Beam reporting based on predicted user equipment beam residence time

Abstract

The application relates to devices and components, including apparatuses, systems, and methods for performing beam measurement and beam reporting. In one example, beam measurements may be present and may be used to generate a predicted residence time for a UE in a beam of a base station. The residence time represents a duration during which the beam is desired to have an optimal beam quality for the UE in the beams of the base station. Given the predicted residence time, the base station may transmit a reference signal to the UE, or the UE may perform a measurement on the reference signal and / or transmit information about the measurement to the base station. The information may be transmitted as a beam report.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 336,204, filed on April 28, 2022. The contents of that application are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes. Background Art

[0003] Cellular communications may be defined in various standards to enable communications between user equipment and cellular networks. For example, the fifth generation mobile network (5G) is a wireless standard designed to improve data transmission speeds, reliability, availability, etc. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] Figure 1 An example of a network environment according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0005] Figure 2 Examples of beam measurements according to some embodiments are illustrated.

[0006] Figure 3 An example of using an artificial intelligence model to generate predictions for dwell time according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0007] Figure 4 An example of an operational flow / algorithm structure for a user equipment (UE) to perform beam reporting according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0008] Figure 5 An example of an operational procedure / algorithm structure for a base station to configure a UE to perform beam reporting according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0009] Figure 6 An example of a sequence diagram involving a base station and a UE supporting beam management according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0010] Figure 7 Another example of a sequence diagram involving a base station and a UE supporting beam management according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0011] Figure 8 Yet another example of a sequence diagram involving a base station and a UE supporting beam management according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0012] Fig. 9 Examples of receiving components according to some embodiments are illustrated.

[0013] Fig.10 Examples of UEs according to some embodiments are illustrated.

[0014] Fig.11 An example of a base station according to some embodiments is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The following specific embodiments relate to the accompanying drawings. The same figure numbers may be used to identify the same or similar elements in different drawings. In the following description, for the purpose of illustration and not limitation, specific details, such as specific structures, architectures, interfaces, technologies, etc., are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of various embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art who benefit from the present disclosure that various aspects of various embodiments may be practiced in other examples that deviate from these specific details. In some cases, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so that the description of various embodiments will not be obscured by unnecessary details. For the purposes of this document, the phrase "A or B" refers to (A), (B), or (A and B).

[0016] In general, a user equipment (UE) may communicate with a base station to access a cellular network (e.g., a 5G cellular network). The communication may be based on beams transmitted by the base station, thereby selecting and using the beam with the best quality (e.g., based on reference signal measurements). Beam reporting may be performed repeatedly over time to assist beam management, thereby performing measurements of reference signals and reporting these measurements (e.g., as quality indicators) to the base station. In order to reduce or even avoid unnecessary beam reporting, a prediction of the UE's residence time in the beam is generated. The residence time may be referred to herein as the beam residence time and represents the duration during which the selected beam has a better beam quality than a predefined beam quality or has the highest beam quality for the UE among the beams of the base station (e.g., the beam has the best quality in the beam relative to the UE). The beam quality may be quantified using one or more measurements of the reference signal received on the beam. The predefined beam quality may be quantified by using one or more measurement thresholds. Depending on the measurement type, a beam quality that is better than a predefined beam quality corresponds to at least one of the measurements being greater than or less than a corresponding measurement threshold. Also depending on the measurement type, the beam quality being the best quality corresponds to at least one of the measurements being the largest or smallest in the corresponding measurements performed for the other beams. For example, the measurement may be a reference signal received power (RSRP). In this case, the predefined beam quality may include an RSRP threshold. The beam quality being better than the predefined beam quality corresponds to an RSPR being greater than the RSRP threshold. The beam quality being the best quality corresponds to the RSRP being the maximum RSRP among the RSRPs measured for the beam. In another example, the measurement may be a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR). In this case, the predefined beam quality may include an SINR threshold. The beam quality being better than the predefined beam quality corresponds to an SINR being greater than the SINR threshold. The beam quality being the best quality corresponds to the SINR being the maximum SINR among the SINRs measured for the beam. Therefore, during the beam dwell time, the desired beam is still the best beam that can be used, and beam reporting does not need to be performed. Thereafter, beam reporting may be advantageously performed.

[0017] In one example, predictions for dwell time are generated by an artificial intelligence model trained to generate beam dwell time predictions. The artificial intelligence model may be trained locally at a base station, a network (e.g., a network node other than a base station), and / or a UE. Regardless of where the training occurs, the trained artificial intelligence model may be used locally at the base station, the network, or the UE during the inference phase.

[0018] In an example using an artificial intelligence model, the base station may configure the UE to transmit a first beam report. The beam report may relate to a current transmit configuration indicator (TCI) state. Upon receiving the first beam report, the reported beam index and / or the reported reference signal measurement may be input to the artificial intelligence model so that the base station may determine a prediction for the dwell time. Given the prediction, the base station may configure and / or trigger the UE to transmit the next beam report.

[0019] In another example of using artificial intelligence, the base station may configure the UE to transmit a beam dwell time report. The report may indicate to the base station a prediction of the dwell time, where the prediction is determined by the UE. Here, the UE performs beam measurements, inputs relevant information (beam index and / or reference signal measurements) to the artificial intelligence model, and receives its output indicating the prediction. Next, the UE reports the prediction to the base station. The base station may then configure and / or trigger the UE to transmit the next beam report.

[0020] In yet another example of using artificial intelligence, the base station may configure the UE to transmit a beam report when the UE determines the beam dwell time itself. Here, the UE also performs beam measurements, inputs relevant information (beam index and / or reference signal measurements) to the artificial intelligence model, and receives its output indicating a prediction. Based on the duration of the predicted beam dwell time, in the event that the base station does not trigger the next beam report, the UE performs such a report and transmits such a report to the base station.

[0021] These and other embodiments are further described in conjunction with the following figures. In general, by using predictions of beam dwell times, the UE can avoid unnecessary beam reporting, and the base station can avoid unnecessary control signaling and (if applicable) reference signal (e.g., channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS)) transmission to the UE. Thus, processing at the UE and base station can be reduced, and overall overhead can be reduced.

[0022] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in conjunction with 5G networks. However, the embodiments are not limited thereto and are similarly applicable to other types of communication networks including other types of cellular networks.

[0023] The following is a glossary of terms that may be used in this disclosure.

[0024] As used herein, the term "circuit" refers to, is part of, or includes a hardware component such as an electronic circuit, a logic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) or a memory (shared, dedicated, or group) configured to provide the described functions, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable device (FPD) (e.g., a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), a complex PLD (CPLD), a high capacity PLD (HCPLD), a structured ASIC, or a programmable system on chip (SoC)), a digital signal processor (DSP), etc. In some embodiments, the circuit may execute one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least some of the described functions. The term "circuit" may also refer to a combination of one or more hardware elements and a program code for performing the functions of the program code (or a combination of circuits used in an electrical or electronic system). In these embodiments, the combination of hardware elements and program code may be referred to as a specific type of circuit.

[0025] As used herein, the term "processor circuit" refers to, is part of, or includes a circuit capable of sequentially and automatically performing a series of arithmetic or logical operations or recording, storing, or transferring digital data. The term "processor circuit" may refer to an application processor, a baseband processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit, a single-core processor, a dual-core processor, a triple-core processor, a quad-core processor, or any other device capable of executing or otherwise operating computer-executable instructions such as program code, software modules, and / or functional processes.

[0026] As used herein, the term "interface circuit" refers to a circuit that enables, is a part of, or includes information exchange between two or more components or devices. The term "interface circuit" may refer to one or more hardware interfaces, such as a bus, an I / O interface, a peripheral component interface, a network interface card, etc.

[0027] As used herein, the term "user equipment" or "UE" refers to a device that has radio communication capabilities and can describe a remote user of network resources in a communication network. In addition, the terms "user equipment" or "UE" may be considered synonymous and may be referred to as a client, mobile phone, mobile device, mobile terminal, user terminal, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, radio equipment, reconfigurable radio equipment, reconfigurable mobile device, etc. In addition, the term "user equipment" or "UE" may include any type of wireless / wired device or any computing device that includes a wireless communication interface.

[0028] As used herein, the term "base station" refers to a device with radio communication capabilities, which is a network component of a communication network (or more concisely, a network) and can be configured as an access node in the communication network. The access of a UE to a communication network can be at least partially managed by a base station, whereby the UE connects to the base station to access the communication network. Depending on the radio access technology (RAT), a base station can be referred to as a gNodeB (gNB), an eNodeB (eNB), an access point, etc.

[0029] As used herein, the term "network" refers to a communication network comprising a collection of network nodes configured to provide communication functions to multiple user equipment via one or more base stations. For example, the network may be a public land mobile network (PLMN) implementing one or more communication technologies (including, for example, 5G communications).

[0030] As used herein, the term "computer system" refers to any type of interconnected electronic devices, computer devices, or components thereof. Additionally, the term "computer system" or "system" may refer to various components of a computer that are communicatively coupled to one another. Furthermore, the term "computer system" or "system" may refer to multiple computer devices or multiple computing systems that are communicatively coupled to one another and configured to share computing resources or networked resources.

[0031] As used herein, the term "resource" refers to a physical or virtual device, a physical or virtual component within a computing environment, or a physical or virtual component within a specific device, such as a computer device, a mechanical device, a memory space, a processor / CPU time, a processor / CPU usage, a processor and accelerator load, a hardware time or usage, a power supply, an input / output operation, a port or a network socket, a channel / link allocation, throughput, memory usage, storage, a network, a database and an application, a unit of work, etc. "Hardware resources" may refer to computing, storage or network resources provided by physical hardware elements. "Virtualized resources" may refer to computing, storage or network resources provided by a virtualized infrastructure to an application, a device, a system, etc. The term "network resources" or "communication resources" may refer to resources that a computer device / system can access via a communication network. The term "system resources" may refer to any kind of shared entity that provides a service, and may include computing resources or network resources. System resources may be considered as a set of coherent functions, network data objects or services that can be accessed through a server, wherein such system resources reside on a single host or multiple hosts and can be clearly identified.

[0032] As used herein, the term "channel" refers to any tangible or intangible transmission medium for transmitting data or data streams. The term "channel" may be synonymous or equivalent to "communication channel", "data communication channel", "transmission channel", "data transmission channel", "access channel", "data access channel", "link", "data link", "carrier", "radio frequency carrier" or any other similar term representing a path or medium through which data is transmitted. In addition, as used herein, the term "link" refers to a connection between two devices for sending and receiving information.

[0033] As used herein, the terms "instantiate," "instantiate," and the like refer to the creation of an instance. "Instance" also refers to a specific occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during the execution of program code.

