Reference signal association for predictive beam management

Abstract

Wireless communication systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided. A method of wireless communication may include transmitting, by a first wireless communication device, a first reference signal having a first beam direction to a second wireless communication device, receiving, by the first wireless communication device, a second reference signal having a second beam direction from the second wireless communication device, and transmitting, by the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device, an indicator indicating a difference between a first angle associated with the first beam direction and a second angle associated with the second beam direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to wireless communication systems, and more particularly, to reference signal association for predictive beam management. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). A wireless multiple-access communication system may include several base stations (BSs), each of which simultaneously supports communication for multiple communication devices, which may be otherwise referred to as user equipment (UE).

[0003] In order to meet the growing demand for extended mobile broadband connectivity, wireless communication technology is evolving from LTE technology to next-generation new radio (NR) technology. For example, NR is designed to provide lower latency, higher bandwidth or throughput, and higher reliability compared to LTE. NR is designed to operate on a wide range of spectrum bands, for example, from low-frequency bands below about 1 gigahertz (GHz) and from medium-frequency bands from about 1 GHz to about 6 GHz to high-frequency bands such as millimeter wave (mmWave) bands. NR is also designed to operate across different spectrum types, from licensed spectrum to unlicensed and shared spectrum. Spectrum sharing enables operators to opportunistically aggregate spectrum to dynamically support high-bandwidth services. Spectrum sharing can extend the benefits of NR technology to operating entities that may not have access to licensed spectrum.

[0004] NR can support various deployment scenarios to benefit from various spectrums in different frequency ranges, licensed and / or unlicensed, and / or coexistence of LTE and NR technologies. For example, NR can be deployed in standalone NR mode on licensed and / or unlicensed bands, or in dual connectivity mode with various combinations of NR and LTE on licensed and / or unlicensed bands.

[0005] In a wireless communication network, a BS can communicate with a UE in both the uplink and downlink directions. Sidelinks were introduced in LTE to allow a UE to transmit data to another UE (e.g., from one vehicle to another vehicle) without tunneling through the BS and / or associated core network. LTE sidelink technology has been extended to provide device-to-device (D2D) communications, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, and / or cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) communications. Similarly, NR can be extended to support sidelink communications, D2D communications, V2X communications, and / or C-V2X on licensed and / or unlicensed bands (e.g., shared bands). Summary of the invention

[0006] The following summarizes some aspects of the present disclosure to provide a basic understanding of the technology discussed. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all expected features of the present disclosure, and is neither intended to identify key or important elements of all aspects of the present disclosure, nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the present disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the present disclosure in a summarized form as a prelude to a more detailed description presented later.

[0007] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method of wireless communication may include: sending, by a first wireless communication device, a first reference signal having a first beam direction to a second wireless communication device; receiving, by the first wireless communication device, a second reference signal having a second beam direction from the second wireless communication device; and sending, by the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device, an indicator indicating a difference between a first angle associated with the first beam direction and a second angle associated with the second beam direction.

[0008] In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) may include: sending a request for a reference signal associated with a second service cell to a network unit in a first service cell, wherein the second service cell is different from the first service cell; receiving an indicator indicating resources used for the reference signal associated with the second service cell from the network unit based on the request; receiving the reference signal associated with the second service cell from the network unit; and sending a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) scheduled in the second service cell to the network unit based on the reference signal associated with the second service cell.

[0009] In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, a first wireless communication device may include: a memory; a transceiver; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the first wireless communication device is configured to: send a first reference signal having a first beam direction to a second wireless communication device; receive a second reference signal having a second beam direction from the second wireless communication device; and send an indicator to the second wireless communication device indicating a difference between a first angle associated with the first beam direction and a second angle associated with the second beam direction.

[0010] In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, a user equipment (UE) may include: a memory; a transceiver; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the UE is configured to: send a request for a reference signal associated with a second service cell to a network element in a first service cell, wherein the second service cell is different from the first service cell; receive an indicator indicating resources for the reference signal associated with the second service cell from the network element based on the request; receive the reference signal associated with the second service cell from the network element; and send a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) scheduled in the second service cell to the network element based on the reference signal associated with the second service cell.

[0011] Other aspects, features and examples of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following description of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Although features of the present invention may be discussed below with respect to certain aspects and drawings, all examples of the present invention may include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, although one or more examples may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also be used according to the various examples of the present invention discussed herein. In a similar manner, although exemplary aspects may be discussed below as device, system or method examples, it should be understood that such exemplary examples may be implemented in various devices, systems and methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 A wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0013] Figure 2 An example disaggregated base station architecture is illustrated in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 3 An example of a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0015] Figure 4 An example of a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0016] Figure 5 is a signaling diagram of a wireless communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 6 is a signaling diagram of a wireless communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 7 is a signaling diagram of a wireless communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 8 is a block diagram of an exemplary user equipment (UE) according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Fig. 9 is a block diagram of an exemplary network element according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Fig.10 is a flow chart of a communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Fig.11 is a flow chart of a communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The specific embodiments described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings are intended as descriptions of various configurations and are not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. In order to provide a comprehensive understanding of the various concepts, the specific embodiments include specific details. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, in order to avoid obscuring such concepts, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form.

[0024] The present disclosure as a whole relates to wireless communication systems, which are also referred to as wireless communication networks. In various instances, techniques and devices can be used for wireless communication networks, such as code division multiple access (CDMA) networks, time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, LTE networks, GSM networks, fifth generation (5G) or new radio (NR) networks, and other communication networks. As described herein, the terms "network" and "system" can be used interchangeably.

[0025] OFDMA network can realize radio technology such as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA, E-UTRA and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) are parts of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). Specifically, Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a UMTS version using E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS and LTE are described in documents provided by an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP), and cdma2000 is described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). These various radio technologies and standards are known or under development. For example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaboration between telecommunication association groups with the goal of defining a globally applicable third generation (3G) mobile phone specification. 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a 3GPP project aimed at improving the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile phone standard. 3GPP may define specifications for next generation mobile networks, mobile systems, and mobile devices. The present disclosure relates to the evolution from LTE, 4G, 5G, NR and beyond wireless technologies, where access to wireless spectrum is shared between networks using a range of new and different radio access technologies or radio air interfaces.

[0026] Specifically, 5G networks consider various deployments, various spectrums, and various services and devices that can be implemented using a unified air interface based on OFDM. To achieve these goals, in addition to developing new radio technologies for 5G NR networks, further enhancements to LTE and LTE-A are also considered. 5G NR will be able to scale to (1) ultra-high density (e.g., about 1M nodes / km) 2 (1) provide coverage for the massive Internet of Things (IoT) with ultra-low complexity (e.g., about 10 bits / second), ultra-low energy (e.g., about 10+ years battery life), and deep coverage with the ability to reach challenging locations; (2) provide coverage including mission-critical control with strong security to protect sensitive personal, financial, or classified information, ultra-high reliability (e.g., about 99.9999% reliability), ultra-low latency (e.g., about 1 millisecond), and users with extensive mobility or lack of mobility; and (3) provide coverage with enhanced mobile broadband (including very high capacity (e.g., about 10Tbps / km 2 ), coverage of extremely high data rates (e.g., multi-Gbps rates, 100+Mbps user experience rates), and deep awareness with advanced discovery and optimization).

[0027] 5G NR can be implemented using an optimized OFDM-based waveform with scalable parameter sets and transmission time intervals (TTIs); with a common, flexible framework to efficiently multiplex services and features using dynamic low-latency time division duplex (TDD) / frequency division duplex (FDD) designs; and with advanced wireless technologies such as massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), robust millimeter wave (mmWave) transmission, advanced channel decoding, and device-centric mobility. The scalability of parameter sets in 5G NR and the scaling of subcarrier spacing can effectively address the operation of various services across different spectrums and different deployments. For example, in various outdoor and macro coverage deployments of less than 3GHz FDD / TDD implementations, the subcarrier spacing may appear at 15kHz on bandwidths (BW) such as 5MHz, 10MHz, 20MHz, etc. For other various outdoor and small cell coverage deployments of TDD greater than 3GHz, the subcarrier spacing may appear at 30kHz on 80 / 100MHz BW. For various other indoor broadband implementations, using TDD on the unlicensed portion of the 5 GHz band, subcarrier spacing may occur at 60 kHz over 160 MHz BW. Finally, for various deployments transmitting with the mmWave component at 28 GHz TDD, subcarrier spacing may occur at 120 kHz over 500 MHz BW.

[0028] 5G NR's scalable parameter sets facilitate scalable TTIs for different latency and quality of service (QoS) requirements. For example, shorter TTIs can be used for low latency and high reliability, while longer TTIs can be used for higher spectral efficiency. Efficient multiplexing of long and short TTIs allows transmission to start on symbol boundaries. 5G NR also considers a self-contained integrated subframe design with uplink / downlink scheduling information, data, and acknowledgment in the same subframe. The self-contained integrated subframe supports communications in unlicensed or contention-based shared spectrum, adaptive uplink / downlink that can be flexibly configured on a cell-by-cell basis to dynamically switch between uplink and downlink to meet current business needs.

[0029] The various other aspects and features of the present disclosure are further described below. It should be apparent that the teachings herein can be embodied in various forms, and any specific structure, function, or both disclosed herein are merely representative and not restrictive. Based on the teachings herein, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented independently of any other aspects, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein can be used to implement a device or practice a method. In addition, such a device can be implemented, or such a method can be implemented, using other structures, functionality, or structures and functionality other than or different from one or more of the aspects set forth herein. For example, the method can be implemented as a part of a system, device, device, and / or as instructions stored on a computer-readable medium for execution on a processor or computer. In addition, an aspect can include at least one element of a claim.

[0030] Deploying NR on unlicensed spectrum is called NR unlicensed (NR-U). The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) are working to regulate 6 GHz as a new unlicensed band for wireless communications. The addition of the 6 GHz band allows hundreds of megahertz (MHz) of bandwidth (BW) to be used for unlicensed band communications. Additionally, NR-U can also be deployed on the 2.4 GHz unlicensed band, which is currently shared by various radio access technologies (RATs), such as IEEE 802.11 wireless local area networks (WLANs) or WiFi and / or license assisted access (LAA). Sidelink communications can benefit from utilizing the additional bandwidth available in unlicensed spectrum. However, channel access in a specific unlicensed spectrum can be managed by official agencies. For example, some unlicensed bands may impose restrictions on the power spectral density (PSD) and / or minimum occupied channel bandwidth (OCB) of transmissions in unlicensed bands. For example, the unlicensed national information infrastructure (UNII) radio band has a minimum OCB requirement of about at least 70%.

[0031] Some sidelink systems may operate on a 20 MHz bandwidth in an unlicensed band, for example, for listen-before-talk (LBT) based channel access. The BS may configure a sidelink resource pool for sidelink communication on one or more 20 MHz LBT sub-bands. The sidelink resource pool is typically allocated with a plurality of frequency subchannels within a sidelink bandwidth part (SL-BWP), and the sidelink UE may select a sidelink resource (e.g., one or more subchannels in frequency and one or more time slots in time) for sidelink communication from the sidelink resource pool.

[0032] The deployment of a communication system such as a 5G New Radio (NR) system may be arranged with various components or constituent parts in a variety of ways. In a 5G NR system or network, a network node, a network entity, a mobility element of a network, a radio access network (RAN) node, a core network node, a network element or a network equipment such as a base station (BS) or one or more units (or one or more components) performing base station functionality may be implemented in an aggregated architecture or a decomposed architecture. For example, a BS such as a Node B (NB), an evolved NB (eNB), an NR BS, a 5G NB, an access point (AP), a transmit receive point (TRP) or a cell, etc. may be implemented as an aggregated base station (also referred to as an independent BS or a monolithic BS) or a decomposed base station.

[0033] A converged base station may be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. A decomposed base station may be configured to utilize a protocol stack physically or logically distributed between two or more units, such as one or more central or centralized units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), or one or more radio units (RUs). In some aspects, a CU may be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs may be co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed in one or more other RAN nodes. A DU may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of a CU, a DU, and a RU may also be implemented as a virtual unit, i.e., a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU).

[0034] Base station type operations or network designs may take into account the aggregated nature of base station functionality. For example, a disaggregated base station may be used in an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (O-RAN (network configurations such as those initiated by the O-RAN Alliance)), or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN, also known as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN)). Decomposition may include distributing functionality across two or more units at various physical locations, as well as virtually distributing functionality of at least one unit, which may enable flexibility in network design. Individual units of a disaggregated base station or disaggregated RAN architecture may be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit.

