Beam switching methods in millimeter wave systems

Abstract

Some embodiments include systems, methods, and computer program products for managing millimeter wavelength (mmWave) frequency higher subcarrier spacing (SCS) beam switching in a 5G wireless communication system. A user equipment (UE) transmits beam switching gap (BSG) capabilities to a 5G Node B (gNB). The UE receives a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state from the gNB and performs a beam switch to a TCI state corresponding to a first beam. The UE is capable of receiving a first control resource set (CORESET) on a first beam and a second CORESET on a second beam, wherein the BSG occurs between the first CORESET and the second CORESET. The UE is capable of performing a beam switch from the first beam to the second beam within the BSG and receiving the second CORESET on the second beam. The UE is capable of determining a modified candidate value for a beam switching parameter and transmitting it to the gNB.

Description

Background Art Technical Field

[0002] The embodiments described in this disclosure generally relate to 5G wireless communications.

[0003] Related fields

[0004] The 5G wireless communication system includes a user equipment (UE) that communicates with a 5G node B (gNB) using beam switching. Summary of the Invention

[0005] A 5G system operating at a high subcarrier spacing (SCS) in millimeter wavelength (mmWave) frequencies may be a mmWave system. 5G systems operating below mmWave frequencies may perform cyclic prefix (CP)-level beam switching during the CP period of a symbol. In mmWave systems, the length of the CP is shortened, and the time required to perform beam switching may be shorter than that required for mmWave systems. Therefore, after beam switching, the mmWave system may not receive critical information, resulting in poor performance and a negative user experience.

[0006] Some embodiments include systems, methods, and computer program products for beam switching in mmWave systems, and / or combinations or sub-combinations thereof. Some embodiments include a user equipment (UE) operable in mmWave frequencies. The UE transmits beam switching gap (BSG) capabilities to a 5G Node B (gNB). In response to the transmission, the UE receives a first transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state, and the UE performs beam switching to a first beam corresponding to the first TCI state. The UE receives a first control resource set (CORESET) from the gNB on a first beam and a second CORESET from the gNB on a second beam, wherein the BSG occurs between the first CORESET and the second CORESET. The UE performs beam switching from the first beam to the second beam within the BSG and receives the second CORESET on the second beam. A time to perform beam switching within the BSG is greater than a cyclic prefix (CP) length of a symbol of the first CORESET, and / or the BSG is greater than a time required for the UE to perform beam switching. Additionally, the UE may not transmit or receive signals during the BSG.

[0007] In some embodiments, the UE determines a modified candidate value for a beam switching parameter based at least on operation in one of the mmWave frequencies, and transmits the modified candidate value for the beam switching parameter to the gNB. The beam switching parameter is associated with beam switching, aperiodic-channel state information-reference signal (A-CSI-RS) beam switching timing, physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) beam switching, beam reporting timing, more than one downlink (DL) / uplink (UL) switching point in a timeslot, or CSI calculation delay requirement. The beam switching parameter may be associated with physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) beam switching.

[0008] The modified candidate value includes additional symbols to accommodate the smaller symbol duration of the mmWave frequency, or symbol-level beam switching. To determine the modified candidate value, the UE may determine a time constant proportional to the candidate value at a subcarrier spacing lower than the mmWave frequency. In some embodiments, the UE may add one or more symbols to accommodate symbol-level beam switching. The modified candidate value may be a function of a time constant proportional to the candidate value at a subcarrier spacing lower than the mmWave frequency. In some embodiments, the beam switching parameter is maxNumberRxTxBeamSwitchDL, and the determined modified candidate value includes: a maximum of one receive (Rx) transmit (Tx) switch per time slot of the first CORESET; a single Rx Tx switch over multiple time slots of the first CORESET; or a minimum number of symbols within a time slot of the first CORESET before an Rx Tx switch. In some embodiments, the beam switching parameter includes tdd-MultiDL-UL-SwitchPerSlot, and the determined modified candidate value includes more than one switching point within X time slots, where X is an integer, and where a minimum number of symbols occurs between switching points in the more than one switching points. In some embodiments, to support the determined modified candidate value of tdd-MultiDL-UL-SwitchPerSlot, the slot format indicator pattern includes flexible symbols between uplink symbols and downlink symbols.

[0009] In some embodiments, the mmWave system is a gNB operating mmWave frequencies. The gNB may receive a BSG capability corresponding to a UE and, in response, transmit a first TCI state for the UE to receive a first beam. The gNB transmits a first CORESET on the first beam and a second CORESET on the second beam, wherein the BSG occurs between the first CORESET and the second CORESET, and wherein the first CORESET identifies the second TCI state for the UE to receive the second beam. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate the disclosed disclosure and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the disclosure and enable one skilled in the relevant art to make and use the disclosure.

[0011] Figure 1 An example of beam switching in a millimeter wavelength (mmWave) system is shown, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 2 A block diagram of an exemplary mmWave system supporting beam switching according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0013] Figure 3A An example of cyclic prefix (CP) level beam switching according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0014] Figure 3B An example of insufficient CP-level beam switching in a mmWave system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0015] Figure 3C An example of a beam switching gap (BSG) for beam switching in a mmWave system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0016] Figure 4 A configuration example for beam switching in a mmWave system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0017] Figure 5 An example of aperiodic-channel state information-reference signal (A-CSI-RS) beam switching timing in a mmWave system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0018] Figure 6 An example of receive (Rx)-transmit (Tx) beam switching in a mmWave system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0019] Figure 7 An example of a slot format indicator table in a mmWave system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0020] Figure 8 A method for symbol-level beam switching in a mmWave system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0021] Figure 9 is an exemplary computer system for implementing some embodiments or portions thereof.

