Method and apparatus for multi-beam operation

Abstract

The network controller sends, to a communication device, a first control message comprising a first indicator indicating a plurality of target elements, wherein the plurality of target elements indicates that the communication device shares a plurality of quasi co-location (QCL) information or a plurality of spatial filter information when receiving and / or transmitting on the plurality of target elements.

Description

[0001] Priority claims and cross-references

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 104,258, filed October 22, 2020, entitled "Method and Apparatus for Multibeam Operation"; U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 138,258, filed January 15, 2021, entitled "Method and Apparatus for Multibeam Operation"; and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 186,598, filed May 10, 2021, entitled "Method and Apparatus for Multibeam Operation", all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention generally relates to methods and apparatus for digital communication, and in certain embodiments, to methods and apparatus for multi-beam operation in wireless communication. Background Technology

[0004] In one possible deployment scenario of a fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR) system architecture, high-frequency (HF) operating frequencies (6 GHz and above) are used, offering greater available bandwidth and less interference compared to lower frequencies. Beamforming is typically used to overcome path loss issues associated with using higher frequencies. In some deployment scenarios, different channels use different beams; for example, between the mobile network and user equipment (UE), a wide beam is used for downlink control channel transmission, and a narrow beam is used for downlink data channel transmission, resulting in a multi-beam operation scenario. However, in frequent deployment scenarios, a common beam is used for both downlink control and downlink data channel transmission. Furthermore, in some scenarios, uplink control and data can utilize the corresponding beam of the common downlink beam. In yet another frequent deployment scenario, a common beam is used for communication between the UE and the mobile network across multiple component carriers. Beam management procedures are used to update the transmission configuration state associated with uplink / downlink transmissions. Therefore, for multi-beam operation where a common beam is used for uplink and / or downlink data and control transmissions, and for communication across multiple component carriers, a more efficient beam management apparatus and method are needed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method is provided, comprising: a network controller sending a first control message to a communication device, the first control message including a first indicator indicating a plurality of target elements, wherein the plurality of target elements indicate that the communication device shares a plurality of quasi-co-location (QCL) information or a plurality of spatial filter information when receiving and / or transmitting on the plurality of target elements.

[0006] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided, comprising: a network controller sending a first control message to a communication device, the first control message including a first indicator indicating a mapping relationship between a plurality of transmission configuration indication (TCI) states and a plurality of TCI code points, wherein at least a first TCI state of the plurality of TCI states is used for DL ​​communication, at least a second TCI state of the plurality of TCI states is used for UL communication, and both the first TCI state and the second TCI state are mapped to a first TCI code point of the plurality of TCI code points; and the network controller sending a second control message to the communication device, the second control message including a second indicator indicating the first TCI code point, wherein the first TCI code point indicates that the communication device uses the first TCI state for DL ​​communication and the second TCI state for UL communication.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided, comprising: a network controller sending a first control message to a communication device, the first control message including a first indicator indicating a mapping relationship between a plurality of TCI states and a plurality of TCI code points, wherein at least a first TCI state and a second TCI state of the plurality of TCI states are used for UL communication, and both the first TCI state and the second TCI state are mapped to a first TCI code point of the plurality of TCI code points; and the network controller sending a second control message to the communication device, the second control message including a second indicator indicating the first TCI code point, wherein the first TCI code point indicates that the communication device uses the first TCI state and the second TCI state for UL communication.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided, comprising: a communication device receiving a first control message from a network controller, the first control message including a first indicator indicating a plurality of target elements; and when receiving and / or transmitting on the plurality of target elements, the communication device sharing a plurality of QCL information or a plurality of spatial filter information.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided, comprising: a communication device receiving a first control message from a network controller, the first control message including a first indicator indicating a mapping relationship between a plurality of TCI states and a plurality of TCI code points, wherein at least a first TCI state of the plurality of TCI states is used for DL ​​communication, at least a second TCI state of the plurality of TCI states is used for UL communication, and both the first TCI state and the second TCI state are mapped to a first TCI code point of the plurality of TCI code points; the communication device receiving a second control message from the network controller, the second control message including a second indicator indicating the first TCI code point; and the communication device performing DL communication using the first TCI state and / or performing UL communication using the second TCI state based on the first TCI code point.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided, comprising: a communication device receiving a first control message from a network controller, the first control message including a first indicator indicating a mapping relationship between a plurality of TCI states and a plurality of TCI code points, wherein at least a first TCI state and a second TCI state of the plurality of TCI states are used for UL communication, and both the first TCI state and the second TCI state are mapped to a first TCI code point of the plurality of TCI code points; the communication device receiving a second control message from the network controller, the second control message including a second indicator indicating the first TCI code point; and the communication device performing UL communication using the first TCI state and the second TCI state according to the first TCI code point.

[0011] According to other aspects of the present invention, an apparatus and system for implementing the above-described method are also provided.

[0012] Optionally, in any of the above aspects, the plurality of target elements includes a plurality of channels and / or reference signals.

[0013] Optionally, in any of the foregoing aspects, the plurality of channels and / or reference signals include at least one of the following: a dedicated demodulation reference signal (DMRS) for the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a DMRS for the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a DMRS for the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a DMRS for the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or a sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0014] Optionally, in any of the above aspects, the plurality of channels and / or reference signals include at least one of the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) DMRS, the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) DMRS, or the Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), and when receiving on the plurality of channels and / or reference signals, the plurality of QCL information or the plurality of spatial filter information is shared by the communication device.

[0015] Optionally, in any of the above aspects, the plurality of channels and / or reference signals include at least one of the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) DMRS, the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) DMRS, or the Sound Reference Signal (SRS), wherein when transmission is performed on the plurality of channels and / or reference signals, the plurality of QCL information or the plurality of spatial filter information is shared by the communication device.

[0016] Alternatively, in any of the above aspects, the plurality of target elements includes a plurality of component carriers.

[0017] Optionally, in any of the above aspects, the plurality of target elements includes a plurality of communication devices.

[0018] Optionally, in any of the above aspects, the first control message is a radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0019] Optionally, in any of the above aspects, the first control message is a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0020] Optionally, in any of the above aspects, the network controller sends a second control message to the communication device, the second control message including a second indicator indicating a plurality of source reference signals, wherein the plurality of source reference signals indicate that the communication device determines the plurality of QCL information or the plurality of spatial filter information based on the plurality of source reference signals.

[0021] Alternatively, in any of the above aspects, the network controller sends the second control message after sending the first control message.

[0022] Optionally, in any of the above aspects, the second control message is a downlink control information (DCI) message.

[0023] Optionally, in any of the above aspects, the second control message is a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0024] Optionally, in any of the above aspects, the second control message further includes the first indicator.

[0025] Optionally, in any of the above aspects, the second indicator includes a plurality of TRP indicators indicating a plurality of transmission reception points (TRPs).

[0026] Optionally, in any of the foregoing aspects, the second indicator includes a plurality of first TCI state indicators indicating a plurality of first Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) states, wherein the plurality of first TCI states include a plurality of indicators indicating the plurality of source reference signals.

[0027] Optionally, in any of the above aspects, the plurality of first TCI states further include a plurality of TRP indicators indicating a plurality of Transmit Receive Points (TRPs).

[0028] Alternatively, in any of the foregoing aspects, the plurality of first TCI states are elements of a first TCI state set, wherein the first TCI state set is used for downlink (DL) communication.

[0029] Alternatively, in any of the foregoing aspects, the plurality of first TCI states instruct the user equipment (UE) to determine a plurality of UL control parameters for uplink (UL) communication based on the plurality of first TCI states.

[0030] Optionally, in any of the foregoing aspects, determining the plurality of UL control parameters includes: determining a plurality of second TCI states based on the plurality of first TCI states; and determining the plurality of UL control parameters based on the plurality of second TCI states.

[0031] Optionally, in any of the above aspects, the plurality of second TCI states are elements of a set of second TCI states, wherein the set of second TCI states is used for UL communication.

[0032] Alternatively, in any of the foregoing aspects, the plurality of second TCI states include a plurality of indicators that indicate the plurality of UL control parameters.

[0033] Optionally, in any of the above aspects, the communication device receives a second control message from the network controller, the second control message including a second indicator indicating a plurality of source reference signals; and the communication device determines the plurality of QCL information or the plurality of spatial filter information based on the plurality of source reference signals.

[0034] Optionally, in any of the above aspects, the communication device receives the second control message after receiving the first control message.

[0035] Alternatively, in any of the above aspects, the communication device determines a plurality of UL control parameters for UL communication based on the plurality of first TCI states.

[0036] In the above aspects, the network controller sends a first control message to the communication device, the first control message including a first indicator indicating a plurality of target elements, wherein the plurality of target elements indicate that the communication device shares a plurality of QCL information or a plurality of spatial filter information when receiving and / or transmitting on the plurality of target elements.

[0037] In the above aspects, the user equipment (UE) receives a first control message from the network controller, the first control message including a first indicator indicating a plurality of target elements; and when receiving and / or transmitting on the plurality of target elements, sharing a plurality of QCL information or a plurality of spatial filter information.

[0038] The advantages of the above aspects of the present invention are that they facilitate more efficient beam management for multiple data and / or control channels on DL and UL, for multiple data and / or control channels across multiple component carriers, and for multiple UEs sharing a common beam. The above aspects of the present invention enable the network controller to indicate a common beam for multiple elements such as multiple channels, multiple component carriers, and multiple UEs in a single Layer 1 (L1) or Layer 2 (L2) control message, thereby reducing the latency and overhead of common beam indication and update / switching. Attached Figure Description

[0039] To gain a more complete understanding of the invention and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0040] Figure 1 A diagram of an embodiment network for wireless communication is shown;

[0041] Figure 2 A diagram of an embodiment of a communication system with beamforming is shown;

[0042] Figure 3 A diagram of an embodiment of a communication system illustrating an example channel structure is shown;

[0043] Figure 3A A diagram illustrating the activation / deactivation of the MAC CE in a specific TCI state of the UE in this embodiment is shown.

[0044] Figure 3B A diagram illustrating the activation / deactivation of the MAC CE in a UE-specific TCI state is shown in another embodiment.

[0045] Figure 3C A diagram illustrating another embodiment of UE-specific TCI state activation / deactivation of MAC CE is shown, in which multiple TCI states are mapped to TCI code points;

[0046] Figure 3D A diagram illustrating another embodiment of UE-specific TCI state activation / deactivation of MAC CE is shown, the MAC CE having one or more DL TCI states and one or more joint DL / UL TCI states from one TCI state pool and one or more UL TCI states from another TCI state pool;

[0047] Figure 3E A diagram illustrating another embodiment of UE-specific TCI state activation / deactivation of MAC CE is shown, which has one or more DL TCI states and one or more joint DL / UL TCI states from one TCI state pool, one or more UL TCI states from another TCI state pool, and multiple TCI states mapped to TCI code points.

[0048] Figure 3F A diagram illustrating another embodiment of UE-specific TCI state activation / deactivation of MAC CE is shown, which has one or more DL TCI states and one or more joint DL / UL TCI states from one TCI state pool, one or more UL TCI states from another TCI state pool, and multiple TCI states mapped to TCI code points.

[0049] Figure 3G A diagram showing another embodiment with "additional cell ID" illustrates the activation / deactivation of the MAC CE in a UE-specific TCI state.

[0050] Figure 4 A diagram of an embodiment of a communication system with multiple TRP communication is shown;

[0051] Figure 5 A diagram of an embodiment of the TCI state pool with separate DL and UL TCI state pools is shown;

[0052] Figure 6 A diagram of an embodiment of the TCI state pool with a combined DL and UL TCI state pool is shown;

[0053] Figure 7 A diagram illustrating an embodiment of the TCI state pool showing overlapping DL and UL TCI states is shown;

[0054] Figure 8 A diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method for enhancing common beam indication is shown;

[0055] Figure 9A A diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method for wireless communication is shown;

[0056] Figure 9B A diagram illustrating another embodiment of a method for wireless communication is shown;

[0057] Figure 10 A block diagram of the processing system of the embodiment is shown; and

[0058] Figure 11 A block diagram of an embodiment transceiver is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0059] Existing beam management procedures lack efficient support for common beam indication and update / switching in some deployment scenarios. For example, in deployment scenarios where a common beam is frequently used for both DL control and DL data channel transmissions, updating the common beam used for both DL control and DL data channel transmissions may require two separate beam control messages: one for beam updates on the DL control channel and one for beam updates on the DL data channel. These two beam control messages can also have different formats. For example, the beam control message for beam updates on the DL control channel could be a MAC CE, while the beam control message for beam updates on the DL data channel could be a DCI message.

