User equipment indication to block assistance information in prediction reports

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a method of wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), generally including communicating with a network entity using one or more beams, and transmitting assistance information to the network entity based on a predicted future blocking event involving at least one of the one or more beams.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. patent application No. 17 / 840,444, filed on June 14, 2022, which is assigned to the assignee of the present application and is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety, as if fully set forth below and for all applicable purposes. Background Art Technical Field

[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to wireless communications, and more particularly, to techniques for providing user equipment (UE) indication of assistance information in a blockage prediction report.

[0004] Related technologies

[0005] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasts or other similar types of services. These wireless communication systems may employ multiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available wireless communication system resources.

[0006] Although wireless communication systems have made tremendous technical progress over the years, challenges still exist. For example, complex and dynamic environments can still attenuate or block signals between wireless transmitters and wireless receivers. Therefore, there is a continued desire to improve the technical performance of wireless communication systems, including, for example: improving the speed and data carrying capacity of communications, improving the efficiency of using shared communication media, reducing the power used by transmitters and receivers when performing communications, improving the reliability of wireless communications, avoiding redundant transmission and / or reception and related processing, improving the coverage area of ​​wireless communications, increasing the number and types of devices that can access wireless communication systems, increasing the ability of different types of devices to communicate with each other, increasing the number and types of wireless communication media available for use, etc. Therefore, there is a need to further improve wireless communication systems to overcome the above-mentioned technical challenges and other challenges. Summary of the invention

[0007] One aspect provides a method of wireless communication by a user equipment (UE). The method includes communicating with a network entity using one or more beams; and sending assistance information based on a predicted future blocking event involving at least one of the one or more beams to the network entity.

[0008] Another aspect provides a method of wireless communication by a network entity. The method includes communicating with a UE using one or more beams; and receiving assistance information from the UE based on a predicted future blocking event involving at least one of the one or more beams.

[0009] Other aspects provide: an apparatus operable to, configured to, or otherwise adapted to perform any one or more of the foregoing methods and / or those described elsewhere herein; a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of the apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the foregoing methods and those described elsewhere herein; a computer program product embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium comprising code for performing the foregoing methods and those described elsewhere herein; and / or an apparatus comprising components for performing the foregoing methods and those described elsewhere herein. By way of example, an apparatus may include a processing system, a device having a processing system, or a processing system cooperating through one or more networks.

[0010] For purposes of illustration, the following description and drawings set forth certain features. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The accompanying drawings depict certain features of the various aspects described herein and should not be considered to limit the scope of the disclosure.

[0012] Figure 1 An example wireless communication network is depicted.

[0013] Figure 2 An example disaggregated network entity architecture is depicted.

[0014] Figure 3 Aspects of example network entities and example user equipment are depicted.

[0015] Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C and Figure 4D Various example aspects of data structures for a wireless communication network are described.

[0016] Figure 5 An example call flow diagram is depicted of user equipment (UE) indication of assistance information in a blockage prediction report in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0017] Fig. 6A , Figure 6B , Figure 6C and Fig.6D Examples of blocking scenarios that may be predicted by a UE and indicated in a blocking prediction report are depicted in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 7 A method for wireless communication is described.

[0019] Figure 8 A method for wireless communication is described.

[0020] Fig. 9 Aspects of an example communications device are depicted.

[0021] Fig.10 Aspects of an example communications device are depicted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Aspects of the present disclosure provide apparatus, methods, processing systems, and computer-readable media for blocking user equipment (UE) indication of assistance information in prediction reports.

[0023] Advanced wireless systems (e.g., 5G NR) utilize higher frequencies (e.g., mmWave) and a larger number of antennas to perform beamforming. Beamforming generally refers to a signal processing technique that allows a network entity (e.g., a base station) to transmit using a directional beam targeted at an intended recipient (e.g., a UE). Beamforming can help to efficiently use frequency resources by controlling the direction of transmission to reduce interference.

[0024] Unfortunately, one potential hazard associated with beamforming is blocking. Blockage generally refers to a scenario where there is a blocking entity (e.g., a moving object such as a vehicle, a stationary object such as a building, or another type of blocking object) in the beam path, which may suddenly interrupt communication and cause a beam failure. To detect a beam failure, the UE typically measures a beam failure detection (BFD) reference signal (BFD-RS) and determines whether a beam failure trigger condition is met (e.g., based on a defined criterion). If a beam failure is detected, a beam failure recovery (BFR) procedure may be performed in which the UE transmits a beam failure recovery request (BFRQ) to a network entity.

[0025] There are various potential problems with existing BFR procedures. One potential problem is that the existing BFR procedures involving BFRQ from the UE are reactive. In other words, the beam failure event occurs first, and then the UE reacts by sending a BFRQ to initiate the BFR procedure.

[0026] However, aspects of the present disclosure enable a UE to predict an upcoming beam blocking event and proactively indicate the prediction to a network entity. As will be described in more detail below, the UE may indicate information such as a set of candidate beams that may be better alternatives (e.g., less likely to be blocked) during a predicted beam block blocking event. This information may help the UE and network entity avoid and / or reduce future beam blocking events. Thus, system performance may be improved, and service disruptions for performing BFR may be reduced or avoided.

[0027] Introduction to wireless communication networks

[0028] The techniques and methods described herein can be used in various wireless communication networks. Although various aspects may be described herein using terms commonly associated with 3G, 4G and / or 5G wireless technologies, various aspects of the present disclosure may also be applicable to other communication systems and standards not explicitly mentioned herein.

[0029] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication network 100 is depicted in which various aspects described herein may be implemented.

[0030] In general, the wireless communication network 100 includes various network entities (alternatively, network elements or network nodes). A network entity is typically a communication device and / or a communication function performed by a communication device (e.g., user equipment (UE), base station (BS), component of a BS, server, etc.). For example, various functions of a network and various devices associated with and interacting with the network may be considered network entities. In addition, the wireless communication network 100 includes ground aspects, such as ground-based network entities (e.g., BS 102), and non-ground aspects, such as satellites 140 and aircraft 145, which may include airborne network entities (e.g., one or more BSs) capable of communicating with other network elements (e.g., ground BSs) and user equipment.

[0031] In the depicted example, the wireless communication network 100 includes a BS 102, a UE 104, and one or more core networks (such as an evolved packet core (EPC) 160 and a 5G core (5GC) network 190) that interoperate to provide communication services over various communication links (including wired and wireless links).

[0032] Figure 1 Various example UEs 104 are depicted, which may more generally include: a cellular phone, a smart phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a satellite radio, a global positioning system, a multimedia device, a video device, a digital audio player, a camera, a game console, a tablet, a smart device, a wearable device, a vehicle, an electric meter, a gas pump, a large or small kitchen appliance, a healthcare device, an implant, a sensor / actuator, a display, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Always-On (AON) device, an edge processing device, or other similar devices. UE 104 may also be more generally referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a station, a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a remote device, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, and others.

[0033] BS 102 communicates wirelessly with (e.g., sends signals to or receives signals from) UE 104 via communication link 120. Communication link 120 between BS 102 and UE 104 may include uplink (UL) (also referred to as a reverse link) transmissions from UE 104 to BS 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also referred to as a forward link) transmissions from BS 102 to UE 104. In various aspects, communication link 120 may employ multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity.

[0034] BS 102 may generally include: NodeB, enhanced NodeB (eNB), next generation enhanced NodeB (ng-eNB), next generation NodeB (gNB or gNodeB), access point, base transceiver station, radio base station, radio transceiver, transceiver function, transmission and reception point, and / or other. Each of BS 102 may provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110, which may sometimes be referred to as a cell, and may overlap in some cases (e.g., a small cell 102' may have a coverage area 110' that overlaps with the coverage area 110 of a macro cell). For example, a BS may provide communication coverage for a macro cell (covering a relatively large geographic area), a pico cell (covering a relatively small geographic area, such as a stadium), a femto cell (relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home)), and / or other types of cells.