[0022] The present disclosure is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, generally, like reference numerals indicate identical or functionally similar elements. Also, generally, the leftmost digit of a reference numeral identifies the drawing in which the reference numeral first appears. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] A 5G wireless communication system may include a user equipment (UE) communicating with a 5G Node B (gNB). The UE may perform beam switching, such as switching from an antenna associated with a first beam to a second antenna associated with a second beam on the same or different antenna panel. It is possible to implement CP-level beam switching with a cyclic prefix (CP) of a symbol having a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of sufficient duration. The beam switching may occur within the CP of a symbol. However, for higher SCSs in millimeter mm wavelength (mmWave) frequencies, the CP may be too short to support beam switching. Some embodiments include systems, methods, and computer program products for beam switching in mmWave systems.

[0024] Figure 1 An example 100 of beam switching in a mmWave system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. System 100 includes a UE 110 communicating with a gNB 140 via beams 120, 125, and / or 130 using 5G wireless communication. Examples of 5G wireless communication may include, but are not limited to, 5G communication as defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards. For example, UE 110 may include an electronic device configured to operate using a 3GPP release, such as Release 17 (Rel-17), or other current or future 3GPP standards. For example, gNB 140 may transmit a first control resource set (CORESET) including a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) signal, which may be repeated multiple times for each repetition (e.g., a beam cycle) via different beams 120, 125, and / or 130. gNB 140 may transmit different CORESETs on different beams 120, 125, and / or 130. UE 110 may perform beam switching to receive the CORESETs. In some examples, UE 110 may receive one or more CORESETs with corresponding PDCCHs from multiple transmit-receive points (TRPs) and / or gNBs (not shown) including gNB 140. UE 110 may need to switch beams between each TRP and / or gNB to receive each CORESET.

[0025] Figure 2 A block diagram of an exemplary mmWave system supporting beam switching according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For convenience and not limitation, Figure 1System 200 is described using the following elements. System 200 may be UE 110 or gNB 140. UE 110 may be a computing electronic device such as a smartphone or cellular phone, and for simplicity, may include other computing devices including, but not limited to, laptops, desktop computers, tablets, personal assistants, routers, monitors, televisions, printers, and home appliances. System 200 includes a processor 210, a transceiver 220, a communications infrastructure 230, a memory 235, and an antenna 225, which together perform beam switching operations for the mmWave system. Transceiver 220 transmits and receives 5G wireless communication signals via antenna 225. Antenna 225 may include one or more antennas and / or panels, which may be of the same or different types, to enable wireless communication over a wireless network. Communications infrastructure 230 may be a bus. Memory 235 may include random access memory (RAM) and / or cache, and may include control logic components (e.g., computer software), computer instructions, and / or data. When executing computer instructions, the processor 210 may be configured to perform the functions described herein for mmWave system beam switching. In some embodiments, the processor 210 may include its own internal memory (not shown) and / or be "hardwired" (e.g., in a state machine) to enable the mmWave system beam switching described herein.

[0026] In 5G systems, SCS affects the duration of symbols, and therefore affects the cyclic prefix (CP) duration, payload duration, and overhead, as shown in Table 1 below: Subcarrier Spacing and Symbol Duration, where the symbol duration and CP duration decrease as the subcarrier spacing increases. The values ​​for 240 kHz, 480 kHz, and 960 kHz are exemplary values.

[0027] Table 1: Subcarrier spacing and symbol duration

[0028]

[0029] UE 110 may perform beam switching to change the beam used to receive and transmit signals (e.g., by switching from one antenna using a first beam to a second antenna on the same or different active antenna panel using a second beam). The beam switching time is the amount of time it takes for UE 110 to perform beam switching, and the beam switching time is specific to the type of device. Therefore, the beam switching time does not change with different SCSs. Beam switching is typically based on the CP level and is performed during the CP duration for operation at SCSs below mmWave frequencies (e.g., 120 kHz). However, because the CP duration decreases with higher SCS values, the CP duration may not be sufficient to allow UE 110 to properly perform beam switching.

[0030] Figure 3A An example 300 of CP-level beam switching according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Example 300 may involve an SCS of 240 kHz, where the CP duration = 292 nsec. Example 300 includes CORESETs 325 and 330, which include corresponding cyclic prefixes (CPs) 310a and 310b. The vertical axis of CORESETs 325 and 330 is subcarrier frequency, and the horizontal axis is time measured in symbols of a time slot. The duration of CORESETs 325 and 330 may extend over one or more symbols. The time required for the UE in Example 300 to switch from the first beam to the second beam is shown as beam switching times 315a and 315b. Note that beam switching times 315a and 315b are shorter than CP 310a or CP 310b. Therefore, the UE can decode CORESET 325 and switch from the first beam to the second beam in time during a sufficient time length of CP 310a to receive CORESET 330 on the second beam. However, when operating at higher subcarrier spacing (SCS) at mmWave frequencies, the time length of the CP may be too short to perform beam switching, as shown in FIG. Figure 3B shown.

[0031] Figure 3B FIG3 shows an insufficient CP-level beam switching example 340 of beam switching in a mmWave system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For convenience and not limitation, the elements of the previous figures may be used to describe Figure 3B . Example 340 may involve an SCS of 480 kHz (or higher) with a CP duration of 146 nsec or less. Example 340 includes CORESETs 355 and 360, which include corresponding cyclic prefixes (CPs) 350a and 350b. The vertical axis of CORESETs 355 and 360 is subcarrier frequency and the horizontal axis is time measured in symbols of a time slot. The duration of CORESETs 355 and 360 may extend over one or more symbols. Due to the higher SCS in mmWave frequencies, the duration of CORESETs 355 and 360 and the corresponding cyclic prefixes (CPs) 350a and 350b is shorter than that of CORESETs 325 and 330 and the corresponding CPs 310a and 310b. Figure 1The time required for UE 110 to switch from the first beam to the second beam is shown as beam switching times 345a and 345b. Note that beam switching times 345a and 345b are longer than CP 350a or CP 350b. Therefore, UE 110 can decode CORESET 355, but UE 110 cannot perform beam switching from the first beam to the second beam in time to receive CORESET 360 on the second beam during the insufficient time length of CP 350a. Therefore, when operating at higher SCS at mmWave frequencies, CP-level beam switching may not work (e.g., the time length of the CP may be too short to perform beam switching), as shown in example 340.

