High frequency beam switching

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) and a base station exchange communications to enable the UE to switch beams. The UE receives a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource configuration from the base station, wherein the PUCCH resource configuration includes a plurality of PUCCH resources; receives a signal from the base station based on which of the plurality of PUCCH resources is activated; performs a beam switching operation to change a transmission beam to a beam corresponding to the activated PUCCH resource; and transmits periodic uplink (UL) data using the beam corresponding to the activated PUCCH resource.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates generally to wireless communications, and in particular to high frequency beam switching. Background Art

[0002] In 5G New Radio (NR) wireless communications, a 5G NR network can exchange data with user equipment using the following two main frequency bands: Frequency Range 1 (FR1) between 410MHz-7,125MHz and Frequency Range 2 (FR2) between 24.25GHz-52.6GHz. However, the network currently does not support communications using frequencies higher than 52.6GHz. Future versions of the 5G NR standard (e.g., 3GPP standards) may support 5G operations in unlicensed bands at frequencies higher than 52.6GHz. Therefore, 5G networks and user equipment (UE) operating on the network need to support various operations in higher frequency bands. Summary of the invention

[0003] Some exemplary embodiments relate to a user equipment (UE) having: a transceiver configured to communicate with a base station; and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform operations. The operations include: receiving a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource configuration from the base station, wherein the PUCCH resource configuration includes a plurality of PUCCH resources; receiving a signal from the base station based on which of the plurality of PUCCH resources is activated; performing a beam switching operation to change a transmission beam to a beam corresponding to the activated PUCCH resource; and transmitting periodic uplink (UL) data using the beam corresponding to the activated PUCCH resource.

[0004] Other exemplary embodiments relate to a processor configured to perform operations including: receiving a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource configuration from a base station, wherein the PUCCH resource configuration includes a plurality of PUCCH resources; receiving a signal from the base station based on which of the plurality of PUCCH resources is activated; performing a beam switching operation to change a transmission beam to a beam corresponding to the activated PUCCH resource; and transmitting periodic uplink (UL) data using the beam corresponding to the activated PUCCH resource.

[0005] Another exemplary embodiment relates to a user equipment (UE) having: a transceiver configured to communicate with a base station; and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform operations. The operations include: receiving a plurality of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources from the base station, wherein each PUCCH resource includes an uplink control information (UCI) field, and wherein each PUCCH resource in the plurality of PUCCH resources is configured by the base station to trigger an aperiodic scheduling request (A-SR); activating a PUCCH resource in the plurality of PUCCH resources; and transmitting an SR to the base station based on the activated PUCCH resource.

[0006] Additional exemplary embodiments relate to a base station having: a transceiver configured to communicate with a user equipment (UE); and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform operations. The operations include: configuring a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource configuration for the UE, wherein the PUCCH resource configuration includes multiple PUCCH resources; transmitting the PUCCH resource configuration to the UE; transmitting a signal to the UE based on which of the multiple PUCCH resources is activated, wherein the signal causes the UE to perform a beam switching operation to change the transmission beam to a beam corresponding to the activated PUCCH resource; and receiving periodic uplink (UL) data using the beam corresponding to the activated PUCCH resource. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 Exemplary network arrangements are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0008] Figure 2 An exemplary UE according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0009] Figure 3 An exemplary base station configured to establish a connection with a user equipment is shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0010] Figure 4 Methods of performing beam switching operations based on PUCCH resource configuration according to various exemplary embodiments are shown.

[0011] Figure 5 Exemplary diagrams illustrating PUCCH resource configurations according to various exemplary embodiments are shown.

[0012] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B Exemplary MAC-CE signal configurations are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0013] Figure 7 An exemplary diagram of PUCCH resource selection by a UE according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0014] FIG. 8A to FIG. 8D An exemplary diagram of PUCCH resource validation by a UE according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and related drawings, in which similar elements have the same reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments describe an apparatus, system, and method for configuring physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources for user equipment (UE) to switch beams in a 5G new radio (NR) network.

