Beam Switching for an Inactive User Equipment with Configured Authorization

Abstract

A system, method, apparatus, or computer-readable medium for performing beam switching on an inactive user equipment using a configured grant is provided. A wireless communication node may send a beam switching configuration for a configured grant to a wireless communication device. The wireless communication node may determine a threshold for beam switching. When the wireless communication device is in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) inactive state, the wireless communication node may detect that the quality of the beam received via the configured grant is lower than the threshold.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication, including but not limited to systems and methods for performing beam switching on a user equipment in an inactive state using configured grants. Background Art

[0002] The standardization organization, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), is currently specifying a new radio interface called 5G New Radio (5G NR) and a next-generation packet core network (NG-CN or NGC). 5G NR will have three main components: a 5G access network (5G-AN), a 5G core network (5GC), and a user equipment (UE). To facilitate the implementation of different data services and requirements, the elements of the 5GC (also referred to as network functions) have been simplified, and some of these elements are software-based, enabling them to be adjusted as needed. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The example embodiments disclosed herein are intended to address issues related to one or more of the problems existing in the prior art and to provide additional features that will become apparent upon reference to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. According to various embodiments, example systems, methods, devices, and computer program products are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example and not limitation, and it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art reading this disclosure that various modifications can be made to the disclosed embodiments while remaining within the scope of this disclosure.

[0004] At least one aspect relates to a system, method, apparatus, or computer-readable medium. A wireless communication node may send a beam switching configuration for a configured grant to a wireless communication device. The wireless communication node may determine a threshold for beam switching. When the wireless communication device is in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) inactive state, the wireless communication node may detect that the quality of the beam received via the configured grant is lower than the threshold.

[0005] In some embodiments, the beam switching configuration includes at least one of the following: an indication to support beam switching for each of a plurality of configured grants or for a plurality of configured grants at the wireless communication device; an indication to maintain each of a plurality of configured grants or a plurality of configured grants at the wireless communication device when the wireless communication device is in the RRC inactive state; or a threshold for beam switching for each of a plurality of configured grants or for a plurality of configured grants at the wireless communication device.

[0006] In some embodiments, a wireless communication node may send beam switching configuration to a wireless communication device at least via an RRC message or an information element (IE) of a configured grant configuration in the RRC message. In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may send a request to perform beam switching to the wireless communication device in response to the quality of a beam being lower than a threshold. In some embodiments, the request to perform beam switching may include an indication that the quality of the beam is lower than the threshold.

[0007] In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may receive at least one of the following from the wireless communication device: an indication of the SSB with the best quality among a plurality of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), or time information for the wireless communication device to perform beam switching. In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may send an acknowledgement to the wireless communication device in response to receiving the indication of the SSB with the best quality. In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may receive uplink data via a configured grant using a new receive beam corresponding to the indication of the SSB with the best quality received.

[0008] In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may send an indication to maintain a new beam in response to the quality of the new beam meeting a threshold. In some embodiments, the indication to maintain the new beam may include an indication that the quality of the new beam meets the threshold. In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may receive an acknowledgement from the wireless communication device in response to the indication to maintain the new beam.

[0009] In some embodiments, the beam switching configuration includes at least one of the following: an indication of supporting beam switching for each of a plurality of configured grants or for a plurality of configured grants at the wireless communication device; a configuration of sounding reference signals (SRSs) for each of a plurality of configured grants or for a plurality of configured grants at the wireless communication device, including at least information about one or more SRS resource sets; an indication of maintaining each of a plurality of configured grants or a plurality of configured grants at the wireless communication device when the wireless communication device is in the RRC inactive state; or a threshold for beam switching for each of a plurality of configured grants or for a plurality of configured grants at the wireless communication device.

[0010] In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may send a request to activate a plurality of SRS resources at the wireless communication device in the inactive state. In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may send a request to the wireless communication device in response to the quality of the beam received via a configured grant being lower than a threshold.

[0011] In some embodiments, a wireless communication node may receive multiple sounding reference signals (SRSs) from a wireless communication device. In some embodiments, when the wireless communication device is in the RRC inactive state, the wireless communication node may send an indication of the SRS with the best quality among the multiple SRSs to the wireless communication device. In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may receive an acknowledgement of the indication of the SRS with the best quality from the wireless communication device.

[0012] In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may send a message to deactivate the SRS at the wireless communication device in the inactive state. In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may send a message to deactivate the SRS in response to the quality of a new beam received via configured grant being higher than a threshold.

[0013] At least one aspect relates to a system, method, apparatus, or computer-readable medium. A wireless communication device may receive a beam switching configuration for a configured grant from a wireless communication node. When in the radio resource control (RRC) inactive state, the wireless communication device may perform beam switching via the configured grant.

[0014] In some embodiments, the beam switching configuration includes at least one of the following: an indication of supporting beam switching for each of multiple configured grants or for multiple configured grants at the wireless communication device; an indication of maintaining each of multiple configured grants or multiple configured grants at the wireless communication device when the wireless communication device is in the RRC inactive state; or a threshold for beam switching for each of multiple configured grants or for multiple configured grants at the wireless communication device.

[0015] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may receive the beam switching configuration from the wireless communication device at least via an RRC message or an information element (IE) configured in the RRC message. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may receive a request to perform beam switching from the wireless communication device in response to the quality of a beam being lower than the beam switching threshold of the wireless communication node. In some embodiments, the request to perform beam switching may include an indication that the quality of the beam is lower than the threshold.

[0016] In some embodiments, before performing beam switching, a wireless communication device may send at least one of the following to a wireless communication node: an indication of the SSB with the best quality among a plurality of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), or time information for the wireless communication device to perform beam switching. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may receive an acknowledgement from the wireless communication node in response to the indication of the SSB with the best quality. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may send uplink data to the wireless communication node via a configured grant using a new transmission beam corresponding to the indication of the SSB with the best quality.

[0017] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device receives an indication to maintain a new beam in response to the quality of the new beam meeting a threshold for beam switching of the wireless communication node. In some embodiments, the indication to maintain the new beam may include an indication that the quality of the new beam meets the threshold. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may send an acknowledgement to the wireless communication node in response to the indication to maintain the new beam.

[0018] In some embodiments, the beam switching configuration may include at least one of the following: an indication at the wireless communication device to support beam switching for each of a plurality of configured grants or for a plurality of configured grants; a configuration of sounding reference signals (SRSs) at the wireless communication device for each of a plurality of configured grants or for a plurality of configured grants, including at least information about one or more SRS resource sets; an indication at the wireless communication device to maintain each of a plurality of configured grants or a plurality of configured grants when the wireless communication device is in the RRC inactive state; or a threshold for beam switching at the wireless communication device for each of a plurality of configured grants or for a plurality of configured grants.

[0019] In some embodiments, a wireless communication device in an inactive state may receive a request from the wireless communication device to activate a plurality of SRS resources at the wireless communication device. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may receive the request in response to the quality of the beam transmitted via a configured grant being lower than a threshold.

[0020] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may send a plurality of SRSs to the wireless communication node. In some embodiments, when the wireless communication device is in the RRC inactive state, the wireless communication device may receive an indication of the SRS with the best quality among the plurality of SRSs from the wireless communication node. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may send an acknowledgement of the indication of the SRS with the best quality to the wireless communication node.

[0021] In some embodiments, a wireless communication device may receive a message from a wireless communication node to deactivate SRS at an inactivated wireless communication device. In some embodiments, a wireless communication device may receive a message to deactivate SRS from a wireless communication node in response to the quality of a new beam transmitted via a configured grant being higher than a threshold. In some embodiments, a wireless communication device may send an acknowledgement to the wireless communication node in response to the message to deactivate SRS. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Various example embodiments of the present solution are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings or figures. The accompanying drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and depict only example embodiments of the present solution to facilitate the reader's understanding of the present solution. Therefore, the accompanying drawings should not be considered as a limitation on the breadth, scope, or applicability of the present solution. It should be noted that these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale for clarity and ease of illustration.

