Device for beam management in a non-terrestrial network (NTN)

By leveraging the indicator values ​​in MIB and SIB1 and fast beam measurement methods in NR NTN, the common resource block offset and beam switching challenges in beam management are solved, achieving efficient beam management and flexible reporting, and improving the overall performance of the system.

CN116547931BActive Publication Date: 2025-06-13APPLE INC
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202080106586.3
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2020-10-23
Publication Date
2025-06-13
Estimated Expiration
2040-10-23

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The beam management of NR NTN faces challenges such as rate reuse, beam measurement, beam reporting and beam switching in frequency or bandwidth parts, especially in coordination between different synchronization signal blocks and bandwidth parts.

Method used

The common resource block offset indication is presented by utilizing the "SSB_subcarrieroffset" value in the main information block (MIB) and the "offsetToPointA" value in the system information block 1 (SIB1), and a fast beam measurement method is used to reduce resource requirements; a multi-beam reporting solution is proposed to allow flexible reporting; joint beam switching is performed using the DCI format of the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status or beam indication radio network temporary identifier (BI-RNTI).

Benefits of technology

It effectively reduces the computational complexity of public resource block offset, improves the efficiency of beam measurement, reduces resource requirements, realizes flexible beam reporting and coordinated beam switching, and improves the beam management capabilities of NR NTN.

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Abstract

The techniques discussed herein facilitate beam management for non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). An exemplary aspect is a baseband processor that includes: a memory interface; and processing that is communicatively coupled to the memory and transceiver interface and is connected to a base station (BS) within a cell of a non-terrestrial network (NTN), and wherein the cell includes a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) associated with a plurality of beams, the processing being configured to perform operations including: receiving signaling from the base station (BS) that includes a channel state indicator reference signal (CSI-RS) configuration associated with a first BWP of the plurality of BWPs, wherein the CSI-RS configuration includes a beam measurement configuration for the plurality of beams, switching from a second BWP of the plurality of BWPs to the first BWP according to the CSI-RS configuration and measuring one or more of the plurality of beams according to the beam measurement configuration; and generating a measurement report that includes layer 1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) measurements of the one or more measured beams from the plurality of beams.
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Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] Mobile communications in next-generation wireless communication systems such as 5G or New Radio (NR) networks will provide ubiquitous connectivity and access to information and the ability to share data globally. The 5G network will be a unified, service-based framework that aims to meet common and sometimes conflicting performance criteria and serve a very diverse range of application domains, ranging from non-terrestrial networks (NTN), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) to massive machine type communication (mMTC), ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC), and other communications. Generally speaking, NR will evolve based on the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long-Term Evolution (LTE) Advanced technology and additional enhanced radio access technologies (RATs) to achieve seamless and faster wireless connection solutions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0002] Figure 1 Illustrates an architecture of a system including a core network (CN), such as a 5th Generation (5G) CN (5GC), according to various aspects.

[0003] Figure 2 Is an illustration showing example components of a device that can be employed according to various aspects discussed herein.

[0004] Figure 3 Is an illustration showing an example interface of a baseband circuit that can be employed according to various aspects discussed herein.

[0005] Figure 4 Is a block diagram showing a system that facilitates power management related to a wireless modem according to various aspects discussed herein.

[0006] Figure 5A and Figure 5B Illustrates a base station (BS) communicating with a user equipment (UE) device via a non-terrestrial network (NTN).

[0007] Figure 6 Illustrates a satellite within a New Radio (NR) non-terrestrial network (NTN) that has one or more beams associated with cell 0, and one or more bandwidth parts (BWPs).

[0008] Figure 7 Illustrates a first alternative and a first design of the association of a synchronization signal block (SSB) and an initial bandwidth part (BWP), where the SSBs of all satellite beams in the same cell are transmitted within the same frequency interval and do not overlap in time.

[0009] Figure 8Shows a first alternative and a second design of the association between a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) and an initial Bandwidth Part (BWP), where the SSBs of all satellite beams in the same cell are transmitted within the same frequency interval and do not overlap in time.

[0010] Figure 9 and Figure 10 Shows a second alternative of the association between a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) and multiple Bandwidth Parts (BWPs), where the SSBs of all satellite 602 beams in the same cell can be transmitted in different frequency intervals within their respective BWPs and do not overlap in time.

[0011] Figure 11 Shows a flowchart of a method for performing fast beam measurements in a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) between a User Equipment (UE) and a Base Station (BS) using a Channel State Indicator - Reference Signal (CSI-RS) associated with all satellite beams in a single configured Bandwidth Part (BWP).

[0012] Figure 12 is Figure 11 a flowchart of the beam measurement reporting option between steps 1104 and 1106.

[0013] Figure 13 Shows a flowchart of a method for performing fast beam measurements in a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) between a User Equipment (UE) and a Base Station (BS) using a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) without the need for Bandwidth Part (BWP) switching.

[0014] Figure 14 is a flowchart of joint User Equipment (UE) receive beam switching based on a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state. Detailed Description

[0015] The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals are used throughout to refer to like elements, and in which the structures and devices shown are not necessarily drawn to scale. As used herein, the terms "component", "system", "interface", etc. are intended to refer to computer-related entities, hardware, software (e.g., in execution), and / or firmware. For example, a component can be a processor (e.g., a microprocessor, a controller, or other processing device), a process running on the processor, a controller, an object, an executable, a program, a storage device, a computer, a tablet, and / or a user equipment with a processing device (e.g., a mobile phone or other device configured to communicate via a 3GPP RAN, etc.). By way of example, an application running on a server and the server can also be components. One or more components can reside in a process, and components can be located on one computer and / or distributed between two or more computers. A group of elements or a group of other components may be described herein, and the term "group" can be interpreted as "one or more" unless the context indicates otherwise (e.g., "an empty group", "a group of two or more X", etc.).

[0016] In addition, these components can execute from various computer-readable storage media on which various data structures are stored, such as, for example, using modules. Components can communicate, for example, via local and / or remote processes according to a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacts with another component in a local system, a distributed system, and / or the entire network, such as the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, or a similar network with other systems via a signal).

[0017] As another example, a component can be a device having a specific function provided by a mechanical component operated by an electrical or electronic circuit, where the electrical or electronic circuit can be operated by a software application or a firmware application executed by one or more processors. One or more processors can be inside or outside the device and can execute at least a portion of the software or firmware application. As yet another example, a component can be a device that provides a specific function through an electronic component without a mechanical component; the electronic component can include one or more processors therein to execute at least part of the software and / or firmware that gives the electronic component its function.

[0018] The use of the term "exemplary" is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner. As used in this application, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless otherwise stated or clear from the context, "X employs A or B" is intended to mean any natural inclusive arrangement. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then "X employs A or B" is satisfied in any of the foregoing instances. Additionally, the articles "a" and "an" as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean "one or more" unless otherwise stated or clearly apparent from the context to be referring to the singular form. Further, to the extent that the terms "comprising", "comprises", "having", "has", "with", or variants thereof are used in the detailed description and claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "including". Additionally, in the case of discussing one or more numbered items (e.g., "first X", "second X", etc.), generally, the one or more numbered items can be different or they can be the same, but in some cases, the context may indicate that they are different or indicate that they are the same.

[0019] As used herein, the term "circuit" can refer to, can be part of, or can include the following: an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and / or a memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes one or more software or firmware programs, combinational logic circuitry, and / or other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality. In some aspects, the circuit can be implemented in one or more software or firmware modules, or the functionality associated with the circuit can be implemented by one or more software or firmware modules. In some aspects, the circuit can include logic components that can operate at least partially in hardware.

[0020] The various aspects discussed herein can relate to facilitating wireless communications, and the nature of these communications can vary.

[0021] It is well known that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of inadvertent or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly explained to the user.

[0022] Mobile communications in next-generation wireless communication systems continue to include features that support the efficient use of resources while supporting higher communication bandwidths and higher reliability. The integration of NR non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) provides increased flexibility, communication diversity, and cell coverage to wireless communication systems.