[0016] The exemplary embodiments are described with reference to a network including a 5G New Radio NR radio access technology (RAT). However, the exemplary embodiments may be implemented in other types of networks using the principles described herein.

[0017] The exemplary embodiments are also described with reference to a UE. However, the use of a UE is for illustrative purposes only. The exemplary embodiments can be utilized with any electronic component that can establish a connection with a network and is configured with hardware, software, and / or firmware for exchanging information and data with the network. Therefore, the UE described herein is used to represent any electronic component.

[0018] Beamforming is an antenna technique for transmitting or receiving directional signals. From the perspective of a transmitting device, beamforming may refer to propagating a directional signal. Throughout this specification, a beamformed signal may be referred to as a transmitter beam. A transmitter beam may be generated by having multiple antenna elements radiate the same signal. Increasing the number of antenna elements radiating a signal reduces the width of the radiation pattern and increases the gain. The transmitter beam may vary in width and may propagate in any of a number of directions.

[0019] From the perspective of a receiving device, beamforming may refer to tuning a receiver to listen in a direction of interest. Throughout the specification, the region of space encompassed by a receiver listening in a direction of interest may be referred to as a receiver beam. A receiver beam may be generated by configuring the parameters of a spatial filter on a receiver antenna array to listen in the direction of interest and filter out any noise outside the direction of interest. A receiver beam may also vary in width and may be directed in any of a number of different directions of interest.

[0020] As mentioned above, current 5G NR network designs do not support communications using frequencies above 52.6 GHz. It would be beneficial to utilize spectrum above 52.6 GHz to increase the capacity of the network. However, utilizing frequencies above 52.6 GHz would require narrow beamforming for both transmission and reception due to higher phase noise, greater propagation losses due to high atmospheric absorption, and lower power amplifier efficiency. One problem with such narrow beamforming is the difficulty faced by the network's next generation NodeB (gNB) in tuning its receiver beam to the UE in a timely manner, especially in the case of periodic transmissions such as Scheduling Requests (SRs), periodic or semi-persistent channel state information (P-CSI or SP-CSI), and Sounding Reference Signals (SRS) on the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH). Such transmissions lack a dynamic downlink control information (DCI) format that indicates the uplink transmission beam or spatial relationship information.

[0021] According to some exemplary embodiments, the UE is configured with a set of periodic PUCCH resources, each with a different corresponding beam. The gNB then transmits a signal to the UE to activate one of the PUCCH resources so that the UE knows which beam the gNB is using to receive uplink information. Thus, the UE can dynamically switch beams, allowing the use of frequencies above 52.6 GHz.

[0022] Figure 1 An exemplary network arrangement 100 according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. The exemplary network arrangement 100 includes a UE 110. It should be noted that any number of UEs may be used in the network arrangement 100. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the UE 110 may alternatively be any type of electronic component configured to communicate via a network, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, a smart phone, a phablet, an embedded device, a wearable device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc. It should also be appreciated that an actual network arrangement may include any number of UEs used by any number of users. Therefore, for illustrative purposes, only an example with a single UE 110 is provided.

[0023] UE 110 may be configured to communicate with one or more networks. In the example of network configuration 100, the networks with which UE 110 may wirelessly communicate are 5G New Radio (NR) radio access network (5G NR-RAN) 120, LTE radio access network (LTE-RAN) 122, and wireless local area network (WLAN) 124. However, it should be understood that UE 110 may also communicate with other types of networks, and UE 110 may also communicate with the network through a wired connection. Therefore, UE 110 may include a 5G NR chipset that communicates with 5G NR-RAN 120, an LTE chipset that communicates with LTE-RAN 122, and an ISM chipset that communicates with WLAN 124.

