Method and node for reporting UE antenna group

Abstract

A method performed by a user equipment (UE) configured with a plurality of transmit antenna ports (NTXs) is provided. The method comprises: transmitting an indication of the number of groups of transmit antenna ports to a network node, wherein each group of transmit ports comprises one or more of the configured transmit antenna ports; and receiving an indication of a configuration for transmitting data to the network node, the configuration being based on the number of transmit antenna port groups.

Description

[0001] Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 334,906, entitled “Explicit and Implicit Reporting of UE Antenna Groups,” filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on April 26, 2022, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 336,333, entitled “Common Phases of User Equipment (UE) Antenna Groups,” filed with the USPTO on April 29, 2022; the contents of both are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless networks and, more particularly, to techniques for data transmission from a UE having a relatively large number of antennas (eg, eight). Background Art

[0004] UL transmission / precoding scheme

[0005] The channel that carries data in the NR UL is called the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). In NR, there are two possible waveforms that can be used for PUSCH: Cyclic Prefix (CP)-Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT)-S-OFDM. In addition, there are two transmission schemes specified for PUSCH: Codebook-based (CB) precoding and Non-Codebook-based (NCB) precoding.

[0006] The next generation or NR NodeB (gNB) configures the transmission scheme in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) through the higher layer parameter txConfig in the PUSCH-Config Information Element (IE). CB-based transmission can be used for non-calibrated user equipment (UE) and / or frequency division duplex (FDD), i.e. UL / DL reciprocity does not need to be maintained. On the other hand, NCB-based transmission relies on UL / DL reciprocity and is therefore intended for time division duplex (TDD).

[0007] CB-based precoding

[0008] If the higher layer parameter txConfig is set to "codebook", CB-based PUSCH is enabled. For dynamically scheduled PUSCH with configuration grant type 2, CB-based PUSCH transmission can be summarized in the following steps:

[0009] 1. The UE sends a sounding reference signal (SRS) configured in an SRS resource set, where the higher layer parameter usage in the SRS-Config IE is set to "codebook". Up to two SRS resources (for testing up to two virtualizations / beams / panels) can be configured in an SRS resource set, each with up to four ports.

[0010] 2. The gNB determines the number of layers (or rank) and the preferred precoder, i.e., the transmit precoding matrix index (TPMI), from the codebook subset based on the received SRS from one of the SRS resources. The codebook subset is configured via the higher layer parameter codebookSubset based on the reported UE capabilities and is one of the following:

[0011] a. Fully coherent ("fullyAndPartialAndNonCoherent"), or

[0012] b. Partially coherent ("partialAndNonCoherent"), or

[0013] c. Non-Coherent (“nonCoherent”),

[0014] 3. If two SRS resources are configured in the SRS resource set, the gNB indicates the selected SRS resource via a 1-bit SRS Resource Indicator (SRI) field in the Downlink Control Information (DCI) that schedules the PUSCH transmission. If only one SRS resource is configured in the SRS resource set, the SRI field is not indicated in the DCI.

[0015] 4. The gNB indicates the number of layers and TPMI via DCI. The demodulation (DM)-RS port(s) associated with the layer(s) are also indicated in the DCI.

[0016] 5. The UE performs PUSCH transmission through the antenna port corresponding to the SRS port in the indicated SRS resource.

[0017] 3GPP TS 38.212 provides different tables regarding precoding information and the number of layers for different antenna ports, such as Table 7.3.1.1.2-2, Table 7.3.1.1.2-3, Table 7.3.1.1.2-4, and Table 7.3.1.1.2-5.

[0018] For a given number of layers, the TPMI field indicates the precoding matrix that the UE should use for PUSCH. In a first example, if the number of antenna ports is 4, the number of layers is 1, and if transform precoding is disabled, the set of possible precoding matrices is shown in Table 6.3.1.5-3 of 3GPP TS 38.211. In a second example, if the number of antenna ports is 4, the number of layers is 4, and if transform precoding is disabled, the set of possible precoding matrices is shown in Table 6.3.1.5-7.

[0019] NCB-based precoding

[0020] NCB-based UL transmission is used for reciprocity-based UL transmission, in which SRS precoding is derived at the UE based on the channel state information (CSI)-RS received in the DL. Specifically, the UE measures the received CSI-RS and infers the appropriate precoder weights for (one or more) SRS transmissions, thereby generating one or more (virtual) SRS ports, each (virtual) SRS port corresponding to a spatial layer.

[0021] The UE may be configured with up to four SRS resources in an SRS resource set, each with a single (virtual) SRS port, with the higher layer parameter usage in the SRS-Config IE set to "non-codebook". The UE sends up to four SRS resources, and the gNB measures the UL channel and determines the preferred SRS resource(s) based on the received SRS. Next, the gNB indicates the selected SRS resources via the SRI field in the DCI, and the UE uses this information to precode the PUSCH with a transmission rank equal to the number of indicated SRS resources (and therefore the number of SRS ports).

[0022] SRS

[0023] In NR, SRS is used to provide CSI to the gNB in ​​the UL. Uses of SRS include, for example, deriving appropriate transmit / receive beams and / or performing link adaptation (i.e., setting the transmission rank and modulation and coding scheme (MCS)), as well as for selecting DL (e.g., for physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission) and UL (e.g., for PUSCH transmission) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) precoding.

[0024] In Long Term Evolution (LTE) and NR, SRS is configured via RRC, where part of the configuration can be updated (to reduce latency) via Media Access Control (MAC)-Control Element (CE) signaling. The configuration includes, for example, SRS resource allocation (physical mapping and sequence to use) and time domain behavior (aperiodic, semi-persistent, or periodic). For aperiodic SRS transmission, the RRC configuration does not activate SRS transmission from the UE, but a dynamic activation trigger is sent in the DL from the gNB via a DCI in the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), which instructs the UE to send SRS once at a predetermined time.

[0025] When configuring SRS transmission, the gNB configures SRS resource sets and sets of SRS resource sets through the SRS-Config IE, where each SRS resource set contains one or more SRS resources. SRS resources are configured in RRC (see 3GPP TS 38.331 version 16.1.0).

[0026] SRS resources are configurable for, for example:

[0027] 1. The number of SRS ports (1, 2, or 4), configured by the RRC parameter nrofSRS-Ports.

[0028] 2. Transmission comb (i.e. mapped to every 2nd or 4th subcarrier), configured by the RRC parameter transmissionComb, which includes:

[0029] a. Specify the comb offset (ie which of the combs should be used) configured by the RRC parameter combOffset.

[0030] b. Cyclic shift configured by the RRC parameter cyclicShift, which configures the (port specific, for multi-port SRS resources) cyclic shift for the Zadoff-Chu sequence used for SRS. The use of cyclic shift increases the number of SRS resources that can be mapped to the comb (because SRS sequences are designed to be (almost) orthogonal under cyclic shift), but there is a limit on the number of cyclic shifts that can be used (8 for comb 2 and 12 for comb 4).

[0031] 3. The time domain position within a given time slot is configured using the RRC parameter resourceMapping, which includes:

[0032] a. The time domain starting position, which is limited to one of the last 6 symbols (in NR Rel-15) or any one of the 14 symbols in a time slot (in NR Rel-16), is configured by the RRC parameter startPosition.

[0033] b. The number of symbols used for SRS resources (can be set to 1, 2 or 4), configured by the RRC parameter nrofSymbols.

[0034] c. Repetition factor (can be set to 1, 2 or 4), configured by the RRC parameter repetitionFactor. When the repetition factor is greater than 1, the same frequency resource is used multiple times across symbols to improve coverage because this allows the receiver to collect more energy.

[0035] 4. The sounding bandwidth, frequency domain position and offset, and frequency hopping mode (i.e., which part of the transmission bandwidth is occupied by the SRS resource) of the SRS resource are set by the RRC parameters freqDomainPosition, freqDomainShift, and freqHopping parameters c-SRS, b-SRS, and b-hop. The minimum possible sounding bandwidth is 4 RBs.

[0036] 5. The RRC parameter resourceType determines whether the SRS resources are sent periodically, aperiodically (single transmission triggered by DCI), or semi-persistently (same as periodic, except that the start and stop of periodic transmission are controlled by MAC-CE signaling instead of RRC signaling).

[0037] 6. The RRC parameter sequenceId specifies how to initialize the SRS sequence.

[0038] 7. The RRC parameter spatialRelationInfo configures the spatial relationship of the SRS beam relative to another RS ​​(which can be another SRS, a synchronization signal block (SSB), or a CSI-RS). If an SRS resource has a spatial relationship with another SRS resource, the SRS resource should be sent using the same beam as the indicated SRS resource (i.e., virtualization).

[0039] The SRS resource set is configured in RRC (see 3GPP TS 38.331 version 16.1.0).

[0040] (One or more) SRS resources will be sent as part of an SRS resource set, where all SRS resources in the same SRS resource set must share the same resource type. The SRS resource set is configurable for, for example, the following:

[0041] 1. For aperiodic SRS, the slot offset is configured by the RRC parameter slotOffset and sets the delay from the reception of the PDCCH trigger to the start of SRS transmission.

[0042] 2. The resource usage configured by the RRC parameter usage sets constraints and assumptions on resource properties (see 3GPP TS38.214 for more details). SRS resource sets can be configured with one of four different usages: "antennaSwitching", "codebook", "nonCodebook" and "beamManagement".

[0043] 3. SRS resource sets configured with purpose "antenna switching" are used for reciprocity-based DL precoding (i.e., used to sound the channel in UL so that the gNB can use reciprocity to set a suitable DL precoder). The UE is expected to send one SRS port per UE antenna port.

[0044] a. SRS resource sets configured with a usage "codebook" are used for CB-based UL transmissions (i.e., for detecting different UE antennas and helping the gNB determine / signal the appropriate UL precoder, transmission rank and MCS for PUSCH transmissions). There are up to two SRS resources in an SRS resource set with a usage "codebook". However, how the SRS ports are mapped to the UE antenna ports depends on the UE implementation and is unknown to the gNB.

[0045] b. The set of SRS resources configured with usage "non-codebook" is used for NCB based UL transmission. Specifically, the UE sends one SRS resource for each candidate beam (the suitable candidate beam is determined by the UE based on CSI-RS measurements in DL, and therefore reciprocity needs to be preserved). The gNB can then determine which UL beam or beams the UE should apply for PUSCH transmission by indicating a subset of these SRS resources. One UL layer will be sent for each indicated SRS resource. Note that how the UE maps SRS ports to antenna ports depends on the UE implementation and is unknown to the gNB.

[0046] 4. The associated CSI-RS for each possible resource type (this configuration is only applicable for NCB based UL transmissions).

[0047] a. For aperiodic SRS, the associated CSI-RS resource is set by the RRC parameter csi-RS.

[0048] b. For semi-persistent / periodic SRS, the associated CSI-RS resource is set by the RRC parameter associatedCSI-RS.

[0049] In summary, the SRS resource set configuration determines, for example, the usage, power control, and time slot offset for aperiodic SRS. The SRS resource configuration determines the time-frequency allocation, periodicity and offset, sequence, and spatial relationship information. Summary of the invention

[0050] There is a challenge or challenges at the moment.

