Method of beam indication framework for L1 / L2 central inter-cell mobility

Abstract

This disclosure provides systems, apparatus, devices, and methods, including computer programs encoded on a storage medium, for beam indication techniques for ICM. The UE (102) receives (310), from a first network entity (304), an indication of a beam associated with a second network entity (305). The indication of the beam corresponds to at least one of a TCI state associated with non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity (305), or an activation delay time of the beam based on whether the beam corresponds to dedicated signaling from the second network entity (305) to the UE (102) or non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity (305). The UE (102) attempts to receive a downlink communication from the second network entity (305) based on the indication.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to beam steering techniques for inter-cell mobility (ICM). Background Art

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specifies a radio interface called fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR) (5G NR). The architecture of a 5G NR wireless communication system may include a 5G core (5GC) network, a 5G radio access network (5G-RAN), user equipment (UE), etc. Compared to other types of wireless communication systems, the 5G NR architecture may provide increased data rates, reduced latency, and / or increased capacity.

[0003] A wireless communication system may generally be configured to provide various telecommunication services (e.g., telephone, video, data, messaging, broadcast, etc.) based on a multiple access technology (such as an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) technology) that supports communication with multiple UEs. With the development of mobile broadband technology, the improvement of mobile broadband helps to continue the advancement of such technology. For example, a serving cell base station may perform an inter-cell beam management (ICBM) procedure to indicate to the UE a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state associated with a UE-specific downlink reference signal of a neighboring cell base station. However, the ICBM procedure does not address non-UE-specific signaling from neighboring cell base stations. Summary of the invention

[0004] The following presents a simplified overview of one or more aspects in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This overview is not an extensive review of all contemplated aspects. This overview neither identifies the key or important elements of all aspects, nor describes the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description presented later.

[0005] For dedicated signaling from a base station to a user equipment (UE), the base station indicates a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state associated with a downlink reference signal of a serving cell or a TCI state associated with a downlink reference signal of a neighboring cell / target cell. However, for non-dedicated signaling from a base station to a UE, the base station indicates a TCI state associated with a downlink reference signal of a serving cell but does not indicate a TCI state associated with a downlink reference signal of a neighboring cell / target cell. The lack of TCI state from non-dedicated signaling of a neighboring / target cell may prevent a serving cell from changing to a neighboring cell / target cell without supporting an inter-cell mobility (ICM) procedure.

[0006] In addition, the base station may send a radio resource control (RRC) configuration to the UE to pre-configure the UE to communicate with the neighboring cell / target cell. The pre-configuration may include RRC parameters associated with the neighboring cell / target cell. After the base station / serving cell sends beam indication signaling to the UE based on the TCI state associated with the neighboring cell / target cell, the UE applies the RRC parameters according to the pre-configuration to communicate with the neighboring cell / target cell.

[0007] The increased complexity associated with updating the RRC parameters may cause the common beam activation delay for non-ICM procedures to be inappropriate for ICM procedures. For example, the base station and the UE may perform a non-ICM procedure based on a shorter beam activation delay than an ICM procedure. Therefore, the length of the beam activation delay may depend on whether the base station and the UE are implementing an ICM procedure or a non-ICM procedure. In addition, the layer 1 (L1) signaling for acknowledgement / negative acknowledgement (ACK / NACK) feedback for beam indication operations may cause NACK to ACK or ACK to NACK errors in the ICM procedure. When such an error occurs, the UE may attempt to recover from the error.

[0008] Various aspects of the present disclosure address the above and other deficiencies by improving beam indication and communication processes associated with ICM. According to some aspects, the device (e.g., UE) receives an indication of a beam associated with a second network entity from a first network entity. The indication of the beam corresponds to at least one of: (1) a TCI state associated with non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity, or (2) an activation delay time for the beam, the activation delay time being based on whether the beam corresponds to dedicated signaling from the second network entity to the UE or to non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity. The UE attempts to receive downlink communications from the second network entity based on the indication.

[0009] According to some aspects, the device (e.g., a first network entity) sends an indication of a beam associated with a second network entity to a UE. The indication of the beam corresponds to at least one of: (1) a TCI state associated with non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity, or (2) an activation delay time for the beam, the activation delay time being based on whether the beam corresponds to dedicated signaling from the second network entity to the UE or non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity. The first network entity receives ACK / NACK feedback for the indication sent to the UE.

[0010] According to some aspects, the device (e.g., a second network entity) receives backhaul communications from a first network entity, the backhaul communications indicating a first transmission from the first network entity, the first transmission including an indication of a beam associated with the second network entity. The indication of the beam corresponds to at least one of: (1) a TCI state associated with non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity, or (2) an activation delay time for the beam, the activation delay time being based on whether the beam corresponds to dedicated signaling from the second network entity to a UE or to non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity. The second network entity attempts to send a downlink communication using non-dedicated signaling based on the backhaul communications received from the first network entity, the backhaul communications indicating a first transmission from the first network entity, the first transmission including an indication of a beam associated with the second network entity.