[0024] 5G NR-RAN 120 and LTE-RAN 122 may be parts of cellular networks that may be deployed by cellular providers (e.g., Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.). These networks 120, 122 may include, for example, cells or base stations (NodeB, eNodeB, HeNB, eNBS, gNB, gNodeB, macrocell base stations, microcell base stations, small cell base stations, femtocell base stations, etc.) configured to send and receive traffic from UEs equipped with appropriate cellular chipsets. WLAN 124 may include any type of wireless local area network (WiFi, hotspot, IEEE 802.11x network, etc.).

[0025] UE 110 may be connected to 5G NR-RAN 120 via gNB 120A and / or gNB 120B. During operation, UE 110 may be within range of multiple gNBs. Thus, simultaneously or alternatively, UE 110 may be connected to 5G NR-RAN 120 via gNBs 120A and 120B. In addition, UE 110 may communicate with eNB 122A of LTE-RAN 122 to transmit and receive control information for downlink and / or uplink synchronization with respect to 5G NR-RAN 120 connection.

[0026] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any relevant process may be performed for the UE 110 to connect to the 5G NR-RAN 120. For example, as described above, the 5G NR-RAN 120 may be associated with a particular cellular provider, where the UE 110 and / or its user has protocol and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card). Upon detecting the presence of the 5G NR-RAN 120, the UE 110 may transmit corresponding credential information in order to associate with the 5G NR-RAN 120. More specifically, the UE 110 may be associated with a particular base station (e.g., gNB 120A of the 5G NR-RAN 120).

[0027] In addition to networks 120, 122, and 124, network arrangement 100 also includes a cellular core network 130, the Internet 140, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) 150, and a network service backbone 160. Cellular core network 130 (e.g., 5GC of NR) can be considered as an interconnected collection of components that manage the operation and traffic of a cellular network. Cellular core network 130 also manages traffic flowing between the cellular network and the Internet 140.

[0028] The IMS 150 may be generally described as an architecture for delivering multimedia services to the UE 110 using the IP protocol. The IMS 150 may communicate with the cellular core network 130 and the Internet 140 to provide multimedia services to the UE 110. The network service backbone 160 communicates directly or indirectly with the Internet 140 and the cellular core network 130. The network service backbone 160 may be generally described as a set of components (e.g., servers, network storage arrangements, etc.) that implement a set of services that may be used to extend the functionality of the UE 110 to communicate with various networks.

[0029] Figure 2 An exemplary UE 110 is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. Figure 1 100 is used to describe the UE 110. The UE 110 may represent any electronic device and may include a processor 205, a memory arrangement 210, a display device 215, an input / output (I / O) device 220, a transceiver 225, and other components 230. The other components 230 may include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a battery providing a limited power source, a data acquisition device, a port for electrically connecting the UE 110 to other electronic devices, one or more antenna panels, etc. For example, the UE 110 may be coupled to industrial equipment via one or more ports.

[0030] The processor 205 may be configured to execute multiple engines of the UE 110. For example, the engine may include a beam management engine 235. The beam management engine 235 may perform various operations related to beam switching. An example of this process will be described in more detail below.

[0031] The above-described engine as an application (e.g., program) executed by the processor 205 is merely exemplary. The functions associated with the engine may also be represented as an independent combined component of the UE 110, or may be a modular component coupled to the UE 110, for example, an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, an integrated circuit may include an input circuit system for receiving a signal and a processing circuit system for processing signals and other information. The engine may also be embodied as an application or multiple separate applications. In addition, in some UEs, the functionality described for the processor 205 is shared between two or more processors such as a baseband processor and an application processor. The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of the UE.

[0032] The memory arrangement 210 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE 110. The display device 215 may be a hardware component configured to display data to a user, and the I / O device 220 may be a hardware component that enables user input. The display device 215 and the I / O device 220 may be separate components or may be integrated together (such as a touch screen). The transceiver 225 may be a hardware component configured to establish a connection with the 5G NR-RAN 120, LTE-RAN 122, WLAN 124, etc. Thus, the transceiver 225 may operate on multiple different frequencies or channels (e.g., a continuous set of frequencies).

