Data-aided beam management

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described. Beam management procedures can improve communication quality and reliability in wireless networks that support narrow directional beams and high frequencies. Some such beam management procedures utilize successive beam measurements and adaptive beam switching to maintain a threshold link level between devices. A user equipment (UE) can transmit, in response to a data transmission and using multiple receive beams, an indication of a capability to perform a first beam refinement procedure. The UE can select a communication beam using a first instance of a second beam refinement procedure, and can receive a data transmission from a base station using the selected beam. Based on receiving the data transmission, the UE can perform the first beam refinement procedure, and can skip a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure.

Description

[0001] Cross-referencing

[0002] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 064,500, entitled “DATA-AIDED BEAMMANAGEMENT”, filed October 6, 2020, and assigned to the assignee of this application. Technical Field

[0003] The following relates to wireless communication, and in particular to data-assisted beam management technology.

[0004] Related technical descriptions

[0005] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, message sending and receiving, broadcasting, and so on. These systems can support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple access systems include fourth-generation (4G) systems (such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-A Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems) and fifth-generation (5G) systems, which may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems can employ various technologies, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), or Discrete Fourier Transform Extended Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple access communication system may include one or more base stations or one or more network access nodes, each of which simultaneously supports communication from multiple communication devices, which may also be referred to as User Equipment (UE).

[0006] UEs can implement various beam selection and beam refinement techniques to establish and maintain communication in wireless communication networks. However, repeatedly executing some beam refinement techniques can involve relatively long execution durations, relatively infrequent beam management periodicity compared to changes in beam conditions, relatively high overhead due to some symbols designated for beam refinement potentially not containing data, or any combination thereof. Enhanced beam management techniques are desired to achieve higher reliability and throughput for such communications.

[0007] Overview

[0008] The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses supporting data-assisted beam management. Generally, the described techniques provide enhanced beam management procedures to support increased communication quality and reliability in wireless networks that can use, for example, relatively narrow directional beams and relatively high frequencies. In some cases, beam management procedures may utilize beam measurements (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) measurements, Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR) measurements, Channel Quality Indication (CQI), etc.) along with adaptive beam switching to maintain a threshold link level between user equipment (UE) and the base station.

[0009] In some scenarios, the device can implement a multi-step P1-P2-P3 beam management procedure for beam selection and refinement. During the P1 and P2 procedures, the base station can transmit and sweep one or more transmit beams and refine these transmit beams (e.g., from a relatively wide beam to a relatively narrow beam) to select the transmit beam for establishing a connection with the UE. During the P3 procedure, the UE can perform receive beam refinement by receiving transmissions from the base station's selected transmit beam during coherent symbol periods (e.g., repeated transmissions via the selected transmit beam) to determine one or more optimal receive beams for the UE to use.

[0010] In some examples of this disclosure, the UE may have the ability to receive transmissions from the base station concurrently or simultaneously using multiple receive beams (e.g., the UE may receive overlapping transmissions from the base station on multiple receive beams, or may receive multiple transmissions simultaneously on different receive beams), which can reduce the time spent on beam selection and refinement. Based on the ability to perform beam refinement concurrently or simultaneously on multiple receive beams, the UE may be configured to skip one or more subsequent instances of performing beam refinement procedures based on one or more conditions, such as skipping a second instance of P3 beam refinement procedures. As an example of one or more conditions, the base station may transmit data to the UE, and the UE may use one or more receive beams to receive the data. Based on the UE's ability to perform measurements on at least some (if not every) of the receive beams, the UE may skip subsequent beam refinement procedures, such as the subsequent P3 beam refinement procedure, etc.

[0011] One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a method for wireless communication at a UE. The method may include: transmitting to a base station an indication of the UE's ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using a set of received beams; selecting a first received beam from the set of received beams based on a first instance of performing a second beam refinement procedure using the set of received beams; receiving data from the base station using the set of received beams including the first received beam prior to a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure; and performing the first beam refinement procedure based on receiving the data transmission.

[0012] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a device for wireless communication at a UE. The device may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. These instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the device to: transmit to a base station an indication of the UE's ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using a set of received beams; select a first received beam from the set of received beams based on a first instance of performing a second beam refinement procedure using the set of received beams; receive data from the base station using the set of received beams including the first received beam prior to a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure; and perform the first beam refinement procedure based on receiving the data transmission.

[0013] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in another device for wireless communication at a UE. This device may include means for: transmitting to a base station an indication of the UE's ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using a set of received beams; selecting a first received beam from the set of received beams based on a first instance of performing a second beam refinement procedure using the set of received beams; receiving data from the base station using the set of received beams including the first received beam prior to a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure; and performing the first beam refinement procedure based on receiving the data transmission.

[0014] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a non-transient computer-readable medium for storing code at a UE. This code may include instructions executable by a processor to: transmit to a base station an indication of the UE's ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using a set of received beams; select a first received beam from the set of received beams based on a first instance of performing a second beam refinement procedure using the set of received beams; receive data from the base station using the set of received beams including the first received beam prior to a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure; and perform the first beam refinement procedure based on receiving the data transmission.

[0015] One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a method for wireless communication at a base station. The method may include: receiving from a UE an indication of the UE's ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using a received beam set; transmitting the same transmit beam to the UE on coherent symbols as part of a first instance of a second beam refinement procedure; and transmitting data to the UE prior to a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure based on the indication of the UE's ability to receive and the transmission of the same transmit beam to the UE on coherent symbols.

[0016] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in an apparatus for use at a base station. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. These instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: receive from the UE an indication of the UE's ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using a receive beam set; transmit the same transmit beam to the UE on coherent symbols as part of a first instance of a second beam refinement procedure; and transmit data to the UE prior to a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure based on the indication of the UE's ability to receive data and the transmission of the same transmit beam to the UE on coherent symbols.

[0017] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in another device at a base station. This device may include means for: receiving from a UE an indication of the UE's ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using a received beam set; transmitting the same transmit beam to the UE on coherent symbols as part of a first instance of a second beam refinement procedure; and transmitting data to the UE prior to a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure based on the indication of the UE's ability to receive data and the transmission of the same transmit beam to the UE on coherent symbols.

[0018] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a non-transient computer-readable medium for storing code at a base station. This code may include instructions executable by a processor to: receive from a UE an indication of the UE's capability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using a set of received beams; transmit the same transmit beam to the UE on coherent symbols as part of a first instance of a second beam refinement procedure; and transmit data to the UE prior to a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure based on the indication of the UE's capability to receive data and the transmission of the same transmit beam to the UE on coherent symbols. Brief description of the attached diagram

[0020] Figure 1 Examples of wireless communication systems supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure are explained.

[0021] Figure 2 Examples of wireless communication systems supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure are explained.

[0022] Figure 3 An example of a communication timeline supporting data-assisted beam management based on various aspects of this disclosure is explained.

[0023] Figure 4An example of the process flow for data-assisted beam management supported by various aspects of this disclosure is explained.

[0024] Figure 5 and 6 A block diagram of an apparatus for supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0025] Figure 7 A block diagram of a communication manager supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0026] Figure 8 A diagram of a system including a device supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0027] Figure 9 and 10 A block diagram of an apparatus for supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0028] Figure 11 A block diagram of a communication manager supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0029] Figure 12 A diagram of a system including a device supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0030] Figures 13 to 17 A flowchart illustrating a method for data-assisted beam management based on various aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0031] Detailed description

[0032] Some beam management procedures utilize several beam measurements (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) measurement, Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR) measurement, or Channel Quality Indicator (CQI)) along with adaptive beam switching to maintain a threshold link level between devices (such as a base station and a User Equipment (UE)). In some cases, devices may implement a multi-step P1-P2-P3 beam management procedure for beam selection and refinement. During the P1 and P2 procedures, the base station may transmit and sweep one or more transmit beams and refine these transmit beams to select one of them for establishing a connection with the UE. During the P3 procedure, the UE may perform receive beam refinement by receiving transmissions from the same transmit beam of the base station during coherent symbol periods (e.g., repetitive transmissions via the selected transmit beam) to determine one or more better or optimal receive beams for the UE to use. During the P3 beam refinement procedure, the UE can measure each signal received from the selected transmit beam on each receive beam and can determine one or more better or optimal receive beams based on these measurements.

[0033] Various aspects typically involve data-assisted beam management, and more specifically, beam refinement based on received data transmission and according to UE capabilities. In some cases, P3 beam refinement (where each received beam is measured individually in a serial manner) can result in relatively large beam sweep overhead and signaling latency. However, in some examples of this disclosure, the UE may have the ability to receive transmissions from the base station concurrently or simultaneously using each received beam (or a subset of the UE's received beams), which can reduce the time spent on beam selection and refinement and avoid the disadvantages of P3 beam refinement.

[0034] Based on the UE's ability to concurrently or simultaneously refine multiple receive beams, the UE can be further configured to skip (e.g., suppress execution) one or more subsequent instances of another beam refinement procedure (e.g., a second instance of the P3 beam refinement procedure) after the initial multi-step P1-P2-P3 procedure can be executed. In some examples, the UE can establish a communication link with the base station (by executing the multi-step P1-P2-P3 procedure) and can transmit a capability indication to the base station (e.g., an indication of the ability to receive data from the base station concurrently or simultaneously using multiple receive beams). For example, the base station can transmit data to the UE in the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) based on the received capability indication after executing the multi-step P1-P2-P3 procedure. Based on the received data, the UE can perform beam refinement before the time scheduled for a subsequent instance of the P3 beam refinement procedure and can skip the subsequent instance of the P3 beam refinement procedure. In some other examples, the UE may perform beam refinement based on the received demodulation reference signal (DMRS) pilot sequence, control channel transmissions (such as physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmissions), data, or any combination thereof.

[0035] The various procedures for beam selection and beam refinement described herein can improve communication quality and reliability for networks supporting a relatively large number of relatively narrow beams and relatively high frequencies. Specific aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. In some examples, operations performed by the described communication device can provide improvements in beam refinement (e.g., instead of performing beam refinement according to a specified periodicity, such as using a P3 procedure) by performing beam measurements, for example, continuously, on multiple received beams of the device. For example, the device can be able to react effectively to system changes or beam degradation by performing beam refinement earlier based on received data transmission, which can reduce the latency associated with performing beam management procedures. In some implementations, operations performed by the described communication device can reduce or eliminate later instances of P3 beam refinement, which can also reduce the time spent performing beam management, increase power savings for devices in the network, and allow for the alternative use of time that would otherwise be used to perform one or more later instances of P3 beam refinement. This alternative use of time allocated to later P3 beam refinement can additionally save overhead, which can also increase system throughput. In some implementations, the operations performed by the described communication device can also support benefits such as reduced signaling overhead, improved beam management tracking, increased reliability of beamforming communication, higher data rates and throughput, and, in some examples, more dynamic beam switching.

[0036] The aspects of this disclosure are initially described in the context of wireless communication systems. These aspects are further explained and described by way of, and with reference to, apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, communication timelines, process flows, and flowcharts relating to data-assisted beam management.