[0060] Similarly, in frequent deployment scenarios where a common beam is used for both UL control and UL data channel transmissions, two separate beam control messages may be needed to update the common beam used for both transmissions: one for the UL control channel and one for the UL data channel. These two beam control messages can have different formats. For example, the beam control message for the UL control channel transmission could be a MAC CE, while the beam control message for the UL data channel transmission could be a DCI message.

[0061] In another example, in some scenarios, uplink control and data channels can utilize the corresponding beams of a common downlink beam. For instance, the UE can use the receive spatial filter for receiving the DL control channel and DL data channel as the transmit spatial filter for transmitting the UL control channel and UL data channel. To update the common beam (e.g., spatial filter) of the DL control channel, DL data channel, UL control channel, and UL data channel, four separate control messages may be required, each for beam updates of the DL / UL control / data channel.

[0062] As illustrated in the example above, the existing beam management process for common beam indication and update / switching is inefficient. It requires multiple control messages to indicate / update the common beam for multiple channels, resulting in greater latency and higher overhead.

[0063] Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for indicating a common beam for multiple elements, such as multiple channels, multiple component carriers, and multiple UEs, in a single Layer 1 (L1) or Layer 2 (L2) control message, thereby reducing the latency and overhead of common beam indication and update / switching. According to some embodiments, a network controller may send a first control message to a communication device, the first control message including a first indicator indicating multiple source reference signals and a second indicator indicating multiple target elements, wherein the multiple source reference signals indicate that the communication device determines at least one of quasi-co-location (QCL) information or spatial filter information based on the multiple source reference signals, and wherein the multiple target elements indicate that the communication device uses at least one of the QCL information or spatial filter information when performing operations on the multiple target elements. The multiple target elements may include multiple channels such as PDSCH, PDCCH, CSI-RS, PUSCH, PUCCH, and SRS, thus enabling the indication of a common beam for multiple channels in a single control message. After receiving the first control message, the communication device can determine the spatial filter information and / or QCL information based on the first indicator. For example, spatial filter information can be spatial filter parameters, and QCL information can be QCL attributes, such as QCL-TypeD, which is a spatial QCL attribute. The UE can determine multiple target elements, such as one or more target channels, based on the second indicator. The UE can use spatial filter information and / or QCL information to operate on multiple target elements, such as one or more target channels.

[0064] Figure 1A network 100 for data transmission is shown. Network 100 includes a base station 110 with a coverage area 101, multiple mobile devices 120, and a backhaul network 130. As shown, base station 110 establishes uplink (shown by dashed lines) and / or downlink (shown by dotted lines) connections with mobile devices 120 for transmitting data from mobile devices 120 to base station 110, or from base station 10 to mobile devices 120. Data transmitted via the uplink / downlink connections may include data transmitted between mobile devices 120, as well as data transmitted to / from a remote end (not shown) via the backhaul network 130. As used herein, the term "base station" refers to any component (or set of components) used to provide wireless access to a network, such as enhanced base stations (evolved NodeBs, eNBs, or next-generation NodeBs, gNBs, and evolutions thereof, conforming to the various fourth-generation (4G) and 5G standards released by the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), master eNBs (MeNBs), secondary eNBs (SeNBs), master gNBs (MgNBs), secondary gNBs (SgNBs), control nodes, access nodes, transmission points (TPs), transmission points (TRPs), cells, carriers, macrocells, femtocells, picocells, Wi-Fi access points (APs), network controllers, or other wirelessly enabled devices. Base stations can provide wireless access according to one or more wireless communication protocols, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), 3GPP Release 15 and later, High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac, ax, and other 802.11xx standards. As used herein, the term "mobile device" refers to any component (or set of components) capable of establishing a wireless connection with a base station, such as user equipment (UE), station (STA), relay node, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, and other wirelessly enabled devices.In some embodiments, network 100 may include various other wireless devices, such as relays, low-power nodes, UEs with sidelink (device-to-device, D2D) communication, etc.

[0065] A cell may include one or more bandwidth parts (BWPs) of a UL or DL ​​allocated to the UE. Each BWP may have its own BWP-specific parameter set and configuration, such as the BWP bandwidth and subcarrier spacing. It is important to note that not all BWPs need to be active simultaneously for the UE. A cell may correspond to one carrier, and in some cases, multiple carriers. Typically, a cell (e.g., a primary cell (PCell) or a secondary cell (SCell)) is a component carrier (e.g., a primary component carrier (PCC) or a secondary CC (SCC)). For some cells, each cell uplink may include multiple carriers; one carrier is called a UL carrier with associated DL or a non-supplementary UL (non-SUL, or simply UL) carrier, and the other carriers are called supplementary UL (SUL) carriers without associated DL. A cell or carrier can be configured with a slot or subframe format consisting of DL and UL symbols, where the time slot length can be, for example, 0.25 milliseconds (ms), 0.5 milliseconds, and 1 millisecond, etc., and the cell or carrier is considered to be operating in time division duplex (TDD) mode. Generally, for unpaired spectrum, the cell or carrier is in TDD mode, and for paired spectrum, the cell or carrier is in frequency division duplex (FDD) mode. The transmission time interval (TTI) roughly corresponds to a subframe (in LTE) or a slot (in 5G New Radio (NR)). For example, in 5G NR, a slot can consist of 14 orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) symbols. A resource element consists of one subcarrier on an OFDM symbol, and 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain are called a resource block (RB).

[0066] Typically, reference signals are transmitted to provide any data channel, such as PDSCH or PUSCH, in downlink or uplink transmissions. The UE's reference signal is used for channel / signal estimation / measurement, demodulation of PDCCH and other common channels, and for some measurements and feedback, such as the common / cell-specific reference signal (CRS) in Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which inherits from the R8 / 9 standard. A dedicated / demodulation reference signal (DMRS) can be transmitted along with the PDSCH in E-UTRA in R10. DMRS is used for channel estimation during PDSCH demodulation. In subsequent E-UTRA versions and NR, DMRS is used for channel estimation during PDCCH / PDSCH / PUSCH / PBCH demodulation. In R10, in addition to CRS and DMRS, a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) was introduced. CSI-RS is used for measuring channel states in R10 UEs, especially in multi-antenna scenarios. PMI / CQI / RI and other feedback information can be based on CSI-RS measurements of R10 and later UEs. PMI stands for Precoding Matrix Indicator, CQI for Channel Quality Indicator, and RI for Rank Indicator of the Precoding Matrix. CSI-RS in R10 supports up to 8 transmit antennas, while CRS in R8 / 9 supports up to 4 transmit antennas. The number of CSI-RS antenna ports can be 1, 2, 4, or 8. Furthermore, CSI-RS has lower overhead due to its lower density in both the time and frequency domains to support the same number of antenna ports. In R13, beamforming / precoding CSI-RS was introduced, which a UE can use to receive one or more precoded CSI-RS and report the associated CSI of the precoded CSI-RS resource index (CRI). In NR, 16 and 32 ports in CSI-RS are supported.

[0067] As mentioned above, communication systems operating at high frequencies (HF) (6 GHz and above, such as millimeter wave (mmWave)) have high path loss, which can be overcome by beamforming. Figure 2 A diagram of a communication system 200 with beamforming is shown. The communication system 200 includes an access node 205, such as a base station, that communicates with a UE 215. Figure 2As shown, both access node 205 and UE 215 communicate using beamforming for transmission and reception. As an example, access node 205 uses multiple communication beams, including beams 210 and 212, while UE 215 uses multiple communication beams, including beams 220 and 222. Reception operations include demodulation, decoding, and channel estimation.

[0068] A beam can be a set of predefined beamforming weights in a codebook-based precoding context, or a set of dynamically defined beamforming weights in a non-codebook-based precoding context (e.g., eigen-based beamforming (EBB)). A beam can also be a set of predefined phase-shift preprocessors that combine signals from an antenna array in the radio frequency (RF) domain. It should be understood that a UE can rely on codebook-based precoding to transmit uplink signals and receive downlink signals, while a TRP can rely on non-codebook-based precoding to form certain radiation patterns to transmit downlink signals and / or receive uplink signals. It should also be understood that the terms “beam,” “spatial filter,” “QCL,” and “QCL-TypeD” can be used interchangeably throughout the document.

[0069] Figure 3 A communication system 300 is illustrated, highlighting an exemplary channel structure between access node 305 and UE 310. In a bidirectional communication implementation, a downlink channel 320 and an uplink channel 330 exist between access node 305 and UE 310. The downlink channel 320 and uplink channel 330 may each include multiple unidirectional channels. Figure 3 As shown, downlink channel 320 includes PDSCH 322, PDCCH 324, CSI-RS 326, and synchronization signal block (SSB) 328, etc. Uplink channel 330 includes PUSCH 332, PUCCH 334, and SRS 336, etc. Other channels not shown in the figure may also be included on downlink channel 320 or uplink channel 330.

[0070] In the existing beamforming framework, DCI and MAC CE messages provide fast L1 and L2 signaling for intra-cell mobility, while RRC messages provide slower higher-layer signaling for inter-cell mobility. For example, for downlink TCI state updates, RRC messages provide relatively slow signaling, potentially taking hundreds of milliseconds. MAC CE messages can be used to activate and update certain TCI states in approximately 10 ms. Similarly, while RRC might take hundreds of milliseconds to configure uplink spatial relationships, MAC CE can activate and update uplink spatial relationships in approximately 10 ms.

[0071] Existing beam signaling includes, for example:

[0072] PDCCH:

[0073] -RRC can be configured with up to 64 TCI states.

[0074] -MAC CE activates one TCI state for each control resource set (CORESET).

[0075] PDSCH:

[0076] -RRC can be configured with up to 128 TCI states.

[0077] -MAC CE activates up to 8 TCI states.

[0078] The 3-bit TCI field in the DCI indicates one of the eight TCI states.

[0079] CSI-RS:

[0080] - Periodic CSI-RS (P-CSI-RS) / Tracking Reference Signal (TRS): RRC configuration resources and TCI status, RRC activation.

[0081] - Aperiodic CSI-RS (AP-CSI-RS): RRC configuration resources and TCI status, MAC CE activation, DCI triggering.

[0082] - Aperiodic TRS (AP-TRS): Quasi-co-located (QCLed) to P-TRS, MAC CE activated, DCI triggered.

[0083] - Semi-static CSI-RS (SP-CSI-RS) / Channel state information for interference measurement (CSI-IM): RRC configures resources, MAC CE configures TCI status, and MAC CE is activated.

[0084] PUCCH:

[0085] -RRC can configure up to 8 spatial relationships.

[0086] -MAC CE activates a spatial relation for the PUCCH resource.

[0087] The 3-bit PUCCH resource indicator in the DCI indicates the PUCCH resource for sending uplink control information (UCI).

[0088] PUSCH:

[0089] The SRS resource indicator in -DCI indicates the spatial relationship with SRS.

[0090] SRS:

[0091] - Periodic SRS (P-SRS): RRC configures resource and spatial relationships, and RRC is activated.

[0092] - Semi-static SRS (SP-SRS): RRC configures resource and space relationships, MAC CE activated.

[0093] - Aperiodic SRS (AP-SRS): RRC configures resource and space relationships, MAC CE updates space relationships.

[0094] As mentioned earlier, in certain deployment scenarios, existing beam management procedures lack efficient support for common beam indication and update / switching. Exemplary deployment scenarios include: frequent deployments where the common beam is used for DL ​​control and DL data channel transmissions, frequent deployments where the common beam is used for UL control and UL data channel transmissions, and some scenarios where uplink control and data channels can utilize the corresponding beams of the common downlink beam. In these example deployment scenarios, existing beam management procedures for common beam indication and update / switching are inefficient. This is because they require multiple control messages to indicate / update the common beam used for multiple channels, some of which are RRC messages, resulting in greater latency and higher overhead.