[0033] Figure 3 An exemplary network cell, in this case gNB 120A, is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. gNB 120A may represent any access node of a 5G NR network that UE 110 may use to establish a connection. Figure 3 The gNB 120A shown may also represent gNB 120B.

[0034] The gNB 120A may include a processor 305, a memory arrangement 310, an input / output (I / O) device 320, a transceiver 325, and other components 330. The other components 330 may include, for example, a power supply, a data acquisition device, a port for electrically connecting the gNB 120A to other electronic devices, and the like.

[0035] The processor 305 may be configured to execute multiple engines of the gNB 120A. For example, the engines may include a PUCCH management engine 335 for performing operations including configuring and activating PUCCH resources for the UE 110 to perform beam switching operations. An example of this process is described in more detail below.

[0036] The engine described above as an application (e.g., program) executed by the processor 305 is merely exemplary. The functionality associated with the engine may also be represented as a stand-alone integrated component of the gNB 120A, or may be a modular component coupled to the gNB 120A, such as an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, an integrated circuit may include input circuitry for receiving signals and processing circuitry for processing signals and other information. In addition, in some gNBs, the functionality described for the processor 305 is split between multiple processors (e.g., a baseband processor, an application processor, etc.). The exemplary aspects may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of the gNB.

[0037] The memory 310 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE 110, 112. The I / O device 320 may be a hardware component or port that enables a user to interact with the gNB 120A. The transceiver 325 may be a hardware component configured to exchange data with the UE 110 and any other UE in the system 100. The transceiver 325 may operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., a set of continuous frequencies). Thus, the transceiver 325 may include one or more components (e.g., radio components) to enable data exchange with various networks and UEs.

[0038] Figure 4 A method 400 for performing beam switching operations based on a PUCCH resource configuration according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. At 405, the UE 110 receives a periodic PUCCH resource configuration from the gNB 120a (or 120b). The periodic PUCCH resource configuration includes a set of periodic PUCCH resources used by the UE 110 to transmit an SR transmission, a P-CSI / SP-CSI transmission, or an SRS transmission. In some embodiments, each PUCCH resource configuration has a different spatial setting, for example, each PUCCH resource corresponds to a different beam. Although multiple PUCCH resources (e.g., 8) are configured for a single physical channel (e.g., SR), only one PUCCH resource can be activated. Therefore, the configuration of multiple PUCCH resources does not increase signaling overhead because a corresponding number of UEs (e.g., 8) can share multiple resources so that one PUCCH resource is activated for each UE at a given time. Therefore, the number of resources does not increase based on the number of UEs. Instead, multiple UEs share a resource pool.

[0039] In addition to each PUCCH resource being configured with a different spatial setting (e.g., synchronization signal block (SSB) index or CSI reference signal (CSI-RS) index), the resource may be configured with different power control parameters (e.g., P0 and α values) due to different path losses associated with different beams. To identify each PUCCH resource, each resource is configured with a group identifier (G-ID) and a resource index within the group.

[0040] PUCCH resources in the same group on the serving cell are configured in a group with at least N 间隙 In some embodiments, N 间隙 The value of N may be reported by the UE as a UE capability to provide the UE with some degree of flexibility in determining the gap value, e.g., a tradeoff between complexity and latency performance. 间隙 It may be defined by a standard (eg, 3GPP standard) based on a subcarrier spacing (SCS).

[0041] refer to Figure 5 In some embodiments, the PUCCH resources 502, 504, 506, and 508 within the same PUCCH resource group 500 each have the same periodicity value (T PUCCH ). Offset value (T 偏移 ) may be determined implicitly based on the resource index within the group, or alternatively may be explicitly configured by gNB 120a. In some embodiments, the time domain resource allocation may be determined using the following equation:

[0042]

[0043] in is the number of time slots, n f is the system frame number (SFN), is the number of time slots in the frame of SCS u, and T 偏移 = kΔ, where k is the resource index (0, 1, 2, ...) and k = N 间隙 . The PUCCH resources are located in the time slots that satisfy the above equation. Based on the given periodicity value, gNB 120a maps or determines the time domain location of the PUCCH resources.