[0037] Figure 1 Examples of a wireless communication system 100 supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure are described. The wireless communication system 100 may include one or more base stations 105, one or more UEs 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, an Advanced LTE (LTE-A) network, an LTE-APro network, or a New Radio (NR) network. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may support enhanced broadband communication, ultra-reliable (e.g., mission-critical) communication, low latency communication, communication with low-cost and low-complexity devices, or any combination thereof.

[0038] Base station 105 can be distributed across a geographical area to form wireless communication system 100, and can be different types of devices or devices with different capabilities. Base station 105 and UE 115 can communicate wirelessly via one or more communication links 125. Each base station 105 can provide a coverage area 110, and UE 115 and base station 105 can establish one or more communication links 125 on the coverage area 110. Coverage area 110 can be an example of a geographical area over which base station 105 and UE 115 can support signal communication according to one or more radio access technologies.

[0039] Each UE 115 can be distributed throughout the coverage area 110 of the wireless communication system 100, and each UE 115 can be stationary or mobile, or stationary and mobile at different times. Each UE 115 can be a different type of device or a device with different capabilities. Figure 1 The document describes some example UE 115s. The UE 115 described herein can communicate with various types of devices, such as other UE 115s, base station 105, or network equipment (e.g., core network nodes, relay equipment, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, or other network equipment). Figure 1 As shown in the image.

[0040] Each base station 105 may communicate with the core network 130, or with each other, or both. For example, base station 105 may interface with the core network 130 via one or more backhaul links 120 (e.g., via S1, N2, N3, or other interfaces). Base stations 105 may communicate with each other directly (e.g., directly between base stations 105), indirectly (e.g., via the core network 130), or directly and indirectly on backhaul links 120 (e.g., via X2, Xn, or other interfaces). In some examples, backhaul link 120 may be or include one or more radio links.

[0041] One or more of the base stations 105 described herein may include, or may be referred to by those skilled in the art as, base transceiver station, radio base station, access point, radio transceiver, B node, evolved B node (eNB), next-generation B node or gigabit B node (any of which may be referred to as gNB), home B node, home evolved B node, or other suitable terms.

[0042] UE 115 may include or be referred to as a mobile device, wireless device, remote device, handheld device, or subscriber device, or any other suitable term, wherein "device" may also be referred to as a unit, station, terminal, or client, etc. UE 115 may also include or be referred to as a personal electronic device, such as a cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet computer, laptop computer, or personal computer. In some examples, UE 115 may include or be referred to as a wireless local loop (WLL) station, Internet of Things (IoT) device, Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or machine-type communication (MTC) device, which may be implemented in various objects such as appliances or vehicles, meters, etc.

[0043] The UE 115 described herein can communicate with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115 that sometimes act as relays, as well as base station 105 and network equipment including macro eNBs or gNBs, small cell eNBs or gNBs, or relay base stations, etc. Figure 1 As shown in the image.

[0044] UE 115 and base station 105 can wirelessly communicate with each other via one or more communication links 125 on one or more carriers. The term "carrier" can refer to a set of radio frequency spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting communication link 125. For example, a carrier for communication link 125 may include a portion of the radio spectrum band (e.g., a bandwidth portion (BWP)) operating according to one or more physical layer channels for a given radio access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR). Each physical layer channel may carry acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information), control signaling coordinating carrier operation, user data, or other signaling. Wireless communication system 100 may support communication with UE 115 using carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation. UE 115 may be configured to have multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation may be used in conjunction with both frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) component carriers.

[0045] In some examples (e.g., in a carrier aggregation configuration), the carrier may also have acquisition signaling or control signaling that coordinates the operation of other carriers. The carrier may be associated with a frequency channel (e.g., the Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) Absolute Number of Radio Channels (EARFCN)) and may be located according to a channel grid for discovery by the UE 115. The carrier may operate in an autonomous mode in which initial acquisition and connection can be performed by the UE 115 via that carrier, or in a non-autonomous mode in which different carriers (e.g., different carriers anchored using the same or different radio access technologies) are connected.

[0046] The communication link 125 shown in the wireless communication system 100 may include uplink transmission from UE 115 to base station 105, or downlink transmission from base station 105 to UE 115. The carrier may carry downlink or uplink communication (e.g., in FDD mode), or may be configured to carry both downlink and uplink communication (e.g., in TDD mode).

[0047] A carrier may be associated with a specific bandwidth of the radio frequency spectrum, and in some examples, the carrier bandwidth may be referred to as the carrier or the “system bandwidth” of the wireless communication system 100. For example, the carrier bandwidth may be one of the defined bandwidth numbers of a carrier for a particular radio access technology (e.g., 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, or 80 MHz). Devices of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., base station 105, UE 115, or both) may have a hardware configuration that supports communication over a specific carrier bandwidth, or may be configurable to support communication over a single carrier bandwidth within a set of carrier bandwidths. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may include a base station 105 or UE 115 that supports simultaneous communication via carriers associated with multiple carrier bandwidths. In some examples, each served UE 115 may be configured to operate over a portion (e.g., a subband, BWP) or all of the carrier bandwidth.

[0048] The signal waveform transmitted on the carrier may include multiple subcarriers (e.g., using multi-carrier modulation (MCM) techniques, such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or discrete Fourier transform extended OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM)). In a system employing MCM, a resource element may include a symbol period (e.g., the duration of a modulation symbol) and a subcarrier, where the symbol period and subcarrier spacing are inversely related. The number of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme, the code rate of the modulation scheme, or both). Thus, the more resource elements the UE 115 receives and the higher the order of the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate the UE 115 can achieve. Wireless communication resources can refer to a combination of radio frequency spectrum resources, temporal resources, and spatial resources (e.g., spatial layers or beams), and using multiple spatial layers can further improve the data rate or data integrity of communication with the UE 115.

[0049] One or more parameter designs for a carrier can be supported, where the parameter design may include a subcarrier spacing (Δf) and a cyclic prefix. A carrier can be divided into one or more BWPs with the same or different parameter designs. In some examples, UE 115 can be configured with multiple BWPs. In some examples, a single BWP for a carrier can be active at a given time, and communication for UE 115 can be limited to one or more active BWPs.

[0050] The time interval of base station 105 or UE 115 can be expressed as a multiple of a basic time unit, such as the sampling period T. s =1 / (Δf) max ·N f ) seconds, where Δf max This can represent the maximum supported subcarrier spacing, while Nf This can represent the maximum supported Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) size. The time interval of the communication resources can be organized according to radio frames, each with a specific duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms)). Each radio frame can be identified by a System Frame Number (SFN) (e.g., ranging from 0 to 1023).

[0051] Each frame may include multiple consecutively numbered subframes or time slots, and each subframe or time slot may have the same duration. In some examples, a frame may (e.g., in the time domain) be divided into subframes, and each subframe may be further divided into several time slots. Alternatively, each frame may include a variable number of time slots, and the number of time slots may depend on the subcarrier spacing. Each time slot may include several symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of the cyclic prefix added before each symbol period). In some wireless communication systems 100, time slots may be further divided into multiple mini-time slots containing one or more symbols. Excluding the cyclic prefix, each symbol period may contain one or more (e.g., N) symbols. f (Number) sampling periods. The duration of a symbol period can depend on the subcarrier interval or the operating frequency band.

[0052] A subframe, time slot, mini-slot, or symbol can be the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., in the time domain) and can be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI). In some examples, the duration of the TTI (e.g., the number of symbol periods in the TTI) can be variable. Additionally or alternatively, the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 can be dynamically selected (e.g., in bursts of shortened TTIs (sTTIs)).

[0053] Physical channels can be multiplexed on a carrier using various techniques. Physical control channels and physical data channels can be multiplexed on a downlink carrier, for example, using one or more of Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques. A control region (e.g., a control resource set (CORESET)) for physical control channels can be defined by the number of symbol periods and can extend across the system bandwidth or a subset of the system bandwidth of the carrier. One or more control regions (e.g., CORESET) can be configured for a set of UEs 115. For example, one or more UEs 115 can monitor or search control regions for control information based on one or more search space sets, and each search space set can include one or more control channel candidates in one or more aggregation levels arranged in a cascaded manner. An aggregation level for control channel candidates can refer to the number of control channel resources (e.g., control channel elements (CCEs)) associated with coded information in a control information format having a given payload size. The search space set may include a common search space set configured to send control information to multiple UEs 115 and a UE-specific search space set configured to send control information to a specific UE 115.

[0054] Each base station 105 may provide communication coverage via one or more cells (e.g., macrocells, small cells, hotspots, or other types of cells, or any combination thereof). The term "cell" may refer to a logical communication entity used to communicate with base station 105 (e.g., on a carrier) and may be associated with an identifier used to distinguish adjacent cells (e.g., Physical Cell Identifier (PCID), Virtual Cell Identifier (VCID), or others). In some examples, a cell may also refer to a geographic coverage area 110 or a portion of geographic coverage area 110 (e.g., a sector) on which a logical communication entity operates. The extent of such cells may vary from smaller areas (e.g., structures, subsets of structures) to larger areas depending on various factors (such as the capabilities of base station 105). For example, a cell may be or include buildings, subsets of buildings, or external space between or overlapping geographic coverage areas 110, among other examples.

[0055] Macrocells typically cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and allow unrestricted access for UEs 115 that have service subscriptions with a network provider supporting the macrocell. Small cells may be associated with a lower-power base station 105 (compared to macrocells) and may operate in the same or different (e.g., licensed or unlicensed) frequency bands as macrocells. Small cells may provide unrestricted access to UEs 115 that have service subscriptions with a network provider, or may provide restricted access to UEs 115 associated with the small cell (e.g., UEs 115 in a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG), or UEs 115 associated with a user in a home or office). Base station 105 may support one or more cells and may also support communication on one or more cells using one or more component carriers.

[0056] In some examples, a carrier can support multiple cells and can be configured with different cells based on different protocol types that can provide access for different types of devices (e.g., MTC, Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB)).

[0057] In some examples, base station 105 may be mobile, and thus provide communication coverage to mobile geographic coverage areas 110. In some examples, different geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, but the different geographic coverage areas 110 may be supported by the same base station 105. In other examples, overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by different base stations 105. Wireless communication system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous network, in which different types of base stations 105 use the same or different radio access technologies to provide coverage to various geographic coverage areas 110.

[0058] The wireless communication system 100 can support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, base stations 105 can have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different base stations 105 can be approximately time-aligned. For asynchronous operation, base stations 105 can have different frame timing, and transmissions from different base stations 105 may not be time-aligned in some examples. The techniques described herein can be used for both synchronous and asynchronous operation.

[0059] Some UE 115 devices (such as MTC or IoT devices) can be low-cost or low-complexity devices and can provide automated communication between machines (e.g., via machine-to-machine (M2M) communication). M2M communication or MTC can refer to data communication technologies that allow devices to communicate with each other or with base station 105 without human intervention. In some examples, M2M communication or MTC may include communication from devices that have integrated sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay such information to a central server or application that uses the information or presents it to people interacting with the application. Some UE 115 devices may be designed to collect information or automate the behavior of machines or other devices. Examples of applications for MTC devices include: smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wilderness survival monitoring, weather and geographic event monitoring, queue management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based commercial toll collection.