[0035] Although BS 102 is depicted as a single communication device in various aspects, BS 102 can be implemented in various configurations. For example, one or more components of the base station may be decomposed, including a central unit (CU), one or more distributed units (DU), one or more radio units (RU), a near real-time (near RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC), or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC, to name a few examples. In another example, various aspects of the base station may be virtualized. More generally, a base station (e.g., BS 102) may include components located at a single physical location or components located at various physical locations. In examples where the base station includes components located at various physical locations, the various components may each perform a function such that the various components together implement functions similar to those of a base station located at a single physical location. In some aspects, a base station including components located at various physical locations may be referred to as a decomposed radio access network architecture (such as an open RAN (O-RAN) or virtualized RAN (VRAN) architecture). Figure 2 An example decomposed base station architecture is depicted and described.

[0036] Different BSs 102 within the wireless communication network 100 may also be configured to support different radio access technologies (such as 3G, 4G, and / or 5G). For example, a BS 102 configured for 4G LTE (collectively referred to as the Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) may interface with the EPC 160 via a first backhaul link 132 (e.g., an S1 interface). A BS 102 configured for 5G (e.g., 5G NR or Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN)) may interface with the 5GC 190 via a second backhaul link 184. The BSs 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via the EPC 160 or the 5GC 190) over a third backhaul link 134 (e.g., an X2 interface), which may be wired or wireless.

[0037] The wireless communication network 100 may subdivide the electromagnetic spectrum into various categories, frequency bands, channels, or other characteristics. In some aspects, the subdivision is provided based on wavelength and frequency, where frequency may also be referred to as a carrier, subcarrier, channel, tone, or subband. For example, 3GPP currently defines frequency range 1 (FR1) as including 410 MHz-7125 MHz, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as "below 6 GHz". Similarly, 3GPP currently defines frequency range 2 (FR2) as including 24,250 MHz-52,600 MHz, which is sometimes (interchangeably) referred to as "millimeter wave" ("mmW" or "mmWave"). A base station (e.g., a mmWave base station such as BS 180) configured to communicate using mmWave / near mmWave radio bands may utilize beamforming (e.g., 182) with a UE (e.g., 104) to improve path loss and range.

[0038] The communication link 120 between the BS 102 and, for example, the UE 104 may be through one or more carriers, which may have different bandwidths (e.g., 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, 20 MHz, 100 MHz, 400 MHz, and / or other MHz) and may be aggregated in various aspects. The carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for DL ​​compared to UL).

[0039] Communications using higher frequency bands may have higher path loss and shorter range than communications at lower frequencies. Figure 1180) may utilize beamforming 182 with UE 104 to improve path loss and range. For example, BS 180 and UE 104 may each include multiple antennas, such as antenna elements, antenna panels, and / or antenna arrays, to facilitate beamforming. In some cases, BS 180 may transmit beamformed signals to UE 104 in one or more transmit directions 182'. UE 104 may receive beamformed signals from BS 180 in one or more receive directions 182". UE 104 may also transmit beamformed signals to BS 180 in one or more transmit directions 182". BS 180 may also receive beamformed signals from UE 104 in one or more receive directions 182'. BS 180 and UE 104 may then perform beam training to determine the best receive and transmit directions for each of BS 180 and UE 104. It is noteworthy that the transmit direction and receive direction of BS 180 may be the same or different. Similarly, the transmit direction and receive direction of UE 104 may be the same or different.

[0040] Wireless communication network 100 also includes Wi-Fi AP 150 that communicates with Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 via communication link 154 in, for example, the 2.4 GHz and / or 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum.

[0041] Certain UEs 104 may communicate with each other using a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 158. The D2D communication link 158 may use one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), and / or a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH).

[0042] The EPC 160 may include various functional components, including: a mobility management entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a serving gateway 166, a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) gateway 168, a broadcast multicast service center (BM-SC) 170, and / or a packet data network (PDN) gateway 172, such as in the depicted example. The MME 162 may communicate with a home subscriber server (HSS) 174. The MME 162 is a control node that handles signaling between the UE 104 and the EPC 160. In general, the MME 162 provides bearer and connection management.

[0043] Generally, user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are delivered through the Serving Gateway 166, which itself is connected to the PDN Gateway 172. The PDN Gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The PDN Gateway 172 and the BM-SC 170 are connected to the IP Services 176, which may include, for example, the Internet, an Intranet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), a Packet Switched (PS) streaming media service, and / or other IP services.

[0044] The BM-SC 170 may provide functionality for MBMS user service provisioning and delivery. The BM-SC 170 may serve as an entry point for content provider MBMS delivery, may be used to authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services within a public land mobile network (PLMN), and / or may be used to schedule MBMS delivery. The MBMS Gateway 168 may be used to distribute MBMS services to BSs 102 belonging to a multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) area broadcasting a specific service, and / or may be responsible for session management (start / stop) and for collecting eMBMS related charging information.

[0045] 5GC 190 may include various functional components, including: access and mobility management function (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, session management function (SMF) 194, and user plane function (UPF) 195. AMF 192 may communicate with unified data management (UDM) 196.

[0046] AMF 192 is a control node that handles signaling between UE 104 and 5GC 190. AMF 192 provides, for example, Quality of Service (QoS) flow and session management.

[0047] Internet Protocol (IP) packets are delivered through UPF 195, which is connected to IP Services 197 and provides UE IP address allocation and other functions for 5GC 190. IP Services 197 may include, for example, the Internet, Intranet, IMS, PS streaming services, and / or other IP services.

[0048] In various aspects, a network entity or network node may be implemented as a converged base station, a decomposed base station, a component of a base station, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a relay node, a sidelink node, to name a few examples.

[0049] Figure 2An example disaggregated base station 200 architecture is depicted. The disaggregated 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 disaggregated 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 104 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, a UE 104 may be served simultaneously by multiple RUs 240.

[0050] Each of the units (e.g., 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 the unit may be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via a transmission medium. For example, the 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 or alternatively, the unit may include a wireless interface that may include a receiver, a transmitter, or a transceiver (such as a radio frequency (RF) transceiver) configured to receive or send signals, or both, to one or more of the other units on a wireless transmission medium.

[0051] 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. CU 210 may be configured to handle user plane functions (e.g., central unit-user plane (CU-UP)), control plane functions (e.g., central unit-control plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some specific implementations, CU 210 may be logically divided 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.

[0052] 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 functional divisions such as those defined by the 3rd 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.

[0053] The lower layer functions may be implemented by one or more RUs 240. In some deployments, the RU 240 controlled by the 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 functional partitioning (such as lower layer functional partitioning). In such an architecture, the RU 240 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 104. In some specific 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).

[0054] The SMO framework 205 may be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning 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. In addition, 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 .

[0055] 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.

[0056] 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 the creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0057] Figure 3 Aspects of an example BS 102 and UE 104 are depicted.

[0058] In general, BS 102 includes various processors (e.g., 320, 330, 338, and 340), antennas 334a-334t (collectively 334), transceivers 332a-332t (collectively 332) including modulators and demodulators, and other aspects that enable wireless transmission of data (e.g., data source 312) and wireless reception of data (e.g., data sink 339). For example, BS 102 can transmit and receive data between BS 102 and UE 104. BS 102 includes a controller / processor 340 that can be configured to implement various functions described herein related to wireless communications.