[0044] In some embodiments, the periodicity (T PUCCH ) and offset value (T 偏移) may alternatively be explicitly configured by the gNB via, for example, radio resource control (RRC) signaling for each PUCCH resource. For example, because different resources are associated with different functions, some resources may be configured as fallback resources in the event that UE 110 is unable to establish a connection with gNB 120a. In this case, UE 110 will fall back to the default PUCCH resources. In some embodiments, as discussed above, the default / fallback PUCCH resources may have a longer periodicity compared to the normal PUCCH resources. The purpose of the longer periodicity is to ensure that if gNB 120a is unable to obtain PUCCH resources, beam misalignment can be corrected within the longer periodicity by using the fallback / default PUCCH resources.

[0045] Return to Figure 4 At 410, UE 110 receives a signal from gNB 120a to activate one of the PUCCH resources. In some embodiments, at 410, UE 110 receives a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) transmission from gNB 120a to activate one of the PUCCH resources. Fig. 6A and Figure 6B 2 shows an exemplary MAC-CE signal configuration according to various exemplary embodiments. Fig. 6A As shown, the MAC-CE 600 may include a serving cell group ID 602 ​​and a bandwidth part (BWP) ID 604. The serving cell group ID 602 ​​indicates the identity of the serving cell (e.g., gNB 120a) group to which the MAC-CE applies. In some embodiments, the length of the serving cell group ID field is 5 bits. As specified in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.212, the BWP ID indicates the uplink BWP of the code point applied by the MAC-CE as the DCI bandwidth part field indicator. In some embodiments, the length of the BWP ID is 2 bits. In such embodiments, the MAC-CE may include a group ID 606 and a PUCCH resource index 608. The group ID 606 indicates the PUCCH group to which the MAC-CE applies. The PUCCH resource index 608 indicates the activation state (active / inactive) of each PUCCH resource within the PUCCH resource group. Alternatively, the PUCCH resource index 608 may simply indicate which of the PUCCH resources in the group is active. At 415 , the beam at the UE 110 is switched to the beam corresponding to the PUCCH resource indicated as active by the PUCCH resource index 608 .

[0046] like Figure 6BAs shown, MAC-CE 650 may alternatively include only serving cell group ID 652. In such embodiments, MAC-CE 650 may include spatial relationship information ID 660 indicating spatial relationship information IDs of all PUCCH groups for the indicated serving cell group. In some embodiments, spatial relationship information ID 660 may alternatively be added to the scheduling DCI format to trigger switching or activation / deactivation of PUCCH resources within the PUCCH group.

[0047] Since beam switching is not associated with an uplink channel, beam misalignment has a negative impact on all periodic channels. Therefore, the spatial relationship information ID 660 directly indicates the spatial relationship configured as part of the periodic PUCCH resources. By directly indicating which spatial relationship information ID is activated, all associated PUCCH resources are coupled and become activated, and all UL channels are activated regardless of the functions they are associated with. In contrast, the PUCCH resource index 608 of the MAC-CE 650 is associated with one function (e.g., SR, SRS, CSI feedback), while the spatial relationship information ID 660 of the MAC-CE 600 allows beam switching for all related channels. At 415, the beam at the UE 110 is switched to the beam corresponding to the beam indicated by the spatial relationship information ID 660.

[0048] In some embodiments, UE 110 may alternatively autonomously activate one of the PUCCH resources based on data received from gNB 120a at 410. UE 110 may then perform predetermined measurements on the data received from gNB 120a to determine which PUCCH resources to activate. In some embodiments, the data received from gNB 120a is a reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold (X) configured by a system information block (SIB) or RRC signaling. 阈值 ). After providing a set of PUCCH resources to UE 110 at 405, where each PUCCH resource in the set of PUCCH resources is associated with a different SSB index or CSI-RS index, UE 110 receives an RSRP threshold from the gNB at 410. UE 110 then selects an associated SSB / CSI-RS whose RSRP exceeds X 阈值 The first PUCCH resource.