[0060] Some UEs 115 can be configured to operate in reduced-power modes, such as half-duplex communication (e.g., a mode that supports unidirectional communication via transmission or reception but not simultaneous transmission and reception). In some examples, half-duplex communication can be performed at a reduced peak rate. Other power-saving techniques for UEs 115 include entering a power-saving deep sleep mode when not engaged in active communication, operating on limited bandwidth (e.g., according to narrowband communication), or a combination of these techniques. For example, some UEs 115 can be configured to operate using a narrowband protocol type associated with a defined portion or range (e.g., subcarriers or resource block (RB) set) within the carrier, within the carrier's guard band, or outside the carrier.

[0061] Wireless communication system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable communication or low latency communication, or various combinations thereof. For example, wireless communication system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) or mission-critical communication. UE 115 may be designed to support ultra-reliable, low latency, or mission-critical functions (e.g., mission-critical functions). Ultra-reliable communication may include private or group communication and may be supported by one or more mission-critical services, such as Mission-Critical Talk-to-Talk (MCPTT), Mission-Critical Video (MCVideo), or Mission-Critical Data (MCData)). Support for mission-critical functions may include prioritization of services, and mission-critical services may be used for public safety or general business applications. The terms ultra-reliable, low latency, mission-critical, and ultra-reliable low latency are used interchangeably herein.

[0062] In some examples, UE 115 may also be able to communicate directly with other UE 115 on a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 135 (e.g., using a peer-to-peer (P2P) or D2D protocol). One or more UE 115s utilizing D2D communication may be within the geographic coverage area 110 of base station 105. Other UE 115s in such a group may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of base station 105 or may be unable to receive transmissions from base station 105 for other reasons. In some examples, groups of UE 115s communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, where each UE 115 transmits to every other UE 115 in the group. In some examples, base station 105 facilitates the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication is performed between the individual UE 115s without involving base station 105.

[0063] In some systems, the D2D communication link 135 may be an example of a communication channel (such as a sidelink communication channel) between vehicles (e.g., UE 115). In some examples, vehicles may communicate using vehicle-to-vehicle (V2X) communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, or some combination of these communications. Vehicles may signal information related to traffic conditions, signaling, weather, safety, emergencies, or any other information relevant to the V2X system. In some examples, vehicles in a V2X system may communicate via vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication through one or more network nodes (e.g., base station 105) with roadside infrastructure (such as roadside units), or with the network, or with both.

[0064] Core network 130 provides user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. Core network 130 can be an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC). The EPC or 5GC may include at least one control plane entity (e.g., a Mobility Management Entity (MME), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF)) managing access and mobility, and at least one user plane entity (e.g., a Serving Gateway (S-GW), Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW), or User Plane Function (UPF)) routing packets or interconnecting to external networks. The control plane entity manages non-access stratum (NAS) functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management of UE 115 served by base station 105 associated with core network 130. User IP packets can be delivered through the user plane entity, which provides IP address allocation and other functions. The user plane entity may be connected to one or more network operator IP services 150. The IP service 150 may include access to the Internet, intranet, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), or packet-switched streaming services.

[0065] Some network devices (such as base station 105) may include sub-components, such as access network entity 140, which may be an example of an access node controller (ANC). Each access network entity 140 may communicate with each UE 115 through one or more other access network transport entities 145, which may be referred to as a radio headend, smart radio headend, or transmit / receive point (TRP). Each access network transport entity 145 may include one or more antenna panels. In some configurations, the various functions of each access network entity 140 or base station 105 may be distributed across various network devices (e.g., radio headends and ANCs) or combined into a single network device (e.g., base station 105).

[0066] Wireless communication system 100 can operate using one or more frequency bands, typically in the range of 300 MHz to 300 GHz. Generally, the 300 MHz to 3 GHz band is referred to as a UHF band or decimeter band because the wavelengths range from approximately 1 decimeter to 1 meter. UHF waves can be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features, but these waves can penetrate various structures sufficiently for macrocells to provide service to UE 115 located indoors. Compared to transmissions using smaller frequencies and longer waves in the lower HF or VHF portions of the spectrum below 300 MHz, UHF wave transmission can be associated with smaller antennas and shorter ranges (e.g., less than 100 km).

[0067] The wireless communication system 100 can also operate in the ultra-high frequency (SHF) zoning using a frequency band from 3 GHz to 30 GHz (also known as the centimeter band) or in the extremely high frequency (EHF) zoning using a spectrum (e.g., from 30 GHz to 300 GHz) (also known as the millimeter band). In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 can support millimeter-wave (mmW) communication between the UE 115 and the base station 105, and the EHF antennas of the corresponding devices can be smaller and more closely spaced than UHF antennas. In some examples, this can facilitate the use of antenna arrays within the device. However, the propagation of EHF transmissions may suffer even greater atmospheric attenuation and shorter range than SHF or UHF transmissions. The techniques disclosed herein can be employed across transmissions using one or more different frequency zonings, and the frequency band usage specified across these frequency zonings may vary by country or regulatory authority.

[0068] Wireless communication system 100 may utilize both licensed and unlicensed radio spectrum bands. For example, wireless communication system 100 may employ licensed assisted access (LAA), LTE unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology in unlicensed frequency bands (such as the 5 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band). When operating in unlicensed radio spectrum bands, devices (such as base station 105 and UE 115) may employ carrier sensing for collision detection and avoidance. In some examples, operation in unlicensed frequency bands may be coordinated with component carriers operating in licensed frequency bands based on carrier aggregation configurations (e.g., LAA). Operation in unlicensed spectrum may include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, P2P transmissions, or D2D transmissions, etc.

[0069] Base station 105 or UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas that can be used to employ technologies such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication, or beamforming. The antennas of base station 105 or UE 115 may be located within one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels that can support MIMO operation or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may coexist at an antenna assembly (such as an antenna tower). In some examples, the antennas or antenna arrays associated with base station 105 may be located in different geographical locations. Base station 105 may have an antenna array with several rows and columns of antenna ports that base station 105 can use to support beamforming for communication with UE 115. Similarly, UE 115 may have one or more antenna arrays that can support various MIMO or beamforming operations. Additionally or alternatively, the antenna panel may support radio frequency beamforming for signals transmitted via the antenna ports.

[0070] Base station 105 or UE 115 can use MIMO communication to utilize multipath signal propagation and improve spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers. This technique is known as spatial multiplexing. For example, a transmitting device can transmit multiple signals via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Similarly, a receiving device can receive multiple signals via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Each of these multiple signals can be referred to as a separate spatial stream and can carry bits associated with the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams (e.g., different codewords). Different spatial layers can be associated with different antenna ports used for channel measurement and reporting. MIMO techniques include single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO), where multiple spatial layers are transmitted to the same receiving device; and multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO), where multiple spatial layers are transmitted to multiple devices.

[0071] Beamforming (also known as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception) is a signal processing technique that can be used at a transmitting or receiving device (e.g., base station 105, UE 115) to shape or guide an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam, a receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitting and receiving devices. Beamforming can be achieved by combining signals transmitted via antenna elements of an antenna array, such that some signals propagating relative to a particular orientation of the antenna array experience constructive interference, while others experience destructive interference. Adjustments to the signals transmitted via the antenna elements may include the transmitting or receiving device applying amplitude offset, phase offset, or both to the signals carried via the antenna elements associated with that device. The adjustments associated with each antenna element may be defined by a beamforming weight set associated with a particular orientation (e.g., the antenna array relative to the transmitting or receiving device, or relative to some other orientation).

[0072] Base station 105 or UE 115 may use beamsweeping techniques as part of beamforming operations. For example, base station 105 may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays (e.g., antenna panels) for beamforming operations to facilitate directional communication with UE 115. Some signals (e.g., synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) may be transmitted multiple times by base station 105 in different directions. For example, base station 105 may transmit signals based on different beamforming weight sets associated with different transmission directions. Transmissions in different beam directions may be used (e.g., by the transmitting device (such as base station 105) or the receiving device (such as UE 115)) to identify the beam direction that base station 105 uses for later transmission or reception.

[0073] Some signals (such as data signals associated with a specific receiving device) may be transmitted by base station 105 in a single beam direction (e.g., the direction associated with the receiving device (such as UE 115)). In some examples, the beam direction associated with transmission along a single beam direction may be determined based on the signals transmitted in one or more beam directions. For example, UE 115 may receive one or more signals transmitted by base station 105 in different directions and may report to base station 105 an indication of the signals received by UE 115 with the highest signal quality or other acceptable signal quality.

[0074] In some examples, transmissions performed by a device (e.g., by base station 105 or UE 115) may be executed using multiple beam directions, and the device may use a combination of digital precoding or radio frequency beamforming to generate combined beams for transmission (e.g., from base station 105 to UE 115). UE 115 may report feedback indicating precoding weights for one or more beam directions, and this feedback may correspond to a configured number of beams across the system bandwidth or one or more subbands. Base station 105 may transmit reference signals that may be precoded or unprecoded (e.g., cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS)). UE 115 may provide feedback for beam selection, which may be a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) or codebook-based feedback (e.g., multi-panel type codebook, linear combination type codebook, port selection type codebook). Although these techniques are described with reference to signals transmitted by base station 105 in one or more directions, UE 115 may use similar techniques to transmit signals multiple times in different directions (e.g., to identify the beam direction used by UE 115 for subsequent transmission or reception), or to transmit signals in a single direction (e.g., to transmit data to a receiving device).

[0075] A receiver device (e.g., UE 115) may attempt multiple receive configurations (e.g., directional listening) when receiving various signals (such as synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) from base station 105. For example, the receiver device may attempt multiple receive directions by: receiving via different antenna subarrays; processing received signals according to different antenna subarrays; receiving according to different sets of receive beamforming weights applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of the antenna array (e.g., different directional listening weight sets); or processing received signals according to different sets of receive beamforming weights applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of the antenna array, any of which may be referred to as "listening" according to different receive configurations or receive directions. In some examples, the receiver device may use a single receive configuration to receive along a single beam direction (e.g., when receiving a data signal). The single receive configuration may be aligned on a beam direction determined based on listening according to different receive configuration directions (e.g., a beam direction determined to have the highest signal strength, highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or other acceptable signal quality based on listening according to multiple beam directions).

[0076] Wireless communication system 100 can be a packet-based network operating according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, communication at the bearer or Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer can be IP-based. The Radio Link Control (RLC) layer performs packet segmentation and reassembly for communication on logical channels. The Media Access Control (MAC) layer performs priority handling and multiplexing of logical channels into transport channels. The MAC layer can also use error detection, error correction, or both to support MAC layer retransmissions to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol layer can provide the establishment, configuration, and maintenance of RRC connections between UE 115 and base station 105 or core network 130 supporting user plane data radio bearers. At the physical layer, transport channels can be mapped to physical channels.

[0077] UE 115 and base station 105 can support data retransmission to increase the likelihood of successful data reception. Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback is a technique used to increase the likelihood of correctly receiving data on communication link 125. HARQ may include a combination of error detection (e.g., using Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)), forward error correction (FEC), and retransmission (e.g., Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ)). HARQ can improve MAC layer throughput in poor radio conditions (e.g., low signal-to-noise ratio conditions). In some examples, the device may support simultaneous time-slot HARQ feedback, where the device can provide HARQ feedback in a specific time slot for data received in previous symbols within that time slot. In other cases, the device may provide HARQ feedback in subsequent time slots or according to a different time interval.