[0051] Traditional NR supports three different UE coherence capabilities: full coherence, partial coherence, and non-coherence. A fully coherent 4-transmit (Tx) UE can maintain coherence on all 4 transmit ports, a partially coherent UE can maintain coherence within each pair of transmit ports, where the pair of ports is typically assumed to be mapped to two different polarizations of the same antenna element, and a non-coherent UE cannot maintain coherence between transmit ports.

[0052] Note that there are many possible antenna architectures for a UE equipped with 8 (or more) Tx chains, and the existing (i.e., in legacy NR) UE capability signaling is not sufficient to describe all such 8 (or more) Tx UE antenna architectures, as explained below.

[0053] Figure 1 For a 4Tx UE, it is illustrated how a single transport layer can be connected to 4 antenna ports depending on the UE coherence capability. For the purpose of this disclosure, an antenna port can be considered equivalent to an antenna element or a transceiver chain. A fully connected precoding matrix is ​​supported for fully coherent UEs, while only antenna pair selection (with co-phase within an antenna pair) and antenna selection are supported for partially coherent UEs and non-coherent UEs, respectively. For example, Figure 1 Shown are a non-coherent UE 10 whose 4 antenna ports are not connected to each other, a partially coherent UE 20 with 2 antenna ports connected to each other, and a fully coherent UE 30 whose 4 antenna ports are fully connected to each other.

[0054] Existing UE coherence capabilities are not sufficient to cover all possible UE architectures for 8Tx UEs. For example, an 8Tx UE may be able to maintain coherence over a set of 1, 2, 4, or 8 Tx chains, and it is unclear whether a partially coherent UE can maintain coherence within each of two transmit port quaternaries or within each pair of four transmit port pairs. In order to optimize the performance of 8Tx UEs, this ambiguity needs to be resolved so that, for example, a suitable set of precoding matrices can be signaled to the UE.

[0055] Certain aspects of the present disclosure and embodiments thereof may provide solutions to these or other challenges.

[0056] A method for a UE to provide information about the UE antenna architecture and / or coherence or to signal the coherence properties of an antenna system with an arbitrary number of antenna elements is provided.

[0057] For example, the UE reports the number of antenna port groups (e.g., N) to the network (e.g., to the gNB). g ) or a set (e.g. N g =[N g,0 ,N g,1 ,…,N g,G-1 ]), for this antenna port group:

[0058] - the antenna ports within each group can be assumed to be coherent, and

[0059] - Antenna ports in different groups cannot be assumed to be coherent.

[0060] The number of groups may be signaled explicitly or implicitly.

[0061] In addition, the UE may report supported power scaling methods for one or more antenna port groups.

[0062] For example, a method is provided in which a plurality of transmitting antenna ports (N TX ). The method may include: sending an indication of a number of transmit antenna port groups to a network node, wherein each transmit port group includes one or more of the configured transmit antenna ports; and receiving an indication of a configuration for sending data to the network node, the configuration being based on the number of transmit antenna port groups. A UE configured to perform the method is also provided. In addition, a method is provided in a network node. The method may include: receiving a plurality of transmit antenna ports (N) from a UE configured with a plurality of transmit antenna ports (N) TX ) receives an indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups for a UE; and determines a configuration for the UE to send data, the configuration being determined based on the indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups; and sends an indication of the determined configuration to the UE. A network node configured to perform the method is also provided.

[0063] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages.

[0064] By receiving a report containing information about the number of antenna port groups from, for example, an 8Tx UE, the gNB can make correct and explicit assumptions about the UE’s antenna architecture and coherence performance capabilities when configuring for UL transmissions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0065] Exemplary embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to the following drawings, in which:

[0066] Figure 1 An example of UE coherence capability for a 4Tx UE (single layer transmission) is illustrated.

[0067] Figure 2 Examples of possible UE antenna architectures for a 6Tx UE with 1, 3 or 6 groups are illustrated.

[0068] Figure 3 Examples of possible UE antenna architectures for an 8Tx UE with 1, 2, 4 or 8 groups are illustrated.

[0069] Figure 4 An example of a UE architecture with an asymmetric group is illustrated.

[0070] Figure 5 An exemplary flow chart of a method in a UE according to an embodiment is illustrated.

[0071] Figure 6 An example of a flow chart of a method in a network node according to an embodiment is illustrated.

[0072] Figure 7 The signaling between the UE and the RAN node according to the embodiment is illustrated.

[0073] Figure 8-9 An exemplary UE Tx architecture including two antenna groups (AGs), each with four antenna elements, is shown according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0074] Fig.10 A flow chart of an exemplary method for a UE according to an embodiment is shown.

[0075] Fig.11 A flow chart of an exemplary method for a RAN node (e.g., base station, eNB, gNB, ng-eNB, etc.) according to various embodiments is shown.

[0076] Fig.12 An example of a communication system according to the embodiment is shown.

[0077] Fig.13 A schematic diagram of a UE according to an embodiment is shown.

[0078] Fig.14 A schematic diagram showing a network node according to an embodiment is shown.

[0079] Fig.15 A block diagram of a host computer is illustrated.

[0080] Fig.16 A block diagram illustrating a virtualized environment is illustrated.

[0081] Fig.17 A communication diagram showing the host. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0082] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.The embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0083] UE antenna port grouping

[0084] In the first example, the UE is configured with / has N TX Transmit antenna ports. An "antenna port" is a 3GPP-defined abstraction of one or more physical antenna elements used to transmit signals and any beamforming applied to those elements for transmission. For example, even if two signals are transmitted using the same physical antenna elements, if they are beamformed / virtualized differently (e.g., with different antenna weights), they will correspond to different antenna ports because the beamforming will cause the signals to experience different channels.

[0085] N at UE TX The transmit ports can be divided into N g non-overlapping groups (i.e., antenna ports {0,1,…,N TX -1}), for N g non-overlapping groups:

[0086] 1) The antenna ports within each group can be assumed to be coherent, and

[0087] 2) Antenna ports in different groups cannot be assumed to be coherent.

[0088] For example, the UE may be configured to perform antenna group splitting. TX ∈{6,8} UE (transmit) antenna ports are divided into N g An example of a UE antenna array architecture is provided for the case where there are 100 groups of antenna ports. Note that this is for illustrative purposes only: the method is equally applicable to any number of antenna ports.

[0089] For simplicity, it is assumed that for the case when there is more than one antenna port in an antenna port group, the antenna elements within the antenna port group are dual polarized. In addition, it is assumed that the antenna elements within the group are organized in a uniform array, i.e., a uniform linear array (ULA) or a uniform planar array (UPA).

[0090] For example, assume that all groups contain the same number of antenna ports. Under these assumptions, the possible UE antenna architectures for 6Tx and 8Tx UEs are Figure 2 and Figure 3 In Figure 2 For 6 Tx UE, N g∈{1,3,6}. In other words, Figure 2 Possible UE antenna architectures for a 6Tx UE with 1, 3 or 6 groups are shown. In this example, the first polarization is shown as a horizontal bar and the second polarization is shown as a vertical bar.

[0091] Figure 3 The diagram shows a method for having 1, 2, 4 or 8 groups (ie N g Here, the first polarization is again shown as a horizontal bar and the second polarization is again shown as a vertical bar.

[0092] For each case ( Figure 2 or Figure 3 ), each group has N TX / N g Note that different antenna port groups may not be in the same location and may point in different directions.

[0093] Note that for 8Tx (and with the above assumptions), there are two possible UE antenna array architectures: UPA (such as Figure 3 ) and ULA as shown in the left portion of . Figure 3 Only the UPA case for 8Tx UE is illustrated.

[0094] In one example, not all groups contain the same number of antenna ports. Figure 4 Two examples of such asymmetric UE architectures are provided in . Figure 4 A UE architecture with an asymmetric group is illustrated, where a first polarization is shown as a horizontal bar and a second polarization is shown as a vertical bar.

[0095] In this case, regardless of N TX What is the value of N? g ∈{1,2,…,N TX However, there must be a common assumption between the network and the UE about which antenna ports belong to which group.

[0096] For example, for N TX =6 and N g =2 (see Figure 4), it can be assumed that the first four ports (e.g., the four SRS ports with the lowest SRS port numbers, e.g., {0,3,2,3}) belong to the first group (where the first group can be, for example, the antenna port group with the largest number of antenna ports), and the last two ports (i.e., the two SRS ports with the highest SRS port numbers, e.g., {4,5}) belong to the second group (where the second group can be, for example, the antenna port group with the smallest number of antenna ports). It should be noted that "SRS port" is the SRS signal sent on the antenna port.

[0097] Thus, the association of SRS ports with antenna port groups may be based on defining a specific order of SRS ports and a certain order of antenna port groups, and wherein there is an association between a first SRS port and a first antenna port of a first antenna group, an association between a second SRS port and a second antenna port of the first antenna group, and so on, until all antenna ports in the first antenna group are associated with an SRS port, and then the next SRS port is associated with the first antenna port of the second antenna group, and so on, until all antenna ports in all antenna port groups have been associated with an SRS port. The ordering of the SRS ports may be based, for example, on the SRS port number (sorted in descending or ascending order). The ordering of the antenna port groups may be based on an explicitly indicated antenna group number signaled during UE capability signaling, or based on the number of antenna ports in each antenna group (sorted in descending or ascending order based on the number of ports in each antenna group).

[0098] Explicit reporting of UE antenna port groups

[0099] In some examples, N TX A UE with multiple transmit ports explicitly signals / reports the individual number of antenna port groups (or simply groups) to the network (e.g., to the serving gNB) via, for example, UE capability signaling.

[0100] For example, if N TX The port UE reported groups, the gNB can assume that the number of groups at the UE is And this is the only number of groups supported. If all groups must contain the same number of antenna elements, the gNB can assume that there are N antenna elements in each group. TX / N g ports.

[0101] In another example, an N TX The UE with 100 antenna elements explicitly signals / reports the number of antenna port groups to the network (e.g., to the serving gNB) via, for example, UE capability signaling. Specifically, let N g ∈[N g,0 ,Ng,1 ,…,N g,G-1 ] represents the set of antenna port groups reported by the UE. If the cardinality of this set is greater than one, the gNB may assume that the UE supports more than one antenna array architecture, which may affect, for example, the set of valid TPMI candidates. For example, consider a UE reporting N g =[2,4] with N TX =8, for which the gNB may assume that the UE supports both groups 2 and 4.

[0102] Implicit reporting of UE antenna port groups

[0103] In one example, the number of UE antenna port groups may be inferred by the gNB based on the reported number of transmit ports and the UE coherence capabilities. In fact, the UE may send / report an extended set of UE coherence capabilities, where each coherence capability corresponds to a single or multiple number of antenna port groups.

[0104] If the UE reports that it is non-coherent (and thus can only be configured with the higher layer parameter "codebookSubset" set to "nonCoherent"), then regardless of N TX The number of groups supported is N, regardless of the value of g =N TX .