[0032] Figure 3C FIG3 shows an example of a beam switching gap (BSG) for beam switching in a mmWave system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For convenience and not limitation, the elements of the previous figures may be used to describe the beam switching gap (BSG) in the mmWave system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 3C . Example 370 may involve an SCS of 480 kHz (or higher) with a CP duration of 146 nsec or less. Example 370 includes CORESETs 373 and 375, which include corresponding CPs 380a and 380b. The vertical axis of CORESETs 373 and 375 is subcarrier frequency and the horizontal axis is time measured in symbols of a time slot. The duration of CORESETs 373 and 375 may extend over one or more symbols. Due to the higher SCS in mmWave frequencies, the duration of CORESETs 373 and 375 and the corresponding cyclic prefixes (CPs) 380a and 380b are shorter than the corresponding CORESETs 325 and 330 and the corresponding CPs 310a and 310b. The example 370 Figure 1 The time required for UE 110 to switch from the first beam to the second beam is shown as beam switching time 385. Note that beam switching times 315a, 315b, 345a, 345b, and 385 are substantially the same amount of time required for UE 110 to physically switch from one antenna to another. Beam switching times are based on the type of UE 110 and do not vary with the SCS value. Beam switching time 385 is longer than CP 380a or CP 380b. Similar to example 340, UE 110 can decode CORESET 373, but UE 110 cannot perform a beam switch from the first beam to the second beam in time to receive CORESET 375 on the second beam during the duration of CP 380a.

[0033] To address the insufficient duration of CP 380a, some embodiments include a beam switching gap (BSG) having a duration of one or more symbols, during which the UE can perform beam switching. In example 370, BSGs 390a and 390b are shown. For example, UE 110 can decode CORESET 373, and UE 110 can perform a beam switch from the first beam to the second beam during BSG 390b in time to receive CORESET 375 on the second beam. Figure 4 The configuration of BSG is described in

[15] .

[0034] Figure 4 An example configuration 400 for beam switching in a mmWave system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For convenience and not limitation, the elements of the previous figures may be used to describe Figure 4 Example 400 includes Figure 1 UE 110 and gNB 140. In some embodiments, UE 110 may be composed of Figure 2 The system 200 is implemented.

[0035] At 410, UE 110 may Figure 1 The UE 110 transmits beam switching capability information in a signal to the gNB 140 for the beam 120 of the mmWave frequency band. When the UE 110 operates at a higher SCS at mmWave frequencies, the beam switching capability information includes: i) an indication that a BSG is required; ii) specific modified candidate values ​​or a set of modified candidate values ​​for one or more beam switching parameters associated with transmission: aperiodic-channel state information-reference signal (A-CSI-RS) beam switching timing, physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) beam switching, physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) beam switching, beam reporting timing, and / or CSI calculation delay requirements; and / or iii) rules for receive (Rx) and transmit (Tx) beam changes (e.g., switching points in a timeslot) regarding the following capabilities: beam switching and / or more than one downlink (DL) / uplink (UL) switching point in a timeslot.

[0036] After receiving the beam switching capability information for UE 110, gNB 140 configures CORESETs for UE 110 at appropriate intervals. In some examples, UE 110 indicates that symbol-based beam switching is sufficient and a BSG is not required (e.g., UE 110 operates at SCS frequencies below mmWave). In some embodiments, the beam switching capability information for UE 110 indicates that a BSG is required. gNB 140 configures a single transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state for each CORESET (e.g., identifying the corresponding beam), where if a TCI state change is required, the CORESET is configured with a BSG. In some embodiments, gNB 140 configures multiple TCI states for each CORESET, where multiple instances of the CORESET are configured with a BSG between each CORESET instance. When the beam switching capability information includes a specific modified candidate value or a set of modified candidate values ​​for one or more beam switching parameters, gNB 140 configures the BSG duration to accommodate the one or more modified candidate values. When the beam switching capability information includes rules for receive (Rx) and transmit (Tx) beam switching, gNB 140 selects an appropriate slot format indicator or slot format that satisfies these rules.

[0037] At 420, gNB 140 transmits corresponding beam switching configuration information to UE 110 (e.g., via beam 120), wherein the corresponding beam switching configuration information is adapted to the received beam switching capability of UE 110 (e.g., according to items i), ii), and iii).

[0038] UE beam switching capability information indicates that BSG is required

[0039] In some examples, UE 110 transmits to gNB 140 the amount of time required for UE 110 to switch from one beam to another. In some examples, the SCS is associated with an index, and UE 110 indicates to gNB 140 that a BSG is required at or above a certain index. For example, for SCSs of 120 kHz, 240 kHz, 480 kHz, and 960 kHz, there are corresponding indexes 1, 2, 3, and 4. UE 110 may indicate to gNB 140 that for indexes 3 or greater (where SCS = 480 kHz), UE 110 requires a BSG. In some examples, gNB 140 indicates an SCS of 960 kHz (e.g., index 4). In response to receiving the SCS value or index from gNB 140, UE 110 transmits to gNB 140 an indication of whether a BSG is required.

[0040] When UE 110 operates at a higher SCS at mmWave frequencies and the beam switching capability information includes an indication that a BSG is required, the corresponding configuration information from gNB 140 indicates the TCI states that UE 110 uses to determine on which beams CORESET will be received and during which corresponding BSGs the UE 110 can perform beam switching.