[0078] Various procedures for beam selection and beam management can improve communication quality and reliability in wireless networks supporting narrow directional beams and high frequencies. Some of these beam management procedures utilize continuous beam measurements (e.g., RSRP measurements, SINR measurements, CQI, etc.) along with adaptive beam switching to maintain a threshold link level between devices (e.g., base station 105 and UE 115). In some examples, base station 105 and UE 115 may implement a multi-step P1-P2-P3 beam management procedure for beam selection and refinement. During the P1 and P2 procedures, base station 105 may transmit several beams (e.g., relatively wide beams) for establishing an initial connection with UE 115 and may refine the transmit beams. During the P3 procedure, UE 115 may perform receive beam refinement by receiving transmissions of the selected beams from the base station to determine one or more optimal receive beams to be used for communication with the base station.

[0079] However, in some examples, UE 115 may have the ability to receive transmissions concurrently or simultaneously from base station 105 using each received beam (or a subset of received beams), which can reduce the time spent on beam selection and refinement. Based on the ability to concurrently or simultaneously refine multiple received beams, UE 115 may be further configured to skip later instances of P3 beam refinement procedures. Base station 105 may, for example, transmit data in the PDSCH, and based on receiving data before the time for a later instance of P3 beam refinement procedures to be performed in another manner, UE 115 may perform beam refinement and may skip later instances of P3 beam refinement procedures.

[0080] Figure 2 Examples of a wireless communication system 200 supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure have been described. In some examples, the wireless communication system 200 may implement various aspects of the wireless communication system 100. For example, the wireless communication system 200 may include a base station 105-a and a UE 115-a, which may be as described in reference... Figure 1 Examples of base station 105 and UE 115 are described. Base station 105-a can serve a geographic coverage area 110-a. In some examples, base station 105-a and UE 115-a can support various beam management procedures to maintain communication within the wireless communication system 200.

[0081] Various procedures for beamforming and beam management can support improved communication quality and reliability in networks that use a large number of narrow beams and high frequencies (e.g., mmW / NR wireless networks). Some of these beam management procedures utilize several beam measurements (e.g., RSRP measurement, SINR measurement, etc.) and beam switching to maintain a threshold link level between the base station and the UE based on beam splitting, beam strength, and other beam quality metrics.

[0082] The wireless communication system 200 can implement beam training or several other beam management procedures to refine the transmit and receive beams at base station 105-a and UE 115-a. In some examples, base station 105-a and UE 115-a can implement a multi-step P1-P2-P3 beam management procedure for beam selection and refinement. During the P1 procedure, base station 105-a can transmit several relatively wide beams (e.g., beams 205-a, 205-b) for establishing an initial connection with UE 115-a. Such wide beam coverage from base station 105-a can support synchronization and increased mobility for UE 115-a (e.g., base station 105-a can transmit several synchronization signals or synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) during the P1 procedure). During the P1 procedure, UE 115-a can determine the "best" beam among the transmitted wide beams 205 (e.g., the beam associated with the highest RSRP, SINR, and overall beam quality) and can report this beam to base station 105-a. For example, UE 115-a can determine that beam 205-a is the best beam for establishing initial communication with base station 105-a.

[0083] During the P2 procedure, base station 105-a can perform transmit beam refinement by transmitting concurrent or sequential sweeps of the selected beam (beam 205-a) over a relatively narrow range and refining the selected transmit beam 205-a using a relatively narrow beam. UE 115-a can measure the quality of each beam based on examples such as RSRP or SINR, and can report the measurement results to base station 105-a using feedback messages (e.g., in a cri-L1-RSRP message, which may include a ranking of the quality of one or more beams measured by UE 115-a). In some examples, receiving UE 115-a can transmit an indication to base station 105-a of one or more optimally refined transmit beams to identify the selected beam, and in some examples, base station 105-a can determine one or more optimal transmit beams based on measurements. In some examples, base station 105-a can maintain a high RSRP of the communication link by switching the active beam to the highest quality beam or the beam with the highest signal strength.

[0084] During the P3 procedure, UE 115-a can perform receive beam refinement by receiving transmissions (such as repeated or concurrent transmissions) of the selected beam 205-a from base station 105-a. Base station 105-a can transmit the selected beam to UE 115-a (e.g., on a coherent sequence of symbols), and UE 115-a can receive transmissions using one or more receive beams 210-a, 210-b, or 210-c, or using different panel and beam configurations. For example, UE 115-a can receive signals on a pair of receive beams 210, on one receive beam 210, on more than two receive beams, on multiple beams from different antenna panels, or on multiple receive beams from the same panel. UE 115-a can measure each signal received from the selected transmit beam 205-a on each receive beam 210 and can determine one or more optimal receive beams based on these measurements. For example, UE 115-a can select receive beam 210-a as the optimal receive beam. UE 115-a can use receive beam 210-a to receive transmissions from base station 105-a. When the P3 protocol is completed, the transmit and receive beam pairing between UE 115-a and base station 105-a (between transmit beam 205-a and receive beam 210-b) can provide high RSRP and reliability for communication.

[0085] However, in some examples, UE 115-a may measure the transmit or receive beams such that each panel and beam is individually trained or measured at a separate time, which can result in large beam sweep overhead and signaling latency. For example, UE 115-a may measure one or more receive beams individually at different times (e.g., during different time periods), which can increase latency due to the time spent on beam refinement.

[0086] In some examples of this disclosure, UE 115-a may have the ability to receive transmissions from the base station concurrently or simultaneously using each receive beam (or a subset of receive beams), which can reduce the time spent on beam selection and refinement. For example, UE 115-a may receive beam 205-a using each of receive beams 210-a, 210-b, and 210-c during the same duration (e.g., within the same duration). In some examples, UE 115-a may be further configured to have a UE capability that allows UE 115-a to skip (e.g., suppress execution) a later instance of the P3 beam refinement procedure after the initial multi-step P1-P2-P3 procedure performed at the connection point. For example, in a scenario where UE 115-a is configured to have this UE capability, and where the UE receives data transmission after the initial P3 procedure is executed (e.g., as part of a multi-step P1-P2-P3 procedure), base station 105-a may transmit data during what should be a P3 procedure instead of repeating the beam, and UE 115-a may decode the data instead of executing the P3 beam refinement procedure. UE 115-a may establish communication with base station 105-a (by executing the P1-P2-P3 procedure at the initial connection with base station 105-a), and UE 115-a may receive data from base station 105-a, for example, in the PDSCH. Based on the received data, and since UE 115-a may receive data transmission concurrently or simultaneously on multiple receive beams 210, UE 115-a may skip the subsequent P3 beam refinement procedure based on operations performed in response to the received data. UE 115-a can perform measurements (e.g., RSRP, SINR, or CQI) on each received beam 210 concurrently or simultaneously, and can determine the optimal beam to be used for communicating with base station 105-a based on these measurements.

[0087] UE 115-a may concurrently or simultaneously (e.g., via control signaling, such as RRC or MAC-CE) transmit an indication of this capability to base station 105-a for measurement of each received beam 210, and base station 105-a may skip a later instance of the P3 procedure after transmitting data to UE 115-a. Furthermore, UE 115-a and base station 105-a can maintain the flexibility to resume later instances of the P3 procedure, for example, in cases where UE 115-a receives non-data transmission (e.g., no data is transmitted between the scheduling times of the first and second instances of the P3 procedure), or in examples where the duration between the data transmission received by UE 115-a and the later scheduled P3 procedure exceeds a threshold, or in cases where a handover or initial connection establishment occurs again. By performing measurements concurrently or simultaneously on multiple receive beams 210, UE 115-a reduces the latency for beam refinement and selection and allows for more frequent and efficient beam switching (in contrast to switching on instances assigned to P3 procedures), which improves communication quality and reliability and reduces the latency associated with performing full beam management procedures.

[0088] Figure 3 Examples of a communication timeline 300 supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure have been described. In some examples, the communication timeline 300 may be implemented by or can be implemented by various aspects of the wireless communication system 100. For example, the communication timeline 300 may be related to actions performed by the base station 105-b and the UE 115-b, which may be referenced to... Figure 1-2 Examples of base station 105 and UE 115 described.

[0089] In some wireless systems, devices (such as UE 115-a and base station 105-b) may perform beam management procedures periodically to maintain link quality and reliability during ongoing communication. In some examples of this disclosure, beam management may be relatively continuous (e.g., UE 115-b may perform beam refinement whenever data is received from the base station, such as between periods of instances used to perform beam refinement procedures (such as P3 procedures)).

[0090] At time slot 0, UE 115-b and the base station may identify a first event 320-a, which may prompt UE 115-b and base station 105-b to perform an initial connection establishment procedure, which may include a multi-step P1-P2-P3 beam management procedure 315 for establishing a communication beam pair. For example, the base station may select several beams on concurrent symbols including transmit beam 305-a during the P1-P2 procedure, and UE 115-b may select receive beam 310-a, for example, based on measurements performed during the P3 procedure.

[0091] UE 115-b may transmit a capability indication to base station 105-b relatively early after initial connection (e.g., using RRC signaling). In some examples, the capability indication may inform the base station that UE 115-b is capable of receiving transmissions concurrently or simultaneously using multiple receive beams (and performing measurements concurrently or simultaneously on the receive beams). This UE capability can be used in wireless networks supporting sub-THz frequency ranges (e.g., 140 GHz), providing concurrent or simultaneous beam operation, and the short wavelength can support a large number of devices in a small area. In some examples, where UE 115-b receives one or more data after the first P3 procedure (e.g., in time slot 0) and before the scheduled next P3 procedure (e.g., in time slot 10), the UE is capable of (implicitly or explicitly) informing base station 105-b of its ability to suppress the execution of a second instance of the P3 procedure (e.g., the next instance of the P3 procedure) in a subsequent time slot (e.g., UE 115-b may suppress the execution of P3 procedure 345 in time slot 10).

[0092] In some examples, after initial connection with the base station at 320-a, UE 115-b may receive data transmission from base station 105-b in downlink transmission at 325. UE 115-b may continuously perform beamfinding on the beam 310 used for transmission (e.g., on the PDSCH or demodulation reference signal (DMRS) of downlink transmission). UE 115-b may use multiple UE receive beams 310 to receive the PDSCH or DMRS and may measure one or more beam quality metrics, such as RSRP, SINR, capacity, CQI, and other examples for at least some beams (if not every received beam), and may determine the optimal receive beam to use by UE 115-b based on these measurements. For example, base station 105-b may transmit data transmission 305-c during time slot 4, and the UE may determine receive beam 310-c as the optimal receive beam to use based on measurements made at each receive beam. In this example, this reflects the change in the receive beam determined from the initial P3 procedure in time slot 0, compared to the receive beam 310-c determined based on data transmission 305-c in time slot 4.

