Beam Management Method and Apparatus with Beam Indication

Abstract

A beam indication (BI) mechanism and apparatus for providing network (NW) beam information for subsequent transmissions to a user equipment (UE) are proposed. Based on the BI, the UE can select its UE beam for subsequent transmissions. In one embodiment, the NW provides beam management configuration to the UE via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling and then provides beam indication index signaling to the UE via a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) or Downlink Control Information (DCI). The beam management configuration includes a mapping table between a network beam and a configured reference signal (RS) resource. The beam indication index signaling indicates one or more preferred beam pair links (BPLs). When the beam management procedure is triggered by the network, the UE is able to identify the beam management procedure and select a corresponding UE beam based on the beam management configuration and the beam indication index signaling.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to wireless communication, and more particularly, to beam management and beam indication in a millimeter wave (mmWave) beamforming system. Background Art

[0002] The growing bandwidth shortage faced by mobile carriers has prompted the exploration of the underutilized millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum between 3G and 300 GHz in next-generation broadband cellular communication networks. The available spectrum in the mmWave band is hundreds of times that of traditional cellular systems. mmWave wireless networks use narrow-beam directional communication and can support gigabit data rates. The underutilized bandwidth of the mmWave spectrum ranges from 1 millimeter to 100 millimeters. The wavelength of the mmwave spectrum is very short, so a large number of small antennas can be placed in a small area. This miniaturized antenna system can generate high beamforming gain through an electrically controllable array that produces directional transmission.

[0003] With the latest development of mmWave semiconductor circuits, mmWave wireless systems have become a truly promising solution. However, the heavy reliance on directional transmission and the vulnerability of the propagation environment pose special challenges to mmWave networks. Generally, the design of cellular network systems aims to achieve the following goals: 1) providing a wide range of dynamic operating conditions for a large number of users simultaneously; 2) performing robust analysis on the dynamic characteristics of channel changes, traffic loads, and different QoS (Quality of Service) requirements; and 3) effectively utilizing resources such as bandwidth and power. Beamforming increases the difficulty of achieving these goals.

[0004] In principle, a beam management mechanism including initial beam alignment and subsequent beam tracking ensures the alignment of the base station (BS) beam and the user equipment (UE) beam for data communication. In downlink (DL)-based beam management, the BS provides the UE with an opportunity to measure the beamforming channels of different combinations of the BS TX beam and the UE RX beam. For example, the BS performs periodic beam scanning using reference signals (RS) on each BS TX beam. The UE can collect the beamforming channel states by using different UE RX beams and report the collected measurement results to the BS. Different beam management procedures are designed to enable the UE to perform measurements for different objectives.

[0005] A beam indication (BI) mechanism is needed to provide the user equipment (UE) with information about the network (NW) beam for subsequent transmissions, i.e., the spatial transmission filter, enabling the UE to determine, based on the BI, its UE receive beam for subsequent transmissions, i.e., the spatial reception filter. BI-assisted transmissions may include reference signal (RS) transmissions for measurements in beam management and channel state information (CSI) acquisition, control channel transmission, and data channel transmission. The BI provides information that enables the UE to determine how to receive the RS, the NW transmissions of the input control channel, and the input data channel. Summary of the Invention

[0006] An embodiment of the present invention proposes a beam indication (BI) mechanism and its apparatus for providing user equipment (UE) information about the network (NW) beam for subsequent transmissions. Based on the BI, the UE can select its UE beam for subsequent transmissions. In one embodiment, the NW provides beam management configuration to the UE via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, and then provides beam indication index signaling to the UE via MAC (medium access control)-CE or DCI (Downlink Control Information). The beam management configuration includes a mapping table between a network beam and a configured reference signal (RS) resource. The beam indication index signaling indicates one or more preferred beam pairs for the link (BPL). When the beam management procedure is triggered by the network, the UE can identify the beam management procedure and select the corresponding UE beam based on the beam management configuration and the beam indication index signaling.

[0007] In another embodiment, the UE receives beam management configuration in a beamforming wireless communication network. The beam management configuration includes a reference signal (RS) resource configuration for beam measurement, a reporting configuration for beam measurement, and a mapping table between a list of beam indication index values and the configured RS resources. The UE performs UE measurements by using a set of UE beams according to the UE measurement procedure. The UE measurement procedure is determined based on the beam management configuration and whether the beam indication index signaling is explicitly received. The set of UE beams is determined based on whether the beam indication index signaling is explicitly received.