[0059] Generally speaking, the UE 104 includes various processors (e.g., 358, 364, 366, and 380), antennas 352a-352r (collectively 352), transceivers 354a-354r (collectively 354) including modulators and demodulators, and other aspects that enable wireless transmission of data (e.g., retrieved from a data source 362) and wireless reception of data (e.g., provided to a data sink 360). The UE 104 includes a controller / processor 380 that can be configured to implement various functions described herein related to wireless communications.

[0060] Regarding example downlink transmissions, BS 102 includes a transmit processor 320 that can receive data from a data source 312 and control information from a controller / processor 340. The control information can be for a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), a physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH), a physical HARQ indicator channel (PHICH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a group common PDCCH (GC PDCCH), and / or others. In some examples, the data can be for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0061] The transmit processor 320 may process (e.g., encode and symbol map) data and control information to obtain data symbols and control symbols, respectively. The transmit processor 320 may also generate reference symbols (such as for a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), a PBCH demodulation reference signal (DMRS), and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS)).

[0062] The transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 330 may perform spatial processing (e.g., pre-decoding) on ​​data symbols, control symbols, and / or reference symbols, where applicable, and may provide an output symbol stream to a modulator (MOD) in a transceiver 332a-332t. Each modulator in the transceiver 332a-332t may process a corresponding output symbol stream to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and up-convert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The downlink signals from the modulators in the transceivers 332a-332t may be transmitted via antennas 334a-334t, respectively.

[0063] To receive downlink transmissions, UE 104 includes antennas 352a-352r that can receive downlink signals from BS 102 and can provide received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) in transceivers 354a-354r, respectively. Each demodulator in transceivers 354a-354r can condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) a corresponding received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator can further process the input samples to obtain received symbols.

[0064] A MIMO detector 356 may obtain received symbols from all demodulators in transceivers 354a-354r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and provide detected symbols. A receive processor 358 may process (e.g., demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for UE 104 to a data sink 360, and provide decoded control information to a controller / processor 380.

[0065] With respect to example uplink transmissions, the UE 104 also includes a transmit processor 364 that may receive and process data from a data source 362 (e.g., for a PUSCH) and control information from a controller / processor 380 (e.g., for a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)). The transmit processor 364 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., for a sounding reference signal (SRS)). The symbols from the transmit processor 364 may be pre-decoded by a TX MIMO processor 366, if applicable, further processed by a modulator in the transceivers 354a-354r (e.g., for SC-FDM), and transmitted to the BS 102.

[0066] At BS 102, uplink signals from UE 104 may be received by antennas 334 a-334 t, processed by demodulators in transceivers 332 a-332 t, detected by MIMO detector 336 if applicable, and further processed by receive processor 338 to obtain decoded data and control information transmitted by UE 104. Receive processor 338 may provide decoded data to data sink 339 and decoded control information to controller / processor 340.

[0067] Memory 342 and memory 382 may store data and program codes for BS 102 and UE 104, respectively.

[0068] The scheduler 344 may schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink.

[0069] In various aspects, the BS 102 may be described as transmitting and receiving various types of data associated with the methods described herein. In these contexts, "transmitting" may refer to various mechanisms for outputting data, such as outputting data from a data source 312, a scheduler 344, a memory 342, a transmit processor 320, a controller / processor 340, a TX MIMO processor 330, a transceiver 332a-332t, an antenna 334a-334t, and / or other aspects described herein. Similarly, "receiving" may refer to various mechanisms for obtaining data, such as obtaining data from an antenna 334a-334t, a transceiver 332a-332t, a RX MIMO detector 336, a controller / processor 340, a receive processor 338, a scheduler 344, a memory 342, and / or other aspects described herein.

[0070] In various aspects, the UE 104 may also be described as sending and receiving various types of data associated with the methods described herein. In these contexts, "sending" may refer to various mechanisms for outputting data, such as outputting data from a data source 362, a memory 382, ​​a transmit processor 364, a controller / processor 380, a TX MIMO processor 366, a transceiver 354a-354t, an antenna 352a-352t, and / or other aspects described herein. Similarly, "receiving" may refer to various mechanisms for obtaining data, such as obtaining data from an antenna 352a-352t, a transceiver 354a-354t, a RX MIMO detector 356, a controller / processor 380, a receive processor 358, a memory 382, ​​and / or other aspects described herein.

[0071] In some aspects, the processor may be configured to perform various operations (such as those associated with the methods described herein) and send (output) data to or receive (obtain) data from another interface configured to send or receive data, respectively.

[0072] Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C and Figure 4D Describes a method for use in a wireless communication network such as Figure 1 Various aspects of the data structure of the wireless communication network 100).

[0073] Specifically, Figure 4A is a diagram 400 illustrating an example of a first subframe within a 5G (e.g., 5G NR) frame structure, Figure 4B is a diagram 430 illustrating an example of a DL channel within a 5G subframe, Figure 4C is a diagram 450 illustrating an example of a second subframe within a 5G frame structure, and Figure 4D FIG480 is a diagram illustrating an example of UL channels within a 5G subframe.

[0074] Wireless communication systems may utilize orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP) on both the uplink and downlink. Such systems may also support half-duplex operation using time division duplex (TDD). OFDM and single carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) can be used to maximize the system bandwidth (e.g., Figure 4B and Figure 4D The modulation symbols may be transmitted in the frequency domain using OFDM and / or in the time domain using SC-FDM.

[0075] The wireless communication frame structure may be frequency division duplex (FDD), where for a particular set of subcarriers, subframes within the set of subcarriers are dedicated to either DL or UL. The wireless communication frame structure may also be time division duplex (TDD), where for a particular set of subcarriers, subframes within the set of subcarriers are dedicated to both DL and UL.

[0076] exist Figure 4A and Figure 4CIn the wireless communication frame structure, TDD is used, where D is DL, U is UL, and X is used flexibly between DL / UL. The UE can be configured with a time slot format (dynamically configured by DL control information (DCI) or semi-statically / statically configured by radio resource control (RRC) signaling) through the received time slot format indicator (SFI). In the depicted example, the 10ms frame is divided into 10 equally sized 1ms subframes. Each subframe may include one or more time slots. In some examples, each time slot may include 7 or 14 symbols, depending on the time slot format. The subframe may also include micro-time slots, which typically have fewer symbols than the entire time slot. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0077] In certain aspects, the number of time slots within a subframe is based on the time slot configuration and the parameter set. For example, for time slot configuration 0, different parameter sets (μ) 0 to 5 allow for 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 time slots per subframe, respectively. For time slot configuration 1, different parameter sets 0 to 2 allow for 2, 4, and 8 time slots per subframe, respectively. Thus, for time slot configuration 0 and parameter set μ, there are 14 symbols / time slot and 2μ time slots / subframe. The subcarrier spacing and symbol length / duration are a function of the parameter set. The subcarrier spacing may be equal to 2 μ × 15kHz, where μ is parameter set 0 to 5. Thus, parameter set μ=0 has a subcarrier spacing of 15kHz, and parameter set μ=5 has a subcarrier spacing of 480kHz. The symbol length / duration is inversely related to the subcarrier spacing. Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C and Figure 4D An example is provided for slot configuration 0 with 14 symbols per slot and parameter set μ=2 with 4 slots per subframe. The slot duration is 0.25 ms, the subcarrier spacing is 60 kHz, and the symbol duration is approximately 16.67 μs.

[0078] like Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C and Figure 4D As depicted in , a resource grid can be used to represent a frame structure. Each time slot includes a resource block (RB) (also called a physical RB (PRB)) extending, for example, 12 consecutive subcarriers. The resource grid is divided into a plurality of resource elements (REs). The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0079] like Figure 4A As illustrated, some REs carry Figure 1 and Figure 3The RS may include a demodulation RS (DMRS) and / or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) for channel estimation at the UE. The RS may also include a beam measurement RS (BRS), a beam refinement RS (BRRS), and / or a phase tracking RS (PT-RS).