[0105] If the UE reports that it is fully coherent (i.e., the UE may be configured with a higher layer parameter "codebookSubset" set to one of "nonCoherent", "partialAndNonCoherent" or "fullyAndPartialAndNonCoherent"), then the number of groups supported (assuming equal-sized groups) is N TX =6 for N g =[1,3,6], or for N Tx =8 for N g =[1,2,4,8].

[0106] For example, for an 8Tx UE equipped with fully coherent ULA or UPA (note that this may be a realistic assumption, e.g., for high-end consumer peripheral equipment (CPE) / fixed wireless access (FWA) devices), more than one group (i.e., N g =1) may result in additional overhead since the gNB is expected to signal the TPMI corresponding to the fully connected precoding matrix to exploit the array gain provided by the UE antenna array.

[0107] Thus, in one example, possible values ​​for the higher layer parameter "codebookSubset" may include a new value, such as "fullyCoherent", with an associated new UE coherence capability indicating N g =1.

[0108] In one example, if the UE reports that it is partially coherent (i.e., the UE may be configured with a higher layer parameter “codebookSubset” set to one of “nonCoherent” or “partialAndNonCoherent”) and N Tx =6, then the number of groups supported (assuming groups of equal size) is N g =[3,6].

[0109] In addition, for N Tx = 6, possible values ​​for the higher layer "codebookSubset" may include a new value (e.g., "partialCoherent") with an associated new UE coherence capability indicating N g =3.

[0110] If the UE reports that it is partially coherent (i.e., the UE may be configured with a higher layer parameter "codebookSubset" set to one of "nonCoherent" or "partialAndNonCoherent") and N Tx =8, then there are possible ways to interpret the number of groups supported by the UE:

[0111] - For example, for N Tx = 8, if the higher layer parameter “codebookSubset” is set to “partialAndNonCoherent” (after the UE has reported that it is partially coherent), the gNB assumes that the number of groups supported is N g =[2,4,8].

[0112] - In another example, for N Tx = 8, if the higher layer parameter “codebookSubset” is set to “partialAndNonCoherent” (after the UE has reported that it is partially coherent), the gNB assumes that the number of groups supported is N g =[2,8].

[0113] - In another example, for N Tx= 8, if the higher layer parameter “codebookSubset” is set to “partialAndNonCoherent” (after the UE has reported that it is partially coherent), the gNB assumes that the number of groups supported is N g =[4,8].

[0114] - In another example, for N Tx = 8, the higher layer parameter "codebookSubset" can be set to additional (relative to legacy NR) values, including for example:

[0115] a. “partial2Coherent”: gNB assumes N g =2.

[0116] b. “partial4Coherent”: gNB assumes N g =4.

[0117] c. “partial2CoherentAndNonCoherent”: gNB assumes N g =[2,8].

[0118] d. “partial4CoherentAndNonCoherent”: gNB assumes N g =[4,8].

[0119] - For each new entry in "codebookSubset", there is a corresponding UE coherence capability, which is signaled from the UE to the gNB via UE capability signaling.

[0120] In one example, with N Tx UE with multiple transmit ports (where N Tx It can be 6 or 8) The number of antenna port groups is implicitly signaled to the network via UE capability signaling by indicating the maximum number of SRS resources supported in the SRS resource set with the purpose "codebook" (where the number of SRS resources is equal to the number of antenna port groups). In other words, the UE sends / reports the maximum number of SRS resources supported in the SRS resource set with the purpose "codebook".

[0121] In another example, the UE sends / reports the maximum number of supported SRS resource sets with usage "codebook" and / or "nonCodebook", where the number of SRS resource sets is equal to the number of antenna port groups.

[0122] Explicit reporting of UE power scaling methods

[0123] Depending on the power amplifier architecture used for the antenna array, different power scaling methods may be applied, such as Rel-15 power scaling methods and / or Rel-16 full power modes 0, 1 and 2. Depending on which power scaling mode is assumed to be used for the antenna array, different TPMI sets may be enabled. Therefore, in the case of the introduction of antenna port groups for 6Tx and 8Tx UEs, it may be beneficial to signal which full power mode the UE supports for each antenna port group. Therefore, in one example, the power scaling methods supported by the UE are explicitly signaled for each antenna port group. For example, in the case where all antenna port groups have the same number of antenna elements and the same power amplifier architecture, the UE may indicate the supported power scaling methods only once, and the gNB may assume that it applies to all antenna port groups. The gNB may then configure the UE with a specific power scaling method for each antenna port group (based on which power scaling methods are supported by each antenna port group). This is useful because different antenna port groups require more / different overhead signaling but will provide higher performance and vice versa, so it may be useful for the gNB to control which power control mode should be assumed for a specific antenna port group to balance performance vs overhead signaling.

[0124] In other words, the UE explicitly signals the transmit power capability associated with one or more antenna port groups. TX A UE with multiple transmit antenna ports may explicitly signal the supported coherence capabilities and / or power scaling methods supported for one or more antenna port groups via UE capability signaling.

[0125] Explicit reporting of maximum UE transmit power

[0126] Depending on the power amplifier architecture used for the antenna array, the maximum transmit power for each antenna port group may be different. Depending on the maximum transmit power mode assumed for the antenna array, different TPMI sets may be enabled. Therefore, with the introduction of antenna port groups, it may be beneficial to signal the maximum transmit power supported by the UE for each antenna port group. The maximum transmit power may be provided as the maximum effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) or the total radiated power (TRP). Therefore, in one example, the maximum transmit power supported by the UE may be explicitly signaled for each antenna port group.

[0127] Now, go to Figure 5 , will describe the UE (eg Fig.12 1212A) is a flowchart of a method 100 for indicating the number of antenna port groups by a UE to a network node. The UE is configured with multiple transmit antennas (NTX ), for example, 8. The method 100 includes:

[0128] Step 110: Sending an indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups to a network node, wherein each transmit port group includes one or more of the configured transmit antenna ports; and

[0129] Step 120: Receive an indication of a configuration for sending data to a network node, the configuration being based on the number of transmit antenna port groups.

[0130] In some examples, for example, the indication may be explicit, meaning that the number of antenna port groups is provided (it may be 1, 2, 3 or 4).

[0131] In some examples, the indication is implicit, meaning that a coherence capability is provided and based on the coherence capability the network node may determine the number of antenna port groups.The number of SRS resources or SRS resource sets may also indicate the number of antenna port groups to the network node.

[0132] In some examples, the indication of the configuration may include an indication of a precoder for use by the UE. In some examples, the indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups may include an indication of a single group of transmit antenna ports. In some examples, the indicated number of single antenna port groups indicates that the UE is fully coherent. In some examples, the number of transmit antenna port groups may include an indication of multiple groups of transmit antenna ports. In some examples, the number of transmit antenna port groups is 2 or 4, which indicates that the UE is partially coherent. In some examples, when N TX When N is 8, the number of transmit antenna port groups is 8, which indicates that the UE is non-coherent. In some examples, sending an indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups may include sending UE capability signaling including the indication. In some examples, transmit antenna ports within each transmit antenna port group are assumed to be coherent, and transmit antenna ports in different transmit antenna port groups are assumed to be non-coherent. In some examples, multiple groups contain the same number of transmit antenna ports. In this case, if N g is the number of transmit antenna port groups, then the number of transmit antenna ports in each group is given by N TX / N gGiven. In some examples, multiple transmit antenna port groups contain different numbers of transmit antenna ports. In some examples, the UE can associate a group of SRS ports with a transmit antenna port group based on the ordering of the SRS ports within the SRS resource set. In some examples, the ordering of the SRS ports is based on the SRS port number. In some examples, the ordering of the SRS ports is based on the SRS resource ID of the SRS resources in the SRS resource set. In some examples, sending an indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups may include sending an indication of coherent performance capability. For example, the indication of coherent performance capability includes one of incoherent capability, fully coherent capability, and partially coherent capability. In some examples, the number of transmit antenna ports (N TX ) may be 8. In some examples, sending an indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups may include sending an indication of the maximum number of SRS resources supported in an SRS resource set with a "usage" set to a codebook. In some examples, sending an indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups may include sending the maximum number of SRS resource sets supported with a "usage" set to a codebook and / or non-codebook. In some examples, the UE may send an indication of a power scaling method for one or more transmit antenna port groups to a network node. In some examples, the UE may send a maximum transmit power. In some examples, the UE may send information related to the number of transmit antenna port groups. For example, the information may include an indication of the co-phase capability between transmit antenna port groups. In some examples, the UE may receive a layer permutation indication from a network node.

[0133] Figure 6 The diagram shows a network node (eg, a RAN node such as Fig.12 1210A) is performed in the method 200 for determining a configuration parameter / configuration for UL transmission for a UE. The UE is configured with multiple transmit antennas (N TX ), for example, 8. The method 200 includes:

[0134] Step 210: From a device configured with multiple transmitting antennas (N TX ) of a UE receiving an indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups;

[0135] Step 220: Determine a configuration for the UE to transmit data, the configuration being determined based on an indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups; and

[0136] Step 230: Send an indication of the determined configuration to the UE.

[0137] In some examples, for example, the indication may be explicit, meaning that the number of antenna port groups is provided (it may be 1, 2, 3 or 4).

[0138] In some examples, the indication is implicit, meaning that a coherence capability is provided and based on the coherence capability the network node may determine the number of antenna port groups.The number of SRS resources or SRS resource sets may also indicate the number of antenna port groups to the network node.

[0139] In some examples, the indication of the configuration may include an indication of a precoder for use by the UE. In some examples, the indication of the number of receive transmit antenna port groups may include an indication of a single group of receive transmit antenna ports. In this case, the single antenna port group indicates that the UE is fully coherent. In some examples, the number of receive transmit antenna port groups may include an indication of multiple groups of receive transmit antenna ports. In some examples, the number of transmit antenna port groups is 2 or 4, which indicates that the UE is partially coherent. In some examples, when N TX When N is 8, the number of transmit antenna port groups is 8, which indicates that the UE is non-coherent. In some examples, receiving an indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups may include receiving UE capability signaling including the indication. In some examples, transmit antenna ports within each transmit antenna port group are assumed to be coherent, and transmit antenna ports in different transmit antenna port groups are assumed to be non-coherent. In some examples, multiple groups contain the same number of transmit antenna ports. In this case, if N g is the number of transmit antenna port groups, then the number of transmit antenna ports in each group is given by N TX / N g is given. In some examples, multiple transmit antenna port groups contain different numbers of transmit antenna ports. In some examples, receiving an indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups may include receiving an indication of coherent performance capability. For example, the indication of coherent performance capability may include one of non-coherent capability, full coherent capability, and partial coherent capability. In some examples, a network node may receive an indication of the maximum number of SRS resources supported in an SRS resource set with a "usage" set to a codebook. In some examples, a network node may receive a maximum number of SRS resource sets supported by a "usage" set to a codebook and / or a non-codebook. In some examples, a network node may receive an indication of a power scaling method for one or more transmit antenna port groups to the network node. In some examples, a network node may receive a maximum transmit power. In some examples, a network node may receive information related to the number of transmit antenna port groups. For example, the information may include an indication of the co-phase capability between transmit antenna port groups. In some examples, a network node may send a layer permutation indication to a UE.