[0023] Beam management in NTN is accompanied by many challenges in the following situations: the rate of frequency or bandwidth part (BWP) is reused within the network, such that adjacent BSs or satellite beams utilize the same frequency; this is referred to as a frequency reuse factor equal to or greater than one. The challenges include determining the common resource block offset, beam measurement, beam reporting, and beam switching. When different synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) are located in different bandwidth parts (BWPs) associated with different satellite beams, the common resource block offset must be determined such that the BWP is correctly referenced to a common reference point. Beam measurement can be resource-intensive, thus requiring the UE to switch between different BWPs to measure reference signals within multiple satellite beams corresponding to different BWPs. Reporting the beam measurement results can also be resource-intensive, resulting in multiple transmissions associated with BWP switching. Since the satellite and its associated beams can be dynamic for a stationary UE, there are challenges in initiating beam switching applicable to a group of UEs. Finally, there are challenges in jointly switching the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) beam and the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) beam.

[0024] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to beam management for NR NTN with a frequency reuse factor equal to or greater than one. The common resource block offset indication is presented by utilizing the "SSB_subcarrieroffset" value within the master information block (MIB) and the "offsetToPointA" value within the system information block 1 (SIB1). A method for fast beam measurement that reduces resource requirements by minimizing BWP switching to a single BWP switch is presented by measuring all channel state indicator-reference signals (CSI-RS) in a single configured BWP or without BWP switching by using the sounding reference signal (SRS) of the satellite beam. A multi-beam reporting solution that allows reporting flexibility is proposed, which includes layer 1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) reporting after beam measurement in one or more BWPs, or combined reporting when switching to the initial or active BWP. Beam switching for a group of UEs is presented by using group common downlink control information (DCI) signaling of the satellite beam or by using broadcast medium access control control element (MAC CE) signaling of the satellite beam. Finally, joint beam switching is presented by using the transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state or by using the DCI format with beam indication radio network temporary identifier (BI-RNTI).

[0025] Aspects described herein can be implemented into a system using any suitable configured hardware and / or software. Figure 1The architecture of a system 100 including a core network (CN) 120 (e.g., a fifth-generation (5G) CN (5GC)) according to various aspects is shown. The system 100 is shown to include: a UE 101, which may be the same as or similar to one or more other UEs discussed herein; a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) radio access network (radio AN or RAN) or other (e.g., non-3GPP) AN, (R)AN 210, which may include one or more RAN nodes (e.g., evolved Node B (eNB)), next-generation Node B (gNB and / or other nodes) or other nodes or access points; and a data network (DN) 203, which may be, for example, a carrier service, Internet access, or a third-party service; and a fifth-generation core network (5GC) 120. The 5GC 120 may include one or more of the following functions and network components: an authentication server function (AUSF) 122, an access and mobility management function (AMF) 121, a session management function (SMF) 124, a network exposure function (NEF) 123, a policy control function (PCF) 126, a network repository function (NRF) 125, a unified data management (UDM) 127, an application function (AF) 128, a user plane function (UPF) 102, and a network slice selection function (NSSF) 129, which may be connected by various interfaces and / or reference points, such as as Figure 1 shown.

[0026] Figure 2 Exemplary components of a device 200 according to some aspects are shown. In some aspects, the device 200 may include an application circuit 202, a baseband circuit 204, a radio frequency (RF) circuit 206, a front-end module (FEM) circuit 208, one or more antennas 210, and a power management circuit (PMC) 212 (coupled together at least as shown). The illustrated components of the device 200 may be included in a UE or a RAN node. In some aspects, the device 200 may include fewer elements (e.g., a RAN node may not utilize the application circuit 202 but includes a processor / controller to process IP data received from a CN such as 5GC 120 or an evolved packet core (EPC)). In some aspects, the device 200 may include additional elements, such as, for example, a memory / storage device, a display, a camera, sensors (including one or more temperature sensors, such as a single temperature sensor, multiple temperature sensors at different locations in the device 200, etc.), or an input / output (I / O) interface. In other aspects, the following components may be included in more than one device (e.g., the circuits may be separately included in more than one device for a cloud-RAN (C-RAN) implementation).

[0027] The application circuit 202 may include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuit 202 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor(s) may include any combination of general-purpose processors and dedicated processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processor(s) may be coupled to or may include memory / storage, and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the device 200. In some aspects, the processor(s) of the application circuit 202 may process IP data packets received from the EPC.

[0028] The baseband circuit 204 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuit 204 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic components to process baseband signals received at the receive signal path of the RF circuit 206 and generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 206. The baseband circuit 204 may interact with the application circuit 202 to generate and process baseband signals and control the operation of the RF circuit 206. For example, in some aspects, the baseband circuit 204 may include a third-generation (3G) baseband processor 204A, a fourth-generation (4G) baseband processor 204B, a fifth-generation (5G) baseband processor 204C, or other baseband processors 204D for other existing generations, generations under development, or generations to be developed in the future (e.g., second-generation (2G), sixth-generation (6G), etc.). The baseband circuit 204 (e.g., one or more of the baseband processors 204A-D) may process various radio control functions that may communicate with one or more radio networks via the RF circuit 206. In other aspects, some or all of the functions of the baseband processors 204A-D may be included in modules stored in the memory 204G and may be executed via the central processing unit (CPU) 204E. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some aspects, the modulation / demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuit 204 may include fast Fourier transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functions. In some aspects, the encoding / decoding circuitry of the baseband circuit 204 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity-check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functions. The aspects of modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functions are not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functions in other aspects.

[0029] In some aspects, the baseband circuit 204 may include one or more audio digital signal processors (DSPs) 204F. The audio DSP 204F may include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and in other aspects may include other suitable processing elements. In some aspects, the components of the baseband circuit may be appropriately combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on the same circuit board. In some aspects, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 204 and the application circuit 202 may be implemented together, such as on a system on a chip (SOC).

[0030] In some aspects, the baseband circuit 204 may provide communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some aspects, the baseband circuit 204 may support communication with NG-RAN, evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN), or other wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), wireless personal area network (WPAN), etc. The aspect where the baseband circuit 204 is configured to support radio communication of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as a multi-mode baseband circuit.

[0031] The RF circuit 206 may communicate with a wireless network using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various aspects, the RF circuit 206 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate communication with the wireless network. The RF circuit 206 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry for down-converting an RF signal received from the FEM circuit 208 and providing a baseband signal to the baseband circuit 204. The RF circuit 206 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry for up-converting a baseband signal provided by the baseband circuit 204 and providing an RF output signal to the FEM circuit 208 for transmission.

[0032] In some aspects, the receive signal path of the RF circuit 206 may include a mixer circuit 206a, an amplifier circuit 206b, and a filter circuit 206c. In some aspects, the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 206 may include a filter circuit 206c and a mixer circuit 206a. The RF circuit 206 may also include a synthesizer circuit 206d for synthesizing the frequencies used by the mixer circuits 206a of the receive and transmit signal paths. In some aspects, the mixer circuit 206a of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from the FEM circuit 208 based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 206d. The amplifier circuit 206b may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and the filter circuit 206c may be a low-pass filter (LPF) or a band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided to the baseband circuit 204 for further processing. In some aspects, the output baseband signal may be a zero-frequency baseband signal, but this is not required. In some aspects, the mixer circuit 206a of the receive signal path may include a passive mixer, but the scope of the various aspects is not limited in this regard.

[0033] In some aspects, the mixer circuit 206a of the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert an input baseband signal based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 206d to generate an RF output signal for the FEM circuit 208. The baseband signal may be provided by the baseband circuit 204 and may be filtered by the filter circuit 206c.

