Antenna panel switching method of user equipment and communication device

Abstract

The application discloses a method for switching an antenna panel of a user equipment, which is executed on the user equipment side and comprises the following steps: receiving a TCI state transmitted by a base station, wherein at least two panels share one TCI state; and switching a current transmission panel to a candidate panel sharing the TCI state with the transmission panel when a panel switching event is detected. The application also discloses another method for switching an antenna panel of a user equipment, which is executed on the user equipment side and comprises the following steps: when a panel switching event is detected, transmitting an SRS corresponding to a target panel to a base station in a time slot corresponding to the target panel according to a preset first relationship table, wherein the first relationship table at least comprises a mapping relationship between an index of the target panel and an index of the time slot; receiving a TCI state reconfigured by the base station and adjusting uplink and downlink transmission of the target panel according to the TCI state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wireless communication, and more particularly to an antenna panel switching method for user equipment, a communication device, and a readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] In Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) communication systems, the primary goal of uplink and downlink beam indication enhancement is to reduce latency and overhead. In multi-beam transmission systems, user equipment (UE) can be equipped with multiple antenna panels, each containing multiple antenna elements. For example... Figure 1 As shown.

[0003] Each panel can be placed at different locations on the UE. Therefore, diversity gain can be increased when the UE establishes uplink and downlink beam links with a 5G New Radio (NR) base station (gNB). If congestion occurs during transmission, the UE can switch panels to avoid communication interruptions caused by beam congestion, thus better achieving uplink and downlink reception and transmission. Therefore, to enhance multi-beam operation in UL transmission, UE terminals configured with multiple panels should be supported. Although using multiple panels on the UE to enhance uplink transmission can achieve significant transmission gain, it is not always necessary to activate all panels simultaneously within a given time slot. Furthermore, having multiple antenna panels active simultaneously is very power-intensive, and even at a given moment, not all active panels are used for uplink transmission. If only one UE panel is activated for uplink transmission within a given time period, this mechanism requires activating and measuring all UE panels periodically. This is because the UE panel used for transmission may malfunction and interrupt uplink transmission, such as due to obstacles blocking the transmission, or the UE moving or rotating. Therefore, dynamic updating / detection of the uplink transmission panel is necessary to maintain optimal transmission performance. This requires a panel activation / deactivation mechanism for the UE to quickly select the best transmission panel for uplink transmission while conserving transmission power. Furthermore, uplink transmission is limited by the Maximum Permissible Emission (MPE), requiring the UE to perform panel switching. Simply put, Maximum Power Reduction (MPR) was introduced to meet MPE requirements. However, in UEs with multiple panels, when the power allocated to each panel is affected by the MPR, the initially selected panel may not be the optimal choice for uplink transmission. Therefore, rapid selection of a suitable panel through panel activation / deactivation is needed to provide better transmission. Thus, panel activation / deactivation for the UE is also a solution to MPE-related issues.

[0004] In Rel-15, the antenna group activation / deactivation mechanism does not adequately support any scheme that allows the UE or base station to effectively activate / deactivate any antenna group. There is a lack of coordination mechanism between the UE and the base station regarding antenna group activation / deactivation.

[0005] In Rel-16, three types of multi-panel users (MPUEs) were identified:

[0006] MPUE - Assumption 1: Multiple panels are implemented on a single UE, and only one panel can be activated at a time. The panel switching / activation delay is [X] ms.

[0007] MPUE - Assumption 2: Multiple panels can be implemented on a single UE, multiple panels can be activated at once, and one or more panels can be used for transmission;

[0008] MPUE - Assumption 3: Multiple panels are implemented on a single UE. Multiple panels can be activated at once, but only one panel can be used for transmission.

[0009] In Rel-16, an agreement was reached on the multi-panel user mechanism for MPUE-Assumption 3. The UE selects a suitable uplink panel through a panel activation / deactivation mechanism. Since panel activation / deactivation can also affect base station transmission or reception, two main solutions are considered for panel selection: base station-driven and UE-driven panel activation / deactivation. In the base station-driven panel selection mechanism, the base station periodically wakes up the panels to perform beam or CSI measurements to select the optimal transmission panel. Alternatively, when the UE detects the need for uplink panel switching, it sends a request to the base station. At this time, the UE measures the panel transmission quality and reports it to the base station, which instructs the UE to perform panel selection based on the reported information. The UE-driven panel activation / deactivation mechanism allows the UE to select a new panel itself without base station signaling instructions when events requiring panel selection occur, such as UE location movement, selection, or MPE problems. Under this mechanism, the UE can quickly and independently select the panel / beam for transmission.