[0041] For example, UE 110 may receive corresponding configuration information from gNB 140 (e.g., via beam 120). The corresponding configuration information may indicate a first TCI state corresponding to beam 125 and BSG 390a. UE 110 may perform beam switching (e.g., physically changing from using a first antenna on a panel to using a second antenna on the panel). In this example, UE 110 may switch from beam 120 to beam 125, corresponding to the first TCI state, during BSG 390a, and subsequently receive CORESET 373 on beam 125. In some examples, the corresponding configuration information from gNB 140 also includes a second TCI state corresponding to beam 130 and BSG 390b. In some embodiments, CORESET 373 includes the second TCI state corresponding to beam 130 and BSG 390b. After UE 110 decodes CORESET 373, UE 110 performs beam switching from beam 125 to beam 130 corresponding to the second TCI state during BSG 390b. Assuming beam switching time 385 is met during BSG 390b, UE 110 may then receive CORESET 375 from gNB 140 via beam 130.

[0042] In some embodiments for intra-band carrier aggregation (CA), UE 110 will not transmit or receive signals across all component carriers (CCs) during a BSG. For inter-band CA, UE 110 may report capabilities indicating whether UE 110 may transmit or receive signals across all CCs during a BSG.

[0043] The UE beam switching capability information indicates one or more modified candidate values

[0044] When UE 110 operates at a higher SCS at mmWave frequencies, UE 110 may determine the Figure 4 The embodiment of the present invention provides a specific modified candidate value or a set of modified candidate values ​​for one or more beam switching parameters included in the beam switching capability information transmitted to gNB 140 at 410. The candidate values ​​are modified to include additional time slots and / or symbols to accommodate smaller symbol durations and / or symbol-level beam switching (e.g., symbols explicitly dedicated to beam switching).

[0045] Figure 5An example 500 of aperiodic-channel state information-reference signal (A-CSI-RS) beam switching timing in a mmWave system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For convenience and not limitation, elements of the previous figures may be used to describe Figure 5 Example 500 can be represented by Figure 1 UE 110 or Figure 2 130 . The A-CSI-RS beam switching timing capability corresponds to the beamSwitchTiming parameter, which indicates the minimum number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols between the downlink control information (DCI) trigger of the A-CSI-RS and the A-CSI-RS transmission. The number of OFDM symbols is measured from the last symbol containing the indication to the first symbol of the CSI-RS. The UE 110 includes this field for each supported SCS. Example 500 shows the reception of DCI 510 on beam 125, the minimum distance in symbols 515 corresponding to the beamSwitchTiming parameter, and CSI-RS 520 transmitted on beam 130. During the minimum distance in symbols 515, the UE 110 decodes the DCI 510 and performs a beam switch from beam 125 to beam 130.

[0046] The three SCS examples show candidate values ​​that can be used to meet the minimum distance in symbols 515 at SCSs of 240 kHz, 480 kHz, and 960 kHz. The symbol duration decreases at higher SCSs, while the amount of time required for the UE 110 to perform beam switching (e.g., Figure 3C The beam switching time 385) remains fixed based on the device type of UE 110. As shown in Table 1: Subcarrier Spacing and Symbol Duration, the corresponding CP duration may be too short compared to the beam switching time 385. Figure 5At an SCS of 240 kHz, the candidate value is 28 symbols long. At an SCS of 480 kHz, the candidate value is 56 symbols long, and at an SCS of 960 kHz, the candidate value is 112 symbols long. At higher SCS values, the time used for symbols is shortened. For example, symbol 550 at SCS 960 k is ½ the length of symbol 540 at 480 kHz and ¼ the length of symbol 530 at 240 kHz. Similarly, symbol 555 at SCS 960 k is ½ the length of symbol 545 at 480 kHz and ¼ the length of symbol 535 at 240 kHz. The shortening of the symbol time results in a corresponding shortening of the CP duration. To address this issue of insufficient CP duration, UE 110 determines one or more modified candidate values ​​for parameters such as the beamSwitchTiming parameter. In some embodiments, UE 110 determines that the minimum distance in symbols 515 is insufficient and compensates for symbol-level beam switching by modifying the candidate value to include one or more symbols, such as symbol 560. In example 500, the modified candidate value may be 113 symbols instead of 112 symbols.

[0047] UE 110 may determine modified candidate values ​​for beam switching capabilities and corresponding parameters as shown in Table 2 below: UE capabilities modified to support mmWave frequency SCS. The capabilities and parameters are modified to incorporate both symbol duration reduction and symbol-level beam switching (e.g., symbols are explicitly dedicated to beam switching).

[0048] Table 2: UE capabilities modified to support SCS at mmWave frequencies

[0049] Beam switching capability parameter A-CSI-RS beam switching timing beamSwitchTiming PDSCH beam switching timeDurationForQCL PUSCH beam switching timeDurationForQCL_PUSCH Beam report timing beamReportTiming CSI calculation delay requirement (Z, Z') Z,Z'

[0050] In some embodiments, the PUSCH beam switching capability may be defined as the duration for determining and applying specific quasi-co-location (QCL) information for corresponding PUSCH reception. The duration may be defined as the end of the last symbol of the PUCCH to the beginning of the first symbol of the PUSCH.

[0051] To determine a modified candidate value for a parameter corresponding to the beam switching capability supporting mmWave frequency SCS, UE 110 may perform the following: a) modifying the value to maintain a time constant compared to the candidate value at the SCS lower than the mmWave frequency (e.g., at 60 kHz or 120 kHz); b) modifying the value to maintain a time constant compared to the candidate value at the SCS lower than the mmWave frequency and adding one or more symbols and / or time slots to accommodate symbol-level beam switching; c) modifying the value to reduce the time compared to the candidate value at the SCS lower than the mmWave frequency (e.g., due to improvements in hardware performance). These will be discussed further below.

