or a removable user identity (SIM / RUIM) module, other memory, or any combination thereof. Storage medium 2421 can allow UE 2400 to access computer-executable instructions, applications, etc., stored on a transient or non-transient storage medium to unload or upload data. Articles such as those utilizing a communication system can be tangibly embodied in storage medium 2421, which may include a device-readable medium.

[0327] exist Figure 24In this embodiment, processing circuitry 2401 can be configured to communicate with network 2443b using communication subsystem 2431. Networks 2443a and 2443b can be one or more of the same networks or one or more different networks. Communication subsystem 2431 can be configured to include one or more transceivers for communicating with network 2443b. For example, communication subsystem 2431 can be configured to include one or more remote transceivers for communicating with another device (e.g., another WD, UE) or a base station of a radio access network (RAN) capable of wireless communication according to one or more communication protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.24, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, LTE, UTRAN, WiMax, etc.). Each transceiver can include transmitter 2433 and / or receiver 2435 to implement transmitter or receiver functions suitable for the RAN link (e.g., frequency allocation, etc.). Furthermore, the transmitter 2433 and receiver 2435 of each transceiver can share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively, can be implemented separately.

[0328] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functions of the communication subsystem 2431 may include data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication (e.g., the use of a Global Positioning System (GPS) for determining location), another similar communication function, or any combination thereof. For example, the communication subsystem 2431 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, and GPS communication. The network 2443b may include wired and / or wireless networks, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another similar network, or any combination thereof. For example, the network 2443b may be a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, and / or a near-field network. The power supply 2413 may be configured to provide alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power to the components of the UE 2400.

[0329] The features, benefits, and / or functions described herein may be implemented in one of the components of UE 2400 or partitioned among multiple components of UE 2400. Furthermore, the features, benefits, and / or functions described herein may be implemented in any combination of hardware, software, or firmware. In one example, the communication subsystem 2431 may be configured to include any of the components described herein. Additionally, the processing circuitry 2401 may be configured to communicate with any such component via bus 2402. In another example, any such component may be represented by program instructions stored in memory, which, when executed by the processing circuitry 2401, perform the corresponding functions described herein. In another example, the functionality of any such component may be partitioned between the processing circuitry 2401 and the communication subsystem 2431. In yet another example, the non-computationally intensive functions of any such component may be implemented in software or firmware, and the computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0330] Figure 25 This is a schematic block diagram illustrating a virtualized environment 2500, in which functionality implemented by some embodiments can be virtualized. In this context, virtualization means creating virtual versions of devices or equipment, which may include virtualized hardware platforms, storage devices, and network resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to nodes (e.g., virtualized base stations or virtualized radio access nodes) or devices (e.g., UEs, wireless devices, or any other type of communication equipment) or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components (e.g., via one or more applications, components, functions, virtual machines, or containers executed on one or more physical processing nodes in one or more networks).

[0331] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines implemented in one or more virtual environments 2500 hosted on one or more hardware nodes 2530. Furthermore, in embodiments where the virtual node is not a radio access node or does not require a radio connection (e.g., a core network node), the network node may be fully virtualized in this case.

[0332] These functionalities can be implemented by one or more applications 2520 (which may alternatively be referred to as software instances, virtual devices, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.), one or more applications 2520 being operable to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some embodiments disclosed herein. Applications 2520 run in a virtualization environment 2500, which provides hardware 2530 including processing circuitry 2560 and memory 2590. Memory 2590 contains instructions 2595 executable by processing circuitry 2560, thereby enabling application 2520 to operate to provide one or more of the features, benefits, and / or functions disclosed herein.

[0333] The virtualization environment 2500 includes general-purpose or special-purpose network hardware devices 2530, which include one or more processors or processing circuitry 2560, which may be commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or any other type of processing circuitry including digital or analog hardware components or special-purpose processors. Each hardware device may include memory 2590-1, which may be non-permanent memory for temporarily storing instructions 2595 or software executed by the processing circuitry 2560. Each hardware device may include one or more network interface controllers (NICs) 2570, also referred to as network interface cards, which include physical network interfaces 2580. Each hardware device may also include non-transitory, permanent machine-readable storage media 2590-2 in which software 2595 and / or instructions executable by the processing circuitry 2560 are stored. Software 2595 may include any type of software, including software for instantiating one or more virtualization layers 2550 (also referred to as hypervisors), software for executing virtual machines 2540, and software that allows them to perform the functions, features, and / or benefits described in relation to some embodiments described herein.

[0334] Virtual machine 2540 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface, and virtual storage, and can be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 2550 or hypervisor. Different embodiments of instances of virtual device 2520 may be implemented on one or more of virtual machines 2540, and the implementation may be made in different ways.

[0335] During operation, the processing circuitry 2560 executes software 2595 to instantiate the hypervisor or virtualization layer 2550, which may sometimes be referred to as the virtual machine monitor (VMM). The virtualization layer 2550 can present a virtual operating platform, which appears to the virtual machine 2540 as networked hardware.