[0034] In some aspects, the mixer circuit 206a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 206a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and up-conversion, respectively. In some aspects, the mixer circuit 206a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 206a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some aspects, the mixer circuit 206a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 206a may be arranged for direct down-conversion and direct up-conversion, respectively. In some aspects, the mixer circuit 206a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 206a of the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0035] In some aspects, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal can be analog baseband signals, but the scope of each aspect is not limited in this regard. In some alternative aspects, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal can be digital baseband signals. In these alternative aspects, the RF circuit 206 can include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuit, and the baseband circuit 204 can include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuit 206.

[0036] In some dual-mode aspects, a separate radio IC circuit can be provided to process signals for each spectrum, but the scope of each aspect is not limited in this regard.

[0037] In some aspects, the synthesizer circuit 206d can be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer, but the scope of each aspect is not limited in this regard because other types of frequency synthesizers can be suitable. For example, the synthesizer circuit 206d can be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0038] The synthesizer circuit 206d can be configured to synthesize an output frequency based on a frequency input and a frequency divider control input for use by the mixer circuit 206a of the RF circuit 206. In some aspects, the synthesizer circuit 206d can be a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0039] In some aspects, the frequency input can be provided by a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), but this is not required. The frequency divider control input can be provided by the baseband circuit 204 or the application circuit 202 according to the desired output frequency. In some aspects, the frequency divider control input (e.g., N) can be determined from a look-up table based on the channel indicated by the application circuit 202.

[0040] The synthesizer circuit 206d of the RF circuit 206 can include a frequency divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some aspects, the frequency divider can be a dual-mode frequency divider (DMD), and the phase accumulator can be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some aspects, the DMD can be configured to divide an input signal by N or N+1 (e.g., based on a carry output) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some exemplary aspects, the DLL can include cascaded, tunable, delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a set of D-type flip-flops. In these aspects, the delay elements can be configured to divide the VCO period into Nd equal phase bins, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO period.

[0041] In some aspects, the synthesizer circuit 206d may be configured to generate the carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other aspects, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency), and is used in conjunction with the quadrature generator and divider circuits to generate multiple signals having multiple different phases relative to each other at the carrier frequency. In some aspects, the output frequency may be the LO frequency (fLO). In some aspects, the RF circuit 206 may include an IQ / polarity converter.

[0042] The FEM circuit 208 may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 210, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to the RF circuit 206 for further processing. The FEM circuit 208 may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry configured to amplify transmit signals provided by the RF circuit 206 for transmission via one or more of the one or more antennas 210. In various aspects, the amplification through the transmit signal path or the receive signal path may be done only in the RF circuit 206, only in the FEM circuit 208, or in both the RF circuit 206 and the FEM circuit 208.

[0043] In some aspects, the FEM circuit 208 may include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operations. The FEM circuit may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuit may include an LNA to amplify the received RF signals and provide the amplified received RF signals as an output (e.g., to the RF circuit 206). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuit 208 may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify the input RF signals (e.g., provided by the RF circuit 206), and one or more filters to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission (e.g., via one or more of the one or more antennas 210).

[0044] In some aspects, the PMC 212 may manage the power provided to the baseband circuit 204. Specifically, the PMC 212 may control power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion. When the device 200 is capable of being powered by a battery, e.g., when the device is included in a UE, the PMC 212 is typically included. The PMC 212 may improve the power conversion efficiency while providing the desired implementation size and thermal characteristics.

[0045] While Figure 2PMC 212 is shown coupled only to the baseband circuitry 204. However, in other respects, PMC 212 may be additionally or alternatively coupled to other components such as, but not limited to, the application circuitry 202, the RF circuitry 206, or the FEM circuitry 208, and perform similar power management operations.

[0046] In some aspects, PMC 212 may control or otherwise participate in various power saving mechanisms of the device 200. For example, if the device 200 is in the RRC_Connected state, where it is still connected to the RAN node as expected to receive traffic soon, after a period of inactivity, it may enter a state called discontinuous reception mode (DRX). During this state, the device 200 may power down for short intervals, thus saving power.

[0047] If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period, the device 200 may transition to the RRC_Idle state, where it is disconnected from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. The device 200 enters a very low power state, and it performs paging, where it wakes up periodically again to listen to the network and then powers down again. The device 200 may not receive data while in this state; to receive data, the device may transition back to the RRC_Connected state.

[0048] Additional power saving modes may cause the device to be unable to use the network for more than the paging interval (ranging from a few seconds to several hours). During this period, the device is completely unable to connect to the network and may be completely powered down. Any data sent during this period will incur a significant delay, and it is assumed that the delay is acceptable.

[0049] The processors of the application circuitry 202 and the baseband circuitry 204 may be used to execute elements of one or more instances of the protocol stack. For example, the processors of the baseband circuitry 204 may be used alone or in combination to execute functions of layer 3, layer 2, or layer 1, while the processors of the application circuitry 202 may utilize the data received from these layers (e.g., packet data) and further execute functions of layer 4 (e.g., the transport control protocol (TCP) and the user datagram protocol (UDP) layers). As mentioned herein, layer 3 may include the radio resource control (RRC) layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 2 may include the media access control (MAC) layer, the radio link control (RLC) layer, and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 1 may include the physical (PHY) layer of the UE / RAN node, which will be described in further detail below.

[0050] Figure 3Shows an exemplary interface of a baseband circuit according to some aspects. As discussed above, Figure 2 The baseband circuit 204 of Figure 2 may include processors 204A - 204E and a memory 204G utilized by the processors. Each of the processors 204A - 204E may include a memory interface 304A - 304E respectively to send / receive data to / from the memory 204G.

[0051] The baseband circuit 204 may further include: one or more interfaces to communicatively couple to other circuits / devices, such as a memory interface 312 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving data to / from a memory external to the baseband circuit 204); an application circuit interface 314 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving data to / from Figure 2 the application circuit 202); an RF circuit interface 316 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving data to / from Figure 2 the RF circuit 206); a wireless hardware connection interface 318 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving data to / from a near - field communication (NFC) component, components (e.g., Low Energy), components and other communication components); and a power management interface 320 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving power or control signals to / from the PMC 212).

[0052] As discussed in more detail herein, various aspects that may be employed, for example, at a UE, may facilitate power management related to a wireless modem. The various aspects may employ the power management techniques discussed herein, where, based on the monitored power consumption and temperature levels, one or more of the power management phases discussed herein may be employed to mitigate overheating. The power management phases discussed herein may reduce the power consumption and associated overheating caused by 5G (fifth - generation) NR (new radio) operation, LTE (long - term evolution) operation, or both.

[0053] See Figure 4, which shows a block diagram of a system 400 that can be employed at a UE (User Equipment), a next-generation Node B (gNodeB or gNB), or another component of a BS (Base Station) / TRP (Transmit / Receive Point) or 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) network (e.g., a 5GC (Fifth Generation Core Network) component or function, such as a UPF (User Plane Function)), which facilitates power management related to a wireless modem. The system 400 may include a processor 410, a communication circuit 420, and a memory 430. The processor 410 (e.g., which may include one or more of 202 and / or 204A - 204F, etc.) may include a processing circuit and associated interfaces (e.g., a communication interface for communicating with the communication circuit 420 (e.g., an RF circuit interface 316), a memory interface for communicating with the memory 430 (e.g., a memory interface 312), etc.). The communication circuit 420 may include, for example, circuits for wired and / or wireless connections (e.g., 206 and / or 208), which may include a transmitter circuit (e.g., associated with one or more transmission chains) and / or a receiver circuit (e.g., associated with one or more reception chains), where the transmitter circuit and the receiver circuit may employ common and / or different circuit elements, or a combination thereof. The memory 430 may include one or more memory devices (e.g., a memory 204G, a local memory (e.g., including the CPU registers of the processor discussed herein), etc.), which may have any of various storage media (e.g., volatile and / or non-volatile according to any of various technologies / constructions, etc.), and may store instructions and / or data associated with one or more of the processor 410 or the transceiver circuit 420 of the communication circuit 420.