[0052] In some embodiments, the UE 110 may determine a modified candidate value by maintaining a time constant compared to a candidate value at an SCS below the mmWave frequency (e.g., at 60 kHz or 120 kHz). In other words, the UE 110 may proportionally modify the candidate value at the SCS below the mmWave frequency to determine a modified candidate value for operation at the SCS of the mmWave frequency. The operation may be determined according to Formula 1 based on an exemplary candidate value at 120 kHz. Other exemplary candidate values ​​at the SCS below the mmWave frequency are possible.

[0053] Formula 1

[0054]

[0055] Example candidate values ​​for the beamSwitchTiming parameter are shown below in Table 3: Example candidate values ​​for A-CS-RSI capability.

[0056] Table 3: Example candidate values ​​for A-CS-RSI capabilities

[0057] SCS Candidate 1 Candidate 2 Candidate 3 Candidate 4 Candidate 5 120kHz 14 28 48 224 336 240kHz 28 56 96 448 672 480kHz 56 112 192 896 1344 960kHz 112 224 384 1792 2688

[0058] Using Equation 1 and the A-CS-RSI beam switching timing capability of Example 500 at SCS 120 kHz, Candidate 1, 120 kHz as shown in Table 3: Exemplary Candidate Values ​​for A-CS-RSI Capability, the modified candidate value is determined as follows:

[0059] value SCS@480kHz =(480kHz / 120kHz)·14 symbols= Figure 5 The symbols 545 show 56 symbols.

[0060] Some examples of exemplary candidate values ​​that can be determined using Formula 1 are shown below in Table 4: Exemplary candidate values ​​for PDSCH beam switching and Table 5: Exemplary candidate values ​​for beam reporting timing.

[0061] Table 4: Example candidate values ​​for PDSCH beam switching

[0062] SCS Candidate 1 Candidate 2 120kHz 14 28 240kHz 28 56 480kHz 56 112 960kHz 112 224

[0063] Table 5: Example candidate values ​​for beam reporting timing

[0064] SCS Candidate 1 Candidate 2 Candidate 3 120kHz 14 28 56 240kHz 28 56 112 480kHz 56 112 224 960kHz 112 224 448

[0065] In some embodiments, the UE 110 may determine a modified candidate value by maintaining a time constant compared to the candidate value at the SCS below the mmWave frequency and adding one or more symbols and / or time slots to accommodate symbol-level beam switching. For example, in addition to Formula 1, the UE 110 may also add one or more symbols and / or time slots to accommodate symbol-level beam switching (e.g., see symbol 560 of Example 500). The modified candidate value may be determined according to Formula 2 shown below:

[0066] Formula 2

[0067]

[0068] Using Equation 2 and the A-CS-RSI beam switching timing capability of Example 500 at SCS 120 kHz, Candidate 1, 120 kHz as shown in Table 3: Exemplary Candidate Values ​​for A-CS-RSI Capability, the modified candidate value is determined as follows:

[0069] value SCS@960kHz =(960kHz / 120kHz)·14 symbols + 1 symbol equals 112 symbols as shown by symbol 555 plus additional symbol 560. Therefore, the total symbol time equals 113 symbols. Using Equation 2, another table of exemplary candidate values ​​can be determined. Although the above example uses an SCS at 120kHz, other SCS values ​​and corresponding candidate values ​​are also possible.

[0070] In some embodiments, the UE 110 may modify the value to shorten the time compared to the candidate value at the SCS below the mmWave frequency (e.g., due to improvements in hardware performance), as shown in Equation 3 below.

[0071] Formula 3

[0072]

[0073] For example, Formula 3 shows that the modified candidate value for the mmWave system can be determined as a function of the proportional modified candidate value at the SCS below the mmWave frequency, which is demonstrated to be 120 kHz but not limited to 120 kHz. Other SCS values ​​and corresponding candidate values ​​are possible. For example, hardware performance improvements can reduce the time constant by 70%. The corresponding modified candidate value can be determined by applying Formula 3:

[0074] value SCS@960kHz =(0.7)·(960kHz / 120kHz)·14 symbols+1 symbol

[0075] =79 symbols + 1 symbol

[0076] =80 symbols

[0077] In some embodiments, the first part of Equation 3 is sufficient, and 79 symbols are used as modified candidate values.Other percentages and mathematical functions are also possible.

[0078] UE beam switching capability information indicates Rx Tx rules

[0079] When UE 110 operates at a higher SCS at mmWave frequencies and the beam switching capability information includes rules for receive (Rx) and transmit (Tx) switching points within a time slot, gNB 140 configures the time slot format to meet the capabilities of UE 110. Some beam switching point capabilities and parameters are shown below in Table 6: Rx Tx Rules for Beam Switching at mmWave Frequency SCS.

[0080] Table 6: Rx / Tx rules for beam switching in mmWave frequency SCS

[0081] Beam switching capability parameter Beam switching maxNumberRxTxBeamSwitchDL More than one DL / UL switching point in a timeslot tdd-MultiDL-UL-SwitchPerSlot

[0082] Figure 6 An example 600 of receive (Rx)-transmit (Tx) beam switching in a mmWave system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For convenience and not limitation, the elements of the previous figures may be used to describe Figure 6 Example 600 can be represented by Figure 1 UE 110 or Figure 2200 . Example 600 illustrates an SCS at 120 kHz with beam-changing capability, where candidate values ​​for maxNumberRxTxBeamSwitchDL include a maximum of 4, 7, or 14 Rx Tx beam switches, as shown by a maximum of 4 switches 615, a maximum of 7 switches 610, and a maximum of 14 switches 605. Also illustrated are SCSs at 240 kHz for a maximum of 14 switches 620 and a maximum of 7 switches 625. An SCS at 480 kHz for a maximum of 14 switches 635 may be too high for UE 110 to perform. In other words, UE 110 may not be able to perform beam switching quickly enough to receive or transmit signals, resulting in poor performance and / or a negative user experience.