[0336] like Figure 25As shown, hardware 2530 can be a standalone network node with general or specific components. Hardware 2530 may include antenna 25225 and may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 2530 may be part of a larger hardware cluster (e.g., in a data center or customer premises equipment (CPE)) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and coordination (MANO) 25100, which oversees the lifecycle management of application 2520, and so on.

[0337] In some contexts, hardware virtualization is referred to as Network Functions Virtualization (NFV). NFV can be used to unify numerous network device types onto industry-standard high-capacity server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage that can reside in data centers and customer premises.

[0338] In the context of NFV, virtual machine 2540 can be a software implementation of a physical machine, and its programs run as if they were running on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each virtual machine 2540, along with the portion of hardware 2530 that executes that virtual machine (which can be hardware dedicated to that virtual machine and / or hardware shared by that virtual machine and other virtual machines in virtual machine 2540), forms a separate virtual network element (VNE).

[0339] Still within the context of NFV, Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) are responsible for handling specific network functions running in one or more virtual machines 2540 on top of the hardware network infrastructure 2530, and correspond to... Figure 25 Application 2520 in the text.

[0340] In some embodiments, each of the one or more radio units 25200, including one or more transmitters 25220 and one or more receivers 25210, may be coupled to one or more antennas 25225. The radio unit 25200 may communicate directly with the hardware node 2530 via one or more suitable network interfaces and may be used in conjunction with virtual components to provide a radio-capable virtual node, such as a radio access node or base station.

[0341] In some embodiments, the control system 25230 may be used to implement some signaling, and the control system 25230 may alternatively be used for communication between the hardware node 2530 and the radio unit 25200.

[0342] Figure 26 A telecommunications network connected to a host computer via an intermediate network is shown according to some embodiments.

[0343] refer to Figure 26According to an embodiment, the communication system includes a telecommunications network 2610 (e.g., a 3GPP-type cellular network), which includes an access network 2611 (e.g., a radio access network) and a core network 2614. The access network 2611 includes multiple base stations 2612a, 2612b, and 2612c (e.g., NB, eNB, gNB, or other types of wireless access points), each defining a corresponding coverage area 2613a, 2613b, or 2613c. Each base station 2612a, 2612b, or 2612c can be connected to the core network 2614 via a wired or wireless connection 2615. A first UE 2691 located in coverage area 2613c is configured to wirelessly connect to or be paged by the corresponding base station 2612c. A second UE 2692 located in coverage area 2613a can wirelessly connect to the corresponding base station 2612a. Although multiple UEs 2691 and 2692 are shown in this example, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to situations where a single UE is in the coverage area or a single UE is connected to the corresponding base station 2612.

[0344] Telecommunication network 2610 is connected to host computer 2630, which may be implemented as a standalone server, a cloud-based server, a distributed server, or as a processing resource in a server cluster. Host computer 2630 may be owned or controlled by a service provider, or may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. Connections 2621 and 2622 between telecommunication network 2610 and host computer 2630 may extend directly from core network 2614 to host computer 2630, or may be made via optional intermediate network 2620. Intermediate network 2620 may be one or more of public, private, or bearer networks; intermediate network 2620 (if present) may be a backbone network or the Internet; specifically, intermediate network 2620 may include two or more subnetworks (not shown).

[0345] Figure 26The communication system as a whole establishes a connection between the connected UEs 2691 and 2692 and the host computer 2630. This connection can be described as an over-the-top (OTT) connection 2650. The host computer 2630 and the connected UEs 2691 and 2692 are configured to transmit data and / or signaling via the OTT connection 2650 using access network 2611, core network 2614, any intermediate network 2620, and possibly other infrastructure (not shown) as intermediaries. The OTT connection 2650 can be transparent in the sense that the participating communication devices traversing the OTT connection 2650 are unaware of the routing of uplink and downlink communications. For example, it may not be necessary to notify the base station 2612 of the past routes of input downlink communications containing data originating from the host computer 2630 to be forwarded (e.g., handed over) to the connected UE 2691. Similarly, base station 2612 does not need to be aware of future routes for uplink communication originating from UE 2691 to host computer 2630.

[0346] Figure 27 The illustration shows a host computer communicating with a user equipment via a base station through a partial wireless connection, according to some embodiments.

[0347] Reference Figure 27 This section describes example implementations of the UE, base station, and host computer discussed in the preceding paragraphs according to embodiments. In the communication system 2700, the host computer 2710 includes hardware 2715, which includes a communication interface 2716 configured to establish and maintain wired or wireless connections to interfaces with different communication devices of the communication system 2700. The host computer 2710 also includes processing circuitry 2718, which may have storage and / or processing capabilities. Specifically, the processing circuitry 2718 may include one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. The host computer 2710 also includes software 2711, which is stored in or accessible by the host computer 2710 and executable by the processing circuitry 2718. The software 2711 includes a host application 2712. Host application 2712 is operable to provide services to a remote user (e.g., UE 2730), which is connected via an OTT connection 2750 terminated at both UE 2730 and host computer 2710. When providing services to the remote user, host application 2712 can provide user data transmitted using OTT connection 2750.