[0010] The panel selection supports a standard transparent method. If a panel switching event occurs after the UE, the base station is unaware of the panel switching. In this case, the base station continues to use the same uplink receive beam as before the panel switching to receive the uplink channel / signal. This leads to beam misalignment between the base station and the UE, affecting system performance. Furthermore, the base station needs to know the UE's panel status information (whether it is active, etc.) and the number of configured panels. Otherwise, the base station may use the beam corresponding to a deactivated panel to schedule the UE, resulting in wasted network resources and reduced throughput. Therefore, the UE's panel status information and panel switching events should be reported to the base station promptly. In Rel-16, an agreement has been reached to use an identifier (ID) to indicate panel-specific uplink transmissions. A new ID, "panel ID," is defined for the UE panel. An explicit panel ID also helps align panel activation / deactivation information between the UE and the base station, enabling the base station to control the UE's panel activation / deactivation and achieving alignment between the base station and the UE. Similarly, in Rel-16, for beam management based on the uplink reference signal UL-RS, the base station configures uplink sounding reference signal (SRS) resources for the UE, and the UE associates the SRS resources with UL panels, which is transparent to the base station. The selected SRS resources are determined through... SpatialRelationInfo Instruct the UE to implicitly implement panel-specific uplink transmission.

[0011] In Rel-15 / 16, uplink and downlink beam indications are configured via the Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) status and higher-layer parameters through Radio Resource Control (RRC). SpatialrelationInfo Implementation. Separate uplink and downlink beam indication requires the base station to configure two separate signaling protocols, resulting in latency and signaling overhead. Uplink beam management is based on uplink reference signal (SRS) resources. The base station configures at least one SRS resource set for beam management; typically, different SRS resource sets are associated with different antenna panels. Different SRS resource sets can be transmitted simultaneously, while SRS resources within the same SRS resource set are transmitted only via time-division multiplexing (TDM). Therefore, SRS resource set selection can be applied to panel-specific beam selection. When the UE performs a panel handover, the base station also switches the uplink receive beam and may reschedule downlink transmission. Therefore, separate configuration of uplink and downlink beam indication requires the base station to configure two separate signaling protocols, resulting in latency and signaling overhead.

[0012] In Rel-17, a model for a unified uplink and downlink beam indication framework was proposed. Unlike Rel-15 / 16, which required different signaling to configure uplink and downlink reference signals separately, the unified uplink and downlink beam indication design configures both uplink and downlink reference signals in the same TCI state. The UE panel handover mechanism needs to be redesigned accordingly. In addition, under the unified uplink and downlink beam indication framework, the misalignment problem between the base station and the UE still exists. Summary of the Invention

[0013] To address the above problems, this application provides a method for switching antenna panels in a user equipment, the method being executed on the user equipment side, including:

[0014] The TCI status sent by the base station is received, and at least two panels share one TCI status;

[0015] When a panel switching event is detected, the current transmission panel is switched to a candidate panel that shares the TCI state with the transmission panel.

[0016] This application also provides a method for switching antenna panels of a user equipment, the method being executed at a base station, including:

[0017] The uplink and downlink transmission beams of at least two panels are configured in the same TCI state;

[0018] Receive panel switching events reported by user equipment and adjust its uplink and downlink transmissions accordingly.

[0019] This application also provides a method for switching antenna panels in a user equipment, the method being executed on the user equipment side, including:

[0020] When a panel switching event is detected, according to a preset first relationship table, the SRS corresponding to the target panel is sent to the base station in the time slot corresponding to the target panel after switching. The first relationship table includes at least the mapping relationship between the index of the target panel and the index of the time slot.

[0021] Receive the reconfigured TCI status from the base station and adjust the uplink and downlink transmission of the target panel according to the TCI status.

[0022] This application also provides a method for switching antenna panels of a user equipment, the method being executed at a base station, including:

[0023] Obtain the SRS sent by the user equipment, and confirm the target panel after the user equipment handover based on the time slot of the received SRS and the preset first relationship table;

[0024] The user equipment (UE) is coordinated to measure the transmission channel of the target panel, and the TCI state is reconfigured based on the measurement results and sent to the UE so that the UE can adjust the uplink and downlink transmission of the target panel.