[0034] The term "connected" may mean that two or more elements at a common communication protocol layer have an established signaling relationship with each other through a communication channel, link, interface, or reference point.

[0035] As used herein, the term "network element" refers to physical or virtualized equipment or infrastructure for providing wired or wireless communication network services. The term "network element" may be considered synonymous with or referred to as a networked computer, networking hardware, network equipment, network node, virtualized network function, etc.

[0036] The term "information element" refers to a structural element that contains one or more fields. The term "field" refers to the individual contents of an information element, or a data element that contains the contents. An information element may include one or more additional information elements.

[0037] The term "3GPP access" refers to access (e.g., radio access technology) specified by the 3GPP standards. These accesses include, but are not limited to, GSM / GPRS, LTE, LTE-A, and / or 5G NR. In general, 3GPP access refers to various types of cellular access technologies.

[0038] The term "non-3GPP access" refers to any access (e.g., radio access technology) not specified by the 3GPP standards. These accesses include, but are not limited to, WiMAX, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, WLAN, and / or fixed networks. Non-3GPP accesses can be divided into two categories, "trusted" and "untrusted": trusted non-3GPP accesses can interact directly with the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and / or 5G Core (5GC), while untrusted non-3GPP interoperates with the EPC / 5GC via network entities (such as Evolved Packet Data Network Gateways and / or 5G NR Network Gateways). In general, non-3GPP access refers to various types of non-cellular access technologies.

[0039] Figure 1A network environment 100 according to some embodiments is illustrated. The network environment 100 may include a UE 104 and a gNB 108. The gNB 108 may be a base station that provides a wireless access cell, such as a third generation partnership project (3GPP) new radio (NR) cell through which the UE 104 can communicate with the gNB 108. The UE 104 and the gNB 108 may communicate over an air interface compatible with 3GPP technical specifications, such as those defining a fifth generation (5G) NR system standard.

[0040] The gNB 108 may send information (e.g., data and control signaling) in the downlink direction by mapping logical channels onto transport channels and mapping transport channels onto physical channels. Logical channels may transfer data between the radio link control (RLC) and MAC layers; transport channels may transfer data between the MAC and PHY layers; and physical channels may transfer information across the air interface. Physical channels may include a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0041] The PBCH may be used to broadcast system information that the UE 104 may use to initially access a serving cell. The PBCH may be sent in a synchronization signal block (SSB) along with a physical synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS). The SSB may be used by the UE 104 during a cell search process (including cell selection and reselection) and for beam selection.

[0042] The PDSCH may be used to transfer end-user application data, Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB) messages, system information messages (in addition to, for example, MIB), and SI.

[0043] The PDCCH may convey DCI used by the scheduler of the gNB 108 to allocate both uplink and downlink resources. The DCI may also be used to provide uplink power control commands, configure the slot format, or indicate that preemption has occurred.

[0044] The gNB 108 may also transmit various reference signals to the UE 104. The reference signals may include demodulation reference signals (DMRS) for the PBCH, PDCCH, and PDSCH. The UE 104 may compare the received version of the DMRS with the known DMRS sequence transmitted to estimate the impact of the propagation channel. The UE 104 may then apply the inverse channel of the propagation channel during the demodulation process transmitted by the corresponding physical channel.

[0045] The reference signal may also include a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). CSI-RS may be a multi-purpose downlink transmission that may be used for CSI reporting, beam management, connected mode mobility, radio link failure detection, beam failure detection and recovery, and fine tuning of time and frequency synchronization.

[0046] Reference signals and information from physical channels can be mapped to resources of a resource grid. For a given antenna port, subcarrier spacing configuration, and transmission direction (e.g., downlink or uplink), there is a resource grid. The basic unit of the NR downlink resource grid can be a resource element, which can be defined by one subcarrier in the frequency domain and one orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol in the time domain. Twelve consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain can constitute a physical resource block (PRB). A resource element group (REG) can include one PRB in the frequency domain and one OFDM symbol in the time domain, such as twelve resource elements. A control channel element (CCE) can represent a resource group used to send a PDCCH. One CCE can be mapped to multiple REGs (e.g., six REGs).

[0047] UE 104 may use physical uplink channels to send data and control information to gNB 108. Different types of physical uplink channels are possible, including, for example, a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). Where PUCCH carries control information from UE 104 to gNB 108, such as uplink control information (UCI), while PUSCH carries data traffic (e.g., end-user application data) and may carry UCI.

[0048] The UE 104 and the gNB 108 may perform beam management operations to identify and maintain desired beams for transmission in the uplink and downlink directions. Beam management may be applied to both PDSCH and PDCCH in the downlink direction and PUSCH and PUCCH in the uplink direction.

[0049] In one example, communications with gNB 108 and / or base stations may use channels in frequency range 1 (FR1), frequency range 2 (FR2) bands, and / or higher frequency ranges (FRH). FR1 bands include licensed bands and unlicensed bands. NR unlicensed bands (NR-U) include spectrum shared with other types of radio access technologies (RATs) (e.g., LTE-LAA, WiFi, etc.). A listen-before-talk (LBT) process may be used to avoid or minimize collisions between different RATs in NR-U, whereby devices should apply a clear channel assessment (CCA) check before using a channel.

[0050] Figure 2 An example of beam measurement 200 according to some embodiments is illustrated. Generally, reference signals are transmitted by gNB 202 on different beams, and UE 204 performs measurements on one or more of the reference signals. For example, instances where the same reference signal is transmitted on different beams, and given the location of UE 204 relative to gNB 202, UE 204 may receive some or all of these reference signals, perform reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements and / or interference plus noise ratio (SINR) measurements on the received signals. UE 204 may then select the beam with the best measurement (e.g., the beam with the largest RSRP measurement and / or the largest SINR measurement) and indicate the selection to gNB 202. Alternatively, UE 204 may transmit the measurement to gNB 202 to receive back a selection of the beam with the best measurement.

[0051] For the sake of clarity, Figure 2 SSB 210 is illustrated as an example of a possible reference signal. Other types of reference signals are also possible, including, for example, CSI-RS. Therefore, the embodiments are not limited to SSB and are equally applicable to CSI-RS and other types of reference signals. Conversely, when the use of CIS-RS is described in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the use is equally applicable to other types of reference signals including SSB. In general, SSB related measurements may be performed to initially select a first beam. CSI-RS measurements may be performed for beam refinement, whereby a second beam may be selected. The second beam may be a refinement of the first beam, having more directionality and having a higher gain. In other words, the second beam may be a narrower beam within the envelope of the wider first beam. Also for clarity of explanation, an equivalent beam may be obtained from UE 204, but not in Figure 2 . A beam available from gNB 202 may be referred to as a gNB beam. A beam available from UE 202 may be referred to as a UE beam. A gNB-UE beam pair may be formed by a gNB beam and a corresponding UE beam. A gNB-UE beam pair may generally be referred to as a beam in this document.

[0052] refer to Figure 2 For example, the beam Figure 2 The left side of FIG. 200 is shown as an SSB beam (but these illustrated beams may equivalently be CSI-RS beams or each beam illustrated may be associated with multiple narrow CSI-RS beams). The SSB beam is used by gNB 202 for transmission of SSBs, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 (but these beams can be equivalently used for CSI-RS transmission).

[0053] Typically, gNB 202 may transmit multiple SSBs in a burst set period, where each SSB may be in a different beam. These beams are referred to herein as SSB beams (e.g., analog beams dedicated to a particular SSB). UE 204 performs beam scanning to select one or more SSB beams (e.g., an SSB beam with the best SSB measurements among the SSB beams, where these measurements are performed on the detected SSBs) for communicating with gNB 202. In RRC connected mode, the UE may perform a beam refinement process to select one or more CSI-RS beams (not shown) within the selected SSB beam. The selection may depend on the CSI-RS sent by gNB 202 and measured by UE 204.

[0054] exist Figure 2 In the illustration of FIG. 1 , gNB 202 performs beam scanning to burst transmit SSB beams in predetermined directions at regular intervals. These SSB beams are indexed by SSB beam index “i” ( Figure 2 The SSB carries PSS, SSS and PBCH and is repeated in a burst SSB beam, and the SSB burst is repeated periodically. For carriers below 3 GHz, a cell can be covered by up to four SSB beams, and for carriers in the 3 to 7 GHz range, a cell can be covered by up to eight SSB beams.

[0055] like Figure 2 As shown on the right hand side of FIG, SSB occupies multiple symbols in a time slot (as an illustrative example, Figure 2 Each SSB occupies four symbols in a time slot.) In addition, SSBs 210 on different SSB beams may be transmitted in an end-to-end cluster. For example, SSB0 and SSB1 are transmitted in a first time slot "n", and SSB2 and SSB3 are transmitted in a second time slot "n+1" immediately following the first time slot. The transmission may be repeated periodically in other time slots, such as SSB0 and SSB1 are periodically transmitted in the same time slot each time, and similarly, SSB2 and SSB3 are each periodically transmitted in the next immediately adjacent time slot. This is Figure 2 This is illustrated by using a periodicity of "T", where the next transmission of SSB0 and SSB1 is in time slot "n+T", and where the next transmission of SSB2 and SSB3 is in time slot "n+1+T".

[0056] like Figure 2As shown, UE 204 may be in the direct coverage area of ​​SSB beam “1” (this beam is described herein for illustrative purposes only, and the embodiments are similarly applicable to any other beam and / or coverage type). To this end, the SSB measurement associated with SSB beam “1” may be the best SSB beam measurement (e.g., having the largest RSRP and / or SINR measurement) and may indicate that SSB beam “1” has the best quality among the SSB beams. Therefore, UE 204 may select SSB beam “1” (assuming that SSB beam “1” has sufficient or acceptable SSB measurements, such as when at least one of the SSB measurements exceeds the corresponding measurement threshold) and indicate the selection to gNB 202 (via a physical random access channel (PRACH) process). UE 204 may also transmit a beam report to gNB 202, wherein the beam report includes an index of the measured beam and a corresponding SSB reference signal measurement. Additionally or alternatively, gNB 202 may indicate to UE 204 the beam to be selected and used upon receiving the beam report. This indication may take the form of TCI status information.

[0057] A beam may be associated with a TCI state. The TCI state may indicate a quasi co-location (QCL) relationship between antenna ports used for reference signals (e.g., SSB or CSI-RS) and downlink data or control signaling (e.g., PDSCH or PDCCH). The gNB 202 may use a combination of RRC signaling, MAC control element signaling, and DCI to inform the UE 204 of these QCL relationships so that the UE 204 may utilize the QCL relationships to perform measurements (e.g., on reference signals) and generate beam reports.