[0035] Figure 1A wireless communication network 100 according to some aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The network 100 includes multiple base stations (BSs) 105 and other network entities. The BSs 105 may be stations that communicate with the UEs 115 and may also be referred to as: evolved Node Bs (eNBs), next generation eNBs (gNBs), access points, etc. Each BS 105 may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" may refer to that particular geographic coverage area of ​​the BS 105 and / or a BS subsystem serving that coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0036] BS105 may provide communication coverage for macro cells or small cells (such as pico cells or femto cells), and / or other types of cells. Macro cells generally cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions with a network provider. Small cells (such as pico cells) will generally cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions with a network provider. Small cells (such as femto cells) will generally also cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and, in addition to unrestricted access, may also provide restricted access by UEs associated with the femto cells (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs of users in a home, etc.). A BS for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. A BS for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell BS, a pico BS, a femto BS, or a home BS. In Figure 1 In the example shown, BS105d and 105e may be conventional macro BSs, while BS105a to 105c may be macro BSs with one of three-dimensional (3D), full-dimensional (FD) or massive MIMO capabilities. BS105a to 105c may utilize their higher dimensional MIMO capabilities to utilize 3D beamforming in both elevation and azimuth beamforming to increase coverage and capacity. BS105f may be a small cell BS, which may be a home node or a portable access point. BS105 may support one or more (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) cells.

[0037] Network 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the BSs may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the BSs may have different frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs may not be aligned in time.

[0038] UE 115 is dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE 115 can be stationary or mobile. UE 115 may also be referred to as a terminal, a mobile station, a user unit, a station, etc. UE 115 may be a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, etc. In one aspect, UE 115 may be a device including a universal integrated circuit card (UICC). On the other hand, UE may be a device that does not include a UICC. In some aspects, UE 115 that does not include a UICC may also be referred to as an IoT device or an Internet of Everything (IoE) device. UE 115a to 115d are examples of mobile smart phone type devices that access the network 100. UE 115 may also be a machine that is specifically configured for connected communications (including machine type communications (MTC), enhanced MTC (eMTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), etc.). UEs 115e to 115h are examples of various machines configured for communication to access network 100. UEs 115i to 115k are examples of vehicles equipped with wireless communication devices configured for communication to access network 100. UE 115 may be able to communicate with any type of BS, whether macro BS, small cell, etc. Figure 1 , lightning (e.g., communication link) indicates wireless transmission between UE 115 and serving BS 105 (which is a BS designated to serve UE 115 on downlink (DL) and / or uplink (UL), desired transmission between BS 105, backhaul transmission between BSs, or sidelink transmission between UE 115.

[0039] In operation, BSs 105a to 105c may use 3D beamforming and cooperative spatial techniques such as coordinated multipoint (CoMP) or multiple connections to serve UEs 115a and 115b. Macro BS 105d may perform backhaul communications with BSs 105a to 105c and small cell BS 105f. Macro BS 105d may also transmit multicast services subscribed and received by UEs 115c and 115d. Such multicast services may include mobile TV or streaming video, or may include other services for providing community information, such as weather emergencies or alerts, such as Amber alerts or gray alerts.

[0040] BS 105 may also communicate with a core network. The core network may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connections, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. At least some BS 105 (e.g., the BS may be an example of an evolved Node B (eNB) or an access node controller (ANC)) may interface with the core network 130 via a backhaul link (e.g., S1, S2, etc.), and may perform radio configuration and scheduling to communicate with UE 115. In various examples, BS 105 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through a core network) over a backhaul link (e.g., X1, X2, etc.), which may be a wired or wireless communication link.

[0041] The network 100 may also support mission-critical communications with ultra-reliable and redundant links for mission-critical devices such as UE 115e, which may be vehicles (e.g., cars, trucks, buses, autonomous vehicles, airplanes, ships, etc.). The redundant communication links with UE 115e may include links from macro BSs 105d and 105e, and links from small cell BS 105f. Other machine-type devices such as UE 115f (e.g., a thermometer), UE 115g (e.g., a smart meter), and UE 115h (e.g., a wearable device) may communicate directly with a BS (such as small cell BS 105f and macro BS 105e) through the network 100, or in a multi-hop configuration by communicating with another user device that relays its information to the network (such as UE 115f communicating temperature measurement information to smart meter UE 115g, which is then reported to the network through small cell BS 105f). In some aspects, the UE 115h can harvest energy from the surrounding environment associated with the UE 115h. The network 100 can also provide additional network efficiency through dynamic, low-latency TDD / FDD communications, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) communications between the UE 115i, 115j, or 115k and other UEs 115 and / or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications between the UE 115i, 115j, or 115k and the BS 105.

[0042] In some implementations, the network 100 utilizes an OFDM-based waveform for communication. An OFDM-based system may divide the system BW into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly referred to as subcarriers, frequency modulations, frequency slots, etc. Each subcarrier may be modulated with data. In some cases, the subcarrier spacing between adjacent subcarriers may be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) may depend on the system BW. The system BW may also be divided into subbands. In other cases, the subcarrier spacing and / or the duration of the TTI may be scalable.

[0043] In some instances, BS 105 may allocate or schedule transmission resources (e.g., in the form of time-frequency resource blocks (RBs)) for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) in network 100. DL refers to the transmission direction from BS 105 to UE 115, and UL refers to the transmission direction from UE 115 to BS 105. The communication may be in the form of a radio frame. A radio frame may be divided into a plurality of subframes, e.g., about 10. Each subframe may be divided into time slots, e.g., about 2. Each time slot may also be divided into micro-slots. In FDD mode, simultaneous UL and DL transmissions may occur in different frequency bands. For example, each subframe includes a UL subframe in a UL frequency band and a DL subframe in a DL frequency band. In TDD mode, UL and DL transmissions occur in different time periods using the same frequency band. For example, a subframe subset (e.g., a DL subframe) in a radio frame may be used for DL ​​transmission, and another subframe subset (e.g., a UL subframe) in a radio frame may be used for UL transmission.

[0044] DL subframes and UL subframes may be further divided into several zones. For example, each DL or UL subframe may have a predefined zone for the transmission of reference signals, control information, and data. Reference signals are predetermined signals that facilitate communication between BS105 and UE 115. For example, a reference signal may have a specific pilot pattern or structure, wherein a pilot tone may span an operational BW or frequency band, and each pilot tone may be positioned at a predefined time and a predefined frequency. For example, BS105 may send a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) and / or a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) to enable UE 115 to estimate a DL channel. Similarly, UE 115 may send a sounding reference signal (SRS) to enable BS105 to estimate an UL channel. Control information may include resource assignments and protocol control. Data may include protocol data and / or operational data. In some instances, BS105 and UE115 may communicate using self-contained subframes. Self-contained subframes may include a portion for DL ​​communication and a portion for UL communication. A self-contained subframe may be DL-centric or UL-centric. A DL-centric subframe may include a duration longer than a duration for DL ​​communications. A UL-centric subframe may include a duration longer than a duration for UL communications.

[0045] In some instances, network 100 may be an NR network deployed on a licensed spectrum. BS 105 may send synchronization signals (e.g., including a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS)) in network 100 to facilitate synchronization. BS 105 may broadcast system information associated with network 100 (e.g., including a master information block (MIB), remaining minimum system information (RMSI), and other system information (OSI)) to facilitate initial network access. In some instances, BS 105 may broadcast PSS, SSS, and / or MIB in the form of a synchronization signal block (SSB) on a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and may broadcast RMSI and / or OSI on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0046] In some instances, a UE 115 attempting to access the network 100 may perform an initial cell search by detecting a PSS from the BS 105. The PSS may enable synchronization of period timing and may indicate a physical layer identification value. The UE 115 may then receive the SSS. The SSS may enable radio frame synchronization and may provide a cell identification value, which may be combined with the physical layer identification value to identify the cell. The SSS may also enable detection of duplex mode and cyclic prefix length. The PSS and SSS may be located in the center portion of the carrier or at any suitable frequency within the carrier.

[0047] After receiving the PSS and SSS, the UE 115 may receive the MIB. The MIB may include system information for initial network access and scheduling information for RMSI and / or OSI. After decoding the MIB, the UE 115 may receive the RMSI and / or OSI. The RMSI and / or OSI may include radio resource control (RRC) information related to random access channel (RACH) procedures, paging, control resource set (CORESET) for physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring, physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), power control, SRS, and cell barring.

[0048] After obtaining the MIB, RMSI, and / or OSI, the UE 115 may perform a random access procedure to establish a connection with the BS 105. For the random access procedure, the UE 115 may send a random access preamble, and the BS 105 may respond with a random access response. Upon receiving the random access response, the UE 115 may send a connection request to the BS 105, and the BS 105 may respond with a connection response (e.g., a contention resolution message).

[0049] After the connection is established, the UE 115 and the BS 105 may enter a normal operation phase, in which operational data may be exchanged. For example, the BS 105 may schedule the UE 115 for UL and / or DL ​​communications. The BS 105 may send UL and / or DL ​​scheduling grants to the UE 115 via the PDCCH. The BS 105 may send DL communication signals to the UE 115 via the PDSCH according to the DL scheduling grant. The UE 115 may send UL communication signals to the BS 105 via the PUSCH and / or PUCCH according to the UL scheduling grant.

[0050] The network 100 can be designed to implement a wide range of use cases. Although in some examples, the network 100 can utilize a monolithic base station, there are multiple other architectures that can be used to perform various aspects of the present invention. For example, BS105 can be divided into a remote radio head (RRH) and a baseband unit (BBU). The BBU can be concentrated in a BBU pool and connected to the RRH via a low-latency and high-bandwidth transmission link (such as an optical transmission link). The BBU pool can be a cloud-based resource. In some aspects, baseband processing is performed on a virtualized server running in a data center rather than co-located with the BS105. In another example, the base station function can be split between a remote unit (RU), a distributed unit (DU), and a central unit (CU). The RU typically performs low physical layer functions, while the DU performs higher layer functions, which may include higher physical layer functions. The CU performs higher RAN functions, such as radio resource control (RRC).

[0051] To simplify the discussion, the present disclosure relates to the methods of the present disclosure performed by a base station or more generally by a network entity, while the functions may be performed by various architectures other than a monolithic base station. In addition to a disaggregated base station, various aspects of the present disclosure may also be performed by a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a radio unit (RU), a near real-time (near RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC), a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a relay node, a sidelink node, etc.

[0052] In some aspects, UE 115 may send a first reference signal having a first beam direction to BS 105. UE 115 may receive a second reference signal having a second beam direction from BS 105. UE 115 may send an indicator to BS 105 indicating a difference between a first angle associated with the first beam direction and a second angle associated with the second beam direction.

[0053] In some aspects, BS 105 may send a first reference signal having a first beam direction to UE 115. BS 105 may receive a second reference signal having a second beam direction from UE 115. BS 105 may send an indicator to UE 115 indicating a difference between a first angle associated with the first beam direction and a second angle associated with the second beam direction.

[0054] In some aspects, UE 115 may send a request for a reference signal associated with a second serving cell to BS 105 in a first serving cell. The second serving cell may be different from the first serving cell. UE 115 may receive an indicator indicating resources for a reference signal associated with the second serving cell from BS 105 based on the request. UE 115 may receive a reference signal associated with the second serving cell from BS 105. UE 115 may send a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) scheduled in the second serving cell to BS 105 based on the reference signal associated with the second serving cell.

[0055] Figure 2A diagram illustrating an example decomposed base station 200 architecture is shown. The decomposed base station 200 architecture may include one or more central units (CUs) 210 that may communicate directly with a core network 220 via a backhaul link, or indirectly with the core network 220 through one or more decomposed base station units, such as a near real-time (near-RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 225 via an E2 link, or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC 215 associated with a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 205, or both. The CU 210 may communicate with one or more distributed units (DUs) 230 via respective midhaul links, such as an F1 interface. The DU 230 may communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 240 via respective fronthaul links. The RU 240 may communicate with respective UEs 120 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, a UE 120 may be served simultaneously by multiple RUs 240.

[0056] Each of the units (i.e., CU 210, DU 230, RU 240, and near-RT RIC 225, non-RT RIC 215, and SMO framework 205) may include or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or send signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of the units or an associated processor or controller that provides instructions to the communication interface of these units may be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via a transmission medium. For example, these units may include a wired interface configured to receive or send signals to one or more of the other units via a wired transmission medium. Additionally, these units may include a wireless interface that may include a receiver, transmitter, or transceiver (such as a radio frequency (RF) transceiver) that is configured to receive or send signals, or both, to one or more of the other units on a wireless transmission medium.

[0057] In some aspects, CU 210 may host one or more higher layer control functions. Such control functions may include radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function may be implemented using an interface configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by CU 210. CU210 may be configured to handle user plane functionality (i.e., central unit-user plane (CU-UP)), control plane functionality (i.e., central unit-control plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some specific implementations, CU 210 may be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP unit may communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP unit via an interface (such as an E1 interface). As needed, CU 210 may be implemented to communicate with DU 230 for network control and signaling.