[0083] With the increase of SCS in mmWave frequencies, some embodiments include limiting the number of switching points from Rx to Tx (e.g., DL to UL) or Tx to Rx (UL to DL) to provide sufficient time (e.g., symbols) for the UE 110 to change. Some embodiments include the following: a maximum of 1 or 2 switches per slot; a single switch over multiple slots (e.g., a maximum of 0.5 switches per slot or a maximum of 1 switch every 2 slots; or a minimum number of symbols before an Rx or Tx beam switch is possible).

[0084] For example, a maximum of two switches per time slot is demonstrated in a maximum of two switches 630 at an SCS of 240 kHz. A maximum of two switches 640 at a higher SCS of 480 kHz is more manageable. At an SCS of 480 kHz, UE 110 is better able to perform a maximum of one switch 645, given the reduced symbol size at higher SCSs in mmWave frequencies. As shown in example 600, a single switch over multiple time slots, demonstrated by a maximum of 0.5 switches 650, indicates only one switch every two time slots, allowing UE 110 ample time to perform beam switching.

[0085] For more than one DL / UL switching point capability in a timeslot, tdd-MultiDL-UL-SwitchPerSlot can be configured to consider symbol-level beam switching when no beam correspondence exists, as beam switching may not be possible within a CP. For example, tdd-MultiDL-UL-SwitchPerSlot can be configured to support more than one switching point within X timeslots and / or have a minimum number of symbols between switches. X is a configurable integer.

[0086] Figure 7 An example of a time slot format indicator table 700 in a mmWave system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For convenience and not limitation, the elements of the previous figures may be used to describe Figure 7 In some embodiments, the slot format indicator (SFI) pattern can be modified to account for symbol-level beam switching. For example, selection 710 indicates slot formats 46-53 switching from UL (U) to DL (D) without any gaps. Some embodiments include adding flexible symbols between U and D in selection 710 to support beam switching for mmWave systems operating at higher SCSs. In some embodiments, UE 110 utilizes one or more slot formats of selection 710 to communicate with gNB 140.

[0087] Figure 8 A method 800 for symbol-level beam switching in a mmWave system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For convenience and not limitation, the elements of the previous figures may be used to describe Figure 8 For example, method 800 may be performed by Figure 1 UE 110 or Figure 2 Executed by system 200.

[0088] At 805, when operating in high SCS in mmWave frequencies, the system 200 transmits beam switching capability information to the gNB 140, which may include, for example, BSG capabilities.

[0089] At 810, in response to the transmission, system 200 receives a first TCI state that system 200 uses to determine a first beam.

[0090] At 815 , the system 200 performs a beam switch to a first beam corresponding to a first TCI state.

[0091] At 820, the system 200 receives a first CORESET on a first beam and a second CORESET on a second beam, wherein BSG occurs between the first CORESET and the second CORESET.

[0092] At 825, the system 200 performs a beam switch from the first beam to the second beam within the BSG. The beam switch duration occurring within the BSG is greater than the length of the CP of the symbol of the first CORESET and / or the BSG is greater than the beam switch duration.

[0093] At 830, the system 200 determines a modified candidate value for a beam switching parameter based at least on operation in the mmWave frequency. The beam switching parameter may be associated with: aperiodic-channel state information-reference signal (A-CSI-RS) beam switching timing, physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) beam switching, physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) beam switching, beam reporting timing, more than one downlink (DL) / uplink (UL) switching point in a time slot, or CSI calculation delay requirement.

[0094] At 835, the system 200 determines a time constant proportional to the candidate value at a subcarrier spacing below the mmWave frequency.

[0095] At 840, the system 200 adds symbols to accommodate symbol-level beam switching.

[0096] At 845, system 200 transmits the modified candidate values ​​of the beam switching parameters to the gNB.

[0097] You can use, for example, Figure 9 Various embodiments may be implemented using one or more well-known computer systems such as the computer system 900 shown. The computer system 900 may be any well-known computer capable of performing the functions described herein. For example, but not limited to, Figure 1 and Figure 4 UE 110 and gNB 140; Figure 2 system 200; Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C Examples 300, 340 and 370; corresponding Figure 5-Figure 7 For example 500, 600 and 700, Figure 8 The method 800 (and / or other devices and / or components shown in the figure) can be implemented using the computer system 900 or a portion thereof.

[0098] Computer system 900 includes one or more processors (also referred to as central processing units or CPUs), such as processor 904. Processor 904 is connected to a communication infrastructure or bus 906. One or more processors 904 may each be a graphics processing unit (GPU). In an embodiment, a GPU is a processor that is a specialized electronic circuit designed to process mathematically intensive applications. A GPU may have an efficient parallel architecture for processing large blocks of data in parallel, such as mathematically intensive data commonly used in computer graphics applications, images, videos, and the like.

[0099] The computer system 900 also includes user input / output devices 903, such as a monitor, keyboard, pointing device, etc., that communicate with the communication infrastructure 906 through the user input / output interface 902. The computer system 900 also includes a main memory or primary storage 908, such as a random access memory (RAM). The main memory 908 may include one or more levels of cache. The main memory 908 has control logic components (e.g., computer software) and / or data stored therein.

[0100] The computer system 900 may also include one or more secondary storage devices or memories 910. The secondary storage 910 may include, for example, a hard disk drive 912 and / or a removable storage device or drive 914. The removable storage drive 914 may be a floppy disk drive, a tape drive, an optical disk drive, an optical storage device, a tape backup device, and / or any other storage device / drive.