[0025] The beneficial effect of this application is that when the user equipment detects that a panel switching is required, it can directly switch the current transmission panel to a candidate panel that shares a TCI state with the transmission panel, and only needs to report a switching event to the base station. After receiving the request, the base station adjusts its uplink receiving beam and downlink transmission beam. The base station does not need to remeasure all panels and reconfigure the TCI state, thus reducing the time consumed by panel switching in the original technology.

[0026] In addition, this application also solves the problem of misalignment between the base station and the UE during panel switching. Attached Figure Description

[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort. Wherein:

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the beam between a base station and a multi-panel UE in the prior art;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of one embodiment of the wireless communication system or network of this application;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the process of implementing the antenna panel switching method of this application on the user equipment side in Embodiment 1;

[0031] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the process of implementing the antenna panel switching method of this application at the base station.

[0032] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the process of implementing the antenna panel switching method of this application at the user equipment end in Embodiment 2;

[0033] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the process of implementing the antenna panel switching method of this application at the base station end in Embodiment 2;

[0034] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating how multiple panels share the same TCI state in Scheme 1.

[0035] Figure 8This is a schematic diagram illustrating how multiple panels share the same TCI state in Scheme 2.

[0036] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of another implementation method in Scheme 2 where multiple panels share the same TCI state;

[0037] Figure 10 A schematic diagram illustrating the panel switching process for configuring multiple UE panels with the same TCI state in Scheme 1 and Scheme 2.

[0038] Figure 11 Configure panel switching procedures for different TCI states for different UE panels in Scheme 3 and Scheme 4;

[0039] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device according to Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0040] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device in Embodiment 2 of this application;

[0041] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of a readable storage medium of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0042] The technical solutions of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments can be combined with each other if they do not conflict. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0043] The term "user equipment" in this application may include or represent any portable computing device used for communication. Examples of user equipment that may be used in some embodiments of the described devices, methods, and systems may be wired or wireless devices, such as mobile devices, mobile phones, terminals, smartphones, portable computing devices such as laptops, handheld devices, tablets, tablet computers, netbooks, personal digital assistants, music players, and other computing devices capable of wired or wireless communication.

[0044] Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system or network 100, including a core network 102 (or telecommunications infrastructure) and multiple network nodes 104a-104m (e.g., base station gNBs) serving multiple wireless communication units 108a-108e (e.g., UEs). The multiple network nodes 104a-104m are connected to the core network 102 via links. These links can be wired or wireless (e.g., radio communication links, fiber optics, etc.). The core network 102 may include multiple core network nodes, network entities, application servers, or any other network or computing device that can communicate with one or more wireless access networks including the multiple network nodes 104a-104m.

[0045] In this example, network nodes 104a-104m are illustrated as base stations, which, for example but not limited to, could be gNBs in a 5G network. Each of the multiple network nodes 104a-104m (e.g., base stations) has a footprint, which, for simplicity and for example but not limited to, is... Figure 2 The diagram schematically represents corresponding circular cells 106a-106m for serving one or more user equipments UE 108a-108e. UE 108a-108e is capable of receiving services from wireless communication system 100, such as voice, video, audio, or other communication services.

[0046] The wireless communication system or network 100 may include or represent any one or more communication networks for communication between UE 108a-108e and other devices, content sources, or servers connected to the wireless communication system or network 100. The core network 102 may also include or represent one or more communication networks, one or more network nodes, entities, elements, application servers, servers, base stations, or other network devices linked, coupled, or connected to form the wireless communication system or network 100. Links or couplings between network nodes may be wired or wireless (e.g., radio communication links, fiber optics, etc.). The wireless communication system or network 100 and the core network 102 may include any suitable combination of a core network and a wireless access network containing network nodes or entities, base stations, access points, etc., enabling communication between UE 108a-108e, network nodes 104a-104m of the wireless communication system 100 and core network 102, content sources, and / or other devices connected to the system or network 100.

[0047] Examples of wireless communication networks 100 that may be used in some embodiments of the described devices, methods, and systems may be at least one communication network or a combination thereof, including but not limited to, one or more wired and / or wireless telecommunication networks, one or more core networks, one or more wireless access networks, one or more computer networks, one or more data communication networks, the Internet, telephone networks, wireless networks such as WiMAX, WLAN, and / or Wi-Fi networks based on the IEEE 802.11 standard (by way of example only), or Internet Protocol (IP) networks, packet-switched networks or enhanced packet-switched networks, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) networks, or communication networks based on wireless, cellular, or satellite technologies, such as mobile networks, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), GPRS networks, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), CDMA2000, or LTE / Advanced LTE communication networks, or any second-generation, third-generation, fourth-generation, or fifth-generation and beyond-generation communication networks, etc.