[0049] For example, Figure 7 As shown, at 708, UE 110 receives PUCCH resources 702, 704, and 706 and / or RSRP threshold (X 阈值). Each of the PUCCH resources 702, 704, and 706 has an associated measured RSRP 712, 714, and 716, respectively, measured by the UE 110. Figure 7 As shown, the RSRP values ​​712 and 714 of the PUCCH resources 702 and 704 do not meet or exceed X 阈值 , which means that there is a mismatch between the receive beam and the transmit beam at gNB 120a for the beams associated with these resources. Therefore, the UE does not select PUCCH resources 702 and 704, e.g., the beams associated with these resources are not selected for uplink transmission. In contrast, the RSRP value 716 of PUCCH resource 706 exceeds X 阈值 Therefore, the PUCCH resource 706 is selected by the UE 110 . At 415 , the beam at the UE 110 is switched to the beam corresponding to the PUCCH resource 706 .

[0050] Return to Figure 4 At 420, the UE uses the Figures 5 to 7 In some embodiments, at 410, UE 110 may alternatively or additionally receive a downlink control information (DCI) transmission from gNB 120a. For example, when gNB 120a switches to a different beam, gNB 120a may broadcast a message indicating the duration that gNB 120a will use a given beam (a beam duration indicator (BDI)). In such embodiments, gNB 120a may use a new DCI format (e.g., DCI format X) to provide UE 110 with a BDI for each of the multiple beams (e.g., BDI1, BDI2, ..., BDI N ). The size of DCI format X can be configured by higher layer signaling.

[0051] In some embodiments, assuming that gNB 120a supports simultaneous transmission of multiple beams, different BCIs may be configured for different beams of a serving cell via RRC signaling to a single or different UEs. In some embodiments, different BDIs may alternatively be configured by RRC signaling to a single UE 110 for different beams of different component carrier (CC) groups. Each BDI field indicates the remaining beam occupancy duration of the serving cell starting from the first symbol of the timeslot in which the UE detects DCI format X. In some embodiments, a set of values ​​is configured by RRC signaling, and one of the values ​​is then dynamically indicated by the BDI field in DCI format X.

[0052] like FIG. 8A to FIG. 8DAs shown, after UE 110 receives a DCI transmission, UE 110 may then use the BDI to determine whether the periodic PUCCH resource for the periodic uplink transmission falls within the valid beam duration indicated by the BDI of the received DCI. If so, UE 110 will transmit the periodic uplink transmission on the beam associated with the PUCCH resource. UE 110 will use the uplink beam paired with the detected downlink beam for PUCCH transmission. However, as FIG. 8A to FIG. 8D As shown in , if no DCI transmission is detected / received at the monitoring opportunity, the UE 110 skips the periodic PUCCH resources. Therefore, two conditions should be met before the UE 110 transmits a periodic PUCCH transmission: 1) the PUCCH resources are activated; and 2) the UE 110 receives a DCI indicating that the PUCCH resources are within the beam duration. The processing time (T) of DCI format X to facilitate UL transmission preparation on the UE side is defined as the time gap between the received DCI and the first applicable periodic PUCCH resource. In some embodiments, the UE 110 does not expect the gap to be less than T, where T can be reported as a UE capability, or can be alternatively defined by a standard (e.g., a 3GPP standard).

[0053] In some embodiments, DCI can be transmitted in a time division multiplexed manner ( Figure 8B ), frequency division multiplexing method ( Figure 8C ) or code division multiplexing ( Fig.8D ) triggers periodic PUCCH transmission for multiple users within a single beam.