[0093] In some examples, UE 115-b may support received beam measurements for multiple beams transmitted from base station 105-b or from other base stations in the network. For example, UE 115-b may receive multiple beams from multiple directions, and UE 115-b may use multiple received beams to determine the best quality received beam for at least some beams (if not every beam) (e.g., multiple transmitted beams from multiple base stations may be measured concurrently or simultaneously).

[0094] Based on the data received from base station 105-b, UE 115-a can determine its ability to skip the next P3 procedure (e.g., P3 procedure 345 in time slot 10). For example, UE 115-a can determine to skip the next P3 procedure based on its ability to perform measurements concurrently or simultaneously on multiple received beams, or additionally or alternatively based on its ability to perform beam mitigation and measurements in different time slots. For example, if UE 115-a receives data from base station 105-b, the P3 procedure in time slot 10 may be redundant for any potential determinations or adjustments made between time slot 0 and time slot 10 due to the UE's capabilities and the data received from base station 105-b.

[0095] In some examples, base station 105-b may transmit a message (e.g., via RRC signaling) informing UE 115-b that if the UE receives data, UE 115-b may not perform a subsequent instance of P3 procedure (e.g., in time slot 10). Base station 105-b may determine the UE capability regarding UE 115-b doing so (e.g., via RRC signaling), and based on that UE capability, if data is transmitted, base station 105-b may suspend a later instance of P3 procedure. Base station 105-b or UE 115-b, or both, may alternatively rely on UE capabilities (e.g., for continuous beam measurements including DMRS-based beam refinement procedures). UE 115-b may transmit an indication of this capability to base station 105-b, such that base station 105-b may determine to suppress an instance of subsequent P3 procedure.

[0096] Because UE 115-b can concurrently or simultaneously measure the received beam (e.g., by measuring each DMRS of the PDSCH, rather than periodically), UE 115-b can determine system changes or beam quality degradation caused by, for example, UE movement (e.g., at 335, rotation of UE 115-b or a change in the position of UE 115-b may cause a decrease in the signal strength of the previously selected optimal beam (e.g., beam 310-c)). At 340, UE 115-b can switch the received beam to beam 310-d based on concurrent or simultaneous beam measurements. In such examples, communication beam switching can be based on the duration of OFDM symbols. For example, when beam measurements are performed at time slot 7, UE 115-b can determine, based on one or more beam measurements, that beam 310-c is no longer the optimal received beam and can determine a different, higher-quality beam (e.g., beam 310-d) to switch to for communication with base station 105-b. In some examples, UE 115-b may change the beam at the beginning of the next time slot (time slot 8), at the end of the current time slot (time slot 7), or when it is determined that the beam quality of the selected beam 310-c has deteriorated or that beam 310-d has relatively good characteristics. In some examples, beam switching may occur during the duration associated with the cyclic prefix of the OFDM symbol.

[0097] In some examples, UE 115-b and base station 105-b may determine to resume a second instance of the P3 procedure, for example, in cases where UE 115-a receives non-data transmission, or in cases where the duration between data transmission (e.g., at time slot 4) and a later-scheduled second instance of the P3 procedure exceeds a threshold, or in cases where a handover or further initial connection establishment occurs. For example, at time slot 9 or time slot 10, UE 115-b and base station may identify a second event 320-b that prompts UE 115-b and base station 105-b to execute a second instance of the P3 beamfinding procedure 345. Base station 105-b may transmit several beams on concurrent symbols including transmit beam 305-b, and UE 115-b may select receive beam 310-b, for example, based on measurements taken during the P3 procedure. In some examples, P3 procedure 345 may be a second instance of the P3 procedure executed at 315. In cases where UE 115-a receives data from base station 105-b between the first P3 procedure (e.g., at time slot 0) and the second indicated P3 procedure (e.g., at time slot 10), P3 procedure 345 may be skipped.

[0098] Figure 4Examples of a process flow 400 supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure are described. In some examples, process flow 400 may be implemented by or can be implemented by various aspects of wireless communication system 100 or 200. Process flow 400 includes UE 115-c and base station 105-c, each of which may be a reference Figure 1-3 Examples of the corresponding devices described. The following alternative examples may be implemented, some of which may be performed in a different order than described or not at all. In some examples, the steps may include additional features not mentioned below, or further steps may be added. Furthermore, while process flow 400 illustrates the process between base station 105-c and a single UE 115-c, it should be understood that these processes can occur between any number of network devices.

[0099] At 405, UE 115-c may transmit to base station 105-c an indication of its ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission after establishing a communication link. In some examples, the first beam refinement procedure may employ measurements of one or more receive beams at UE 115-c. UE 115-c may use control signaling (such as RRC messages, MAC-CE, or both) to transmit the capability indication to base station 105-c. In some examples, the capability indication may indicate UE 115-c's ability to receive data transmission concurrently or simultaneously using one or more receive beams. Additionally or alternatively, the capability indication may indicate UE 115-c's ability to skip or suppress one or more instances of performing a second beam refinement procedure.

[0100] At 410, UE 115-c may execute a connection procedure with base station 105-c to select a receive beam. For example, UE 115-c may execute a first instance of a second beam refinement procedure (e.g., P3 procedure) to select a first receive beam from one or more receive beams. Base station 105-c may transmit the same transmit beam to UE 115-c on coherent symbols as part of the first instance of the second beam refinement procedure, and UE 115-c may select a receive beam from multiple receive beams for reception from base station 105-c. Alternatively, after executing the connection procedure with base station 105-c at 410 to select a receive beam, UE 115-c may transmit to base station 105-c an indication of UE 115-c's ability to execute the first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission.

[0101] At 415, UE 115-c may receive data from base station 105-c using the first receive beam after selecting the first receive beam at 410 and before the second instance of the second beam refinement procedure. In some examples, UE 115-c may determine to suspend the second instance of the second beam refinement procedure based on the received data transmission. UE 115-c may receive data on the PDCCH and may measure one or more beam refinement parameters on the DMRS of the PDCCH. In some instances, UE 115-c may be able to transmit one or more data transmissions during the duration associated with the second instance of the second beam refinement procedure based on UE capabilities (e.g., UE 115-c may transmit data to base station 105-c instead of executing the second instance of the second beam refinement procedure, which may be the P3 procedure). This additional data transmission can increase throughput and communication efficiency in the wireless system. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, base station 105-c may be able to transmit or receive one or more data transmissions during a duration associated with a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure based on UE capabilities (e.g., base station 105-c may transmit data to UE 115-c or may communicate in some way with one or more other devices (such as one or more other UEs 115 or base station 105 or both) instead of performing a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure (which may be the P3 procedure)).

[0102] In some examples, the UE 115-c may determine the duration of the second beam refinement procedure suspension based at least in part on Doppler spread measurements, RRC messages, or both. The UE 115-c may transmit an indication of the duration of the second beam refinement procedure suspension to the base station via control signaling (such as RRC signaling).

[0103] In some examples, UE 115-c may receive one or more non-data transmissions from base station 105-a after receiving data transmissions. UE 115-c may determine to perform the second beam refinement procedure based on the receipt of one or more non-data transmissions (e.g., at a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure).

[0104] At 420, UE 115-c may perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and based on data transmission received from base station 105-c. In some examples, the first beam refinement procedure may include measuring one or more beam refinement parameters at UE 115-c with respect to each of a plurality of receive beams, and selecting a second receive beam from the plurality of receive beams based on performing the beam refinement parameter measurements. Such beam refinement parameters may include RSRP measurements, SINR measurements, CQI, system capacity, or any combination thereof.

[0105] In some examples, UE 115-c can measure one or more beam refinement parameters for each receive beam during an OFDM symbol period. UE 115-c can compare a first value of one or more beam refinement parameters associated with a first receive beam with a second value of one or more beam refinement parameters associated with a second receive beam. Based on the comparison of the first and second receive beams, UE 115-c can select either the second or first receive beam. In some examples, UE 115-c can switch from the first receive beam to the second receive beam during an OFDM symbol period or during an adjacent OFDM symbol period.

[0106] In some examples, UE 115-c may use a third receive beam to receive the second data transmission, and the first beam refinement procedure may be performed concurrently for the first and third receive beams. The second data transmission may be transmitted from base station 105-c, or from different base stations or UEs present in the wireless system.

[0107] Figure 5 A block diagram of a device 505 supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. Device 505 may be an example of various aspects of UE 115 as described herein. Device 505 may include a receiver 510, a communication manager 515, and a transmitter 520. The communication manager 515 may be implemented at least in part by one or both of a modem and a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0108] Receiver 510 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to data-assisted beam management, etc.). This information can be transmitted to other components of device 505. Receiver 510 can be a reference... Figure 8 Examples of various aspects of the transceiver 820 described. The receiver 510 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0109] The communication manager 515 may transmit to the base station an instruction regarding the UE's ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using a set of received beams; select a first received beam from the set of received beams based on a first instance of performing a second beam refinement procedure using the set of received beams; receive data transmission from the base station using the set of received beams including the first received beam before a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure; and perform the first beam refinement procedure based on receiving the data transmission.

[0110] Transmitter 520 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 505. In some examples, transmitter 520 may coexist with receiver 510 in a transceiver assembly. For example, transmitter 520 may be a reference... Figure 8 Examples of various aspects of the transceiver 820 described. The transmitter 520 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna set.

[0111] In some examples, the communication manager 515 may be implemented as an integrated circuit or chipset for a mobile device modem, and the receiver 510 and transmitter 520 may be implemented as analog components (e.g., amplifiers, filters, and antennas) coupled to the mobile device modem to enable wireless transmission and reception.

[0112] The communication manager 515 described herein can be implemented to achieve one or more potential advantages. At least one implementation allows the communication manager 515 to efficiently identify data transmission and skip (suppress execution) subsequent beam refinement procedures. In some other implementations, the communication manager 515 may identify the ability to perform simultaneous beam measurements on multiple received beams at device 505.

[0113] Based on the techniques described herein, one or more processors of device 505 (e.g., one or more of the control receiver 510, communication manager 515, and transmitter 520, or processors combined therewith) can effectively reduce the signaling overhead associated with beam training and beam management. In some other examples, the techniques described herein can allow for reduced latency for executing beam management procedures and can increase communication reliability and quality while increasing throughput.

[0114] Figure 6 A block diagram of a device 605 supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. Device 605 may be an example of aspects of device 505 or UE 115 as described herein. Device 605 may include a receiver 610, a communication manager 615, and a transmitter 640. The communication manager 615 may be implemented at least in part by one or both of a modem and a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0115] Receiver 610 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to data-assisted beam management, etc.). The information can be transmitted to other components of device 605. Receiver 610 can be a reference... Figure 8 Examples of various aspects of the transceiver 820 described. The receiver 610 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0116] The communication manager 615 may include a capability indicator transmitter 620, a receive beam selection component 625, a data receiver component 630, and a first beam refinement component 635.

[0117] The capability indicator transmitter 620 can transmit to the base station an indication of the UE's ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using the received beam set.

[0118] The receive beam selection component 625 can select a first receive beam from the receive beam set based on a first instance of performing a second beam refinement procedure using the receive beam set.

[0119] The data receiver component 630 can use a set of receive beams, including the first receive beam, to receive data from the base station prior to a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure.

[0120] The first beam refinement procedure component 635 can perform the first beam refinement procedure based on receiving the data transmission.