[0058] TCI states are configured for PDCCH, PDSCH, and CSI-RS to convey QCL indications for the corresponding reference signals. In FR1, QCL Type AC applies, and in FR2, QCL Type AD applies. QCL Type D for FR2 indicates that PDCCH / PDSCH / CSI-RS is transmitted using the same spatial filter as the reference signal associated with the TCI. In FR2, the network can indicate a change in the transmit beam of PDSCH or PDCCH by switching the TCI state.

[0059] UE 204 may be configured with TCI lists for PDSCH and PDCCH via RRC. The TCI state of PDCCH is a subset of the TCI state of PDSCH. For PDCCH, the network configures active TCI states via MAC CE. RRC may configure up to one hundred and twenty-eight TCI states for PDSCH. UE may have up to eight TCI states activated via MAC CE, but embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0060] When the UE 204 is configured with the higher layer parameter tci-PresentInDCI with CORESET set to "enabled" for scheduling PDSCH, the TCI field is present in DCI format 1_1. If the scheduling offset between scheduling and PDSCH is greater than Threshold-Sched-Offset and the TCI field is present, the TCI state of the PDSCH is indicated via the DCI. If tci-PresentInDCI is not configured or PDSCH is scheduled using DCI format 1_0 or the scheduling offset between PDCCH and PDSCH is less than Threshold-Sched-Offset, the PDSCH follows the TCI of the PDCCH. Thresh-old-Sched-Offset is based on the UE capability timeDuration-ForQCL.

[0061] The TCI state change and corresponding beam switching can be initiated via MAC CE or DCI. When the TCI of PDSCH is indicated by DCI, the TCI state or beam switching can be configured via DCI. The TCI state transition based on DCI is applicable to PDSCH. When PDSCH follows the TCI state of PDCCH, for beam switching, the TCI state of PDCCH must first be initiated via MAC CE. Therefore, the TCI state transition based on MAC CE is applicable to PDCCH.

[0062] When the network activates a new TCI state via MAC CE for PDCCH or via DCI for PDSCH, the UE 204 is allowed some time to prepare to receive in the new TCI state. In order to successfully receive in the new TCI state, the UE 204 needs to know the receive (RX) beam and the associated time offset / frequency offset (TO / FO) corresponding to the new TCI state.

[0063] Therefore, typically for beam management, gNB 202 needs to send multiple downlink reference signals to UE 204 to measure the quality of each beam. Different gNB beams may apply to different reference signals. The downlink reference signal may be an SSB or a CSI-RS. UE 204 may use different RX beams to receive different instances of a reference signal to identify the best UE beam for each gNB beam. In order to identify the gNB-UE beam pair, UE 204 needs to perform measurements for several gNB beams by following the UE beam scanning operation. UE 204 may report beam quality to facilitate beam selection. After receiving the beam report, gNB 202 may provide a TCI status indication to provide a beam indication. TCI may be indicated by MAC CE or DCI format 1_1 / 1_2.

[0064] The gNB 202 may also configure and / or trigger the UE 204 to repeatedly transmit beam reports. However, if the beam reporting periodicity is too small, the beam reporting may waste UE power and increase the overhead of the SBS / CSI-RS, and the gNB 202 may need to send the SBS / CSI-RS too frequently. This is because the selected beam may still be the best beam. Conversely, if the beam reporting periodicity is too large, the selected beam may be outdated (e.g., the beam may no longer be the best beam among the beams of the gNB 202 with respect to the UE 204). As a result, the overall performance may be reduced (e.g., data throughput).

[0065] To mitigate such challenges, embodiments of the present disclosure involve using predictions of the dwell time of UE 204 in the beam of gNB 202. Figure 2 In the example of , SSB beam “1” is selected. The dwell time represents the duration during which SSB beam “1” is predicted to continue to have the best quality (e.g., highest reference signal measurement) among the remaining SSB beams. During this duration, UE 204 does not need to perform additional reference signal measurements and / or transmit beam reports to gNB 202, and / or gNB 202 does not need to transmit reference signals to UE 204 for measurements and beam reports. Upon expiration of the duration, UE 204 may be configured to automatically or may be triggered by gNB 202 to perform relevant measurements and transmit beam reports at an appropriate time, and gNB 202 may be configured to schedule relevant reference signals and send relevant reference signals to UE 204.

[0066] In one example, the prediction may be generated by an artificial intelligence model. The input to the model may be the current beam report or a portion thereof. For example, back to reference Figure 2 , the input may include RSRP and / or SINR measurements corresponding to SSB "1" and optionally other beams and corresponding indices. The output of the artificial intelligence model may indicate when a beam change may occur. The indication may take the form of a duration of a predicted dwell time. The output may also indicate a predicted future time interval (e.g., a dwell time of 100 milliseconds and predicted for the next 500 milliseconds).

[0067] Figure 3 An example of using an artificial intelligence model to generate predictions of dwell time according to some embodiments is illustrated. The structure of the artificial intelligence model is first described, followed by its training, and then its use in the inference phase.

[0068] As illustrated, the artificial intelligence model is implemented as a neural network 320. The neural network includes at least one of an input layer 322, a long short-term memory (LSTM) layer 324, a fully connected layer 326, a softmax layer 328, and a classification layer 329. Other structures of the neural network 320 are also possible. For example, the softmax layer 328 and the classification layer 329 may be replaced by a regression layer. In addition, other structures of the AI ​​model are possible and may include a machine learning model using a neural network technique or other techniques.

[0069] Training relies on training data 310. In one example, the training data includes information derived based on past beam reports. For example, the training data 310 may include beam measurements (e.g., RSRP and / or SINR measurements, which may but need not be normalized), corresponding beam indices (which may but need not be normalized), corresponding beam selections, and timing (e.g., timestamps) of such measurements and / or such selections. The timing may indicate what the actual dwell time was. The actual dwell time may correspond to the difference between two timestamps, wherein one of the timestamps corresponds to a time when the beam had the best beam measurement or was selected, and wherein the other timestamp corresponds to a time when the beam measurement of another beam became better or was selected. Alternatively or additionally, the actual dwell time may correspond to the difference between two timestamps, wherein one of the timestamps corresponds to a time when one or more measurements for the beam indicate that the beam has a better beam quality than a predefined beam quality, and wherein the other timestamp corresponds to a time when one or more subsequent measurements for the beam indicate that the beam has a lower quality than the predefined beam quality.

[0070] Training may be performed locally at a base station (e.g., gNB 202). In this case, training data 310 relates to multiple UEs. For each UE, the corresponding past beam report may include the beam measurement and the corresponding beam index reported by the UE to the base station. Training data 310 may include such information. Alternatively, training data 310 may include a portion of such information. Specifically, for each UE, training data 310 may include the beam measurement and the corresponding beam index of the best (or selected) beam.

[0071] Alternatively, the training may be performed locally at a UE (e.g., UE 204). In this case, the training data 310 may be associated with past beam reports generated by the UE over a past period of time, where the reports may be associated with one or more base stations. Here, the training data 310 may also include all beam measurements and corresponding beam indices, or only the best beam measurement and corresponding beam index.

[0072] Alternatively, training may be performed locally at the network (e.g., a network node of a 5G core network). In this case, the training data 310 may be base station specific, in which case the training data 310 is similar to the training data described above with respect to base station local training. The training may be UE specific, in which case the training data 310 is similar to the training data described above with respect to UE local training. The training may be common to multiple base stations, in which case the training data 310 is similar to the training data described above with respect to base station local training, except that it is applicable to beam measurements and / or beam indices collected by multiple base stations. The training may be common to multiple UEs, in which case the training data 310 is similar to the training data described above with respect to UE local training, except that it is applicable to beam measurements and / or beam indices collected by multiple UEs.

[0073] Regardless of where the training is performed, the training may use the actual dwell times as ground truth, whereby the neural network 320 is trained to generate predicted dwell times that are as close to the ground truth as possible. For example, the training relies on a loss function that uses the actual dwell times and the predicted dwell times, and the training is iteratively performed by updating the weights of the neural network 320 (e.g., via a back-propagation algorithm) to minimize the loss function.

[0074] Once training is complete, the neural network 320 may be used (e.g., such use may be referred to as "inference"). In one example, the neural network 320 is used locally at the base station. In this case, if the training is not local to the base station (e.g., at a training source that may be a UE or a network), the base station may receive the weights of the neural network 320 from the training source. In another example, the neural network 320 is used locally at the UE. In this case, if the training is not local to the UE (e.g., at a training source that may be a base station or a network), the UE may receive the weights of the neural network 320 from the training source. In yet another example, the neural network 320 is used locally at the network. In this case, if the training is not local to the network (e.g., at a training source that may be a base station or a UE), the network may receive the weights of the neural network 320 from the training source.

[0075] Regardless of the entity using neural network 320 (e.g., base station, UE, and / or network), such use may involve input to neural network 320, which in turn generates output accessible to that entity. The input may include some or all of the information available in the current beam report. For example, and referring back to Figure 2, UE 204 may generate a beam report indicating that SSB beam "1" is the best beam. The beam report (e.g., all RSRP and / or SINR measurements for all beams and corresponding indices) may be included in the input. Alternatively, only information about the best beam is included in the input (e.g., RSRP and / or SINR measurements for SSB beam "2" and corresponding beam index "2").

[0076] The output may indicate a prediction for the dwell time 330. For example, the output includes a predicted duration of the dwell time. The output may also include a probability of the predicted duration. If the probability is less than a probability threshold, the entity may ignore use of the prediction (in which case the entity may continue to configure, trigger, and / or perform (if applicable) beam reporting independent of the prediction). The output may also indicate that the predicted beam dwell time is within a future time interval (e.g., for the next "Y" milliseconds).

[0077] Figure 4 An example of an operational flow / algorithm structure 400 for a UE to perform beam reporting according to some embodiments is illustrated. The UE is Fig.10 Examples of UE 104, UE 204, or UE 1000 are further described in .

[0078] In one example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 400 includes receiving a reference signal from a base station on a beam of the base station at 402. For example, the reference signal can be an instance of an SSB or a CSI-RS. The instance of the reference signal can be received by the UE on multiple beams of the base station.

[0079] In one example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 400 includes performing measurements on a reference signal at 404. For example, the UE receives one or more instances of an SSB or CSI-RS and performs a set of measurements on each received instance. The set may include RSRP measurements and / or SINR measurements.