[0080] Figure 4B Examples of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame are illustrated.The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) carries DCI within one or more Control Channel Elements (CCEs), each CCE comprising, for example, nine RE Groups (REGs), each REG comprising, for example, four consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol.

[0081] The primary synchronization signal (PSS) may be in symbol 2 of a particular subframe of a frame. The PSS is transmitted by a UE (e.g., Figure 1 and Figure 3 104) is used to determine subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identification.

[0082] A Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) may be within symbol 4 of a particular subframe of a frame. The SSS is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identity group number and radio frame timing.

[0083] Based on the physical layer identifier and the physical layer cell identifier group number, the UE can determine the physical cell identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the aforementioned DMRS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the master information block (MIB) can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form a synchronization signal (SS) / PBCH block. The MIB provides the system frame number (SFN) and the number of RBs in the system bandwidth. The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information (such as system information blocks (SIBs)) that is not sent via the PBCH, and / or paging messages.

[0084] like Figure 4CAs illustrated, some REs carry DMRS (indicated as R for one particular configuration, but other DMRS configurations are possible) for channel estimation at a network entity (e.g., a base station). The UE may send a DMRS for PUCCH and a DMRS for PUSCH. The PUSCH DMRS may be sent, for example, in the first one or two symbols of the PUSCH. The PUCCH DMRS may be sent in different configurations depending on whether a short PUCCH or a long PUCCH is sent and depending on the specific PUCCH format used. The UE 104 may send a sounding reference signal (SRS). The SRS may be sent, for example, in the last symbol of a subframe. The SRS may have a comb structure, and the UE may send the SRS on one of the comb structures in the comb structure. The SRS may be used by a network entity (e.g., a base station) for channel quality estimation to achieve frequency-dependent scheduling on the UL.

[0085] Figure 4D Examples of various UL channels within a subframe of a frame are illustrated. The PUCCH may be located at a position as indicated in one configuration. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), rank indicator (RI), and HARQ ACK / NACK feedback. The PUSCH carries data and may additionally be used to carry a buffer status report (BSR), a power headroom report (PHR), and / or UCI.

[0086] Overview of beam failure detection and recovery procedures

[0087] Beamforming is the application of multiple radiating elements sending the same signal at the same wavelength and phase, which combine to create a single antenna with a longer, more targeted stream formed by strengthening the waves in a specific direction. Increasing the number of radiating elements that make up the antenna narrows the resulting beam. The signal processing technique known as beamforming allows the gNB to deliver targeted data beams to users, reducing interference and using spectrum with increased efficiency.

[0088] Beamforming can be achieved by changing the phase of the incoming signal across all radiating elements. The phase shift allows the signal to be aimed in a specific direction and / or aimed at a specific receiver. As the endpoint moves, the direction of the signal transmission is dynamically configured by a network entity (e.g., a base station) in order to effectively track the user. If the beam cannot track the user, the endpoint can switch to a different beam.

[0089] A 5G base station (e.g., gNB) can perform beam scanning by using a different downlink (DL) beam for each synchronization signal block (SSB). The user equipment (UE) will then detect the best beam from the gNB and inform the gNB of the selection by using a specific physical random access channel (PRACH) resource mapped to each DL beam.

[0090] In certain scenarios, the radio link between the UE and the gNB is susceptible to blockage and degradation of the radio frequency (RF) signal, which may interrupt the communication link, resulting in beam failure. The UE may be configured with a mechanism to measure sudden or rapid changes in the communication link to detect beam failure and allow recovery.

[0091] As described above, for beam failure detection (BFD), the UE measures a BFD-RS, such as a periodic channel state information reference signal (P-CSI-RS) or an SSB quasi-co-located (QCL) with a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) demodulation reference signal (DMRS). Based on the BFD-RS measurement, the UE can determine whether the beam failure trigger condition is met.

[0092] In some cases, when reporting BFD, the UE may identify new candidate beams (to facilitate beam failure recovery). In some cases, the UE may try to find a new beam pair on which the connection can be restored. To achieve this, the UE may be configured with a resource set consisting of a set of P-CSI-RS or alternatively a set of SSBs. In practice, each of these RSs is transmitted within a specific downlink beam. In this way, a resource set corresponds to a set of candidate beams.

[0093] In some cases, the detection of a predefined number of beam failures (BFD instances) may trigger a BFR procedure for the candidate beam (PRACH), also known as a beam failure recovery request (BFRQ). The predefined number of beam failures that trigger the procedure may be defined by a parameter (e.g., beamFailureInstanceMaxCount) via radio resource control (RRC) signaling. In some cases, the gNB may respond to the BFRQ (RACH response) via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) scrambled by a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI).

[0094] In a typical BFR procedure, the UE measures the physical layer (layer 1) reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) on the reference signals (RS) corresponding to a set of candidate beams. If the L1-RSRP exceeds a certain configured target, it is assumed that the reference signal corresponds to a beam through which a connection can be restored. In other words, this essentially makes L1-RSRP a metric for evaluating candidate beams.

[0095] Aspects related to UE indication of assistance information in blocking prediction reports

[0096] As previously mentioned, one potential problem with existing BFR procedures is that they are reactive in that a beam failure event occurs first and then the UE reacts by sending a BFRQ to initiate a BFR procedure. However, aspects of the present disclosure allow the UE to predict a beam blocking event and proactively indicate the prediction to a network entity (e.g., a base station). In other words, over time, the same beam may go from being unblocked to being blocked at some point and later return to being unblocked.

[0097] In some cases, the UE may indicate a set of candidate beams that would be better alternatives (e.g., less likely to be blocked) during a beam block blocking event. This information may provide more visibility to the UE and network entities (e.g., base stations), which may result in avoiding and / or reducing future beam blocking events. Thus, system performance may be improved and service disruptions for performing BFR may be avoided.

[0098] For reference Figure 5 The call flow diagram 500 of FIG. 5 is used to understand the procedure proposed in this document for active beam blocking prediction by a UE.

[0099] As illustrated, the UE may communicate with a network entity (e.g., a component of a gNB or a decomposed base station) using one or more beams. As illustrated, at 510, the UE may predict a future (e.g., upcoming) beam blocking event involving one or more of the beams. Based on the prediction, the UE may proactively indicate the prediction to the network entity.

[0100] For example, the UE may send assistance information based on predicted future blocking events. Based on the sent assistance information, at 520, the UE and the network entity may perform beam switching (eg, to a candidate beam indicated via the assistance information) for subsequent communications.

[0101] FIG. 6A to FIG. 6D Example scenarios are illustrated where, for active beam blocking, the predictions presented herein may be beneficial in minimizing the impact of a blocking entity passing between a UE and a network entity. While the illustrated examples involve a blocking entity moving in the path of a beam pair, similar blocking events may occur due to movement of the UE or more generally due to any relative movement between the UE and the blocking entity that results in the path between the transmit and receive beam pairs being blocked.

[0102] like Fig. 6A As illustrated, as the blocking entity (e.g., a truck) enters the vicinity, the UE and the network entity initially communicate via network entity beam #4. As the blocking entity continues to approach, as shown in FIG. Figure 6BAs illustrated, the UE may predict that the existing beam (network entity beam #4) is about to be blocked.

[0103] Based on the prediction, the UE may indicate to the network entity that the (current) serving beam will be blocked, and may indicate one or more candidate beams that may be (predicted to be) less affected by the predicted blocking event. Figure 6B As illustrated, given the blocking entity location and the direction of travel, the UE may indicate beam 3 as a candidate beam.