[0058] DU 230 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RUs 240. In some aspects, DU 230 may host one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.) at least in part according to a functional split such as those defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In some aspects, DU 230 may further host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may be implemented using an interface that is configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by DU 230 or with control functions hosted by CU 210.

[0059] The lower layer functionality may be implemented by one or more RUs 240. In some deployments, a RU 240 controlled by a DU 230 may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions or low PHY layer functions (such as performing Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc.), or both, based at least in part on a functional split (such as a lower layer functional split). In such an architecture, the RU 240 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 120. In some implementations, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control plane and user plane communications with the RU 240 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 230. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable the implementation of the DU 230 and the CU 210 in a cloud-based RAN architecture (such as a vRAN architecture).

[0060] The SMO framework 205 may be configured to support RAN deployment and configuration of non-virtualized network elements and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 205 may be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which may be managed via an operation and maintenance interface (such as an O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 205 may be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as an open cloud (O-Cloud) 290) to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as an O2 interface). Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, CU 210, DU 230, RU 240, and near-RT RIC 225. In some specific implementations, the SMO framework 205 may communicate with hardware aspects of the 4G RAN (such as an open eNB (O-eNB) 211) via the O1 interface. Additionally, in some specific implementations, the SMO framework 205 may communicate directly with one or more RUs 240 via the O1 interface. The SMO framework 205 may also include a non-RT RIC 215 configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 205 .

[0061] The non-RT RIC 215 may be configured to include logic functions that enable non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updating, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the near-RT RIC 225. The non-RT RIC 215 may be coupled to or in communication with the near-RT RIC 225 (such as via an A1 interface). The near-RT RIC 225 may be configured to include logic functions that enable near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions through an interface (such as via an E2 interface) that connects one or more CUs 210, one or more DUs 230, or both, and the O-eNB with the near-RT RIC 225.

[0062] In some implementations, in order to generate an AI / ML model to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 225, the non-RT RIC 215 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. Such information may be utilized by the near-RT RIC 225 and may be received from a non-network data source or from a network function at the SMO framework 205 or the non-RT RIC 215. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 215 or the near-RT RIC 225 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 215 may monitor long-term trends and patterns of performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions through the SMO framework 205 (such as via reconfiguration of O1) or via creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0063] In some aspects, a method of wireless communication may be performed by a UE 120. The method may include monitoring a first set of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate resources for PDCCH communication from a RU 240, receiving a plurality of demodulation reference signals (DMRS) from the RU 240, and decoding the PDCCH communication based on a metric associated with the plurality of demodulation reference signals (DMRS) satisfying a threshold.

[0064] In some aspects, the first UE 120 may send a configuration indicating at least one of a length associated with a sidelink synchronization signal block (S-SSB) burst, a quasi-co-location (QCL) index associated with the S-SSB burst, or a first QCL order associated with the S-SSB burst to the second UE 120. In some aspects, the first UE 120 may send the S-SSB burst to the second UE 120 based on at least one of a length associated with the S-SSB burst, a QCL index associated with the S-SSB burst, or a first QCL order associated with the S-SSB burst.

[0065] In some aspects, the first UE 120 may send an indication associated with sharing of channel occupancy time (COT) on the sidelink communication to the RU 240. The first UE 120 may receive a COT indicator from the RU 240, wherein the COT indicator indicates to the first UE 120 to initiate a COT on the sidelink communication based on the indication associated with sharing of the COT, or the COT indicator indicates to the first UE 120 to share a COT on the sidelink communication based on the indication associated with sharing of the COT on the sidelink communication. The first UE 120 may send communications to the second UE 120 during the COT on the sidelink communication.

[0066] In some aspects, UE 120 may send a first reference signal having a first beam direction to RU 240. UE 120 may receive a second reference signal having a second beam direction from RU 240. UE 120 may send an indicator to RU 240 indicating a difference between a first angle associated with the first beam direction and a second angle associated with the second beam direction.

[0067] In some aspects, RU 240 may send a first reference signal having a first beam direction to UE 120. RU 240 may receive a second reference signal having a second beam direction from UE 120. RU 240 may send an indicator to UE 120 indicating a difference between a first angle associated with the first beam direction and a second angle associated with the second beam direction.

[0068] In some aspects, UE 120 may send a request for a reference signal associated with a second serving cell to RU 240 in a first serving cell, where the second serving cell is different from the first serving cell. UE 120 may receive an indicator indicating resources for the reference signal associated with the second serving cell from RU 240 based on the request. UE 120 may receive the reference signal associated with the second serving cell from RU 240. UE 120 may send a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) scheduled in the second serving cell to RU 240 based on the reference signal associated with the second serving cell.

[0069] Figure 3 An example of a wireless communication network 300 according to some aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The wireless communication network 300 may include a network unit 105 and a UE 115. In some aspects, a first wireless communication device may send a first reference signal having a first beam direction to a second wireless communication device. Figure 3 In the embodiment, UE 115 may send a first reference signal having a first beam direction to network unit 105.

[0070] In some aspects, UE 115 transmitting the first reference signal may include UE 115 transmitting a plurality of first reference signals. The first reference signal may be transmitted in at least frequency range 1 (FR1). In some examples, FR1 may include frequencies in a range of about 4.1 GHz to about 7.125 GHz. In addition to or as an alternative to FR1, the first reference signal may be transmitted in one or more other frequency ranges.

[0071] In some aspects, the first reference signal may be sent in a first beam direction (e.g., a beam pointing direction). The UE 115 may support directional beamforming (e.g., spatial filtering, directional transmission, and / or directional reception), which may enable the UE 115 to send the first reference signal in one or more specific directions. Directional beamforming may enable the UE 115 to shape and / or steer the transmission of the first reference signal in the first beam direction along a spatial path between the UE 115 and the network unit 105. Beamforming may be achieved by combining signals conveyed via antenna elements of the UE 115 so that some signals propagating at a specific orientation relative to the antenna array experience constructive interference, while other signals experience destructive interference. Adjustments to the signals conveyed via the antenna elements may include applying an amplitude offset and / or a phase offset to the first reference signal carried via the antenna elements associated with the UE 115.

[0072] exist Figure 3 In an example of , the first reference signal may be a sounding reference signal (SRS). The SRS may be a known sequence (e.g., a Zadoff-Chu sequence or other sequence) sent by the UE 115 to the network unit 105 to enable the network unit 105 to estimate the uplink channel. The SRS may provide the network unit with information about the effects of multipath fading, scattering, Doppler, and / or power loss on the transmitted SRS.

[0073] In some aspects, UE 115 may receive a second reference signal having a second beam direction from network element 105. In some aspects, UE 115 receiving the second reference signal may include UE 115 receiving a plurality of second reference signals. The second reference signal may be received in at least frequency range 1 (FR1). In some examples, FR1 may include frequencies in a range of about 4.1 GHz to about 7.125 GHz. In addition to or as an alternative to FR1, the second reference signal may be received in one or more other frequency ranges.

[0074] In some aspects, the second reference signal may be received via a reflected beam 304 (e.g., a beam arrival direction). The reflected beam 304 may have a beam arrival angle (AOA) 302 at the UE 115. The beam AOA 302 at the UE 115 may be different from the direction in which the second reference signal was sent by the network element 105 (e.g., the beam pointing direction 310 of the sent second reference signal). Due to multipath reflections in the communication channel, the beam AOA 302 may be different from the beam pointing direction 310 of the second reference signal. In some aspects, the second reference signal may include a CSI-RS, an SSB, and / or other signals.

[0075] In some aspects, the UE 115 may send an indicator indicating a difference between a first angle associated with the first beam direction (e.g., angle 318) and a second angle associated with the second beam direction (e.g., beam AOA 302) to the network element 105. In this regard, the UE 115 may send the indicator via at least one of a channel state information (CSI) report, a medium access control control element (MAC-CE), and / or uplink control information (UCI).

[0076] The UE 115 may send an indicator multiplexed with other indicators and / or data (e.g., multiplexed with hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback, channel state information (CSI), scheduling request (SR), and / or other indicators / data). In this regard, the UE 115 may send an indicator frequency multiplexed with other indicators and / or data. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 115 may send an indicator time multiplexed with other information and / or data. In some aspects, the UE 115 may send an indicator multiplexed with other information and / or data based on a priority level associated with the indicator. In some aspects, the UCI may have a limited payload size, and certain information (e.g., indicators, control data, HARQ feedback) may be included or omitted from the UCI payload based on a priority level associated with the information carried by the UCI (e.g., priority level of the indicator, control data, feedback). In some instances, the UE 115 may receive a priority level associated with the information to be carried by the UCI from a network element. In some aspects, the priority level associated with the beam angle indicator can be based on a difference between a first angle associated with a first beam direction (e.g., angle 318) and a second angle associated with a second beam direction (e.g., beam AOA 302). For example, a smaller difference between the first angle and the second angle can lower the indicator priority level, whereas a larger difference between the first angle and the second angle can increase the indicator priority level.

[0077] In some aspects, the first reference signal and the second reference signal may be associated with the first serving cell. The first serving cell may operate in the FR1 frequency band. The network unit 105 may send an indicator to the UE 115 via a DCI that schedules a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) associated with the second serving cell. The second serving cell may be different from the first serving cell. The second serving cell may operate in the FR2 frequency range. The FR2 frequency range may include frequencies in the range of about 24.25 GHz to about 52.6 Hz. In addition to or as an alternative to FR2, the second serving cell may operate in one or more other frequency ranges. For example, the second serving cell may operate in a frequency range higher than 52.6 GHz. In some aspects, the UE 115 may use the received indicator to determine the uplink precoding parameters for the PUSCH scheduled for transmission by the UE 115 in the second serving cell. The UE 115 may use the determined precoding parameters to send the scheduled PUSCH to the network unit.

[0078] In some aspects, the network element 105 may send a DCI including a sounding reference signal resource indicator (SRI) associated with the first serving cell and / or a transmission precoding matrix index (TPMI) to the UE 115. The SRI may indicate to the UE 115 one or more SRS resources from an SRS resource set associated with an SRS reference signal associated with the first cell (e.g., in FR1). The TPMI may indicate to the UE 115 one or more precoding parameters associated with the scheduled PUSCH message.

[0079] In some aspects, a first angle 318 associated with a first beam direction may be based on a beam pointing direction 314 (e.g., a beam transmission direction from a UE 115). The beam pointing direction 314 may be a centerline of a transmit beam lobe 316. For example, the UE 115 may have a beam pointing direction 314 that transmits the beam lobe 316. The network unit 105 may have a beam pointing direction 310 that transmits the beam lobe 308. The first angle may be an angle 318 between the beam pointing direction 314 and a reference line 320 (e.g., a vertical reference line). The UE 115 may transmit a first reference signal (e.g., an SRS) to the network unit 105 along the beam pointing direction 314. The second angle associated with the second beam direction may be a beam angle of arrival (AOA) 302. The beam AOA 302 may be an angle between a second reference signal (e.g., CSI-RS, SSB) received on the reflected beam 304 and the reference line 320. The network unit 105 may transmit a second reference signal along a pointing direction 310. The second reference signal may be reflected from an object 306 and / or other objects. The reflected second reference signal may propagate to the UE 115 as a reflected beam 304. The UE 115 may measure a beam AOA 302 associated with the second reference signal using any suitable method. For example, the UE 115 may measure beam AOA 302 associated with a plurality of delay paths based on a time difference of arrival and / or a receive phase associated with the second reference signal. The beam AOA 302 may be represented as an azimuth and / or elevation angle relative to a reference line 320 and / or other suitable reference lines. The UE 115 may determine a difference between an angle 318 associated with the beam pointing direction 314 and an AOA 302 associated with the reflected beam 304 (e.g., a second beam direction). The UE 115 may transmit an indicator to the network unit 105 indicating a difference between an angle of the transmitted first reference signal and an angle of the received second reference signal.

[0080] In some aspects, a smaller difference between the angles than a larger difference between the first angle and the second angle may indicate a better alignment and / or a better channel between the UE 115 and the network unit 105. A better channel between the UE 115 and the network unit 105 may improve the performance and / or efficiency of the communication between the network unit 105 and the UE 115. In some aspects, the difference between the first angle associated with the first beam direction in FR1 and the second angle associated with the second beam direction in FR1 may be used as a surrogate for estimating the channel condition and / or beam failure between the network unit 105 and the UE 115 when operating in FR2 (e.g., when the UE 115 transmits a PUSCH in a second serving cell operating in FR2). For example, the UE 115 may determine a beam failure associated with the second serving cell operating in FR2 based on a reference signal in the first serving cell operating in FR1. In some instances, the UE 115 may determine a beam failure associated with the second serving cell based on a power delay profile (PDP) and / or AOA of the reference signal in the first serving cell. In some instances, UE 115 may determine beam failure associated with the second reference signal based on the PDP using one or more of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) associated with the reference signal in the first serving cell, a reference signal received power (RSRP) associated with the reference signal in the first serving cell, a plurality of delay paths associated with the reference signal in the first serving cell, a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) associated with the reference signal in the first serving cell, and / or a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) associated with the reference signal in the first serving cell. In some instances, UE 115 may determine beam failure associated with the second serving cell based on beam AOA 302 using one or more of an arrival time difference and / or a received phase associated with the reference signal in the first serving cell.