[0011] To accomplish the foregoing and related purposes, one or more aspects correspond to the features described below and particularly pointed out in the claims. One or more aspects may be implemented by any of a device, a method, a component for performing the method, and / or a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The following description and the accompanying drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of one or more aspects. However, these features indicate only a few of the various ways in which the principles of the various aspects may be employed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 A diagram of a wireless communication system associated with multiple cells is shown.

[0013] Figure 2 A timing diagram of a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) update procedure based on TCI signaling between a user equipment (UE) and a base station or an entity at a base station is shown.

[0014] Figure 3 A communication signaling diagram that supports separate delays for inter-cell mobility (ICM) signaling.

[0015] Figure 4 is a communication signaling diagram for dual connectivity scenarios such as for network entities with quasi-collocated (QCLed) antenna ports.

[0016] Figure 5 A primary cell (PCell) indication diagram based on beam indication signaling associated with ICM is shown.

[0017] Figure 6 is a communication signaling diagram when a UE performs a timer-based fallback operation to a first network entity based on a Layer 1 / Layer 2 (L1 / L2) ICM failure.

[0018] Figure 7It is a communication signaling diagram that supports successful switching between the source cell and the target cell using the beam indication technology for ICM.

[0019] Figure 8A-8B is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication at a UE.

[0020] Fig. 9 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication at a first network entity.

[0021] Fig.10 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication at a second network entity.

[0022] Fig.11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of an example UE device.

[0023] Fig.12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of an example network entity. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Figure 1 A diagram 100 of a wireless communication system associated with a plurality of cells 190 is shown. The wireless communication system includes a user equipment (UE) 102 and base stations 104, some of which 104a include an aggregated base station architecture and other base stations 104b include a decomposed base station architecture. The aggregated base station architecture includes a radio unit (RU) 106, a distributed unit (DU) 108, and a centralized unit (CU) 110, which are configured to utilize a radio protocol stack physically or logically integrated within a single radio access network (RAN) node. The decomposed base station architecture utilizes a protocol stack physically or logically distributed between two or more units (e.g., RU 106, DU 108, CU 110). For example, CU 110 is implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs 108 may be co-located with CU 110, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed in one or more other RAN nodes. DU 108 may be implemented to communicate with one or more RU 106. Each of the RU 106, DU 108, and CU 110 may be implemented as a virtual unit, such as a virtual radio unit (VRU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual central unit (VCU).

[0025] The operation and / or network design of the base station 104 can be based on the aggregation characteristics of the base station functions. For example, a decomposed base station architecture is utilized in an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (O-RAN) network, or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN) (which may also be referred to as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN)). Decomposition can include distributing functions between two or more units located at various physical locations, and virtually distributing the functions of at least one unit, which can achieve flexibility in network design. Various units of the decomposed base station architecture or decomposed RAN architecture can be configured to communicate with at least one other unit by wire or wireless communication. For example, CU 110a communicates with DU108a-108b via corresponding mid-haul links based on F1 interfaces. DU 108a-108b can communicate with RU 106a and RU 106b-106c via corresponding front-haul links, respectively. RU 106a-106c can communicate with corresponding UE 102a-102c and 102s via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links based on Uu interface. In an example, multiple RU 106 and / or base station 104 can provide services for UE 102 at the same time, such as the access link of RU 106a of cell 190a and the UE 102a of cell 190e served by base station 104a of cell 190e at the same time.

[0026] One or more CUs 110, such as CU 110a or CU 110d, may communicate directly with the core network 120 via a backhaul link. For example, CU 110d communicates with the core network 120 via a backhaul link based on a next generation (NG) interface. One or more CUs 110 may also communicate indirectly with the core network 120 via one or more decomposed base station units, such as a near real-time RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 128 via an E2 link and a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 116 that may be associated with a non-real-time RIC 118. The near real-time RIC 128 may communicate with the SMO framework 116 and / or the non-real-time RIC 118 via an A1 link. The SMO framework 116 and / or the non-real-time RIC 118 may also communicate with an open cloud (O-cloud) 130 via an O2 link. One or more CUs 110 may further communicate with each other via a backhaul link based on an Xn interface. For example, the CU 110d of the base station 104a communicates with the CU 110a of the base station 104b via a backhaul link based on an Xn interface. Similarly, the base station 104a of the cell 190e can communicate with the CU 110a of the base station 104b via a backhaul link based on an Xn interface.