[0054] A particular type of aspect of the system 400 (e.g., a UE aspect) may be indicated via a subscript (e.g., the system 400 UE includes a processor 410 UE , a communication circuit 420 UE and a memory 430 UE ). In some aspects, such as a BS aspect (e.g., the system 400 gNB ) and an aspect of a network component (e.g., a UPF (User Plane Function), etc.) (e.g., the system 400 UPF ), the processor 410 gNB (etc.), the communication circuit (e.g., 420 gNB etc.) and the memory (e.g., 430 gNB etc.) may be in a single device or may be included in different devices, such as part of a distributed architecture. In aspects, signaling or messaging between different aspects of the system 400 (e.g., 400 1 and 400 2 ) may be performed by the processor 4101 Generated by communication circuitry 420 1 Transmitted via a suitable interface or reference point (e.g., 3GPP air interface N3, N4, etc.) by communication circuitry 420 2 Received and processed by processor 410 2 Depending on the type of interface, additional components (e.g., antennas, network ports, etc. associated with system 400 1 and 400 2 may participate in the communication.

[0055] In various aspects, one or more of information (e.g., system information, resources associated with signaling, etc.), features, parameters, etc. may be configured to the UE via signaling (e.g., associated with one or more layers, such as L1 signaling or higher layer signaling (e.g., MAC, RRC, etc.)) from a gNB or other access point (e.g., via signaling generated by processor 410 gNB Generated by communication circuitry 420 gNB Transmitted by communication circuitry 420 UE Received and processed by processor 410 UE The type of signaling employed and / or the exact details of the operations performed at the UE and / or gNB during processing (e.g., signaling structure, handling of PDUs / SDUs, etc.) may vary depending on the type of information, features, parameters, etc. However, for convenience, such operations may be referred to herein as configuring information / features / parameters / etc. for the UE, generating or processing configuration signaling, or via similar terms.

[0056] 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) technical specifications (TS) define optional power management related messages between a UE (User Equipment) and a base station (BS, e.g., eNB (Evolved Node B) or gNB (Next Generation Node B), etc.).

[0057] Figure 5A and Figure 5B illustrate a base station (BS) communicating with a user equipment (UE) device via a non - terrestrial network (NTN) according to some embodiments. Figure 5A Illustrates a UE 506A that may communicate with a 5G core network 510A. In some embodiments, the UE 506A may communicate with a satellite 502 via a service link 504A, where the satellite 502 communicates with the 5G core network 510A via a feeder link 508A and a BS 512A.

[0058] Figure 5BIllustrated is a UE 506C that can communicate with a 5G core network 510B. In some embodiments, the UE 506C can communicate with a satellite serving as a BS 512B via a serving link 504B, where the BS 512B communicates with the 5G core network 510B via a feeder link 508B.

[0059] Figure 6 Illustrated is a satellite 602 within a New Radio (NR) Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) that has one or more beams associated with a cell 0 and one or more Bandwidth Parts (BWPs) carrying one or more Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs). The satellite 602 can be a Base Station (BS). Note that the SSB can initialize synchronization information and broadcast information corresponding to the cell beam direction. One or more User Equipments (UEs) can communicate with the satellite 602 via one or more of the beams associated with cell 0. Beam 0 can include the coverage of one or more beams and can be used to transmit system information that may include initial access and signaling information covering cell 0 using an initial BWP.

[0060] Adjacent beams may have inter-beam interference. To reduce inter-beam interference, adjacent beams can have different BWPs. Thus, non-adjacent beams can reuse BWPs, resulting in a frequency reuse factor equal to or greater than one. For example, beams 1 to 4 are adjacent and can have different BWPs (i.e., BWP 1 to BWP 4 respectively) to mitigate interference. Since beams 5 and 6 are not adjacent to beams 1 and 2, beams 5 and 6 can reuse BWP 1 and BWP 2 respectively. By reusing BWPs, the network reduces adjacent beam interference and the network uses a smaller number of potential SSB frequencies for UEs to search, thus reducing the initial access time.

[0061] Figure 7 Illustrated is a first alternative and first design of the association between SSB and initial BWP, where the SSBs of all satellite 602 beams in the same cell are transmitted within the same frequency interval and do not overlap in time. In the first alternative and first design, all SSBs point to a common Control Resource Set 0 (CORESET 0) and Search Space 0 that have a common System Information Block 1 (SIB1) common to all satellite beams. The first alternative and first design applied to Figure 6 will result in a modified Figure 6 scenario where each beam uses the same BWP and thus the same frequency. SSB M represents a pre-configured number M associated with the number of satellite 602 beams and the discretization of the initial BWP as depicted in Figure 6 .

[0062] Figure 8Shows the association of SSB and the initial BWP, as well as the first alternative and the second design of the common control resource set 0 (CORESET0) in different BWPs, where the SSBs of all satellite 602 beams in the same cell are transmitted within the same frequency interval and do not overlap in time. In the first alternative and the second design, the SSB can point to CORESET 0 and SIB1, which can occupy different frequency intervals by occupying different BWPs associated with specific beams of satellite 602. Each SIB1 includes the configuration data of the associated beam of satellite 602 and potentially other satellite beams. For example, SSB1 in the initial BWP can point to CORESET 0 and SIB1 in BWP 1, and SSB 2 can point to different CORESET 0 and SIB1 in BWP 2, where each different SIB1 includes the configuration information associated with its BWP and the satellite 602 beam.

[0063] Figure 9 and Figure 10 Shows the second alternative of the association of SSB and multiple BWPs, where the SSBs of all satellite 602 beams in the same cell can be transmitted in different frequency intervals within their respective BWPs and do not overlap in time. Figure 9 and Figure 10 Further depicts Figure 6 the time-varying aspect of the BWP in Figure 9 and Figure 10 Although

[0064] Figure 10 shows the SSBs distributed among BWP 1 and BWP 2, it should be understood that the SSBs can be distributed among multiple BWPs (i.e., BWP 1 to BWP N) that can be extended to a pre-configured number N. Thus, SSB 3 can be in BWP 3, and SSB 4 can be in BWP 4, and so on.

[0065] One challenge for SSBs allocated in different BWPs is to determine the common resource block offset such that subcarrier 0 of the SSB can refer to subcarrier 0 in the common resource block, i.e., asFigure 10 The depicted point A. Figure 10 Respectively depict the offset K from SSB 1 in BWP 1 to point A SSB 1 and the K from SSB 2 in BWP 2 to point A SSB 2 . The quantity K SSB M can be the sub - carrier frequency domain offset between sub - carrier 0 of SSB M and point A.

[0066] In some aspects, the common resource block offset indication can be achieved by utilizing the "SSB_subcarrieroffset" value within the master information block (MIB) provided by satellite 602 and the "offsetToPointA" value within the system information block 1 (SIB1). The UE can decode the SSB containing the MIB pointing to CORESET 0, whereby the UE can decode SIB1 and calculate the offset K based on the MIB and SIB1. SSB . The MIB can contain "SSB_subcarrieroffset" having a value [0, 15] associated with the 4 least significant bits (4 - LSB) of K SSB . The SIB1 can contain "offsetToPointA" having a value [0, 2199] for the most significant bit (MSB) of the offset K SSB . Thus, the UE can calculate the offset K based on the content of "SSB_subcarrieroffset" of the MIB and "offsetToPointA" of SIB1 associated with a specific SSB within a specific BWP. SSB . This aspect of calculating the offset K SSB can be applied to Figure 7 and Figure 8 the first alternative in Figure 9 and Figure 10 the second alternative.

[0067] Satellite 602 can indicate different K SSB offsets for different BWPs. In an alternative aspect, K SSB can be calculated by the UE, where satellite 602 uses the same "SSB_subcarrieroffset" in the MIB among all SSBs in the cell, and satellite 602 assigns different "offsetToPointA" values in SIB1 corresponding to different BWPs. This aspect of calculating the offset K SSB can be applied to Figure 9 and Figure 10 the second alternative.