[0081] Additionally or alternatively, the UE may report the indicator as a difference between a beam pointing direction 314 of a reference signal sent by the UE 115 and a beam pointing direction 310 of a reference signal sent by the network element 105. In this regard, the network element 105 may send a message to the UE 115 indicating an angle 312 of the beam pointing direction 310. The UE may determine a difference between an angle 318 of the beam pointing direction 314 and an angle 312 of the beam pointing direction 310. The UE 115 may send an indicator to the network element 105 indicating the angle difference.

[0082] In some aspects, the indicator indicating the difference between the first angle and the second angle may indicate the difference in degrees. The indicator may indicate the difference as whole degrees and / or fractional degrees. In some aspects, the indicator may indicate the difference as being within a range of degrees (e.g., between 0 and 5 degrees, between 5 and 10 degrees, or any suitable range of degrees), where each range of degrees has an associated value or identifier.

[0083] In some aspects, the indicator can be a binary indicator (e.g., "0" or "1") indicating whether the difference between the first angle and the second angle satisfies a threshold. For example, the binary indicator can indicate whether the difference is greater than (and / or equal to) the threshold or less than (and / or equal to) the threshold. In some aspects, the binary indicator can indicate whether the difference is within a range of degrees or outside a range of degrees.

[0084] In some aspects, an indicator indicating a difference between a first angle and a second angle may indicate a difference relative to a previous indicator. For example, a first indicator may indicate a degree difference. Subsequent indicators may indicate a degree difference or other value (e.g., based on one or more ranges) as an increment to a previously indicated degree or other value.

[0085] In some aspects, the UE 115 may send the indicator to the network element 105 on a periodic basis, a semi-persistent basis, and / or an aperiodic basis. For example, the UE 115 may receive a request for the indicator from the network element 105. The UE 115 may send the indicator in response to receiving the request. In this regard, the UE 115 may receive the request via at least one of a radio resource control (RRC) message, a semi-persistent activation state configuration via a medium access control control element (MAC-CE), an aperiodic triggered state configuration downlink control information (DCI), a channel state information (CSI) report setting, a MAC-CE, and / or a downlink control information (DCI).

[0086] In some aspects, UE 115 may send an indicator to the network unit based on a change (e.g., a rate of change and / or an absolute change) in the difference between the first angle and the second angle. For example, UE 115 may detect a rate of change of the angle difference during a certain period of time. A change in the orientation (e.g., vertical orientation and / or horizontal orientation) of the UE (e.g., when the user rotates UE 115) may cause a change in the angle difference. UE 115 may send an indicator to network unit 105 based on the rate of change of the angle difference satisfying a threshold (e.g., exceeding and / or equal to a threshold).

[0087] Figure 4 An example of a wireless communication network 400 is illustrated in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communication network 400 may include a network element 105 and a UE 115. Figure 4 An example similar to Figure 3In some aspects, the first wireless communication device may transmit a first reference signal having a first beam direction to the second wireless communication device. Figure 4 In the example of , the network unit 105 may send a first reference signal having a first beam direction to the UE 115.

[0088] In some aspects, the network unit 105 sending the first reference signal may include the network unit 105 sending a plurality of first reference signals. The first reference signal may be sent in at least a frequency range 1 (FR1). In some examples, FR1 may include frequencies in a range of about 4.1 GHz to about 7.125 GHz. In addition to or as an alternative to FR1, the first reference signal may be sent in one or more other frequency ranges.

[0089] In some aspects, the first reference signal may be sent in a first beam direction (e.g., a beam pointing direction). The network unit 105 may support directional beamforming (e.g., spatial filtering, directional transmission, and / or directional reception), which may enable the network unit 105 to send the first reference signal in one or more specific directions. Directional beamforming may enable the network unit 105 to shape and / or steer the transmission of the first reference signal in the first beam direction along a spatial path between the network unit 105 and the UE 115. Beamforming may be achieved by combining signals communicated via antenna elements of the network unit 105 so that some signals propagating at a specific orientation relative to the antenna array experience constructive interference, while other signals experience destructive interference. Adjustments to the signals communicated via the antenna elements may include applying an amplitude offset and / or a phase offset to the first reference signal carried via the antenna elements associated with the network unit 105.

[0090] exist Figure 4In an example of , the first reference signal may be a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). CSI-RS may be a reference signal used in the downlink direction for the purpose of channel sounding, and may be used by UE 115 to measure one or more characteristics of a radio channel. CSI-RS may include a zero power channel state information reference signal (ZP-CSI-RS) and / or a non-zero power channel state information reference signal (NZP-CSI-RS). Additionally or alternatively, the first reference signal may be a synchronization signal block (SSB). SSB may include a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and / or a secondary synchronization signal (SSS). SSB may be sent by a network unit via a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). PSS may implement timing synchronization (e.g., time period and / or periodic timing synchronization) and / or may indicate a physical layer identification value. The network unit may then send SSS. SSS may be associated with PSS. SSS may implement radio frame synchronization and / or may provide a cell identification value. In some instances, the cell identification value of SSS may be combined with the physical layer identification value of PSS to identify the cell.

[0091] The second reference signal may be a sounding reference signal (SRS). The SRS may be a known sequence (e.g., a Zadoff-Chu sequence or other sequence) sent by the UE 115 to the network element 105 to enable the network element 105 to estimate the uplink channel. The SRS may provide the network element with information about the effects of multipath fading, scattering, Doppler, and / or power loss on the transmitted SRS.

[0092] In some aspects, network unit 105 may receive a second reference signal having a second beam direction from UE 115. In some aspects, network unit 105 receiving the second reference signal may include network unit 105 receiving a plurality of second reference signals. The second reference signal may be received in at least frequency range 1 (FR1). In some examples, FR1 may include frequencies in a range of about 4.1 GHz to about 7.125 GHz. In addition to or as an alternative to FR1, the second reference signal may be received in one or more other frequency ranges.

[0093] In some aspects, the second reference signal may be received by the network unit 105 in a reflected beam 304 (e.g., a beam arrival direction). The reflected beam 304 may have a beam arrival angle (AOA) 302 at the network unit 105. The beam AOA 302 at the network unit 105 may be different from the direction in which the second reference signal was sent by the UE 115 (e.g., a beam pointing direction 314 of the transmitted second reference signal). Due to multipath reflections in the communication channel, the beam AOA 302 may be different from the beam pointing direction 314 of the second reference signal. In some aspects, the second reference signal may be an SRS and / or other signal.

[0094] In some aspects, the network unit 105 may send an indicator indicating a difference between a first angle (e.g., angle 318) associated with the beam pointing direction 310 and a second angle (e.g., AOA 302) associated with the second beam direction to the UE 115. In this regard, the network unit 105 may send the indicator to the UE 115 via at least one of an RRC message, a medium access control control element (MAC-CE), and / or downlink control information (DCI).

[0095] In some aspects, the first reference signal and the second reference signal may be associated with the first serving cell. The first serving cell may operate in the FR1 frequency band. The network unit 105 may send an indicator to the UE 115 via a DCI that schedules a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) associated with the second serving cell. The second serving cell may be different from the first serving cell. The second serving cell may operate in the FR2 frequency range. The FR2 frequency range may include frequencies in the range of about 24.25 GHz to about 52.6 Hz. In addition to or as an alternative to FR2, the second serving cell may operate in one or more other frequency ranges. For example, the second serving cell may operate in a frequency range higher than 52.6 GHz. In some aspects, the UE 115 may use the received indicator to determine the uplink precoding parameters for the PUSCH scheduled for transmission by the UE 115 in the second serving cell. The UE 115 may use the determined precoding parameters to send the scheduled PUSCH to the network unit.

[0096] In some aspects, the network element 105 may send a DCI including a sounding reference signal resource indicator (SRI) associated with the first serving cell and / or a transmission precoding matrix index (TPMI) to the UE 115. The SRI may indicate to the UE 115 one or more SRS resources from an SRS resource set associated with an SRS reference signal associated with the first cell (e.g., in FR1). The TPMI may indicate to the UE 115 one or more precoding parameters associated with the scheduled PUSCH message.

[0097] In some aspects, a first angle 318 associated with a first beam direction may be based on a beam pointing direction 310 (e.g., a beam transmit direction from the network unit 105). The beam pointing direction 310 may be a centerline of a transmit beam lobe 308. For example, the network unit 105 may have a beam pointing direction 310 that transmits the beam lobe 308. The first angle may be an angle 318 between the beam pointing direction 310 and a reference line 320 (e.g., a vertical reference line). The network unit 105 may transmit a first reference signal (e.g., a CSI-RS or SSB) to the UE 115 along the beam pointing direction 310. The second angle associated with the second beam direction may be an AOA 302 at the network unit 105. The beam AOA 302 may be an angle between a second reference signal (e.g., an SRS from the UE 115) received on the reflected beam 304 and the reference line 320. The UE 115 may transmit a second reference signal along the beam pointing direction 314. The second reference signal may be reflected from the object 306 and / or other objects. The reflected second reference signal may propagate to the network unit 105 as a reflected beam 304. The network unit 105 may measure the beam AOA 302 associated with the second reference signal using any suitable method. For example, the network unit 105 may measure the beam AOA 302 associated with the plurality of delay paths based on the arrival time difference and / or the receive phase associated with the second reference signal. The beam AOA 302 may be represented as an azimuth and / or elevation angle relative to a reference line 320 and / or other suitable reference lines. The network unit 105 may determine the difference between the angle 318 associated with the beam pointing direction 310 and the beam AOA 302 (e.g., the second beam direction) associated with the reflected beam 304. The network unit 105 may send an indicator to the UE 115 indicating the difference between the angle of the transmitted first reference signal and the angle of the received second reference signal. In some aspects, the network element 105 may send the indicator to the UE 115 on a periodic basis, a semi-persistent basis, and / or an aperiodic basis.

[0098] In some aspects, the network unit 105 may send an indicator to the UE 115 based on a change (e.g., a rate of change and / or an absolute change) in the difference between the first angle and the second angle. For example, the network unit 105 may detect a rate of change of the angle difference during a certain period of time. The network unit 105 may send an indicator to the UE 115 based on the rate of change of the angle difference satisfying a threshold (e.g., exceeding and / or equal to a threshold).

[0099] Figure 5804, a beam angle module 808, a transceiver 810, a modem 812, and one or more antennas 816. A wireless communication device (such as a BS 105, a CU 1210, a DU 1230, a RU 1240, and / or a network unit 900) may perform various aspects of the method 500 using one or more components, such as a processor 902, a memory 904, a beam angle module 908, a transceiver 910, a modem 912, and one or more antennas 916.

[0100] At act 502, the method 500 may include the network element 105 sending a CSI reporting configuration to the UE 115. In this regard, the network element 105 may send the CSI reporting configuration to the UE 115 via an aperiodic triggered state configuration downlink control information (DCI), a DCI, a radio resource control (RRC) message, a semi-persistent active state configuration via a medium access control control element (MAC-CE), a MAC-CE, a PDCCH message, a PDSCH message, or other suitable communication.

[0101] In some aspects, the CSI report configuration may indicate one or more thresholds. For example, the CSI report configuration may indicate a first threshold, a second threshold, a third threshold, etc. associated with an angle difference associated with a reference signal (e.g., as described above with reference to Figure 3 and Figure 4 In some aspects, the CSI reporting configuration may indicate the number of CSI reports that the UE 115 should send to the network element 105 for each CSI reporting instance. The CSI reporting configuration may indicate one or more periodicities by which the network element 105 may receive CSI reports from the UE 115. The CSI reporting configuration may indicate a reference signal configuration.

[0102] At act 504, the method 500 may include the network element 105 sending a CSI report request to the UE 115. In this regard, the network element 105 may send the CSI report request to the UE 115 via an aperiodic triggered state configuration downlink control information (DCI), a DCI, a radio resource control (RRC) message, a semi-persistent active state configuration via a medium access control control element (MAC-CE), a MAC-CE, a PDCCH message, a PDSCH message, or other suitable communication.

[0103] At act 506, method 500 may include network element 105 sending one or more reference signals to UE 115. The one or more reference signals may include CSI-RS and / or SSB and / or other suitable reference signals.

[0104] At act 508, method 500 may include UE 115 sending one or more reference signals to network element 105. The one or more reference signals may include SRS and / or other suitable reference signals.