[0348] The communication system 2700 also includes a base station 2720 provided in the telecommunications system. The base station 2720 includes hardware 2725 enabling it to communicate with a host computer 2710 and a UE 2730. Hardware 2725 may include: a communication interface 2726 for establishing and maintaining wired or wireless connections with different communication devices of the communication system 2700; and a radio interface 2727 for establishing and maintaining connections with at least the coverage area served by the base station 2720. Figure 27 The UE2730 (not shown in the image) has a wireless connection 2770. The communication interface 2726 can be configured to facilitate a connection 2760 to a host computer 2710. The connection 2760 can be direct, or it can be via the core network of the telecommunications system (…). Figure 27 (Not shown) and / or via one or more intermediate networks outside the telecommunications system. In the illustrated embodiment, the hardware 2725 of base station 2720 also includes processing circuitry 2728, which may include one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. Base station 2720 also has software 2721 stored internally or accessible via an external connection.

[0349] The communication system 2700 also includes the previously mentioned UE 2730. Its hardware 2735 may include a radio interface 2737 configured to establish and maintain a wireless connection 2770 with a base station serving the coverage area currently occupied by the UE 2730. The hardware 2735 of the UE 2730 also includes processing circuitry 2738, which may include one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown) suitable for executing instructions. The UE 2730 also includes software 2731, which is stored in or accessible by the UE 2730 and executable by the processing circuitry 2738. The software 2731 includes a client application 2732. The client application 2732 is operable to provide services to human or non-human users via the UE 2730, supported by the host computer 2710. In host computer 2710, host application 2712 can communicate with client application 2732 via OTT connection 2750 terminated at UE 2730 and host computer 2710. When providing services to a user, client application 2732 can receive request data from host application 2712 and provide user data in response to the request data. OTT connection 2750 can transmit both request data and user data. Client application 2732 can interact with the user to generate the user data it provides.

[0350] Notice, Figure 27The host computer 2710, base station 2720, and UE 2730 shown can be respectively connected to... Figure 26 The host computer 2630, base stations 2612a, 2612b, and 2612c, and UEs 2691 and 2692 are similar to or identical to each other. That is, the internal workings of these entities can be as follows: Figure 27 As shown, and independently, the surrounding network topology can be Figure 26 The network topology.

[0351] exist Figure 27 The OTT connection 2750 has been abstractly depicted to illustrate communication between the host computer 2710 and the UE 2730 via the base station 2720, without explicitly mentioning any intermediate devices or the precise routing of messages via these devices. The network infrastructure can determine this route, which can be configured to be hidden from the UE 2730, the service provider operating the host computer 2710, or both. When the OTT connection 2750 is active, the network infrastructure can further make decisions to dynamically change the route (e.g., based on load balancing considerations or network reconfiguration).

[0352] The radio connection 2770 between UE 2730 and base station 2720 is based on the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. One or more embodiments in the various embodiments can improve the performance of OTT services provided to UE 2730 using OTT connection 2750, wherein radio connection 2770 forms the final segment of OTT connection 2750. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments can improve random access speed and / or reduce random access failure rate, thereby providing benefits such as faster and / or more reliable random access.

[0353] Measurement procedures may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rates, latency, and other factors improved in one or more embodiments. Optional network functions may also be available for reconfiguring the OTT connection 2750 between the host computer 2710 and the UE 2730 in response to changes in measurement results. The measurement procedures and / or network functions for reconfiguring the OTT connection 2750 may be implemented using software 2711 and hardware 2715 of the host computer 2710, or software 2731 and hardware 2735 of the UE 2730, or both. In embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or associated with communication equipment through which the OTT connection 2750 traverses; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedures by providing values ​​of the monitored quantities exemplified above or by providing values ​​of other physical quantities that the software 2711, 2731 can use to calculate or estimate the monitored quantities. Reconfiguration of the OTT connection 2750 may include message formatting, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc.; this reconfiguration does not need to affect the base station 2720, and it may be unknown or imperceptible to the base station 2720. Such procedures and functions may be known and practiced in the art. In some embodiments, measurement may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates the host computer 2710 to measure throughput, propagation time, latency, etc. This measurement may be implemented as follows: software 2711 and 2731 enable the use of the OTT connection 2750 to send messages (specifically, empty messages or "fake" messages) while monitoring propagation time, errors, etc.

[0354] Figure 28 A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment (UE) is illustrated according to some embodiments. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be a reference... Figure 26 and Figure 27 The host computer, base station, and UE are described. For the sake of brevity, this section will only include descriptions of... Figure 28 The diagram is referenced. In step 2810, the host computer provides user data. In sub-step 2811 of step 2810 (which may be optional), the host computer provides user data by executing a host application. In step 2820, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying user data to the UE. In step 2830 (which may be optional), in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the base station sends the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the host computer to the UE. In step 2840 (which may also be optional), the UE executes a client application associated with the host application executed by the host computer.

[0355] Figure 29A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment (UE) is illustrated according to some embodiments. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be a reference... Figure 26 and Figure 27 The host computer, base station, and UE are described. For the sake of brevity, this section will only include descriptions of... Figure 29 The diagram is referenced. In step 2910 of the method, the host computer provides user data. In an optional sub-step (not shown), the host computer provides user data by executing a host application. In step 2920, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying user data to the UE. Based on the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, this transmission may be via a base station. In step 2930 (which may be optional), the UE receives the user data carried in the transmission.