[0023] Figure 1 An example cellular communication network in which the techniques disclosed herein may be implemented in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0024] Figure 2 A block diagram of an example base station and user equipment device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0025] Figure 3 A sequence diagram of an example beam switching process for a configured grant without an associated sounding reference signal (SRS) is shown;

[0026] Figure 4 A block diagram of an example media access control (MAC) control element (CE) for receiving a quality notification is shown;

[0027] Figure 5 A block diagram of an example media access control (MAC) control element (CE) for beam switching reporting is shown;

[0028] Figure 6 A sequence diagram of an example beam switching process for a configured grant with an associated sounding reference signal (SRS) is shown; and

[0029] Figure 7 A functional band diagram of an example method for performing beam switching on an inactivated user equipment using a configured grant is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The following describes various example embodiments of the present solution with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that those of ordinary skill in the art can make and use the present solution. As will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, after reading this disclosure, various changes or modifications can be made to the examples described herein without departing from the scope of the present solution. Therefore, the present solution is not limited to the example embodiments and applications described and illustrated herein. In addition, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed herein is merely an example method. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of steps of the disclosed method or process can be rearranged while remaining within the scope of the present solution. Therefore, unless otherwise expressly stated, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the methods and techniques disclosed herein present various steps or actions in an example order, and the present solution is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0031] The following acronyms are used throughout this disclosure:

[0032]

[0033]

[0034]

[0035] 1. Mobile communication technology and environment

[0036] Figure 1 FIG. shows an example wireless communication network and / or system 100 in which the technologies disclosed herein can be implemented according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the following discussion, the wireless communication network 100 can be any wireless network, such as a cellular network or a NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT) network, and is referred to herein as "network 100". Such an example network 100 includes base stations 102 (hereinafter referred to as "BS 102"; also referred to as wireless communication nodes) and user equipment devices 104 (hereinafter referred to as "UE 104"; also referred to as wireless communication devices) that can communicate with each other via communication links 110 (e.g., wireless communication channels), and a cluster of cells 126, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, and 140 that cover a geographical area 101. In Figure 1 BS 102 and UE 104 are included within the respective geographical boundaries of cell 126. Each of the other cells 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, and 140 can include at least one base station that operates within its allocated bandwidth to provide sufficient wireless coverage to its intended users.

[0037] For example, BS 102 can operate at the allocated channel transmission bandwidth to provide sufficient coverage to UE104. BS 102 and UE 104 can communicate via downlink radio frame 118 and uplink radio frame 124 respectively. Each radio frame 118 / 124 can be further divided into subframes 120 / 127, and the subframes 120 / 127 can include data symbols 122 / 128. In the present disclosure, BS 102 and UE 104 are described herein as non-limiting examples of "communication nodes" that can generally practice the methods disclosed herein. According to various embodiments of the present solution, such communication nodes can be capable of wireless and / or wired communication.

[0038] Figure 2 A block diagram of an example wireless communication system 200 for transmitting and receiving wireless communication signals (e.g., OFDM / OFDMA signals) according to some embodiments of the present solution is shown. System 200 may include components and elements configured to support known or conventional operating features that need not be described in detail herein. In one illustrative embodiment, system 200 may be used to transmit (e.g., transmit and receive) data symbols in a wireless communication environment 100 such as Figure 1 the wireless communication environment described above.

[0039] System 200 generally includes a base station 202 (hereinafter referred to as "BS 202") and a user equipment device 204 (hereinafter referred to as "UE204"). BS 202 includes a BS (base station) transceiver module 210, a BS antenna 212, a BS processor module 214, a BS memory module 216, and a network communication module 218, each of which is coupled and interconnected to each other via a data communication bus 220 as needed. UE 204 includes a UE (user equipment) transceiver module 230, a UE antenna 232, a UE memory module 234, and a UE processor module 236, each of which is coupled and interconnected to each other via a data communication bus 240 as needed. BS 202 communicates with UE 204 via a communication channel 250, which can be any wireless channel or other medium suitable for data transmission as described herein.

[0040] As will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, system 200 may also include Figure 2Any number of other modules outside the module shown. Those skilled in the art will understand that the various illustrative blocks, modules, circuits, and processing logics described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in hardware, computer-readable software, firmware, or any practical combination thereof. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability and compatibility of hardware, firmware, and software, the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are generally described in terms of their functions. Whether such a function is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software can depend on the particular application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Persons familiar with the concepts described herein can implement such functions in a suitable manner for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

[0041] According to some embodiments, the UE transceiver 230 may be referred to herein as the "uplink" transceiver 230. The transceiver 230 includes a radio frequency (RF) transmitter and an RF receiver, and each of the RF transmitter and the RF receiver includes circuitry coupled to an antenna 232. A duplex switch (not shown) may alternatively couple the uplink transmitter or receiver to the uplink antenna in a time-division duplex manner. Similarly, according to some embodiments, the BS transceiver 210 may be referred to herein as the "downlink" transceiver 210. The transceiver 210 includes an RF transmitter and an RF receiver, and each of the RF transmitter and the RF receiver includes circuitry coupled to an antenna 212. The downlink duplex switch may alternatively couple the downlink transmitter or receiver to the downlink antenna 212 in a time-division duplex manner. The operations of the two transceiver modules 210 and 230 can be coordinated in time such that the uplink receiver circuitry is coupled to the uplink antenna 232 for transmission reception over the wireless transmission link 250 when the downlink transmitter is coupled to the downlink antenna 212. Conversely, the operations of the two transceivers 210 and 230 can be coordinated in time such that the downlink receiver is coupled to the downlink antenna 212 for transmission reception over the wireless transmission link 250 when the uplink transmitter is coupled to the uplink antenna 232. In some embodiments, there is tight time synchronization with a minimum guard time between changes in the duplex direction.

[0042] The UE transceiver 230 and the base station transceiver 210 are configured to communicate via the wireless data communication link 250 and cooperate with a suitably configured RF antenna arrangement 212 / 232 capable of supporting a particular wireless communication protocol and modulation scheme. In some illustrative embodiments, the UE transceiver 210 and the base station transceiver 210 are configured to support industry standards such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and emerging 5G standards. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to applications to specific standards and related protocols. Instead, the UE transceiver 230 and the base station transceiver 210 may be configured to support alternative or additional wireless data communication protocols, including future standards or variants thereof.

[0043] According to various embodiments, for example, the BS 202 may be an evolved Node B (eNB), serving eNB, target eNB, femtocell, or picocell. In some embodiments, the UE 204 may be embodied in various types of user equipment, such as a mobile phone, smartphone, personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet computer, laptop computer, wearable computing device, etc. The processor modules 214 and 236 may be implemented or embodied using a general-purpose processor, content addressable memory, digital signal processor, application specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. In this manner, the processor may be implemented as a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, state machine, etc. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with digital signal processor cores, or any other such configuration.

[0044] In addition, the steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be embodied directly in hardware, in firmware, in software modules executed respectively by processor modules 214 and 236, or in any practical combination thereof. Memory modules 216 and 234 can be implemented as RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. In this regard, memory modules 216 and 234 can be coupled respectively to processor modules 210 and 230 such that processor modules 210 and 230 can read information from and write information to memory modules 216 and 234 respectively. Memory modules 216 and 234 can also be integrated into their respective processor modules 210 and 230. In some embodiments, each of memory modules 216 and 234 can include a cache memory for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during the execution of instructions to be executed respectively by processor modules 210 and 230. Memory modules 216 and 234 can also each include a non-volatile memory for storing instructions to be executed respectively by processor modules 210 and 230.