[0104] In some cases, the UE may also include additional information for the predicted candidate beams, such as the corresponding predicted L1-RSRP value. Reporting the predicted L1-RSRP value may lead to better results than reporting the current L1-RSRP value. For example, if only the current L1-RSRP value is reported, network beams 5, 6, or 7 (currently not blocked) may be selected, even though these beams are likely to be blocked soon given the blocking entity direction and trajectory. Conversely, although network beam 3 may have a lower L1-RSRP value than network beams 5, 6, or 7, its predicted L1-RSRP value is higher.

[0105] Therefore, if Figure 6C As shown, when a predicted blocking event occurs, the UE and the network entity may switch to network beam 3. As illustrated, the UE may switch to a corresponding receive beam (essentially to a different transmit and receive beam pair).

[0106] Proactively switching to a beam pair with predicted candidate beams may help avoid service disruption that would occur if the UE waited until a blocking event was actually detected and then performed the BFR procedure.

[0107] like Fig.6D As illustrated, when the blocking entity passes by (and leaves the vicinity), the UE and network entity may switch back to the original beam pair (with network entity beam 4) used before the blocking event was predicted.

[0108] As illustrated in the above examples, a UE that is able to predict an impending beam blocking event may proactively indicate the prediction to a network entity and prevent or reduce the impending beam failure or accelerate beam failure recovery procedures. As described above, the predicted parameters (e.g., UE assistance information provided in a blocking prediction report) may represent a new type of reporting metric for candidate beams (rather than the current L1-RSRP measurement) that may be utilized when deciding which candidate beam to select for communication in the event of a predicted impending blocking event. Such metrics may provide unique advantages, such as giving the UE and gNB greatly increased visibility, which may result in avoiding future beam blocking events (or reducing their adverse effects).

[0109] In some cases, the auxiliary information provided with the blocking prediction report may indicate the probability that a given beam in the candidate set will be blocked (e.g., due to one or more blocking entities passing by). The probability may be calculated for all beams in the candidate set of the prediction indicated in the report or only some of the beams. As indicated with reference to the above examples, the probability that a given beam will be blocked may be calculated based at least in part on the trajectory of one or more blocking entities.

[0110] The probabilities may be reported with different levels of granularity. For example, the probabilities are reported with values ​​ranging from 0 to 1, where a value at or close to 1 indicates that the UE has a high confidence that a given candidate beam will be blocked soon.

[0111] In some scenarios, a given candidate beam may have a high predicted reference signal received power (RSRP) when a predicted blocking event will occur, but the candidate beam has a high blocking probability after the current predicted blocking event. To account for such scenarios, the network entity may configure a specific blocking probability threshold for the UE (e.g., in addition to the L1-RSRP target). If the blocking probability of a candidate beam is greater than the threshold, the UE may not report the candidate beam, regardless of how high the predicted RSRP of the beam is for the predicted blocking event.

[0112] The auxiliary information accompanying the candidate beam sets may include information about the trajectory of the blocking entity, such as the estimated moving direction of the UE relative to the blocking entity or the estimated speed of the UE relative to the blocking entity. In some cases, the estimated direction of the blocking entity may be reported in terms of a quantized normalized global direction (e.g., N, S, E, W, NW, NE, SW, and SE).

[0113] The moving direction of the blocking entity may be inferred at the UE by a UE sensor (eg, a camera). For example, the UE may be configured to analyze a series of consecutive images to infer the moving direction of the blocking entity.

[0114] As an alternative, the direction of movement of the blocking entity may be inferred at the UE using RF measurements over time. In some cases, this inference may be performed using a machine learning (ML) algorithm. For example, this inference may be performed by training a neural network that takes as input measurements of multiple gNB beams over time as the blocking entity passes by. The output of the neural network may be the direction of the blocking entity. The quantized direction may be inferred from the camera input in the training phase or may be provided manually in an offline training phase.

[0115] In some cases, a blocking entity (such as FIG. 6A to FIG. 6DThe UE may also provide different signatures over time based on the gNB beam measurements (e.g., a truck moving from left to right or right to left as depicted in the figure). These different signatures can be used for direction prediction purposes. If the UE can predict the direction of the blocking entity early enough, it may be able to indicate this to the network along with the predicted blocking report.

[0116] In some cases, the network entity may make beam switching decisions based on the assistance information provided in the predicted blocking report. By associating beams with directions, the gNB may be able to avoid beams in the direction of a moving blocking entity. For example, if the blocking entity is moving eastward, the UE may report this direction information, and the gNB may choose not to use the beam pointing eastward when, for example, the serving line of sight (LOS) beam is about to be blocked. Thus, the gNB may avoid not only predicted blocking events, but also potential future blocking events (which may have already occurred) following the current predicted blocking event.

[0117] In some cases, the auxiliary information may include information about the blocking entity. Such information may be transmitted for each potential future blocking entity for multiple blocking bodies.

[0118] As examples of the types of information that may be reported about an obstructing entity, the auxiliary information may include information about one or more of the size, shape, type, or height of the obstructing entity. Such information may be inferred by analyzing the camera image. The types of information reported may be defined (e.g., in a standard specification). In some cases, the size may be provided at a relatively coarse granularity, e.g., in terms of small, medium, and large.

[0119] In some cases, the auxiliary information may include information about the speed of one or more blocking entities. In this case, the speed may be provided at a relatively coarse granularity, for example, as slow, medium, or fast. The estimated speed of the blocking entity may be calculated by analyzing consecutive images of the blocking body over a certain time window. The estimated speed of the blocking entity may also be calculated by training a neural network that outputs an estimated speed after taking as input the gNB beam measurements over the time window.

[0120] Example Operation of User Equipment

[0121] Figure 7 shows a method for use by a UE such as Figure 1 and Figure 3 Method 700 for wireless communication with UE 104.

[0122] Method 700 begins at 705, where one or more beams are used to communicate with a network entity. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to the operation of Fig. 9 The described communication circuit may be or may be performed by the communication circuit.

[0123] Method 700 then proceeds to step 710, where assistance information based on a predicted future blocking event involving at least one of the one or more beams is sent to a network entity. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to as described in reference Fig. 9 The described auxiliary information transmitting circuit may be performed by the auxiliary information transmitting circuit.

[0124] In some aspects, the assistance information includes an indication of at least one candidate beam that is predicted to be less affected by the predicted future blocking event than at least one of the one or more beams associated with the predicted future blocking. In some aspects, the assistance information includes at least one of: a predicted RSRP for the at least one candidate beam; or a calculated blocking probability that the at least one candidate beam will be blocked in the future blocking event.

[0125] In some aspects, the method 700 also includes calculating the blocking probability of the at least one candidate beam. The blocking probability may be calculated, for example, based on the estimated moving direction and speed of the blocking entity (and / or UE). In some cases, other factors may be considered, such as the size, shape, or type of the candidate beam (including the service beam) of the blocking entity. In some cases, the blocking probability may be calculated based on the predicted L1-RSRP of the beam (including the service beam) in one or more future time instances. In this case, the blocking probability of a given beam may be calculated by calculating the probability that the predicted L1-RSRP of the beam will exceed the threshold value by less than the threshold value for a given duration (e.g., of the prediction window). In some aspects, the method 700 also includes selecting at least one candidate beam to be included in the auxiliary information based on the calculated blocking probability being less than or equal to the threshold value. In some aspects, the threshold value is configured by a network entity. For example, the network entity may configure the threshold value via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, which configures the UE for predicted blocking reports.