[0356] Figure 30 A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment (UE) is illustrated according to some embodiments. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be a reference... Figure 26 and Figure 27 The host computer, base station, and UE are described. For the sake of brevity, this section will only include descriptions of... Figure 30 The diagram is referenced. In step 3010 (which may be optional), the UE receives input data provided by the host computer. Additionally or alternatively, in step 3020, the UE provides user data. In sub-step 3021 of step 3020 (which may be optional), the UE provides user data by executing a client application. In sub-step 3011 of step 3010 (which may be optional), the UE executes a client application that provides user data in response to the received input data provided by the host computer. When providing user data, the executed client application may also consider user input received from the user. Regardless of the specific manner in which user data is provided, the UE initiates the transmission of user data to the host computer in sub-step 3030 (which may be optional). In step 3040 of the method, the host computer receives user data sent from the UE, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure.

[0357] Figure 31 A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment (UE) is illustrated according to some embodiments. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be a reference... Figure 26 and Figure 27 The host computer, base station, and UE are described. For the sake of brevity, this section will only include descriptions of... Figure 31The diagram is referenced. In step 3110 (which may be optional), the base station receives user data from the UE in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 3120 (which may be optional), the base station initiates a transmission of the received user data to the host computer. In step 3130 (which may be optional), the host computer receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the base station.

[0358] Any suitable steps, methods, features, functions, or benefits disclosed herein may be performed by one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual devices. Each virtual device may include multiple such functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry (which may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers) and other digital hardware (which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific digital logic, etc.). The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or more types of memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. The program code stored in the memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communication protocols and instructions for executing one or more of the techniques described herein. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry may be used to cause corresponding functional units to perform corresponding functions according to one or more embodiments of this disclosure.

[0359] The term “unit” may have the conventional meaning in the field of electronic devices, electrical equipment and / or electronic equipment, and may include, for example, electrical and / or electronic circuits, devices, modules, processors, memories, logic solid-state and / or discrete devices, computer programs or instructions for performing corresponding tasks, programs, calculations, output and / or display functions, etc. (such as those described herein).

[0360] In the above description of various embodiments of the inventive concept, it should be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the inventive concept. Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the inventive concept belongs. It will also be understood that terms such as those defined in common dictionaries should be interpreted as having the same meaning as they have in the context of this specification and related art, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0361] Therefore, all terms used herein will be interpreted according to their common meaning in the relevant art, unless a different meaning is clearly given and / or implied from the context of their use. Unless otherwise expressly stated, all references to “a / an / the element, device, component, part, step,” etc., should be openly interpreted as referring to at least one instance of an element, device, component, part, step, etc. The steps of any method disclosed herein need not be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless a step is explicitly described as occurring after or before another step and / or implied that a step must occur after or before another step. Any feature of any embodiment disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment, as appropriate. Similarly, any advantage of any embodiment applies to any other embodiment, and vice versa. Other objects, features, and advantages of the appended embodiments will become apparent from the description.

[0362] When an element is referred to as being “connected to,” “coupled to,” “responsive to,” or a variation thereof to another element, it may be directly connected to, coupled to, or responsive to the other element, or there may be intermediate elements present. Conversely, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected to,” “directly coupled to,” or “directly responsive to,” or a variation thereof to another element, there are no intermediate elements present. The same reference numerals always refer to the same element. Furthermore, the terms “coupled,” “connected,” “responsive,” or variations thereof as used herein may include wirelessly coupled, connected, or responsive. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. For the sake of brevity and / or clarity, well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail. The term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0363] It will be understood that although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., may be used herein to describe various elements / operations, these elements / operations should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element / operation from another. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of the inventive concept, a first element / operation in some embodiments may be referred to as a second element / operation in other embodiments. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals or the same reference numerals denote the same or similar elements.

[0364] As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” “containing,” “having,” “holding,” or variations thereof are open-ended and include one or more of the stated features, wholes, elements, steps, components, or functions, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, elements, steps, components, functions, or groups thereof. Furthermore, as used herein, the general abbreviation “eg” from the Latin phrase “exempli gratia” may be used to introduce or specify one or more general examples of previously mentioned items and is not intended to limit such items. The general abbreviation “ie” from the Latin phrase “idest” may be used to specify a particular item in light of a more general description.

[0365] This document describes exemplary embodiments with reference to block diagrams and / or flowcharts illustrating computer-implemented methods, apparatus (systems and / or devices), and / or computer program products. It should be understood that blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, can be implemented by computer program instructions executed by one or more computer circuits. These computer program instructions can be provided to processor circuitry of general-purpose computer circuitry, special-purpose computer circuitry, and / or other programmable data processing circuitry to produce a machine that causes instructions executed via a processor of a computer and / or other programmable data processing apparatus to transform and control transistors, values ​​stored in memory locations, and other hardware components within such circuitry to implement the functions / actions specified in one or more blocks of the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, thereby creating components (functionality) and / or structures for implementing the functions / actions specified in the block diagrams and / or flowchart blocks(s).