[0048] exist Figure 2 In the example, the wireless communication system 100 may be, by way of example only but not limited to, a 5G communication network using cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM) technology for downlink and uplink channels. The downlink may include one or more communication channels for transmitting data from one or more gNBs 104a-104m to one or more UEs 108a-108e. Typically, the downlink channel is a communication channel used for transmitting data, for example, from gNB 104a to UE 108a.

[0049] Both uplink and downlink in 5G networks are divided into radio frames (e.g., each frame can be 10 ms long), where each frame can be further divided into multiple subframes. For example, each frame may include 10 subframes of equal length, where each subframe consists of multiple time slots (e.g., 2 time slots) for transmitting data. In addition to time slots, subframes may include several additional special fields or OFDM symbols, which may include, by way of example only, downlink synchronization symbols, broadcast symbols, and / or uplink reference symbols.

[0050] This application provides a method for switching the antenna panel of a user equipment, such as... Figure 3As shown, the method is executed on the user equipment side and includes:

[0051] Step S100: Receive the TCI status sent by the base station; at least two panels share one TCI status.

[0052] TCI (Transmission Configuration Indication) is a transmission configuration indicator. The TCI state is configured with a downlink reference signal CSI-RS and / or an uplink reference signal SRS, where the uplink and downlink transmission beams of the UE panel are associated for each reference signal.

[0053] For ease of description, the term "UE" will be used below to refer to the User Equipment. Specifically, in this embodiment, multiple transmission beams for the UE panel are configured in the same TCI state, and relevant details can be found in Scheme 1 and Scheme 2.

[0054] When a panel switching event is detected in step S200, the current transmission panel is switched to a candidate panel that shares the TCI state with the transmission panel.

[0055] Specifically, panel switching events include MPE events requiring panel switching or power-saving mechanism activation. Panels sharing a single TCI state may include a transmission panel and candidate panels. The definitions, selection, and related details of the transmission panel and candidate panels can be found in Scheme 1 and Scheme 2. Furthermore, the terms "transmission panel" and "candidate panel" are merely names intended to reflect the association between at least two panels; this invention does not limit their use. The transmission panel and candidate panel can also be referred to as "first panel" and "second panel."

[0056] By implementing this embodiment, the transmission panel and candidate panel share a single TCI state. This allows the UE to directly switch from the current transmission panel to the candidate panel when it detects a panel switching event. This avoids the redundant steps of the base station re-measuring and reconfiguring the TCI state of each panel on the UE, as required by the original mechanism, thus reducing the time spent on panel switching. After the UE performs a panel switch, it simultaneously reports a handover request or handover event to the base station. Upon receiving the message from the UE, the base station adjusts its beam to correspond with the beam of the candidate panel to which the UE switches, thereby achieving optimal link gain.

[0057] Optionally, the panels sharing the TCI state can be a transmission panel and a candidate panel.

[0058] Optionally, the panels sharing the TCI state can be an uplink transmission panel, a downlink reception panel, and an uplink candidate panel.

[0059] Optionally, the panels sharing the TCI state are two transmission panels and two candidate panels.

[0060] Optionally, the TCI status is configured by the base station via RRC.

[0061] Optionally, after step S200, which involves switching the current transmission panel to a candidate panel that shares the TCI state with the transmission panel when a panel switching event is detected, the method further includes:

[0062] The panel switching event is reported to the base station so that the base station can adjust uplink and downlink transmissions according to the event.

[0063] This application also provides a method for switching the antenna panel of a user equipment, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the method is executed at the base station and includes:

[0064] Step S300 configures the uplink and downlink transmission beams of at least two panels in the same TCI state;

[0065] Step S400 receives a panel switching event reported by the user equipment and adjusts its uplink and downlink transmissions according to the panel switching event.

[0066] Specifically, corresponding to the functions performed by the user equipment in steps S100 and S200, the base station performs steps S300 and S400. The base station, in coordination with the user equipment, measures the uplink and downlink transmission of each panel, selects transmission panels and candidate panels, and configures the transmission panels and candidate panels to share a single TCI state.

[0067] When a UE reports a handover event, the base station uses the candidate panel index or transmission panel index to find the beam configuration corresponding to the candidate panel, and then adjusts its own beam configuration to achieve the best link gain with the beam of the candidate panel after the UE hands over. Further details and examples can be found in Scheme 1 and Scheme 2.