[0045] Network communication module 218 generally represents the hardware, software, firmware, processing logic, and / or other components of base station 202 that enable two-way communication between base station transceiver 210 and other network components and communication nodes configured to communicate with network base station 202. For example, network communication module 218 can be configured to support Internet or WiMAX services. In a typical deployment, without limitation, network communication module 218 provides an 802.3 Ethernet interface such that base station transceiver 210 can communicate with a conventional Ethernet-based computer network. In this manner, network communication module 218 can include a physical interface for connection to a computer network (e.g., a mobile switching center (MSC)). As used herein, the terms "configured to", "configured for", and variations thereof with respect to a specified operation or function refer to a device, component, circuit, structure, machine, signal, etc. that is physically constructed, programmed, formatted, and / or arranged to perform the specified operation or function.

[0046] The Open System Interconnection (OSI) model (referred to herein as the "Open System Interconnection model") is a conceptual and logical layout that defines network communications used by systems (e.g., wireless communication devices, wireless communication nodes) that are open to interconnection and communication with other systems. The model is divided into seven sub-components or layers, each of which represents a conceptual collection of services provided to its upper and lower layers. The OSI model also defines a logical network and effectively describes computer packet transmission by using different layer protocols. The OSI model can also be referred to as the seven-layer OSI model or the seven-layer model. In some embodiments, the first layer can be the physical layer. In some embodiments, the second layer can be the Media Access Control (MAC) layer. In some embodiments, the third layer can be the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer. In some embodiments, the fourth layer can be the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer. In some embodiments, the fifth layer can be the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer. In some embodiments, the sixth layer can be the Non-Access Stratum (NAS) layer or the Internet Protocol (IP) layer, and the seventh layer is another layer.

[0047] 2. Systems and Methods for Performing Beam Switching on an Inactive User Equipment Using Configured Grants

[0048] The RRC_INACTIVE (RRC Inactive) state (e.g., as introduced in 3GPP NR Rel-15) can provide a power-efficient state with low control plane latency. For a UE (e.g., UE 104) in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the last serving gNB (e.g., base station 102) can maintain its context and the relevant NG connection to the core network, such that all RBs can be restored immediately after a short random access and RRC resume procedure on the RAN side.

[0049] However, for a UE in the RRC_INACTIVE state, state-transition-free data transmission is not supported (e.g., under 3GPP NR Rel-15). The UE may first have to go through the process of entering the RRC_CONNECTED (RRC Connected) state and then initiate data transmission. To achieve this, even when the UE has only a small amount of data to transmit, an RRC resume procedure with a large amount of signaling consumption may first be performed. Therefore, state-transition-free data transmission for an RRC_INACTIVE UE may result in high signaling overhead and large data transmission latency.

[0050] To address these and other issues, small data transmission of RRC_INACTIVE UEs can be considered (e.g., as in 3GPP Rel-17). In some embodiments, an RRC_INACTIVE UE may send one or more small data during the RRC resume procedure. Alternatively, an RRC_INACTIVE UE may send one or more small data in a configured grant (CG), which may be configured before the UE enters the RRC_INACTIVE state. In the present disclosure, CG-based small data transmission at the RRC_INACTIVE UE can be utilized.

[0051] In CG-based small data transmission at the RRC_INACTIVE UE, the UE may perform its UL data transmission in a specified beam in the CG configuration. For example, when the UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, an SRI may be provided in the CG configuration, and the UE may use the same beam associated with the indicated SRS resource (as indicated by the SRI) for UL transmission in the CG resource. On the gNB side, the receiving beam can be applied based on the indicated UL beam.

[0052] However, when the UE moves to some other location, a new beam direction should be used. If the RRC_INACTIVE UE has the same SRS resources as the RRC_CONNECTED UE, traditional beam switching methods can be applied, where the gNB uses the SRI information in the DCI to notify the UE of the desired beam for UL transmission. However, when the RRC_INACTIVE UE does not have any SRS resources, beam switching for data transmission in the CG can be different. Although the UE can find and switch to a better beam for UL transmission based on the reception of SSBs in different DL beams, the gNB may not be aware of this and does not adjust its receiving beam in the UL at all.

[0053] A. Configured Grant (CG) without Any Associated SRS Resources Configured by RRC

[0054] In one method, beam switching can be performed without any associated SRS resources configured by RRC. First, an RSSI threshold, an RSRP threshold, or an RSRQ threshold can be configured in the CG configuration. After the RSSI, RSRP, or RSRQ detected by the gNB in the CG is worse than the corresponding threshold, the CG configuration can trigger a beam switching process. The threshold can be configured separately for each CG configuration or a common threshold can be used for all CG configurations (e.g., for all CGs of the UE). In some embodiments, the beam switching indication can be to notify the UE that beam switching actions should be supported for the CG configuration. In some embodiments, thresholds can also be defined and notified for UE information. When the CG is configured or when the UE is released to the RRC_INACTIVE state, the beam switching indication and the threshold can be included in the RRC message.

[0055] Second, when the gNB finds that the RSSI, RSRP, RSRQ received in the UL is worse than a predefined threshold, the gNB can notify the UE of the low-quality UL reception state or a beam switching request via MAC CE or DCI. Third, the UE can measure the SSB from the gNB, can find one or more best-quality SSBs, and can report the SSB index to the gNB in the UL CG transmission using MAC CE or DCI signaling. After that, the UE can use the reverse beam associated with the reported (best-quality) SSB for its CG data transmission. Detailed time information for the UE to perform beam switching can also be provided, which can be multiple CG periods. In some embodiments, the gNB can send an acknowledgment message to confirm the reception of the SSB index. After the gNB receives the SSB index report, the SSB index can be delivered via MAC CE or DCI.

[0056] Fourth, if available, the gNB can switch the receiving beam according to the beam switching time information based on the SSB index reported by the UE in subsequent CG receptions. Fifth, if the gNB still receives data with poor RSSI, RSRP, or RSRQ after beam switching, the second step can be repeated and the UE can select another good-quality SSB to report. Otherwise, the gNB can notify the UE of the high-quality UL reception state. The reception state can be 1-bit information in DCI or MAC CE.

[0057] In the above process, in some embodiments, after performing beam switching, a timer can be activated at the UE, and the timer can be stopped after receiving a notification of a second low-quality UL reception state or a high-quality UL reception state. If the timer expires, the UE can restore the initial beam in the CG configuration, or the third step can be repeated. In some embodiments, the gNB can also have a timer and corresponding actions in UL reception beam adjustment, which can be used to restore the initial reception beam.

[0058] Now referring to Figure 3 , a sequence diagram of a beam switching process 300 for configured grants without an associated sounding reference signal (SRS) is depicted. As shown, the gNB can configure the CG (305) via an RRC message that includes a beam switching indication. In some embodiments, the beam switching threshold can also be included in the CG configuration, which can be an RSSI threshold, an RSRP threshold, or an RSRQ threshold. Thereafter, the UE can enter the RRC_INACTIVE state and can use the CG for UL data transmission (310). The CG configuration can include an indication to indicate or ensure that the CG should be active / available when the UE enters the RRC_INACTIVE state. In this case, the CG configuration should include at least one of the following:

[0059] · Beam switching RSSI threshold;

[0060] · Beam switching RSRP threshold;

[0061] · Beam switching RSRQ threshold;

[0062] · Keep-alive indication when the UE enters the RRC_INACTIVE state; or

[0063] · Beam switching indication of the CG.