[0366] These computer program instructions can also be stored in a tangible computer-readable medium that can instruct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to operate in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable medium produce an article of writing comprising instructions that implement the functions / actions specified in one or more blocks of a block diagram and / or flowchart. Therefore, embodiments of the inventive concept can be embodied in hardware and / or software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.) running on a processor such as a digital signal processor (which may be collectively referred to as a "circuit", "module", or variant thereof).

[0367] It should also be noted that in some alternative embodiments, the functions / actions indicated in the boxes may not occur in the order shown in the flowchart. For example, depending on the functions / actions involved, two boxes shown consecutively may actually be executed substantially simultaneously, or these boxes may sometimes be executed in reverse order. Furthermore, the functions of a given box in the flowchart and / or block diagram may be divided into multiple blocks, and / or the functions of two or more boxes in the flowchart and / or block diagram may be integrated at least partially. Finally, other boxes may be added / inserted between the shown boxes, and / or boxes / operations may be omitted without departing from the scope of the inventive concept. Additionally, although some diagrams include arrows on communication paths to indicate the main direction of communication, it should be understood that communication may occur in the direction opposite to the depicted arrows.

[0368] It is worth noting that those skilled in the art, benefiting from the teachings presented in the foregoing description and associated drawings, will conceive of modifications and other embodiments of the disclosed invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure. Although specific terminology may be used herein, it is used only in a general and descriptive sense and not for limiting purposes.

[0369] Therefore, many variations and modifications can be made to the embodiments without substantially departing from the principles of the inventive concept. All such variations and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the inventive concept. Therefore, the subject matter disclosed above is to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive, and the examples of embodiments are intended to cover all such modifications, enhancements, and other embodiments falling within the spirit and scope of the inventive concept. Therefore, to the maximum extent permitted by law, the scope of the inventive concept will be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of this disclosure, including examples of embodiments and their equivalents, and should not be constrained or limited by the foregoing detailed description.

[0370] The following discusses example implementations.

[0371] 1. A method for operating a first network node (400) in a wireless communication network, comprising:

[0372] Determine (102) the modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell of the first network node; and

[0373] Send (104) a first instruction to the second network node, the first instruction including a configuration update describing the modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell.

[0374] 2. The method according to Embodiment 1 further includes:

[0375] Receive a second indication from the second network node, the second indication including confirmation of the first indication.

[0376] 3. The method according to embodiment 1 or 2, wherein the configuration update includes the cell list and / or reference signal beam list for which the first network node plans to use the modified configuration.

[0377] 4. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the configuration update includes replacing all or part of the cell list and / or reference signal beam list of the first network node that are indicated as to be modified in the configuration update.

[0378] 5. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the first indication includes information regarding possible configurations of cells and / or beams of neighboring cells of the serving cell.

[0379] 6. According to the method described in Embodiment 5, the neighboring cells of the serving cell are served by the second network node.

[0380] 7. According to the method described in Embodiment 5, the neighboring cells of the serving cell are served by a third network node.

[0381] 8. The method according to any one of embodiments 5 to 7, wherein the first network node considers the possible configuration to be compatible with the modified configuration described in the first instruction.

[0382] 9. The method according to embodiment 8, wherein the modified configuration described in the first instruction describes a change in the shape of the reference signal beam of the serving cell, and wherein the possible configuration includes a suggested change in the shape of the beam in the neighboring cells.

[0383] 10. The method according to any one of Embodiments 5 to 9, which are subordinate to Embodiment 2, wherein the second instruction includes confirmation of the possible configuration.

[0384] 11. The method according to any one of embodiments 5 to 10, wherein the first instruction includes signaling to it a list of cells of neighboring nodes of the possibly configured first network node.

[0385] 12. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the modified configuration includes at least one of the following: a change in the shape of the reference signal beam; merging of the reference signal beam with at least one other reference signal beam; and / or splitting the reference signal beam into at least two new reference signal beams.

[0386] 13. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the reference signal beam includes a downlink reference signal beam carrying a synchronization signal block or a channel state information reference signal or an uplink reference signal beam carrying a probe reference signal.

[0387] 14. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the first instruction describes information related to reconfiguring the first network node according to the modified configuration.

[0388] 15. The method according to embodiment 14, wherein the information related to the reconfiguration of the first network node includes a mapping between one or more serving cells of the first network node before the first network node is reconfigured according to the modified configuration and one or more serving cells of the first network node after the first network node is reconfigured according to the modified configuration.

[0389] 16. The method according to embodiment 14, wherein the information related to the reconfiguration of the first network node includes a list of cells for which the first network node has modified the configuration of the downlink reference beam.

[0390] 17. The method according to embodiment 14, wherein the information related to the reconfiguration of the first network node includes a mapping between one or more reference signal beams of the serving cell of the first network node before the reconfiguration of the first network node according to the modified configuration and one or more reference signal beams of the serving cell of the first network node after the reconfiguration of the first network node according to the modified configuration.