[0068] This application also provides a method for switching the antenna panel of a user equipment, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the method is executed on the user equipment side and includes:

[0069] When a panel switching event is detected in step S500, according to a preset first relationship table, the SRS corresponding to the target panel is sent to the base station in the time slot corresponding to the target panel after switching. The first relationship table includes at least the mapping relationship between the index of the target panel and the index of the time slot.

[0070] Step S600 receives the reconfigured TCI status of the base station and adjusts the uplink and downlink transmission of the target panel according to the TCI status.

[0071] In this embodiment, the transmission beams of different UE panels are configured in different TCI states. A preset first relationship table is configured by the base station in advance, and the base station sends this first relationship table to the UE; that is, the first relationship table is the same on both the base station and the UE side. The base station agrees on the time slot for uploading the SRS of the target panel after handover through the first relationship table. As long as the base station receives the SRS in the corresponding time slot, it can determine which panel the SRS belongs to through the mapping relationship between the panel index and the time slot index in the first relationship table, thus determining which panel is the target panel after the UE handover. For detailed implementation information, please refer to Scheme 3 and Scheme 4.

[0072] It should be noted that, unlike the embodiment consisting of steps S100 and S200, this embodiment describes the target panel as the panel after the UE is switched.

[0073] By implementing this embodiment, the mapping relationship between time slots and panels is pre-set. The base station can obtain the time slot of the SRS by decoding and simultaneously know which UE panel corresponds to the target panel of the SRS. This solves the problem of misalignment between the UE and the base station caused by the UE switching the uplink transmission panel on its own.

[0074] Optionally, the first relationship table may also include the mapping relationship between the panel group index, the downlink target panel, the uplink target panel index, and the time slot index.

[0075] Optionally, after the step of sending the SRS of the target panel to the base station in the time slot corresponding to the switched target panel, the method further includes:

[0076] The CSI of the target panel is measured and the CSI is sent to the base station.

[0077] This application also provides a method for switching the antenna panel of a user equipment, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the method is executed at the base station and includes:

[0078] Step S700: Obtain the SRS sent by the user equipment, and confirm the target panel after the user equipment handover based on the time slot of the received SRS and the preset first relationship table.

[0079] Step S800 involves coordinating with the user equipment to measure the transmission channel of the target panel, reconfiguring the TCI state based on the measurement results, and sending the TCI state to the user equipment so that the user equipment can adjust the uplink and downlink transmission of the target panel.

[0080] Specifically, corresponding to the functions implemented by the UE in steps S500 and S600, the base station executes steps S700 and S800. For detailed implementation information, please refer to Scheme 3 and Scheme 4.

[0081] Optionally, the first relationship table is configured by the base station RRC.

[0082] Optionally, the first relationship table is carried by system information SI and sent to the user equipment.

[0083] Optionally, the reconfigured TCI state is carried by DCI information.

[0084] Option 1

[0085] Multiple UE panels are configured with the same TCI state, and the UEs use the same panel for downlink reception and uplink transmission.

[0086] In this scheme, the transmission beams used for multiple UE panels are configured in the same TCI state. The TCI state is configured with a downlink reference signal CSI-RS and / or an uplink reference signal SRS, where each reference signal is associated with the uplink and downlink transmission beams of the UE panel.

[0087] For example, a UE is configured with N antenna panels. For instance, when N=4, the configured panels are labeled panel1 to panel4. Each UE panel has multiple beams, including uplink and downlink beams. The base station and the UE measure all UE panels and their beams to find the optimal uplink and downlink beams and corresponding panel quality for each UE panel. Panel quality is reflected by panel quality parameters, which may include the panel's signal-to-noise ratio (SINR) and reference signal received power (RSRP), etc. Specifically, for downlink beam measurement, the base station sends the CSI-RS corresponding to each beam to the UE, and the UE performs the measurement. For uplink beam measurement, the base station receives the uplink reference signal SRS from the UE and performs the measurement.

[0088] In this scheme, the two UE panels share a common TCI state, such as... Figure 7 As shown, Panel1 is currently used for uplink and downlink transmission. When an event occurs that requires panel selection / switching, uplink transmission is switched from Panel1 to Panel2, and the optimal uplink and downlink beams obtained above are used for transmission. The uplink and downlink beams of Panel1 and Panel2 are configured in a common TCI state.