[0126] In some aspects, the future blocking event involves movement of at least one blocking entity. In some aspects, the assistance information indicates at least one of: an estimated direction of movement of the UE relative to the blocking entity; or an estimated speed of the UE relative to the blocking entity. Alternatively, the assistance information indicates at least one of: an estimated direction of movement of the blocking entity relative to the UE; or an estimated speed of the blocking entity relative to the UE.

[0127] In some aspects, method 700 also includes determining at least one of an estimated moving direction or an estimated speed based on a series of measurements performed over time. In some aspects, measurement includes at least one of an RF measurement performed by an RF circuit or a sensor measurement performed by one or more sensors. For example, in some cases, the estimated moving direction of the blocking entity can be determined by interpolating the azimuth changes from two measurements. The estimated moving direction can be determined by interpolating the direction line from the first measurement azimuth of the blocking entity to the second measurement azimuth. In this case, the estimated speed of the blocking entity can be determined by dividing the length of the interpolation line by the duration between two measurements. In some aspects, measurement includes sensor measurement (e.g., image sensor measurement), and at least one of the estimated moving direction or the estimated speed is determined based on a series of continuous images of the blocking entity using the above-mentioned technology.

[0128] In some aspects, at least one of the estimated direction of movement or the estimated speed is determined based on an ML algorithm applied to a series of RF measurements over time; and the ML algorithm is trained using measurements of a plurality of network entity beams taken by the RF circuit over time as the blocking entity moves. In some cases, the ML algorithm may utilize the above techniques to determine the estimated direction of movement or the estimated speed.

[0129] In some aspects, the assistance information indicates at least one of an estimated size, an estimated shape, an estimated type, or an estimated height of the blocking entity. In some cases, these estimated characteristics may be determined based on an ML algorithm. In some cases, these estimated characteristics may be extrapolated based on measurements and / or training data. These estimated characteristics may be used to assign blocking probabilities to candidate beams. In some cases, the dimensions of known objects may be obtained from a database. In this case, if the UE is able to identify the object, it may retrieve the dimensions from the database. In some cases, the estimated height and / or width of the blocking entity (along with the blocking entity trajectory) may be considered when determining whether or when a blocking entity may actually block a transmit and receive beam pair.

[0130] In one aspect, method 700 or any aspect related thereto may be performed by an apparatus such as Fig. 9 The method 700 is performed by a communication device 900, which includes various components that are operable, configured, or adapted to perform the method 700. The communication device 900 is described in more detail below.

[0131] It should be noted that Figure 7 This is merely one example of a method, and other methods including fewer, additional, or alternative steps may be consistent with the present disclosure.

[0132] Example Operations of Network Entities

[0133] Figure 8 shows a method for use by network entities such as Figure 1 and Figure 3 BS 102 or as relative to Figure 2 A method 800 of performing wireless communications with a decomposed base station is discussed.

[0134] Method 800 begins at 805, where one or more beams are used to communicate with a UE. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to the operation of Fig.10 The described communication circuit may be or may be performed by the communication circuit.

[0135] Method 800 then proceeds to step 810, where assistance information based on a predicted future blocking event involving at least one of the one or more beams is received from the UE. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to as described in reference Fig.10 The described UE auxiliary information processing circuit may be performed by the UE auxiliary information processing circuit.

[0136] In some aspects, the assistance information includes an indication of at least one candidate beam that is predicted to be less affected by the predicted future blocking event than the one or more beams. In some aspects, the assistance information includes at least one of: a predicted RSRP for the at least one candidate beam; or a calculated blocking probability that the at least one candidate beam will be blocked in a future blocking event.

[0137] In some aspects, the method 800 also includes configuring a threshold for the UE to use when selecting at least one candidate beam based on the calculated blocking probability. For example, if the UE determines that the calculated blocking probability for a candidate beam exceeds the configured blocking probability threshold, the UE may not select (indicate) the beam. Instead, the UE may select one or more other candidate beams that are less likely to be blocked in the future.

[0138] In some aspects, the method 800 further comprises performing a beam switch to the at least one candidate beam. In some aspects, the method 800 further comprises communicating with the UE using the at least one candidate beam after the beam switch.

[0139] In some aspects, the future blocking event involves movement of at least one blocking entity between the UE and a network entity, or movement of the UE such that at least one blocking entity is between the UE and the network entity; and the assistance information indicates at least one of an estimated size, an estimated shape, an estimated type, or an estimated height of the blocking entity.

[0140] In one aspect, method 800 or any aspect related thereto may be performed by an apparatus such as Fig.10The method 800 is performed by a communication device 1000, which includes various components that are operable, configured, or adapted to perform the method 800. The communication device 1000 is described in more detail below.

[0141] It should be noted that Figure 8 This is merely one example of a method, and other methods including fewer, additional, or alternative steps may also be consistent with the present disclosure.

[0142] Example Communication Device

[0143] Fig. 9 Depicted are aspects of an example communications device 900. In some aspects, the communications device 900 is user equipment, such as described above with respect to Figure 1 and Figure 3 UE 104 is described.

[0144] The communication device 900 includes a processing system 905 coupled to a transceiver 965 (e.g., a transmitter and / or a receiver). The transceiver 965 is configured to transmit and receive signals for the communication device 900, such as the various signals described herein, via an antenna 970. The processing system 905 may be configured to perform processing functions for the communication device 900, including processing signals received and / or to be transmitted by the communication device 900.

[0145] The processing system 905 includes one or more processors 910. In various aspects, such as with respect to Figure 3 As depicted, the one or more processors 910 may represent one or more of the receive processor 358, the transmit processor 364, the TX MIMO processor 366, and / or the controller / processor 380. The one or more processors 910 are coupled to the computer-readable medium / memory 935 via a bus 960. In certain aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 935 is configured to store instructions (e.g., computer-executable code) that, when executed by the one or more processors 910, cause the one or more processors 910 to perform operations with respect to the computer-readable medium / memory 935. Figure 7 The described method 700 or any aspect related thereto. It should be noted that references to a processor performing a function of the communication device 900 may include one or more processors 910 performing that function of the communication device 900.

[0146] In the depicted example, the computer readable medium / memory 935 stores codes (e.g., executable instructions) such as communication code 940, auxiliary information transmission code 945, auxiliary information processing code 950, and mobility processing code 955. The processing of the communication code 940, the auxiliary information transmission code 945, the auxiliary information processing code 950, and the mobility processing code 955 may cause the communication device 900 to perform operations with respect to Figure 7The described method 700 or any aspect related thereto.

[0147] The one or more processors 910 include circuits configured to implement (e.g., execute) code stored in the computer-readable medium / memory 935, including circuits such as communication circuit 915, auxiliary information transmission circuit 920, auxiliary information processing circuit 925, and mobility processing circuit 930. Processing using the communication circuit 915, auxiliary information transmission circuit 920, auxiliary information processing circuit 925, and mobility processing circuit 930 may enable the communication device 900 to perform operations with respect to Figure 7 The described method 700 or any aspect related thereto.

[0148] The various components of the communication device 900 may be provided for performing Figure 7 The described method 700 or any aspect thereof may include means for sending, transmitting, or outputting for sending. Figure 3 The transceiver 354 and / or antenna 352 and / or Fig. 9 The transceiver 965 and antenna 970 of the communication device 900 in FIG. 1 may include Figure 3 The illustrated transceiver 354 and / or antenna 352 and / or Fig. 9 The transceiver 965 and antenna 970 of the communication device 900 in FIG.

[0149] In accordance with some aspects, communication circuitry 915 communicates with a network entity using one or more beams. In accordance with some aspects, assistance information transmission circuitry 920 transmits assistance information based on a predicted future blocking event involving at least one of the one or more beams to the network entity.