[0105] At act 510, method 500 may include UE 115 determining the AOA of one or more reference signals (e.g., reflected reference signals) received at act 506. In this regard, UE 115 may use any suitable method to measure the beam AOA associated with the reference signal. For example, UE 115 may measure the beam AOA associated with multiple delay paths of the received reference signal based on the arrival time difference and / or the reception phase associated with the reference signal. The beam AOA may be expressed as an azimuth and / or elevation angle relative to a suitable reference line. UE 115 may determine the difference between the angle associated with the reference signal sent at act 508 and the beam AOA associated with the reference signal received at act 506.

[0106] At act 512, method 500 may include UE 115 determining a difference between an AOA associated with the reference signal received at act 506 and an angle of a pointing direction of the reference signal sent at act 508. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may report the angle indicator as a difference between a beam pointing direction of the reference signal sent by UE 115 and a beam pointing direction of the reference signal sent by network element 105. In this regard, network element 105 may send a message to UE 115 indicating the beam pointing direction of network element 105. The UE may determine an angle between a beam pointing direction of the reference signal sent by UE 115 and a beam pointing direction received from network element 105.

[0107] At act 514, method 500 may include UE 115 sending a CSI report to network element 105. The CSI report may include an indicator indicating the angle difference. In this regard, UE 115 may use any suitable communication to send the CSI report to network element 105. For example, the UE may send the CSI report in a single-part payload and / or a two-part payload via a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). In some aspects, the UE may send the CSI report via a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

[0108] At act 516, method 500 may include UE 115 sending a PUCSH communication to network element 105. In some aspects, UE 115 may use the angle difference indicator to determine uplink precoding parameters for a PUSCH scheduled for transmission by UE 115. UE 115 may use the determined precoding parameters to send the scheduled PUSCH to network element 105. UE 115 may use the FR2 frequency to send the PUSCH in the second serving cell.

[0109] Figure 6 6 is a signaling diagram of a wireless communication method 600 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The actions of the communication method 600 can be performed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, a processing circuit, and / or other suitable components) of a communication device or other suitable means for performing the actions. For example, a wireless communication device (such as UE 115, UE 120, or UE 800) may utilize one or more components to perform various aspects of the method 600, such as a processor 802, a memory 804, a beam angle module 808, a transceiver 810, a modem 812, and one or more antennas 816. A wireless communication device (such as BS 105, CU 1210, DU 1230, RU 1240, and / or a network unit 900) may utilize one or more components to perform various aspects of the method 600, such as a processor 902, a memory 904, a beam angle module 908, a transceiver 910, a modem 912, and one or more antennas 916.

[0110] At action 602, the method 600 may include the network element 105 sending a reference signal resource configuration to the UE 115. In this regard, the network element 105 may send the reference signal resource configuration to the UE 115 via an aperiodic triggered state configuration downlink control information (DCI), a DCI, a radio resource control (RRC) message, a semi-persistent activation state configuration via a medium access control control element (MAC-CE), a MAC-CE, a PDCCH message, a PDSCH message, or other suitable communication.

[0111] In some aspects, the reference signal resource configuration may indicate parameters associated with time resources, frequency resources, and / or space resources associated with the reference signal. For example, the reference signal resource configuration may indicate parameters associated with time resources, frequency resources, and / or space resources associated with the reference signal sent by the network element 105 to the UE 115. Additionally or alternatively, the reference signal resource configuration may indicate parameters associated with time resources, frequency resources, and / or space resources associated with the reference signal sent by the UE 115 to the network element 105.

[0112] At act 604, method 600 may include network element 105 sending one or more reference signals to UE 115. The one or more reference signals may include CSI-RS and / or SSB and / or other suitable reference signals.

[0113] At act 606, method 600 may include UE 115 sending one or more reference signals to network element 105. The one or more reference signals may include SRS and / or other suitable reference signals.

[0114] At act 608, method 600 may include the network unit 105 determining the AOA of one or more reference signals (e.g., reflected reference signals) received by the network unit at act 606. In this regard, the network unit 105 may use any suitable method to measure the beam AOA associated with the reference signal. For example, the network unit 105 may measure the beam AOA associated with multiple delay paths of the received reference signal based on the arrival time difference and / or the reception phase associated with the reference signal. The beam AOA may be expressed as an azimuth and / or elevation angle relative to a suitable reference line. The network unit 105 may determine the difference between the angle associated with the reference signal sent at act 604 and the beam AOA associated with the reference signal received at act 606.

[0115] At act 610, method 600 may include the network unit 105 determining a difference between an AOA associated with the reference signal received at act 606 and an angle of a pointing direction of the reference signal sent at act 604. Additionally or alternatively, the network unit 105 may determine the angle indicator as a difference between a beam pointing direction of the reference signal sent by the UE 115 and a beam pointing direction of the reference signal sent by the network unit 105. In this regard, the UE 115 may send a message to the network unit 105 indicating a beam pointing direction associated with the UE 115. The UE 115 may determine the beam pointing direction based on an orientation of an antenna sending the reference signal relative to the UE 115 and / or an orientation of the UE 115. The UE 115 may determine its orientation based on a sensor (e.g., a magnetometer, an inertial measurement unit). The network unit 105 may determine an angle between a beam pointing direction of the reference signal sent by the UE 115 and a beam pointing direction received from the network unit 105.

[0116] At act 612, method 600 may include network element 105 sending an indicator indicating the angle difference to UE 115. In this regard, network element 105 may use any suitable communication to send the indicator to UE 115. For example, network element 105 may send the indicator in an RRC message, a MAC-CE message, and / or a DCI.

[0117] At act 614, method 600 may include UE 115 determining PUSCH precoding parameters. In some aspects, UE 115 may use the angle difference indicator to determine uplink precoding parameters for a PUSCH scheduled for transmission by UE 115.

[0118] At act 614, method 600 includes UE 115 sending a PUCSH communication to network element 105. UE 115 may send the scheduled PUSCH to network element 105 using the precoding parameters determined at act 614. UE 115 may send the PUSCH in the second serving cell using the FR2 frequency.

[0119] Figure 7 800 , a processor, a processing circuit, and / or other suitable components) or other suitable means for performing the actions. For example, a wireless communication device (such as UE 115, UE 120, or UE 800) may utilize one or more components to perform various aspects of the method 700, such as a processor 802, a memory 804, a beam angle module 808, a transceiver 810, a modem 812, and one or more antennas 816. A wireless communication device (such as BS 105, CU 1210, DU 1230, RU 1240, and / or a network unit 900) may utilize one or more components to perform various aspects of the method 700, such as a processor 902, a memory 904, a beam angle module 908, a transceiver 910, a modem 912, and one or more antennas 916.

[0120] At action 702, the method 700 may include the UE 115 sending a request for a reference signal associated with a second serving cell (e.g., a FR2 serving cell) in a first serving cell (e.g., a FR1 serving cell) to the network element 105. In this regard, the UE 115 may send the request to the network element 105 via a UCI, a MAC-CE message, a CSI-RS report, a PUCCH message, and / or a PUSCH message. In some aspects, the reference signal associated with the second serving cell may include at least one of a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a synchronization signal block (SSB), or a demodulation reference signal (DMRS).

[0121] In some examples, the second serving cell may be different from the first serving cell. In this regard, the first serving cell may be a serving cell operating in at least FR1, and the second serving cell may be a serving cell operating in at least FR2. FR1 may include frequencies in the range of about 4.1 GHz to about 7.125 GHz. In addition to FR1 or as an alternative, the first serving cell may operate in one or more other frequency ranges. The FR2 frequency range may include frequencies in the range of about 24.25 GHz to about 52.6 GHz. In addition to FR2 or as an alternative, the second serving cell may operate in one or more other frequency ranges. For example, the second serving cell may operate in a frequency range higher than 52.6 GHz. In some examples, the first serving cell may be in a master cell group (MCG), and the second serving cell may be in a secondary cell group (SCG). A wireless network (e.g., wireless network 100, 200, 300, or 400) may operate in a dual connectivity mode, in which the UE is connected to a first serving cell in a master cell group (MCG) and a second serving cell in a secondary cell group (SCG). MCG may be a serving cell group associated with a master eNB (MeNB) operating at FR1 frequency and / or one or more other frequency ranges. SCG may be a serving cell group associated with a secondary eNB (SeNB) operating at FR2 frequency and / or one or more other frequency ranges.

[0122] In some aspects, the UE 115 may send a request for a reference signal associated with the second serving cell based on at least one parameter of the reference signal associated with the first serving cell received from the network unit 105. For example, the at least one parameter of the reference signal associated with the first serving cell may include an RSRP associated with the reference signal that satisfies a threshold. In some aspects, the at least one parameter may include a rate of change of the RSRP associated with the reference signal that satisfies a threshold. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 115 may send a request for a reference signal associated with the second serving cell based on a difference between a scheduled rank associated with a scheduled PUSCH transmission and a determined rank associated with the scheduled PUSCH transmission that satisfies a threshold. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 115 may send a request for a reference signal associated with the second serving cell based on a difference between a scheduled modulation and coding scheme (MCS) associated with the scheduled PUSCH and a determined MCS associated with the scheduled PUSCH that satisfies a threshold.

[0123] At action 704, method 700 includes UE 115 receiving an indicator from network element 105 indicating resources for reference signals associated with a second serving cell. UE 115 may receive the indicator from network element 105 based on the request sent at action 702. In this regard, UE 115 may receive the indicator via downlink control information (DCI) and / or other suitable messaging. The DCI may carry a sounding reference signal resource indicator (SRI) indicating spatial resources, time resources, and / or frequency resources for reference signals associated with the second serving cell. Additionally or alternatively, the DCI may carry a transmit precoding matrix index (TPMI) indicating spatial resources, time resources, and / or frequency resources for reference signals associated with the second serving cell. Additionally or alternatively, UE 115 may receive the indicator via at least one transmit configuration indicator (TCI) state indicating spatial resources, time resources, and / or frequency resources for reference signals associated with the second serving cell.

[0124] At act 706, method 700 includes UE 115 receiving a reference signal associated with the second serving cell from network element 105. The reference signal associated with the second serving cell may be a CSI-RS, SSB, DMRS, and / or other signal sent by the network element in FR2.

[0125] At action 708, the method 700 includes the UE 115 determining precoding parameters for a scheduled PUSCH transmission in a second serving cell (e.g., a FR2 serving cell). The UE 115 may determine the precoding parameters for the scheduled PUSCH based on the reference signal associated with the second serving cell received at action 706. In some aspects, the UE 115 may receive a UL grant DCI from a network element that schedules PUSCH communications in the second serving cell. The UL grant DCI may indicate at least one of a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource indicator (SRI), a TPMI (transmit precoding matrix indicator), or other suitable indicators associated with the first serving cell. The UE 115 may predict (e.g., determine) precoding information associated with the PUSCH scheduled in the second serving cell. The precoding information may be based on the indicated SRI and / or TPMI associated with the first serving cell.

[0126] At act 710, method 700 includes UE 115 sending the PUSCH scheduled in the second serving cell to network element 105. UE 115 may send the scheduled PUSCH in the second serving cell based on the precoding information predicted at act 708 and the UL grant DCI scheduling.

[0127] Figure 8800 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. UE 800 may be UE 115 or UE 120 in network 100 or 200 as discussed above. As shown, UE 800 may include a processor 802, a memory 804, a beam angle module 808, a transceiver 810 including a modem subsystem 812 and a radio frequency (RF) unit 814, and one or more antennas 816. These elements may be coupled to each other, for example, via one or more buses and communicate with each other directly or indirectly.

[0128] The processor 802 may include a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. The processor 802 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0129] The memory 804 may include cache memory (e.g., cache memory of the processor 802), random access memory (RAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state memory devices, hard drives, other forms of volatile and non-volatile memory, or a combination of different types of memory. In some instances, the memory 804 includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The memory 804 may store instructions 806. The instructions 806 may include instructions that, when executed by the processor 802, cause the processor 802 to perform the various aspects of the present disclosure described herein with reference to the UE 115 (e.g., Figures 3 to 7 Instructions 806 may also be referred to as code. The terms "instructions" and "code" should be broadly interpreted to include any type of computer-readable statements. For example, the terms "instructions" and "code" may refer to one or more programs, routines, subroutines, functions, procedures, etc. "Instructions" and "code" may include a single computer-readable statement or many computer-readable statements.

[0130] The beam angle module 808 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the beam angle may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and / or instruction 806 stored in the memory 804 and executed by the processor 802. The beam angle module 808 may send a first reference signal having a first beam direction to a network element (e.g., BS 105, RU 240, DU 230, CU 210, or network element 900). The beam angle module 808 may receive a second reference signal having a second beam direction from the network element. The beam angle module 808 may send an indicator to the network element indicating a difference between a first angle associated with the first beam direction and a second angle associated with the second beam direction.