[0064] In some embodiments, a list of keep-alive CG indices can be included in the SuspendConfig IE in the RRCRelease (RRC release) message. The RRCRelease message can be used by the gNB to release the UE to the RRC_INACTIVE state. In this case, the SuspendConfig IE should include at least one of the following:

[0065] · List of keep-alive CG indices;

[0066] · Associated beam switching indication for each CG in the above list;

[0067] · Associated RSSI threshold for each CG in the above list;

[0068] · The relevant RSRP threshold for each CG in the above list; or

[0069] · The relevant RSRQ threshold for each CG in the above list.

[0070] The gNB can detect the poor quality of the (multiple) transmissions of the CG received via the use of the original receiving beam (e.g., when the beam is determined to have an RSSI, RSRP, or RSRQ greater than the configured threshold) (315). The gNB can send a poor reception quality notification to the UE via MAC CE or by DCI signaling (320). The poor reception quality notification MAC CE or DCI information can include at least one of the following:

[0071] · The CG index; or

[0072] · The poor quality indication, which can be used by the UE to determine that beam switching should be performed in UL CG transmission.

[0073] After receiving the poor reception quality notification, the UE can measure the reception quality of the SSB in different DL beams (320). Once measured, the UE can report the SSB index report using MAC CE or by UCI signaling (325). The details sent via MAC CE or UCI signaling can include at least one of the following:

[0074] · The (multiple) SSB indices of one (or more) best quality SSBs; or

[0075] · The time information at which the UE performs / starts UL beam switching, which can be multiple CG periods (or frames, time slots, mini - slots, etc.), after which the associated new UL beam will be applied to UL CG transmission.

[0076] In some embodiments, the gNB can send an SSB index confirmation to the UE (in the MAC CE signal / transmission) as an acknowledgement of the received SSB index MAC CE (330).

[0077] When the specified time arrives, the UE can switch to the reverse beam associated with the reported SSB in UL CG data transmission (335). The gNB can also switch to the corresponding receiving beam according to the report from the UE (340). In some embodiments, after the beam switching action of the UE, a timer can be started or restarted at the UE.

[0078] If the gNB can receive UL data using CG resources with quality better than the configured RSSI, RSRP, or RSRQ thresholds, the gNB can send a good reception quality notification or a beam-holding request (345) to the UE using a MAC CE or via DCI signaling. The good reception quality notification (sent via MAC CE or DCI signaling) can include information that can contain at least one of the following:

[0079] · CG index; or

[0080] · Good quality indication, which can be used by the UE to determine that the current beam should continue to be used in CG transmission.

[0081] In some embodiments, if a timer starts or restarts after the beam switching action of the UE expires, the UE can repeat (320).

[0082] I. Configured Grant Configuration Information Element

[0083] In some embodiments, some new parameters can be introduced into the ConfiguredGrantConfig (Configured Grant Configuration) IE (e.g., as specified in 3GPP TS 38.331) to allow beam switching and RRC_INACTIVE state CG data transmission as follows when initially or previously configuring CG. The ConfiguredGrantConfig IE can be sent from the gNB to the UE via any means (e.g., RRC signaling).

[0084] The IE ConfiguredGrantConfig can be used to configure uplink transmissions without dynamic authorization according to two possible scenarios. The actual uplink authorization can be configured via RRC (type 1) or provided via PDCCH (addressed to CS-RNTI) (type 2). Multiple configured grant configurations can be configured in one BWP of the serving cell. The ConfiguredGrantConfig information element can be in the following form, for example:

[0085]

[0086]

[0087] In some embodiments, three new parameters can be introduced:

[0088]

[0089] The first parameter "keepAliveInactive" can be used to indicate whether the CG will remain active (or be maintained) when the UE enters the RRC_INACTIVE state. The second parameter "cgBeamSwitching" can be used to indicate whether beam switching should be supported in the configured CG when the UE enters the RRC_INACTIVE state. The third parameter "cgBeamSwitchingThresholdhold" can be used to indicate the reception quality threshold for the gNB to request beam switching, which can include at least one of the following thresholds:

[0090] · Beam switching RSSI threshold;

[0091] · Beam switching RSRP threshold; or

[0092] · Beam switching RSRQ threshold.

[0093] II. RRC release to indicate that the UE enters the RRC inactive state

[0094] In some embodiments, parameters can be introduced into the RRC Release message (e.g., as specified in 3GPP TS 38.331) to allow beam switching and RRC_INACTIVE state CG data transmission as follows when the UE is notified of entering the RRC_INACTIVE state via the RRC Release message. The RRC Release message can be used to command the release or suspension of the RRC connection. In the message, the signaling radio bearer can be SRB1; the radio link control (RLC) service access point (SAP) can be in acknowledged mode (AM); the logical channel used can be DCCH; and the direction can be from the network (e.g., gNB) to the UE. The RRC Release message can be in the following form, for example:

[0095]

[0096]

[0097]

[0098] In some embodiments, the new parameter "cgListToKeepAlive" can be used to define the list of CGs to remain valid / active / available when the UE enters the RRC_INACTIVE state. This parameter can be included in the RRC Release message. In some embodiments, the new parameter can be included in the SuspendConfig IE in the RRC Release message.

[0099] In some embodiments, the new parameter "cgListToKeepAlive" may include the CG sequences to be kept active / usable / available. Each CG may be defined as a "CGToKeepAlive" parameter and contain the following three parameters:

[0100]

[0101] The first parameter "configuredGrantConfigIndexMAC-r16" may be used to indicate the CG index to be kept active / usable / available. The second parameter "cgBeamSwitching" may be used to indicate whether beam switching should be supported in the keep-alive CG when the UE enters the RRC_INACTIVE state. The third parameter "cgBeamSwitchingThresholdhold" may be used to indicate the received quality threshold for the gNB to request beam switching.

[0102] III. Receive Quality Notification to UE

[0103] The gNB may detect poor quality of the (multiple) transmissions of a CG received via the original receive beam (e.g., RSSI, RSRP, or RSRQ is worse than the configured threshold). The gNB may send a poor receive quality notification or a beam switching request to the UE via MAC CE signaling or DCI signaling. The poor receive quality notification (sent via MAC CE or DCI signaling) may include information that may contain at least one of the following:

[0104] · The CG index; or

[0105] · A poor quality indication, which may be used by the UE to determine that beam switching should be performed in the UL CG transmission.

[0106] In addition, if the gNB receives UL data via a CG resource with quality better than the configured RSSI, RSRP, or RSRQ threshold, the gNB may send a good receive quality notification to the UE via MAC CE signaling or DCI signaling. The good receive quality notification (sent via MAC CE or DCI signaling) may include information that may contain at least one of the following:

[0107] · The CG index; or

[0108] · A good quality indication, which may be used by the UE to determine that the current beam should be continued to be used in the CG transmission.

[0109] Now refer to Figure 4, depicts a block diagram of a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) 400 for receiving quality notifications. As shown, the MAC-CE can be a fixed-length MAC CE. The bit "Q" can be used to indicate poor or good reception quality, and a 5-bit CG index can be used to indicate the CG among all the CGs configured at the MAC entity. Since the maximum number of CGs configured in the MAC entity is 32 (e.g., as specified in 3GPP TS38.331), a 5-bit field can be used.

[0110] IV. Beam Switching Report to UE

[0111] If beam switching is to be performed at the UE, the UE can measure the reception quality of SSBs in different DL beams and report the SSB index report via MAC CE signaling or DCI signaling. The details sent via MAC CE or UCI signaling can include at least one of the following:

[0112] · The SSB index(es) of one (or more) best-quality SSBs; or

[0113] · The time information for the UE to perform UL beam switching, which can be multiple CG periods,

[0114] after which the associated new UL beam will be applied to UL CG transmission.