[0140] As mentioned above, for NR Rel-18, it is desirable to support up to 8 ports (and more than) 4 layers for CB-based UL transmissions. Nevertheless, different UEs supporting 8 antenna ports for UL transmissions may utilize different UE transmit antenna architectures. For example, an eight-Tx UE may be equipped with multiple antenna groups pointing in different directions and / or with different coherence capabilities. Different UEs may have different numbers of antenna port groups, different numbers of antenna ports per group, etc. Depending on the specific UE transmit antenna architecture and the instantaneous UL channel between the UE and the gNB, a wide range of UL codebooks and / or UL precoders will be required to obtain the desired UE UL performance. However, for such a wide range of possible UE antenna architectures, it is unclear how to design the UL codebook and / or indicate the UL precoder. For example, the objective of the Rel-17 work item is to study and, where justified, specify UL DMRS, SRS, SRS Resource Indicator (SRI), and TPMI (including codebook) enhancements to enable UE UL operation with eight transmitters (Tx) to support four or more layers, particularly in applications targeting customer premises equipment (CPE), fixed wireless access (FWA), vehicles, and industry. Potential limitations on the scope of this objective (e.g., coherence assumptions, full power / non-full power modes, etc.) will be determined as part of the study.

[0141] Therefore, the present disclosure also provides flexible and efficient techniques for an eight-Tx UE with multiple antenna groups (AGs), where each AG includes antenna elements with specific properties, such as mutual coherence, colocation, and pointing in the same direction, etc. Depending on the antenna architecture of the UE (e.g., the number of AGs, AGs pointing in different directions, the number of antenna elements per AG, etc.) and the UL channel experienced, it may be preferred to send UL signals on a single antenna group or multiple AGs with or without co-phasing of the layers sent on the corresponding AGs. For example, some embodiments provide techniques indicating how to co-phase the precoder on one or more AGs in the AG. These embodiments are applicable to UEs with more than 8 Tx antennas. It should be noted that, as described above, an AG is equivalent to a transmit antenna port group. These terms can be used interchangeably.

[0142] Embodiments may also provide various benefits and / or advantages. For example, they may facilitate increased PUSCH output power and / or increased antenna gain by achieving co-phasing between different antenna groups, which may improve UL performance in wireless networks.

[0143] Embodiments include methods (eg, processes) for a UE configured for UL transmission to a RAN using multiple AGs, each AG including multiple antenna elements.

[0144] Figure 7 A signaling diagram 300 between a UE (810) and a RAN node (820, such as a gNB) is shown, illustrating various embodiments. Figure 7 The operations shown in are given with numerical labels, but this is done to facilitate the following explanation and is not intended to require or imply any order unless stated to the contrary below.

[0145] In optional operation 810, the UE sends UE capability information to the RAN node, which includes an "antenna group information" field or IE. For example, the antenna group information indicates common capabilities between different AGs of the UE.

[0146] In operation 820 , the RAN node configures a UL codebook and a corresponding SRS configuration to the UE. This may be based on the antenna group information received in operation 810 , for example.

[0147] In operation 830, the UE performs SRS transmission according to the SRS configuration received in operation 820. Although not shown, the RAN node may also send a DCI (or similar message) that triggers SRS transmission. In operation 840, the RAN node determines a preferred UE UL configuration based on the SRS transmission received in operation 830. The preferred UL configuration may include one or more parameters or indexes, such as SRI (also referred to as SRSI), TPMI, co-phasing factor, and layer permutation indication.

[0148] In operation 850, the RAN node sends an indication of a preferred UL configuration to the UE. The indication may be a parameter or index determined in operation 840, or some representation of these parameters or indexes, such as an index, a codeword, etc. In operation 860, the UE selects a configuration from the UL codebook received in operation 820 based on the indication received in operation 850. In operation 870, the UE sends a PUSCH according to the selected configuration, which may be based on one or more parameters or indexes (e.g., SRI, TPMI, co-phasing factor, layer permutation indication, etc.) indicated by the RAN node in operation 850.

[0149] Figure 8 An exemplary UE Tx architecture including two AGs each having four antenna elements according to some embodiments is shown. Specifically, AG1 includes antenna elements A1-A4, and AG2 includes antenna elements A5-A8. Odd-numbered antenna elements are shown as horizontally polarized, and even-numbered antenna elements are shown as horizontally polarized, but this is for illustration purposes only.

[0150] exist Figure 8In , AG1 and AG2 are assumed to be non-coherent. A layer can be transmitted from a single AG or from two AGs, but in the latter case, cyclic delay diversity (CDD) can be applied to the layer on at least one of the AGs to reduce the risk of common phasing, which can degrade UL performance. The following description refers to the Figure 8 The architecture shown Figure 8 The operations shown in .

[0151] In these embodiments, the "antenna group information" signaled in operation 810 includes one or more of the following: the number of AGs, the number of antenna elements per AG, and the co-phase capability between AGs. In operation 820, the RAN node configures the UE with an SRS configuration for CB-based operation. For example, the UE is configured with a single SRS resource set with two 4-port SRS resources, one SRS resource per AG.

[0152] In operation 830, the UE sends two configured SRS resources, i.e., one 4-port SRS resource for each AG. In operation 840, the RAN node receives the two SRS resources and determines the precoder and rank for each AG, and whether co-phasing should be applied on the AG. More specifically, the RAN node determines whether each layer should be sent from a single AG or from two AGs, and in the latter case, whether co-phasing is required on the two AGs. For example, the RAN node determines that the same two PUSCH layers should be sent from two AGs, and each PUSCH layer should be co-phased by applying CDD on the two PUSCH layers sent from one of the AGs (e.g., AG2). In operation 850, the RAN node sends an indication of the determined SRI / TPMI and / or a co-phasing indication to the UE, and the UE sends the PUSCH accordingly in operation 870.

[0153] Fig. 9 Another exemplary UE Tx architecture including two AGs each having four antenna elements according to other embodiments is shown. Specifically, AG1 includes antenna elements A1-A4, and AG2 includes antenna elements A5-A8. Odd-numbered antenna elements are shown as horizontally polarized, and even-numbered antenna elements are shown as horizontally polarized, but this is for illustration purposes only.

[0154] exist Fig. 9 In the above description, it is assumed that AG1 and AG2 are coherent. A layer may be transmitted from a single AG or from two AGs, but in the latter case, CDD may be applied to the layer on at least one of the AGs. Alternatively or additionally, a coherent co-phasing factor may be used to coherently combine the layers transmitted from the two AGs. The following description refers to the Fig. 9 The architecture shown Figure 7 The operations shown in .

[0155] In these embodiments, the "antenna group information" signaled in operation 810 includes the number of AGs, the number of antenna elements per AG, and the co-phase capability between AGs. In operation 820, the RAN node configures the SRS configuration for CB-based operation to the UE. For example, the UE is configured with two SRS resource sets, each with 4-port SRS resources. Each SRS resource (and set) is associated with a different AG.

[0156] In operation 830, the UE sends two configured SRS resources, i.e., one 4-port SRS resource for each AG. In operation 840, the RAN node receives the two SRS resources and determines the precoder and rank for each AG, and whether co-phasing should be applied on the AG. More specifically, the RAN node determines whether each layer should be sent from a single AG or from two AGs, and in the latter case, whether co-phasing is required on the two AGs. For example, the RAN node determines that the same two PUSCH layers should be sent from two AGs, and each layer should be coherently co-phased on the two AGs. The RAN node also determines the per-layer phase difference required for co-phasing each layer sent from the two AGs. In operation 380, the RAN node sends an indication of the determined SRI / TPMI and / or a co-phasing indication to the UE, and the UE sends the PUSCH accordingly in operation 870.

[0157] When the legacy Rel-15 UL codebook for rank 2 with four antenna ports (specified in 3GPP TS 38.211 v17.1.0 Table 6.3.1.5-5) is reused for each AG, each TPMI is associated with a corresponding layer order. For example, if TPMI 14 ([1,1,1,1; 1,1,-1,-1]) is indicated for two TPMI / AGs, the first layer of each AG will have a precoder [1,1,1,1] and the second layer of each AG will have a precoder [1,1,-1,-1]. However, it may be desirable to co-phase a layer with a precoder [1,1,1,1] for a first TPMI / AG (e.g., AG1) with a predecoder [1,1,-1,-1] for a second TPMI / AG (e.g., AG2). However, since the layer order is inherent in the TPMIs from the Rel-15 NR UL codebook, this combination will not be possible.

[0158] In some embodiments, to improve co-phasing flexibility, the RAN node provides a layer permutation indication (LPI) to the UE, which indicates which layers sent from a first TPMI / AG should be co-phased with which layers sent from a second TPMI / AG. For example, for two AGs and two layers, an LPI with two code points (or values) is sufficient to indicate whether the order of the layers corresponding to one of the TPMI / AGs should be maintained (as usual) or switched. As a more specific example for TPMI 14, LPI=0 indicates a precoder [1,1,1,1; 1,1,-1,-1] for the first TPMI / AG (i.e., the layer order is maintained), and LPI=1 indicates a precoder [1,1,-1,-1; 1,1,1,1] for the first TPMI / AG (i.e., the layer order is switched). When the RAN node provides the LPI as part of the preferred UE UL configuration in operation 850, the UE sends the PUSCH accordingly in operation 870.

[0159] In some embodiments, for N g The co-phasing factors of the AGs are signaled from the RAN node to the UE via DCI. For example, a new DCI field (eg, co-phasing indicator CI) may be introduced for this purpose.

[0160] In some embodiments, the codepoint of the CI field corresponds to an index into the CB of the co-phase matrix. Each matrix has entries belonging to the K-PSK modulation alphabet (also called co-phase factors), where K is the constellation size. Specifically, for N co-phases with the K-PSK symbol g AG, for each transport layer there will be Therefore, for single-layer transmission, the number of CI bits required to signal the common phase vector is

[0161] For example, for single-layer transmission and K = 4 (4-PSK symbols), N g =2 AGs can be phased in four different ways, corresponding to the phase vectors {[1,1], [1,j], [1,-1], [1,-j]}. In this case, a two-bit CI field representing four code points can be used. The first CI code point can correspond to the first phase vector, the second CI code point can correspond to the second phase vector, and so on.

[0162] As another example, for K=8, N g=2 AGs can be phased in eight different ways, corresponding to the phase vectors {[1; 1], [1, (1 + j) / 2], [1, j], [1, (-1 + j) / 2], [1, -1], [1, (-1 - j) / 2], [1, -j], [1, (1 - j) / 2]}. In this example, a 3-bit CI field representing four code points can be used.

[0163] In some embodiments, the RAN node may configure the constellation size K, that the UE should use for the common phase factor. This may be done via RRC (e.g., Figure 8 In some embodiments, the UE may indicate (e.g., in Figure 8 The RAN node may determine the supported constellation size(s) in operation 810, and the RAN node may select the constellation size to be configured from the supported constellation sizes.