[0027] RU 106, DU 108 and CU 110 and near real-time RIC 128, non-real-time RIC 118 and / or SMO framework 116 may include (or may be coupled to) one or more interfaces configured to send or receive information / signals via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Base station 104 or any one of the one or more decomposed base station units may be configured to communicate with one or more other base stations 104 or one or more other decomposed base station units via a wired or wireless transmission medium. In an example, a processor, memory and / or controller associated with executable instructions of the interface may be configured to provide communication between base station 104 and / or one or more decomposed base station units via a wired or wireless transmission medium. For example, a wired interface may be configured to send or receive information / signals via a wired transmission medium (such as a fronthaul link between RU 106d and baseband unit (BBU) 112 of cell 190d, or more specifically, a fronthaul link between RU 106d and DU 108d). The BBU 112 includes the DU 108d and the CU 110d, which may also have a wired interface configured between the DU 108d and the CU 110d to send or receive information / signals between the DU 108d and the CU 110d based on a medium-range link. In a further example, a wireless interface that may include a receiver, a transmitter, or a transceiver (such as an RF transceiver) may be configured to send or receive information / signals via a wireless transmission medium, such as information transmitted between the RU 106a of the cell 190a and the base station 104a of the cell 190e via the cross-cell communication beam of the RU 106a and the base station 104a.

[0028] One or more high-level control functions (such as functions related to radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), etc.) can be hosted at CU 110. Each control function can be associated with an interface for transmitting signals based on one or more other control functions hosted at CU 110. User plane functions (such as central unit-user plane (CU-UP) functions), control plane functions (such as central unit-control plane (CU-CP) functions), or a combination thereof can be implemented based on CU 110. For example, CU 110 may include one or more CU-UP processes and / or one or more CU-CP processes. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP function can be based on bidirectional communication with the CU-CP function via an interface (such as an E1 interface (not shown)).

[0029] The CU 110 may communicate with the DU 108 for network control and signaling communications. The DU 108 is a logical unit of the base station 104 that is configured to perform one or more base station functions. For example, the DU 108 may control the operation of one or more RUs 106. One or more of the following may be hosted at the DU 108: a radio link control (RLC) layer, a media access control (MAC) layer, or one or more higher physical (PHY) layers, such as forward error correction (FEC) modules for encoding / decoding, scrambling, modulation / demodulation, etc. The DU 108 may host such functions based on the functional division of the DU 108. The DU 108 may similarly host one or more lower PHY layers, where each lower layer or module may be implemented based on an interface for communicating with other layers and modules hosted at the DU 108, or based on a control function hosted at the CU 110.

[0030] The RU 106 may be configured to implement lower layer functions. For example, the RU 106 is controlled by the DU 108 and may correspond to a logical node hosting RF processing functions or lower layer PHY functions, such as performing fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc. The functions of the RU 106 may be based on functional partitioning, such as lower layer functional partitioning.

[0031] The RU 106 may send or receive over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 102. For example, the RU 106b of the cell 190b communicates with the UE 102b of the cell 190b via the first communication beam set 132 of the RU 106b and the second communication beam set 134 of the UE 102b, which may correspond to inter-cell communication beams or cross-cell communication beams. Both real-time and non-real-time features of the control plane and user plane communications of the RU 106 may be controlled by the associated DU 108. Thus, the DU 108 and the CU 110 may be used in a cloud-based RAN architecture (such as a vRAN architecture), and the SMO framework 116 may be used to support non-virtualized and virtualized RAN network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 116 may support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage, where the dedicated physical resources may be managed through an operation and maintenance interface (such as an O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 116 can interact with a cloud computing platform (such as O-cloud 130) via an O2 link (e.g., a cloud computing platform interface) to manage the network elements. The virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, RU 106, DU 108, CU 110, near real-time RIC 128, etc.

[0032] The SMO framework 116 may be configured to communicate directly with one or more RUs 106 using an O1 link. The non-real-time RIC 118 of the SMO framework 116 may also be configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 116. For example, the non-real-time RIC 118 implements logic functions that are capable of controlling non-real-time RAN features and resources, features / applications of the near real-time RIC 128, and / or artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) processes. The non-real-time RIC 118 may communicate (or couple) with the near real-time RIC 128, such as through an A1 interface. The near real-time RIC 128 may implement logic functions that are capable of controlling near real-time RAN features and resources based on data collection and interaction through an E2 interface (such as an E2 interface between the near real-time RIC 128 and the CU 110a and the DU 108b).

[0033] The non-real-time RIC 118 may receive parameters or other information from an external server to generate an AI / ML model for deployment in the near-real-time RIC 128. For example, the non-real-time RIC 118 receives parameters or other information from the O-cloud 130 via the O2 link to deploy the AI / ML model to the real-time RIC 128 via the A1 link. The near-real-time RIC 128 may utilize the parameters and / or other information received from the non-real-time RIC 118 or the SMO framework 116 via the A1 link to perform near-real-time functions. The near-real-time RIC 128 and the non-real-time RIC 115 may be configured to adjust the performance of the RAN. For example, the non-real-time RIC 116 monitors patterns and long-term trends to improve the performance of the RAN. The non-real-time RIC 116 may also deploy the AI / ML model through the SMO framework 116 for implementing corrective actions, such as initiating reconfiguration of the O1 link or instructing the management process of the A1 link.