[0089] Prior to this, when measuring the uplink and downlink beams, two UE panels were selected according to preset criteria. The UE panel with the best performance was used as the transmission panel. Its performance can be judged by referring to the panel quality parameters mentioned above. The other, which was second best, was used as a candidate panel for the transmission panel. The downlink receiving beam and uplink transmission beam of the transmission panel and the candidate panel were configured in the same TCI state.

[0090] The criteria for selecting two panels are as follows: The UE and the base station measure the uplink and downlink beams on the active panel respectively. If the optimal uplink and downlink beams come from the same panel, then that panel is the transmission panel, and the panel corresponding to the second-best uplink beam and / or downlink beam is selected as the candidate panel. If the optimal uplink and downlink beams come from different panels, then the panel corresponding to the uplink beam is the transmission panel, and the panel corresponding to the downlink beam is the candidate panel. Alternatively, only the uplink transmission beam can be used as a reference. After the base station measures the SRS signal from the UE, it sends an SRI instruction to the UE and obtains the two uplink beams with the best quality. At the same time, the UE also measures the downlink beam. Then, the CSI and panel index of the two downlink beams corresponding to the two uplink beams with the best quality are selected and reported to the base station, resulting in multiple transmission panel and candidate panel index pairs. In addition, panel quality can also be measured. If the signal-to-noise ratio (SINR), reference signal received power (RSRP), etc., of the panel are measured, the two panels with the best quality are selected as the transmission panel and candidate panel respectively, and the CSI information of the beams configured on the two panels is reported to the base station. The base station uses RRC to configure the TCI status and instructs the panel to perform uplink and downlink transmissions.

[0091] In existing technologies, when a UE detects an MPE event requiring panel switching or receives a switching event such as a power-saving mechanism, it means that the current uplink transmission panel is no longer suitable for uplink transmission and needs to be switched to a new panel. Before selecting a new panel (target panel), the UE needs to send a target panel switching request to the base station based on the event. The base station then remeasures all panels, selects the target panel, configures it, and finally re-indicates the uplink and downlink beams. If the UE automatically switches panels after detecting a switching event, it may cause beam misalignment between the base station and the UE, thus affecting communication performance. To achieve beam alignment between the base station and the UE, the UE needs to send the selected panel to the base station via an uplink reference signal before selecting a panel. The base station then selects and configures the panel through measurement and re-indicates the uplink and downlink transmission. All of the above existing solutions have a certain time delay. In this embodiment, the uplink and downlink transmission beams corresponding to the transmission panel and the candidate panel are configured in the same TCI state, such as... Figure 10 As shown, when the UE detects that an uplink panel switch is required, it can choose to switch to a candidate panel first. The UE only needs to report the panel switch event to the base station to notify the base station that the panel has been switched. The base station then adjusts its uplink receiving beam and downlink transmission beam accordingly, without needing to reconfigure the TCI through RRC.

[0092] Option 2

[0093] Multiple UE panels are configured with the same TCI state, and the UE uses different panels for downlink reception and uplink transmission.

[0094] In this scheme, the UE performs downlink reception and uplink transmission on different panels, meaning that at least two panels are required for each uplink / downlink transmission. The base station or UE measures the configured panels and their corresponding uplink / downlink beams to select the optimal uplink / downlink beam and panel. For communication systems with multi-panel UEs, when an event requiring panel selection / switching occurs—meaning the current transmission panel is no longer suitable for uplink transmission—a new uplink panel selection / switching is necessary.

[0095] If, after panel switching, the UE continues to use the receiving panel from before the switch for downlink reception, the panel used for downlink reception, the transmission panel used for uplink, and the candidate panel used for uplink transmission share the same TCI state, such as... Figure 8 As shown, the downlink receiving panel provides a downlink common beam for the two uplink transmitting panels. After the base station measures the SRS from the UE, it sends an SRI instruction to the UE and obtains the two uplink beams with the best quality. Simultaneously, the UE measures the CSI-RS from the base station and reports the measured CSI information to the base station. The base station configures the downlink common beam for the two beams based on the measurements of the uplink and downlink beams.