[0008] Other embodiments and advantages are described in the following detailed description. The summary of the invention is not intended to define the present invention. The present invention is defined by the claims. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009] The drawings illustrate embodiments of the present invention, where the same numbers represent the same components.

[0010] Figure 1 A novel millimeter-wave beamforming wireless communication system with beam management and beam indication is described.

[0011] Figure 2 It is a simplified block diagram of a base station and a user equipment that implement certain embodiments of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 3 A novel different beam management procedure with beam indication is described.

[0013] Figure 4 A sequence flow of a beam management procedure with beam indication for facilitating UE measurement is described.

[0014] Figure 5 The mapping relationship between the network TX (transmit) beam and the beam management reference signal (RS) resource is described.

[0015] Figure 6 An example of beam indication and its relationship with the RS resource is described.

[0016] Figure 7 Examples of providing a beam indication table and activating beam indication by using RRC, MAC-CE, and DCI are described.

[0017] Figure 8 It is a flowchart of a novel method of beam indication for beam management from the perspective of the UE. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0018] Now, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail, and examples thereof are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0019] Figure 1 A novel millimeter-wave beamforming wireless communication system with beam management and beam indication is described. The millimeter-wave beamforming wireless communication system 100 includes a base station BS 101 and a user equipment UE 102. The mmWave cellular network adopts narrow-beam directional communication and can support multi-gigabit data rates. The directional communication is achieved through digital and / or analog beamforming, where multiple antenna elements are applied together with multiple sets of beamforming weights to form multiple beams. Different beamformings can have different spatial resolutions, i.e., beam widths. For example, a sector antenna can form beams with lower array gain but wider spatial coverage, while a beamforming antenna can obtain higher array gain but narrower spatial coverage. In Figure 1In the example of [[ID=]], BS 101 is configured with multiple cells, and each cell is covered by a set of TX / RX beams. For example, cell 110 is covered by a set of eight control beams CB1 - CB8. The set of BS control beams CB1 - CB8 covers the entire service area of cell 110. Similarly, UE 102 can also apply beamforming to form multiple UE beams, such as #U1 - #U8. In addition to the coarse control beams, more refined narrow data beams can be formed between BS 101 and UE 102 for dedicated data communication.

[0020] For beamforming access, both ends of the link need to know which beamforming to use, such as a beam pair link (BPL). In downlink (DL)-based beam management, the BS side provides the UE with the opportunity to measure the beamforming channels of different combinations of BS TX (transmitter) beams and UE RX (receiver) beams. For example, the BS performs periodic beam scanning using reference signals (RS) on each BS TX beam. The UE can collect the beamforming channel states by using different UE RX beams and report the measurement metric(s) to the BS. The measurement metric can be the reference signal received power (RSRP) or the channel state information (CSI), or both. Different beam management procedures are designed to enable the UE to make measurements for different objectives. The beam indication (BI) from the network (NW) provides the UE with the NW beam information for subsequent transmissions. Then, the UE can select its UE beam based on the BI.

[0021] According to a novel aspect, a beam indication (BI) mechanism is proposed to provide network beam information for subsequent transmissions to a user equipment, enabling the UE to determine its UE beam for subsequent transmissions. Transmissions that may require BI assistance include reference signal (RS) transmissions for measurements in beam management and channel state information (CSI) acquisition, control channel transmissions, and data channel transmissions. In one embodiment, BS 101 provides a beam management configuration to UE 102 via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, and then provides a beam indication index to UE 102 via MAC-CE or DCI. The beam management configuration includes a mapping table between a network beam and a configured reference signal (RS) resource. The beam indication index signaling indicates one or more preferred beam pairs links (BPLs). When the beam management procedure is triggered by the network, UE 102 can identify the corresponding beam management procedure and select a UE beam based on the beam indication index signaling.

[0022] Figure 2 is a simplified block diagram of a base station and a user equipment that implement certain embodiments of the present invention.