[0095] Therefore, it is beneficial to provide a system and method for more efficient beam management for multi-beam operation scenarios where a common beam is used for uplink and / or downlink data and control transmission, for communication across multiple component carriers, and for communication with a group of UEs. Examples of communication across multiple component carriers include continuous intra-band carrier aggregation (CA), discontinuous intra-band CA, and inter-band CA.

[0096] Embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus and method for enhancing common beam indication and update / switching. For common beam indication across multiple channels, the base station first sends a first control message to the UE. In one embodiment, the first control message is an RRC message. In another embodiment, the first control message is a MAC CE. The first control message includes configuration information for configuring one or more groups of channels. The configuration information may include one or more group information, wherein the group information includes a group identification (ID) or group index that identifies the group, and an indication of the group's members or elements. In this example, channels are elements / members of the group, and the indication of group members may be a list of channels. In one embodiment, each channel of the group is indicated by a channel type such as PDSCH, PDCCH, and PUSCH. In another embodiment, each channel of the group may be indicated by a channel ID and / or a resource ID. In yet another embodiment, each channel of the group may be indicated hierarchically, by channel type plus channel ID or resource ID. For example, PDCCH may be indicated by channel type PDCCH + CORESET ID, and PUCCH may be indicated by channel type PUCCH plus resource ID. Group membership can also be indicated using a bitmap, where each bit in the bitmap corresponds to a channel. A bit set to 1 indicates that the corresponding channel is a member of the group, while a bit set to 0 indicates that the corresponding channel is not a member of the group. Other bitmap settings can also be used. For example, a bit set to 0 indicates that the corresponding channel is a member of the group, while a bit set to 1 indicates that the corresponding channel is not a member of the group.

[0097] Channels within the same group share the same beam. For example, a UE may assume that a spatial filter determined based on a source reference signal can be used to operate on multiple channels within the same group. The source reference signal can be considered as associated with a beam, a beam reference, associated with a QCL-TypeD attribute, a reference to a QCL-TypeD attribute, associated with a spatial filter, and / or a reference to a spatial filter.

[0098] In one embodiment, when multiple DL channels such as PDSCH and PDCCH are in the same group, the UE can assume that the receive spatial filter determined for receiving the DMRS of PDSCH can be used to receive the DMRS of PDCCH and other channels in the same group, and vice versa. In another embodiment, when multiple UL channels such as PUSCH and PUCCH are in the same group, the UE can assume that the transmit spatial filter determined for transmitting the DMRS of PUSCH can be used to transmit the DMRS of PUCCH and other channels in the same group, and vice versa. In yet another embodiment, when multiple DL channels and UL channels such as PDSCH and PUSCH are in the same group, the UE can assume that the receive spatial filter determined for receiving the DMRS of PDSCH can be used as a transmit spatial filter for transmitting the DMRS of PUSCH and other channels in the same group. It should be noted that throughout this document, the receive operation may include operations such as demodulation, decoding, and channel estimation.

[0099] As another example, the UE may assume that the QCL-TypeD attribute determined based on the source reference signal can be used for operation on multiple channels within the same group. In one embodiment, when multiple DL channels such as PDSCH and PDCCH are in the same group, the UE may assume that the QCL-TypeD attribute determined for receiving the DMRS of PDSCH can be used for receiving the DMRS of PDCCH and other channels within the same group, and vice versa. In another embodiment, when multiple UL channels such as PUSCH and PUCCH are in the same group, the UE may assume that the QCL-TypeD attribute determined for transmitting the DMRS of PUSCH can be used for transmitting the DMRS of PUCCH and other channels within the same group, and vice versa. In yet another embodiment, when multiple DL channels and UL channels such as PDSCH and PUSCH are in the same group, the UE may assume that the QCL-TypeD attribute determined for receiving the DMRS of PDSCH can be used for transmitting the DMRS of PUSCH and other channels within the same group.

[0100] Information about the source reference signal can be indicated in the TCI state. Examples of source reference signals include CSI-RS, SSB, and SRS. Examples of source reference signal information include the resource identifier (ID) and channel index of the source reference signal, such as CSI-RS resource ID, SSB index, and SRS resource ID. As mentioned earlier, the source reference signal can be considered as associated with a beam, a beam reference, associated with a QCL-TypeD attribute, a reference to a QCL-TypeD attribute, associated with a spatial filter, and / or a spatial filter reference. Therefore, the TCI state including an indication of the source reference signal can be used for beam indication purposes. If the TCI state of one channel in a group is updated, the TCI states of the remaining channels in the group will also be updated accordingly, without additional signaling. Specifically, if the beam of one channel in a group is updated, the beams of the remaining channels in the group will also be updated accordingly, without additional signaling. For example, assuming a beam correspondence between DL and UL, a set of channels can be defined, including {PDSCH, PDCCH, CSI-RS, PUSCH, PUCCH, SRS}. If the TCI state of PDSCH DMRS is updated via DCI signaling, the TCI states of other channels in the group are also updated to the same TCI state as PDSCH DMRS. No additional signaling is needed to update the UL TCI states of PUSCH DMRS, PUCCH DMRS, and SRS. It should be noted that, for ease of reference, throughout this document, the TCI states of PDSCH DMRS, PDCCH DMRS, PUCCH DMRS, and PUSCH DMRS can be referred to as the TCI states of PDSCH, PDCCH, PUCCH, and PUSCH, respectively. Similarly, for ease of reference, PDSCHDMRS, PDCCH DMRS, PUCCH DMRS, and PUSCH DMRS can be referred to as PDSCH, PDCCH, PUCCH, and PUSCH, respectively, throughout this document.

[0101] In another example, assuming there is no beam correspondence between DL and UL, two sets of channels can be defined. One set includes {PDSCH, PDCCH, CSI-RS}, for example, the DL group; the other set includes {PUSCH, PUCCH, SRS}, for example, the UL group. In this example, TCI state updates for the DL group and the UL group can be performed separately, allowing the DL receive beam and the UL transmit beam to be different. In yet another example, group members include at least one of the PDSCH, PDCCH, CSI-RS, PUSCH, PUCCH, and / or SRS channels. If the TCI state of one channel in the group is updated, the TCI state of the remaining channels in the group will also be updated accordingly, without additional signaling.

[0102] After the base station sends a first control message indicating group configuration information to the UE, the base station sends a second control message to the UE for multi-channel common beam indication / update / switching. In one embodiment, the second control message is a DCI message. The DCI message includes multiple TCI fields indicating multiple TCI states that the UE should use to communicate with the base station. As previously mentioned, the TCI state, including an indication of the source reference signal, can be used for beam indication. Therefore, multiple TCI fields can indicate multiple common beams that the UE should use to communicate with the base station. The DCI message also includes an indication of the group to which the multiple common beams should be applied. Therefore, the DCI message includes both information indicating one or more source reference signals of one or more common beams and an indicator indicating one or more target channels to which the one or more common beams should be applied.

[0103] In another embodiment, the second control message is a MAC CE. Similarly, the MAC CE includes multiple TCI fields indicating multiple TCI states that the UE should use to communicate with the base station. The multiple TCI fields may indicate multiple common beams that the UE should use to communicate with the base station. The MAC CE also includes indications of the groups to which the multiple common beams should be applied. Therefore, the MAC CE includes both information indicating one or more source reference signals for one or more common beams and indicators indicating one or more target channels to which the one or more common beams should be applied.

[0104] In one embodiment, the group indication in the second control message includes a group ID or group index that identifies the group. Since the UE has already received the group configuration information in the first control message, the UE can determine the elements / members of the group (e.g., channels) based on the group ID or group index.

[0105] In another embodiment, the group indication in the second control message is implicit. In this example, the group is not explicitly indicated by a group ID or group index, but implicitly, for example, by the indication of group membership. For example, if PDSCH is a member of a group, a DCI message scheduling PDSCH transmission and including a TCI field can implicitly indicate that the TCI field should be applied to all channels in the group to which PDSCH belongs. Specifically, all channels in the group to which PDSCH belongs should use one or more TCI states (e.g., one or more common beams) indicated by the TCI field. In another example, if PUSCH is a member of a group, a DCI message scheduling PUSCH transmission and including a TCI field can implicitly indicate that the TCI field should be applied to all channels in the group to which PUSCH belongs. Specifically, all channels in the group to which PUSCH belongs should use one or more TCI states (e.g., one or more common beams) indicated by the TCI field.

[0106] After receiving a second control message with common beam indication / update / switching, the UE can determine multiple common beams based on information from one or more source reference signals. For example, the UE can determine spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information. The spatial filter information can be spatial filter parameters, and the QCL-TypeD information can be QCL-TypeD attributes, which are spatial QCL attributes. The UE can determine one or more target channels based on the group indication. The UE can operate on one or more target channels using the spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information.

[0107] In one embodiment, overhead can be further reduced by removing the first control message. In this embodiment, the base station does not send the first control message to the UE. The base station uses existing DCI message formats, such as DCI format 1_1 or 1_2, for scheduling downlink PDSCH transmissions. The DCI message includes a TCI field indicating TCI status updates / beam indications for some or all DL channels. The base station also uses existing DCI message formats, such as DCI format 1_1 or 1_2, for UL TCI status updates / beam indications. The DCI message includes a TCI field indicating TCI status updates / beam indications for some or all UL channels. However, existing DCI formats 1_1 and 1_2 are used for scheduling downlink PDSCH transmissions. To use DCI formats 1_1 and 1_2 for UL-only beam indications, some enhancements are needed to differentiate between DL scheduling and UL-only beam indication usage. One approach is for the base station to use a Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI), distinct from the Cell RNTI (C-RNTI), Configured Scheduling RNTI (CS-RNTI), and Modulation and Coding Scheme RNTI (MCS-RNTI), to scramble the Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) of the DCI. Existing DCI formats 1_1 and 1_2 have their CRCs scrambled using either C-RNTI, CS-RNTI, or MCS-RNTI. A new RNTI, named the UL Beam Indication RNTI (UBI-RNTI), can be used to scramble the CRC of the DCI. After receiving the DCI, the UE can use this UBI-RNTI to descramble the CRC of the received DCI to identify whether the received DCI was used for UL beam indication only. If the CRC passes after descrambling using UBI-RNTI, it indicates that the received DCI was used for UL-only beam indication. Otherwise, the received DCI was not used for UL-only beam indication, or the DCI was received incorrectly.

[0108] In another embodiment, the base station uses existing DCI message formats, such as DCI format 1_1 or 1_2, for TCI status updates / beam indication. In one alternative, DCI format 1_1 or 1_2 includes DL allocation information. In another alternative, DCI format 1_1 or 1_2 does not include DL allocation information. In this embodiment, a new RNTI is not required to indicate that the DCI is used for UL beam indication. Depending on one or more TCI states indicated by the TCI field of the DCI message, the DCI message can be used to indicate DL TCI states, UL TCI states, combined DL / UL TCI states, both DL TCI and UL TCI states, and multiple TCI states. A combined DL / UL TCI state refers to a TCI state that can be used for beam indication of both the UE's DL channel and UL channel. Multiple TCI states refer to the case where multiple DL TCI states, multiple UL TCI states, or multiple combined DL / UL TCI states are indicated in a single DCI instance. The mapping between one or more TCI states and one or more code points in the TCI field of a DCI message is indicated to the UE by the base station in the UE-specific TCI state activation / deactivation MAC CE. For ease of reference, the code points in the TCI field of a DCI message may be referred to as TCI code points throughout this document.

[0109] Since the existing UE-specific TCI state activation / deactivation MAC CE only supports the mapping between one or more DL TCI states and TCI code points, the existing MAC CE needs to be enhanced.