[0115] Now refer to Figure 5 , depicts a block diagram of a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) 500 for beam switching reports. As shown, a 6-bit field can be used to indicate the SSB index with the best reception quality at the UE, e.g., when the maximum number of SSBs is 64. In addition, the time information for the UE to perform UL beam switching can be specified, and the time information can specify or include multiple CG periods (or frames, time slots, mini-slots, etc.), e.g., which is used to indicate the moment and / or duration for performing / initiating / completing beam switching.

[0116] B. Configured Grant (CG) with Associated SRS Resources Configured by RRC

[0117] In another method, beam switching can be performed using relevant SRS resources configured by RRC. One or more CG-related SRS resources for UL beam measurement in the RRC_INACTIVE state can be configured by the gNB in the CG configuration (or RRC Release message). A CG-related SRS resource set having one or more SRS resources in each set can be configured for UL beam measurement in the RRC_INACTIVE state. These CG-related SRS resource sets can be configured by the gNB in the following RRC messages: (i) via the RRC message for CG configuration, which contains the CGConfig IE, or (ii) via the RRC Release message. After the UE enters the RRC_INACTIVE state, the UE can use the SRS resources to transmit SRS in different beam directions respectively. Then, the gNB can measure the received quality of different beams and use DCI or MAC CE signaling to indicate the desired UL transmission beam, similar to the conventional operation in the RRC_Connected mode. In addition, when the UE enters the RRC_INACTIVE state, the configured CG-related SRS resources may not be active by default. When the gNB detects poor UL reception quality, the gNB can use DCI or MAC CE signaling to activate the UE.

[0118] If CG-related SRS resources are configured, after the UE enters the RRC_INACTIVE state, the UE can use the SRS resources to send SRS in different beam directions respectively. Then, the gNB can measure the received quality of different beams and can indicate the desired UL transmission beam via DCI or MAC CE, similar to the operation in the RRC_Connected mode. In some embodiments, the CG-related SRS resource sets can be configured individually for each CG or for all CGs in the UE.

[0119] In some embodiments, when the UE enters the RRC_INACTIVE state, in the following RRC messages, the SRS resources used by the UE in the RRC_Connected state can be directly configured to be used by the UE: (i) via the RRC message for CG configuration, which contains the CGConfig IE, or (ii) via the RRC Release message. In this case, the configuration may include the CG index and one or more IDs of the configured relevant SRS resource sets.

[0120] In addition, when the UE enters the RRC_INACTIVE state, the configured CG-related SRS resources may not be active by default. If the gNB detects poor UL reception quality, the gNB may activate the configured CG-related SRS resources via DCI or MAC CE. When / If the gNB detects good UL reception quality, the gNB may use DCI or MAC CE signaling to deactivate the configured CG-related SRS resources.

[0121] Now referring Figure 6 , a sequence diagram of a beam switching process 600 for a configured grant with associated sounding reference signals (SRS) is depicted. The gNB may configure the CG (605) via an RRC message. The CG configuration may include one or more SRS resource sets and / or beam switching indications. In some embodiments, the CG configuration may include a beam switching threshold. Subsequently, the UE may enter the RRC_INACTIVE state and may use the CG for UL data transmission (610). The CG configuration may include an indication to indicate that the CG will remain valid / active (e.g., remain available or be maintained) when the UE enters the RRC_INACTIVE state. In such a case, the CG configuration may include at least one of the following:

[0122] · A hold active indication when the UE enters the RRC_INACTIVE state;

[0123] · A beam switching indication for the CG;

[0124] · Information regarding one or more associated SRS resource sets, which may be one or more new SRS resource set configurations, or one or more IDs of the configured SRS resource sets;

[0125] · A beam switching RSSI threshold;

[0126] · A beam switching RSRP threshold; or

[0127] · A beam switching RSRQ threshold.

[0128] In some embodiments, a list of hold active CG indices may be included in the SuspendConfig IE, such as in an RRCRelease message, which the gNB uses to instruct the UE to enter the RRC_INACTIVE state. In such a case, the SuspendConfig IE may include at least one of the following:

[0129] · A list of hold active CG indices;

[0130] · A beam switching indication for each CG in the above list;

[0131] · Information on one or more associated SRS resource sets for each CG in the above list, which can be one or more new SRS resource set configurations, or one or more IDs of the configured SRS resource sets;

[0132] · The associated RSSI threshold for beam switching in each CG in the above list;

[0133] · The associated RSRP threshold for beam switching in each CG in the above list; or

[0134] · The associated RSRQ threshold for beam switching in each CG in the above list.

[0135] The gNB can detect poor quality of the (multiple) transmissions of the CG received via the original receiving beam (e.g., RSSI, RSRP, RSRQ below the configured threshold) (615). The gNB can send an SRS resource activation notification to the UE via MAC CE or by DCI signaling (620). The SRS resource activation notification sent via MAC CE or DCI signaling can include information that can contain at least one of the following: CG index.

[0136] When the SRS resource activation notification is received, the UE can start transmitting sounding reference signals in different beam directions respectively using the activated SRS resources (in response to the SRS resource activation message) (625). Then, the gNB can measure the reception quality of different beams in different directions (630). The gNB can indicate the desired UL transmission beam via DCI or MAC CE signaling, similar to the operation in the RRC_Connected mode.

[0137] After the gNB finds a better UL beam, the gNB can send SRI (SRS resource indicator) information for beam switching to the UE via MAC CE or DCI (635). The SRI information can include any of the following information:

[0138] · CG index;

[0139] · SRI for indicating the target UL beam; or

[0140] · Time information for beam switching.

[0141] The CG index can be used to identify the CGs among multiple CGs. The SRI (SRS Resource Indicator) can be used to indicate the target UL beam to be used in the transmission of the indicated SRS resource. The time information can define or specify the detailed time at which beam switching is to be performed or initiated. The defined time can correspond to the time offset from the current TTI, CG occasion, subframe, slot, or mini-slot when the MAC CE or DCI is received. The time offset can be in units of TTI, CG period, subframe, frame, slot, or mini-slot.

[0142] In some embodiments, after the UE receives the SRI information for beam switching, the UE may send an acknowledgment message (640) to the gNB. The acknowledgment message may include one of the following information:

[0143] · The CG index;

[0144] · The SRI for indicating the target UL beam; or

[0145] · The time information for beam switching.

[0146] The UE may switch the UL transmission beam (645) according to the notification from the gNB at (635) (or the acknowledgment information sent by the UE at (640)) for the CG indicated by the CG index. In some embodiments, the gNB may also adjust its receiving beam (650) accordingly. After the beam switching is completed, the gNB may send an SRS resource deactivation notification (655) to the UE via MAC CE or DCI. The SRS resource deactivation notification may include at least one of the following: the CG index.

[0147] C. Procedure for performing beam switching on a user equipment in an inactive state using configured grant (CG)

[0148] Now refer to Figure 7, depicts a functional band diagram of method 700 for performing beam switching on an inactive user equipment using configured grants. Method 700 may be performed using any of the components described in detail herein, such as user equipment 104 or base station 102. Briefly, a wireless communication node may send a beam switching configuration for a configured grant (705). A wireless communication device may receive a beam switching configuration for a configured grant (710). A wireless communication device may initiate a beam transmission while in an inactive state (715). A wireless communication node may identify beam quality (720). A wireless communication node may determine whether the beam quality meets a threshold (725). When the beam quality meets the threshold, the wireless communication node may continue to use the beam (730). Otherwise, when the beam quality does not meet the threshold, the wireless communication node may send a request (735). A wireless communication device may receive the request (740). An index of a new beam may be identified (745 or 745'). Beam switching may be performed (750 or 750'). A wireless communication node may send an indication (755). A wireless communication device may receive the indication (760).

[0149] More specifically, a wireless communication node (e.g., base station 102 or gNB) may provide or otherwise send a beam switching configuration for a configured grant (CG) to a wireless communication device (e.g., UE 104). The beam switching configuration may define or specify one or more parameters for forming, steering, or otherwise managing beams according to one or more CGs at a wireless communication device while in an inactive state. Each CG may correspond to at least one beam for communication between the wireless communication node and the wireless communication device.