[0023] BS 201 includes an antenna array 211 and one or more RF transceiver modules 212. The antenna array

[0024] 211 has a plurality of antenna elements and can transmit and receive radio signals. The antenna array is coupled to

[0025] the RF transceiver module 212. The RF transceiver module 212 receives RF signals from the antenna array 211, converts them into baseband signals, and sends them to the processor 213. The RF transceiver module 212 also converts the baseband signals received from the processor 213, converts them into RF signals, and sends them to the antenna array 211. The processor 213 processes the received baseband signals and calls different functional modules to perform the functions in BS 201. The memory 214 stores program instructions and data 215 to control the operation of BS 201. BS 201 also includes a plurality of functional modules and circuits that perform different tasks according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0026] Similarly, the UE 202 has an antenna array 231 for transmitting and receiving radio signals. An RF transceiver module 232 coupled to the antenna array 231 receives RF signals from the antenna array 231, converts them into baseband signals, and sends them to the processor 233. The RF transceiver module 212 also converts the baseband signals received from the processor 233, converts them into RF signals, and sends them to the antenna array 231. The processor 233 processes the received baseband signals and invokes different functional modules to perform functions in the UE 202. The memory 234 stores program instructions and data 235 to control the operation of the BS 202. The BS202 also includes multiple functional modules and circuits that perform different tasks according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0027] The functional modules and circuits can be implemented and configured by hardware, firmware, software, and any combination thereof. For example, the BS201 includes a beam management module 220, and the beam management module 220 further includes a beamforming circuit 221, a beam monitor 222, and a configuration circuit 223. The beamforming circuit 221 is part of the RF chain, which applies various beamforming weights to multiple antenna elements of the antenna array 211, thereby forming various beams. The beam monitor 222 monitors the received radio signals and measures the radio signals on different beams. The configuration circuit 223 configures radio resources and beam indication information for UE measurement and reporting behavior and data transmission.

[0028] Similarly, the UE 202 includes a beam management module 240, and the beam management module 240 further includes a beamforming circuit 241, a beam monitor 242, an RSRP / block error rate (BLER) feedback circuit 243, a configuration circuit 244, and a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) / Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) processing circuit. The beamforming circuit 241 is part of the RF chain, which applies various beamforming weights to multiple antenna elements of the antenna array 231, thereby forming various beams. The beam monitor 242 monitors the received radio signals, measures the radio signals on different beams, and maintains the level of its preferred BPL. The RSRP / BLER feedback circuit 243 provides beam quality feedback information to the BS 201 for BPL alignment status determination. The configuration circuit 244 receives radio resources and beam indication information for UE measurement and reporting behavior and data transmission. In one embodiment, the UE identifies the beam management procedure based on the received beam management configuration and beam indication and performs measurements using the selected UE beam.

[0029] Figure 3 Describes novel different beam management procedures with beam indication. The first UE measurement process involves coarse network beam selection and UE beam selection. As Figure 3 (a) shows, the first UE measurement process enables UE measurements on different transmission point (TRP) TX beams to support the selection of TRP TX beams and UE RX beams. For beamforming at TRP 301, it typically includes an internal or between-beam TRP TX beam sweep from a set of different control beams CB1 - CB4. For beamforming at UE 302, it typically includes a UE RX beam sweep from a set of different beams #1 - #3. The second UE measurement process involves network beam refinement, where the UE performs measurements using a fixed UE beam on different network beams. As Figure 3 (b) and (c) show, the second UE measurement process enables UE 302 to measure different TRP 301 coarse control beams CB1 - CB4 and / or fine data beams #D1 - #D3 based on the NW configuration or implementation. For example, UE302 uses the fixed UE beam #2 to assist in the selection of CB1 - CB4 and / or #D1 - #D3. The third UE measurement process involves UE beam refinement, where the UE performs measurements using different UE beams on a fixed network beam. As Figure 3 (d) and (e) show, in the case where the UE uses beamforming, the third UE measurement process enables UE 302 to perform measurements on the same TRP 301 TX beam #D2 to change the UE RX beam.

[0030] Figure 4Describes the sequence flow of a beam management procedure with beam indication to facilitate UE measurement. BS 401 is configured with multiple cells in a directional manner, and each cell is covered by a set of TX / RX control beams. Initially, UE 402 performs scanning, beam selection, and synchronization with BS 401 using control beams, which include predefined or preconfigured sequences for the UE to identify its presence. In step 411, BS 401 and UE 402 establish a data connection on the trained dedicated data beam based on beam training operations (e.g., after performing synchronization, random access, and RRC connection establishment). In step 421, BS 401 provides beam management configuration to UE 402, such as via radio resource control (RRC) signaling. The beam management configuration includes CSI-RS resource configuration, as well as a mapping table between network TX beams and RS resources, etc. In step 431, BS 401 performs a beam management procedure based on the RRC configuration, uses the configured RS resources, and transmits downlink reference signals to UE 402 through the same or different TX beams. BS 401 also sends beam indication information to UE 402. Based on the reference signal transmission and beam indication information, UE 402 performs corresponding measurements on the transmission of its RSRP and / or CSI metrics (step 432). In step 441, UE 402 sends a beam report to BS 401. In step 451, when the mapping between network TX beams and the configured RS resources changes, BS 401 sends updated beam management configuration to UE 402.