[0164] In other embodiments, when the UE antennas can be N g ∈{2,4,8} are grouped, according to the following, for N g The co-phase vector of corresponds to the vector used for single-layer transmission in the NR Rel-15 UL codebook:

[0165] N g =2: The fully coherent (FC) part of the 2-Tx codebook in 3GPP TS 38.211 Table 6.3.1.5-2 (ie, indexes 2-5) can be used to co-phase the two AGs, so that two bits can be used to indicate which of the four possible indices (and corresponding vectors) should be used.

[0166] N g =4: The FC part of the 4-Tx codebook in 3GPP TS 38.211 Table 6.3.1.5-3 (ie, indexes 12-27) can be used to co-phase the four AGs, so that four bits can be used to indicate which of the 16 possible indices (and corresponding vectors) should be used.

[0167] N g =8: The common phase factor can be obtained by to generate, where C2 and C4 are the FC parts of the 2-Tx and 4-Tx codebooks mentioned above, respectively. In this case, six bits may be used to indicate which of the 4x16=64 possible indices (and corresponding vectors) should be used.

[0168] In other embodiments, the size is N g The discrete Fourier transform (DFT) matrix of can be used to generate possible common phase vectors. For example, when the UE antennas can be N g= {2,3,4,5,6,7,8} When the various ways given are grouped, {1,2,2,3,3,3,3} bits are required to signal the possible N g Therefore, for N g =4, two bits are required to signal the co-phase vector.

[0169] In some embodiments, when the RAN node utilizes additional Bit Ways to explicitly indicate N to the UE a When the UE reports a subset of N active AGs, the RAN node may signal the common phase vector between the active AGs in any of the ways described above. g =4 and the RAN node selects N a =2 active AGs, three bits are needed to indicate the specific two active AGs out of the four total AGs. Alternatively, the active subset of a group may be implicitly signaled through SRI, for example, based on the corresponding relationship between active AGs and SRI code points.

[0170] The various features of the above-described embodiments correspond to Figure 10-11 The various operations shown in the figure, Figure 10-11 1 and 2 illustrate exemplary methods (eg, processes) for a UE and a RAN node, respectively. In other words, various features of the operations described below correspond to the various embodiments described above. In addition, Figure 10-11 The exemplary methods shown in can be used in conjunction to provide various benefits, advantages and / or solutions to the problems described herein. Figure 10-11 Certain blocks are shown in a particular order, but the operations of the exemplary methods may be performed in an order different from that shown and may be combined and / or divided into blocks having functions different from those shown. Optional blocks or operations are indicated by dashed lines.

[0171] Specifically, Fig.10 An exemplary method (e.g., process) for a UE configured for UL transmission to a RAN using multiple AGs, each AG including multiple antenna elements, according to some embodiments is shown. The exemplary method can be performed by a UE (e.g., a wireless device, an IoT device, etc.), such as described elsewhere herein.

[0172] An exemplary method may include one or more of the following operations, each of which is described in Fig.10 Indicated by the corresponding frame number:

[0173] (910) sending AG information about a plurality of AGs to a RAN node;

[0174] (920) receiving an SRS configuration from a RAN node, wherein the SRS configuration indicates an SRS resource and / or an SRS resource set for each of the AGs;

[0175] (930) using a plurality of AGs to send the SRS according to the SRS configuration;

[0176] (940) receiving an UL transmission configuration from a RAN node, the UL transmission configuration comprising one or more of the following:

[0177] - For each AG, the associated TPMI,

[0178] - for each AG, the associated SRI and / or the associated SRSI,

[0179] - one or more LPIs corresponding to one or more of the TPMIs, and

[0180] - one or more co-phase indicators (CI) indicating a phase shift to be applied to corresponding one or more of the AGs for coherent transmission; and

[0181] (960) Send multiple layers of data to the RAN node (eg, on the PUSCH) using multiple AGs according to the UL transmission configuration.

[0182] Although each of these operations Fig.10 The dashed lines are shown as optional, but it should be understood that at least one of them is executed.

[0183] In some embodiments, the AG information includes an indication of one or more of the following: the number of AGs, the number of antenna elements per AG, and a common phase capability between the plurality of AGs. In some of these embodiments, the AG information indicates a first plurality of different common phase capabilities, and each CI (e.g., in a UL configuration) is included in a corresponding UL configuration bit field having a size proportional to the first plurality. In some of these embodiments, the indicated common phase capabilities are one or more of the following:

[0184] -Does not support common phases between multiple AGs;

[0185] -Support cyclic delay diversity (CDD) co-phasing between multiple AGs;

[0186] - Supporting coherent co-phasing among multiple AGs; and

[0187] - One or more supported common phase granularities.

[0188] In some embodiments, when the indicated co-phasing capability is not supporting co-phasing between multiple AGs, one or more CIs are omitted from the UL transmission configuration. In some embodiments, the indicated co-phasing capability also includes an indication of whether layer permutation is supported when the co-phasing layer is on multiple AGs.

[0189] In some embodiments, one or more LPIs correspond to corresponding one or more CIs, wherein each LPI and corresponding CI are jointly encoded in a separate bit field of the UL transmission configuration. In some embodiments, the UL configuration includes SRIs and / or SRSIs associated with multiple AGs, but excludes TPMIs associated with multiple AGs, wherein the TPMI associated with each AG is implied by the SRI or SRSI associated with the same AG.

[0190] In some embodiments, each SRI and / or SRSI associated with an AG indicates whether the AG should be used to send multi-layer data to the RAN node. The exemplary method also includes the operation of block 950, where the UE may ignore any bit field in the UL configuration corresponding to an AG indicated as not being used by the SRI and / or SRSI.

[0191] In some embodiments, each LPI indicates one or more of the following:

[0192] - a specific layer sent on a first one of the AGs that should be co-phased with a specific layer sent on a second one of the AGs; and

[0193] - A mapping between a plurality of layers transmitted on a specific one of the AGs and a corresponding plurality of precoding vectors indicated by the TPMI associated with the specific AG.

[0194] In some embodiments, the UL configuration also includes an indication of the number of antenna ports to be used to transmit DMRS associated with multiple layers. In such a case, the indicated number of antenna ports also indicates whether multiple AGs should be co-phased when transmitting multiple layers of data.

[0195] In some embodiments, each layer of data is associated with corresponding one or more of the following in the received UL configuration: SRI, SRSI, and TPMI. In some variants, the number of indicated antenna ports is equal to the number of data layers indicating that multiple AGs should not be co-phased when sending multiple layers of data. In other variants, the number of data layers is equal to an integer multiple (M) of the number of indicated antenna ports indicating that M of the AGs should be co-phased when sending multiple layers of data.

[0196] In some embodiments, each CI (e.g., in the UL configuration) is based on the AG information (e.g., sent in block 910) and indicates one of the following for the associated at least two AGs:

[0197] - No common phase will be used for at least two AGs;

[0198] - Cyclic Delay Diversity (CDD) shall be used for at least two AGs; and

[0199] - Together with one or more phase shifts to be applied, coherent co-phasing will be used for at least two AGs.

[0200] In some embodiments, the one or more phase shifts include a plurality of phase shifts to be applied to a corresponding plurality of layers. In some embodiments, each CI includes an index to an entry in a set or table of one of the following:

[0201] - Common phase vector suitable for sending single layer data using multiple AGs;

[0202] - a common phase vector derived from a plurality of other sets or tables of common phase vectors suitable for transmitting a single layer of data using multiple AGs; or

[0203] -DFT vector.

[0204] In some embodiments, each TPMI (e.g., in a UL configuration) includes an index to an entry in a precoder vector codebook corresponding to the number of antenna ports used to transmit DMRS associated with multiple layers, where the number of antenna ports is equal to a plurality (i.e., the number) of antenna elements per AG.

[0205] in addition, Fig.12 An exemplary method (e.g., process) for a RAN node configured to receive UL transmissions from a UE having multiple AGs, each AG including multiple antenna elements, according to various embodiments is shown. The exemplary method may be performed by a RAN node (e.g., a base station, eNB, gNB, ng-eNB, etc., or a component thereof), such as described elsewhere herein.

[0206] An exemplary method may include one or more of the following operations, each of which is Fig.11 The corresponding frame numbers in the table represent:

[0207] (1010) receiving AG information about a plurality of AGs from a UE;

[0208] (1020) sending an SRS configuration to the UE, wherein the SRS configuration indicates an SRS resource and / or an SRS resource set for each AG in the AGs;

[0209] (1030) receiving an SRS sent by the UE using a plurality of AGs according to an SRS configuration;

[0210] (1040) Determine, based on the AG information and the received SRS, a UL transmission configuration for the UE, including one or more of the following:

[0211] - For each AG, the associated TPMI,

[0212] - for each AG, the associated SRI and / or the associated SRSI,

[0213] - one or more LPIs corresponding to one or more of the TPMIs, and

[0214] - one or more CIs indicating a phase shift to be applied to corresponding one or more of the AGs for coherent transmission;

[0215] (1050) sending UL configuration to the UE; and

[0216] (1060) Receive multiple layers of data sent by the UE using multiple AGs (e.g., on the PUSCH) according to the UL transmission configuration.

[0217] Although each of these operations Fig.12 The dashed lines are shown as optional, but it should be understood that at least one of them is executed.

[0218] In some embodiments, the AG information includes an indication of one or more of the following: the number of AGs, the number of antenna elements per AG, and a common phase capability between the plurality of AGs. In some of these embodiments, the AG information indicates a first plurality of different common phase capabilities, and each CI (e.g., in a UL configuration) is included in a corresponding UL configuration bit field having a size proportional to the first plurality. In some of these embodiments, the indicated common phase capabilities are one or more of the following:

[0219] -Does not support common phases between multiple AGs;

[0220] -Support CDD common phase between multiple AGs;

[0221] - Supporting coherent co-phasing among multiple AGs; and

[0222] - One or more supported common phase granularities.

[0223] In some embodiments, when the indicated co-phasing capability is not supporting co-phasing between multiple AGs, one or more CIs are omitted from the UL transmission configuration. In some of these embodiments, the indicated co-phasing capability also includes an indication of whether layer permutation is supported when the co-phasing layer is on multiple AGs.

[0224] In some embodiments, one or more LPIs correspond to corresponding one or more CIs, wherein each LPI and corresponding CI are jointly encoded in a separate bit field of the UL transmission configuration. In some embodiments, the UL configuration includes SRIs and / or SRSIs associated with multiple AGs, but excludes TPMIs associated with multiple AGs, wherein the TPMI associated with each AG is implied by the SRI or SRSI associated with the same AG.

[0225] In some embodiments, each SRI and / or SRSI associated with an AG indicates whether the AG should be used to send multi-layer data to a RAN node. In some embodiments, each LPI indicates one or more of the following:

[0226] - a specific layer sent on a first one of the AGs that should be co-phased with a specific layer sent on a second one of the AGs; and

[0227] - A mapping between a plurality of layers transmitted on a specific one of the AGs and a corresponding plurality of precoding vectors indicated by the TPMI associated with the specific AG.

[0228] In some embodiments, the UL configuration also includes an indication of the number of antenna ports to be used to transmit DMRS associated with multiple layers. In such a case, the indicated number of antenna ports also indicates whether multiple AGs should be co-phased when transmitting multiple layers of data.