[0101] The removable storage drive 914 can interact with a removable storage unit 918. The removable storage unit 918 includes a computer-usable or readable storage device having computer software (control logic components) and / or data stored thereon. The removable storage unit 918 can be a floppy disk, a magnetic tape, an optical disk, a DVD, an optical storage disk, and / or any other computer data storage device. The removable storage drive 914 reads from and / or writes to the removable storage unit 918 in a well-known manner.

[0102] According to some embodiments, secondary storage 910 may include other devices, means, or other methods for allowing computer system 900 to access computer programs and / or other instructions and / or data. Such devices, means, or other methods may include, for example, a removable storage unit 922 and an interface 920. Examples of removable storage unit 922 and interface 920 may include a program cartridge and cartridge interface (such as those found in video game devices), a removable memory chip (such as an EPROM or PROM) and an associated socket, a memory stick and USB port, a memory card and an associated memory card slot, and / or any other removable storage unit and associated interface.

[0103] The computer system 900 may also include a communication or network interface 924. The communication interface 924 enables the computer system 900 to communicate and interact with any combination of remote devices, remote networks, remote entities, and the like (individually and collectively referenced by reference numeral 928). For example, the communication interface 924 may allow the computer system 900 to communicate with a remote device 928 via a communication path 926, which may be wired and / or wireless and may include any combination of a LAN, a WAN, the Internet, and the like. Control logic components and / or data may be transmitted to and from the computer system 900 via the communication path 926.

[0104] The operations in the foregoing embodiments can be implemented in a variety of configurations and architectures. Thus, some or all of the operations in the foregoing embodiments can be performed in hardware, software, or in both hardware and software. In some embodiments, a tangible, non-transient device or article includes a tangible, non-transient computer-usable or readable medium on which a control logic component (software) is stored, also referred to herein as a computer program product or program storage device. This includes, but is not limited to, a computer system 900, a main memory 908, an auxiliary memory 910, and removable storage units 918 and 922, as well as tangible articles embodying any combination of the foregoing. When executed by one or more data processing devices (such as computer system 900), such control logic components cause such data processing devices to operate as described herein.

[0105] Based on the teachings contained in this disclosure, it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art how to use Figure 9 The embodiments of the present disclosure may be made and used with data processing devices, computer systems, and / or computer architectures other than those shown. In particular, the embodiments may operate with software, hardware, and / or operating system implementations other than those described herein.

[0106] It should be understood that the Detailed Description section, and not the Summary and Abstract sections, is intended to be used to interpret the claims. The Summary and Abstract sections may set forth one or more, but not all, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure as contemplated by the inventors, and thus, are not intended to limit the present disclosure or the appended claims in any way.

[0107] Although the present disclosure has been described herein with reference to exemplary embodiments of exemplary fields and applications, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Other embodiments and modifications are possible and are within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. For example, and without limiting the generality of this paragraph, the embodiments are not limited to the software, hardware, firmware, and / or entities shown in the figures and / or described herein. In addition, the embodiments (whether or not explicitly described herein) have significant utility for fields and applications beyond the examples described herein.

[0108] Implementations have been described herein with the aid of functional building blocks that illustrate the implementation of specific functions and their relationships. For ease of description, the boundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein. Alternative boundaries may be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships (or their equivalents) are appropriately performed. Furthermore, alternative embodiments may perform functional blocks, steps, operations, methods, etc., in an order different from that described herein.

[0109] References herein to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an exemplary embodiment," or similar phrases indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when particular features, structures, or characteristics are described in connection with an embodiment, it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the relevant art to incorporate those features, structures, or characteristics into other embodiments, whether or not explicitly mentioned or described herein.

[0110] The breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

[0111] As described above, various aspects of the present technology may include collecting and using data available from various sources to, for example, improve or enhance functionality. The present disclosure contemplates that, in some instances, these collected data may include personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate a specific person. Such personal information data may include demographic data, location-based data, phone numbers, email addresses, Twitter IDs, home addresses, data or records related to the user's health or fitness level (e.g., vital sign measurements, medication information, exercise information), date of birth, or any other identifying information or personal information. The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data in the present technology can be used to benefit users.

[0112] This disclosure contemplates that entities responsible for collecting, analyzing, disclosing, transmitting, storing, or otherwise using such personal information will adhere to established privacy policies and / or practices. Specifically, such entities should implement and adhere to privacy policies and practices that are recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining the privacy and security of personal information. Such policies should be easily accessible to users and updated as the collection and / or use of data changes. Personal information collected from users should be used for the entity's legitimate and reasonable purposes and not shared or sold beyond those legitimate uses. Furthermore, such collection / sharing should only be done with the user's informed consent. Furthermore, such entities should consider taking any necessary steps to safeguard and secure access to such personal information and ensure that others with access to the personal information adhere to their privacy policies and procedures. Furthermore, such entities may subject themselves to third-party assessments to demonstrate compliance with widely accepted privacy policies and practices. Furthermore, policies and practices should be tailored to the specific type of personal information collected and / or accessed, and to applicable laws and standards, including jurisdictional considerations. For example, in the United States, the collection or access of certain health data may be governed by federal and / or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); whereas health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly. Therefore, different privacy practices should be maintained for different types of personal data in each country.

[0113] Regardless of the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates implementation schemes in which users selectively block the use or access of personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates providing hardware elements and / or software elements to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, the present technology can be configured to allow users to selectively “opt in” or “opt out” of collecting personal information data at any time, for example, during or after registration for a service. In addition to providing “opt in” and “opt out” options, the present disclosure also contemplates providing notifications related to access or use of personal information. For example, a user may be notified that their personal information data will be accessed when downloading an application, and then reminded again just before the personal information data is accessed by the application.