[0150] In some aspects, the assistance information includes an indication of at least one candidate beam that is predicted to be less affected by the predicted future blocking event than the one or more beams. In some aspects, the assistance information includes at least one of: a predicted RSRP for the at least one candidate beam; or a calculated blocking probability that the at least one candidate beam will be blocked in a future blocking event.

[0151] According to some aspects, the auxiliary information processing circuit 925 calculates a blocking probability for at least one candidate beam. In some examples, the auxiliary information processing circuit 925 selects at least one candidate beam to include in the auxiliary information based on the calculated blocking probability being less than or equal to a threshold. In some aspects, the threshold is configured by a network entity. In some aspects, the future blocking event involves movement of at least one blocking entity.

[0152] In some aspects, the assistance information indicates at least one of: an estimated direction of movement of the UE relative to the blocking entity; or an estimated speed of the UE relative to the blocking entity. According to some aspects, the mobility processing circuit 930 determines at least one of the estimated direction of movement or the estimated speed based on a series of measurements taken over time. In some aspects, the measurements include at least one of RF measurements made by the RF circuit or sensor measurements made by one or more sensors. In some aspects, the measurements include sensor measurements; the sensor measurements include image sensor measurements; and at least one of the estimated direction of movement or the estimated speed is determined based on a series of consecutive images of the blocking entity. In some aspects, at least one of the estimated direction of movement or the estimated speed is determined based on an ML algorithm applied to a series of RF measurements over time; and the ML algorithm is trained using measurements of multiple network entity beams taken over time by the RF circuit as the blocking entity moves.

[0153] In some aspects, the assistance information indicates at least one of an estimated size, an estimated shape, an estimated type, or an estimated height of the blocking entity.

[0154] Fig.10 Various aspects of an example communications device 1000 are depicted. In some aspects, communications device 1000 is a network entity such as Figure 1 and Figure 3 BS 102 or as relative to Figure 2 The decomposed base station in question.

[0155] The communication device 1000 includes a processing system 1005 coupled to a transceiver 1065 (e.g., a transmitter and / or a receiver) and / or a network interface 1075. The transceiver 1065 is configured to transmit and receive signals for the communication device 1000 via an antenna 1070, such as the various signals described herein. The network interface 1075 is configured to transmit and receive signals for the communication device 1000 via a communication link, such as the various signals described herein with respect to Figure 2 The described backhaul link, midhaul link and / or fronthaul link are used to obtain and transmit signals for the communication device 1000. The processing system 1005 may be configured to perform processing functions of the communication device 1000, including processing signals received and / or to be transmitted by the communication device 1000.

[0156] The processing system 1005 includes one or more processors 1010. In various aspects, such as with respect to Figure 3As described, the one or more processors 1010 may represent one or more of the receive processor 338, the transmit processor 320, the TX MIMO processor 330, and / or the controller / processor 340. The one or more processors 1010 are coupled to the computer-readable medium / memory 1035 via the bus 1060. In some aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 1035 is configured to store instructions (e.g., computer-executable code) that, when executed by the one or more processors 1010, cause the one or more processors 1010 to perform operations with respect to the computer-readable medium / memory 1035. Figure 8 The described method 800 or any aspect related thereto. It should be noted that reference to a processor of the communication device 1000 performing a function may include one or more processors 1010 of the communication device 1000 performing that function.

[0157] In the depicted example, the computer readable medium / memory 1035 stores codes (e.g., executable instructions) such as communication code 1040, UE assistance information processing code 1045, UE configuration code 1050, and UE beam management code 1055. Processing of the communication code 1040, UE assistance information processing code 1045, UE configuration code 1050, and UE beam management code 1055 may cause the communication device 1000 to perform operations with respect to the communication device 1000. Figure 8 The described method 800 or any aspect related thereto.

[0158] The one or more processors 1010 include circuits configured to implement (e.g., execute) code stored in the computer-readable medium / memory 1035, including circuits such as the communication circuit 1015, the UE auxiliary information processing circuit 1020, the UE configuration circuit 1025, and the UE beam management circuit 1030. Processing using the communication circuit 1015, the UE auxiliary information processing circuit 1020, the UE configuration circuit 1025, and the UE beam management circuit 1030 may cause the communication device 1000 to perform operations such as those described above with respect to Figure 8 The described method 800 or any aspect related thereto.

[0159] The various components of the communication device 1000 may be provided for performing the following operations: Figure 8 Means for sending, transmitting, or outputting for sending may include: Figure 3 The illustrated transceiver 332 and / or antenna 334 and / or Fig.10 The transceiver 1065 and antenna 1070 of the communication device 1000 in FIG. 1064 may include Figure 3 The illustrated transceiver 332 and / or antenna 334 and / or Fig.10The transceiver 1065 and antenna 1070 of the communication device 1000.

[0160] In accordance with some aspects, the communication circuitry 1015 communicates with the UE using one or more beams. In accordance with some aspects, the UE assistance information processing circuitry 1020 receives assistance information from the UE based on a predicted future blocking event involving at least one of the one or more beams.

[0161] In some aspects, the assistance information includes an indication of at least one candidate beam that is predicted to be less affected by the predicted future blocking event than the one or more beams. In some aspects, the assistance information includes at least one of: a predicted RSRP for the at least one candidate beam; or a calculated blocking probability that the at least one candidate beam will be blocked in a future blocking event.

[0162] According to some aspects, the UE configuration circuit 1025 configures the UE with a threshold used when selecting at least one candidate beam based on the calculated blocking probability.

[0163] According to some aspects, the UE beam management circuit 1030 performs beam switching to at least one candidate beam. In some examples, the communication circuit 1015 communicates with the UE using the at least one candidate beam. In some aspects, the future blocking event involves movement of at least one blocking entity; and the assistance information indicates at least one of an estimated size, an estimated shape, an estimated type, or an estimated height of the blocking entity.

[0164] Sample Clauses

[0165] Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0166] Clause 1: A method of wireless communication by a UE, the method comprising: communicating with a network entity using one or more beams; and sending auxiliary information to the network entity based on a predicted future blocking event involving at least one of the one or more beams.

[0167] Clause 2: A method as described in clause 1, wherein the assistance information includes an indication of at least one candidate beam, the at least one candidate beam being predicted to be less affected by the predicted future blocking event than the one or more beams.

[0168] Clause 3: A method according to clause 2, wherein the auxiliary information comprises at least one of: a predicted RSRP for the at least one candidate beam; or a calculated blocking probability that the at least one candidate beam will be blocked in the future blocking event.

[0169] Clause 4: The method according to Clause 2 further comprises: calculating a blocking probability of the at least one candidate beam; and selecting the at least one candidate beam to be included in the auxiliary information based on the calculated blocking probability being less than or equal to a threshold.

[0170] Clause 5: The method of clause 4, wherein the threshold is configured by a network entity.

[0171] Clause 6: A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 5, wherein the future blocking event involves movement of at least one blocking entity relative to the UE, movement of the UE relative to the at least one blocking entity, or movement of the UE and the at least one blocking entity relative to each other.

[0172] Clause 7: A method as described in clause 6, wherein the assistance information indicates at least one of: an estimated direction of movement of the UE and the blocking entity relative to each other; or an estimated speed of the UE and the blocking entity relative to each other.

[0173] Clause 8: The method of clause 7, further comprising determining at least one of the estimated direction of movement or the estimated speed based on a series of measurements taken over time.

[0174] Clause 9: The method of clause 8, wherein the measurements comprise at least one of RF measurements made by RF circuitry or sensor measurements made by one or more sensors.

[0175] Clause 10: A method according to clause 9, wherein: the measurements include the sensor measurements; the sensor measurements include image sensor measurements; and at least one of the estimated direction of movement or the estimated speed is determined based on a series of consecutive images of the blocking entity.