[0229] In some embodiments, each layer of data is associated with corresponding one or more of the following in the received UL configuration: SRI, SRSI, and TPMI. In some variants, the number of indicated antenna ports is equal to the number of data layers indicating that multiple AGs should not be co-phased when sending multiple layers of data. In other variants, the number of data layers is equal to an integer multiple (M) of the number of indicated antenna ports indicating that M of the AGs should be co-phased when sending multiple layers of data.

[0230] In some embodiments, each CI (e.g., in a UL configuration) is based on AG information (e.g., received in box 1010) and indicates one of the following for at least two associated AGs: no co-phasing will be used for at least two AGs, CDD will be used for at least two AGs; and coherent co-phasing will be used for at least two AGs together with one or more phase shifts to be applied.

[0231] In some embodiments, the one or more phase shifts include a plurality of phase shifts to be applied to a corresponding plurality of layers. In some embodiments, each CI includes an index to an entry in a set or table of one of the following: a common phase vector applicable to sending a single layer of data using multiple AGs; a common phase vector derived from a plurality of other sets or tables of common phase vectors applicable to sending a single layer of data using multiple AGs; or a DFT vector.

[0232] In some embodiments, each TPMI (e.g., in a UL configuration) includes an index to an entry in a precoder vector codebook corresponding to the number of antenna ports used to transmit DMRS associated with multiple layers, where the number of antenna ports is equal to a plurality (i.e., the number) of antenna elements per AG.

[0233] Fig.12 An example of a communication system 1200 is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0234] In this example, the communication system 1200 includes a telecommunications network 1202 including an access network 1204 such as a radio access network (RAN) and a core network 1206 including one or more core network nodes 1208. The access network 1204 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 1210a and 1210b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 1210), or any other similar 3GPP access nodes or non-3GPP access points. The network nodes 1210 facilitate direct or indirect connection of UEs, such as by connecting UEs 1212a, 1212b, 1212c, and 1212d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 1212) to the core network 1206 via one or more wireless connections.

[0235] Example wireless communications over wireless connections include sending and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for transferring information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. In addition, in different embodiments, the communication system 1200 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals, whether via a wired connection or a wireless connection. The communication system 1200 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar types of systems.

[0236] UE 1212 may be any of a variety of communication devices, including wireless devices that are arranged, configured and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network node 1210 and other communication devices. Similarly, network node 1210 is arranged, capable, configured and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with UE 1212 and / or with other network nodes or devices in telecommunication network 1202 to enable and / or provide network access (such as wireless network access) and / or perform other functions (such as management in telecommunication network 1202).

[0237] In the depicted example, the core network 1206 connects the network node 1210 to one or more hosts, such as the host 1216. These connections may be direct or indirect connections via one or more intermediate networks or devices. In other examples, the network node may be directly coupled to the host. The core network 1206 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 1208) constructed with hardware and software components. The features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UE, network nodes, and / or hosts, so that their descriptions are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 1208. The example core network node includes the functions of one or more of a mobile switching center (MSC), a mobility management entity (MME), a home subscriber server (HSS), an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), an authentication server function (AUSF), a subscription identifier de-hiding function (SIDF), a unified data management (UDM), a security edge protection agent (SEPP), a network open function (NEF), and / or a user plane function (UPF).

[0238] The host 1216 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than the operator or provider of the access network 1204 and / or the telecommunications network 1202, and may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. The host 1216 may host various applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include real-time and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services (such as retrieving and compiling data about various environmental conditions detected by multiple UEs), analysis functions, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for alarm and monitoring centers, or any other such functions performed by a server.

[0239] As a whole, Fig.12 The communication system 1200 enables connections between UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In this sense, the communication system can be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures such as specific standards, including but not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); LTE, and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standards (e.g., 6G); Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standards, such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC), ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low power wide area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0240] In some examples, telecommunication network 1202 is a cellular network implementing 3GPP standardized features. Thus, telecommunication network 1202 can support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices connected to telecommunication network 1202. For example, telecommunication network 1202 can provide ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) services to some UEs while providing enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or provide massive machine type communication (mMTC) / massive IoT services to additional UEs.

[0241] In some examples, UE 1212 is configured to send and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to a request from access network 1204, the UE can be designed to send information to access network 1204 according to a predetermined schedule. Additionally, the UE can be configured to operate in a single RAT or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, the UE can operate using any one or a combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio), and LTE, i.e., configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio-Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0242] In this example, the hub 1214 communicates with the access network 1204 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 1212c and / or 1212d) and a network node (e.g., network node 1210b). In some examples, the hub 1214 can be a controller, a router, a content source, and analysis, or any of the other communication devices described herein with respect to the UE. For example, the hub 1214 can be a broadband router that enables the UE to access the core network 1206. As another example, the hub 1214 can be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UE. The commands or instructions can be received from the UE, the network node 1210, or received through executable code, scripts, processes, or other instructions in the hub 1214. As another example, the hub 1214 can be a data collector that acts as a temporary storage device for UE data, and in some embodiments, analysis or other processing of the data can be performed. As another example, the hub 1214 can be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, speaker, or other media delivery device, the hub 1214 can retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, and then the hub 1214 provides it to the UE directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In another example, the hub 1214 acts as a proxy server or coordinator for the UE, particularly when one or more of the UEs are low-energy IoT devices.

[0243] Hub 1214 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to network node 1210b. Hub 1214 may also allow different communication schemes and / or scheduling between hub 1214 and UE (e.g., UE 1212c and / or 1212d) and between hub 1214 and core network 1206. In other examples, hub 1214 is connected to core network 1206 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. In addition, hub 1214 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider via access network 1204 and / or to another UE via a direct connection. In some scenarios, a UE may establish a wireless connection with network node 1210 while still being connected via hub 1214 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, hub 1214 may be a dedicated hub, that is, its primary function is to route communications from network node 1210b to UE / from UE to network node 1210b. In other embodiments, hub 1214 may be a non-dedicated hub, that is, a device that is operable to route communications between UEs and network node 1210b, but is also capable of operating as a communications origin and / or endpoint for certain data channels.

[0244] Fig.13UE 1300 according to some embodiments is shown. As used herein, UE refers to a device capable of, configured, arranged and / or operable to wirelessly communicate with a network node and / or other UEs. Examples of UEs include, but are not limited to, smart phones, mobile phones, cellular phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, game consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback devices, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablet computers, laptops, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless devices, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by 3GPP, including narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UEs, machine type communications (MTC) UEs, and / or enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs.

[0245] The UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communications, for example by implementing 3GPP standards for sidelink communications, dedicated short-range communications (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, the UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user owning and / or operating the associated device. Instead, the UE may represent a device that is intended to be sold to or operated by a human user, but the device may not be associated with a particular human user, or may not initially be associated with that particular human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, the UE may represent a device that is not intended to be sold to or operated by an end user, but the device may be associated with a user or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart meter).

[0246] UE 1300 includes a processing circuit 1302, which is operatively coupled to an input / output interface 1306, a power supply 1308, a memory 1310, a communication interface 1312, and / or any other components, or any combination thereof, via a bus 1304. Some UEs may utilize Fig.13 All or a subset of the components shown in . The level of integration between components may vary from one UE to another UE. In addition, some UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0247] Processing circuit 1302 is configured to process instructions and data, and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operable to execute instructions stored in memory 1310 as a machine-readable computer program. Processing circuit 1302 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic and appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors such as microprocessors or digital signal processors (DSPs), and appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, processing circuit 1302 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs). In addition, processing circuit 1302 may be configured to execute Figure 5 Any step of method 100.

[0248] In this example, the input / output interface 1306 can be configured to provide one or more interfaces to an input device, an output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of output devices include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, a transmitter, a smart card, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 1300. Examples of input devices include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a webcam, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smart card, etc.

[0249] In some embodiments, the power supply 1308 is configured as a battery or a battery pack. Other types of power supplies may be used, such as an external power supply (e.g., an electrical socket), a photovoltaic device, or a power battery. The power supply 1308 may also include a power circuit for delivering power from the power supply 1308 itself and / or an external power supply to various parts of the UE 1300 via an input circuit or an interface such as a power cable. The delivered power may be used, for example, to charge the power supply 1308. The power circuit may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modification to the power from the power supply 1308 so that the power is suitable for the various components of the UE 1300 to which the power is supplied.

[0250] The memory 1310 may be or be configured to include a memory such as a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM), a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a hard disk, a removable tape cartridge, a flash drive, etc. In one example, the memory 1310 includes one or more application programs 1314, such as an operating system, a web browser application, a widget, a gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 1316. The memory 1310 may store any of a variety of operating systems or a combination of operating systems for use by the UE 1300.

[0251] The memory 1310 may be configured to include a plurality of physical drive units, such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), a flash memory, a USB flash drive, an external hard drive, a thumb drive, a pen drive, a key drive, a high-density digital versatile disk (HD-DVD) optical drive, an internal hard drive, a Blu-ray optical drive, a holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical drive, an external mini dual in-line memory module (DIMM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), an external micro DIMM SDRAM, a smart card memory (such as a tamper-proof module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC), including one or more user identity modules (SIMs), such as USIM and / or ISIM), other memories, or any combination thereof. The UICC may be, for example, an embedded UICC (eUICC), an integrated UICC (iUICC), or a removable UICC commonly referred to as a “SIM card”. The memory 1310 may allow the UE 1300 to access instructions, applications, etc. stored on a temporary or non-temporary storage medium to offload data or upload data. An article of manufacture, such as an article of manufacture utilizing a communication system, may be tangibly embodied as or in memory 1310, which may be or include a device-readable storage medium.

[0252] The processing circuit 1302 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using a communication interface 1312. The communication interface 1312 may include one or more communication subsystems and may include an antenna 1322 or be communicatively coupled to the antenna 1322. The communication interface 1312 may include one or more transceivers for communication, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or network node in the access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 1318 and / or a receiver 1320 suitable for providing network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocation, etc.). In addition, the transmitter 1318 and the receiver 1320 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 1322) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or may be implemented separately alternatively.

[0253] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functionality of the communication interface 1312 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth, near field communication, location-based communication such as using a global positioning system (GPS) to determine location, another similar communication functionality, or any combination thereof. Communication may be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, new radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / Internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), QUIC, hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), and the like.

[0254] Regardless of the type of sensor, the UE may provide, through its communication interface 1312 , an output of data captured by its sensor via a wireless connection to a network node.

[0255] As another example, the UE includes an actuator, motor, or switch associated with a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input, the state of the actuator, motor, or switch can change. For example, the UE can include a motor that adjusts a control surface or rotor of a drone in flight based on the received input, or adjusts a robotic arm performing a medical procedure based on the received input.

[0256] When in the form of an IoT device, a UE may be a device used in one or more application areas including, but not limited to, urban wearable technology, extended industrial applications, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such IoT devices are or are embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a television, connected lighting, an electric meter, a robotic vacuum cleaner, etc. Fig.13 In addition to the other components described for the UE 1300 shown in FIG. 1 , a UE in the form of an IoT device includes circuitry and / or software depending on the intended application of the IoT device.