[0054] In some embodiments, gNB 120a may trigger an aperiodic scheduling request (A-SR) transmission that allows gNB 120a to coordinate SR transmission and achieve more efficient spatial sweeping for SR detection and also minimize control overhead. When a positive A-SR request is detected on DCI format Y, UE 110 starts A-SR transmission on the corresponding symbol based on the traffic status on the UE side.

[0055] In some embodiments, UE 110 may be configured with multiple PUCCH resources with predetermined PUCCH formats (e.g., PUCCH formats 0 or 1). Each PUCCH resource is associated with one or more logical channels and priority classes. The implementation may be based on the service type (e.g., enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC), etc.). Thus, each SR may have its own latency requirements customized for those service types. The SR ID is provided to gNB 120a so that gNB 120a understands which UL package is associated with the service type.

[0056] In some embodiments, the SR ID may be encoded as part of the uplink control information (UCI) payload of a PUCCH resource (e.g., PUCCH format 2 or 3) to facilitate subsequent scheduling by the gNB 120a. The gNB 120a may then schedule or not schedule uplink data based on the SR ID and the associated service latency requirements.

[0057] As shown in the following table, in some embodiments, UE 110 may be configured with a set of trigger states associated with a combination of SR and P-CSI transmissions. For example, 2 bits in the UCI field may indicate the information that UE 110 will feedback (e.g., "00" indicates that SR will be fed back). When gNB 120a switches to beam, gNB 120 has the flexibility to trigger different combinations of UCI feedback, not just SR. This may improve efficiency at gNB 120a because the number of UEs utilizing beam is limited. Therefore, when gNB 120a switches to beam, it receives as much UCI information as possible.

[0058]

[0059] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the exemplary embodiments described above may be implemented with any suitable software configuration or hardware configuration or combination thereof. Exemplary hardware platforms for implementing the exemplary embodiments may include, for example, Intel x86-based platforms with compatible operating systems, Windows OS, Mac platforms and MAC OS, mobile devices with operating systems such as iOS, Android, etc. In other examples, the exemplary embodiments of the above methods may be embodied as a program including lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which, when compiled, may be executed on a processor or microprocessor.

[0060] Although this patent application describes various combinations of various aspects, each with different features, those skilled in the art will understand that any feature of one aspect may be combined with features of other aspects or features that are not functionally or logically inconsistent with the operation or function of the device of the aspects disclosed in the present invention in any manner not publicly denied.

[0061] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0062] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is intended to cover modifications and variations of the present disclosure, provided that these modifications and variations are within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), comprising: a transceiver configured to communicate with a base station; and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform operations including: receiving a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource configuration from the base station, wherein the PUCCH resource configuration includes a plurality of PUCCH resources, each PUCCH resource including at least one corresponding transmission beam; receiving a signal from the base station, the signal providing an indication for activating one of the plurality of PUCCH resources; determining whether a reference signal received power (RSRP) associated with the activated PUCCH resource is greater than an RSRP threshold; In response to determining that the RSRP of the activated PUCCH resource is less than the threshold, selecting a first PUCCH resource among the multiple PUCCH resources whose RSRP is greater than the threshold as the activated PUCCH resource; performing a beam switching operation to change a transmission beam to a transmission beam corresponding to the activated PUCCH resource; and Periodic uplink (UL) data is transmitted using the beam corresponding to the activated PUCCH resource.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of PUCCH resources is configured with a different spatial setting.

3. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of PUCCH resources are part of a plurality of groups, each group being associated with a serving cell, and wherein each PUCCH resource is configured with a group identifier (G-ID) identifying which group the PUCCH resource is associated with and a PUCCH resource index identifying the PUCCH resource within each associated group. 4 . The UE according to claim 3 , wherein PUCCH resources in the same group are configured in different symbols separated by a predetermined interval, and wherein the PUCCH resources in the same group have the same periodicity.

5. The UE according to claim 3, wherein PUCCH resources in the same group are configured in different symbols separated by a predetermined interval, and wherein each of the PUCCH resources in the same group has a differently configured periodicity.