[0096] Additionally, if the UE uses a different receiving panel for downlink reception after panel switching, it's considered that the two UE panel pairs share a single TCI state to reduce signaling overhead. When measuring uplink and downlink beams, two panels are selected for downlink reception and uplink transmission respectively according to certain criteria. The downlink receiving panel and uplink transmission panel with the best performance are designated as the transmission panel pair, and the other two suboptimal downlink receiving panels and uplink transmission panels are designated as candidate panel pairs. The downlink receiving beam and uplink transmission beam of the transmission panel pair and the candidate panel pairs are in the same TCI state. The UE and the base station measure the uplink and downlink beams on the configured panels respectively. After the base station measures the SRS from the UE, it obtains the panel information, sends an SRI instruction to the UE, and obtains the two best-quality uplink beams. Simultaneously, the UE also measures the downlink beams. Then, the UE selects the two best-quality downlink beams and reports the corresponding CSI information to the base station. The two panels corresponding to the best-quality uplink and downlink beams are selected as the transmission panel pair, and the other two panels are designated as candidate panel pairs. Figure 9 As shown, if Panel1 and Panel2 are the panels corresponding to the two uplink beams selected by measurement, and Panel4 and Panel3 are the panels corresponding to the two downlink beams selected by measurement, then Panel1 and Panel4 are the panels corresponding to the optimal downlink and uplink beams, respectively.

[0097] In addition, the panel switching process for Option 2 is the same as that for Option 1, which can be found here. Figure 10 .

[0098] Option 3

[0099] Different UE panels are configured with different TCI states, while the UE uses the same panel for downlink reception and uplink transmission.

[0100] In this scheme, the UE is configured with N antenna panels. For example, when N=4, they are labeled as panel1 to panel4. Each UE panel is configured with multiple beams, including uplink and downlink beams. In this scheme, the UE performs uplink and downlink output through the same panel. When the UE detects an MPE event or other events requiring uplink panel switching, the base station needs to know the target panel information to align the uplink and downlink transmission beams of the base station and the UE. Since different panels are configured with different TCI states, the base station needs to measure and reconfigure the target panel after knowing its information before instructing uplink and downlink transmission. As shown in Table 1, the base station predefines the time slot = { slot 1, slot 2, ..., slot N The system information (SI) sent by the base station when the UE determines which cell to access is being mapped between panel indices and slots, is then associated with the panels, generating a first relationship table as shown in Table 1. This first relationship table is carried by the system information (SI) sent by the base station when the UE determines which cell to access. When the base station or UE detects an event requiring panel switching, the UE sends an uplink reference signal (SRS) to the base station in a given time slot. For example, for a UE-driven panel selection, if the target panel to be switched to is panel 1, then in the given time slot... slot 1. The SRS corresponding to panel 1 is sent to the base station. The base station can know that the target panel for the UE's uplink handover is panel 1 by receiving the SRS time slot and perform measurement. Then, the TCI is reconfigured, which avoids the problem of misalignment between the UE and the base station caused by the UE switching the uplink transmission panel on its own.

[0101]

[0102] Option 4

[0103] Different UE panels are configured with different TCI states, and the UE uses different panels for downlink reception and uplink transmission.

[0104] In this scheme, the UE uses at least two panels for uplink and downlink transmission. The base station and UE measure the panels used for downlink reception and uplink transmission respectively to select the optimal uplink and downlink beams and corresponding panels. For communication systems with multi-panel UEs, when an event requiring panel selection / switching occurs, i.e., the current transmission panel is no longer suitable for uplink transmission, a re-uplink panel selection / switching is required. Since different panels are configured with different TCI states, the base station needs to measure and reconfigure the target panel after knowing its information before proceeding with uplink and downlink transmission. Assuming that of the N configured panels, K panels are used for uplink transmission and L panels are used for downlink reception, referred to as downlink panels and uplink panels respectively for ease of description. As shown in Table 2, the time slot is defined as slot = {slot 1, slot 2, ..., slot K×L}, and a mapping relationship is established between the panel uplink / downlink panel indices and slots. When the UE detects an event requiring panel switching, the UE sends an uplink reference signal (SRS) to the base station in a given time slot.

[0105] For example, the UE is currently using panels with index group 1 for uplink and downlink transmission, i.e., uplink panel 1 and downlink panel 1. When the UE detects an event requiring panel switching, it switches to the target panel, which is panel 2. If, after panel selection / switching, the UE continues to use the receiving panel before the switch for downlink reception (i.e., downlink panel 1), it sends an uplink reference signal (SRS) to the base station in slot L+1. The base station can determine the target panel (panel 2) for uplink switching by receiving the SRS signal and measure and configure the TCI state of the target panel. If, after panel selection / switching, the UE uses a different receiving panel for downlink reception than before the switch, it sends uplink reference signals (SRS) to the base station from slot L+2 to slot 2×L respectively. The base station can determine the target panel for the UE switch by receiving the SRS signal in the time slot, measure the target panel and the downlink receiving panel, and reconfigure the TCI state.