[0150] The beam switching configuration for a CG may be generated by the wireless communication node and sent as a radio resource control (RRC) signal (e.g., RRC connection reconfiguration). The RRC signal may specify or indicate that the wireless communication device enters the RRC inactive state. In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may send the beam switching configuration via an RRC message. The RRC message may include one or more parameters of the beam switching configuration for defining or specifying the beam configuration. In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may send the beam switching configuration via an information element (IE) of the CG configuration in the RRC message. The information element may define, indicate, or otherwise include one or more parameters for the beam configuration.

[0151] In some embodiments, the configured grant may not have any associated sounding reference signal (SRS) resources configured by RRC. The beam switching configuration may be defined without any associated SRS resources. The beam switching configuration may define, specify, or otherwise include an indication that the wireless communication device supports beam switching. The indication may be for each individual CG at the wireless communication device or for all CGs at the wireless communication device. The beam switching configuration may define, specify, or otherwise include an indication to maintain one or more CGs at the wireless communication device when in the RRC inactive state (or after entering the RRC inactive state). The indication may be to specify the individual CGs or all CGs to be maintained at the wireless communication device. In some embodiments, the beam switching configuration may define, specify, or otherwise include a threshold for triggering / determining beam switching for one or more CGs at the wireless communication device. The threshold may be specified individually for each CG at the wireless communication device or for all CGs. The threshold may be in terms of, among other things, received signal strength indicator (RSSI), reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), and signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR).

[0152] In some embodiments, the configured grant may be associated with one or more SRS resources configured by RRC. The beam switching configuration may be defined with reference to one or more SRS resources. The beam switching configuration may include one or more of the indicators as described above in the configuration without any associated SRS resources, such as: an indication that the wireless communication device supports beam switching; and an indication to maintain one or more CGs at the wireless communication device after entering and / or when in the RRC inactive state. Additionally, the beam switching configuration may define, specify, or otherwise include a configuration of the SRS to be used at the wireless communication device in connected mode while performing beam switching. The configuration may define, include, or otherwise include information about one or more sets of SRS resources. The information may be defined for individual CGs or all CGs at the wireless communication device. In some embodiments, the beam switching configuration may define, specify, or otherwise include one or more thresholds for beam switching for one or more CGs at the wireless communication device. The threshold may be specified individually for each CG at the wireless communication device or for all CGs. The threshold may be RSSI, RSRP, RSRQ, and SINR, etc.

[0153] A wireless communication device may identify or receive a beam switching configuration for configured grant from a wireless communication node (710). As described above, the beam switching configuration of the CG may be generated by the wireless communication node and sent as a radio resource control (RRC) signal (e.g., RRC connection reconfiguration). In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may receive the beam switching configuration from the wireless communication node via an RRC message. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may receive the beam switching configuration for the CG configuration from the wireless communication node in the RRC message via an information element (IE). Once received, the wireless communication device may parse the RRC message to identify the beam switching configuration for the CG.

[0154] The wireless communication device may initiate beam transmission (715) when in the inactive state. Based on the received parsing, the wireless communication device may identify one or more indicators of the beam switching configuration for the CG at the wireless communication device. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may also identify the configuration of the sounding reference signal (SRS) and information about the SRS resource set from the beam switching configuration. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may identify a threshold for beam switching at the CG from the beam switching configuration. According to the beam switching configuration (or at a certain time period after reception), the wireless communication device may enter the RRC inactive state. The wireless communication device may also configure each CG to transmit a beam to the wireless communication node. The wireless communication device may use the CG in the uplink (UL) data transmission to the wireless communication node.

[0155] The wireless communication node may identify, detect, or measure the quality of a beam (720). After transmitting the RRC message, the wireless communication node may monitor the beam (e.g., UL data transmission) from the wireless communication device. Once the beam from the wireless communication device is detected or received, the wireless communication node may determine the beam quality. The beam quality may be compared with a threshold in terms of received signal strength indicator (RSSI), reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), and signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may determine the beam quality at each individual CG at the wireless communication device.

[0156] A wireless communication node may determine whether a beam quality meets a threshold (725). In the determination, the wireless communication node may identify, calculate, or otherwise determine a threshold for beam switching. The threshold may be used to compare with the quality of the beam (e.g., UL data transmission), and may define a value of the quality for maintaining or initiating beam switching. To determine whether the beam quality is sufficient or acceptable, the wireless communication node may identify the threshold(s) from the beam switching configuration for the CG at the wireless communication device. By determining or identifying the corresponding threshold, the wireless communication node may compare the beam quality with the corresponding threshold for beam switching at the corresponding CG. Based on the comparison, the wireless communication node may identify, determine, or otherwise detect that the beam quality is below the threshold or greater than or equal to the threshold.

[0157] When the beam quality meets (e.g., is greater than or equal to) the threshold, the wireless communication node may continue to use the beam (730). In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may transmit, provide, or otherwise send a notification (e.g., good reception quality notification) to the wireless communication device. The notification may include or identify an indication that the beam quality is good or satisfactory. The notification may indicate or signal to the wireless communication device to continue or maintain using the beam. In addition, the notification may identify or include a CG index that indicates which CG at the wireless communication device is associated with the beam determined to have a quality higher than the threshold. The notification may be transmitted by the wireless communication node to the wireless communication device via a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) or via downlink control information (DCI).

[0158] Otherwise, when the beam quality does not meet (e.g., is less than) a threshold, the wireless communication node may transmit, provide, or otherwise send a request (735). This request (sometimes referred to herein as a poor reception quality notification) may signal, trigger, or instruct the wireless communication device to perform beam switching. The request may identify or include an indication that the beam quality is poor or unsatisfactory (e.g., below a corresponding threshold). In some embodiments, the request may identify or include a CG index that indicates which CG at the wireless communication device is associated with the beam determined to have a transmission quality below the threshold. In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may send a request to activate one or more SRS resources at a wireless communication device in the RRC inactive state. When the beam quality does not meet the threshold, an activation request (sometimes referred to herein as an activation notification) may be sent by the wireless communication node to the wireless communication device. The activation request may signal, trigger, or instruct the wireless communication device to transmit SRSs in different beam directions to perform beam switching. The activation request may also identify or include a CG index that indicates which CG at the wireless communication device is associated with the beam determined to have a quality below the threshold. This request (the request to perform beam switching or activate SRS resources) may be transmitted by the wireless communication node to the wireless communication device via a MAC CE or via DCI.

[0159] The wireless communication device may identify or receive a request (740) from the wireless communication node. When the beam quality is determined to be below the threshold, the wireless communication device may receive a request to perform beam switching from the wireless communication node. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may receive a request to activate one or more SRS resources from the wireless communication node. In some embodiments, when the beam quality transmitted via a corresponding CG is below the threshold, the wireless communication device may receive an activation request. This request (the request to perform beam switching or activate SRS resources) may be received by the wireless communication device as a MAC CE or via DCI.

[0160] The index of the new beam may be determined, found, or otherwise identified by the wireless communication device (745) or the wireless communication node (745'). The index may be identified according to the request. When the request is to perform beam switching, the wireless communication device may initiate performing beam switching. The wireless communication device may identify, determine, or measure the quality of each synchronization signal block (SSB) in different DL beams. The quality may be in terms of, among other things, RSSI, RSRP, or RSRQ. By measuring, the wireless communication device may identify one or more SSBs with the best quality (e.g., the highest quality) from a set of SSBs. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may determine or identify time information (e.g., for UL data transmission) for initiating beam switching. The time information may indicate the CG period, frame, time slot, or mini-slot of the new beam applied to the beam switching.