[0131] In some aspects, the beam angle module 808 may send a request for a reference signal associated with a second serving cell to a network element (e.g., BS 105, RU 240, DU 230, CU 210, or network element 900) in a first serving cell, wherein the second serving cell is different from the first serving cell. The beam angle module 808 may receive an indicator indicating resources for the reference signal associated with the second serving cell from the network element based on the request. The beam angle module 808 may receive the reference signal associated with the second serving cell from the network element. The beam angle module 808 may send a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) scheduled in the second serving cell to the network element based on the reference signal associated with the second serving cell.

[0132] As shown, the transceiver 810 may include a modem subsystem 812 and an RF unit 814. The transceiver 810 may be configured to communicate bidirectionally with other devices, such as BS 105 and / or UE 115. The modem subsystem 812 may be configured to modulate and / or encode data from the memory 804 according to a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) (e.g., a low-density parity check (LDPC) decoding scheme, a turbo decoding scheme, a convolutional decoding scheme, a digital beamforming scheme, etc.). The RF unit 814 may be configured to process (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-analog conversion, etc.) the modulated / encoded data from the modem subsystem 812 (for outbound transmissions) or transmissions originating from another source, such as UE 115 or BS 105. The RF unit 814 may be further configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with digital beamforming. Although shown as being integrated together in the transceiver 810, the modem subsystem 812 and the RF unit 814 may be separate devices that are coupled together to enable the UE 800 to communicate with other devices.

[0133] The RF unit 814 may provide modulated and / or processed data, such as a data packet (or more generally, a data message that may include one or more data packets and other information), to the antenna 816 for transmission to one or more other devices. The antenna 816 may further receive data messages sent from other devices. The antenna 816 may provide the received data message for processing and / or demodulation at the transceiver 810. The antenna 816 may include multiple antennas of similar or different designs to maintain multiple transmission links. The RF unit 814 may configure the antenna 816.

[0134] In some examples, the UE 800 may include multiple transceivers 810 that implement different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In some examples, the UE 800 may include a single transceiver 810 that implements multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In some examples, the transceiver 810 may include various components, where different combinations of the components may implement the RATs.

[0135] Fig. 9 900 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The network unit 900 may be a BS 105, a CU 210, a DU 230, or a RU 240, as discussed above. As shown, the network unit 900 may include a processor 902, a memory 904, a beam angle module 908, a transceiver 910 including a modem subsystem 912 and an RF unit 914, and one or more antennas 916. These elements may be coupled to each other, for example, via one or more buses and communicate with each other directly or indirectly.

[0136] The processor 902 may have various features as a particular type of processor. For example, these features may include a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a controller, an FPGA device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. The processor 902 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0137] Memory 904 may include cache memory (e.g., cache memory of processor 902), RAM, MRAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory devices, one or more hard disk drives, memristor-based arrays, other forms of volatile and non-volatile memory, or a combination of different types of memory. In some examples, memory 904 may include non-transitory computer-readable media. Memory 904 may store instructions 906. Instructions 906 may include instructions that, when executed by processor 902, cause processor 902 to perform the instructions described herein (e.g., Figures 3 to 7Instructions 906 may also be referred to as codes, which may be broadly interpreted to include any type of computer-readable statements.

[0138] The beam angle module 908 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the beam angle module 908 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and / or instruction 906 stored in the memory 904 and executed by the processor 902 .

[0139] In some aspects, the beam angle module 908 can implement Figures 3 to 7 For example, the beam angle module 908 may send a channel state information (CSI) report configuration to a user equipment (UE). The beam angle module 908 may send a plurality of reference signals to the UE. The beam angle module 908 may receive at least one CSI report based on the CSI report configuration from the UE, the at least one CSI report indicating one or more first reference signals among the plurality of reference signals satisfying a first threshold and one or more second reference signals among the plurality of reference signals satisfying a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is different from the first threshold.

[0140] Additionally or alternatively, the beam angle module 908 may be implemented in any combination of hardware and software, and in some implementations may involve, for example, the processor 902 , memory 904 , instructions 906 , transceiver 910 , and / or modem 912 .

[0141] As shown, the transceiver 910 may include a modem subsystem 912 and an RF unit 914. The transceiver 910 may be configured to communicate bidirectionally with other devices, such as the UE 115 and / or 600. The modem subsystem 912 may be configured to modulate and / or encode data according to an MCS (e.g., an LDPC decoding scheme, a turbo decoding scheme, a convolutional decoding scheme, a digital beamforming scheme, etc.). The RF unit 914 may be configured to process (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-analog conversion, etc.) the modulated / encoded data from the modem subsystem 912 (for outbound transmissions) or from another source, such as the UE 115 or UE 800. The RF unit 914 may be further configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with digital beamforming. Although shown as being integrated together in the transceiver 910, the modem subsystem 912 and / or the RF unit 914 may be separate devices that are coupled together at the network unit 900 to enable the network unit 900 to communicate with other devices.

[0142] The RF unit 914 may provide modulated and / or processed data, such as a data packet (or more generally, a data message that may include one or more data packets and other information), to the antenna 916 for transmission to one or more other devices. For example, according to aspects of the present disclosure, this may include a configuration indicating a plurality of sub-slots within a time slot. The antenna 916 may also receive data messages sent from other devices and provide the received data messages for processing and / or demodulation at the transceiver 910. The antenna 916 may include multiple antennas of similar or different designs to maintain multiple transmission links.

[0143] In some examples, the network unit 900 may include multiple transceivers 910 that implement different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In some examples, the network unit 900 may include a single transceiver 910 that implements multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In some examples, the transceiver 910 may include various components, where different combinations of components may implement the RATs.

[0144] Fig.10 1 is a flow chart of a communication method 1000 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Various aspects of the method 1000 may be performed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, processing circuitry, and / or other suitable components) of a wireless communication device or other suitable means for performing these aspects. For example, a wireless communication device (such as UE 115, UE 120, or UE 800) may utilize one or more components to perform various aspects of the method 1000, such as a processor 802, a memory 804, a beam angle module 808, a transceiver 810, a modem 812, and one or more antennas 816. A wireless communication device (such as BS 105, RU 1240, DU 1230, CU 1210, and / or a network unit 900) may utilize one or more components to perform various aspects of the method 1000, such as a processor 902, a memory 904, a beam angle module 908, a transceiver 910, a modem 912, and one or more antennas 916. Method 1000 may employ mechanisms and references similar to those in networks 100 and 200. Figures 3 to 7 As illustrated, method 1000 includes multiple enumerated aspects, but method 1000 may include additional aspects before, after, and between the enumerated aspects. In some aspects, one or more of these enumerated aspects may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0145] At action 1010, method 1000 includes a first wireless communication device sending a first reference signal having a first beam direction to a second wireless communication device. In some aspects, the first wireless communication device may be a UE (e.g., UE 115, UE 120, or UE 800), and the second wireless communication device may be a network unit (e.g., BS 105, RU 1240, DU 1230, CU 1210, and / or network unit 900). Additionally or alternatively, the first wireless communication device may be a network unit (e.g., BS 105, RU 1240, DU 1230, CU 1210, and / or network unit 900), and the second wireless communication device may be a UE (e.g., UE 115, UE 120, or UE 800).

[0146] In some aspects, the first wireless communication device transmitting the first reference signal may include the first wireless communication device transmitting a plurality of first reference signals. The first reference signal may be transmitted in at least a frequency range 1 (FR1). In some examples, FR1 may include frequencies in a range of about 4.1 GHz to about 7.125 GHz. In addition to or as an alternative to FR1, the first reference signal may be transmitted in one or more other frequency ranges.

[0147] In some aspects, a first reference signal may be sent in a first beam direction (e.g., a beam pointing direction). The first wireless communication device may support directional beamforming (e.g., spatial filtering, directional transmission, and / or directional reception), which may enable the first wireless communication device to send the first reference signal in one or more specific directions. Directional beamforming may enable the first wireless communication device to shape and / or steer the transmission of the first reference signal in the first beam direction along a spatial path between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device. Beamforming may be achieved by combining signals conveyed via antenna elements of the first wireless communication device so that some signals propagating at a specific orientation relative to the antenna array experience constructive interference, while other signals experience destructive interference. Adjustments to the signals conveyed via the antenna elements may include applying an amplitude offset and / or a phase offset to the first reference signal carried via the antenna elements associated with the first wireless communication device.

[0148] When the first wireless communication device is a UE and the second wireless communication device is a network unit, the first reference signal may be a sounding reference signal (SRS). The SRS may be a known sequence (e.g., a Zadoff-Chu sequence or other sequence) sent by the UE to the network unit to enable the network unit to estimate the uplink channel. The SRS may provide the network unit with information about the effects of multipath fading, scattering, Doppler, and / or power loss on the sent SRS.

[0149] When the first wireless communication device is a network unit and the second wireless communication device is a UE, the first reference signal may be a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). CSI-RS may be a reference signal used in the downlink direction for the purpose of channel sounding, and may be used by the UE to measure one or more characteristics of a radio channel. CSI-RS may include a zero power channel state information reference signal (ZP-CSI-RS) and / or a non-zero power channel state information reference signal (NZP-CSI-RS). Additionally or alternatively, the first reference signal may be a synchronization signal block (SSB). SSB may include a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and / or a secondary synchronization signal (SSS). SSB may be sent by the network unit via a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). PSS may implement timing synchronization (e.g., time period and / or periodic timing synchronization) and / or may indicate a physical layer identification value. The network unit may then send SSS. SSS may be associated with PSS. SSS may implement radio frame synchronization and / or may provide a cell identification value. In some instances, the cell identification value of SSS may be combined with the physical layer identification value of PSS to identify the cell.

[0150] At action 1020, method 1000 includes the first wireless communication device receiving a second reference signal having a second beam direction from the second wireless communication device. In some aspects, the first wireless communication device receiving the second reference signal may include the first wireless communication device receiving a plurality of second reference signals. The second reference signal may be received in at least frequency range 1 (FR1). In some instances, FR1 may include frequencies in a range of about 4.1 GHz to about 7.125 GHz. In addition to or as an alternative to FR1, the second reference signal may be received in one or more other frequency ranges.

[0151] In some aspects, the second reference signal may be received in a second beam direction (e.g., a beam arrival direction). The second beam direction may have an angle of arrival (AOA) at the first wireless communication device. The AOA at the first wireless communication device may be different from the direction in which the second reference signal was sent by the second wireless communication device (e.g., the beam pointing direction of the sent second reference signal). Due to multipath reflections in the communication channel, the AOA may be different from the beam pointing direction of the second reference signal.

[0152] When the first wireless communication device is a UE and the second wireless communication device is a network element, the second reference signal may be a CSI-RS, SSB and / or other signals. When the first wireless communication device is a network element and the second wireless communication device is a UE, the second reference signal may be an SRS or other signals.

[0153] At action 1030, method 1000 includes the first wireless communication device sending an indicator to the second wireless communication device. The indicator may indicate a difference between a first angle associated with the first beam direction and a second angle associated with the second beam direction. In this regard, the first wireless communication device may send the indicator via at least one of a channel state information (CSI) report, a medium access control control element (MAC-CE), downlink control information (DCI), and / or uplink control information (UCI).

[0154] When the first wireless communication device is a UE and the second wireless communication device is a network element, the UE may send an indicator multiplexed with other indicators and / or data (e.g., multiplexed with hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback, channel state information (CSI), scheduling request (SR), and / or other indicators / data). In this regard, the UE may send an indicator frequency multiplexed with other indicators and / or data. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may send an indicator time multiplexed with other information and / or data. In some aspects, the UE may send an indicator multiplexed with other information and / or data based on a priority level associated with the indicator. In some aspects, the UCI may have a limited payload size and may include or omit certain information (e.g., indicators, control data, HARQ feedback) from the UCI payload based on a priority level associated with the information carried by the UCI (e.g., priority level of the indicator, control data, feedback). In some instances, the UE may receive a priority level associated with the information to be carried by the UCI from the network element. In some aspects, the priority level associated with the beam angle indicator can be based on a difference between a first angle associated with the first beam direction and a second angle associated with the second beam direction. For example, a smaller difference between the first angle and the second angle can reduce the indicator priority level, while a larger difference between the first angle and the second angle can increase the indicator priority level.

[0155] In some aspects, the first reference signal and the second reference signal may be associated with the first serving cell. The first serving cell may operate in the FR1 frequency band. When the first wireless communication device is a network unit and the second wireless communication device is a UE, the network unit may send an indicator to the UE via a DCI that schedules a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) associated with the second serving cell. The second serving cell may be different from the first serving cell. The second serving cell may operate in the FR2 frequency range. The FR2 frequency range may include frequencies in the range of about 24.25 GHz to about 52.6 Hz. In addition to or as an alternative to FR2, the second serving cell may operate in one or more other frequency ranges. For example, the second serving cell may operate in a frequency range higher than 52.6 GHz. In some aspects, the UE may use the received indicator to determine the uplink precoding parameters for the PUSCH scheduled for transmission by the UE in the second serving cell. The UE may use the determined precoding parameters to send the scheduled PUSCH to the network unit.