[0257] As another specific example, in an IoT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement and sends the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another UE and / or a network node. In this case, the UE may be an M2M device, which may be referred to as an MTC device in the 3GPP context. As a specific example, a UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, bus, truck, ship, and airplane, or other device that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting its operating status or capable of performing other functions associated with its operation.

[0258] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE may be or be integrated into a drone and provide the drone's speed information (obtained via a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller for operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the speed of the drone. The first and / or second UE may also include more than one of the above functions. For example, the UE may include a sensor and an actuator and handle the communication of data for the speed sensor and the actuator.

[0259] Fig.14 A network node 1400 according to some embodiments is shown. As used herein, a network node refers to a device capable of, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or other network nodes or devices in a telecommunications network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved NBs (eNBs), and NR NBs (gNBs)).

[0260] Base stations may be classified based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, based on their transmit power level), and thus may be referred to as a femto base station, a pico base station, a micro base station, or a macro base station, depending on the amount of coverage provided. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node that controls a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station, such as a centralized digital unit and / or a remote radio unit (RRU), which is sometimes referred to as a remote radio head (RRH). Such a remote radio unit may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna-integrated radio. Portions of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0261] Other examples of network nodes include a multi-transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access node, a multi-standard radio (MSR) device such as an MSR BS, a network controller such as a radio network controller (RNC) or a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a transmission point, a transmission node, a multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), an operation and maintenance (O&M) node, an operation support system (OSS) node, a self-organizing network (SON) node, a positioning node (e.g., an evolved serving mobile positioning center (E-SMLC)) and / or a minimization of drive tests (MDT).

[0262] The network node 1400 includes a processing circuit 1402, a memory 1404, a communication interface 1406, and a power supply 1408. The network node 1400 may be composed of multiple physically separated components (e.g., NB components and RNC components, or BTS components and BSC components, etc.), each of which may have its own corresponding components. In certain scenarios where the network node 1400 includes multiple separated components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separated components may be shared between several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NBs. In such a scenario, each unique NB and RNC pair may be considered as a single separated network node in some cases. In some embodiments, the network node 1400 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such an embodiment, some components may be repeated (e.g., separate memories 1404 for different RATs), and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 1410 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 1400 may also include multiple sets of various illustrated components for different wireless technologies, such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, radio frequency identification (RFID), or Bluetooth wireless technologies, integrated into the network node 1400. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets and other components within the network node 1400.

[0263] The processing circuit 1402 may include a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic that is operable to provide the functionality of the network node 1400 alone or in conjunction with other network node 1400 components (such as the memory 1404). For example, the processing circuit 1402 is configured to perform Figure 6 Any action / operation / box of method 200.

[0264] In some embodiments, processing circuitry 1402 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, processing circuitry 1402 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1412 and baseband processing circuitry 1414. In some embodiments, radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1412 and baseband processing circuitry 1414 may be on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units, such as a radio unit and a digital unit. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1412 and baseband processing circuitry 1414 may be on the same chip or chipset, board, or unit.

[0265] The memory 1404 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including but not limited to persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drive, compact disk (CD) or digital video disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data and / or instructions that can be used by the processing circuit 1402. The memory 1404 may store any suitable instructions, data or information, including computer programs, software, applications, including one or more of logic, rules, codes, tables and / or other instructions that can be executed by the processing circuit 1402 and utilized by the network node 1400. The memory 1404 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuit 1402 and / or any data received via the communication interface 1406. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 1402 and the memory 1404 are integrated.

[0266] The communication interface 1406 is used for wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network nodes, access networks and / or UEs. As shown, the communication interface 1406 includes one or more ports / terminals 1416, for example, sending data to the network and receiving data from the network through a wired connection. The communication interface 1406 also includes a radio front-end circuit 1418, which can be coupled to the antenna 1410, or in some embodiments is a part of the antenna 1410. The radio front-end circuit 1418 includes a filter 1420 and an amplifier 1422. The radio front-end circuit 1418 can be connected to the antenna 1410 and the processing circuit 1402. The radio front-end circuit can be configured to adjust the signal transmitted between the antenna 1410 and the processing circuit 1402. The radio front-end circuit 1418 can receive digital data to be sent to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuit 1418 can use a combination of a filter 1420 and / or an amplifier 1422 to convert digital data into a radio signal with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signal can then be sent via the antenna 1410. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 1410 may collect radio signals, which are then converted into digital data by radio front end circuit 1418. The digital data may be passed to processing circuit 1402. In other embodiments, the communication interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0267] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 1400 does not include a separate radio front end circuit 1418, but rather the processing circuit 1402 includes the radio front end circuit and is connected to the antenna 1410. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or part of the RF transceiver circuit 1412 is part of the communication interface 1406. In other embodiments, the communication interface 1406 includes one or more ports or terminals 1416, the radio front end circuit 1418, and the RF transceiver circuit 1412 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 1406 communicates with the baseband processing circuit 1414 as part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0268] Antenna 1410 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna 1410 may be coupled to radio front end circuit 1418 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly sending and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, antenna 1410 is separate from network node 1400 and may be connected to network node 1400 via an interface or port.

[0269] Antenna 1410, communication interface 1406 and / or processing circuit 1402 may be configured to perform any receiving operation and / or certain acquisition operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data and / or signal may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network device. Similarly, antenna 1410, communication interface 1406 and / or processing circuit 1402 may be configured to perform any sending operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data and / or signal may be sent to a UE, another network node and / or any other network device.

[0270] The power supply 1408 provides power to the various components of the network node 1400 in a form suitable for the various components (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required by each corresponding component). The power supply 1408 may further include or be coupled to a power management circuit to supply power to the components of the network node 1400 for performing the functions described herein. For example, the network node 1400 may be connected to an external power source (e.g., a power grid, an electrical outlet) via an input circuit or interface such as a cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to the power circuit of the power supply 1408. As another example, the power supply 1408 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack, which is connected to the power circuit or integrated in the power circuit. If the external power source fails, the battery can provide backup power.

[0271] An embodiment of the network node 1400 may include Fig.14Additional components beyond those shown are used to provide certain aspects of the network node functionality, including any functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 1400 may include a user interface device to allow information to be input into the network node 1400 and to allow information to be output from the network node 1400. This may allow a user to perform diagnostics, maintenance, repair, and other management functions of the network node 1400.

[0272] Fig.15 is a block diagram of a host 1500 according to various aspects described herein, and the host 1500 may be Fig.12 1216 of the embodiment of the host. As used herein, the host 1500 can be or include various combinations of hardware and / or software, including processing resources in a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, a container, or a server farm. The host 1500 can provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0273] Host 1500 includes processing circuitry 1502, which is operably coupled to input / output interface 1506, network interface 1508, power supply 1510, and memory 1512 via bus 1504. Other components may be included in other embodiments. The features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to previous figures (such as Fig.13 and Fig.14 ) so that its description is generally applicable to corresponding components of the host 1500.

[0274] Memory 1512 may include one or more computer programs, including one or more host applications 1514 and data 1516, which may include user data (e.g., data generated by a UE for host 1500 or data generated by host 1500 for a UE). An embodiment of host 1500 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. Host application 1514 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., generic video coding (VVC), high efficiency video coding (HEVC), advanced video coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, advanced audio coding (AAC), MPEG, and G.711), including code conversion for multiple different categories, types, or implementations of UE (e.g., mobile phones, desktop computers, wearable display systems, head-up display systems). Host application 1514 may also provide user authentication and license checks, and may periodically report health status, routing, and content availability to a central node (such as a device in a core network or on the edge). Thus, the host 1500 can select and / or indicate different hosts for over-the-top services for the UE. The host application 1514 can support various protocols, such as HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0275] Fig.16 1600 is a block diagram showing a virtualized environment, in which the functions implemented by some embodiments can be virtualized. In this context, virtualization means creating a virtual version of a device or equipment, which can include virtualizing a hardware platform, a storage device, and a network resource. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device or component thereof described herein, and relates to such an implementation, in which at least a portion of a function is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein can be implemented as virtual components performed by one or more virtual machines (VMs), which are implemented in one or more virtual environments 1600 hosted by one or more hardware nodes (such as hardware computing devices operating as network nodes, UEs, core network nodes, or hosts). In addition, in an embodiment where a virtual node does not require a radio connection (e.g., a core network node or a host), the node can be fully virtualized.

[0276] Application 1602 (which may alternatively be referred to as a software instance, a virtual appliance, a network function, a virtual node, a virtual network function, etc.) runs in a virtualized environment Q400 to implement some features, functions and / or benefits of some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0277] Hardware 1604 includes processing circuitry, memory storing software and / or instructions executable by the hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices described herein, such as network interfaces, input / output interfaces, etc. The software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1606 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1608a and 1608b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1608), and / or perform any of the functions, features, and / or benefits described in connection with some of the embodiments described herein. Virtualization layer 1606 may present a virtual operating platform that appears to be network hardware to VMs 1608.

[0278] VM 1608 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interfaces, and virtual storage, and can be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1606. Different embodiments of instances of virtual devices 1602 can be implemented on one or more of VM 1608 and can be implemented in different ways. Virtualization of hardware is referred to as network function virtualization (NFV) in some contexts. NFV can be used to integrate many network device types onto industry-standard high-volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers and customer premises equipment.

[0279] In the context of NFV, VMs 1608 may be software implementations of physical machines that run programs as if they were executed on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of VMs 1608 and the portion of hardware 1604 on which the VM executes, whether hardware dedicated to the VM and / or hardware shared by the VM with other VMs in the VM, form a separate virtual network element. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling a specific network function running in one or more VMs 1608 on hardware 1604 and corresponds to an application 1602.

[0280] Hardware 1604 can be implemented in a stand-alone network node with general or specific components. Hardware 1604 can implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1604 can be part of a larger hardware cluster (e.g., in a data center or CPE), where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and coordination 1610, where management and coordination 1610 especially oversees the life cycle management of application 1602. In some embodiments, hardware 1604 is coupled to one or more radio units, each of which includes one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that can be coupled to one or more antennas. The radio unit can communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces, and can be used in combination with virtual components to provide radio capabilities to virtual nodes such as radio access nodes or base stations. In some embodiments, a control system 1612 can be used to provide some signaling, which can be alternatively used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0281] Fig.17 A communication diagram showing a host 1702 communicating with a UE 1706 via a network node 1704 over a partial wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments.

[0282] Now refer to Fig.17 Describes the UE (such as Fig.12 UE 1212a and / or Fig.13 UE 1300), network nodes (such as Fig.12 The network node 1210a and / or Fig.14 network nodes 1400) and hosts (such as Fig.12 Host 1216 and / or Fig.15 An example implementation of host 1500).

[0283] Similar to the host 1500, an embodiment of the host 1702 includes hardware, such as a communication interface, a processing circuit, and a memory. The host 1702 also includes software stored in or accessible by the host 1702 and executable by the processing circuit. The software includes a host application that is operable to provide services to a remote user, such as a UE 1706 connected via an over-the-top transfer (OTT) connection 1750 extending between the UE 1706 and the host 1702. In providing services to the remote user, the host application can provide user data sent using the OTT connection 1750.