[0110] In one embodiment, one or more DL TCI states, one or more UL TCI states, and one or more combined DL / UL TCI states originate from a single TCI state pool. This TCI state pool can be indicated to the UE by the base station via RRC signaling. For example, an RRC message may include a list of TCI state information elements (IEs) corresponding to possible DL TCI states, UL TCI states, and combined DL / UL TCI states. Each TCI state IE includes a TCI state ID identifying the corresponding TCI state. Existing UE-specific TCI state activation / deactivation MAC CEs can be used to map different TCI states to different TCI code points. Figure 3A A diagram illustrating the activation / deactivation of the MAC CE 340 in a specific TCI state of the UE in this embodiment is shown. Figure 3A As shown, field T i (i = 0, 1, 2, ...) indicates whether the TCI state with TCI state ID i is activated and should be mapped to a TCI code point. For example, if T... iSetting it to "1" indicates that the TCI state with TCI state ID i is activated, if T i Setting it to "0" instructs the TCI state with TCI state ID i to be deactivated, and vice versa. (This is related to the T field.) i Unlike the existing MAC CE where all indicated TCI states are DL TCI states, in this embodiment, the field T... i The indicated TCI state can be a DL TCI state, a UL TCI state, or a combined DL / UL TCI state. Therefore, among the TCI states activated by MAC CE, some can be DL TCI states, some can be UL TCI states, and some can be combined DL / UL TCI states. The TCI code point of the activated TCI state is determined according to the corresponding T... i The order of the fields is determined. For example, T i The first TCI state with the field set to 1 maps to a TCI code point value of 0, T i The second TCI state with the field set to 1 maps to a TCI code point value of 1, and so on. Note that in this example, T... i The field size is one bit. After receiving a MAC CE from the base station, the UE can derive a mapping between one or more TCI states and one or more TCI code points. After receiving a DCI message with a TCI field, the UE can derive one or more TCI states based on one or more TCI code points and the mapping between one or more TCI states and one or more TCI code points. The UE can determine spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for DL ​​reception, UL transmission, or both, based on the TCI state indicated in the DCI message. If the TCI state indicated in the DCI message is a DL TCI state, the UE can determine spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for DL ​​reception based on the TCI state. If the TCI state indicated in the DCI message is a UL TCI state, the UE can determine spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for UL transmission based on the TCI state. If the TCI state indicated in the DCI message is a combined DL / UL TCI state, the UE can determine spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for DL ​​reception, and spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for UL transmission based on the TCI state.

[0111] In another embodiment, another existing UE-specific TCI state activation / deactivation MAC CE can be used to map both DL TCI states and UL TCI states to TCI code points. In this embodiment, one or more DL TCI states, one or more UL TCI states, and one or more combined DL / UL TCI states originate from a single TCI state pool. Figure 3B A diagram illustrating the activation / deactivation of the MAC CE 350 in a UE-specific TCI state is shown in another embodiment. (See diagram for example.) Figure 3B As shown, two TCI states are mapped to TCI code points: one is the DL TCI state, and the other is the UL TCI state. In this example, the TCI state ID is... 0,1 Used for DL ​​TCI status and mapped to TCI code point value 0, TCI status ID 0,2 Used for UL TCI states and mapped to TCI code point value 0. In this example, each TCI code point can be mapped to both DL TCI and UL TCI states, a DL TCI state, a UL TCI state, or a combined DL / UL TCI state. For example, if the TCI field of a DCI message is 3 bits in size, there are a total of 8 TCI code points. The first TCI code point with a value of 0 can be mapped to both DL TCI and UL TCI states. The second TCI code point with a value of 1 can be mapped to a DL TCI state. The third TCI code point with a value of 2 can be mapped to a UL TCI state. The fourth TCI code point with a value of 3 can be mapped to a combined DL / UL TCI state, and so on. Other different mappings can also be used. The most-significant bit (MSB) of the bytes other than the first byte in the MAC CE can be used to indicate whether there is another TCI state indicated in the next byte and mapped to the same TCI code point. For example, in the MSB of the second byte "Oct 2", "C0" can be set to "1" to indicate the TCI status ID indicated in the next byte "Oct 3". 0,2 Mapped to the TCI status ID indicated in byte "Oct 2" 0,1The same TCI code point 0. The value of a TCI code point can be determined based on the order of TCI code points in the MAC CE. The MSB of the first byte of the MAC CE, such as the "R" bit in byte "Oct1", can be used to indicate the CORESET pool ID or coresetPoolIndex for multiple DCI conditions. For example, if this bit is set to "0", it indicates that the mapping between one or more TCI states indicated in the MAC CE and one or more TCI code points is specific to coresetPoolIndex 0. If this bit is set to "1", it indicates that the mapping between one or more TCI states indicated in the MAC CE and one or more TCI code points is specific to coresetPoolIndex 1. After receiving the MAC CE from the base station, the UE can derive the mapping between one or more TCI states and one or more TCI code points. After receiving a DCI message with a TCI field, the UE can derive one or more TCI states based on one or more TCI code points and the mapping between one or more TCI states and one or more TCI code points. The UE can determine spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for DL ​​reception, UL transmission, or both, based on one or more TCI states indicated in the DCI message. If the TCI state indicated in the DCI message is a DL TCI state, the UE can determine the spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for DL ​​reception based on the TCI state. If the TCI state indicated in the DCI message is a UL TCI state, the UE can determine the spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for UL transmission based on the TCI state. If the TCI state indicated in the DCI message is a combined DL / UL TCI state, the UE can determine the spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for DL ​​reception, and the spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for UL transmission based on the TCI state. If the TCI state indicated in the DCI message includes both DL TCI and UL TCI states, the UE can determine the spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for DL ​​reception based on the DL TCI state, and the spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for UL transmission based on the UL TCI state.

[0112] In yet another embodiment, the existing UE-specific TCI state activation / deactivation MAC CE can be used to map multiple DLTCI states, multiple UL TCI states, or multiple combined DL / UL TCI states to TCI code points. In this embodiment, one or more DL TCI states, one or more UL TCI states, and one or more combined DL / UL TCI states originate from a single TCI state pool. Figure 3C A diagram illustrating another embodiment of UE-specific TCI state activation / deactivation of MAC CE 360 is shown, where multiple TCI states are mapped to TCI code points. For example... Figure 3C As shown, two DL TCI states are mapped to one TCI code point, and two UL TCI states are mapped to another TCI code point. Figure 3C This example uses two TCI states to illustrate how multiple TCI states can be mapped to a single TCI code point. Other numbers of TCI states, such as three or four, can also be mapped to a single TCI code point. In this example, the MSB of each byte except the first byte "Oct 1" indicates whether the TCI state indicated in the next byte and the TCI state indicated in the current byte are mapped to the same TCI code point. For example, in byte "Oct 2", the MSB "C0" can be set to "1" to indicate the TCI state indicated in the next byte "Oct 3", such as one with a TCI state ID. 0,2 The TCI state is mapped to the TCI state ID. 0,1 The same TCI code point 0. In byte "Oct 3", the MSB "R" can be set to "0" to indicate that the TCI state indicated in the next byte, i.e., the fourth byte, maps to a different TCI code point, such as TCI code point 1. In this example, both TCI states are mapped to TCI code point 0. On the other hand, if the MSB of both byte "Oct 2" and byte "Oct 3" are set to "1", it indicates that the TCI state indicated in the fourth byte also maps to the same TCI state ID. 0,1 and TCI status ID 0,2 The same TCI code point 0. The MSB of the fourth byte can be set to "0" to indicate that the TCI state indicated in the fifth byte maps to a different TCI code point, such as TCI code point 1. In this example, three TCI states are mapped to TCI code point 0. In fact, the MSB of bytes other than the first byte in the MAC CE can be used to indicate whether the TCI state indicated in the corresponding byte is the last TCI state mapped to the TCI code point. The MSB of bytes other than the first byte can be used to identify the mapping boundary of different TCI code points, because the MSB value of the byte is "0" can indicate that the TCI state indicated in the byte with the TCI state ID is the last TCI state mapped to the TCI code point. The value of the TCI code point can be determined according to the order of the TCI code points in the MAC CE. For example, the value of the first TCI code point in the MAC CE is 0, the value of the second TCI code point in the MAC CE is 1, and so on. After receiving the MAC CE from the base station, the UE can derive the mapping between one or more TCI states and one or more TCI code points.

[0113] Upon receiving a DCI message with a TCI field, the UE can derive one or more TCI states based on one or more TCI code points and the mapping between one or more TCI states and one or more TCI code points. The UE can determine multiple spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for DL ​​reception and UL transmission based on the one or more TCI states indicated in the DCI message. If the TCI state indicated in the DCI message is a DL TCI state, the UE can determine the spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for DL ​​reception based on the TCI state. If the TCI state indicated in the DCI message is a ULTCI state, the UE can determine the spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for UL transmission based on the TCI state. If the TCI state indicated in the DCI message is a combined DL / UL TCI state, the UE can determine the spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for DL ​​reception, as well as the spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for UL transmission based on the TCI state. If the TCI state indicated in the DCI message is multiple DL TCI states, the UE can determine multiple spatial filter information and / or multiple QCL-TypeD information for DL ​​reception based on the multiple TCI states. To support CORESET beam diversity, each of the multiple spatial filter information and / or multiple QCL-TypeD information can be used for DL ​​reception of CORESET or a subset of CORESET. The spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for DL ​​reception of PDSCH can be set to the spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information determined according to the first of the multiple TCI states. To support multiple TRPs, each of the multiple spatial filter information and / or multiple QCL-TypeD information can be used for DL ​​reception of the TRP. If the TCI state indicated in the DCI message is multiple UL TCI states, the UE can determine multiple spatial filter information and / or multiple QCL-TypeD information for UL transmission based on the multiple TCI states. If the TCI state indicated in the DCI message is multiple joint DL / UL TCI states, the UE can determine multiple spatial filter information and / or multiple QCL-TypeD information for DL ​​reception, and multiple spatial filter information and / or multiple QCL-TypeD information for UL transmission based on the multiple TCI states.

[0114] In one embodiment, one or more DL TCI states, one or more UL TCI states, and one or more combined DL / UL TCI states come from different TCI state pools. For example, the DL TCI states and combined DL / UL TCI states come from the DL / combined TCI state pool, while the UL TCI states come from the UL TCI state pool. These two TCI state pools can be indicated to the UE by the base station via RRC signaling. For example, multiple RRC messages can be used, one of which indicates a list of TCI state IEs corresponding to the possible DL TCI states and combined DL / UL TCI states, and another RRC message indicates a list of TCI state IEs corresponding to the possible UL TCI states. Each TCI state IE includes a TCI state ID that identifies the corresponding TCI state. Existing UE-specific TCI state activation / deactivation MAC CEs can be enhanced to map different TCI states to different TCI code points. Figure 3D A diagram illustrating another embodiment of a UE-specific TCI state activation / deactivation MAC CE 370 is shown. This MAC CE has one or more DL TCI states and one or more combined DL / UL TCI states from one TCI state pool, and one or more UL TCI states from another TCI state pool. In this embodiment, since different TCI states may originate from different TCI state pools, a TCI state pool ID is needed to indicate which TCI state pool the TCI state comes from. Figure 3DAs shown, in the MAC CE, the MSB of each byte except the first byte is used to indicate whether the corresponding TCI state indicated in the byte comes from the DL / Unified TCI state pool or the UL TCI state pool. For example, a bit value of "1" indicates that the TCI state comes from the DL / Unified TCI state pool, while a bit value of "0" indicates that the TCI state comes from the UL TCI state pool, and vice versa. As an example, in the MSB of the second byte "Oct 2", bit "C0" is set to "1" to indicate that the TCI state indicated in "Oct 2" comes from the DL / Unified TCI state pool, and the TCI state is mapped to TCI code point 0. On the other hand, in the MSB of the third byte "Oct 3", bit "R" is set to "0" to indicate that the TCI state indicated in "Oct 3" comes from the UL TCI state pool, and the TCI state is mapped to TCI code point 1. As an example, if the size of the TCI field in the DCI message is 3 bits, then there are a total of 8 TCI code points. Therefore, a MAC CE can activate up to eight TCI states, each mapped to one of eight TCI code points. Some of these TCI states can be DL TCI states, some can be UL TCI states, and some can be combined DL / UL TCI states. The TCI field of the DCI message can be used to indicate a TCI code point and its corresponding TCI state. The MSB of the first byte of the MAC CE, such as the "R" bit in the byte "Oct 1", can be used to indicate the CORESET pool ID or coresetPoolIndex for multiple DCI states. For example, if this bit is set to "0", it indicates that the mapping between one or more TCI states indicated in the MAC CE and one or more TCI code points is specific to coresetPoolIndex 0. If this bit is set to "1", it indicates that the mapping between one or more TCI states indicated in the MAC CE and one or more TCI code points is specific to coresetPoolIndex 1.