[0391] 18. The method according to embodiment 14, wherein the information related to the reconfiguration of the first network node includes a list of reference signal beams for which the first network node has modified its configuration.

[0392] 19. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments further includes:

[0393] Modify the configuration of at least one reference signal of the serving cell for coverage or capacity improvement.

[0394] 20. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the first indication includes information related to a possible configuration to be adopted by the second network node, which can be applied to cells in the second network node adjacent to those cells in the first network node that have been modified according to the modified configuration.

[0395] 21. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments further includes:

[0396] At the first network node, a third instruction is received (112) from the second network node regarding the capacity and coverage optimization (CCO) problem of the serving cell of the first network node;

[0397] The modified configuration for determining the reference signal beam is performed in response to the third instruction.

[0398] 22. The method according to embodiment 21, wherein the indicated CCO problem includes at least one of the following: capacity problem; coverage problem; interference problem; and / or uplink / downlink imbalance.

[0399] 23. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the first network node is a gNB and the second network node is a gNB.

[0400] 24. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 22, wherein the first network node is a distributed unit (DU) of the gNB and the second network node is a control unit (CU) of the gNB.

[0401] 25. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the first instruction includes a modification of the list of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) sent by the first network node.

[0402] 26. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the first indication includes a new configuration of the Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) sent by the first network node.

[0403] 27. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the first instruction includes information on splitting the serving cell into two or more cell partitions or new serving cells.

[0404] 28. The method according to embodiment 27, wherein the two or more cell partitions or new serving cells are configured with a single synchronization signal block (SSB) beam and different physical cell identifiers (PCIs).

[0405] 29. The method according to embodiment 27, wherein the two or more cell partitions or new serving cells are configured with multiple individual synchronization signal block (SSB) beams and different physical cell identifiers (PCIs).

[0406] 30. The method according to embodiment 27, wherein the two or more cell partitions or new serving cells are configured with multiple single synchronization signal block (SSB) beams and the same physical cell identifier (PCI).

[0407] 31. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the first instruction includes information on splitting the reference signal beam into two or more reference signal beams.

[0408] 32. The method according to embodiment 31, wherein the two or more reference signal beams have a coverage area within the reference signal beams.

[0409] 33. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the first instruction includes information on merging the reference signal beam with at least one other reference signal beam.

[0410] 34. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the first instruction includes information for merging the serving cell with at least a second serving cell to form at least one new serving cell.

[0411] 35. The method according to embodiment 34, wherein the serving cell and the second serving cell are defined by the coverage area of ​​a single synchronization signal block (SSB) beam.

[0412] 36. The method according to embodiment 34, wherein the serving cell and the second serving cell are defined by the coverage area of ​​separate synchronization signal block (SSB) beams.

[0413] 37. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the first indication includes information related to the configuration prior to the reconfiguration of one or more of the following: a list of cells of the first network node having a modified configuration; a list of synchronization signal block (SSB) beams with modified configurations associated with at least one cell of the first network node; a list of channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) beams with modified configurations associated with at least one cell of the first network node or at least one SSB beam within a cell; a mapping between the serving cell and at least one reference signal beam; and a mapping between the reference signal beams and at least a second reference signal beam.

[0414] 38. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the first indication includes information related to the configuration after reconfiguration of one or more of the following: a list of cells of the first network node having a modified configuration; a list of synchronization signal block (SSB) beams with modified configurations associated with at least one cell of the first network node; a list of channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) beams with modified configurations associated with at least one cell of the first network node or at least one SSB beam within a cell; a mapping between the serving cell and at least one reference signal beam; and a mapping between the reference signal beams and at least a second reference signal beam.

[0415] 39. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the first network node is a gNB distributed unit (gNB-DU) of the split RAN architecture of the 3GPP NG-RAN system, and the second network node is a gNB centralized unit (gNB-CU).

[0416] 40. The method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 38, wherein the first network node and the second network node are both gNBs of the full RAN architecture of the 3GPP NG-RAN system.

[0417] 41. The method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 38, wherein the first network node is a gNB of a 3GPP NG-RAN system, and the second network node is an eNB or ng-eNB of an LTE system.

[0418] 42. The method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 38, wherein the first network node is a 3GPP en-gNB and the second network node is a 3GPP eNB.

[0419] 43. A method for operating a second network node in a wireless communication system, comprising:

[0420] Receive (202) a first indication from a first network node, the first indication including a configuration update describing a modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell of the first network node;

[0421] Based on the first instruction, determine (204) whether the neighboring cell list needs to be modified; and

[0422] Update (206) the cell configuration information associated with the first network node.

[0423] 44. The method according to embodiment 43, wherein the first indication includes information about possible configurations of cells and / or beams of neighboring cells of the serving cell.

[0424] 45. The method according to embodiment 44, wherein the neighboring cells of the serving cell are served by the second network node.

[0425] 46. ​​The method according to embodiment 45 further includes:

[0426] Assess the feasibility of possible cell and / or beam configurations for the neighboring cells described in (210); and

[0427] Send (212) a second instruction to the first network node, which includes confirmation of the first instruction.