[0156] In some aspects, a network element may send a DCI including a sounding reference signal resource indicator (SRI) associated with a first serving cell and / or a transmit precoding matrix index (TPMI) to a UE. The SRI may indicate to the UE one or more SRS resources from an SRS resource set associated with an SRS reference signal associated with a first cell (e.g., in FR1). The TPMI may indicate to the UE one or more precoding parameters associated with a scheduled PUSCH message.

[0157] In some aspects, the first angle associated with the first beam direction can be based on a beam pointing direction (e.g., a beam transmission direction from a transmitting device). The beam pointing direction can be a centerline of a transmit beam lobe. For example, Figure 3As shown, when the first wireless communication device is a UE and the second wireless communication device is a network unit, the UE 115 may have a beam pointing direction 314 for transmitting a beam lobe 316. The network unit 105 may have a beam pointing direction 310 for transmitting a beam lobe 308. The first angle may be an angle 318 between the beam pointing direction 314 and a reference line 320 (e.g., a vertical reference line). The UE may send a first reference signal (e.g., SRS) to the network unit 105 along the beam pointing direction 314. The second angle associated with the second beam direction may be a beam arrival angle (AOA) 302. The beam AOA 302 may be an angle between a second reference signal (e.g., CSI-RS, SSB) received on the reflected beam 304 and the reference line 320. The network unit 105 may send a second reference signal along the pointing direction 310. The second reference signal may be reflected from the object 306 and / or other objects. The reflected second reference signal may propagate to the UE 115 as a reflected beam 304. UE 115 may measure beam AOA 302 associated with the second reference signal using any suitable method. For example, UE 115 may measure beam AOA 302 associated with multiple delay paths based on arrival time difference and / or receive phase associated with the second reference signal. Beam AOA 302 may be expressed as an azimuth and / or elevation angle relative to reference line 320 and / or other suitable reference lines. UE 115 may determine a difference between an angle 318 associated with beam pointing direction 314 and an angle (e.g., beam AOA 302) associated with reflected beam 304 (e.g., second beam direction). UE 115 may send an indicator to network unit 105 indicating a difference between an angle of the transmitted first reference signal and an angle of the received second reference signal.

[0158] In some aspects, a smaller difference between the angles, compared to a larger difference between the first angle and the second angle, may indicate better alignment and / or a better channel between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device. A better channel between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device may improve the performance and / or efficiency of communication between the network unit and the UE. In some aspects, the difference between a first angle associated with a first beam direction in FR1 and a second angle associated with a second beam direction in FR1 may be used as a surrogate for estimating channel conditions and / or beam failures between the network unit and the UE when operating in FR2 (e.g., when the UE transmits a PUSCH in a second service cell operating in FR2). For example, the UE may determine a beam failure associated with a second service cell operating in FR2 based on a reference signal in a first service cell operating in FR1. In some instances, the UE may determine a beam failure associated with a second service cell based on a power delay profile (PDP) and / or AOA of a reference signal in the first service cell. In some instances, the UE may determine beam failure associated with the second reference signal based on the PDP using one or more of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) associated with the reference signal in the first serving cell, a reference signal received power (RSRP) associated with the reference signal in the first serving cell, a plurality of delay paths associated with the reference signal in the first serving cell, a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) associated with the reference signal in the first serving cell, and / or a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) associated with the reference signal in the first serving cell. In some instances, the UE may determine beam failure associated with the second serving cell based on the AOA using one or more of an arrival time difference and / or a reception phase associated with the reference signal in the first serving cell.

[0159] In some aspects, the indicator indicating the difference between the first angle and the second angle may indicate the difference in degrees. The indicator may indicate the difference as whole degrees and / or fractional degrees. In some aspects, the indicator may indicate the difference as being within a range of degrees (e.g., between 0 and 5 degrees, between 5 and 10 degrees, or any suitable range of degrees), where each range of degrees has an associated value or identifier.

[0160] In some aspects, the indicator can be a binary indicator (e.g., "0" or "1") indicating whether the difference between the first angle and the second angle satisfies a threshold. For example, the binary indicator can indicate whether the difference is greater than (and / or equal to) the threshold or less than (and / or equal to) the threshold. In some aspects, the binary indicator can indicate whether the difference is within a range of degrees or outside a range of degrees.

[0161] In some aspects, an indicator indicating a difference between a first angle and a second angle may indicate a difference relative to a previous indicator. For example, a first indicator may indicate a degree difference. Subsequent indicators may indicate a degree difference or other value (e.g., based on one or more ranges) as an increment to a previously indicated degree or other value.

[0162] In some aspects, the first wireless communication device may send an indicator to the second wireless communication device on a periodic basis, a semi-persistent basis, and / or an aperiodic basis. For example, the first wireless communication device may receive a request for the indicator from the second wireless communication device. The first wireless communication device may send the indicator in response to receiving the request. In this regard, the first wireless communication device may receive the request via at least one of a radio resource control (RRC) message, a semi-persistent activation state configuration via a medium access control control element (MAC-CE), an aperiodic trigger state configuration, a downlink control information (DCI), a channel state information (CSI) report setting, a MAC-CE, a downlink control information (DCI), or an uplink control information (UCI).

[0163] In some aspects, the first wireless communication device may send an indicator to the second wireless communication device based on a change (e.g., a rate of change and / or an absolute change) in the difference between the first angle and the second angle. For example, the first wireless communication device may detect a rate of change of the angle difference over a period of time. A change in the orientation (e.g., vertical orientation and / or horizontal orientation) of the UE (e.g., when the user rotates the UE) may cause a change in the angle difference. The first wireless communication device may send an indicator to the second wireless communication device based on the rate of change of the angle difference satisfying a threshold (e.g., exceeding and / or equal to a threshold).

[0164] Fig.11 1 is a flow chart of a communication method 1100 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Various aspects of the method 1100 may be performed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, processing circuitry, and / or other suitable components) of a wireless communication device or other suitable means for performing these aspects. For example, a wireless communication device (such as UE 115, UE 120, or UE 800) may utilize one or more components to perform various aspects of the method 1100, the one or more components such as a processor 802, a memory 804, a beam angle module 808, a transceiver 810, a modem 812, and one or more antennas 816. The method 1100 may employ mechanisms and references similar to those in networks 100 and 200. Figures 3 to 7 As illustrated, method 1100 includes multiple enumerated aspects, but method 1100 may include additional aspects before, after, and between the enumerated aspects. In some aspects, one or more of these enumerated aspects may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0165] At action 1110, method 1100 includes a UE (e.g., UE 115, UE 120, or UE 800) sending a request for a reference signal associated with a second serving cell to a network element in a first serving cell. In this regard, the UE may send the request to the network element via a UCI, a MAC-CE message, a CSI-RS report, a PUCCH message, and / or a PUSCH message. In some aspects, the reference signal associated with the second serving cell may include at least one of a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a synchronization signal block (SSB), or a demodulation reference signal (DMRS).

[0166] The second serving cell may be different from the first serving cell. In this regard, the first serving cell may be a serving cell operating in at least FR1, and the second serving cell may be a serving cell operating in at least FR2. FR1 may include frequencies in the range of about 4.1 GHz to about 7.125 GHz. In addition to FR1 or as an alternative, the first serving cell may operate in one or more other frequency ranges. The FR2 frequency range may include frequencies in the range of about 24.25 GHz to about 52.6 GHz. In addition to FR2 or as an alternative, the second serving cell may operate in one or more other frequency ranges. For example, the second serving cell may operate in a frequency range higher than 52.6 GHz. In some examples, the first serving cell may be in a master cell group (MCG), and the second serving cell may be in a secondary cell group (SCG). A wireless network (e.g., wireless network 100 or 200) may operate in a dual connectivity mode, in which the UE is connected to a first serving cell in a master cell group (MCG) and a second serving cell in a secondary cell group (SCG). The MCG may be a serving cell group associated with a master eNB (MeNB) operating at FR1 frequency and / or one or more other frequency ranges. The SCG may be a serving cell group associated with a secondary eNB (SeNB) operating at FR2 frequency and / or one or more other frequency ranges.

[0167] In some aspects, the UE may receive a reference signal associated with a first serving cell from a network element. The reference signal may be a CSI-RS, an SSB, a DMRS, and / or other signal transmitted in at least FR1. The UE may send a request for a reference signal associated with a second serving cell based on at least one parameter of the reference signal associated with the first serving cell received from the network element. For example, at least one parameter of the reference signal associated with the first serving cell may include an RSRP associated with the reference signal that satisfies a threshold. In some aspects, at least one parameter may include a rate of change of the RSRP associated with the reference signal that satisfies a threshold. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may send a request for a reference signal associated with a second serving cell based on a difference between a scheduled rank associated with a scheduled PUSCH transmission and a determined rank associated with a scheduled PUSCH transmission that satisfies a threshold. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may send a request for a reference signal associated with a second serving cell based on a difference between a scheduled modulation coding scheme (MCS) associated with the scheduled PUSCH and a determined MCS associated with the scheduled PUSCH that satisfies a threshold.

[0168] At action 1120, method 1100 includes the UE receiving an indicator from a network element indicating resources for a reference signal associated with a second serving cell. The UE may receive the indicator from the network element based on the request sent at action 1110. In this regard, the UE may receive the indicator via downlink control information (DCI) and / or other suitable messaging. The DCI may carry a sounding reference signal resource indicator (SRI) indicating spatial resources, time resources, and / or frequency resources for a reference signal associated with the second serving cell. Additionally or alternatively, the DCI may carry a transmit precoding matrix index (TPMI) indicating spatial resources, time resources, and / or frequency resources for a reference signal associated with the second serving cell. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may receive the indicator via at least one transmit configuration indicator (TCI) state indicating spatial resources, time resources, and / or frequency resources for a reference signal associated with the second serving cell.

[0169] At act 1130, method 1100 includes the UE receiving a reference signal associated with the second serving cell from the network element. The reference signal associated with the second serving cell may be a CSI-RS, SSB, DMRS, and / or other signal sent by the network element in FR2.

[0170] At action 1140, method 1100 includes the UE sending a PUSCH scheduled in a second serving cell to a network element. The UE may send the scheduled PUSCH based on a reference signal associated with the second serving cell received at action 1130. For example, the UE may determine precoding parameters for the scheduled PUSCH based on a reference signal associated with the second serving cell. In some aspects, the UE may receive a UL grant DCI from the network element that schedules PUSCH communications in the second serving cell. The UL grant DCI may indicate at least one of a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource indicator (SRI), a TPMI (transmit precoding matrix indicator), or other suitable indicators associated with the first serving cell. The UE may predict (e.g., determine) precoding information associated with the PUSCH scheduled in the second serving cell. The precoding information may be based on the indicated SRI and / or TPMI associated with the first serving cell. The UE may send the scheduled PUSCH in the second serving cell based on the predicted precoding information and the UL grant DCI scheduling.

[0171] Other aspects of the present disclosure include the following:

[0172] Aspect 1 includes a method of wireless communication, the method comprising: sending, by a first wireless communication device, a first reference signal having a first beam direction to a second wireless communication device; receiving, by the first wireless communication device, a second reference signal having a second beam direction from the second wireless communication device; and sending, by the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device, an indicator indicating a difference between a first angle associated with the first beam direction and a second angle associated with the second beam direction.

[0173] Aspect 2 includes the method of aspect 1, wherein the first angle associated with the first beam direction is a beam transmission angle, and the second angle associated with the second beam direction is a beam arrival angle.

[0174] Aspect 3 includes a method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 2, wherein sending the indicator includes sending the indicator via at least one of: a channel state information (CSI) report; a medium access control element (MAC-CE); downlink control information (DCI); or uplink control information (UCI).

[0175] Aspect 4 includes the method of any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein the indicator indicates the difference as degrees between the first angle and the second angle.

[0176] Aspect 5 includes the method of any one of aspects 1 to 4, wherein the indicator comprises a binary indicator indicating whether the difference between the first angle and the second angle satisfies a threshold.

[0177] Aspect 6 includes the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein the first wireless communication device is a network element; and the second wireless communication device is a user equipment (UE).

[0178] Aspect 7 includes the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 6, wherein the first wireless communication device is a user equipment (UE); and the second wireless communication device is a network element.

[0179] Aspect 8 includes a method according to any one of aspects 1 to 7, wherein the first reference signal is at least one of: a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS); or a synchronization signal block (SSB); and the second reference signal is a sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0180] Aspect 9 includes a method according to any one of aspects 1 to 8, wherein the second reference signal is at least one of: a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS); or a synchronization signal block (SSB); and the first reference signal is a sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0181] Aspect 10 includes a method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 9, wherein sending the first reference signal includes sending the first reference signal in frequency range 1 (FR1); and receiving the second reference signal includes receiving the second reference signal in the FR1; and the method also includes: the first wireless communication device communicates with the second wireless communication device based on the indicator in at least one of the following: frequency range 2 (FR2); low frequency band FR2; high frequency band FR2; frequency range 4 (FR4); millimeter wave frequency range; or terahertz frequency range.