[0068] In an alternative aspect, KSSB It can be calculated by the UE, where satellite 602 can assign different "SSB_subcarrieroffset" in the MIB and different "offsetToPointA" in SIB1 corresponding to different BWPs in the cell. Calculate the offset K SSB This aspect of can be applied to Figure 9 and Figure 10 the second alternative in.

[0069] Figure 11 FIG. shows a flowchart of method 1100 for performing fast beam measurements in NTN between a UE and a BS using channel state indicator-reference signals (CSI-RS) associated with all satellite 602 beams in a single configured BWP. At 1102, the BS, which can be satellite 602, sends a configuration message to the UE, and the configuration message can include one or more of CSI-RS, BWP, SSB, CORESET 0, and SIB1 associated with the BS beam of the cell (e.g., Figure 6 cell 0 of). The configured CSI-RS can include beam measurement configurations for all beams and associated BWPs within the cell. At 1103, the BS can send CSI-RS signaling with an indication for the UE to perform CSI-RS measurements. After 1103, the UE can connect to the configured BWP.

[0070] At 1104, the UE can switch from the first BWP to the second BWP and perform beam measurements on all cell beams or cell beam groups according to the CSI-RS configuration that includes beam measurement configurations for all beams, where the CSI-RS configuration is in the first BWP or the second BWP. Thus, the CSI-RS does not appear in every BWP and can only appear in a single configured BWP that can be the first or second BWP. Alternatively, the CSI-RS can include measurement configurations for a subset of all beams, and thus, there can be more than one BWP configured with a CSI-RS configuration associated with a group of beam measurements. It should be understood that the UE can measure beams and switch BWPs in various different orders. For example, the UE can measure the beams associated with the first BWP and measure one or more other beams according to the CSI-RS configuration, and then switch to the second BWP. Alternatively, the UE can switch from the first BWP to the second BWP and then measure one or more beams according to the CSI-RS configuration.

[0071] In some aspects, the UE can be in the second BWP (e.g., the BWP 2 associated with Figure 6 beam 2 of), and the first BWP can be the initial BWP, which can be the configured BWP, and the UE can perform a switch from the second BWP to the first BWP (e.g., associated with Figure 6a single BWP switch for the initial BWP associated with beam 0; wherein one or more beams in the cell are measured according to CSI-RS in the initial BWP. In another aspect, the UE may be in a first BWP (e.g., BWP 1 associated with Figure 6 beam 1) of, wherein the UE may perform a single BWP switch from the first BWP to a second BWP (e.g., BWP 3 associated with Figure 6 beam 3) that may be a configured BWP; wherein one or more beams in the cell are measured according to CSI-RS in the second BWP. If the CSI-RS configuration includes a beam measurement configuration for all beams, a single BWP switch is used to measure all beams in the cell.

[0072] At 1106, the UE may send a beam measurement report to the BS, where the measurement report includes beam measurement data based on CSI-RS at 1104. Details of the beam measurement report at 1106 will be discussed in more detail below.

[0073] At 1108, the BS may send an indication to the UE to switch beams based on the measurement report. Details of the measurement beam switch at 1108 will be discussed in more detail below.

[0074] Figure 12 is Figure 11 Flowchart 1200 of beam measurement report options between steps 1104 and 1106. At 1202, Option 1, the beam measurement report may occur in the measured BWP. The UE may send a measurement report according to the CSI-RS configuration that includes a beam measurement configuration for all beams or beam groups in the specific BWP (e.g., the first or second BWP) in which the UE is located during measurement. The beam measurement report may include the L1-RSRP of one or more measured beams in each BWP. Option 1 may be applicable to scenarios where the specific BWP includes CSI-RS for all beams or a subset of beams.

[0075] At 1204, Option 2, the UE may send a beam measurement report in the initial BWP. All CSI-RS configurations containing beam measurement configurations may be in the initial BWP, and all SSBs may be in the initial BWP. Therefore, the UE will report the beam measurement report in the initial BWP. Option 2 may be applicable to cases where the initial BWP includes CSI-RS for all beams or a subset of beams.

[0076] At 1206, Option 3, the UE may switch to the first BWP to send a beam measurement report. The first BWP may be the active BWP that the UE was in before initiating beam measurement. After performing beam measurement, the UE may switch back to the active BWP and then at 1106, send a beam measurement report according to a CSI-RS configuration that includes beam measurement configurations for all beams or beam groups. The beam measurement report may include the L1-RSRP of one or more measured beams in each BWP.

[0077] At 1208, Option 4, the UE may switch to a configured BWP. The configured BWP may be a designated BWP for beam measurement reports or a network-configured BWP applicable to beam measurement reports, e.g., a larger BWP or a BWP with a light traffic load. After the UE performs beam measurement at 1104 according to a CSI-RS configuration that includes beam measurement configurations for all beams or beam groups, the UE may switch to the configured BWP at 1208 and then send a beam measurement report at 1106. The beam measurement report may include the L1-RSRP of one or more measured beams.

[0078] Note that the CSI-RS configuration may be periodic or semi-persistent. The BS may provide the UE with beam measurement report methods (i.e., Options 1-4). Additionally, the beam measurement report method may include multiple reporting mechanisms and may be pre-configured according to standards. The BS may convey Options 1-4 to the UE via "CSI-ReportConfig" that includes the "BWP-ID" parameter.

[0079] Figure 13 A flowchart of Method 1300 for performing fast beam measurement in an NTN between a UE and a BS using a sounding reference signal (SRS) without BWP switching is shown. At 1302, the BS, which may be Satellite 602, sends a configuration message to the UE. The configuration message may include one or more of the configurations enumerated at 1102, an SRS configuration including SRS scheduling, and a configuration for beam correspondence. After receiving the configuration message at 1302, the UE may configure beam correspondence with the BS, where the uplink and downlink reciprocity of the configured beam channels is configured. After 1302, the UE may also connect to the configured BWP. Figure 11 At 1102, an SRS configuration including SRS scheduling, and a configuration for beam correspondence. After receiving the configuration message at 1302, the UE may configure beam correspondence with the BS, where the uplink and downlink reciprocity of the configured beam channels is configured. After 1302, the UE may also connect to the configured BWP.

[0080] At 1304, the UE may transmit one or more SRSs to the BS according to SRS scheduling. The UE transmits one or more SRSs only in the BWP to which the UE is connected (e.g., the active BWP). The SRS transmission may be repeated such that the BS may measure one or more uplink (UL) beams at 1306 according to the repetition value indicated by the SRS scheduling. The repetition value of the SRS or one or more of the multiple symbols may depend on one or more of the UE location, the number of adjacent beams in the cell, and other factors configured by the BS. Additionally, at 1304, the UE may transmit one or more SRSs to the BS in different beam directions such that the BS measures the UL beams using one or more BS beams.

[0081] At 1308, the BS may indicate beam switching to the UE based on one or more SRSs. Method 1300 may occur without any BWP switching and may thus benefit from resource reduction associated with BWP switching.

[0082] NTN beam switching may benefit from UE group-based switching. The satellite 602 may move relative to the UE group, and thus the beams associated with the satellite 602 are also moving, which may create a scenario where the UE group should switch beams simultaneously to maintain communication with the satellite 602 due to changes in the beam coverage area. For example, the UE group may benefit from Figure 13 at 1308, Figure 11 at 1108, or simultaneous beam switching in other suitable scenarios.

[0083] To facilitate UE group beam switching, the BS, which may be the satellite 602, may configure a group common DCI format associated with UE group beam switching and indicate the group common DCI format to the UEs in a specific group.

[0084] In an alternative aspect, the BS may configure a joint group common DCI format associated with UE group beam switching. The joint group common DCI format may use format 2_2 for transmission power control (TPC) commands for transmitting the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) to indicate UE group beam switching and uplink power control information to the UE group.