[0115] In another embodiment, the existing UE-specific TCI state activation / deactivation MAC CE can be enhanced to map multiple DL TCI states, multiple UL TCI states, or multiple combined DL / UL TCI states to TCI code points. In this embodiment, one or more DL TCI states, one or more UL TCI states, and one or more combined DL / UL TCI states come from different TCI state pools. For example, the DL TCI states and combined DL / UL TCI states come from the DL / combined TCI state pool, while the UL TCI states come from the UL TCI state pool. Figure 3EA diagram illustrating another embodiment of a UE-specific TCI state activation / deactivation MAC CE 380 is shown. This MAC CE has one or more DL TCI states and one or more joint DL / ULTCI states from one TCI state pool, one or more UL TCI states from another TCI state pool, and multiple TCI states mapped to TCI code points. Figure 3E As shown, two TCI states are mapped to one TCI code point. These two TCI states can be DL TCI states, ULTCI states, or a combined DL / UL TCI state. Other numbers of TCI states, such as three TCI states, four TCI states, etc., can also be mapped to one TCI code point. Figure 3E As shown, the MSB of the first byte of the MAC CE, such as the "R" bit in the byte "Oct 1", can be used to indicate which TCI state pool the TCI state indicated in the MAC CE comes from. For example, a bit value of "1" indicates that the TCI state comes from the DL / Unified TCI state pool, while a bit value of "0" indicates that the TCI state comes from the UL TCI state pool, and vice versa. Figure 3E As shown, the MSB of each byte except the first byte "Oct 1" is used to indicate whether the TCI state indicated in the next byte and the TCI state indicated in the current byte map to the same TCI code point. For example, in byte "Oct 2", the MSB "C0" can be set to "1" to indicate the TCI state indicated in the next byte "Oct 3", such as having a TCI state ID. 0,2 The TCI state is mapped to the TCI state ID. 0,1 The same TCI code point 0. In byte "Oct 3", the MSB "R" can be set to "0" to indicate that the TCI state indicated in the next byte (i.e., the fourth byte) maps to a different TCI code point, such as TCI code point 1. On the other hand, if the MSB of byte "Oct 3" is set to "1", it indicates that the TCI state indicated in the next byte, the fourth byte, still maps to the same TCI state ID. 0,1 and TCI status ID 0,2The same TCI code point 0. The MSB of the fourth byte can be set to "0" to indicate that the TCI state indicated in the fifth byte maps to a different TCI code point, such as TCI code point 1. In this example, three TCI states map to TCI code point 0. In fact, the MSB of bytes other than the first byte in MAC CE can be used to indicate whether the TCI state indicated in the corresponding byte is the last TCI state mapped to the TCI code point. The MSB of bytes other than the first byte can be used to identify the mapping boundary of different TCI code points, because the MSB value of a byte is "0" can indicate that the TCI state indicated in the byte with the TCI state ID is the last TCI state mapped to the TCI code point. The value of a TCI code point can be determined according to the order of the TCI code points in MAC CE. For example, the value of the first TCI code point in MAC CE is 0, the value of the second TCI code point in MAC CE is 1, and so on.

[0116] In yet another embodiment, the existing UE-specific TCI state activation / deactivation MAC CE can be enhanced to map multiple TCI states to TCI code points. In this embodiment, one or more DL TCI states, one or more UL TCI states, and one or more joint DL / UL TCI states come from different TCI state pools. For example, the DL TCI states and joint DL / ULTCI states come from the DL / joint TCI state pool, while the UL TCI states come from the UL TCI state pool. Figure 3F A diagram illustrating another embodiment of a UE-specific TCI state activation / deactivation MAC CE 390 is shown. This MAC CE has one or more DL TCI states and one or more joint DL / UL TCI states from one TCI state pool, one or more ULTCI states from another TCI state pool, and multiple TCI states mapped to TCI code points. In this embodiment, the number of TCI states mapped to a single TCI code point can be configured by a higher layer, for example, via RRC. Figure 3F In this configuration, the number of DL TCI states or joint DL / UL TCI states mapped to a single TCI code point is designated as "M", and the number of UL TCI states mapped to a single TCI code point is designated as "N". The values ​​of M and N can be configured at a higher level, for example, via RRC. Figure 3F In the example, two TCI states are mapped to a single TCI code point. It's also possible that other numbers of TCI states are mapped to a single TCI code point. The number of DL TCI states or joint DL / UL TCI states mapped to a single TCI code point can be equal to or different from the number of UL TCI states mapped to a single TCI code point. For example, the values ​​of M and N can be equal or different. Figure 3F In the example shown, for illustrative purposes, the values ​​of M and N are set to 2. Other values, such as 3 and 4, are also possible. In this embodiment, since different TCI states may originate from different TCI state pools, a TCI state pool ID is needed to indicate which TCI state pool the TCI state comes from. Figure 3FAs shown, in the MAC CE, the MSB of each byte except the first byte is used to indicate whether the corresponding TCI state indicated in the byte comes from the DL / Unified TCI state pool or the UL TCI state pool. For example, a bit value of "1" indicates that the TCI state comes from the DL / Unified TCI state pool, while a bit value of "0" indicates that the TCI state comes from the UL TCI state pool, and vice versa. As an example, the MSB of the second byte "Oct 2", for example, bit "C0" is set to "1" to indicate that the TCI state indicated in "Oct 2" comes from the DL / Unified TCI state pool, and the TCI state is mapped to TCI code point 0. The MSB of the third byte "Oct 3", for example, bit "R" is also set to "1" to indicate that the TCI state indicated in "Oct 3" also comes from the DL / Unified TCI state pool, and the corresponding TCI state is also mapped to TCI code point 0. In another example, the MSB of the second byte "Oct 2", for example, bit "C0", is set to "0" to indicate that the TCI state indicated in "Oct 2" comes from the UL TCI state pool, and the TCI state is mapped to TCI code point 0. The MSB of the third byte "Oct 3", for example, bit "R", is also set to "0" to indicate that the TCI state indicated in "Oct 3" also comes from the UL TCI state pool, and the corresponding TCI state is also mapped to TCI code point 0. In yet another example, the MSB of the second byte "Oct 2", for example, bit "C0", is set to "1" to indicate that the TCI state indicated in "Oct 2" comes from the DL / Unified TCI state pool, and the TCI state is mapped to TCI code point 0. On the other hand, the MSB of the third byte "Oct 3", for example, bit "R", is set to "0" to indicate that the TCI state indicated in "Oct 3" comes from the UL TCI state pool, and the corresponding TCI state is also mapped to TCI code point 0. In this example, two TCI states are mapped to a single TCI code point: one for the DL TCI state and the other for the UL TCI state. The TCI field of a DCI message can be used within a DCI instance to indicate both the DL TCI and UL TCI states using the corresponding TCI code point. The MSB of the first byte of the MAC CE, such as the "R" bit in byte "Oct 1," can be used to indicate the CORESET pool ID or coresetPoolIndex for multiple DCI states. For example, if this bit is set to "0," it indicates that the mapping between one or more TCI states indicated in the MAC CE and one or more TCI code points is specific to coresetPoolIndex 0. If this bit is set to "1," it indicates that the mapping between one or more TCI states indicated in the MAC CE and one or more TCI code points is specific to coresetPoolIndex 1.In this embodiment, a MAC CE can activate multiple TCI states, with M (or N) TCI states mapped to one of multiple TCI code points. Some of these TCI states can be DL TCI states, some can be UL TCI states, and some can be combined DL / UL TCI states. The TCI field in the DCI message can be used to indicate a TCI code point and its corresponding multiple TCI states.

[0117] In another embodiment, for scenarios involving multiple TRPs (M-TRPs) and / or L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility, an additional cell ID is introduced. In these scenarios, on a carrier, in addition to the serving cell configured for the UE, there is another cell to which the UE is also connected or served by. This can be viewed as an extension of intra-cell M-TRP, where a non-independent TRP serves an auxiliary serving cell. A non-independent TRP refers to a TRP without a configured physical cell identity (PCI). Unlike intra-cell M-TRP scenarios, in inter-cell M-TRP scenarios, the auxiliary TRP can be a (independent) cell with a PCI and one or more SSBs. The (independent) cell can be referred to as an "auxiliary cell," "auxiliary cell," "transmit-receive cell," or sometimes a "non-serving cell." Because the auxiliary cell has a PCI, its resources / signals may not need to be distinguished from the resources / signals of the serving cell via the CORESET pool ID. The PCI of the auxiliary cell can be referred to as an additional PCI. In one embodiment, the CORESET pool ID is used to distinguish intra-cell M-TRPs, while in cases where inter-cell M-TRPs may also exist, they are distinguished by their PCIs or equivalents. In one embodiment, multiple additional PCIs are associated one-to-one with multiple IDs called "additional cell IDs," where one "additional PCI" is associated with one "additional cell ID." A UE can aggregate up to 32 serving cells on up to 32 carriers, and on each carrier, there may be one "additional cell," resulting in a total of 32 "additional cells," with the additional cell ID ranging from 0 to 31. To prevent high UE complexity, the total number of additional cells can be limited to less than 32, such as 8 or 16. Additional cell IDs can be used in configuration / MAC signaling. Figure 3G A diagram illustrating another embodiment with an "additional cell ID" showing the activation / deactivation of the MAC CE 395 in a UE-specific TCI state. (See diagram.) Figure 3G As shown, the "Additional Cell ID" is 5 bits in size and can be used to identify up to 32 "Additional Cells". If the total number of "Additional Cells" is limited to less than 32, for example, 8, then... Figure 3GThe MACCE design shown may require fewer "Additional Cell ID" bits. For example, if the total number of "Additional Cells" is limited to 8, then only 3 bits are needed for the "Additional Cell ID," saving 2 bits. The saved bits can be reserved or used to indicate other information, such as joint TCI or UL / DL TCI. Embodiments using Additional Cell IDs can be combined with other embodiments.

[0118] In the above embodiments, after receiving a MAC CE from the base station, the UE can derive a mapping between one or more TCI states and one or more TCI code points. After receiving a DCI message with a TCI field, the UE can derive one or more TCI states based on one or more TCI code points and the mapping between one or more TCI states and one or more TCI code points. The UE can determine multiple spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for DL ​​reception and UL transmission based on one or more TCI states indicated in the DCI message. If the TCI state indicated in the DCI message is a DL TCI state, the UE can determine the spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for DL ​​reception based on the TCI state. If the TCI state indicated in the DCI message is a UL TCI state, the UE can determine the spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for UL transmission based on the TCI state. If the TCI state indicated in the DCI message is a combined DL / UL TCI state, the UE can determine the spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for DL ​​reception, and the spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for UL transmission based on the TCI state. If the TCI state indicated in the DCI message is multiple DL TCI states, the UE can determine multiple spatial filter information and / or multiple QCL-TypeD information for DL ​​reception based on the multiple TCI states. To support CORESET beam diversity, each of the multiple spatial filter information and / or multiple QCL-TypeD information can be used for DL ​​reception of CORESET or a subset of CORESET. The spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for DL ​​reception of PDSCH can be set to the spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information determined according to the first of the multiple TCI states. To support multiple TRPs, each of the multiple spatial filter information and / or multiple QCL-TypeD information can be used for DL ​​reception of the TRP. If the TCI state indicated in the DCI message is multiple UL TCI states, the UE can determine multiple spatial filter information and / or multiple QCL-TypeD information for UL transmission based on the multiple TCI states. If the TCI state indicated in the DCI message is multiple joint DL / UL TCI states, the UE can determine multiple spatial filter information and / or multiple QCL-TypeD information for DL ​​reception, and multiple spatial filter information and / or multiple QCL-TypeD information for UL transmission based on the multiple TCI states.If the TCI status indicated in the DCI message includes both the DL TCI status and the UL TCI status, the UE can determine the spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for DL ​​reception based on the DL TCI status, and determine the spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information for UL transmission based on the UL TCI status.

[0119] The preceding discussion focused primarily on common beam indication across multiple channels. The concept of grouping can be extended to scenarios where a common beam is used for communication across multiple component carriers, and also to scenarios where a common beam is used to communicate with a group of UEs (e.g., a group of UEs on the same bus). In the scenario where a common beam is used for communication across multiple component carriers, the group includes multiple component carriers as its members or elements. In the scenario where a common beam is used to communicate with multiple UEs, the group includes multiple UEs as its members or elements.