[0284] The network node 1704 includes hardware that enables it to communicate with the host 1702 and the UE 1706. The connection 1760 can be direct or through a core network (such as Fig.12The core network 1206 of the present invention) and / or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private or managed networks. For example, the intermediate network can be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0285] UE 1706 includes hardware and software that is stored in or accessible by UE 1706 and can be executed by the processing circuit of UE. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or an operator-specific "application", which is operable to provide services to human or non-human users via UE 1706 with the support of host 1702. In host 1702, the executing host application can communicate with the executing client application via an OTT connection 1750 that terminates at UE 1706 and host 1702. In the process of providing services to the user, the client application of the UE can receive request data from the host application of the host and provide user data in response to the request data. OTT connection 1750 can transmit request data and user data. The client application of the UE can interact with the user to generate user data that it provides to the host application via OTT connection 1750.

[0286] The OTT connection 1750 may extend via a connection 1760 between the host 1702 and the network node 1704 and via a wireless connection 1770 between the network node 1704 and the UE 1706 to provide connectivity between the host 1702 and the UE 1706. The connection 1760 and the wireless connection 1770 over which the OTT connection 1750 may be provided are drawn abstractly to illustrate communications between the host 1702 and the UE 1706 via the network node 1704 without explicit reference to any intermediate devices and the precise routing of messages via those devices.

[0287] As an example of sending data via the OTT connection 1750, in step 1708, the host 1702 provides user data, which can be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a specific human user interacting with the UE 1706. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with the UE 1706, which shares data with the host 1702 without explicit human interaction. In step 1710, the host 1702 initiates a transmission carrying the user data to the UE 1706. The host 1702 may initiate the transmission in response to a request sent by the UE 1706. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1706 or by the operation of a client application executed on the UE 1706. According to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, the transmission may be through the network node 1704. Therefore, according to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, in step 1712, the network node 1704 sends the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the host 1702 to the UE 1706. In step 1714 , UE 1706 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executing on UE 1706 that is associated with a host application executed by host 1702 .

[0288] In some examples, UE 1706 executes a client application that provides user data to host 1702. The user data may be provided in reaction to or in response to data received from host 1702. Thus, in step 1716, UE 1706 may provide the user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via the input / output interface of UE 1706. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data is provided, in step 1718, UE 1706 initiates transmission of the user data to host 1702 via network node 1704. In step 1720, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, network node 1704 receives user data from UE 1706 and initiates transmission of the received user data to host 1702. In step 1722, host 1702 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by UE 1706.

[0289] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to UE 1706 using OTT connection 1750 in which wireless connection 1770 forms the last leg. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments can improve, for example, data rate, latency, power consumption, and thereby provide benefits such as reduced user waiting time, relaxed restrictions on file size, improved content parsing, better responsiveness, and extended battery life.

[0290] In an example scenario, host 1702 may collect and analyze plant status information. As another example, host 1702 may process audio and video data that may have been retrieved from the UE for use in creating a map. As another example, host 1702 may collect and analyze real-time data to help control vehicle congestion (e.g., control traffic lights). As another example, host 1702 may store surveillance videos uploaded by the UE. As another example, host 1702 may store media content (such as video, audio, VR, or AR) that it may broadcast, multicast, or unicast to the UE, or control access to the media content. As other examples, host 1702 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time-critical power loads to balance power generation demand, positioning services, presentation services (such as compiling charts based on data collected from remote devices, etc.), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing, and / or sending data.

[0291] In some examples, a measurement process may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rates, delays, and other factors improved by one or more embodiments. There may also be an optional network function for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1750 between the host 1702 and the UE 1706 in response to changes in the measurement results. The measurement process and / or network function for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in the software and hardware of the host 1702 and / or the UE 1706. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or associated with other devices through which the OTT connection 1750 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement process by supplying the values ​​of the monitored quantities illustrated above or supplying the values ​​of other physical quantities according to which the software can calculate or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguration of the OTT connection 1750 may include message formats, retransmission settings, preferred routes, etc.; the reconfiguration does not require direct changes to the operation of the network node 1704. Such processes and functions may be known and practiced in the art. In some embodiments, the measurement may involve dedicated UE signaling, which facilitates the host 1702 to measure throughput, propagation time, delay, etc. The measurements can be achieved by software causing messages, particularly empty or "dummy" messages, to be sent using the OTT connection 1750 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0292] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UE, network node, host) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may include computing devices with different combinations of components. It should be understood that these computing devices may include any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. The determination, calculation, acquisition or similar operations described herein may be performed by a processing circuit, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or the converted information with the information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or the converted information, and making a determination as a result of the processing. In addition, although the components are depicted as being located in a larger box or a single box nested in multiple boxes, in practice, the computing device may include multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and the functions may be divided between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any one of the components described herein, and / or the functions of the components may be divided between the processing circuit and the communication interface. In another example, the non-computationally intensive functions of any such component may be implemented in software or firmware, and the computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0293] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein may be provided by a processing circuit that executes instructions stored in a memory, which in some embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by a processing circuit without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hardwired manner. In any of these specific embodiments, the processing circuit may be configured to perform the described functions, regardless of whether instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium are executed. The benefits provided by such functions are not limited to the processing circuit itself or other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole and / or generally by end users and wireless networks.

[0294] The embodiments described above are intended to be examples only. Alterations, modifications and variations may be effected to the particular embodiments by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the description, which is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: configuring a plurality of transmitting antenna ports N TX A method performed by a user equipment UE, the method comprising: - sending an indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups to the network node, wherein each transmit port group comprises one or more of the configured transmit antenna ports; and - receiving an indication of a configuration for sending data to the network node, the configuration being based on the number of the transmit antenna port groups.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: The configured indication includes an indication of a precoder for use by the UE.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: Sending an indication of a number of groups of transmit antenna ports includes sending an indication of a single group of transmit antenna ports.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein: The indicated number of single antenna port groups indicates that the UE is fully coherent.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: Sending the number of groups of transmit antenna ports includes sending an indication of a plurality of groups of transmit antenna ports.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The number of the transmit antenna port groups is 2 or 4, which indicates that the UE is partially coherent.

7. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: When N TX When is 8, the number of the transmit antenna port groups is 8, which indicates that the UE is non-coherent.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: Sending the indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups includes sending UE capability signaling including the indication.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The transmit antenna ports within each transmit antenna port group are assumed to be coherent.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The transmit antenna ports in different transmit antenna port groups are assumed to be non-coherent.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The multiple groups include the same number of transmit antenna ports.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein: N g is the number of transmit antenna port groups, and wherein the number of transmit antenna ports in each group is given by N TX / N g Given.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The multiple transmit antenna port groups include different numbers of transmit antenna ports.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising: Based on the ordering of the SRS ports within a sounding reference signal SRS resource set, a group of SRS ports is associated with a transmit antenna port group.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein: The ordering of the SRS ports is based on the SRS port number.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, wherein: The ordering of the SRS ports is based on the SRS resource IDs of the SRS resources in the SRS resource set.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein: Sending an indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups includes sending an indication of coherence performance capability.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein: The indication of the coherent capability includes one of an incoherent capability, a fully coherent capability, and a partially coherent capability.

19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein: The number of transmit antenna ports N TX is 8.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein: Sending the indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups includes sending an indication of a maximum number of sounding reference signal SRS resources supported in an SRS resource set having “Usage” set to a codebook.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein: Sending the indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups includes sending the maximum number of SRS resource sets that are set with “Usage” as codebook and / or non-codebook supported.

22. The method of any one of claims 20 to 21, further comprising: An indication of a power scaling method for one or more transmit antenna port groups is sent to the network node.

23. The method of any one of claims 20 to 22, further comprising: Send the maximum transmit power.

24. The method of any one of claims 1 to 23, further comprising: Information related to the number of transmit antenna port groups is sent.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein: The information includes an indication of co-phasing capabilities between the groups of transmit antenna ports.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising: A layer permutation indication is received from the network node.

27. A method performed by a network node, the method comprising: - from a device configured with multiple transmit antenna ports N TX receiving, by a user equipment UE, an indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups; as well as - determining a configuration for the UE to transmit data, the configuration being determined based on the indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups; as well as - sending an indication of the determined configuration to the UE.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein: The configured indication includes an indication of a precoder for use by the UE.

29. The method of claim 27 or 28, wherein: Receiving an indication of a number of groups of transmit antenna ports includes receiving an indication of a single group of transmit antenna ports.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein: The indicated number of single antenna port groups indicates that the UE is fully coherent.

31. The method of claim 27 or 28, wherein: Receiving a number of groups of transmit antenna ports includes receiving an indication of a plurality of groups of transmit antenna ports.

32. The method of claim 27 or 28, wherein: The number of the transmit antenna port groups is 2 or 4, which indicates that the UE is partially coherent.

33. The method of claim 27 or 28, wherein: When N TX When is 8, the number of the transmit antenna port groups is 8, which indicates that the UE is non-coherent.

34. The method of any one of claims 27 to 33, wherein: Receiving the indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups includes receiving UE capability signaling including the indication.

35. The method of any one of claims 27 to 34, wherein: The transmit antenna ports within each transmit antenna port group are assumed to be coherent.

36. The method of any one of claims 27 to 34, wherein: The transmit antenna ports in different transmit antenna port groups are assumed to be non-coherent.

37. The method of any one of claims 27 to 36, wherein: The multiple groups include the same number of transmit antenna ports.

38. The method of any one of claims 27 to 37, wherein: N g is the number of transmit antenna port groups, and wherein the number of transmit antenna ports in each group is given by N TX / N g Given.

39. The method of any one of claims 27 to 36, wherein: The multiple transmit antenna port groups include different numbers of transmit antenna ports.

40. The method of claim 27, wherein: Receiving an indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups includes an indication of receive coherence performance capability.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein: The indication of the coherent capability includes one of an incoherent capability, a fully coherent capability, and a partially coherent capability.

42. The method of claim 27, wherein: Receiving an indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups includes receiving an indication of a maximum number of SRS resources supported in a sounding reference signal SRS resource set having “purpose” set to codebook.

43. The method of claim 27, wherein: Receiving an indication of the number of transmit antenna port groups includes receiving a maximum number of SRS resource sets that are set with “usage” as codebook and / or non-codebook supported.

44. The method of any one of claims 42 to 43, further comprising: An indication of a power scaling method for one or more transmit antenna port groups is received to the network node.

45. The method of any one of claims 42 to 44, further comprising: Receive maximum transmit power.

46. ​​The method of any one of claims 27 to 45, further comprising: Information related to the number of transmit antenna port groups is received.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein: The information includes an indication of co-phasing capabilities between the groups of transmit antenna ports.

48. The method of claim 47, further comprising: A layer permutation indication is sent to the UE.

49. A user equipment UE, comprising a processing circuit and a network interface connected to the processing circuit, the processing circuit being configured to perform any steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 26.

50. A network node comprising a processing circuit and a network interface connected to the processing circuit, the processing circuit being configured to perform any of the steps of the method of any one of claims 27 to 48.

51. A computer program product comprising a computer readable memory having stored thereon computer executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, perform the steps of any one of claims 1 to 48.

Images