[0182] Aspect 11 includes a method according to any one of aspects 1 to 10, the method further comprising: receiving, by the first wireless communication device, a request for the indicator from the second wireless communication device, wherein sending the indicator includes sending the indicator in response to the request.

[0183] Aspect 12 includes a method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 11, wherein receiving the request includes receiving the request via at least one of the following: a radio resource control (RRC) message; a semi-persistent activation state configuration via a medium access control control element (MAC-CE); a non-periodic triggered state configuration downlink control information (DCI); a channel state information (CSI) report setting; MAC-CE; downlink control information (DCI); or uplink control information (UCI).

[0184] Aspect 13 includes a method according to any one of aspects 1 to 12, wherein sending the indicator includes sending the indicator multiplexed with control information via uplink control information (UCI) based on a priority level associated with the indicator.

[0185] Aspect 14 includes the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 13, wherein sending the indicator includes sending the indicator based on a change in the difference between the first angle and the second angle.

[0186] Aspect 15 includes a method according to any one of aspects 1 to 14, wherein the indicator indicates the difference between the first angle and the second angle relative to a previous indicator of the difference between the first angle and the second angle.

[0187] Aspect 16 includes a method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 15, wherein the first reference signal and the second reference signal are associated with a first service cell; and sending the indicator includes sending the indicator via downlink control information (DCI) scheduled for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) associated with a second service cell, the second service cell being different from the first service cell.

[0188] Aspect 17 includes the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 16, the method further comprising: determining, by the first wireless communication device, one or more precoding parameters associated with the PUSCH based on the indicator.

[0189] Aspect 18 A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: sending a request for a reference signal associated with a second service cell to a network unit in a first service cell, wherein the second service cell is different from the first service cell; receiving an indicator indicating resources used for the reference signal associated with the second service cell from the network unit based on the request; receiving the reference signal associated with the second service cell from the network unit; and sending a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) scheduled in the second service cell to the network unit based on the reference signal associated with the second service cell.

[0190] Aspect 19 includes a method according to aspect 18, wherein the reference signal associated with the second serving cell comprises at least one of: a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS); a synchronization signal block (SSB); or a demodulation reference signal (DMRS).

[0191] Aspect 20 includes a method according to any one of Aspects 18 to 19, wherein sending the request in the first serving cell includes sending the request in frequency range 1 (FR1); and receiving the reference signal associated with the second serving cell includes receiving the reference signal in frequency range 2 (FR2).

[0192] Aspect 21 includes a method according to any one of aspects 18 to 20, the method further comprising: receiving a reference signal associated with the first serving cell from the network element, wherein sending the request is based on at least one parameter of the reference signal associated with the first serving cell.

[0193] Aspect 22 includes a method according to any one of Aspects 18 to 21, wherein the at least one parameter of the reference signal associated with the first service cell includes at least one of the following: a rate of change of the at least one parameter that satisfies a first threshold; a reference signal received power (RSRP) associated with the reference signal that satisfies a second threshold; a difference between a scheduled rank associated with the PUSCH and a determined rank associated with the PUSCH that satisfies a third threshold; or a difference between a scheduled modulation and coding scheme (MCS) associated with the PUSCH and a determined MCS associated with the PUSCH that satisfies a fourth threshold.

[0194] Aspect 23 includes a method according to any one of Aspects 18 to 22, wherein receiving the indicator includes receiving the indicator via downlink control information (DCI); and the DCI carries at least one of: a sounding reference signal resource indicator (SRI); or a transmit precoding matrix index (TPMI) associated with the first serving cell.

[0195] Aspect 24 includes the method according to any one of aspects 18 to 23, wherein receiving the indicator includes receiving the indicator via at least one transmit configuration indicator (TCI) state identifier.

[0196] Aspect 25 includes a method according to any one of Aspects 18 to 24, the method further comprising: receiving a UL authorization DCI for scheduling a PUSCH associated with the second service cell from the network unit, wherein the UL authorization DCI also indicates at least one of a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource indicator (SRI) and a TPMI (transmit precoding matrix indicator) associated with the first service cell, predicting precoding information associated with the PUSCH associated with the second service cell based at least in part on the indicated at least one of the SRI or TPMI associated with the first service cell; and sending the PUSCH associated with the second service cell based on the predicted precoding information and the UL authorization DCI scheduling.

[0197] Aspect 26 includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions for wireless communication, the one or more instructions including one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a wireless communication device, cause the wireless communication device to perform any one of Aspects 1 to 17.

[0198] Aspect 27 includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions for wireless communication, the one or more instructions including one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to perform any of aspects 18 to 25.

[0199] Aspect 28 includes a user equipment (UE) comprising one or more components for performing any one or more of aspects 1-17.

[0200] Aspect 29 includes a network element comprising one or more components for performing any one or more of aspects 1-17.

[0201] Aspect 30 includes a user equipment (UE) comprising one or more components for performing one or more of aspects 18-25.

[0202] Aspect 31 includes a user equipment (UE), the user equipment (UE) comprising: a memory, a transceiver, and at least one processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the UE is configured to perform any one or more of aspects 1 to 17.

[0203] Aspect 32 includes a network unit comprising: a memory, a transceiver, and at least one processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the network unit is configured as any one or more of aspects 1-17.

[0204] Aspect 33 includes a user equipment (UE), the user equipment (UE) comprising: a memory, a transceiver, and at least one processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the UE is configured as any one or more of aspects 18 to 25.

[0205] Information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0206] The various illustrative blocks and modules described in conjunction with the disclosure herein may be implemented or executed using a general purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in an alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0207] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium, or sent via a computer-readable medium. Other examples and specific implementations are within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described above may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, hardware wiring, or any combination thereof executed by a processor. The features of the implementation functions may also be physically located at different locations, including being distributed so that the various parts of the functions are implemented at different physical locations. In addition, as used herein (including in the claims), "or" as used in a list of items (e.g., "or" used in a list of items ending with "at least one of" or "one or more of") indicates an inclusive list, so that, for example, a list of [at least one of A, B, or C] means: A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C).

[0208] As those skilled in the art will understand by now and depending on the specific application at hand, many modifications, substitutions and changes may be made to the materials, devices, configurations and methods of use of the apparatus of the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. In view of this, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the scope of the specific examples illustrated and described herein (because they are only by way of some examples thereof), but should be fully equivalent to the claims attached hereto and their functional equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, the method comprising: The first wireless communication device sends a first reference signal having a first beam direction to the second wireless communication device; receiving, by the first wireless communication device, a second reference signal having a second beam direction from the second wireless communication device; as well as An indicator is sent by the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device that indicates a difference between a first angle associated with the first beam direction and a second angle associated with the second beam direction. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first angle associated with the first beam direction is a beam transmission angle, and the second angle associated with the second beam direction is a beam arrival angle.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein sending the indicator comprises sending the indicator via at least one of: Channel state information (CSI) reporting; Medium Access Control Element (MAC-CE); Downlink Control Information (DCI); or Uplink Control Information (UCI).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the following conditions exists: the indicator indicates the difference as a number of degrees between the first angle and the second angle; or The indicator comprises a binary indicator indicating whether the difference between the first angle and the second angle satisfies a threshold.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first wireless communication device is a network element and the second wireless communication device is a user equipment (UE); or The first wireless communication device is a user equipment (UE), and The second wireless communication device is a network element.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first reference signal is at least one of: Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS); or Synchronization Signal Block (SSB); and The second reference signal is a sounding reference signal (SRS).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second reference signal is at least one of: Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS); or Synchronization Signal Block (SSB); and The first reference signal is a sounding reference signal (SRS).

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Sending the first reference signal comprises sending the first reference signal in frequency range 1 (FR1); and Receiving the second reference signal comprises receiving the second reference signal in the FR1; and The method further comprises: The first wireless communication device communicates with the second wireless communication device based on the indicator at least one of: Frequency Range 2 (FR2); Low frequency band FR2; High frequency band FR2; Frequency Range 4 (FR4); mmWave frequency range; or Terahertz frequency range.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A request for the indicator is received by the first wireless communication device from the second wireless communication device, wherein sending the indicator comprises sending the indicator in response to the request.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the indicator comprises sending the indicator multiplexed with control information via uplink control information (UCI) based on a priority level associated with the indicator. The method of claim 1 , wherein sending the indicator comprises sending the indicator based on a change in the difference between the first angle and the second angle. 12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the indicator indicates the difference between the first angle and the second angle relative to a previous indicator of the difference between the first angle and the second angle.

13. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: sending, in a first serving cell, to a network element a request for a reference signal associated with a second serving cell, wherein the second serving cell is different from the first serving cell; receiving, from the network element based on the request, an indicator indicating resources to be used for the reference signal associated with the second serving cell; receiving, from the network element, the reference signal associated with the second serving cell; as well as A physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) scheduled in the second serving cell is sent to the network element based on the reference signal associated with the second serving cell.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the reference signal associated with the second serving cell comprises at least one of: Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS); Synchronization Signal Block (SSB); or Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS).

15. The method of claim 13, wherein: Sending the request in the first serving cell includes sending the request in frequency range 1 (FR1); and Receiving the reference signal associated with the second serving cell includes receiving the reference signal in frequency range 2 (FR2).

16. A first wireless communication device, the first wireless communication device comprising: Memory; Transceiver; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the first wireless communication device is configured to: sending a first reference signal having a first beam direction to a second wireless communication device; receiving a second reference signal having a second beam direction from the second wireless communication device; as well as An indicator is sent to the second wireless communication device indicating a difference between a first angle associated with the first beam direction and a second angle associated with the second beam direction.

17. The first wireless communication device of claim 16, wherein the first angle associated with the first beam direction is a beam transmission angle, and the second angle associated with the second beam direction is a beam arrival angle.

18. The first wireless communication device of claim 16, wherein the first wireless communication device is further configured to send the indicator via at least one of: Channel state information (CSI) reporting; Medium Access Control Element (MAC-CE); Downlink Control Information (DCI); or Uplink Control Information (UCI).

19. The first wireless communication device of claim 16, wherein at least one of the following conditions exists: the indicator indicates the difference as a number of degrees between the first angle and the second angle; or The indicator comprises a binary indicator indicating whether the difference between the first angle and the second angle satisfies a threshold.

20. The first wireless communication device of claim 16, wherein: The first wireless communication device is a network element and the second wireless communication device is a user equipment (UE); or The first wireless communication device is a user equipment (UE), and The second wireless communication device is a network element.

21. The first wireless communication device of claim 16, wherein the first reference signal is at least one of: Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS); or Synchronization Signal Block (SSB); and The second reference signal is a sounding reference signal (SRS).

22. The first wireless communication device of claim 16, wherein the second reference signal is at least one of: Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS); or Synchronization Signal Block (SSB); and The first reference signal is a sounding reference signal (SRS).

23. The first wireless communication device of claim 16, wherein the first wireless communication device is further configured to: sending the first reference signal in frequency range 1 (FR1); receiving the second reference signal in the FR1; and communicating with the second wireless communication device based on the indicator at least one of: Frequency Range 2 (FR2); Low frequency band FR2; High frequency band FR2; Frequency Range 4 (FR4); mmWave frequency range; or Terahertz frequency range.

24. The first wireless communication device of claim 16, wherein the first wireless communication device is further configured to: receiving a request for the indicator from the second wireless communication device; and The indicator is sent in response to the request.

25. The first wireless communication device of claim 16, wherein the first wireless communication device is further configured to: The indicator multiplexed with control information is transmitted via uplink control information (UCI) based on a priority level associated with the indicator.

26. The first wireless communication device of claim 16, wherein the first wireless communication device is further configured to: The indicator is sent based on a change in the difference between the first angle and the second angle.

27. The first wireless communication device of claim 16, wherein the indicator indicates the difference between the first angle and the second angle relative to a previous indicator of the difference between the first angle and the second angle.

28. A user equipment (UE), the user equipment (UE) comprising: Memory; Transceiver; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the UE is configured to: sending, in a first serving cell, to a network element a request for a reference signal associated with a second serving cell, wherein the second serving cell is different from the first serving cell; receiving, from the network element based on the request, an indicator indicating resources to be used for the reference signal associated with the second serving cell; receiving, from the network element, the reference signal associated with the second serving cell; as well as A physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) scheduled in the second serving cell is sent to the network element based on the reference signal associated with the second serving cell.

29. The UE of claim 28, wherein the reference signal associated with the second serving cell comprises at least one of: Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS); Synchronization Signal Block (SSB); or Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS).

30. The UE according to claim 28, wherein the UE is further configured to: sending the request in frequency range 1 (FR1); and The reference signal is received in frequency range 2 (FR2).

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