[0080] In one example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 400 includes transmitting information about a beam to a base station based on measurements at 406, wherein the timing of at least one of (i) receiving a reference signal, (ii) performing a measurement, or (iii) transmitting information is based on a prediction of a dwell time of the UE in a beam of the base station, wherein the dwell time represents a duration during which the beam has a better beam quality than a predefined beam quality or has a highest beam quality for the UE in a beam of the base station. As explained above herein, beam quality may be defined based on reference signal measurements performed on the beam. Better beam quality corresponds at least to a reference signal measurement being greater than or less than a predetermined reference signal measurement threshold (depending on the type of measurement). Best beam quality corresponds at least to a reference signal measurement being the largest or smallest among reference signal measurements of the same type performed on the beam (depending on the type of measurement). The information may be transmitted in a beam report and may include, for example, a measurement set and a beam index set corresponding to the beam on which the measurement instance was received and measured. Predictions of dwell time may be generated based on inputs to an artificial intelligence model. The prediction may be generated locally at the UE. Alternatively, the prediction may be generated locally at the base station and the prediction may be received to subsequently trigger a beam report (e.g., receive a reference signal, perform a measurement, and / or transmit information) or alternatively a trigger may be received from the base station to perform a beam report, wherein the trigger signal is based on the prediction. The input may include past information from past beam reports (e.g., from the most recent beam report indicating that the beam has the highest beam quality and was used to select the beam). The past information may include past RSRP / SINR measurements of the base station's beam and / or other beams and corresponding beam indices. The output of the artificial intelligence model may include a predicted duration of the dwell time.

[0081] Figure 5 An example of an operational flow / algorithm structure 500 of a base station configuring a UE to perform beam reporting according to some embodiments is illustrated. The base station is Fig.11 Examples of gNB 108, gNB 202, or gNB 1100 are further described in.

[0082] In one example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 500 includes transmitting a reference signal to a UE on a beam of a base station at 502. For example, the reference signal may be an instance of an SSB or a CSI-RS. The instance of the reference signal may be transmitted to the UE on multiple beams of the base station.

[0083] In one example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 500 includes receiving information about a beam from a UE based on a measurement of a reference signal by the UE at 504, wherein the timing of at least one of (i) transmitting a reference signal, (ii) performing measurements by the UE, or (iii) receiving information from the UE is based on a prediction of a dwell time of the UE in a beam of a base station, wherein the dwell time represents a duration during which the beam has a beam quality better than a predefined beam quality or has a highest beam quality for the UE in a beam of the base station. The information may be received in a beam report and may include, for example, a measurement set and a beam index set corresponding to the beam on which the UE receives and measures an instance. The prediction of the dwell time may be generated based on input to an artificial intelligence model. The prediction may be generated locally at the base station. Alternatively, the prediction may be generated locally at the UE, and the base station may receive the prediction to subsequently trigger a beam report at the UE (e.g., transmit a reference signal, perform measurements, and / or receive information), or may automatically receive a beam report without triggering the UE to do so. The input may include past information from past beam reports (e.g., from the most recent beam report indicating that the beam has the highest beam quality and is used to select the beam). The past information may include past RSRP / SINR measurements of the base station's beam and / or other beams and the corresponding beam index. The output of the artificial intelligence model may include a predicted duration of the dwell time.

[0084] Figure 4 The operation flow / algorithm structure 400 can be used with Figure 5 The operation flow / algorithm structure 500 of the present invention is used in combination. Each operation of each of these operation flows / algorithm structures 400 and 500 may include a set of steps. Such steps are further described in the following figures and may depend on whether the artificial intelligence model is configured to be used by the base station or the UE to generate a prediction of the dwell time.

[0085] Figure 6 An example of a sequence diagram 600 involving a base station 610 and a UE 620 supporting beam management according to some embodiments is illustrated. In the sequence diagram 600, an artificial intelligence model is configured for use by the base station 610 to generate a prediction of dwell time. The prediction is used as part of beam management.

[0086] In general, the base station 610 may configure the UE 620 to transmit a first beam report. The beam report may relate to a current transmit configuration indicator (TCI) state. Upon receiving the first beam report, the reported beam index and / or the reported reference signal measurement may be input into an artificial intelligence model so that the base station 610 may determine a prediction for the dwell time. Given the prediction, the base station 610 may configure and / or trigger the UE 620 to transmit the next beam report. The steps for doing so are listed as "1" to "6" in the sequence diagram 600. Each of these steps is described below.

[0087] In one example, the first step of the sequence diagram 600 includes the network (e.g., via the base station 610) transmitting configuration information associated with beam reporting for the current TCI to the UE 620. For example, the base station 610 configures a CSI-reportConfig that requires the UE 620 to report beam quality for at least an SSB / CSI-RS that is QCL or the same as a reference signal indicated in the current TCI state set. In one example, an RRC parameter introduced for CSI-reportConfig may be used for the configuration. In another example, a dedicated identifier (e.g., CSI-reportConfigId) of the CSI-reportConfig may be configured or predefined for beam reporting for the current TCI state set. In another example, a field of a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) CE for semi-persistent CSI reporting may be used. The new field may use one bit to indicate whether the CSI report requires the UE 620 to report beam quality for the current TCI state set or to perform normal beam reporting. In another example, a candidate value of a field in the DCI or an existing field (e.g., CSI request) may be used to indicate whether the triggered beam report is for the current TCI state set or a normal beam report.

[0088] The second step of sequence diagram 600 includes the UE 620 transmitting a beam report to the base station 610 based on the configuration information. For example, the UE 620 may report beam quality (e.g., layer (L1)-RSRP / L1-SINR for the currently indicated set of TCI states). In one example, if only one TCI state is indicated, the UE may report only the L1-RSRP / L1-SINR associated with that state. In another example, if "N" ("N>1" and is a positive integer) TCI states are indicated, the UE 620 may report "N" L1-RSRP / L1-SINR. In another example, if "N" ("N>1" and is a positive integer) TCI states are indicated and the number of reported TCI states is configured to be "M" ("M<N" and is a positive integer), the UE 620 may report "M" L1-RSRP / L1-SINR and "M" TCI state indices.

[0089] The third step of sequence diagram 600 includes the base station 610 performing an inference on the beam dwell time prediction. For example, the base station 610 receives the beam report, determines the beam measurements and beam indices included therein, and performs any required beam measurement normalization and / or beam index normalization to generate an input to the artificial intelligence model. Subsequently, the artificial intelligence model outputs a prediction of the dwell time.

[0090] The fourth step of sequence diagram 600 includes the base station 610 configuring or triggering the UE 620 to transmit the next beam report. This configuration may involve transmitting additional configuration information to the UE 620 and / or activating one of the previously configured beam reports (e.g., in accordance with the first step). The triggering may involve transmitting an indication to perform a beam report and the timing for doing so.

[0091] Specifically, after predicting the beam dwell time, the base station 610 may decide when to trigger the beam report and notify the UE 620 when the UE 620 should start beam measurements and transmit a potential beam report. In one example, the base station 610 may activate / deactivate the CSI-reportConfig for the beam report (e.g., L1-RSRP / L1-SINR report) via MAC CE or DCI. In another example, the base station 610 may trigger a CSI report with a large delay, where the delay may be provided by MAC CE or DCI. The delay may be indicated in offset format (e.g., the duration between the beam report trigger and the beam report time). The delay may also or alternatively be indicated in absolute time (e.g., the system frame number and slot index indicating the beam report time (SFN)). Alternatively, the base station 610 may decide on the time to trigger the CSI-RS for the beam report and / or update the periodicity of the periodic / semi-persistent CSI-RS for the beam report in MAC CE or DCI.

[0092] The fifth step of the sequence diagram 600 includes the UE 620 transmitting a beam report to the base station 610 based on the information received in the fourth step. For example, after receiving the control signaling from the fourth step, the UE 620 performs beam measurement and reporting at the indicated time. Prior to this, the UE 620 does not need to perform beam measurement for the corresponding beam configured in the CSI-reportConfig, thereby reducing the power consumption of the UE 620 and saving the UE power.

[0093] The sixth step of the sequence diagram 600 includes the base station 610 transmitting TCI update signaling to the UE 620. The signaling may indicate that another beam of the base station 610 is to be selected and used by the UE 620. Specifically, the TCI update signaling may be provided to update the beam based on the latest beam report. This step may be optional, depending on, for example, whether a beam needs to be reselected.

[0094] Figure 7 Another example of a sequence diagram 700 involving a base station 710 and a UE 720 supporting beam management according to some embodiments is illustrated. In the sequence diagram 700, an artificial intelligence model is configured for use by the UE 720 to generate a prediction of dwell time. The prediction is used as part of beam management.

[0095] In general, the base station 710 may configure the UE 720 to transmit a beam dwell time report. The report may indicate to the base station 710 a prediction of the dwell time, where the prediction is determined by the UE 720. Here, the UE 720 performs beam measurements, inputs relevant information (beam index and / or reference signal measurements) to the artificial intelligence model, and receives its output indicating the prediction. Next, the UE 720 reports the prediction to the base station. In turn, the base station 710 may configure and / or trigger the UE 720 to transmit the next beam report. The steps for doing so are listed as "1" to "6" in the sequence diagram 700. Each of these steps is described below.

[0096] In one example, the first step of the sequence diagram 700 includes the network (e.g., via the base station 710) transmitting configuration information associated with beam dwell time reporting to the UE 720. For example, the configuration information may indicate to the UE 720 that the UE 720 is to report a prediction of the dwell time to the base station. In addition, the configuration information may configure the UE to perform relevant beam measurements to be used to generate input to the artificial intelligence model. In one example, the beam dwell time report may be triggered by higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC or MAC CE or DCI). The UE 720 may report a minimum time for beam dwell time prediction as a UE capability. The UE capability may be transmitted as a UE capability response before the first step of the sequence diagram 700 in response to the UE capability query. The UE capability response may include a value indicating the minimum time, wherein the UE needs the minimum time to perform relevant beam measurements, generate input to the artificial intelligence model, receive output of the artificial intelligence model indicating the prediction, and prepare a beam dwell time report. The beam dwell time may be quantified by the number of SSB / CSI-RS instances for the current TCI state set. After initial configuration of beam dwell time reporting, reporting may be triggered no earlier than UE capabilities (e.g., UE 720 may be triggered or expected to transmit a prediction of dwell time to base station 710 until after a minimum time required for UE 720 to generate the prediction).

[0097] The second step of sequence diagram 700 includes UE 720 performing inference of beam dwell time prediction. For example, UE 720 performs beam measurements on a set of SBS and / or CSI-RS based on a configuration for beam measurements (which may be similar to the configuration in the first step of sequence diagram 600), or retrieves the latest beam measurement report (which is generated based on such a configuration). After performing any required beam measurement normalization and / or beam index normalization, UE 720 may input such beam measurements and corresponding beam indices to the artificial intelligence model. Such beam measurements and corresponding beam indices are input to the artificial intelligence model. The artificial intelligence model then outputs a prediction of the dwell time.