[0085] The BS may generate UE groups to apply the group common DCI or the joint group common DCI. The UE groups may be based on one or more factors that may include UE location and UE beam measurement results. A radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) associated with common beam switching may be assigned to the UEs in the generated groups to scramble the group common DCI or the joint group common DCI. The RNTI associated with common beam switching may be sent by the BS to the UEs in the UE group via a MAC CE or a dedicated radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0086] The BS may apply UE group member update triggers to the UE. The update triggers may include one or more of a change in the location of the UE and a change in beam measurement results from the UE.

[0087] In an alternative aspect, the BS may broadcast a MAC CE for beam switching (i.e., satellite 602 beam switching) instead of using a group common DCI or a joint group common DCI format for UE group beam switching. The MAC CE for beam switching will indicate a beam change to a specific set of UEs.

[0088] The group common DCI, joint group common DCI, or MAC CE for beam switching may be indicated by the BS to the UE at Figure 13 1308 of Figure 11 1108 of

[0089] Figure 14 FIG. 1400 is a flowchart of joint UE receive beam switching based on a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state. Joint beam switching refers to switching the receive beams of the UE that can be both the PDCCH beam (i.e., the control beam) and the PDSCH beam (i.e., the data beam). When the BS indicates beam switching, for example, at Figure 13 1308 of Figure 11 1108 of Figure 10 or in other suitable NTN beam switching scenarios, the BS may configure the TCI state for both the PDCCH beam and the PDSCH beam. The BS may configure the TCI state within a CORESET configuration, which is indicated by SIB1. For example, SIB1 associated with CORESET 0, where CORESET 0 is associated with Figure 6 SSB 1 in BWP 1 of

[0090] which may be associated with beam 1 of Figure 13 1308 of Figure 11 1108 of

[0091] The indication of a new beam for PDCCH can be configured via RRC with a CORESET having one or more candidate TCI states or via a MAC CE indicating a specific PDCCH TCI state. The indication of a new beam for PDSCH can be configured via DCI with a 3-bit TCI field indicating the new beam, or the new beam for PDSCH can follow the same beam indicated in the PDCCH TCI state.

[0092] Joint UE receive beam switching based on TCI states can be applied to one or more of a single UE or UE groups.

[0093] In an alternative aspect, one or more of a downlink (DL) beam, an uplink (UL) beam, a PDCCH beam (i.e., a control beam), and a PDSCH beam (i.e., a data beam) can be indicated by a TCI beam switching signal carried by a DCI format associated with beam switching. The DCI format for indicating TCI beam switching can be scrambled by a beam indication RNTI (BI-RNTI). The BS can configure and transmit the BI-RNTI via RRC signaling for one or more UEs. The BS can use a MAC CE to update the BI-RNTI for one or more UEs.

[0094] The BS can configure TCI signaling with a switching delay for the UE. The BS can configure an M-slot delay for the UE indicated with a TCI associated with a new BWP, where the UE will wait for M slots after receiving the BI-RNTI DCI and before switching to the new TCI and the new BWP. The BS can configure an N-slot delay for the UE indicated with a TCI associated with the current active BWP, where the UE will wait for N slots after receiving the BI-RNTI DCI and before switching to the new TCI and the current active BWP. The M-slot delay and the N-slot delay can be predefined according to standards, configured by higher layer signaling, or reported by the UE.

[0095] In an alternative aspect, the BS can send TCI signaling to the UE via a MAC CE instead of sending TCI signaling from the BS to the UE via RRC. The UE indicated with a TCI associated with a new BWP will wait for M slots after the UE transmits an acknowledgement (ACK) of the MAC CE and before switching to the new TCI and the new BWP. The UE indicated with a TCI associated with the current active BWP will wait for N slots after the UE transmits an acknowledgement (ACK) of the MAC CE and before switching to the new TCI and the current active BWP.

[0096] The BI-RNTI DCI beam switching signaling can be applied to one or more of a single UE or UE groups, and can be applied to Figure 14 of 1402, Figure 13of 1308, Figure 11 one or more of 1108 or another suitable NTN beam switching scenario, e.g., associated therewith.

[0097] Additional Embodiments

[0098] Embodiments herein may include a subject matter, such as a method, components for performing actions or blocks of the method, at least one machine-readable medium including executable instructions that, when executed by a machine (e.g., a processor having a memory, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.), cause the machine to perform actions of a method or an apparatus or a system for concurrent communication using multiple communication technologies according to the aspects and examples described.

[0099] Embodiment 1 is a baseband processor, including: a memory interface; and a processing that is communicatively coupled to the memory and a transceiver interface and is simultaneously connected to a base station (BS) within a cell of a non-terrestrial network (NTN), and wherein the cell includes a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) associated with a plurality of beams, and the processing is configured to perform operations including: receiving, from the base station (BS), signaling including a channel state indicator reference signal (CSI-RS) configuration associated with a first BWP among the plurality of BWPs, wherein the CSI-RS configuration includes a beam measurement configuration for the plurality of beams, switching from a second BWP among the plurality of BWPs to the first BWP according to the CSI-RS configuration and measuring one or more beams among the plurality of beams according to the beam measurement configuration; and generating a measurement report including layer 1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) measurements from the one or more measured beams among the plurality of beams.

[0100] Embodiment 2 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiment 1, wherein the operation further includes: selectively receiving an indication to switch to one beam among the plurality of beams based on the measurement report.

[0101] Embodiment 3 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiment 1, wherein the plurality of BWPs associated with the plurality of beams are configured with a frequency reuse factor equal to or greater than one.

[0102] Embodiment 4 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiment 1, wherein the CSI-RS configuration appears in only a single BWP among the plurality of BWPs within the cell.

[0103] Embodiment 5 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiment 1, wherein the operations further include: measuring a subset of the plurality of beams according to the beam measurement configuration.

[0104] Embodiment 6 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 1, wherein the operations further include: measuring all of the plurality of beams according to the beam measurement configuration.

[0105] Embodiment 7 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 1, wherein the first BWP is an initial BWP, and the CSI-RS configuration is in the initial BWP.

[0106] Embodiment 8 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 7, wherein the operations further include: generating the measurement report in the initial BWP.

[0107] Embodiment 9 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 1, wherein the operations further include: generating the measurement report in the first BWP associated with the CSI-RS configuration.

[0108] Embodiment 10 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 1, wherein the operations further include: after measuring the one or more of the plurality of beams and before generating the measurement report, switching to an active BWP, wherein the active BWP is the second BWP.

[0109] Embodiment 11 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 1, wherein the operations further include: after measuring the one or more of the plurality of beams and before generating the measurement report, switching to a BWP having a configuration different from the first BWP and the second BWP among the plurality of BWPs.

[0110] Embodiment 12 is a base station (BS) device, including: a memory interface; an antenna; a transceiver interface connected to the antenna; and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the transceiver interface, the processor being configured to: configure a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) associated with a plurality of beams in a cell associated with a non-terrestrial network (NTN), generate a channel state indicator reference signal (CSI-RS) configuration associated with a first BWP among the plurality of BWPs, wherein the CSI-RS configuration includes a beam measurement configuration for the plurality of beams, receive a measurement report including layer 1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) measurements from the one or more of the plurality of measured beams; and selectively generate an indication to switch to one beam among the plurality of beams based on the measurement report.

[0111] Embodiment 13 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 12, wherein the BS is a satellite.

[0112] Embodiment 14 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 12, wherein the plurality of BWPs associated with the plurality of beams are configured with a frequency reuse factor equal to or greater than one.

[0113] Example 15 includes the subject matter according to any one of Examples 12, wherein only a single BWP among the plurality of BWPs includes the CSI-RS configuration.

[0114] Example 16 includes the subject matter according to any one of Examples 12, wherein the beam measurement configuration is configured to measure a subset of the plurality of beams.

[0115] Example 17 includes the subject matter according to any one of Examples 12, wherein the beam measurement configuration is configured to measure all of the plurality of beams.

[0116] Example 18 includes the subject matter according to any one of Examples 12, wherein the first BWP is an initial BWP, and the CSI-RS configuration is in the initial BWP.

[0117] Example 19 includes the subject matter according to any one of Examples 18, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive the measurement report in the initial BWP.