[0428] 47. The method according to embodiment 46 further includes:

[0429] Implement possible cell and / or beam configurations for the adjacent cells described in (214).

[0430] 48. The method according to embodiment 44, wherein the neighboring cells of the serving cell are served by a third network node.

[0431] 49. The method according to embodiment 48 further includes sending (222) information about possible cell and / or beam configurations of the neighboring cells to the third network node.

[0432] 50. The method according to any one of embodiments 43 to 49 further includes:

[0433] Identify (232) the capacity and coverage optimization (CCO) problem of the serving cell of the first network node; and

[0434] (234) A third indication of the CCO problem of the serving cell of the first network node is sent from the second network node to the first network node.

[0435] 51. The method according to embodiment 50, wherein the CCO problem includes at least one of the following: capacity problem, coverage problem, interference problem, and uplink / downlink imbalance problem of the serving cell of the first network node.

[0436] 52. A network node (400) configured to perform operations according to any one of embodiments 1 to 51.

[0437] 53. A first network node (400) is configured as follows:

[0438] Determine (102) the modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell of the first network node; and

[0439] Send (104) a first instruction to the second network node, the first instruction including a configuration update describing the modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell.

[0440] 54. A first network node (400), comprising:

[0441] Processor (403); and

[0442] Memory (405) coupled to the processor;

[0443] The memory includes computer program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the network node to perform operations including the following:

[0444] Determine (102) the modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell of the first network node; and

[0445] Send (104) a first instruction to the second network node, the first instruction including a configuration update describing the modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell.

[0446] 55. A second network node (400) is configured as follows:

[0447] Receive (202) a first indication from a first network node, the first indication including a configuration update describing a modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell of the first network node;

[0448] Based on the first instruction, determine (204) whether the neighboring cell list needs to be modified; and

[0449] Update (206) the cell configuration information associated with the first network node.

[0450] 56. A second network node (400), comprising:

[0451] Processor (403); and

[0452] Memory (405) coupled to the processor;

[0453] The memory includes computer program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the network node to perform operations including the following:

[0454] Receive (202) a first indication from a first network node, the first indication including a configuration update describing a modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell of the first network node;

[0455] Based on the first instruction, determine (204) whether the neighboring cell list needs to be modified; and

[0456] Update (206) the cell configuration information associated with the first network node.

Claims

1. A method performed by a first network node (10, 400) in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: Receive (112) an instruction from the second network node (20, 400) on the capacity and coverage optimization (CCO) issues of the serving cell of the first network node (10, 400); In response to the received instruction, determine (102) the modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell of the first network node (10, 400); and Send (104) a first instruction (14) to the second network node (20, 400), wherein the first instruction (14) includes a configuration update message describing a modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The configuration changes mentioned above are as follows: The identifier of the reference signal beam; and / or Indicates the coverage status of the coverage configuration of the reference signal beam; and / or The identifier of the cell to which the reference signal beam is mapped.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1-2, wherein, The modified configuration refers to the modified coverage configuration of the reference signal beam.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The configuration update message includes the cell list and / or reference signal beam list for which the first network node plans to use modified configurations.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein, The configuration update message includes a list of one or more reference signal beams that cover the previous serving cell before the modification, wherein the list includes the reference signal beams.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The configuration update message includes a list of one or more replacement cells, which will replace all or part of the coverage of the serving cell after the coverage is modified.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein, The configuration update message includes a list of one or more reference signal beams, which will replace all or part of the reference signal beams according to the modified configuration of the reference signal beams.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein, The reference signal beam includes a downlink reference signal beam carrying a synchronization signal block or channel state information reference signal.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein, The indicated CCO problem includes at least one of the following: capacity problem; coverage problem; interference problem; and / or uplink / downlink imbalance.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein, The modified configuration includes changing the shape of the reference signal beam, merging the reference signal beam with at least one other reference signal beam, or splitting the reference signal beam into at least a plurality of reference signal beams.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, wherein, The first network node (10, 400) is a distributed unit (DU) of the gNB, the second network node (20, 400) is a control unit (CU) of the gNB, and the configuration update message is a gNB-DU configuration update message.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-11, further comprising: Receive a second instruction from the second network node (20, 400), the second instruction including confirmation of the first instruction (14).

13. The method according to any one of claims 1-12, wherein, The first instruction (14) includes information about the possible configuration of cells and / or beams of the neighboring cells of the serving cell.

14. A method performed by a second network node (20, 400) in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: Send instructions on the capacity and coverage optimization CCO issues of the serving cell of the first network node (10, 400) to the first network node (10, 400); In response to the sent CCO problem indication, a first indication (14) is received (202) from the first network node (10, 400), the first indication (14) including a configuration update message describing a modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell of the first network node (10, 400); Based on the first instruction (14), determine (204) whether the list of neighboring cells needs to be modified; as well as Update (206) the cell configuration information associated with the first network node (10, 400).

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, The configuration changes mentioned above are as follows: The identifier of the reference signal beam; and / or Indicates the coverage status of the coverage configuration of the reference signal beam; and / or The identifier of the cell to which the reference signal beam is mapped.