[0114] Furthermore, it is an object of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risk can be minimized by limiting data collection and deleting data once it is no longer needed. In addition, and when applicable, including in certain health-related applications, data de-identification can be used to protect the privacy of users. De-identification can be facilitated by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth, etc.), controlling the amount or specificity of stored data (e.g., collecting location data at the city level rather than the address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users), and / or other methods, where appropriate.

[0115] Thus, while the present disclosure broadly encompasses the use of personal information data to implement one or more of the various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that various embodiments may be implemented without requiring access to such personal information data. That is, various embodiments of the present technology will not be unable to function properly due to the lack of all or a portion of such personal information data.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) system, comprising: a transceiver configured to perform wireless communications at millimeter wavelength (mmWave) frequencies; as well as a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to: Determining a modified candidate value for a beam switching parameter based at least on operation at one of the mmWave frequencies comprises: determining a time constant proportional to a candidate value at a subcarrier spacing below the mmWave frequency; transmitting, via the transceiver, a beam switching gap (BSG) capability including the modified candidate value of the beam switching parameter; In response to the transmitting, receiving, via the transceiver, a first transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state; performing a beam switch to a first beam corresponding to the first TCI state; receiving, via the transceiver, a first control resource set (CORESET) on the first beam and a second CORESET on the second beam, wherein BSG occurs between the first CORESET and the second CORESET; and Beam switching from the first beam to the second beam is performed within the BSG.

2. The UE system according to claim 1, wherein a time for performing the beam switching within the BSG is greater than a length of a cyclic prefix (CP) of a symbol of the first CORESET.

3. The UE system of claim 1 , wherein the beam switching parameters are associated with capabilities including: aperiodic-channel state information-reference signal A-CSI-RS beam switching timing, physical downlink shared channel PDSCH beam switching, beam reporting timing, CSI calculation delay requirement, beam switching, or more than one downlink DL / uplink UL switching point in a time slot. 4 . The UE system according to claim 1 , wherein the beam switching parameter is associated with Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) beam switching. 5 . The UE system of claim 1 , wherein the modified candidate values ​​include additional symbols to accommodate a smaller symbol duration of the mmWave frequency, or symbol-level beam switching. 6 . The UE system of claim 1 , wherein to determine the modified candidate value, the processor is configured to add symbols to accommodate symbol-level beam switching.

7. The UE system of claim 1 , wherein the modified candidate value is a function of the time constant that is proportional to the candidate value at the subcarrier spacing below the mmWave frequency.

8. The UE system according to claim 1 , wherein the beam switching parameter comprises maxNumberRxTxBeamSwitchDL, and the determined modified candidate value comprises: Each time slot of the first CORESET receives Rx and transmits Tx switching at most once; A single Rx Tx switch over multiple time slots of the first CORESET; or Minimum number of symbols in a time slot before Rx Tx switching of the first CORESET.

9. The UE system according to claim 1 , wherein the beam switching parameter comprises tdd-MultiDL-UL-SwitchPerSlot, and the determined modified candidate value comprises: There are more than one switching points within X time slots, where X is an integer, and where a minimum number of symbols occur between the switching points of the more than one switching points.

10. The UE system of claim 9, wherein to support the determined modified candidate value of tdd-MultiDL-UL-SwitchPerSlot, a slot format indicator pattern includes a flexible symbol between uplink symbols and downlink symbols. The UE system according to claim 1 , wherein the BSG is greater than a time required for the UE system to perform the beam switching.

12. A method for a user equipment (UE) system performing wireless communications at millimeter wavelength (mmWave) frequencies, the method comprising: Determining a modified candidate value for a beam switching parameter based at least on operation at one of the mmWave frequencies comprises: determining a time constant proportional to a candidate value at a subcarrier spacing below the mmWave frequency; transmitting a beam switching gap (BSG) capability including the modified candidate value of the beam switching parameter; In response to the transmitting, receiving a first transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state; performing a beam switch to a first beam corresponding to the first TCI state; receiving a first control resource set CORESET on the first beam and receiving a second CORESET on a second beam, wherein BSG occurs between the first CORESET and the second CORESET; and Beam switching from the first beam to the second beam is performed within the BSG.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein a time for performing the beam switching within the BSG is greater than a length of a cyclic prefix (CP) of a symbol of the first CORESET, or the BSG is greater than a time required for the UE system to perform the beam switching.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the beam switching parameters are associated with capabilities including: aperiodic-channel state information-reference signal A-CSI-RS beam switching timing, physical downlink shared channel PDSCH beam switching, physical uplink shared channel PUSCH beam switching, CSI calculation delay requirement, beam report timing, beam switching, or more than one downlink DL / uplink UL switching point in a time slot.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining the modified candidate value further comprises: Symbols are added to accommodate symbol-level beam switching.

16. A base station (BS) system, comprising: a transceiver configured to operate at millimeter wavelength (mmWave) frequencies; as well as a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to: receiving, via the transceiver, beam switching gap (BSG) capabilities corresponding to a user equipment (UE), the beam switching gap (BSG) capabilities comprising modified candidate values ​​of beam switching parameters, the modified candidate values ​​of the beam switching parameters being based on at least operation at one of the mmWave frequencies and including a time constant proportional to the candidate value at a subcarrier spacing lower than the mmWave frequency; In response to the receiving, transmitting, via the transceiver, a first transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state for the UE to receive a first beam; and A first control resource set (CORESET) is transmitted on the first beam and a second CORESET is transmitted on the second beam via the transceiver, wherein BSG occurs between the first CORESET and the second CORESET, wherein The first CORESET identifier is used for the UE to receive the second beam in a second TCI state.

Images