[0121] Transmitter 640 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 605. In some examples, transmitter 640 may coexist with receiver 610 in a transceiver assembly. For example, transmitter 640 may be a reference... Figure 8 Examples of various aspects of the transceiver 820 described. The transmitter 640 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna set.

[0122] Figure 7 A block diagram of a communication manager 705 supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. The communication manager 705 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 515, communication manager 615, or communication manager 810 described herein. The communication manager 705 may include a capability indication transmitter 710, a receive beam selection component 715, a data receiver component 720, a first beam refinement component 725, a second beam refinement component 730, a receive beam measurement component 735, a receive beam switching component 740, a data transmission component 745, and a non-data transmission component 750. Each of these components may communicate directly or indirectly with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0123] The capability indication transmitter 710 can transmit to the base station an indication of the UE's ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using a receive beam set. In some examples, the capability indication transmitter 710 can transmit the ability to perform the first beam refinement procedure via a radio resource control message, a media access control element, or both. In some examples, the capability indication transmitter 710 can transmit an indication of the UE's ability to simultaneously receive data transmission using a receive beam set.

[0124] The receive beam selection component 715 may select a first receive beam from the receive beam set based on a first instance of performing a second beam refinement procedure using the receive beam set. In some examples, the receive beam selection component 715 may select a second receive beam from the receive beam set based on measuring one or more beam refinement parameters.

[0125] The first beam refinement procedure component 725 can perform a first beam refinement procedure based on receiving the data transmission. The data receiver component 720 can receive data transmission from the base station using a set of receive beams including the first receive beam, prior to a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure.

[0126] In some examples, the first beam refinement procedure component 725 may receive data transmission on the physical downlink control channel, wherein measuring one or more beam refinement parameters includes measuring one or more beam refinement parameters on the downlink modulation reference signal of the physical downlink control channel.

[0127] In some examples, the data receiver component 720 may use a third receive beam to receive the second data transmission. In some examples, the first beam refinement component 725 may concurrently execute a first beam refinement procedure for the first and third receive beams based on the received data transmission and the second data transmission.

[0128] The second beam refinement procedure component 730 can suspend a second instance of executing the second beam refinement procedure based on received data transmission. In some examples, the second beam refinement procedure component 730 can transmit an indication to the base station of the duration of suspending the second beam refinement procedure. In some examples, the second beam refinement procedure component 730 can determine the duration of suspending the second beam refinement procedure based on Doppler spread measurements, radio resource control messages, or both.

[0129] In some examples, the second beam refinement procedure component 730 may perform the second beam refinement procedure based on receiving one or more non-data transmissions and the duration following the execution of the first beam refinement procedure. The non-data transmission component 750 may receive one or more non-data transmissions from the base station after receiving data transmissions. In some examples, the second beam refinement procedure includes the P3 procedure.

[0130] The receive beam measurement component 735 can measure one or more beam refinement parameters with respect to each beam in the receive beam set. In some examples, the receive beam measurement component 735 can measure one or more beam refinement parameters on the downlink modulation reference signal of the physical downlink control channel.

[0131] In some examples, the receive beam measurement component 735 can measure one or more beam refinement parameters with respect to each beam in the set of receive beams during an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol period. In some examples, the receive beam measurement component 735 can compare a first value of one or more beam refinement parameters associated with a first receive beam with a second value of one or more beam refinement parameters associated with a second receive beam. In some examples, the one or more beam refinement parameters include reference signal received power, signal-to-interference and noise ratio, channel quality indication, system capacity, or any combination thereof.

[0132] In some examples, the receive beam measurement component 735 may select a second receive beam or a first receive beam based on a comparison. The receive beam switching component 740 may switch from a first receive beam to a second receive beam during an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol period or during an adjacent OFDM symbol period, based on a comparison of a first value and a second value.

[0133] The data transmission component 745 can transmit one or more data transmissions to the base station during a duration associated with a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure, based on an indication of the UE's ability to perform the first beam refinement procedure.

[0134] Figure 8 A diagram of a system including device 805 supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. Device 805 may be an example of device 505, device 605, or UE 115 as described herein, or a component including the aforementioned devices. Device 805 may include components for bidirectional voice and data communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including a communication manager 810, an I / O controller 815, a transceiver 820, an antenna 825, a memory 830, and a processor 840. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., bus 845).

[0135] The communication manager 810 may transmit to the base station an instruction regarding the UE's ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using a set of received beams; select a first received beam from the set of received beams based on a first instance of performing a second beam refinement procedure using the set of received beams; receive data transmission from the base station using the set of received beams including the first received beam before a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure; and perform the first beam refinement procedure based on receiving the data transmission.

[0136] I / O controller 815 manages the input and output signals of device 805. I / O controller 815 can also manage peripheral devices not integrated into device 805. In some examples, I / O controller 815 may represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some examples, I / O controller 815 may utilize an operating system, such as... Or another known operating system. In other cases, I / O controller 815 may represent or interact with a modem, keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, or similar device. In some examples, I / O controller 815 may be implemented as part of a processor. In some examples, a user may interact with device 805 via I / O controller 815 or via hardware components controlled by I / O controller 815.

[0137] Transceiver 820 can communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links, as described above. For example, transceiver 820 can represent a wireless transceiver and can communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. Transceiver 820 may also include a modem to modulate packets and provide the modulated packets to the antenna for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the antenna.

[0138] In some examples, the wireless device may include a single antenna 825. However, in some examples, the device may have more than one antenna 825, which may be able to transmit or receive multiple wireless transmissions concurrently.

[0139] Memory 830 may include RAM and ROM. Memory 830 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 835, including instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the various functions described herein. In some examples, memory 830 may, in particular, include a basic input / output system (BIOS) that controls basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0140] Processor 840 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processors, DSPs, CPUs, microcontrollers, ASICs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some examples, processor 840 may be configured to use a memory controller to operate a memory array. In other cases, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 840. Processor 840 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 830) to cause device 805 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting data-assisted beam management).

[0141] Code 835 may include instructions for implementing various aspects of this disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communication. Code 835 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or other types of memory. In some examples, code 835 may not be directly executable by processor 840, but may enable a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein.

[0142] Figure 9 A block diagram of a device 905 supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. Device 905 may be an example of various aspects of base station 105 as described herein. Device 905 may include a receiver 910, a communication manager 915, and a transmitter 920. The communication manager 915 may be implemented at least in part by one or both of a modem and a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0143] Receiver 910 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to data-assisted beam management, etc.). This information can be transmitted to other components of device 905. Receiver 910 can be a reference... Figure 12 Examples of various aspects of the transceiver 1220 described herein. The receiver 910 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0144] The communication manager 915 can receive from the UE an instruction regarding the UE's ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using a set of received beams; transmit the same transmit beam to the UE on coherent symbols as part of a first instance of a second beam refinement procedure; and transmit data to the UE prior to a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure based on the instruction regarding the UE's ability to receive data and the transmission of the same transmit beam to the UE on coherent symbols.

[0145] Transmitter 920 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 905. In some examples, transmitter 920 may coexist with receiver 910 in a transceiver assembly. For example, transmitter 920 may be a reference... Figure 12 Examples of various aspects of the transceiver 1220 described. The transmitter 920 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna set.

[0146] Figure 10A block diagram of a device 1005 supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. Device 1005 may be an example of aspects of device 905 or base station 105 as described herein. Device 1005 may include a receiver 1010, a communication manager 1015, and a transmitter 1035. The communication manager 1015 may be implemented at least in part by one or both of a modem and a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0147] Receiver 1010 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to data-assisted beam management, etc.). This information can be transmitted to other components of device 1005. Receiver 1010 can be a reference... Figure 12 Examples of various aspects of the transceiver 1220 described herein. Receiver 1010 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna set. Communication manager 1015 may include a capability-indicating receiver 1020, a second beam refinement protocol component 1025, and a data transmitter 1030.

[0148] The capability indication receiver 1020 can receive from the UE an indication of the UE's ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using the received beam set.

[0149] The second beam refinement procedure component 1025 can transmit the same transmit beam to the UE on coherent symbols as part of a first instance of the second beam refinement procedure.

[0150] The data transmitter 1030 can transmit data to the UE prior to the second instance of the second beam refinement procedure based on the indication of the UE's ability to receive data and by transmitting the same transmit beam to the UE on coherent symbols.

[0151] Transmitter 1035 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 1005. In some examples, transmitter 1035 may coexist with receiver 1010 in a transceiver assembly. For example, transmitter 1035 may be a reference... Figure 12 Examples of various aspects of the transceiver 1220 described herein. The transmitter 1035 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna set.

[0152] In some examples, the communication manager 1015 may be implemented as an integrated circuit or chipset for a mobile device modem, and the receiver 1010 and transmitter 1035 may be implemented as analog components (e.g., amplifiers, filters, and antennas) coupled to the mobile device modem to enable wireless transmission and reception.

[0153] The communication manager 1015 described herein can be implemented to achieve one or more potential advantages. At least one implementation allows the communication manager 1015 to effectively identify the UE's ability to skip (suppress execution) the next beam refinement procedure based on received data transmission. In some other implementations, the communication manager 1015 can identify the UE's ability to perform simultaneous beam measurements on multiple received beams, thereby eliminating redundant transmissions for receiver beam training.

[0154] Based on the techniques described herein, one or more processors of device 1005 (e.g., one or more of the control receiver 1010, communication manager 1015, and transmitter 1035, or processors combined therewith) can effectively reduce the signaling overhead associated with beam training and beam management. In some other examples, the techniques described herein can allow for reduced latency for executing beam management procedures and can increase communication reliability and quality while increasing throughput.

[0155] Figure 11 A block diagram of a communication manager 1105 supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. The communication manager 1105 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 915, communication manager 1015, or communication manager 1210 described herein. The communication manager 1105 may include a capability indication receiver 1110, a second beam refinement procedure component 1115, a data transmitter 1120, a data transmission component 1125, a data receiver component 1130, and a non-data transmission component 1135. Each of these components may communicate directly or indirectly with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0156] Capability indication receiver 1110 can receive from the UE an indication of the UE's ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using a receive beam set. In some examples, capability indication receiver 1110 can receive an indication of the UE's ability to simultaneously receive data transmission using the receive beam set, wherein the transmission of data transmission is based on receiving the indication of the UE's ability to simultaneously receive data transmission using the receive beam set.

[0157] The data transmitter 1120 can transmit data to the UE prior to the second instance of the second beam refinement procedure based on the indication of the UE's ability to receive data and by transmitting the same transmit beam to the UE on coherent symbols.

[0158] The second beam refinement procedure component 1115 may transmit the same transmit beam to the UE on coherent symbols as part of a first instance of the second beam refinement procedure. In some examples, the second beam refinement procedure component 1115 may suspend the execution of a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure based on the transmission data.

[0159] In some examples, the second beam refinement procedure component 1115 may receive from the UE an indication of the duration of suspending the second beam refinement procedure, the duration being based on Doppler spread measurements, radio resource control messages, or both. In some examples, the second beam refinement procedure includes a P3 procedure.