[0031] Figure 5Describes the mapping relationship between network TX beams and beam management reference signal (RS) resources. The mapping between network TX beams and RS resources can be static or semi-static or dynamic. When performing measurements, the UE knows when it can scan UE beams and when it should not scan UE beams. To this end, the UE needs to identify whether the network-triggered beam management procedure is the first UE measurement procedure for selecting NW TX beams and UE RX beams, the second UE measurement procedure for NW TX beam refinement, or the third UE measurement procedure for UE beam refinement. For the first UE measurement procedure, a periodic beam RS resource set can be configured, and no other signaling may be required to trigger transmission and reporting. In one embodiment, no beam indication index is provided to guide the UE to receive beam selection, and the UE decides on its own UE receive beam. The periodic beam RS resource set repetition pattern can be given by RRC configuration. In another embodiment of the first UE measurement procedure, the same reference signal resources in different transmission periods have the same transmit beam, i.e., the same spatial transmit filter characteristics. For the second UE measurement procedure for network TX beam refinement, the second UE measurement procedure is identified when the beam indication index is signaled to the UE to determine the fixed UE beam. When configuring this procedure through RRC, a beam indication index signaling can be issued, which helps the UE determine which UE receive beam should be used for TX beam refinement. The beam indication index signaling can be issued through downlink control information (DCI) on the control channel. The beam indication index signaling is received via a MAC control element (CE), where the MAC-CE also activates the beam measurement reference signal set to which the beam indication index applies. If the beam measurement reference signal set associated with the second UE measurement procedure needs to be activated by the MACCE before use / measurement, the beam indication index can be carried together with the MAC-CE to activate the beam measurement reference signal set.

[0032] For the third UE measurement procedure for UE RX beam refinement, the UE is allowed to scan UE beams. The resource configuration via RRC includes a field for explicitly indicating whether this is the third UE measurement procedure. Alternatively, since the third UE measurement procedure may be unrelated to beam reporting (i.e., there is no beam reporting after the measurement of the third UE measurement procedure), the third UE measurement procedure can be implicitly identified during configuration or at trigger time. If a clear signal notification is obtained, the beam indication index can be signaled to assist in the UE RX beam selection for measurement, at least when maintaining multiple beam pairs for the link. For example, the UE can select an adjacent beam of the UE beam indicated by the beam indication index. A similar method of signaling the beam indication index in the second UE measurement procedure also applies to the third UE measurement procedure. The beam indication index can also be avoided, and the UE can search over its UE RX beam space based on the UE implementation for measurement. Information related to the UE RX beam capabilities is useful for the network to determine the third UE measurement procedure repetition pattern similar to the first UE measurement procedure.

[0033] Figure 6 Examples of the beam indication index and its relationship with RS resources are described. Generally, the beam indication index is mapped to a set of RS resources, which are configured via RRC signaling for the beam management procedure. The beam indication index provides spatial quasi-co-location (QCL) information. From the UE's perspective, the beam indication index notifies the UE to associate its reception with previous measurement or reporting experiences. For example, the beam indication index can associate the corresponding RS transmission with a previous measurement, or be used to associate the corresponding RS measurement with a previous report. From the NW's perspective, the beam indication index associates the NW transmission with previous NW transmission experiences. The beam indication index value is a shorthand for the RS resource indication in the UE's measurement report. The beam indication index ensures an anchoring behavior in the following way: if the UE can receive a previous transmission indicated by the beam indication index, then the UE can adopt the same reception method for a new transmission associated with the beam indication index.