[0120] In one embodiment, the group configuration information in the first control message may include one or more group information entries, where the group information includes a group identifier (ID) or group index that identifies the group, and an indication of the group's members or elements. In this example, a component carrier (CC) is an element / member of the group, and the indication of group members may be a list of component carriers. The indication of group members may also be a bitmap, where each bit in the bitmap corresponds to a component carrier. A bit set to 1 indicates that the corresponding component carrier is a member of the group, while a bit set to 0 indicates that the corresponding component carrier is not a member of the group. Other bitmap settings may also be used, for example, a bit set to 0 indicating that the corresponding component carrier is a member of the group, and a bit set to 1 indicating that the corresponding component carrier is not a member of the group.

[0121] Component carriers within the same group share the same beam. For example, a UE may assume that a spatial filter determined based on a source reference signal can be used to operate on multiple component carriers within the same group. The source reference signal can be considered as associated with a beam, a reference to a beam, associated with a QCL-TypeD attribute, a reference to a QCL-TypeD attribute, associated with a spatial filter, and / or a reference to a spatial filter.

[0122] Similar to the common beam indication in multi-channel scenarios, after the base station sends a first control message indicating group configuration information to the UE, the base station sends a second control message to the UE for common beam indication / update / switching for multiple component carriers. The second control message includes multiple TCI fields indicating the multiple common beams the UE should use to communicate with the base station. The second control message also includes indications of the groups to which the multiple common beams should be applied. Therefore, the second control message includes both information indicating one or more source reference signals for one or more common beams and indicators indicating one or more target component carriers to which the one or more common beams should be applied.

[0123] After receiving a second control message with common beam indication / update / switching, the UE can determine multiple common beams based on information from one or more source reference signals. For example, the UE can determine spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information. The spatial filter information can be spatial filter parameters, and the QCL-TypeD information can be QCL-TypeD attributes, which are spatial QCL attributes. The UE can determine one or more target component carriers based on the group indication. The UE can operate on one or more target component carriers using the spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information.

[0124] In another embodiment, the group configuration information in the first control message may include one or more group information entries, wherein the group information includes a group identifier (ID) or group index that identifies the group, and an indication of group members or elements. In this example, the UE is an element / member of the group, and the indication of group members may be a list of UEs. The indication of group members may also be a bitmap, wherein each bit in the bitmap corresponds to a UE. A bit set to 1 indicates that the corresponding UE is a member of the group, while a bit set to 0 indicates that the corresponding UE is not a member of the group. Other bitmap settings may also be used, for example, a bit set to 0 indicates that the corresponding UE is a member of the group, while a bit set to 1 indicates that the corresponding UE is not a member of the group.

[0125] UEs within the same group can share the same DL transmit beam from the base station. Similar to the common beam indication in multi-channel scenarios, after the base station sends a first control message indicating group configuration information to the UEs, the base station sends a second control message to the group of UEs for common beam indication / update / handover for multiple UEs. The second control message includes multiple indicators indicating the multiple common beams that the group of UEs should use to communicate with the base station. The second control message also includes indications of the group to which the multiple common beams should be applied. Therefore, the second control message includes both information indicating one or more source reference signals for one or more common beams and indicators indicating one or more target UEs to which the one or more common beams should be applied.

[0126] After receiving a second control message with common beam indication / update / switching, the UE can determine whether it belongs to a group based on the group indication. Once it determines that it belongs to the group, the UE can determine multiple common beams based on information from one or more source reference signals. For example, the UE can determine spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information. The spatial filter information can be spatial filter parameters, and the QCL-TypeD information can be QCL-TypeD attributes, which are spatial QCL attributes. The UE can use the spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information to communicate with the base station.

[0127] In another embodiment, the group configuration information in the first control message may include multiple group information, wherein the group information includes a group identifier (ID) or group index that identifies the group, and an indication of group members or elements. In this example, information on different types of groups may be indicated in the group configuration information. For example, the first group may include one or more channels, the second group may include one or more component carriers, the third group may include one or more UEs, etc. The elements / members of different groups may be different. A joint group can be determined based on the information of multiple groups. For example, if two groups are configured, the first group includes {PDSCH, PDCCH, CSI-RS, PUSCH, PUCCH, SRS}, and the second group includes {CC1, CC2}, then the joint group may be the channels {PDSCH, PDCCH, CSI-RS, PUSCH, PUCCH, SRS} on CC1 and CC2. In another example, if three groups are configured, the first group includes {PDSCH, PDCCH, CSI-RS}, the second group includes {CC1, CC2, CC3}, and the third group includes {UE1, UE2, UE3}, then the joint group can be the channels {PDSCH, PDCCH, CSI-RS} on CC1, CC2, and CC3 of UE1, UE2, and UE3.

[0128] Elements / members within a joint group share the same beam. After the base station sends a first control message indicating group configuration information to the UE, the base station sends a second control message to the UE for common beam indication / update / switching. The second control message includes multiple indicators indicating the multiple common beams that the UE should use to communicate with the base station. The second control message also includes indications of the joint groups to which the multiple common beams should be applied. The indications of the joint groups can be in the form of a combination of group IDs that form the joint group. Therefore, the second control message includes both information indicating one or more source reference signals of one or more common beams and indicators indicating one or more target elements to which the one or more common beams should be applied.

[0129] After receiving a second control message with common beam indication / update / switching, the UE can determine the target element based on the indication of the joint group. The UE can determine multiple common beams based on information from one or more source reference signals. For example, the UE can determine spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information. The spatial filter information can be spatial filter parameters, and the QCL-TypeD information can be QCL-TypeD attributes, which are spatial QCL attributes. The UE can operate on one or more target elements using the spatial filter information and / or QCL-TypeD information.

[0130] Therefore, the above embodiments provide a method for indicating a common beam for multiple elements such as multiple channels, multiple component carriers and multiple UEs in a Layer 1 (L1) or Layer 2 (L2) control message, reducing the delay and overhead of common beam indication and update / switching.

[0131] In one embodiment, overhead can be further reduced by deleting the first control message. In this embodiment, the base station does not send the first control message to the UE. Group configuration information is indicated in the second control message. For example, the second control message includes a bitmap indicating the group configuration information, where each bit in the bitmap corresponds to a member / element of the group. A bit set to 1 indicates that the corresponding member / element is a member of the group, while a bit set to 0 indicates that the corresponding member / element is not a member of the group. Other bitmap settings can also be used, for example, a bit set to 0 indicates that the corresponding member / element is a member of the group, while a bit set to 1 indicates that the corresponding member / element is not a member of the group. The mapping between each bit of the bitmap and the member / element of the group can be predefined, for example, predefined in a standard specified by the operator of the communication system, and is known to the base station and the UE.

[0132] As mentioned earlier, information about the source reference signal can be indicated in the TCI state, and the TCI state, including the indication of the source reference signal, can be used for beam indication purposes. According to 3GPP TS 38.331V16.1.0 (2020-07), the TCI state is configured by the TCI state information element (IE) as part of the RRC signaling. The fields included in the TCI state IE are shown in Table 1 below:

[0133] Table 1: TCI Status IE

[0134]

[0135]

[0136] In some deployment scenarios, the UE can communicate with multiple TRPs. Figure 4A diagram of an embodiment of a communication system 400 with multiple TRP communication is shown. The communication system 400 includes multiple TRPs, such as a first TRP 405 and a second TRP 410 communicating with a UE 420. Figure 4 As shown, both TRP 405 and TRP 410 use beamforming to transmit and receive data to communicate with UE 420.

[0137] According to 3GPP TS 38.214V16.2.0 (2020-06), group-based reporting is supported when the UE is configured with the higher-layer parameter groupBasedBeamReporting set to "Enabled". In this case, the UE reports two different CSI-RS resource indicators (CRI) or SSB resource indicators (SSBRI) for each report setting in a single report instance, where CSI-RS and / or SSB resources can be received by the UE simultaneously. The number of reports supported for group-based reporting are "cri-RSRP", "ssb-Index-RSRP", "cri-SINR", and "ssb-Index-SINR".

[0138] However, in 3GPP R15 / 16, which is incorporated herein by reference, there is no TRP identifier associated with different CSI-RS and / or SSB resources. When a UE performs measurements on CSI-RS and / or SSB resources, it is impossible to determine whether two CSI-RS / SSBs originate from the same TRP or from two different TRPs. Therefore, when a UE reports two different CRIs or SSBRIs (e.g., beams) in a group-based report, these two different beams may originate from the same TRP. In this case, the gNB and UE cannot utilize simultaneous multi-TRP transmission and multi-panel reception to improve user throughput or transmission reliability because it is not feasible for a single TRP to simultaneously transmit multiple beams in frequency range 2 (FR2) (e.g., mmWave). To support simultaneous multi-TRP transmission and multi-panel reception, enhancements are needed so that the UE selects beams from only different TRPs for pairing in group-based reports.

[0139] One way to enable inter-TRP beampuppetry is to apply a restriction to the two CRIs or SSBRIs reported in a reporting instance, such that each CRI or SSBRI comes from a different TRP. To achieve this, a TRP identifier is required. In one embodiment, the groupID field can be indicated in the TCI status element. The groupID field serves as the TRP identifier. Examples of how to enhance the TCI status element to include the groupID field are shown in Table 2 below. In Table 2, the underlined portions indicate enhancements to the TCI status element. A description of each enhancement is provided below:

[0140] • physCellId: Physical cell identity (PCI) of the serving or non-serving cell. By adding PCI information to the TCI state, the TCI state of the non-serving cell can also be configured for the UE. This allows the UE to utilize the beams of the non-serving cell to achieve faster candidate beam identification and beam failure recovery (BFR).

[0141] • groupID: In the case of multiple TRPs, this ID is used as a TRP identifier. Using this ID, the UE can, for example, identify the TRP source of the source reference signal. Considering that it is not feasible for a TRP to transmit multiple beams simultaneously in FR2, the UE can avoid reporting multiple beams from the same TRP to facilitate beam pairing between TRPs.

[0142] • SRS: SRS Resource Identifier. SRS can be used as a source reference signal in beam pointing.

[0143] • Other parameters: Other parameters include UL-related parameters necessary for the UE to perform UL communication (e.g., power control-related parameters such as path loss (PL), reference signal (RS), and P0 / α, as well as UL timing-related parameters). These other parameters can be included in the TCI state IE and indicated to the UE so that the UE can perform UL communication based on these parameters.

[0144] Table 2: Examples of Enhanced TCI State IE

[0145]

[0146] Another scenario where TRP identification can be beneficial is beam failure recovery (BFR) in multi-TRP scenarios. In 3GPPR15 / 16, for beam failure detection purposes, the UE monitors periodic CSI-RS relative to "QCL-TypeD" and PDCCH DMRS QCLed. These periodic CSI-RS are called beam failure detection reference signals (BFD-RS). There can be multiple BFD-RS corresponding to multiple CORESETs. The UE monitors the quality of the BFD-RS and derives a hypothetical PDCCH BLER. When the hypothetical PDCCH BLER is higher than a threshold for multiple consecutive instances, the corresponding BFD-RS is considered faulty. BFR is only triggered when all BFD-RS are faulty.

[0147] Importantly, multiple TCI states are supported, allowing each TCI state to provide QCL information for UE-dedicated reception on a subset of CORESETs in the component carriers. This allows the QCL relationship between BFD-RS and CORESETs to be defined as the QCL relationship in R15 / 16, where BFD-RS is QCLed relative to "QCL-Type D" and PDCCH DMRS. However, if only one TCI state is supported at a time, providing QCL information for UE-dedicated reception on all CORESETs in the component carriers, it becomes difficult to define the QCL relationship between BFD-RS and CORESETs because only one beam is available for all CORESETs.

[0148] In one embodiment, multiple TCI states are supported, each providing QCL information for UE-specific reception on a subset of CORESETs. When the UE receives a DCI for DL ​​beam indication, one or more source reference signals in one or more DL TCI states provide QCL information for UE-specific reception on the PDSCH and for UE-specific reception on the associated CORESET (e.g., the CORESET carrying the DCI). Thus, after the UE receives multiple DCIs for DL ​​beam indication on multiple CORESETs, the UE will have information about multiple DL TCIs for multiple CORESETs. In contrast, one or more TCI states on the PDSCH only follow one or more TCI states indicated in the DCI and are not extended by the TCI states of multiple CORESETs.