[0098] The third step of the sequence diagram 700 includes the UE 720 transmitting a beam dwell time report to the base station 710. In other words, the UE 720 indicates the prediction to the base station 710 by transmitting prediction information to the base station 710 in the beam dwell time report. The prediction (or at least the predicted duration of the dwell time) can be reported as UCI carried by PUCCH / PUSCH or reported by MAC CE. The predicted duration can be quantified by the number of SSB / CSI-RS periodicities. In addition, the maximum number that can be reported can be configured by higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling or MAC CE). A UE capability can be introduced to report how far the UE can predict the dwell time (e.g., the predicted duration is within a future time interval of "Y" milliseconds). An acknowledgement / negative acknowledgement (ACK / NACK) mechanism for responding to the transmission of the beam dwell time report can be used. For example, the base station 710 can respond with ACK / NACK. The ACK / NACK may be a DCI corresponding to a dedicated radio network temporary identifier (RNTI), or a DCI sent in a dedicated search space, or a newly sent DCI scheduling a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process for beam dwell time reporting. After reporting the beam dwell time or receiving an ACK for the beam dwell time, the UE 720 may not perform beam measurement until signaling is received from the next fourth step.

[0099] The fourth step of the sequence diagram 700 includes the base station 710 configuring or triggering the UE 720 to transmit the next beam report. This step is similar to Figure 6 The fourth step of the sequence diagram 600 .

[0100] The fifth step of the sequence diagram 700 includes the UE 720 transmitting a beam report to the base station 710 based on the information received in the fourth step. This step is similar to Figure 6 The fifth step of the sequence diagram 600 .

[0101] The sixth step of the sequence diagram 700 includes the base station 710 transmitting TCI update signaling to the UE 720. This step is similar to Figure 6 The sixth step of the sequence diagram 600 .

[0102] Figure 8 Another example of a sequence diagram 800 involving a base station 810 and a UE 820 supporting beam management according to some embodiments is illustrated. In the sequence diagram 800, an artificial intelligence model is configured for use by the UE 820 to generate a prediction of dwell time. The prediction is used as part of beam management.

[0103] Generally speaking, the base station 810 may configure the UE 820 to transmit a beam report when the UE 820 determines the beam dwell time itself. The UE 820 performs beam measurements, inputs relevant information (beam index and / or reference signal measurements) to the artificial intelligence model, and receives its output indicating a prediction. Based on the duration of the predicted beam dwell time, in the event that the base station 810 does not trigger the next beam report, the UE 820 performs such a report and transmits such a report to the base station 810. The steps for doing so are listed as "1" to "6" in the sequence diagram 800. Each of these steps is described below.

[0104] In one example, the first step of the sequence diagram 800 includes the network (e.g., via the base station 810) transmitting configuration information associated with UE-assisted / triggered beam reporting to the UE 820. For example, the configuration information may indicate to the UE 820 that the UE 820 will generate a prediction of the dwell time, but does not need to report the dwell time to the base station 810. In addition, the configuration information may indicate to the UE 820 that the UE will perform beam measurements and / or prepare and transmit beam reports based on the prediction without the base station 810 triggering the UE 820 to do so. In one example, the configuration information may be transmitted via RRC signaling.

[0105] The second step of sequence diagram 800 includes UE 820 performing inference of beam dwell time prediction. This step is similar to Figure 7 The second step of sequence diagram 700 .

[0106] The third step of the sequence diagram 800 includes the UE 820 transmitting a UE-triggered beam report to the base station 810. In other words, based on the prediction of the dwell time, the UE performs beam measurement, prepares and transmits the beam report according to the configuration information received in the first step of the sequence diagram 800. In one example, when the UE 820 determines that the predicted beam dwell timer has expired (or is about to expire, a time interval before the expiration, where the time interval corresponds to the processing delay associated with the UE 820 performing beam measurement and generating a beam report), the UE 820 itself (rather than the base station 810) may trigger the beam report after the beam dwell time prediction. In one example, a dedicated scheduling request (SR) may be configured for the UE to trigger the beam report, where the scheduling request may request the base station 810 to schedule uplink resources for the UE 820 to send the beam report. In another example, a dedicated PUCCH / PUSCH resource may be configured for the UE to directly report the beam quality of "N" SBS / CSI-RS. In yet another example, a list of SSB / CSI-RS may be configured via higher layer signaling for the UE to perform beam measurements (e.g., as part of the configuration information discussed in the first step of sequence diagram 600). The UE may report the beam quality as UCI carried by PUCCH / PUSCH or as a MAC CE. In order to determine the timing of performing beam measurements and / or transmitting beam reports, the UE may maintain a beam dwell timer (e.g., a countdown timer). The beam dwell timer may start after the UE 820 receives the initial configuration in the first step of sequence diagram 800. The duration of the beam dwell timer duration may be determined based on a predicted beam dwell time (e.g., equal to the predicted beam dwell time minus a processing delay associated with the UE 820 performing beam measurements and / or generating beam reports). When the beam dwell timer expires, the UE 820 may perform beam measurements and / or transmit beam reports. In addition, the beam dwell timer may be reset after UE 820 reports beam quality, after UE 820 receives control signaling triggering beam reporting, or after UE 820 receives ACK from base station 820 in response to transmission of beam reporting. The ACK / NACK mechanism of the third step of sequence diagram 700 may also be applied here.

[0107] The fourth step of the sequence diagram 800 includes the base station 810 configuring or triggering the UE 820 to transmit the next beam report. This step is similar to Figure 6 The fourth step of the sequence diagram 600 of FIG. 810 is shown in FIG. 820 . Furthermore, this step may be optional, since the beam report has already been transmitted to the base station by the UE 820 based on the prediction of the dwell time. Nevertheless, the base station 810 may also request the UE 820 to perform and transmit another beam report.

[0108] The fifth step of the sequence diagram 800 includes the UE 820 transmitting a beam report to the base station 810 based on the information received in the fourth step. This step is similar to Figure 6 The fifth step of the sequence diagram 600. In addition, this step may be optional and is performed only if the base station 810 has requested the UE 820 to perform and transmit another beam report in the fourth step of the sequence diagram 800.

[0109] The sixth step of the sequence diagram 800 includes the base station 810 transmitting TCI update signaling to the UE 820. This step is similar to Figure 6 The sixth step of the sequence diagram 600 .

[0110] Fig. 9 1. Illustrated is a receiving component 900 of a UE 104 according to some embodiments. The receiving component 900 may include an antenna panel 904 including a plurality of antenna elements. The panel 904 is shown with four antenna elements, but other embodiments may include other numbers.

[0111] The antenna panel 904 may be coupled to an analog beam forming (BF) component that includes a plurality of phase shifters 908(1) to 908(4). The phase shifters 908(1) to 908(4) may be coupled to a radio frequency (RF) chain 912. The RF chain 912 may amplify the received analog RF signal, down-convert the RF signal to baseband, and convert the analog baseband signal to a digital baseband signal that may be provided to a baseband processor for further processing.

[0112] In various embodiments, control circuitry that may reside in a baseband processor may provide BF weights (e.g., W1 to W4) that may represent phase shift values ​​to phase shifters 908(1) to 908(4) to provide receive beams at antenna panel 904. These BF weights may be determined based on channel-based beamforming.

[0113] Fig.10 UE 1000 according to some embodiments is shown. UE 1000 may be similar to Figure 1 UE 104 and is substantially interchangeable therewith.

[0114] Similar to what is described above with respect to UE 104, UE 1000 may be any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as a mobile phone, computer, tablet, industrial wireless sensor (e.g., microphone, carbon dioxide sensor, pressure sensor, humidity sensor, thermometer, motion sensor, accelerometer, laser scanner, fluid level sensor, inventory sensor, voltage / current meter, actuator, etc.), video surveillance / monitoring equipment (e.g., camera, camcorder, etc.), wearable device, or loose IoT device. In some embodiments, the UE may be a reduced capacity UE or an NR-Light UE.

[0115] UE 1000 may include a processor 1004, an RF interface circuit 1008, a memory / storage device 1012, a user interface 1016, a sensor 1020, a driver circuit 1022, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 1024, and a battery 1028. The components of UE 1000 may be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC), a portion of an integrated circuit, a discrete electronic device or other module, logical component, hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. Fig.10 The block diagram of UE 1000 is intended to show a high-level view of certain of the components of UE 1000. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangements of the components shown may occur in other implementations.

[0116] Components of UE 1000 may be coupled to various other components via one or more interconnects 1032, which may represent any type of interface, input / output, bus (local, system, or extension), transmission line, trace, optical connection, etc., which allows various circuit components (on a common or different chip or chipset) to interact with each other.

[0117] The processor 1004 may include processor circuits such as a baseband processor circuit (BB) 1004A, a central processor unit circuit (CPU) 1004B, and a graphics processor unit circuit (GPU) 1004C. The processor 1004 may include any type of circuit or processor circuit that executes or otherwise operates computer-executable instructions (such as program codes, software modules, or functional processes from the memory / storage device 1012) to cause the UE 1000 to perform operations as described herein.

[0118] In some embodiments, the baseband processor circuit 1004A can access the communication protocol stack 1036 in the memory / storage device 1012 to communicate through a 3GPP compatible network. In general, the baseband processor circuit 1004A can access the communication protocol stack to: perform user plane functions at the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, SDAP layer, and PDU layer; and perform control plane functions at the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, RRC layer, and non-access layer (NAS) layer. In some embodiments, the PHY layer operations can be additionally / alternatively performed by components of the RF interface circuit 1008.

[0119] The baseband processor circuit 1004A may generate or process baseband signals or waveforms that carry information in a 3GPP-compatible network. In some embodiments, the waveforms used for NR may be based on cyclic prefix OFDM (CP-OFDM) in the uplink or downlink, and discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM) in the uplink.

[0120] The baseband processor circuit 1004A may also access group information from the memory / storage 1012 to determine a search space group in which a number of repetitions of the PDCCH may be sent.

[0121] The memory / storage 1012 may include any type of volatile or non-volatile memory that may be distributed throughout the UE 1000. In some embodiments, some of the memory / storage 1012 may be located on the processor 1004 itself (e.g., L1 cache and L2 cache), while other memory / storage 1012 is external to the processor 1004 but accessible via a memory interface. The memory / storage 1012 may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory, such as, but not limited to, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state memory, or any other type of memory device technology.

[0122] The RF interface circuit 1008 may include a transceiver circuit and a radio frequency front end module (RFEM), which allows the UE 1000 to communicate with other devices through a radio access network. The RF interface circuit 1008 may include various elements arranged in a transmit path or a receive path. These elements may include, for example, switches, mixers, amplifiers, filters, synthesizer circuits, control circuits, etc.