[0118] Example 20 includes the subject matter according to any one of Examples 12, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive the measurement report in the first BWP associated with the CSI-RS configuration.

[0119] Example 21 includes the subject matter according to any one of Examples 12, wherein the processor is further configured to: configure an active BWP, wherein the active BWP is a second BWP; and receive the measurement report in the active BWP.

[0120] Example 22 includes the subject matter according to any one of Examples 12, wherein the processor is further configured to: configure a BWP among the plurality of BWPs with a configuration different from the first BWP and the second BWP, and receive the measurement report in the configured BWP.

[0121] Example 23 is a baseband processor, including: a memory interface; and a processing circuit communicatively coupled to the memory interface and connected to a base station (BS) in a cell of a non-terrestrial network (NTN), and wherein the cell includes a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) associated with a plurality of beams, and the processing circuit is configured to perform operations including: receiving, from the base station (BS), signaling including a sounding reference signal (SRS) configuration including an SRS schedule and a BWP among the plurality of BWPs for generating one or more SRSs according to the SRS schedule, connecting to a beam among the plurality of beams, wherein the beam is associated with the configured BWP; and generating one or more SRSs when connected to the beam associated with the configured BWP.

[0122] Embodiment 24 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 23, wherein the operations further include: selectively receiving an indication to switch to one of the plurality of beams based on one or more generated SRSs.

[0123] Embodiment 25 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 23, wherein the signaling received from the BS further includes a configuration corresponding to a beam; and the processor is further configured to configure a beam corresponding to the BS.

[0124] Embodiment 26 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 23, wherein the operations further include: repeating the generation of the one or more SRSs according to a repetition value defined by the SRS scheduling, wherein the repetition value is based on one or more of a user equipment (UE) location and a number of adjacent beams in the cell.

[0125] Embodiment 27 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 23, wherein the operations further include: generating the one or more SRSs according to a number of SRS symbols based on one or more of a user equipment (UE) location and a number of adjacent beams in the cell.

[0126] Embodiment 28 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 23, wherein the operations further include: generating the one or more SRSs in a plurality of different beam directions.

[0127] Embodiment 29 is a base station (BS) device, including: a memory interface; an antenna; a transceiver interface connected to the antenna; and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the transceiver interface, the processor being configured to: configure a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) associated with a plurality of beams in a cell associated with a non-terrestrial network (NTN), generate an SRS configuration having a sounding reference signal (SRS) scheduling and a configuration of the BWP among the plurality of BWPs for receiving one or more SRSs according to the SRS scheduling, receive one or more SRS receptions in the configured BWP, and measure one or more uplink beams associated with the one or more SRS receptions.

[0128] Embodiment 30 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 29, wherein the processor is further configured to: generate an indication corresponding to the beam of the SRS configuration; and after generating the SRS configuration, configure a beam corresponding to a user equipment (UE).

[0129] Embodiment 31 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 29, wherein the SRS scheduling includes a repeating value, and the processor is further configured to: receive one or more repeated SRS receptions according to the repeating value, wherein the repeating value is based on one or more of the UE location and the number of adjacent beams in the cell.

[0130] Embodiment 32 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 29, wherein the one or more SRS receptions include the number of SRS symbols based on one or more of the UE location and the number of adjacent beams in the cell.

[0131] Embodiment 33 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 29, wherein the processor is further configured to: measure the one or more uplink beams in a plurality of different beam directions.

[0132] Embodiment 34 is a base station (BS) device, including: a memory interface; an antenna; a transceiver connected to the antenna; and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the transceiver interface, the processor being configured to: configure a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) associated with a plurality of beams in a cell associated with a non-terrestrial network (NTN), after configuring the plurality of BWPs, generate group common downlink control information (DCI) signaling associated with beam switching of a user equipment (UE) group, generate one or more UE groups based on a group criterion, generate a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) associated with the beam switching of the UE group, and assign the RNTI to the UE in the one or more UE groups.

[0133] Embodiment 35 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 34, wherein the group common DCI signaling includes a dedicated DCI format associated with the beam switching of the UE group and indicates beam switching for the one or more UE groups.

[0134] Embodiment 36 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 34, wherein the group common DCI signaling includes a joint group common DCI format, and the joint group common DCI format uses Format 2_2 with a transmit power control (TPC) command to indicate uplink power control information and beam switching for the one or more UE groups.

[0135] Embodiment 37 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 34, wherein the group criterion includes one or more of the UE location and the UE beam measurement result.

[0136] Embodiment 38 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 34, wherein the processor is further configured to: scramble the set of common DCI using the RNTI, and generate a media access control control element (MAC CE) or a radio resource control (RRC) message to signal the RNTI.

[0137] Embodiment 39 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 34, wherein the processor is further configured to: generate a UE group update for one or more generated UE groups based on one or more of a change in UE location or a change in UE beam measurement results.

[0138] Embodiment 40 is a baseband processor, including: a memory interface; and a processing circuit communicatively coupled to the memory interface and connected to a base station (BS) within a cell of a non-terrestrial network (NTN), and wherein the cell includes a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) associated with a plurality of beams, the processing circuit being configured to perform operations including: receiving signaling with a transmission configuration indicator (TCI), the TCI indicating beam switching using a beam switching configuration; and switching a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) reception beam and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) reception beam according to the beam switching configuration.

[0139] Embodiment 41 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 40, wherein the operations further include: configuring one or more component carriers according to the TCI; and receiving a new PDCCH and PDSCH after switching the PDCCH reception beam and the PDSCH reception beam.

[0140] Embodiment 42 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 41, wherein the TCI includes one or more TCI states, and the TCI is configured within a CORESET configuration indicated by a system information block 1 (SIB1), wherein the SIB1 includes the CORESET configuration for the plurality of beams.

[0141] Embodiment 43 includes the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 40, wherein the operations further include: receiving a beam indication radio network temporary identifier (BI-RNTI) via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, and receiving the TCI in a common downlink control information (DCI) format associated with beam switching; and descrambling the TCI using the BI-RNTI.

[0142] Example 44 includes the subject matter according to any one of Example 43, wherein the beam switching configuration includes a first time slot delay, a new BWP among the plurality of BWPs, and a new TCI associated with the new BWP; and wherein the operations further include: upon receiving the BI-RNTI, delaying the switching to the new TCI and the new BWP according to the first time slot delay.

[0143] Example 45 includes the subject matter according to any one of Example 43, wherein the beam switching configuration includes a second time slot delay, an active BWP among the plurality of BWPs, and a new TCI associated with the active BWP; and wherein the operations further include: upon receiving the BI-RNTI, delaying the switching to the new TCI and the active BWP according to the second time slot delay.

[0144] Example 46 includes the subject matter according to any one of Example 40, wherein the operations further include: receiving the TCI via medium access control control element (MAC CE) signaling.

[0145] Example 47 includes the subject matter according to any one of Example 46, wherein the beam switching configuration includes a first time slot delay, a new BWP among the plurality of BWPs, and a new TCI associated with the new BWP; wherein the operations further include: upon receiving the MAC CE, generating an acknowledgement (ACK) in response to the MAC CE; and delaying the switching to the new TCI and the new BWP according to the first time slot delay.

[0146] Example 48 includes the subject matter according to any one of Example 46, wherein the beam switching configuration includes a second time slot delay, an active BWP among the plurality of BWPs, and a new TCI associated with the active BWP; wherein the operations further include: upon receiving the MAC CE, generating an acknowledgement (ACK) in response to the MAC CE; and delaying the switching to the new TCI and the active BWP according to the second time slot delay.

[0147] Example 49 is a base station (BS) device, including: a memory interface; an antenna; and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and a transceiver interface, the processor being configured to: configure a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) associated with a plurality of beams in a cell associated with a non-terrestrial network (NTN), generate signaling with a transmission configuration indicator (TCI), the TCI indicating beam switching using a beam switching configuration; and the beam switching configuration being configured to indicate switching of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) reception beam and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) reception beam.