[0106]

[0107] like Figure 11As shown, when different panels are configured with different TCI states, if the UE automatically switches panels after detecting a handover event, in order to achieve beam alignment between the base station and the UE, the UE needs to inform the base station of the target panel to be switched to in a certain way before selecting the target panel. If the same target panel is used for uplink and downlink transmission before and after the panel switch, the uplink reference signal is sent to the base station in the time slot corresponding to the target panel according to the mapping relationship in Table 1; if different target panels are used for uplink and downlink transmission before and after the panel switch, the corresponding reference signal is sent to the base station in the given time slot according to the mapping method in Table 2. The base station can know the target panel switched by the UE by receiving the SRS signal in the time slot, and then measures the target panel and the downlink receiving panel and reconfigures the TCI state.

[0108] like Figure 12 As shown, this application also provides a communication device, including: a processor 110 and a memory 120.

[0109] Processor 110 controls the operation of the communication device. Processor 110 can also be referred to as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Processor 110 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal sequence processing capabilities. Processor 110 can also be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal sequence processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an off-the-shelf programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0110] The memory 120 stores the instructions and data required for the processor 110 to operate.

[0111] The processor 110 is used to execute instructions to implement the steps performed by the user equipment in the various embodiments and schemes 1, 2, 3, and 4 of this application.

[0112] like Figure 13 As shown, the second embodiment of the communication device of this application includes a processor 210 and a memory 220.

[0113] Processor 210 controls the operation of the communication device. Processor 210 can also be called a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Processor 210 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal sequence processing capabilities. Processor 210 can also be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal sequence processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an off-the-shelf programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0114] The memory 220 stores the instructions and data required for the processor 210 to operate.

[0115] The processor 210 is used to execute instructions to implement the methods executed by the base station in the various embodiments and schemes 1, 2, 3 and 4 of this application.

[0116] like Figure 14 As shown, one embodiment of the readable storage medium of this application includes a memory 310, which stores instructions that, when executed, implement the methods provided by any embodiment, scheme, and possible combination of this application.

[0117] The memory 310 may include read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, hard disk, optical disk, etc.

[0118] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed methods and apparatus can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus implementations described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of modules or units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0119] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment, depending on actual needs.

[0120] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can be physically comprised separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0121] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0122] The above description is merely an embodiment of this application and does not limit the patent scope of this application. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made using the content of this application's specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A method for switching antenna panels in user equipment, characterized in that, The method is executed on the user equipment side and includes: When a panel switching event is detected, according to a preset first relationship table, the SRS corresponding to the target panel is sent to the base station in the time slot corresponding to the target panel after switching. The first relationship table includes at least the mapping relationship between the index of the target panel and the index of the time slot. Receive the reconfigured TCI status from the base station and adjust the uplink and downlink transmission of the target panel according to the TCI status.

2. The antenna panel switching method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first relationship table also includes the mapping relationship between panel group index, downlink target panel, uplink target panel index and time slot index.

3. The antenna panel switching method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After the step of transmitting the SRS of the target panel to the base station in the time slot corresponding to the target panel after handover, the method further includes: The CSI of the target panel is measured and the CSI is sent to the base station.

4. A method for switching antenna panels in user equipment, characterized in that, The method is executed at the base station and includes: Obtain the SRS sent by the user equipment, and confirm the target panel after the user equipment handover based on the time slot of the received SRS and the preset first relationship table; The user equipment (UE) is coordinated to measure the transmission channel of the target panel, and the TCI state is reconfigured based on the measurement results and sent to the UE so that the UE can adjust the uplink and downlink transmission of the target panel.

5. The antenna panel switching method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first relationship table is configured by the base station RRC.

6. The antenna panel switching method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first relationship table is carried by system information SI and sent to the user equipment.

7. The antenna panel switching method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The reconfigured TCI state is carried by DCI information.

8. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor and a communication circuit, wherein the processor is connected to the communication circuit; The processor is used to execute instructions to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-3.

9. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor and a communication circuit, wherein the processor is connected to the communication circuit; The processor is used to execute instructions to implement the method as described in any one of claims 4-7.

10. A readable storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that, When the instruction is executed, it implements the method as described in any one of claims 1-7.

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