[0161] Before performing beam switching, a wireless communication device may transmit, provide, or otherwise send at least one of an indication of the (multiple) SSBs identified as having the best quality and time information. The wireless communication node may then identify or receive from the wireless communication device an indication of the (multiple) SSBs, and time information for performing beam switching. In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may transmit, provide, or otherwise send an acknowledgement to the wireless communication device in response to the indication of the (multiple) SSBs. The acknowledgement may indicate that the wireless communication device will use the (multiple) SSBs in the indication to initiate beam switching. The wireless communication device may then receive the acknowledgement from the wireless communication node.

[0162] When the request is to activate SRS resources, the wireless communication device may transmit, provide, or otherwise send a set of SRSs to the wireless communication node. Each SRS may be transmitted in a different beam direction. The wireless communication node may then identify, measure, and / or receive the set of SRSs from the wireless communication device. Upon receipt, the wireless communication node may identify, determine, or measure the reception quality of each beam transmitted by the wireless communication device. The quality may be in terms of, among other things, RSSI, RSRP, or RSRQ. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may be in the RRC connected mode during the measurement of beam quality. By measuring, the wireless communication node may identify one or more SRSs having the best quality (e.g., the highest quality) from a set of SRSs.

[0163] The wireless communication node may transmit, provide, or otherwise send an indication of the (multiple) SRSs identified as having the best quality (e.g., using an SRI) to the wireless communication device. The wireless communication device may identify or receive the indication of the SRSs from the wireless communication node. Once received, the wireless communication device may determine or identify time information for initiating beam switching (e.g., for UL data transmission). The time information may indicate the CG period, frame, time slot, or mini-slot of the new beam for beam switching. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may transmit, provide, or send an acknowledgement of the indication of the (multiple) SRSs to the wireless communication node. The acknowledgement may indicate or signal to the wireless communication node that the wireless communication device will initiate beam switching. The wireless communication node may then identify or receive the acknowledgement of the indication of the (multiple) SRSs from the wireless communication device.

[0164] Beam switching can be performed by a wireless communication device (750) or a wireless communication node (750'). The wireless communication device can still be in the RRC inactive state. When in the RRC inactive state, the wireless communication device can perform beam switching with the wireless communication node via the CG. In some embodiments, beam switching can be based on the (multiple) SSBs identified as having the best quality. To perform beam switching, the wireless communication device can transmit or send UL data to the wireless communication node. The UL data can be transmitted by the wireless communication device via the CG using a new transmission beam corresponding to the indication of the SSB identified as having the best quality. The new transmission beam can be generated and transmitted based on the SSB and time information in the indication. The wireless communication node can then identify or receive the UL data from the wireless communication device. The wireless communication device can communicate with the wireless communication node via the CG using the new transmission beam.

[0165] In some embodiments, beam switching performed by the wireless communication device can be based on the (multiple) SRSs identified as having the best quality. The wireless communication device can transmit or send UL data to the wireless communication node. The UL data can be transmitted by the wireless communication node via the CG using a new transmission beam corresponding to the indication of the SRS identified as having the best quality. The new transmission beam can be generated and transmitted based on the SRS and time information in the indication. The wireless communication node can then identify or receive the UL data from the wireless communication device. The wireless communication device can communicate with the wireless communication node via the CG using the new transmission beam.

[0166] The wireless communication node can transmit, provide, or send an indication (755). When performing beam switching, the wireless communication node can identify, determine, or measure the quality of the new beam transmission from the wireless communication device via the corresponding CG in a similar manner as discussed above in (720). The beam quality can be compared with a threshold in terms of RSSI, RSRP, RSRQ, and SINR. By measuring the quality of the new beam transmission, the wireless communication node can compare the beam quality with the threshold of the beam switching configuration from the CG.

[0167] Based on this comparison, the wireless communication node may generate the indication. In some embodiments, the generation of the indication may also be based on whether SRS is used for beam switching. When the beam quality meets a threshold, the wireless communication node may generate and send an indication to maintain the new beam. The indication may also identify or include another indication that the quality of the new beam meets the threshold. When SRS is used to perform beam switching, the wireless communication node may generate and send a message (or indication) to deactivate SRS at the wireless communication device. In some embodiments, the message may also indicate or signal to the wireless communication device to change from the RRC connected mode to the RRC inactive state. When the beam quality received via CG is determined to meet (e.g., be higher than) the threshold, the wireless communication node may send a deactivation message. When the beam quality does not meet the threshold, the wireless communication node and the wireless communication device may repeat the functions / operations from (735) to (750').

[0168] The wireless communication device may identify or receive an indication (760) from the wireless communication node. In some embodiments, when the quality of the new beam meets (e.g., is higher than) the threshold for beam switching, the wireless communication device may then receive an indication to maintain the new beam. Once received, the wireless communication device may parse it to identify the indication to maintain the new beam. Based on this identification, the wireless communication device may continue to use the beam via CG for UL transmission to the wireless communication node. The wireless communication device may also transmit, provide, or send an acknowledgement to the wireless communication node in response to the indication. The acknowledgement may indicate that the wireless communication device will continue to use the beam. The wireless communication node may then identify or receive the acknowledgement transmitted by the wireless communication device.

[0169] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may then identify or receive a deactivation message from the wireless communication node. When the quality of the new beam transmitted via CG is determined to meet (e.g., be higher than) the threshold, the reception of the deactivation message may be received. When received, the wireless communication device may parse the message. In response, the wireless communication device may deactivate SRS (e.g., the transmission of SRS). In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may revert to the RRC inactive state. The wireless communication device may also transmit, provide, or send an acknowledgement to the wireless communication node in response to the message. The acknowledgement may indicate that the wireless communication device has deactivated SRS. The wireless communication node may then receive the acknowledgement from the wireless communication device.

[0170] Although various embodiments of the present solution have been described above, it should be understood that they are presented by way of example and not limitation. Similarly, the various figures may depict example architectures or configurations, and these examples are provided to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the example features and functions of the present solution. However, these persons will understand that the solution is not limited to the illustrated example architectures or configurations, but can be implemented using a variety of alternative architectures and configurations. In addition, as those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, one or more features of one embodiment may be combined with one or more features of another embodiment described herein. Therefore, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described illustrative embodiments.

[0171] It should also be understood that any reference to elements using names such as "first", "second", etc. generally does not limit the number or order of these elements. Instead, these names may be used herein as a convenient means of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, the reference to a first element and a second element does not mean that only two elements can be used, or that the first element must precede the second element in some manner.

[0172] In addition, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that any of a variety of different methods and techniques can be used to represent information and signals. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, and symbols, etc., as may be referred to in the above description, can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0173] Those of ordinary skill in the art will further understand that any of the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, processors, components, circuits, methods, and functions described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., digital implementation, analog implementation, or a combination of both), firmware, various forms of programs or design code in combination with instructions (which may be referred to herein for convenience as "software" or "software modules"), or any combination of these techniques. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software, the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been generally described above in terms of their functionality. Such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, software, or a combination of these techniques depending on the particular application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in various ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions will not result in a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0174] In addition, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, devices, components, and circuits described herein can be implemented within or performed by an integrated circuit (IC), which can include a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof. The logical blocks, modules, and circuits can also include antennas and / or transceivers to communicate with various components within a network or within a device. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, or state machine. The processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suitable configuration for performing the functions described herein.

[0175] If implemented in software, these functions can be stored as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Accordingly, the steps of the methods or algorithms disclosed herein can be implemented as software stored on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium includes both computer storage media and communication media, where the communication media includes any medium that can transfer a computer program or code from one place to another. The storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

[0176] In this document, the term "module" as used herein refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements for performing the related functions described herein. Additionally, for purposes of discussion, the various modules are described as discrete modules; however, as will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, two or more modules can be combined to form a single module that performs the associated functions in accordance with an embodiment of the present solution.