[0160] The data transmission component 1125 can transmit data on the physical downlink control channel, and the method further includes communicating with the UE based on transmitting data on the physical downlink control channel. In some examples, the data transmission component 1125 can receive an indication of the UE's ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure via a radio resource control message, a media access control element, or both.

[0161] The data receiver component 1130 can receive one or more data transmissions during a duration associated with a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure, based on the receiving UE's ability to execute the first beam refinement procedure.

[0162] The non-data transmission component 1135 may transmit one or more non-data transmissions to the UE after transmitting data, after the UE executes the first beam refinement procedure, and before the second instance of the second beam refinement procedure.

[0163] Figure 12 A diagram of a system including device 1205 supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. Device 1205 may be an example of or include components of device 905, device 1005, or base station 105 as described herein. Device 1205 may include components for bidirectional voice and data communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including a communication manager 1210, a network communication manager 1215, a transceiver 1220, an antenna 1225, a memory 1230, a processor 1240, and an inter-station communication manager 1245. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1250).

[0164] The communication manager 1210 can receive from the UE an instruction regarding the UE's ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using a set of received beams; transmit the same transmit beam to the UE on coherent symbols as part of a first instance of a second beam refinement procedure; and transmit data to the UE prior to a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure based on the instruction regarding the UE's ability to receive data and the transmission of the same transmit beam to the UE on coherent symbols.

[0165] The network communication manager 1215 can manage communication with the core network (e.g., via one or more wired backhaul links). For example, the network communication manager 1215 can manage the delivery of data communication to client devices (such as one or more UEs 115).

[0166] Transceiver 1220 can communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links, as described above. For example, transceiver 1220 can represent a wireless transceiver and can communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. Transceiver 1220 may also include a modem to modulate packets and provide the modulated packets to the antenna for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the antenna.

[0167] In some examples, the wireless device may include a single antenna 1225. However, in some examples, the device may have more than one antenna 1225, which may be able to transmit or receive multiple wireless transmissions concurrently.

[0168] Memory 1230 may include RAM, ROM, or a combination thereof. Memory 1230 may store computer-readable code 1235 including instructions that, when executed by a processor (e.g., processor 1240), cause the device to perform the various functions described herein. In some examples, memory 1230 may, in particular, include a BIOS that controls basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0169] Processor 1240 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processors, DSPs, CPUs, microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGAs, programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some examples, processor 1240 may be configured to use a memory controller to operate a memory array. In some examples, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 1240. Processor 1240 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 1230) to cause device 1205 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting data-assisted beam management).

[0170] Inter-site communication manager 1245 manages communication with other base stations 105 and may include a controller or scheduler for cooperating with other base stations 105 to control communication with UE 115. For example, inter-site communication manager 1245 may coordinate the scheduling of transmissions to UE 115 for various interference mitigation techniques, such as beamforming or joint transmission. In some examples, inter-site communication manager 1245 may provide an X2 interface within LTE / LTE-A wireless communication network technology to facilitate communication between base stations 105.

[0171] Code 1235 may include instructions for implementing various aspects of this disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communication. Code 1235 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or other types of memory. In some examples, code 1235 may not be directly executable by processor 1240, but may enable a computer (e.g., at compile and execution time) to perform the functions described herein.

[0172] Figure 13 A flowchart illustrating a method for supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of method 1300 can be implemented by a UE 115 or its components as described herein. For example, operation of method 1300 can be implemented by, as referenced... Figure 5-8 The described communication manager is used to perform this function. In some examples, the UE can execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the following functions. Alternatively or alternatively, the UE can use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the following functions.

[0173] At 1305, the UE may transmit to the base station an indication of its ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using the received beam set. Operation of 1305 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of operation of 1305 may be as described in reference... Figure 5-8 The described capabilities instruct the transmitter to perform them.

[0174] At 1310, the UE can select a first receive beam from the receive beam set based on a first instance of performing a second beam refinement procedure using that receive beam set. The operation of 1310 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1310 can be determined by referring to... Figure 5-8 The described receive beam selection component is used to perform this.

[0175] At 1315, the UE may use a set of receive beams including the first receive beam to receive data from the base station prior to a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure. The operation of 1315 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1315 may be as described in reference... Figure 5-8 The described data receiver component is used to perform this.

[0176] At 1320, the UE can perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to the received data transmission. The operation of 1320 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1320 can be derived from, as referenced... Figure 5-8 The first beam refinement procedure component, as described, is used to execute it.

[0177] Figure 14A flowchart illustrating a method for supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. The operation of method 1400 can be implemented by a UE 115 or its components as described herein. For example, the operation of method 1400 can be implemented by, as referred to... Figure 5-8 The described communication manager is used to perform this function. In some examples, the UE can execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the following functions. Alternatively or alternatively, the UE can use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the following functions.

[0178] At point 1405, the UE may transmit to the base station an indication of its ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using the received beam set. Operation of point 1405 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of operation of point 1405 may be determined by reference to... Figure 5-8 The described capabilities instruct the transmitter to perform them.

[0179] At 1410, the UE can select a first receive beam from the receive beam set based on a first instance of performing a second beam refinement procedure using that receive beam set. The operation of 1410 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1410 can be determined by referring to... Figure 5-8 The described receive beam selection component is used to perform this.

[0180] At point 1415, the UE may use a set of receive beams including the first receive beam to receive data from the base station prior to a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure. The operation of point 1415 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of point 1415 may be as described in reference... Figure 5-8 The described data receiver component is used to perform this.

[0181] At 1420, the UE can suspend the execution of a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure based on received data transmission. The operation at 1420 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation at 1420 can be determined by referring to... Figure 5-8 The second beam refinement procedure component, as described, is used to perform this.

[0182] At point 1425, the UE may perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to the received data transmission. The operation at point 1425 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation at point 1425 may be as described in reference... Figure 5-8 The first beam refinement procedure component, as described, is used to execute it.

[0183] Figure 15A flowchart illustrating a method for supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. The operation of method 1500 can be implemented by a UE 115 or its components as described herein. For example, the operation of method 1500 can be implemented by, as referred to... Figure 5-8 The described communication manager is used to perform this function. In some examples, the UE can execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the following functions. Alternatively or alternatively, the UE can use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the following functions.

[0184] At point 1505, the UE may transmit to the base station an indication of its ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using the received beam set. Operation of point 1505 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of operation of point 1505 may be determined by reference to... Figure 5-8 The described capabilities instruct the transmitter to perform them.

[0185] At 1510, the UE can select a first receive beam from the receive beam set based on a first instance of performing a second beam refinement procedure using that receive beam set. The operation of 1510 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1510 can be determined by referring to... Figure 5-8 The described receive beam selection component is used to perform this.

[0186] At point 1515, the UE may use a set of receive beams including the first receive beam to receive data from the base station prior to a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure. The operation of point 1515 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of point 1515 may be as described in reference... Figure 5-8 The described data receiver component is used to perform this.

[0187] At point 1520, the UE can perform a first beam refinement procedure based on received data transmission. The operation at point 1520 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation at point 1520 can be derived from, as referenced... Figure 5-8 The first beam refinement procedure component, as described, is used to execute it.

[0188] At 1525, the UE can measure one or more beam refinement parameters for each beam in the received beam set. Operation of 1525 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of operation of 1525 can be determined by reference to... Figure 5-8 The described receiving beam measurement component is used to perform this.

[0189] At 1530, the UE can select a second receive beam from the set of receive beams based on measurements of one or more beam refinement parameters. The operation of 1530 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1530 can be determined by reference to... Figure 5-8 The described receive beam selection component is used to perform this.

[0190] Figure 16 A flowchart illustrating a method for supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of method 1600 can be implemented by a UE 115 or its components as described herein. For example, operation of method 1600 can be implemented by, as referred to... Figure 5-8 The described communication manager is used to perform this function. In some examples, the UE can execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the following functions. Alternatively or alternatively, the UE can use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the following functions.

[0191] At point 1605, the UE may transmit to the base station an indication of its ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using the received beam set. Operation of point 1605 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of operation of point 1605 may be determined by reference to... Figure 5-8 The described capabilities instruct the transmitter to perform them.

[0192] At 1610, the UE can select a first receive beam from the receive beam set based on a first instance of performing a second beam refinement procedure using that receive beam set. The operation of 1610 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1610 can be determined by referring to... Figure 5-8 The described receive beam selection component is used to perform this.

[0193] At point 1615, the UE may use a set of receive beams including the first receive beam to receive data from the base station prior to a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure. The operation of 1615 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1615 may be as described in reference... Figure 5-8 The described data receiver component is used to perform this.

[0194] At 1620, the UE can determine the duration of the second beam refinement procedure based on Doppler spread measurements, radio resource control messages, or both. Operation at 1620 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of operation at 1620 can be determined by referring to... Figure 5-8 The second beam refinement procedure component, as described, is used to perform this.

[0195] At point 1625, the UE may transmit to the base station an indication of the duration of the suspended second beam refinement procedure. The operation at point 1625 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation at point 1625 may be determined by reference to... Figure 5-8 The second beam refinement procedure component, as described, is used to perform this.

[0196] At 1630, the UE may perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to the received data transmission. The operation at 1630 may be performed according to the method described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation at 1630 may be as described in reference... Figure 5-8 The first beam refinement procedure component, as described, is used to execute it.

[0197] Figure 17 A flowchart illustrating a method 1700 for supporting data-assisted beam management according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of method 1700 can be implemented by a base station 105 or its components as described herein. For example, operation of method 1700 can be implemented by referring to... Figure 9-12 The described communication manager is used to perform this. In some examples, the base station can execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the base station to perform the following functions. Additionally or alternatively, the base station may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the following functions.

[0198] At 1705, the base station may receive from the UE an instruction regarding the UE's ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using a received beamset. Operation of 1705 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of operation of 1705 may be determined by reference to... Figure 9-12 The described capabilities instruct the receiver to perform them.

[0199] At 1710, the base station can transmit the same transmit beam to the UE on coherent symbols as part of the first instance of the second beam refinement procedure. The operation of 1710 can be performed according to the method described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1710 can be derived from, as referenced... Figure 9-12 The second beam refinement procedure component, as described, is used to perform this.

[0200] At 1715, the base station can transmit data to the UE prior to the second instance of the second beam refinement procedure, based on an indication of the UE's capability to receive data and by transmitting the same transmit beam to the UE on coherent symbols. The operation of 1715 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1715 can be derived from, as referenced... Figure 9-12 The data transmitter described is used to execute this.

[0201] It should be noted that the methods described in this paper describe possible implementations, and the operations and steps can be rearranged or otherwise modified, and other implementations are also possible. Furthermore, aspects from two or more methods can be combined.

[0202] While aspects of LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR systems may be described for illustrative purposes, and the terms LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR may be used in most of the description, the techniques described herein can also be applied to networks other than LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR networks. For example, the described techniques can be applied to a variety of other wireless communication systems, such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, and other systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.

[0203] The information and signals described herein can be represented using any of a wide variety of different techniques and methods. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout this description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or light particles, or any combination thereof.