[0123] In the receive path, the RFEM may receive the radiated signal from the air interface via antenna 1050 and proceed to filter and amplify the signal (using a low noise amplifier). The signal may be provided to a transceiver's receiver, which down-converts the RF signal to a baseband signal that is provided to a baseband processor of processor 1004.

[0124] In the transmit path, the transmitter of the transceiver up-converts the baseband signal received from the baseband processor and provides the RF signal to the RFEM. The RFEM may amplify the RF signal through a power amplifier before the signal is radiated across the air interface via the antenna 1050.

[0125] In various embodiments, the RF interface circuit 1008 may be configured to send / receive signals in a manner compatible with NR access technology.

[0126] Antenna 1050 may include multiple antenna elements, each of which converts electrical signals into radio waves to pass through the air and converts received radio waves into electrical signals. These antenna elements may be arranged into one or more antenna panels. Antenna 1050 may have an antenna panel that is omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof to achieve beamforming and multi-input, multi-output communication. Antenna 1050 may include a microstrip antenna, a printed antenna manufactured on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards, a patch antenna, a phased array antenna, etc. Antenna 1050 may have one or more panels that are designed for a specific frequency band included in a band in FR1 or FR2.

[0127] The user interface circuit 1016 includes various input / output (I / O) devices designed to enable a user to interact with the UE 1000. The user interface 1016 includes input device circuits and output device circuits. The input device circuit includes any physical or virtual components for accepting input, including in particular one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., reset buttons), physical keyboards, keypads, mice, touch pads, touch screens, microphones, scanners, headphones, etc. The output device circuit includes any physical or virtual components for displaying information or otherwise conveying information (such as sensor readings, actuator positions, or other similar information). The output device circuit may include any number or combination of audio or visual displays, including in particular one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (e.g., binary state indicators (such as light emitting diodes "LEDs") and multi-character visual outputs) or more complex outputs (such as display devices or touch screens (e.g., liquid crystal displays "LCDs", LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.)), where the output of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, etc. is generated or produced by the operation of the UE 1000.

[0128] Sensor 1020 may include a device, module, or subsystem whose purpose is to detect events or changes in its environment and send information about the detected events (sensor data) to some other device, module, subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors include, among others: an inertial measurement unit including an accelerometer; a gyroscope; or a magnetometer; a micro-electromechanical system or nano-electromechanical system including: a three-axis accelerometer; a three-axis gyroscope; or a magnetometer; a level sensor; a flow sensor; a temperature sensor (e.g., a thermistor); a pressure sensor; a barometric pressure sensor; a gravity meter; an altimeter; an image capture device (e.g., a camera or a lensless aperture); a light detection and ranging sensor; a proximity sensor (e.g., an infrared radiation detector, etc.); a depth sensor; an ambient light sensor; an ultrasonic transceiver; a microphone or other similar audio capture device; and the like.

[0129] The driver circuit 1022 may include software and hardware elements for controlling specific devices embedded in, attached to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the UE 1000. The driver circuit 1022 may include various drivers to allow other components to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present in or connected to the UE 1000. For example, the driver circuit 1022 may include: a display driver for controlling and allowing access to a display device, a touch screen driver for controlling and allowing access to a touch screen interface, a sensor driver for obtaining sensor readings of the sensor circuit 1020 and controlling and allowing access to the sensor circuit 1020, a driver for obtaining an actuator position of an electromechanical component or controlling and allowing access to an electromechanical component, a camera driver for controlling and allowing access to an embedded image capture device, and an audio driver for controlling and allowing access to one or more audio devices.

[0130] The PMIC 1024 may manage power provided to various components of the UE 1000. Specifically, with respect to the processor 1004, the PMIC 1024 may control power source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion.

[0131] In some embodiments, the PMIC 1024 may control or otherwise be part of various power saving mechanisms of the UE 1000. For example, if the platform UE is in the RRC_Connected state, in which the platform is still connected to the RAN node because it expects to receive traffic soon, then after a period of inactivity, the platform may enter a state known as discontinuous reception mode (DRX). During this state, the UE 1000 may be powered off for short time intervals, thereby saving power. If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, the UE 1000 may transition to the RRC_Idle state, in which the UE is disconnected from the network and no operations are performed, such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. The UE 1000 enters a very low power state and performs paging, in which the UE wakes up again periodically to listen to the network and then powers off again. The UE 1000 may not receive data in this state; in order to receive data, the platform must transition back to the RRC_Connected state. Additional power saving modes may prevent the device from using the network for a time exceeding the paging interval (from a few seconds to a few hours). During this time, the device is completely unable to connect to the network and can be completely powered off. Any data sent during this time will incur significant latency, and it is assumed that latency is acceptable.

[0132] The battery 1028 can power the UE 1000, but in some examples, the UE 1000 can be installed in a fixed location and can have a power source coupled to the power grid. The battery 1028 can be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, etc. In some specific implementations, such as in vehicle-based applications, the battery 1028 can be a typical lead-acid car battery.

[0133] Fig.11 FIG. 1 illustrates a gNB 1100 according to some embodiments. The gNB 1100 may be similar to Figure 1 The gNB 108 is similar to and essentially interchangeable with it.

[0134] gNB 1100 may include a processor 1104, a RAN interface circuit 1108, a core network (CN) interface circuit 1112, and a memory / storage device circuit 1116.

[0135] Components of gNB 1100 may be coupled to various other components via one or more interconnects 1128.

[0136] The processor 1104, RAN interface circuit 1108, memory / storage circuit 1116 (including communication protocol stack 1110), antenna 1150, and interconnect 1128 may be similar to those of reference Fig.10 Like named elements are shown and described.

[0137] The CN interface circuitry 1112 may provide connectivity to a core network, e.g., a fifth generation core network (5GC) using a 5GC-compatible network interface protocol such as a Carrier Ethernet protocol or some other suitable protocol. Network connectivity may be provided to / from the gNB 1100 via optical fiber or wireless backhaul. The CN interface circuitry 1112 may include one or more dedicated processors or FPGAs for communicating using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the CN interface circuitry 1112 may include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0138] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0139] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, or methods described in the following example section. For example, the baseband circuit described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described below. For another example, the circuits associated with the UE, base station, network element, etc. described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples shown in the example section below.

[0140] Example

[0141] In the following sections, additional exemplary embodiments are provided.

[0142] Embodiment 1 includes a method implemented by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving a reference signal from a base station on a beam of the base station; performing measurements on the reference signal; and transmitting information about the beam to the base station based on the measurements, wherein the timing of at least one of (i) receiving the reference signal, (ii) performing the measurements, or (iii) transmitting the information is based on a prediction of a residence time of the UE in the beam of the base station, wherein the residence time represents a duration during which the beam has a beam quality better than a predefined beam quality or has the highest beam quality for the UE in the beam of the base station.

[0143] Embodiment 2 includes the method according to embodiment 1, which further includes: generating the prediction of the dwell time based on input to an artificial intelligence model implemented by the UE.

[0144] Embodiment 3 includes the method of embodiment 2, wherein the input comprises past measurements performed on previously received reference signals on the beam.

[0145] Embodiment 4 includes the method according to embodiment 2, which further includes: training the artificial intelligence model based on training data, wherein the training data includes past reference signal measurements and corresponding beam indexes.

[0146] Embodiment 5 includes the method according to embodiment 2, which further includes: receiving the weight of the artificial intelligence model from the base station, wherein the weight is determined based on the training of the artificial intelligence model at the base station.

[0147] Embodiment 6 includes a method according to embodiment 1, further comprising: transmitting to the base station past measurements performed on a previously received reference signal on the beam; and receiving the prediction of the dwell time from the base station, wherein the prediction of the dwell time is included in an output of an artificial intelligence model of the base station, and wherein the output is based on the past measurements and indicates a prediction of the dwell time within a future time interval.

[0148] Embodiment 7 includes the method according to embodiment 1, which further includes: training an artificial intelligence model based on training data, wherein the training data includes past reference signal measurements and corresponding beam indexes; transmitting the weights of the artificial intelligence model to the base station, wherein the base station stores an instance of the artificial intelligence model; and receiving the prediction of the dwell time based on the output of the instance from the base station.

[0149] Embodiment 8 includes a method according to any preceding embodiment, wherein the prediction of the dwell time includes a predicted dwell time, the predicted dwell time quantized as a number of reference signal instances having intervals for a current transmit configuration indicator (TCI) state set.

[0150] Embodiment 9 includes a method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, the method further comprising: receiving configuration information from the base station indicating that the UE will perform beam reporting; and after receiving the configuration information, receiving a beam report trigger from the base station based on the prediction of the dwell time, wherein the prediction of the dwell time is generated by the base station.

[0151] Embodiment 10 includes the method according to embodiment 9, which further includes: determining a transmit configuration indicator (TCI) state indicated by the configuration information; generating a first beam report based on the TCI state; and transmitting the first beam report to the base station, wherein the prediction of the dwell time is generated based on the first beam report.

[0152] Embodiment 11 includes the method according to embodiment 10, which further includes: determining the timing for a second beam report based on the beam report trigger, wherein the beam report trigger is received after the first beam report is transmitted; generating the second beam report based on the timing for the second beam report, wherein the second beam report includes the information about the beam; and transmitting the second beam report to the base station.

[0153] Embodiment 12 includes a method according to embodiment 10, wherein the configuration information indicates a single TCI state, and wherein the first beam report includes at least one of the following: a single layer 1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) or a single layer 1 signal to interference plus noise ratio (L1-SINR).

[0154] Embodiment 13 includes a method according to embodiment 10, wherein the configuration information indicates "N" TCI states, wherein the first beam report includes at least one of the following: "N" layer 1 reference signal received powers (L1-RSRP) or "N" layer 1 signals to interference plus noise ratios (L1-SINR), wherein "N" is a positive integer.

[0155] Embodiment 14 includes a method according to embodiment 10, wherein the configuration information indicates "N" TCI states, wherein the first beam report includes at least one of the following: "M" layer 1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) or "M" layer 1 signal to interference plus noise ratio (L1-SINR), wherein "N" and "M" are positive integers, and "M" <N”。

[0156] Embodiment 15 includes the method according to embodiment 1, which further includes: generating the prediction of the dwell time; and transmitting the prediction of the dwell time to the base station, wherein the base station triggers the UE to perform beam reporting based on the prediction of the dwell time.

[0157] Embodiment 16 includes the method according to embodiment 15, wherein the prediction of the dwell time includes a predicted beam dwell time quantized by a number of reference signals for a current transmit configuration indicator (TCI) state set.

[0158] Embodiment 17 includes the method according to embodiment 15, which further includes: transmitting UE capability information indicating the minimum time for generating a beam dwell time prediction to the base station; and receiving configuration information associated with generating the beam dwell time prediction based on the UE capability information, wherein the configuration information indicates that the prediction for the dwell time will be generated no earlier than the minimum time.