[0177] In addition, a memory or other storage device and communication components can be employed in embodiments of the present solution. It should be understood that, for clarity, the above description has described embodiments of the present solution with reference to different functional units and processors. However, it is evident that any suitable functional distribution between different functional units, processing logic elements, or domains can be used without departing from the present solution. For example, functions illustrated as being performed by separate processing logic elements or controllers can be performed by the same processing logic element or controller. Accordingly, the reference to a particular functional unit is only a reference to a suitable means for providing the described function and does not denote a strict logical or physical structure or organization.

[0178] Various modifications to the embodiments described in this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Thus, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein, as recited in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method, comprising: sending, by a wireless communication node, a beam switching configuration associated with a configured grant to a wireless communication device; determining, by the wireless communication node, a threshold for beam switching; detecting, by the wireless communication node, that the quality of a beam received via the configured grant is lower than the threshold when the wireless communication device is in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) inactive state; and initiating, by the wireless communication node, a beam switching via the configured grant in response to detecting that the quality of the beam is lower than the threshold.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the beam switching configuration comprises at least one of the following: an indication that beam switching is supported at the wireless communication device for each configured grant among a plurality of configured grants or for the plurality of configured grants; maintaining, at the wireless communication device, an indication of each configured grant among the plurality of configured grants or the plurality of configured grants when the wireless communication device is in the RRC inactive state, or the threshold for beam switching at the wireless communication device for each configured grant among the plurality of configured grants or for the plurality of configured grants.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising: The wireless communication node sends the beam switching configuration to the wireless communication device at least via an RRC message or an information element (IE) configured in the RRC message for the configured grant.

4. The method according to claim 1, comprising: The wireless communication node sends a request to perform beam switching to the wireless communication device in response to the quality of the beam being lower than the threshold.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the request for performing beam switching comprises: An indication that the quality of the beam is lower than the threshold.

6. The method according to claim 1, comprising: The wireless communication node receives at least one of the following from the wireless communication device: an indication of the Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) with the best quality among a plurality of SSBs, or time information for the wireless communication device to perform the beam switching.

7. The method according to claim 6, comprising: sending, by the wireless communication node, an acknowledgement in response to receiving the indication of the SSB with the best quality; and receiving, by the wireless communication node, uplink data via the configured grant using a new received beam corresponding to the indication of the SSB with the best quality received.

8. The method according to claim 1, comprising: The wireless communication node sends an indication to maintain the new beam in response to the quality of the new beam meeting the threshold.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein maintaining the indication of the new beam comprises: An indication that the quality of the new beam meets the threshold.

10. The method according to claim 8, comprising: The wireless communication node receives an acknowledgement from the wireless communication device in response to the indication to maintain the new beam.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the beam switching configuration comprises: a configuration of a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) at the wireless communication device for each configured grant among a plurality of configured grants or for the plurality of configured grants, including at least information about one or more SRS resource sets.

12. The method according to claim 1, comprising: The wireless communication node sends a request to activate a plurality of SRS resources at the wireless communication device in the inactive state.

13. The method according to claim 12, comprising: The request is sent by the wireless communication node to the wireless communication device in response to the quality of the beam received via the configured grant being lower than the threshold.

14. The method according to claim 13, comprising: Receiving, by the wireless communication node, the plurality of SRSs from the wireless communication device; And When the wireless communication device is in the RRC inactive state, sending, by the wireless communication node, an indication of the SRS having the best quality among the plurality of SRSs to the wireless communication device.

15. The method according to claim 14, comprising: Receiving, by the wireless communication node, an acknowledgement of the indication of the SRS having the best quality from the wireless communication device.

16. The method according to claim 1, comprising: Sending, by the wireless communication node, a message to deactivate SRS at the wireless communication device in the inactive state.

17. The method according to claim 16, comprising: Sending, by the wireless communication node, the message to deactivate SRS to the wireless communication device in response to the quality of a new beam received via the configured grant being higher than the threshold.

18. The method according to claim 16, comprising: Receiving, by the wireless communication node, an acknowledgement from the wireless communication device in response to the message to deactivate SRS.

19. A method, comprising: Receiving, by a wireless communication device, a beam switching configuration for a configured grant from a wireless communication node; And Performing, by the wireless communication device in the radio resource control (RRC) inactive state, a beam switch via the configured grant in response to the wireless communication node determining that the quality of the beam transmitted via the configured grant is lower than a threshold.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the beam switching configuration comprises at least one of the following: An indication at the wireless communication device to support beam switching for each of a plurality of configured grants or for the plurality of configured grants; Maintaining, at the wireless communication device, an indication of each of the plurality of configured grants or the plurality of configured grants when the wireless communication device is in the RRC inactive state, or A threshold for beam switching for each of the plurality of configured grants or for the plurality of configured grants at the wireless communication device.

21. The method according to claim 19, comprising: Receiving, by the wireless communication device, the beam switching configuration from the wireless communication device at least via an RRC message or an information element (IE) configured in the RRC message for the grant configuration.

22. The method according to claim 19, comprising: Receiving, by the wireless communication device, a request to perform a beam switch from the wireless communication device in response to the quality of the beam being lower than the beam switching threshold of the wireless communication node.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the request to perform beam switching comprises: An indication that the quality of the beam is lower than the threshold.

24. The method according to claim 19, comprising: Before performing the beam switch, sending, by the wireless communication device, at least one of the following to the wireless communication node: an indication of the SSB having the best quality among a plurality of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), or time information for the wireless communication device to perform the beam switch.

25. The method according to claim 24, comprising: Receiving, by the wireless communication device, an acknowledgement from the wireless communication node in response to the indication of the SSB having the best quality; Performing a beam switch; And The uplink data is sent to the wireless communication node via the configured grant by the wireless communication device using a new transmission beam corresponding to the indication of the SSB with the best quality.

26. The method according to claim 19, comprising: The wireless communication device receives an indication to maintain the new beam in response to the quality of the new beam meeting the threshold for beam switching of the wireless communication node.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein maintaining the indication of the new beam comprises: An indication that the quality of the new beam meets the threshold.

28. The method according to claim 26, comprising: The wireless communication device sends an acknowledgement to the wireless communication node in response to the indication to maintain the new beam.

29. The method according to claim 19, wherein the beam switching configuration includes: The configuration of the sounding reference signal (SRS) for each of the plurality of configured grants or for the plurality of configured grants at the wireless communication device includes at least information about one or more SRS resource sets.

30. The method according to claim 19, comprising: The wireless communication device in an inactive state receives a request to activate a plurality of SRS resources at the wireless communication device.

31. The method according to claim 30, comprising: The wireless communication device receives the request in response to the quality of the beam sent via the configured grant being lower than the threshold.

32. The method according to claim 31, including: The wireless communication device sends the plurality of SRS to the wireless communication node. When the wireless communication device is in the RRC inactive state, the wireless communication device receives an indication of the SRS with the best quality among the plurality of SRS from the wireless communication node.

33. The method according to claim 32, comprising: The wireless communication device sends an acknowledgement of the indication of the SRS with the best quality to the wireless communication node.

34. The method according to claim 19, comprising: The wireless communication device receives a message to deactivate the SRS at the wireless communication device in an inactive state from the wireless communication node.

35. The method according to claim 34, comprising: The wireless communication device receives the message to deactivate the SRS in response to the quality of the new beam sent via the configured grant being higher than the threshold.

36. The method according to claim 34, comprising: The wireless communication device sends an acknowledgement to the wireless communication node in response to the message to deactivate the SRS.

37. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 36.

38. An apparatus, comprising: One or more processors; And A memory storing executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 36.

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