6. The UE of claim 1, wherein the signal is a Medium Access Control Control Element (MAC-CE) transmission.

7. The UE according to claim 6, wherein the MAC-CE transmission includes a group ID and a PUCCH resource index, wherein the group ID indicates a PUCCH resource group to which the MAC-CE transmission is applied, and wherein the activated PUCCH resource is indicated by the PUCCH resource index.

8. The UE according to claim 6, wherein the MAC-CE transmission includes spatial relationship information ID indicating the beam used to transmit the periodic UL data.

9. The UE of claim 1, wherein the signal comprises the reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold.

10. The UE of claim 1, wherein the signal comprises a beam duration indicator (BDI) indicating a beam occupancy duration of a receiver beam at the base station.

11. The UE according to claim 10, wherein transmission of uplink (UL) data of the activated PUCCH resource falls within the beam occupancy duration indicated by the BDI.

12. A user equipment (UE), comprising: Memory; and A processor configured to perform operations including: receiving a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource configuration from a base station, wherein the PUCCH resource configuration includes a plurality of PUCCH resources, each PUCCH resource including at least one corresponding transmission beam; receiving a signal from the base station, the signal providing an indication for activating one of the plurality of PUCCH resources; determining whether a reference signal received power (RSRP) associated with the activated PUCCH resource is greater than an RSRP threshold; In response to determining that the RSRP of the activated PUCCH resource is less than the threshold, selecting a first PUCCH resource among the multiple PUCCH resources whose RSRP is greater than the threshold as the activated PUCCH resource; performing a beam switching operation to change a transmission beam to a transmission beam corresponding to the activated PUCCH resource; and Periodic uplink (UL) data is transmitted using the beam corresponding to the activated PUCCH resource.

13. The UE of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of PUCCH resources is configured with a different spatial setting.

14. The UE of claim 12, wherein the plurality of PUCCH resources are part of a plurality of groups, each group being associated with a serving cell, and wherein each PUCCH resource is configured with a group identifier (G-ID) identifying which group the PUCCH resource is associated with and a PUCCH resource index identifying the PUCCH resource within each group.

15. The UE of claim 14, wherein PUCCH resources in the same group are configured in different symbols separated by a predetermined interval, and wherein the PUCCH resources in the same group have one of (i) the same periodicity or (ii) differently configured periodicities.

16. The UE of claim 12, wherein the signal is a Medium Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE) transmission.

17. The UE according to claim 16, wherein the MAC-CE transmission includes a group ID and a PUCCH resource index, wherein the group ID indicates a PUCCH resource group to which the MAC-CE transmission is applied, and wherein the activated PUCCH resource is indicated by the PUCCH resource index.

18. The UE of claim 12, wherein the signal comprises the reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold.

19. A user equipment (UE), comprising: a transceiver configured to communicate with a base station; and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform operations including: receiving a plurality of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources from the base station, wherein each PUCCH resource comprises an uplink control information (UCI) field, and wherein each PUCCH resource of the plurality of PUCCH resources is configured by the base station to trigger an aperiodic scheduling request (A-SR); activating a PUCCH resource among the multiple PUCCH resources, wherein an RSRP of the activated PUCCH is greater than an RSRP threshold; as well as The SR is transmitted to the base station based on the activated PUCCH resources.

20. The UE of claim 19, wherein the plurality of PUCCH resources are received in one of PUCCH format 0 or PUCCH format 1.

21. The UE of claim 19, wherein a SR identifier (SR ID) is configured in the UCI field, and wherein the SRID is configured to facilitate triggering of the A-SR by the base station.

22. A UE according to claim 19, wherein the UE is configured with a predetermined set of A-SR triggering states, each A-SR triggering state in the predetermined set of A-SR triggering states is associated with one or more of a scheduling request transmission and a periodic channel station information (P-CSI) transmission.

Images