[0159] Embodiment 18 includes the method according to embodiment 17, which further includes: transmitting a beam dwell time report to the base station, the beam dwell time report indicating the prediction of the dwell time; receiving an indication to generate a beam report from the base station based on the beam dwell time report; generating the beam report based on the indication, wherein the beam report includes the information about the beam; and transmitting the beam report to the base station.

[0160] Embodiment 19 includes the method of embodiment 15, wherein the prediction of the dwell time is transmitted as uplink control information (UCI) carried by a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0161] Embodiment 20 includes the method of embodiment 19, wherein the prediction of the dwell time comprises a predicted dwell time periodically quantized by a plurality of reference signals.

[0162] Embodiment 21 includes the method according to embodiment 15, further comprising: transmitting an indication to a base station that enables prediction of the beam dwell time within a time interval.

[0163] Embodiment 22 includes the method according to embodiment 15, which further includes: transmitting the prediction of the dwell time in a beam dwell time report; determining whether the download control information (DCI) of the base station indicates that an acknowledgment (ACK) or a negative acknowledgment (NACK) is received in response to the transmission of the prediction of the dwell time; after transmitting the beam dwell report or receiving the ACK, receiving an indication from the base station to generate a beam report for the UE; and based on the indication, generating the beam report including the information about the beam.

[0164] Embodiment 23 includes the method according to embodiment 1, which further includes: generating the prediction of the dwell time; generating a beam report including the information about the beam based on the prediction of the dwell time; and transmitting the beam report to the base station when the base station does not trigger the transmission of the beam report.

[0165] Embodiment 24 includes the method according to embodiment 23, which further includes: receiving configuration information associated with generating a beam dwell time prediction and an indication to generate a beam report from the base station, wherein the prediction of the dwell time is performed based on the configuration information; and generating the beam report based on the prediction of the dwell time and the indication, wherein the beam report includes the information about the beam.

[0166] Embodiment 25 includes the method according to embodiment 23, wherein the beam report indicates the beam quality of "N" reference signals, where "N" is a positive integer.

[0167] Embodiment 26 includes a method according to embodiment 23, further comprising: receiving configuration information indicating a list of reference signals from the base station, wherein the beam report indicates beam quality for the reference signals and is transmitted as uplink control information.

[0168] Embodiment 27 includes the method according to embodiment 23, which further includes: receiving configuration information associated with generating a beam dwell time prediction from the base station; starting a beam dwell timer after receiving the configuration information, wherein the duration of the beam dwell timer is based on the prediction of the dwell time; generating the beam report based on expiration of the beam dwell timer, wherein the beam report includes the information about the beam; and transmitting the beam report to the base station.

[0169] Embodiment 28 includes the method according to embodiment 27, which further includes: resetting the beam dwell timer based on at least one of the following: transmitting the beam report, receiving control information from the base station to generate another beam report, or receiving an acknowledgment (ACK) in response to transmitting the beam report.

[0170] Embodiment 29 includes a method implemented by a base station, the method comprising: transmitting a reference signal to a user equipment (UE) on a beam of the base station; and receiving information about the beam from the UE based on the UE's measurement of the reference signal, wherein the timing of at least one of (i) transmitting the reference signal, (ii) performing the measurement by the UE, or (iii) receiving the information from the UE is based on a prediction of a residence time of the UE in the beam of the base station, wherein the residence time represents a duration during which the beam has a beam quality better than a predefined beam quality or has the highest beam quality for the UE in the beam of the base station.

[0171] Embodiment 30 includes the method according to embodiment 29, further comprising: generating the prediction of the dwell time based on input to an artificial intelligence model implemented by the base station.

[0172] Embodiment 31 includes a method according to embodiment 30, further comprising: receiving from the UE past measurements performed on a previously received reference signal on the beam, and wherein the input includes the past measurements.

[0173] Embodiment 32 includes the method according to embodiment 31, and the method also includes: training the artificial intelligence model based on training data, wherein the training data includes past reference signal measurements and corresponding beam indices.

[0174] Embodiment 33 includes a method according to embodiment 29, further comprising: transmitting to a UE the weights of an instance of an artificial intelligence trained to predict dwell time, wherein the instance is stored by the UE, and wherein the prediction of the dwell time is generated by the UE based on input to the instance.

[0175] Embodiment 34 includes a method according to embodiment 29, further comprising: receiving from the UE a weight of an instance of artificial intelligence trained to predict dwell time, wherein the instance is stored by the base station; determining the prediction of the dwell time based on an output of the instance; and transmitting the prediction of the dwell time to the UE.

[0176] Embodiment 35 includes the method according to embodiment 29, which further includes: transmitting configuration information to the UE indicating that the UE will perform beam reporting; and after transmitting the configuration information, transmitting a beam report trigger based on the prediction of the dwell time to the UE, wherein the prediction of the dwell time is generated by the base station.

[0177] Embodiment 36 includes the method according to embodiment 35, which further includes: receiving a first beam report from the UE after transmitting the configuration information and before transmitting the beam report trigger; generating the prediction of the dwell time based on the first beam report; and receiving a second beam report from the UE in response to the beam report trigger, wherein the second beam report includes the information about the beam.

[0178] Embodiment 37 includes a method according to embodiment 35, wherein the configuration information indicates that the UE will report beam quality for at least a second reference signal, which second reference signal is quasi-co-located with a first reference signal indicated in a current transmit configuration indicator (TCI) state set or is the same as the first reference signal.

[0179] Embodiment 38 includes a method according to embodiment 37, wherein the configuration information is transmitted in a radio resource control (RRC) parameter for the first CSI-reportConfig or as a dedicated identifier of a second CSI-reportConfig associated with a beam report for the current TCI state set.

[0180] Embodiment 39 includes the method of embodiment 37, wherein the configuration information is transmitted in a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) for semi-persistent channel state information (CSI) reporting.

[0181] Embodiment 40 includes a method according to embodiment 39, wherein the MAC CE element includes a bit indicating whether the CSI report requires the UE to report beam quality for the current TCI state set.

[0182] Embodiment 41 includes a method according to embodiment 37, wherein the configuration information is transmitted in the downlink control information (DCI), wherein the DCI indicates whether the CSI report requires the UE to report the beam quality for the current TCI state set.

[0183] Embodiment 42 includes a method according to embodiment 35, wherein the beam reporting trigger corresponds to activation of CSI-reportConfig for beam reporting by a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) or downlink control information (DCI).

[0184] Embodiment 43 includes a method according to embodiment 35, wherein the beam report trigger corresponds to a trigger of a CSI report with a delay indicated by a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) or downlink control information (DCI).

[0185] Embodiment 44 includes a method according to embodiment 35, wherein the beam report trigger corresponds to the triggering of a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) for beam reporting or corresponds to the periodicity of a semi-persistent CSI-RS for beam reporting.

[0186] Embodiment 45 includes the method according to embodiment 29, which further includes: receiving the prediction of the dwell time from the UE; and transmitting a trigger for performing beam reporting to the UE based on the prediction of the dwell time.

[0187] Embodiment 46 includes the method according to embodiment 45, which further includes: transmitting configuration information associated with generating a beam dwell time report before receiving the prediction of the dwell time; and receiving the beam dwell time report including the prediction of the dwell time from the UE based on the configuration information.

[0188] Embodiment 47 includes a method according to embodiment 29, which further includes: receiving a beam report including the information about the beam from the UE, wherein the beam report is transmitted by the UE based on the prediction of the dwell time and when the base station does not trigger the UE to transmit the beam report.

[0189] Embodiment 48 includes the method according to embodiment 47, further comprising: before receiving the beam report, transmitting configuration information associated with generating the beam report based on the prediction of the dwell time.

[0190] Embodiment 49 includes a UE comprising components for performing one or more elements of a method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 28 or related thereto.

[0191] Embodiment 50 includes one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, which include instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of the UE, cause the UE to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 28.

[0192] Embodiment 51 includes a UE comprising logic, modules, or circuits for performing one or more elements of a method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 28 or related thereto.

[0193] Embodiment 52 includes a UE comprising one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media, wherein the one or more computer-readable media include instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 28.

[0194] Embodiment 53 includes a system comprising means for performing one or more elements of a method according to any one of or related to Embodiments 1-28.

[0195] Embodiment 54 includes a network comprising means for performing one or more elements of a method according to any one of embodiments 29 to 48 or related thereto.

[0196] Embodiment 55 comprises one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, which one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprise instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of the network, cause the network to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any one of Embodiments 29 to 48.

[0197] Embodiment 56 includes a network comprising logic components, modules or circuits for executing one or more elements of the method according to any one of or related to Embodiments 29 to 48.

[0198] Embodiment 57 includes a network comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media, wherein the one or more computer-readable media include instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any one of Embodiments 29 to 48.

[0199] Embodiment 58 includes a system comprising means for performing one or more elements of the method described in or related to any one of Embodiments 1-48.

[0200] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, any of the above examples may be combined with any other example (or combination of examples). The foregoing description of one or more specific implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. In view of the above teachings, modifications and variations are possible or can be obtained from the practice of various embodiments.

[0201] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to include all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), the user equipment (UE) comprising: one or more processors; and one or more memories storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the UE to: receiving a reference signal from a base station on a beam of the base station; performing measurements on the reference signal; as well as Information about the beam is transmitted to the base station based on the measurement, wherein the timing of at least one of (i) receiving the reference signal, (ii) performing the measurement, or (iii) transmitting the information is based on a prediction of a residence time of the UE in the beam of the base station, wherein the residence time represents a duration during which the beam has a better beam quality than a predefined beam quality or has the highest beam quality for the UE in the beam of the base station.

2. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the execution of the computer-readable instructions further configures the UE to: The prediction of the dwell time is generated based on input to an artificial intelligence model implemented by the UE.

3. The UE of claim 2, wherein the input comprises past measurements performed on previously received reference signals on the beam.

4. The UE of claim 2, wherein the execution of the computer-readable instructions further configures the UE to: The artificial intelligence model is trained based on training data, wherein the training data includes past reference signal measurements and corresponding beam indices.

5. The UE of claim 2, wherein the execution of the computer-readable instructions further configures the UE to: Weights of the artificial intelligence model are received from the base station, wherein the weights are determined based on training of the artificial intelligence model at the base station.

6. The UE of claim 1, wherein the execution of the computer-readable instructions further configures the UE to: transmitting to the base station past measurements performed on previously received reference signals on the beam; and The prediction of the dwell time is received from the base station, wherein the prediction of the dwell time is included in an output of an artificial intelligence model of the base station, and wherein the output is based on the past measurements and indicates that the dwell time is predicted over a future time interval.