16. The method according to any one of claims 14-15, wherein, The modified configuration refers to the modified coverage configuration of the reference signal beam.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14-16, wherein, The configuration update message includes the cell list and / or reference signal beam list for which the first network node plans to use modified configurations.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14-17, wherein, The configuration update message includes a list of one or more reference signal beams that cover the previous serving cell before the modification, wherein the list includes the reference signal beams.

19. The method according to any one of claims 14-18, wherein, The configuration update message includes a list of one or more replacement cells, which will replace all or part of the coverage of the serving cell after the coverage is modified.

20. The method according to any one of claims 14-19, wherein, The configuration update message includes a list of one or more reference signal beams, which will replace all or part of the reference signal beams according to the modified configuration of the reference signal beams.

21. The method according to any one of claims 14-20, wherein, The reference signal beam includes a downlink reference signal beam carrying a synchronization signal block or channel state information reference signal.

22. The method according to any one of claims 14-21, wherein, The indicated CCO problem includes at least one of the following: capacity problem; coverage problem; interference problem; and / or uplink / downlink imbalance.

23. The method according to any one of claims 14-22, wherein, The modified configuration includes changing the shape of the reference signal beam, merging the reference signal beam with at least one other reference signal beam, or splitting the reference signal beam into at least a plurality of reference signal beams.

24. The method according to any one of claims 14-23, wherein, The first network node (10, 400) is a distributed unit (DU) of the gNB, the second network node (20, 400) is a control unit (CU) of the gNB, and the configuration update message is a gNB-DU configuration update message.

25. The method according to any one of claims 14-24, further comprising: Send a second instruction to the first network node (10, 400), the second instruction including confirmation of the first instruction (14).

26. The method according to any one of claims 14-25, wherein, The first instruction (14) includes information about the possible configuration of cells and / or beams of the neighboring cells of the serving cell.

27. A first network node (10, 400) configured for use in a wireless communication network, the first network node (10, 400) being configured to: Receive instructions from the second network node (20, 400) regarding the capacity and coverage optimization (CCO) issues of the serving cell of the first network node (10, 400); In response to the received instruction, the modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell of the first network node (10, 400) is determined; and Send a first instruction (14) to the second network node (20, 400), wherein, The first indication (14) includes a configuration update message that describes a modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell.

28. The first network node (10, 400) according to claim 27, configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 2-13.

29. A second network node (20, 400) configured for use in a wireless communication network, the second network node (20, 400) being configured to: Send instructions on the capacity and coverage optimization CCO issues of the serving cell of the first network node (10, 400) to the first network node (10, 400); In response to the sent CCO problem indication, a first indication (14) is received from a first network node (10, 400), the first indication (14) including a configuration update message describing a modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell of the first network node (10, 400); Based on the first instruction (14), determine whether it is necessary to modify the list of neighboring cells; as well as Update the cell configuration information associated with the first network node (10, 400).

30. The second network node (20, 400) according to claim 29, configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 15-26.

31. A computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a first network node (10, 400), cause the first network node (10, 400) to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-13.

32. A computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a second network node (20, 400), cause the second network node (20, 400) to perform the method according to any one of claims 14-26.

33. A carrier comprising a computer program according to any one of claims 31-32, wherein, The carrier is one of electronic signals, optical signals, radio signals, or computer-readable storage media.

34. A first network node (10, 400) configured for use in a wireless communication network, the first network node (10, 400) comprising: Processor (403); as well as Memory (405) coupled to the processor (403); The memory (405) includes computer program instructions that, when executed by the processor (403), cause the first network nodes (10, 400) to: Receive instructions from the second network node (20, 400) regarding the capacity and coverage optimization (CCO) issues of the serving cell of the first network node (10, 400); In response to the received instruction, the modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell of the first network node (10, 400) is determined; and Send a first instruction (14) to the second network node (20, 400), wherein the first instruction (14) includes a configuration update message describing a modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell.

35. The first network node (10, 400) according to claim 34, wherein, The memory (405) includes computer program instructions that, when executed by the processor (403), cause the first network node (10, 400) to perform the method according to any one of claims 2-13.

36. A second network node (20, 400) configured for use in a wireless communication network, the second network node (20, 400) comprising: Processor (403); as well as Memory (405) coupled to the processor (403); The memory (405) includes computer program instructions that, when executed by the processor (403), cause the second network nodes (20, 400) to: Send instructions on the capacity and coverage optimization CCO issues of the serving cell of the first network node (10, 400) to the first network node (10, 400); In response to the sent CCO problem indication, a first indication (14) is received from the first network node (10, 400), the first indication (14) including a configuration update message describing a modified configuration of the reference signal beam of the serving cell of the first network node (10, 400); Based on the first instruction (14), determine whether it is necessary to modify the list of neighboring cells; as well as Update the cell configuration information associated with the first network node (10, 400).

37. The second network node (20, 400) according to claim 36, wherein, The memory (405) includes computer program instructions that, when executed by the processor (403), configure the second network node (20, 400) to perform the method according to any one of claims 15-26.

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