[0034] In Figure 6In the example, the network provides the UE with the mapping table 610 of the TX beam index and the CSI-RS resource, and the UE maps the TX beam index and the CSI-RS resource to the corresponding UE beam index. As a result, based on the beam-related report, the preferred NW TX beam and the BPL are selected as the potential links for communicating with the UE. The UE reports the RS measurement indicating the preferred radio signal strength. The report indicates a subset of the RS resources by means of a resource index, and the network can map the reported RS resources back to the NW TX beam used for transmitting the reported RS resources. The selected link is marked with a beam indication index value. In principle, the entire mapping table 610 is transmitted by RRC signaling during beam management configuration. Then, when a separate beam management procedure is triggered, the beam indication index signaling is sent by the network. Essentially, the beam indication index creates an association between the selected link and the beam indication index value, and this association signaling can be in the form of RRC, MAC-CE, or both RRC and MAC-CE.

[0035] When the beam indication index is used for multi-beam indication, the beam indication index can be signaled in the form of a bitmap. For example, the on / off state of the first beam indication index is indicated by the first bit, etc. When group-based beam reporting is configured, the beam indication index can be linked to the group-based beam report. For example, the network can associate the beam indication index of each beam group, or associate the beam indication index to a specific position in the group-based beam report. For example, the first beam in each group is associated with the beam indication index.

[0036] Figure 7Examples of providing a beam indication table and activating beam indications by using RRC, MAC-CE, and DCI are described. During the beam management configuration process, the entire beam indication and RS resource mapping table is signaled to the UE through RRC configuration as shown by arrow 710. In the mapping table, each candidate beam indication index is mapped to an RS resource set configured as a corresponding synchronization signal block (SSB) or CSI-RS. In a first option, a subset of the selected beam indication indices can be activated by MAC-CE activation as shown by arrow 720. The MAC-CE can be used to activate or deactivate a set of beam pair links for control channel monitoring. Then, each individual beam indication index can be signaled by a DCI field for PDSCH beam indication as shown by arrow 740. The DCI field of the control channel can be used to indicate at least one beam pair link for transmitting a data channel corresponding to the control channel. In a second option, a subset of the selected beam indication indices can be activated by RRC activation as shown by arrow 730. As shown by arrow 750, each individual beam indication index can be signaled by a MAC-CE for physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) beam indication. The MAC-CE can be used to indicate at least one beam pair link for control channel monitoring. If only one beam index is activated, no additional MAC-CE signaling is required.

[0037] Figure 8 is a flowchart of a novel method for beam indication for beam management from the perspective of a UE. In step 801, the UE receives a beam management configuration from a user equipment (UE) in a beamforming wireless communication network. The beam management configuration includes a reference signal (RS) resource configuration for beam measurement, a reporting configuration for beam measurement, and a mapping table between a list of beam indication index values and the configured RS resources. In step 802, the UE performs UE measurements by using a set of UE beams according to the UE measurement process. The UE measurement process is determined based on the beam management configuration and whether beam indication index signaling is explicitly received. The set of UE beams is determined based on whether beam indication index signaling is explicitly received. In one example, the beam indication index signaling includes one or more beam indication indices that indicate one or more beam pair links to be used as spatial filtering references for subsequent beam measurements. The mapping table provides corresponding RS resources for one or more beam indication indices.

[0038] Although the present invention has been described in connection with certain specific embodiments for illustrative purposes, the invention is not limited thereto. Accordingly, various modifications, adaptations, and combinations of the various features of the embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, comprising: receiving, by a user equipment, a beam management configuration in a beamforming wireless communication network, wherein the beam management configuration is sent from a base station and includes a reference signal resource configuration for beam measurement, a reporting configuration for beam measurement, and a mapping table between a beam indication index value list and a reference signal resource configured from the reference signal resource configuration for beam measurement; determining whether the user equipment receives a beam indication index signaling from the base station, wherein the beam indication index signaling includes a first beam indication index of a first reference signal resource in the configured reference signal resource; and performing, by the user equipment, a user equipment measurement on the first reference signal resource using a user equipment beam and according to a user equipment measurement process, wherein the user equipment measurement process is determined based on the beam management configuration and whether the beam indication index signaling is received, wherein the set of user equipment beams is determined based on whether the first beam indication index for the first reference signal resource is received, and wherein the user equipment beam is determined according to the first beam indication index for performing the user equipment measurement on the first reference signal resource, the first beam indication index being from the beam indication index value list in the mapping table, otherwise, when the first reference signal resource is not received, the user equipment beam is determined by the user equipment for performing the user equipment measurement on the first reference signal resource.

2. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein The beam indication index signaling includes one or more beam indication indexes for indicating one or more beam pairs of a link for a spatial filtering reference for subsequent beam measurement, wherein the mapping table provides a corresponding reference signal resource for the one or more beam indication indexes.

3. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein, Receiving the beam indication index signaling via downlink control information for data channel transmission.

4. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein Receiving the beam indication index signaling via a media access control element, wherein the media access control element also activates a beam measurement reference signal set to which the beam indication index is applied.

5. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that The user equipment identifies a first user equipment measurement process based on a periodically configured reference signal resource and the absence of the beam indication index signaling.

6. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that A second user equipment measurement process involves a network beam selection operation, wherein the set of user equipment beams includes fixed user equipment beams for measuring different reference signal resources.

7. The wireless communication method according to claim 6, wherein, Identifying the second user equipment measurement process when the beam indication index is signaled to the user equipment to determine the fixed user equipment beam.

8. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, A third user equipment measurement process involves a user equipment beam selection operation, wherein the user equipment performs measurements using different user equipment beams on a fixed network beam.

9. The wireless communication method according to claim 8, wherein, The third user equipment measurement process is identified when the reference signal resource configuration for beam measurement includes an indication that the reference signal resource in the configuration is transmitted with the same spatial filtering characteristics.

10. The wireless communication method according to claim 8, wherein, The reference signal resource configuration for beam measurement in the third user equipment measurement process includes beam indication index signaling to assist in determining different user equipment beams.

11. A user equipment for wireless communication, comprising: A transceiver for receiving beam management configuration in a beamforming wireless communication network, wherein the beam management configuration is sent from a base station and includes a reference signal resource configuration for beam measurement, a reporting configuration for beam measurement, and a mapping table between a beam indication index value list and a reference signal resource configured from the reference signal resource configuration for beam measurement; A processor determines whether the user equipment receives beam indication index signaling from the base station, wherein the beam indication index signaling includes a first beam indication index of a first reference signal resource in the configured reference signal resources; A monitoring circuit performs user equipment measurement on the first reference signal resource using user equipment beams and according to a user equipment measurement process, wherein the user equipment measurement process is determined based on the beam management configuration and whether beam indication index signaling is received, wherein the set of user equipment beams is determined based on whether the first beam indication index for the first reference signal resource is received, and wherein the user equipment beam is determined according to the first beam indication index for performing the user equipment measurement on the first reference signal resource, the first beam indication index being from the beam indication index value list in the mapping table; otherwise, when the first reference signal resource is not received, the user equipment beam is determined by the user equipment for performing the user equipment measurement on the first reference signal resource.

12. The user equipment according to claim 11, characterized in that, The beam indication index signaling includes one or more beam indication indexes indicating one or more beam pairs for a link of a spatial filtering reference to be used for subsequent beam measurement, and the mapping table provides reference signal resources corresponding to the one or more beam indication indexes.

13. The user equipment according to claim 11, characterized in that, Receive the beam indication index signaling via downlink control information for data channel transmission.

14. The user equipment according to claim 11, characterized in that Receive the beam indication index signaling via a media access control control element, wherein the media access control control element also activates a set of beam measurement reference signals applicable to the beam indication index.

15. The user equipment according to claim 11, characterized in that, The user equipment identifies a first user equipment measurement process based on a periodically configured reference signal resource and the absence of the beam indication index signaling.

16. The user equipment according to claim 11, wherein A second user equipment measurement process involves a network beam selection operation, wherein the set of user equipment beams includes fixed user equipment beams for measuring different reference signal resources.

17. The user equipment according to claim 16, characterized in that, The second user equipment measurement process is identified when the beam indication index is signaled to the user equipment to determine the fixed user equipment beam.

18. The user equipment according to claim 11, characterized in that A third user equipment measurement process involves a user equipment beam selection operation, wherein the user equipment performs measurements using different user equipment beams on a fixed network beam.

19. The user equipment according to claim 18, characterized in that, The third user equipment measurement process is identified when the reference signal resource configuration for beam measurement includes an indication that the reference signal resources in the configuration are transmitted with the same spatial filtering characteristics.

20. The user equipment according to claim 18, wherein The reference signal resource configuration for beam measurement in the third user equipment measurement process includes beam indication index signaling to assist in determining different user equipment beams.

Images