[0176] Clause 11: A method according to clause 9, wherein: at least one of the estimated direction of movement or the estimated speed is determined based on an ML algorithm applied to a series of RF measurements over time; and the ML algorithm is trained using measurements of multiple network entity beams taken by the RF circuit over time as the blocking entity moves.

[0177] Clause 12: The method of clause 6, wherein: the auxiliary information indicates at least one of: an estimated size, an estimated shape, an estimated type, or an estimated height of the blocking entity.

[0178] Clause 13: A method of wireless communication by a network entity, the method comprising: communicating with a UE using one or more beams; and receiving assistance information from the UE based on a predicted future blocking event involving at least one of the one or more beams.

[0179] Clause 14: The method of clause 13, wherein the assistance information comprises an indication of at least one candidate beam predicted to be less affected by the predicted future blocking event than the one or more beams.

[0180] Clause 15: A method according to clause 14, wherein the auxiliary information comprises at least one of: a predicted RSRP for the at least one candidate beam; or a calculated blocking probability that the at least one candidate beam will be blocked in the future blocking event.

[0181] Clause 16: A method according to clause 14, the method further comprising: configuring a threshold for the UE to use when selecting the at least one candidate beam based on the calculated blocking probability.

[0182] Clause 17: The method of clause 14, further comprising: performing a beam switch to the at least one candidate beam; and communicating with the UE using the at least one candidate beam after performing the beam switch.

[0183] Clause 18: A method according to any of clauses 13 to 17, wherein the future blocking event involves movement of at least one blocking entity relative to the UE, movement of the UE relative to the at least one blocking entity, or movement of the UE and the at least one blocking entity relative to each other.

[0184] Clause 19: A processing system, the processing system comprising: a memory, the memory comprising computer-executable instructions; one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to execute the computer-executable instructions and cause the processing system to perform a method according to any one of clauses 1 to 18.

[0185] Clause 20: A processing system comprising means for performing the method according to any one of clauses 1 to 18.

[0186] Clause 21: A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a processing system, cause the processing system to perform the method of any one of clauses 1 to 18.

[0187] Clause 22: A computer program product embodied on a computer readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising code for performing the method according to any one of clauses 1 to 18.

[0188] Additional considerations

[0189] The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. The examples discussed herein are not limited to the scope, applicability or aspects set forth in the claims. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the functions and arrangements of the elements discussed may be changed. Each example may ignore, replace or add each procedure or component as appropriate. For example, the described method may be performed in a different order than the described order, and various actions may be added, omitted or combined. In addition, features equivalent to some example descriptions may be combined in some other examples. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein may be used to implement a device or practice method. In addition, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover such devices or methods practiced using other structures, functionality, or structures and functionality that are supplemented or substituted for the various aspects of the present disclosure set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of the present invention.

[0190] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the present disclosure may be implemented or performed using a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device (PLD), 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 commercially available processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor 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, a system on a chip (SoC), or any other such configuration.

[0191] As used herein, a phrase referring to "at least one of" a list of items refers to any combination of those items (including single members). As an example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc, as well as any combination with multiple identical elements (e.g., aa, aaa, aab, aac, abb, acc, bb, bbb, bbc, cc, and ccc, or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

[0192] As used herein, the term "determining" encompasses a wide variety of actions. For example, "determining" may include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, searching (e.g., searching in a table, a database, or another data structure), ascertaining, and the like. Moreover, "determining" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), and the like. In addition, "determining" may include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and the like.

[0193] The method disclosed herein includes one or more actions for implementing the method. The method actions can be interchangeable with each other without departing from the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of actions is specified, the order and / or use of specific actions can be modified without departing from the scope of the claims. In addition, the various operations of the method described above can be performed by any appropriate component that can perform the corresponding function. The component may include various hardware and / or software components and / or modules, including but not limited to circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or processors.

[0194] The following claims are not intended to be limited to the various aspects shown herein, but should be given the full scope consistent with the language of the claims. Within the claims, unless otherwise specified, reference to an element in the singular form is not intended to mean "one and only one", but "one or more". Unless otherwise specified, the term "some" refers to one or more. Any claim element is not interpreted according to the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112 (f) unless the element is explicitly stated using the phrase "member for...". All structural and functional equivalents of the elements of the various aspects described throughout the present disclosure that are known or will be known later to a person of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be covered by the claims. In addition, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public, regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly stated in the claims.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: communicating with a network entity using one or more beams; as well as Assistance information based on predicted future blocking events involving at least one of the one or more beams is sent to the network entity. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the assistance information comprises an indication of at least one candidate beam predicted to be less affected by the predicted future blocking event than the one or more beams.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the auxiliary information comprises at least one of the following: a predicted reference signal received power (RSRP) of the at least one candidate beam; or A calculated blocking probability that the at least one candidate beam will be blocked in the future blocking event.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: calculating a blocking probability of the at least one candidate beam; as well as The at least one candidate beam is selected to be included in the assistance information based on the calculated blockage probability being less than or equal to a threshold. The method of claim 4 , wherein the threshold is configured by a network entity.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The future blocking event involves movement of at least one blocking entity relative to the UE, movement of the UE relative to the at least one blocking entity, or movement of the UE and the at least one blocking entity relative to each other.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the assistance information indicates at least one of: an estimated direction of movement of the UE and the blocking entity relative to each other; or an estimated speed of the UE and the blocking entity relative to each other.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: At least one of the estimated direction of movement or the estimated speed is determined based on a series of measurements taken over time.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the measurements include at least one of radio frequency (RF) measurements made by RF circuitry or sensor measurements made by one or more sensors.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: said measurements comprising said sensor measurements; The sensor measurements include image sensor measurements; and The at least one of the estimated direction of movement or the estimated speed is determined based on a series of consecutive images of the blocking entity.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The at least one of the estimated direction of movement or the estimated speed is determined based on a machine learning (ML) algorithm applied to a series of RF measurements over time; and The ML algorithm is trained using measurements of multiple network entity beams made by the RF circuit over time as the blocking entity moves.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the auxiliary information indicates at least one of: An estimated size, an estimated shape, an estimated type, or an estimated height of the blocking entity.

13. A method for wireless communication by a network entity, the method comprising: communicating with a user equipment (UE) using one or more beams; as well as Assistance information based on a predicted future blocking event related to at least one of the one or more beams is received from the UE.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the assistance information comprises an indication of at least one candidate beam predicted to be less affected by the predicted future blocking event than the one or more beams.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the auxiliary information comprises at least one of: a predicted reference signal received power (RSRP) of the at least one candidate beam; or A calculated blocking probability that the at least one candidate beam will be blocked in the future blocking event.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising: The UE is configured with a threshold for use in selecting the at least one candidate beam based on the calculated blocking probability.

17. The method according to claim 14, further comprising: performing a beam switch to the at least one candidate beam; as well as Communicating with the UE using the at least one candidate beam after performing the beam switching.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein: The future blocking event involves movement of at least one blocking entity relative to the UE, movement of the UE relative to the at least one blocking entity, or movement of the UE and the at least one blocking entity relative to each other.

19. A user equipment (UE) configured for wireless communication, the user equipment (UE) comprising: a memory including computer executable instructions; and one or more processors configured to execute the computer-executable instructions and cause the UE to: communicating with a network entity using one or more beams; as well as Assistance information based on predicted future blocking events involving at least one of the one or more beams is sent to the network entity.

20. A network entity configured for wireless communication, the network entity comprising: a memory including computer executable instructions; and one or more processors configured to execute the computer executable instructions and cause the network entity to: communicating with a user equipment (UE) using one or more beams; as well as Assistance information based on a predicted future blocking event related to at least one of the one or more beams is received from the UE.

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