[0149] In another embodiment, when the UE receives the DCI for DL ​​beam indication, a TCI code point in the DCI TCI field can indicate multiple TCI states. The mapping of multiple TCI states to a single TCI code point can be indicated by the base station via MAC CE. All CORESETs can be divided into multiple CORESET groups, each CORESET group comprising a subset of CORESETs. Configuration information for the CORESET groups can be indicated by the base station via RRC. Each of the multiple TCI states indicated by the DCI is associated with a CORESET group. One or more source reference signals in each DL TCI state provide QCL information for UE-specific reception on the PDSCH and for UE-specific reception on all CORESETs in the associated CORESET group (e.g., the CORESET group associated with the TCI state). Thus, after the UE receives the DCI indicating multiple DL TCI states, the UE will have information about multiple DLTCI states in multiple CORESET groups. For example, all CORESETs can be divided into two CORESET groups. Each CORESET group is identified by a different coresetPoolIndex value, where coresetPoolIndex 0 indicates the first CORESET group and coresetPoolIndex 1 indicates the second CORESET group. Furthermore, a TCI code point in the DCI TCI field indicates two TCI states. In one alternative, the first TCI state is associated with the first CORESET group, and the second TCI state is associated with the second CORESET group. When the UE receives DCI for DL ​​beam indication, one or more source reference signals in the first TCI state indicated by the TCI field provide QCL information for UE-specific reception on the PDSCH and for UE-specific reception on the first CORESET group. One or more source reference signals in the second TCI state indicated by the TCI field provide QCL information for UE-specific reception on the PDSCH and for UE-specific reception on the second CORESET group. In another alternative, the first TCI state is associated with the CORESET group of the CORESET where the UE receives and detects the DCI, and the second TCI state is associated with another CORESET group. When the UE receives a DCI for DL ​​beam indication, one or more source reference signals in the first TCI state indicated by the TCI field provide QCL information for UE-dedicated reception on the PDSCH and UE-dedicated reception on the CORESET group of the CORESET that received and detected the DCI. One or more source reference signals in the second TCI state indicated by the TCI field provide QCL information for UE-dedicated reception on the PDSCH and UE-dedicated reception on another CORESET group.After the UE receives the DCI indicating the two DL TCI states, the UE can obtain information about the two DL TCI states of the two CORESET groups. In the example above, two CORESET groups are used as an example. The number of CORESET groups can also be other values ​​(e.g., 3, 4, and 5).

[0150] In another embodiment, when the UE receives multiple DCIs for DL ​​beam indication, each DCI's TCI field indicates a TCI state. Therefore, multiple DCIs indicate multiple TCI states. All CORESETs can be divided into multiple CORESET groups, each CORESET group comprising a subset of CORESETs. Configuration information for the CORESET groups can be indicated by the base station via RRC. Each of the multiple TCI states indicated by the multiple DCIs is associated with a CORESET group. One or more source reference signals in each DL TCI state provide QCL information for UE-specific reception on the PDSCH and for UE-specific reception on all CORESETs in the associated CORESET group (e.g., the CORESET group associated with the TCI state). Thus, after the UE receives multiple DCIs indicating multiple DL TCI states, the UE will have information about multiple DL TCI states in multiple CORESET groups. For example, all CORESETs can be divided into two CORESET groups. Each CORESET group is identified by a different coresetPoolIndex value, where coresetPoolIndex 0 indicates the first CORESET group and coresetPoolIndex 1 indicates the second CORESET group. Furthermore, the UE receives two DCIs indicating two TCI states. In an alternative, the first TCI state indicated by the first DCI is associated with the first CORESET group, and the second TCI state indicated by the second DCI is associated with the second CORESET group. When the UE receives two DCIs for DL ​​beam indication, one or more source reference signals in the first TCI state indicated by the first DCI provide QCL information for UE-specific reception on the first PDSCH and for UE-specific reception on the first CORESET group. One or more source reference signals in the second TCI state indicated by the second DCI provide QCL information for UE-specific reception on the second PDSCH and for UE-specific reception on the second CORESET group. In another alternative, the first TCI state indicated by the first DCI is associated with the CORESET group that receives and detects the first DCI, and the second TCI state indicated by the second DCI is associated with the CORESET group that receives and detects the second DCI. When the UE receives two DCIs for DL ​​beam indication, one or more source reference signals in the first TCI state indicated by the first DCI provide QCL information for UE-dedicated reception on the first PDSCH and UE-dedicated reception on the CORESET group that receives and detects the first DCI.One or more source reference signals in the second TCI state indicated by the second DCI provide QCL information for UE-dedicated reception on the second PDSCH and UE-dedicated reception on the CORESET group of the CORESET that receives and detects the second DCI. After the UE receives two DCIs indicating the two DL TCI states, the UE can have information about the two DL TCI states of the two CORESET groups. In the example above, two CORESET groups are used as an example. The number of CORESET groups can also be other values ​​(e.g., 3, 4, and 5, etc.).

[0151] In a multi-TRP scenario, a UE may be connected to multiple TRPs. Due to congestion or other reasons, when all beams (e.g., BFD-RS) between the UE and one TRP fail, one or more beams between the UE and one or more other TRPs may still be active. Using the 3GPP R15 / 16 BFR triggering mechanism, beam failures cannot be declared because beam failure declaration requires all beams between the UE and all connected TRPs to fail. However, it would be advantageous if the UE could declare a per-TRP beam failure when all beams to connected TRPs fail, rather than waiting until all beams to all connected TRPs fail. When the UE declares a per-TRP beam failure for a specific TRP, it can trigger the per-TRP BFR procedure for that TRP while one or more beams to one or more other TRPs are still active, thereby minimizing communication interruptions.

[0152] To support per-TRP BFR, it is important that the UE identifies the TRP source for each BFD-RS. When all BFD-RS from a TRP are detected to be faulty, the UE can declare a beam failure (BF) for that TRP and trigger per-TR BFR. As mentioned earlier, including the TRP identifier (e.g., groupID) in the TCI state IE achieves this well.

[0153] In a multi-TRP scenario, the UE can communicate with multiple TRPs simultaneously. Communication between the UE and different TRPs may use different beams; therefore, the UE must support multiple simultaneously active TCI states, and the base station or one or more TRPs must also indicate multiple simultaneous TCI states to the UE. Specifically, the base station or one or more TRPs must indicate multiple simultaneous common beams to the UE. In one embodiment, the base station or one or more TRPs may indicate multiple TCI states in a control message. For example, multiple TCI states may be indicated in a control message with multiple TCI fields, each indicating one TCI state. In one example, the control message may include an indication of the groups to which the multiple TCI states should be applied. In another example, the control message may include indications of multiple groups to which the multiple TCI states should be applied, respectively. This control message may be the second control message discussed earlier, or it may be a DCI message or a MAC CE. In another embodiment, the base station or one or more TRPs may indicate multiple TCI states in multiple control messages, each TCI state indicated separately in the control message. Each control message may include an indication of the groups to which the TCI state indicated in the control message should be applied.

[0154] As previously mentioned, the TCI state, including the indication of the source reference signal, can be used for beam indication. The TCI states for beam indication of all available DL channels of the UE form the UE's DL TCI state pool. The TCI states for beam indication of all available UL channels of the UE form the UE's UL TCI state pool. The base station indicates the possible DL TCI states and UL TCI states to the UE via RRC signaling. For example, an RRC message may include a list of TCI state IEs corresponding to the possible DL TCI states and UL TCI states. In another example, multiple RRC messages may be used, one indicating a list of TCI state IEs corresponding to the possible DL TCI states, and another indicating a list of TCI state IEs corresponding to the possible UL TCI states.

[0155] Figure 5 A diagram of an embodiment of the TCI state pool 500 with separate DL and UL TCI state pools is shown. Figure 5 In the diagram, each circle represents the source reference signal in the TCI state pool. White circles indicate the source reference signal for the DL TCI state, and black circles indicate the source reference signal for the UL TCI state.

[0156] The DL TCI state pool and the UL TCI state pool can be combined to form a joint TCI state pool. TCI states that can be used for beam indication of DL channels and / or UL channels can be selected from this joint TCI state pool. Figure 6A diagram of an embodiment of a TCI state pool 600 with a combined DL and ULTCI state pool is shown. Figure 6 In the diagram, each circle represents a source reference signal in the combined TCI state pool. White circles indicate the source reference signal for the DL TCI state, and black circles indicate the source reference signal for the UL TCI state.

[0157] Some source reference signals for certain DL TCI states may be the same as those for certain UL TCI states. For example, the CSI-RS can be the source reference signal for both DL TCI and UL TCI states. In this case, there may be overlapping TCI states between DL TCI and UL TCI states. Figure 7 A diagram illustrating an embodiment of the TCI state pool 700 showing overlapping DL and UL TCI states is shown. Figure 7 In the diagram, each circle represents a source reference signal in the combined TCI state pool. White circles indicate the source reference signal for the DL TCI state, black circles indicate the source reference signal for the UL TCI state, and shaded circles indicate the source reference signals for overlapping DL and UL TCI states.

[0158] As previously mentioned, the base station must indicate certain UL-related parameters to the UE (e.g., power control-related parameters such as PLRS and P0 / α, and UL timing-related parameters) so that the UE can perform UL transmission based on these parameters. These UL-related parameters can be included in the TCI state IE and indicated to the UE. Since the UE does not need these UL-related parameters to receive DL channels, it is not necessary to include these UL-related parameters in the DL TCI state. One advantage of not including these UL-related parameters in the DL TCI state is that the size of the RRC message including the DL TCI state IE can be reduced. However, in scenarios where multiple channels across DL and UL utilize a common beam indication, the DL TCI state may be used to indicate one or more beams of the DL and UL channels. Therefore, when the DL TCI state is used to indicate one or more beams of the DL and UL channels, it is beneficial to provide the UE with a method for determining the UL-related parameters.

[0159] In one embodiment, the base station can indicate to the UE a mapping relationship between multiple DL TCI states and multiple UL TCI states. Upon receiving an indication of a DL TCI state in a common beam indication, the UE can determine one or more corresponding UL TCI states based on the mapping relationship. The UE can determine UL-related parameters based on the UL TCI state. For example, the UE can determine UL-related parameters based on one or more UL TCI state IEs that configure one or more UL TCI states. For illustrative purposes, consider the following example. In this example, the base station first indicates to the UE a mapping relationship that associates DL TCI state #1 with UL TCI state #6. The base station uses DL TCI state #1 to indicate the common beam for PDSCH and PUSCH to the UE. After receiving the common beam indication, the UE determines the UL TCI state as #6 based on the mapping relationship. The UE can determine the UL-related parameters for PUSCH transmission based on the UL TCI state IE that configures UL TCI state #6.

[0160] In another embodiment, the base station does not need to indicate the mapping relationship between multiple DL TCI states and multiple UL TCI states. The mapping relationship can be determined based on the source reference signal in the TCI states. If the DL TCI states and UL TCI states have the same source reference signal, then the DL TCI states and UL TCI states are associated / mapped together.

[0161] In one embodiment, a DL TCI state can be associated with multiple UL TCI states. This is useful in the following scenario: due to maximum permissible exposure (MPE) limitations, a good DL receive beam / spatial filter may not be suitable for use by the UE as a UL transmit beam / spatial filter for UL transmission. In this embodiment, after receiving an indication of the DL TCI state for DL ​​beam indication, the UE can determine the corresponding multiple UL TCI states based on the mapping relationship. The base station can indicate the UL TCI state to the UE in a control message for UL beam indication, for example, through the TCI field in a DCI message, where the UL TCI state comes from multiple UL TCI states associated with the DL TCI state. Since the number of UL TCI states associated with a DDL TCI state may be much smaller than the total number of possible UL TCI states, the size of the TCI field indicating the UL TCI state can be reduced, thereby reducing overhead.