[0148] Example 50 includes the subject matter of any of Example 49, wherein the processor is further configured to: configure the beam switching configuration to indicate switching of a PDCCH transmission beam and a PDSCH transmission beam.

[0149] Example 51 includes the subject matter of any of Example 49, wherein the TCI includes a configuration for one or more component carriers.

[0150] Example 52 includes the subject matter of any of Example 51, wherein the TCI includes one or more TCI states, and wherein the processor is further configured to configure the TCI within a CORESET configuration indicated by a System Information Block 1 (SIB1), wherein the SIB1 includes the CORESET configuration for the plurality of beams.

[0151] Example 53 includes the subject matter of any of Example 49, wherein the processor is further configured to: generate a Radio Resource Control (RRC) signal to signal a Beam Indicator Radio Network Temporary Identifier (BI-RNTI), wherein the BI-RNTI scrambles the TCI in a common Downlink Control Information (DCI) format associated with beam switching.

[0152] Example 54 includes the subject matter of any of Example 53, wherein the processor is further configured to: configure the beam switching configuration with a first slot delay, a new BWP among the plurality of BWPs, and the TCI associated with the new BWP.

[0153] Example 55 includes the subject matter of any of Example 53, wherein the processor is further configured to: configure the beam switching configuration with a second slot delay, an active BWP among the plurality of BWPs, and a new TCI associated with the active BWP.

[0154] Example 56 includes the subject matter of any of Example 49, wherein the processor is further configured to: generate a Medium Access Control Control Element (MAC CE) signal with the TCI.

[0155] Example 57 includes the subject matter of any of Example 56, wherein the processor is further configured to: configure the beam switching configuration with a first slot delay, a new BWP among the plurality of BWPs, and the TCI associated with the new BWP; and receive an acknowledgement (ACK) in response to the MAC CE.

[0156] Example 58 includes the subject matter according to any one of Examples 56, wherein the processor is further configured to: configure the beam switching configuration by using a second time slot delay, an active BWP among the plurality of BWPs, and a new TCI associated with the active BWP; and receive an acknowledgement (ACK) in response to the MAC CE.

[0157] Example 59 is a base station (BS) device, including: a memory interface; an antenna; and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and a transceiver interface, the processor being configured to: configure a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) associated with a plurality of beams in a cell associated with a non-terrestrial network (NTN), wherein the plurality of BWPs are configured with a frequency reuse factor equal to or greater than one, configure a plurality of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) associated with the plurality of BWPs, wherein the plurality of SSBs are configured with a plurality of common control resource sets 0 (CORESET 0) and a plurality of system information blocks type 1 (SIB1), configure the plurality of SIB1 having a plurality of offsetToPointA values associated with a plurality of frequency offsets K SSB related, configure a plurality of master information blocks (MIBs) including ssb_subcarrieroffset values associated with the plurality of frequency offsets K SSB related; and generate signaling having the plurality of BWPs, the plurality of SSBs, the plurality of CORESET 0, the plurality of SIB1, and the plurality of MIBs.

[0158] Example 60 includes the subject matter according to any one of Example 59, wherein a first frequency offset K SSB associated with a first BWP among the plurality of BWPs in the plurality of frequency offsets K SSB is different from a second frequency offset K SSB associated with a second BWP among the plurality of BWPs in the plurality of frequency offsets K SSB .

[0159] Example 61 includes the subject matter according to any one of Example 59, wherein the ssb_subcarrieroffset value is the same for the plurality of SSBs.

[0160] Example 62 includes the subject matter according to any one of Example 59, wherein the ssb_subcarrieroffset value is different for each of the plurality of SSBs.

[0161] Example 63 includes the subject matter according to any one of Examples 1-11, 23-28, and 40-48, which relates to one or more of a device of a user equipment (UE), a UE device, a method, a machine-readable medium, etc.

[0162] Example 64 includes the subject matter according to any one of Examples 12-22, 29-39, and 49-62, which relates to one or more of an apparatus of a base station (BS), a baseband processor, a method, a machine-readable medium, etc.

[0163] The foregoing description of illustrative aspects of the disclosed subject matter, including what is described in the abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosed aspects to the precise forms disclosed. While specific aspects and embodiments are described herein for illustrative purposes, various modifications can be contemplated within the scope of such aspects and embodiments, as will be recognized by those of skill in the relevant art.

[0164] In this regard, while the disclosed subject matter of the present invention has been described in connection with various aspects and the corresponding drawings, it should be understood that other similar aspects may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the described aspects to perform the same, similar, alternative, or substitute functions of the disclosed subject matter without departing from such aspects. Accordingly, the disclosed subject matter should not be limited to any single aspect described herein, but should be construed in accordance with the breadth and scope of the appended claims below.

[0165] Particularly with respect to the various functions performed by the above-described components or structures (components, devices, circuits, systems, etc.), unless otherwise specified, the terms used to describe such components (including references to "means") are intended to correspond to any component or structure that performs the specified function of the component (e.g., functionally equivalent), even if not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure that performs the function in the exemplary specific implementations shown herein. Additionally, while a particular feature has been disclosed with respect to only one of multiple specific implementations, for any given or particular application, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of one or more other specific implementations, which may be desirable and advantageous.

Claims

1. A baseband processor, comprising: a memory interface; and a processor, the processor being communicatively coupled to the memory interface and simultaneously connected to a base station (BS) within a cell of a non-terrestrial network (NTN), and wherein the cell includes a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) associated with a plurality of beams, the processor being configured to perform operations including: receiving, from the base station (BS), signaling including a channel state indicator reference signal (CSI-RS) configuration associated with a first BWP among the plurality of BWPs, wherein the CSI-RS configuration includes a beam measurement configuration for the plurality of beams, and the CSI-RS configuration is received in a second BWP; switching from the second BWP among the plurality of BWPs to the first BWP according to the CSI-RS configuration, and measuring one or more beams among the plurality of beams according to the beam measurement configuration; generating a measurement report including layer 1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) measurements from the one or more measured beams among the plurality of beams for transmission; and outputting the measurement report on the second BWP.

2. The baseband processor according to claim 1, wherein the operations further include: selectively receiving an indication to switch to one beam among the plurality of beams based on the measurement report.

3. The baseband processor according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of BWPs associated with the plurality of beams are configured with a frequency reuse factor equal to or greater than one.

4. The baseband processor according to claim 1, wherein the CSI-RS configuration appears in only a single BWP among the plurality of BWPs within the cell.

5. The baseband processor according to claim 1, wherein the operations further include: measuring a subset of the plurality of beams according to the beam measurement configuration.

6. The baseband processor according to claim 1, wherein the operations further include: measuring all beams among the plurality of beams according to the beam measurement configuration.

7. A base station (BS) device, comprising: a memory interface; an antenna; a transceiver interface, the transceiver interface being connected to the antenna; and a processor, the processor being communicatively coupled to the memory interface and the transceiver interface, the processor being configured to: configure a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) associated with a plurality of beams in a cell associated with a non-terrestrial network (NTN); generate a channel state indicator reference signal (CSI-RS) configuration associated with a first BWP among the plurality of BWPs, wherein the CSI-RS configuration includes a beam measurement configuration for the plurality of beams; receive a measurement report including layer 1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) measurements of one or more beams among the plurality of beams, wherein the measurement report is received in an initial BWP different from the first BWP; and selectively generate an indication to switch to one beam among the plurality of beams based on the measurement report.

8. The BS according to claim 7, wherein the BS is a satellite.

9. The BS according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of BWPs associated with the plurality of beams are configured with a frequency reuse factor equal to or greater than one.

10. The BS according to claim 7, wherein only a single BWP of the plurality of BWPs includes the CSI-RS configuration.

11. The BS according to claim 7, wherein the beam measurement configuration is configured to measure a subset of the plurality of beams.

12. The BS according to claim 7, wherein the beam measurement configuration is configured to measure all of the plurality of beams.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

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    WO2019195060A1