[0204] The various illustrative boxes and components described herein can be implemented or executed using a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, CPU, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in alternatives, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a digital signal processor (DSP) and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors working in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0205] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations fall within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwired, or any combination thereof. Features implementing the functions may also be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that different parts of the function are implemented at different physical locations.

[0206] Computer-readable media includes both non-transient computer storage media and communication media, encompassing any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another. Non-transient storage media can be any available medium accessible to a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. By way of example and not limitation, non-transient computer-readable media may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disc (CD) ROM or other optical disc storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transient medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and is accessible to a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Similarly, any connection is also legitimately referred to as computer-readable media. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then such coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of computer-readable media. As used in this article, disk and disc include CDs, laser discs, optical discs, DVDs, floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, where disks often magnetically reproduce data while discs optically reproduce data using lasers. Combinations of these media are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0207] As used herein (including in the claims), the word "or" in an enumeration of items (e.g., an enumeration of items accompanied by phrases such as "at least one of" or "one or more of") indicates an inclusive enumeration, such that an enumeration of at least one of, for example, A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (in other words, A and B and C). Similarly, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should not be interpreted as referring to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step described as "based on condition A" may be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should be interpreted in the same manner as the phrase "at least partially based on".

[0208] In the accompanying drawings, similar components or features may have the same reference numerals. Furthermore, components of the same type may be distinguished by a dash following the reference numeral and a second reference numeral used to differentiate between similar components. If only the first reference numeral is used in the description, the description may apply to any of the similar components having the same first reference numeral, regardless of the second reference numeral or other subsequent reference numerals.

[0209] The descriptions herein, illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, depict exemplary configurations and are not representative of all examples that may be implemented or fall within the scope of the claims. The term "example" as used herein means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration" and does not imply "superior" or "outperforming" other examples. This detailed description includes specific details to provide an understanding of the described techniques. However, these techniques may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

[0210] The description provided herein is intended to enable those skilled in the art to make or use this disclosure. Various modifications to this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the universal principles defined herein can be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be granted the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for conducting wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: Transmit to the network access node an indication of the UE's ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using multiple receive beams; The first receiving beam is selected from the plurality of receiving beams based at least in part on a first instance of performing a second beam refinement procedure using the plurality of receiving beams; Prior to a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure, the plurality of receive beams, including the first receive beam, are used to receive the data transmission from the network access node; as well as The first beam refinement procedure is performed at least in part based on receiving the data transmission.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising suspending the execution of the second beam refinement procedure at least in part based on receiving the data transmission.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: The duration of suspending the second beam refinement procedure is determined at least in part based on Doppler spread measurements, radio resource control messages, or both; as well as The network access node is informed of the duration of suspending the second beam refinement procedure.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the first beam refinement procedure comprises: Measure one or more beam refinement parameters for each of the plurality of received beams; as well as The second receiving beam among the plurality of receiving beams is selected at least in part based on measurements of one or more beam refinement parameters.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the data transmission from the network access node comprises: Receiving the data transmission on the physical downlink control channel, wherein measuring the one or more beam refinement parameters includes: The one or more beam refinement parameters are measured on the downlink modulation reference signal of the physical downlink control channel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the first beam refinement procedure comprises: During the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol period, one or more beam refinement parameters are measured for each of the plurality of receive beams; A first value of one or more beam refinement parameters associated with the first receiving beam is compared with a second value of one or more beam refinement parameters associated with the second receiving beam. as well as The selection of the second receiving beam or the first receiving beam is based at least in part on the comparison.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, during the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol period or during an adjacent orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol period, switching from the first receive beam to the second receive beam at least in part based on comparing the first value with the second value.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more beam refinement parameters include reference signal received power, signal-to-interference and noise ratio, channel quality indication, system capacity, or any combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the indication of the ability of the UE to perform the first beam refinement procedure comprises: The ability to transmit the execution of the first beam refinement procedure via radio resource control messages, media access control elements, or both.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Use the third receiving beam to receive the second data transmission; as well as The first beam refinement procedure for the first receiving beam and the third receiving beam is executed concurrently, based at least in part on receiving the data transmission and the second data transmission.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting one or more data transmissions to the network access node during a duration associated with the second instance of the second beam refinement procedure, based at least in part on the indication of the UE's ability to perform the first beam refinement procedure.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising: After receiving the data transmission, one or more non-data transmissions are received from the network access node; as well as The second beam refinement procedure is performed at least in part based on the receipt of the one or more non-data transmissions and the duration after the execution of the first beam refinement procedure.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the indication of the ability of the UE to perform the first beam refinement procedure comprises: The transmission indicates the UE's ability to simultaneously receive the data using the multiple receive beams.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the second beam refinement procedure includes the P3 procedure.

15. A method for wireless communication at a network access node, comprising: Receive an instruction on the ability of a user equipment (UE) to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using multiple receive beams; The same transmit beam is transmitted on coherent symbols as part of the first instance of the second beam refinement procedure; as well as The data transmission is transmitted prior to a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure, based at least in part on the indication of the UE's capability to receive data and on transmitting the same transmit beam over coherent symbols.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising suspending the execution of the second beam refinement procedure at least in part based on the transmission of the data.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving an indication of the duration of suspending the second beam refinement procedure, the duration being at least in part based on Doppler spread measurements, radio resource control messages, or both.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein transmitting the data transmission comprises: Transmitting the data on the physical downlink control channel, the method further includes: The communication with the UE is based at least in part on transmitting the data over the physical downlink control channel.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving the indication of the capabilities of the UE comprises: The instruction regarding the UE's ability to perform the first beam refinement procedure is received via radio resource control messages, media access control elements, or both.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving one or more data transmissions during a duration associated with the second instance of the second beam refinement procedure, at least in part based on the indication of the UE's ability to perform the first beam refinement procedure.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising transmitting one or more non-data transmissions after transmitting the data transmission, after the UE performs the first beam refinement procedure, and before the second instance of the second beam refinement procedure.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving the indication of the ability to perform the first beam refinement procedure on the UE comprises: Receive an indication of the UE's ability to simultaneously receive the data transmission using the plurality of receive beams, wherein transmitting the data transmission is based at least in part on receiving the indication of the UE's ability to simultaneously receive the data transmission using the plurality of receive beams.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the second beam refinement procedure includes the P3 procedure.

24. An apparatus for conducting wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: processor; Memory coupled to the processor; as well as Instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the device to perform the following operations: Transmit to the network access node an indication of the UE's ability to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using multiple receive beams; The first receiving beam is selected from the plurality of receiving beams based at least in part on a first instance of performing a second beam refinement procedure using the plurality of receiving beams; Prior to a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure, the plurality of receive beams, including the first receive beam, are used to receive the data transmission from the network access node; as well as The first beam refinement procedure is performed at least in part based on receiving the data transmission.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: suspend the execution of the second instance of the second beam refinement procedure at least in part based on receiving the data transmission.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: The duration of suspending the second beam refinement procedure is determined at least in part based on Doppler spread measurements, radio resource control messages, or both; and The network access node is informed of the duration of suspending the second beam refinement procedure.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the instructions for performing the first beam refinement procedure are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: Measure one or more beam refinement parameters for each of the plurality of received beams; and The second receiving beam among the plurality of receiving beams is selected at least in part based on measurements of one or more beam refinement parameters.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the instructions for receiving the data transmission from the network access node are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: Receiving the data transmission on the physical downlink control channel, wherein measuring the one or more beam refinement parameters includes: The one or more beam refinement parameters are measured on the downlink modulation reference signal of the physical downlink control channel.

29. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the instructions for performing the first beam refinement procedure are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: During the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol period, one or more beam refinement parameters are measured for each of the plurality of receive beams; A first value of one or more beam refinement parameters associated with the first receiving beam is compared with a second value of one or more beam refinement parameters associated with the second receiving beam. as well as The selection of the second receiving beam or the first receiving beam is based at least in part on the comparison.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to switch from the first receive beam to the second receive beam, at least in part, based on comparing the first value with the second value, during the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol period or during an adjacent orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol period.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the one or more beam refinement parameters include reference signal received power, signal-to-interference and noise ratio, channel quality indication, system capacity, or any combination thereof.

32. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the instruction for transmitting the indication of the ability of the UE to perform the first beam refinement procedure is executable by the processor such that the apparatus: transmits the ability to perform the first beam refinement procedure via a radio resource control message, a media access control element, or both.

33. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: The second data transmission is received using a third receiving beam; and The first beam refinement procedure for the first receiving beam and the third receiving beam is executed concurrently, based at least in part on receiving the data transmission and the second data transmission.

34. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: transmit one or more data transmissions to the network access node during a duration associated with the second instance of the second beam refinement procedure, based at least in part on the instruction regarding the UE's ability to perform the first beam refinement procedure.

35. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: After receiving the data transmission, one or more non-data transmissions are received from the network access node; and The second beam refinement procedure is performed at least in part based on the receipt of the one or more non-data transmissions and the duration after the execution of the first beam refinement procedure.

36. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the instruction for transmitting the indication of the UE's ability to perform the first beam refinement procedure can be further executed by the processor to cause the apparatus to: transmit an indication of the UE's ability to simultaneously receive the data transmission using the plurality of receive beams.

37. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the second beam refinement procedure includes the P3 procedure.

38. An apparatus for wireless communication at a network access node, comprising: processor; Memory coupled to the processor; as well as Instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the device to perform the following operations: Receive an instruction on the ability of a user equipment (UE) to perform a first beam refinement procedure in response to data transmission and using multiple receive beams; The same transmit beam is transmitted on coherent symbols as part of the first instance of the second beam refinement procedure; as well as The data transmission is transmitted prior to a second instance of the second beam refinement procedure, based at least in part on the indication of the UE's capability to receive data and on transmitting the same transmit beam over coherent symbols.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: suspend the execution of the second instance of the second beam refinement procedure at least in part based on the transmission of the data.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: receive an indication of the duration of suspending the second beam refinement procedure, the duration being at least in part based on Doppler spread measurements, radio resource control messages, or both.

41. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the instructions for transmitting the data transmission are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: The data transmission is carried out on the physical downlink control channel, and the instructions can be further executed by the processor to enable the device to: The communication with the UE is based at least in part on transmitting the data over the physical downlink control channel.

42. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the instruction for receiving the indication of the capability of the UE can be further executed by the processor to cause the apparatus to: receive the indication of the capability of the UE to perform the first beam refinement procedure via a radio resource control message, a media access control element, or both.

43. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: receive one or more data transmissions during a duration associated with the second instance of the second beam refinement procedure, based at least in part on the instruction regarding the UE's ability to perform the first beam refinement procedure.

44. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: transmit one or more non-data transmissions after transmitting the data transmission, after the UE performs the first beam refinement procedure, and before the second instance of the second beam refinement procedure.

45. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the instruction for receiving the indication of the UE's ability to perform the first beam refinement procedure can be further executed by the processor to cause the apparatus to: Receive an indication of the UE's ability to simultaneously receive the data transmission using the plurality of receive beams, wherein transmitting the data transmission is based at least in part on receiving the indication of the UE's ability to simultaneously receive the data transmission using the plurality of receive beams.

46. ​​The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the second beam refinement procedure includes the P3 procedure.

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