[0162] Figure 8A diagram illustrates an embodiment of method 800 for enhanced common beam indication. In this example, base station 802 configures a set of elements for UE 804 and indicates one or more common beams applied to that set of elements. UE 804 determines QCL information and / or spatial filter information to operate on that set of elements. For example, spatial filter information may be spatial filter parameters, and QCL information may be QCL attributes, such as QCL-TypeD, which is a spatial QCL attribute. In step 810, base station 802 sends a control message to UE 804 including configuration information for multiple target elements. The multiple target elements may be multiple channels, multiple component carriers, multiple UEs, or a combination thereof. The multiple target elements share the same beam. In step 812, base station 802 sends another control message to UE 804, which includes a first indicator indicating multiple source reference signals and a second indicator indicating multiple target elements. The second indicator may be implicit; for example, it may not be explicitly indicated. The multiple source reference signals may be indicated in multiple TCI states. The control message in step 812 includes information indicating one or more source reference signals for one or more common beams and indicators indicating one or more target elements to which the one or more common beams should be applied. After receiving the control message sent in step 812, the UE can determine multiple common beams based on the information of one or more source reference signals.

[0163] Figure 9A A diagram illustrating an embodiment of method 900 for wireless communication is shown. Method 900 can be performed by a communication device, such as a UE. In step 902, the communication device receives configuration information for multiple target elements from a network controller such as an access node or base station. In step 904, the communication device receives from the network controller a first indicator indicating multiple source reference signals and a second indicator indicating multiple target elements. The second indicator may be implicit; for example, it may not explicitly indicate the second indicator. In step 906, the communication device determines at least one of QCL information and / or spatial filter information based on the multiple source reference signals. For example, the spatial filter information may be spatial filter parameters, and the QCL information may be a QCL attribute, such as QCL-TypeD, which is a spatial QCL attribute. In step 908, the communication device operates on the multiple target elements using at least one of the QCL information and / or spatial filter information.

[0164] Figure 9BA diagram illustrates another embodiment of method 950 for wireless communication. Method 950 can be performed by a network controller such as an access node or base station. In step 952, the network controller sends configuration information for a plurality of target elements to a communication device. In step 954, the network controller sends a first indicator indicating a plurality of source reference signals and a second indicator indicating a plurality of target elements to the communication device. The second indicator can be implicit; for example, it can be unambiguously indicated. In step 956, the network controller can receive data and / or control channels transmitted from the communication device based on quasi-colocation (QCL) information and / or spatial filter information, which are determined based on the plurality of source reference signals. The spatial filter information can be spatial filter parameters, and the QCL-TypeD information can be QCL-TypeD attributes, which are spatial QCL attributes.

[0165] Figure 10 A block diagram of an embodiment of a processing system 1000 for performing the methods described herein, which can be installed in a host device, is shown. As shown, the processing system 1000 includes a processor 1004, a memory 1006, and interfaces 1010-1014, which may or may not be as described above. Figure 10 The arrangement is shown in the diagram. Processor 1004 can be any component or set of components for performing computational and / or other processing-related tasks, and memory 1006 can be any component or set of components for storing programs and / or instructions executed by processor 1004. In one embodiment, memory 1006 includes non-transitory computer-readable media. Interfaces 1010, 1012, and 1014 can be any component or set of components that allows processing system 1000 to communicate with other devices / components and / or users. For example, one or more of interfaces 1010, 1012, and 1014 can be used to transmit data, control, or management messages from processor 1004 to applications installed on host devices and / or remote devices. As another example, one or more of interfaces 1010, 1012, and 1014 can be used to allow a user or user device (e.g., a personal computer (PC)) to interact / communicate with processing system 1000. Processing system 1000 may include... Figure 10 Additional components not described herein, such as long-term memory (e.g., non-volatile memory, etc.).

[0166] In some embodiments, the processing system 1000 is included in a network device that accesses or otherwise becomes part of a telecommunications network. In one example, the processing system 1000 is located in a network-side device within a wireless or wired telecommunications network, such as a base station, relay station, scheduler, controller, gateway, router, application server, or any other device within the telecommunications network. In other embodiments, the processing system 1000 is located in a user-side device accessing a wireless or wired telecommunications network, such as a mobile station, user equipment (UE), personal computer (PC), tablet computer, wearable communication device (e.g., smartwatch), or any other device for accessing the telecommunications network.

[0167] In some embodiments, one or more of interfaces 1010, 1012, and 1014 connect the processing system 1000 to a transceiver for sending and receiving signaling over a telecommunications network. Figure 11 A block diagram of a transceiver 1100 for sending and receiving signaling over a telecommunications network is shown. The transceiver 1100 can be installed in a host device. As shown, the transceiver 1100 includes a network-side interface 1102, a coupler 1104, a transmitter 1106, a receiver 1108, a signal processor 1110, and a device-side interface 1112. The network-side interface 1102 may include any component or set of components for sending or receiving signaling over a wireless or wired telecommunications network. The coupler 1104 may include any component or set of components for facilitating bidirectional communication over the network-side interface 1102. The transmitter 1106 may include any component or set of components (e.g., an up-converter, a power amplifier, etc.) for converting a baseband signal into a modulated carrier signal suitable for transmission over the network-side interface 1102. The receiver 1108 may include any component or set of components (e.g., a down-converter, a low-noise amplifier, etc.) for converting a carrier signal received over the network-side interface 1102 into a baseband signal. Signal processor 1110 may include any component or set of components for converting baseband signals into data signals suitable for communication via one or more device-side interfaces 1112, or vice versa. One or more device-side interfaces 1112 may include any component or set of components for transmitting data signals between signal processor 1110 and components within a host device (e.g., processing system 800, local area network (LAN) port, etc.).

[0168] Transceiver 1100 can send and receive signaling via any type of communication medium. In some embodiments, transceiver 1100 sends and receives signaling via wireless media. For example, transceiver 1100 may be a wireless transceiver for communicating according to a wireless telecommunications protocol, such as a cellular protocol (e.g., Long-Term Evolution, LTE), a wireless local area network (WLAN) protocol (e.g., Wi-Fi), or any other type of wireless protocol (e.g., Bluetooth, Near Field Communication, NFC). In these embodiments, network-side interface 1102 includes one or more antenna / radiating elements. For example, network-side interface 1102 may include a single antenna, multiple independent antennas, or a multi-antenna array for multi-layer communication, such as single-input multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input single-output (MISO), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), etc. In other embodiments, transceiver 1100 transmits and receives signaling via wired media such as twisted-pair cable, coaxial cable, or optical fiber. A particular processing system and / or transceiver may utilize all of the components shown, or only a subset thereof, and the level of integration may vary from device to device.

[0169] It should be understood that one or more steps in the methods of the embodiments provided herein can be performed by corresponding units or modules. For example, a signal can be transmitted by a transmitting unit or transmitting module. A signal can be received by a receiving unit or receiving module. A signal can be processed by a processing unit or processing module. The corresponding units / modules can be hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more units / modules can be integrated circuits, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

[0170] Although the invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, this specification is not intended to be limiting. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand, upon referring to this description, various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of the invention. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to cover any such modifications or embodiments.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Send a first control message, the first control message including a first indicator indicating a plurality of target elements, wherein the plurality of target elements indicate that the communication device shares a plurality of quasi-co-located QCL information or a plurality of spatial filter information when receiving and / or transmitting on the plurality of target elements, and the plurality of target elements include a plurality of channels and / or reference signals; Send a second control message, the second control message including a second indicator indicating a plurality of source reference signals, wherein the plurality of source reference signals indicate the communication device to determine the plurality of QCL information or the plurality of spatial filter information based on the plurality of source reference signals.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of channels and / or reference signals include at least one of the following: the Dedicated Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) of the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), the DMRS of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), the Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), the DMRS of the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), the DMRS of the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), or the Sounding Reference Signal (SRS).

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The plurality of channels and / or reference signals include at least one of the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) DMRS, Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) DMRS, or Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS). When receiving on the plurality of channels and / or reference signals, the plurality of QCL information or the plurality of spatial filter information are shared by the communication device.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The plurality of channels and / or reference signals include at least one of the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) DMRS, the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) DMRS, or the Sound Reference Signal (SRS). When transmission is performed on the plurality of channels and / or reference signals, the plurality of QCL information or the plurality of spatial filter information are shared by the communication device.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first control message is a Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling message.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first control message is the Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE).

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second control message is sent after the first control message is sent.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second control message is a downlink control information (DCI) message.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second control message is the Media Access Control (MAC) control element CE.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second control message also includes the first indicator.

11. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second indicator includes multiple TRP indicators that indicate multiple Transmission Receive Points (TRPs).

12. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second indicator includes a plurality of first TCI state indicators indicating a plurality of first transmission configuration indication TCI states, wherein the plurality of first TCI states include a plurality of indicators indicating the plurality of source reference signals.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The plurality of first TCI states also include a plurality of TRP indicators that indicate a plurality of Transmission Receive Points (TRPs).

14. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The plurality of first TCI states are elements of a first TCI state set, wherein the first TCI state set is used for downlink DL communication.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The plurality of first TCI states instruct the user equipment (UE) to determine a plurality of UL control parameters for uplink UL communication based on the plurality of first TCI states.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, Determining the plurality of UL control parameters includes: Determine multiple second TCI states based on the multiple first TCI states; and The plurality of UL control parameters are determined based on the plurality of second TCI states.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The plurality of second TCI states are elements of a second TCI state set, wherein the second TCI state set is used for UL communication.

18. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The plurality of second TCI states include a plurality of indicators that indicate the plurality of UL control parameters.

19. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Receive a first control message, the first control message including a first indicator indicating a plurality of target elements; and When receiving and / or transmitting on the plurality of target elements, multiple quasi-co-located QCL information or multiple spatial filter information are shared, and the plurality of target elements include multiple channels and / or reference signals; Receive a second control message, the second control message including a second indicator indicating a plurality of source reference signals; and The multiple QCL information or the multiple spatial filter information are determined based on the multiple source reference signals.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The plurality of channels and / or reference signals include at least one of the following: the Dedicated Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) of the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), the DMRS of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), the Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), the DMRS of the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), the DMRS of the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), or the Sounding Reference Signal (SRS).

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The plurality of channels and / or reference signals include at least one of the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) DMRS, Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) DMRS, or Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS). When receiving on the plurality of channels and / or reference signals, the plurality of QCL information or the plurality of spatial filter information are shared by the communication device.

22. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The plurality of channels and / or reference signals include at least one of the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) DMRS, Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) DMRS, or Sounding Reference Signal (SRS). When transmission is performed on the plurality of channels and / or reference signals, the plurality of QCL information or the plurality of spatial filter information are shared by the communication device.

23. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The first control message is a Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling message.

24. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The first control message is the Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE).

25. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The second control message is received after the first control message is received.

26. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The second control message is a downlink control information (DCI) message.

27. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The second control message is the Media Access Control (MAC) control element CE.

28. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The second control message also includes the first indicator.

29. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The second indicator includes multiple TRP indicators that indicate multiple Transmission Receive Points (TRPs).

30. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The second indicator includes a plurality of first TCI state indicators indicating a plurality of first transmission configuration indication TCI states, wherein the plurality of first TCI states include a plurality of indicators indicating the plurality of source reference signals.

31. The method according to claim 30, characterized in that, The plurality of first TCI states also include a plurality of TRP indicators that indicate a plurality of TRPs.

32. The method according to claim 30, characterized in that, The plurality of first TCI states are elements of a first TCI state set, wherein the first TCI state set is used for downlink DL communication.

33. The method according to claim 32, characterized in that, The method further includes: Multiple UL control parameters for uplink UL communication are determined based on the multiple first TCI states.

34. The method according to claim 33, characterized in that, Determining the plurality of UL control parameters includes: Determine multiple second TCI states based on the multiple first TCI states; and The plurality of UL control parameters are determined based on the plurality of second TCI states.

35. The method according to claim 34, characterized in that, The plurality of second TCI states are elements of a second TCI state set, wherein the second TCI state set is used for UL communication.

36. The method according to claim 34, characterized in that, The plurality of second TCI states include a plurality of indicators that indicate the plurality of UL control parameters.

37. A network controller, characterized in that, The network controller includes: Non-transitory memory, including instructions; and One or more processors communicating with the memory, wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-18.

38. A user equipment (UE), characterized in that, The UE includes: Non-transitory memory, including instructions; and One or more processors communicating with the memory, wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to perform the method of any one of claims 19-36.

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