7. The UE of claim 1, wherein the execution of the computer-readable instructions further configures the UE to: training an artificial intelligence model based on training data, wherein the training data includes past reference signal measurements and corresponding beam indices; transmitting weights of the artificial intelligence model to the base station, wherein the base station stores an instance of the artificial intelligence model; and The prediction of the dwell time based on the output of the instance is received from the base station.

8. The UE of claim 1, wherein the prediction of the dwell time comprises a predicted dwell time quantized as a number of reference signal instances having an interval for a current transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state set.

9. The UE of claim 1, wherein the execution of the computer-readable instructions further configures the UE to: receiving configuration information from the base station indicating that the UE is to perform beam reporting; and After receiving the configuration information, a beam report trigger based on the prediction of the dwell time is received from the base station, wherein the prediction of the dwell time is generated by the base station.

10. The UE of claim 9, wherein the execution of the computer-readable instructions further configures the UE to: determining a transmit configuration indicator (TCI) state indicated by the configuration information; generating a first beam report based on the TCI status; and The first beam report is transmitted to the base station, wherein the prediction of the dwell time is generated based on the first beam report.

11. The UE of claim 10, wherein the execution of the computer-readable instructions further configures the UE to: determining timing for a second beam report based on the beam report trigger, wherein the beam report trigger is received after the first beam report is transmitted; generating the second beam report based on the timing for the second beam report, wherein the second beam report includes the information about the beam; as well as The second beam report is transmitted to the base station.

12. The UE of claim 10, wherein the configuration information indicates a single TCI state, and wherein the first beam report comprises at least one of: a single layer 1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) or a single layer 1 signal to interference plus noise ratio (L1-SINR).

13. The UE according to claim 10, wherein the configuration information indicates "N" TCI states, wherein the first beam report includes at least one of the following: "N" layer 1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) or "N" layer 1 signal to interference plus noise ratio (L1-SINR), wherein "N" is a positive integer.

14. The UE of claim 10, wherein the configuration information indicates "N" TCI states, wherein the first beam report includes at least one of: "M" layer 1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) or "M" layer 1 signal to interference plus noise ratio (L1-SINR), wherein "N" and "M" are positive integers, and "M" <N”。 15. The UE of claim 1, wherein the execution of the computer-readable instructions further configures the UE to: generating the prediction of the dwell time; and The prediction of the dwell time is transmitted to the base station, wherein the base station triggers the UE to perform beam reporting based on the prediction of the dwell time.

16. The UE of claim 15, wherein the prediction of the dwell time comprises a predicted beam dwell time quantized by a number of reference signals for a current transmit configuration indicator (TCI) state set.

17. The UE of claim 15, wherein the execution of the computer-readable instructions further configures the UE to: transmitting, to the base station, UE capability information indicating a minimum time for generating a beam dwell time prediction; and Configuration information associated with generating the beam dwell time prediction is received based on the UE capability information, wherein the configuration information indicates that the prediction of the dwell time is to be generated no earlier than the minimum time.

18. The UE of claim 17, wherein the execution of the computer-readable instructions further configures the UE to: transmitting a beam dwell time report to the base station, the beam dwell time report indicating the prediction of the dwell time; receiving, from the base station, an indication to generate a beam report based on the beam dwell time report; generating the beam report based on the indication, wherein the beam report includes the information about the beam; as well as The beam report is transmitted to the base station.

19. The UE of claim 15, wherein the prediction of the dwell time is transmitted as uplink control information (UCI) carried by a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

20. The UE of claim 19, wherein the prediction of the dwell time comprises a predicted dwell time periodically quantized by a plurality of reference signals.

21. The UE of claim 15, wherein the execution of the computer-readable instructions further configures the UE to: An indication is transmitted to a base station enabling prediction of the beam dwell time within a time interval.

22. The UE of claim 15, wherein the execution of the computer-readable instructions further configures the UE to: transmitting said prediction of said dwell time in a beam dwell time report; determining whether download control information (DCI) of the base station indicates that an acknowledgement (ACK) or a negative acknowledgement (NACK) is received in response to the transmission of the prediction of the dwell time; After transmitting the beam dwell time report or receiving the ACK, receiving an indication by the base station to generate a beam report for the UE; and Based on the indication, the beam report including the information about the beam is generated.

23. The UE of claim 1, wherein the execution of the computer-readable instructions further configures the UE to: generating said prediction of said dwell time; generating a beam report including the information about the beam based on the prediction of the dwell time; and In a case where the base station does not trigger the transmission of the beam report, the beam report is transmitted to the base station.

24. The UE of claim 23, wherein the execution of the computer-readable instructions further configures the UE to: receiving, from the base station, configuration information associated with generating a beam dwell time prediction and an indication that the beam report is to be generated, wherein the prediction of the dwell time is performed based on the configuration information; and The beam report is generated based on the prediction and the indication of the dwell time, wherein the beam report includes the information about the beam.

25. The UE of claim 23, wherein the beam report indicates beam qualities of "N" reference signals, where "N" is a positive integer.

26. The UE of claim 23, wherein the execution of the computer-readable instructions further configures the UE to: Configuration information indicating a list of reference signals is received from the base station, wherein the beam report indicates beam qualities for the reference signals and is transmitted as uplink control information.

27. The UE of claim 23, wherein the execution of the computer-readable instructions further configures the UE to: receiving, from the base station, configuration information associated with generating beam dwell time predictions; starting a beam dwell timer after receiving the configuration information, wherein a duration of the beam dwell timer is based on the prediction of the dwell time; generating the beam report based on expiration of the beam dwell timer, wherein the beam report includes the information about the beam; and The beam report is transmitted to the base station.

28. The UE of claim 27, wherein the execution of the computer-readable instructions further configures the UE to: The beam dwell timer is reset based on at least one of transmitting the beam report, receiving control information from the base station to generate another beam report, or receiving an acknowledgment (ACK) in response to transmitting the beam report.

29. A method implemented by a base station, the method comprising: transmitting a reference signal to a user equipment (UE) on a beam of the base station; as well as Information about the beam is received from the UE based on measurement of the reference signal by the UE, wherein the timing of at least one of (i) transmitting the reference signal, (ii) performing the measurement by the UE, or (iii) receiving the information from the UE is based on a prediction of a residence time of the UE in the beam of the base station, wherein the residence time represents a duration during which the beam has a better beam quality than a predefined beam quality or has the highest beam quality for the UE in the beam of the base station.

30. The method according to claim 29, further comprising: The prediction of the dwell time is generated based on input to an artificial intelligence model implemented by the base station.

31. The method according to claim 30, further comprising: Past measurements performed on a previously received reference signal on the beam are received from the UE, and wherein the input comprises the past measurements.

32. The method according to claim 31, further comprising: The artificial intelligence model is trained based on training data, wherein the training data includes past reference signal measurements and corresponding beam indices.

33. The method of claim 29, further comprising: The weights of an instance of artificial intelligence trained to predict dwell time are transmitted to a UE, wherein the instance is stored by the UE, and wherein the prediction of the dwell time is generated by the UE based on input to the instance.

34. The method of claim 29, further comprising: receiving, from the UE, weights of an instance of artificial intelligence trained to predict dwell time, wherein the instance is stored by the base station; determining the prediction of the dwell time based on an output of the instance; as well as The prediction of the dwell time is transmitted to the UE.

35. The method of claim 29, further comprising: transmitting, to the UE, configuration information indicating that the UE is to perform beam reporting; as well as After transmitting the configuration information, a beam reporting trigger based on the prediction of the dwell time is transmitted to the UE, wherein the prediction of the dwell time is generated by the base station.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising: receiving a first beam report from the UE after transmitting the configuration information and before transmitting the beam report trigger; generating the prediction of the dwell time based on the first beam report; as well as In response to the beam report trigger, a second beam report is received from the UE, wherein the second beam report includes the information about the beam.

37. A method according to claim 35, wherein the configuration information indicates that the UE will report beam quality for at least a second reference signal, and the second reference signal is quasi-co-located with a first reference signal indicated in a current transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state set or is the same as the first reference signal.

38. A method according to claim 37, wherein the configuration information is transmitted in a radio resource control (RRC) parameter for a first CSI-reportConfig or as a dedicated identifier of a second CSI-reportConfig associated with a beam report for the current TCI state set.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein the configuration information is transmitted in a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) for semi-persistent channel state information (CSI) reporting.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the MAC CE element includes a bit indicating whether the CSI report requires the UE to report beam quality for the current TCI state set.

41. The method of claim 37, wherein the configuration information is transmitted in the downlink control information (DCI), wherein the DCI indicates whether a CSI report requires the UE to report beam quality for the current TCI state set.

42. The method of claim 35, wherein the beam reporting trigger corresponds to activation of a CSI-reportConfig for beam reporting by a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) or downlink control information (DCI).

43. The method of claim 35, wherein the beam reporting trigger corresponds to a triggering of a CSI report with a delay indicated by a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) or downlink control information (DCI).

44. The method of claim 35, wherein the beam reporting trigger corresponds to a trigger of a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) for beam reporting or corresponds to a periodicity of a semi-persistent CSI-RS for beam reporting.

45. The method of claim 29, further comprising: receiving the prediction of the dwell time from the UE; as well as A trigger for performing beam reporting is transmitted to the UE based on the prediction of the dwell time.

46. ​​The method of claim 45, further comprising: prior to receiving said prediction of said dwell time, transmitting configuration information associated with generating a beam dwell time report; as well as The beam dwell time report including the prediction of the dwell time is received from the UE based on the configuration information.

47. The method of claim 29, further comprising: A beam report including the information about the beam is received from the UE, wherein the beam report is transmitted by the UE based on the prediction of the dwell time and without the base station triggering the UE to transmit the beam report.

48. The method of claim 47, further comprising: Prior to receiving the beam report, configuration information associated with generating the beam report based on the prediction of the dwell time is transmitted.

49. One or more computer-readable storage media storing instructions that, when executed on a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to perform operations comprising: receiving a reference signal from a base station on a beam of the base station; performing measurements on the reference signal; as well as Information about the beam is transmitted to the base station based on the measurement, wherein the timing of at least one of (i) receiving the reference signal, (ii) performing the measurement, or (iii) transmitting the information is based on a prediction of a residence time of the UE in the beam of the base station, wherein the residence time represents a duration during which the beam has a better beam quality than a predefined beam quality or has the highest beam quality for the UE in the beam of the base station.

50. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 49, wherein the operations further comprise: The prediction of the dwell time is determined based on inputs to an artificial intelligence model implemented by the UE or the base station, wherein the inputs include past measurements performed on previously received reference signals on the beam.

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