[0034] Any combination of RU 106, DU 108, and CU 110, or any reference thereto individually, may correspond to base station 104. Thus, base station 104 may include at least one of RU 106, DU 108, or CU 110. Base station 104 provides UE 102 with access to core network 120. That is, base station 104 may relay communications between UE 102 and core network 120. Base station 104 may be associated with a macro cell of a high-power cellular base station and / or a small cell of a low-power cellular base station. For example, cell 190e corresponds to a macro cell, and cells 190a-190d may correspond to a small cell. Small cells include femto cells, micro cells, micro cells, and the like. A cell structure including at least one macro cell and at least one small cell may be referred to as a "heterogeneous network."

[0035] Transmissions from the UE 102 to the base station 104 / RU 106 are referred to as uplink (UL) transmissions, while transmissions from the base station 104 / RU 106 to the UE 102 are referred to as downlink (DL) transmissions. Uplink transmissions may also be referred to as reverse link transmissions, while downlink transmissions may also be referred to as forward link transmissions. For example, the RU 106 d utilizes an antenna of the base station 104 a of the cell 190 d to transmit downlink / forward link communications to the UE 102 d, or receive uplink / reverse link communications from the UE 102 d, based on a Uu interface associated with an access link between the UE 102 d and the base station 104 a / RU 106 d.

[0036] The communication link between UE 102 and base station 104 / RU 106 can be based on multiple input and multiple output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming and / or transmit diversity. The communication link can be associated with one or more carriers. UE 102 and base station 104 / RU 106 can utilize Y MHz (e.g., 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, 20 MHz, 100 MHz, 400 MHz, etc.) spectrum bandwidth allocated per carrier in up to a total of Yx MHz carrier aggregation, where x component carriers (CCs) are used for communication in each direction of the uplink direction and the downlink direction. The carriers may be adjacent to each other along the spectrum, or may not be adjacent to each other. In an example, uplink carriers and downlink carriers may be allocated in an asymmetric manner, and more or fewer carriers may be allocated for uplink or downlink. A component carrier may include a primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. The primary component carrier may be associated with a primary cell (PCell), and the secondary component carrier may be associated with a secondary cell (SCell).

[0037] Some UEs 102 (such as UEs 102a and 102s) may perform device-to-device (D2D) communications via a sidelink. For example, a sidelink communication / D2D link utilizes a spectrum of a wireless wide area network (WWAN) associated with uplink and downlink communications. The sidelink communication / D2D link may also use one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), and / or a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) to transmit information between UEs 102a and 102s. Such sidelink / D2D communications may be performed via various wireless communication systems, such as wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems, Bluetooth systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, new radio (NR) systems, and the like.

[0038] The electromagnetic spectrum is often subdivided into different categories, bands, channels, etc. based on different frequencies / wavelengths associated with the electromagnetic spectrum. Fifth Generation (5G) NR is often associated with two operating bands, referred to as Frequency Range 1 (FR1) and Frequency Range 2 (FR2). FR1 ranges from 410 MHz – 7.125 GHz, and FR2 ranges from 24.25 GHz – 52.6 GHz. FR1 is often referred to as the “sub-6 GHz” band, although a portion of FR1 is actually greater than 6 GHz. In contrast, FR2 is often referred to as the “millimeter wave” (mmW) band. FR2 is not the same as the “extremely high frequency” (EHF) band, but is an approximate subset of that band, the EHF band ranges from 30 GHz – 300 GHz, and is sometimes also referred to as the “millimeter wave” band. Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are often referred to as “mid-band” frequencies. The operating band of mid-band frequencies may be referred to as frequency range 3 (FR3), which ranges from 7.125 GHz – 24.25 GHz. The frequency bands within FR3 may include characteristics of FR1 and / or FR2. Thus, the features of FR1 and / or FR2 may be extended to mid-band frequencies. Higher operating bands have been identified to extend 5G NR communications above 52.6 GHz associated with the upper limit of FR2. Three of these higher operating bands include FR2-2 (ranging from 52.6 GHz – 71 GHz), FR4 (ranging from 71 GHz – 114.25 GHz), and FR5 (ranging from 114.25 GHz – 300 GHz). The upper limit of FR5 corresponds to the upper limit of the EHF band. Therefore, unless otherwise expressly stated herein, the term “below 6 GHz” may refer to frequencies less than 6 GHz, frequencies within FR1, or frequencies that may include mid-band frequencies. Further, unless otherwise expressly stated herein, the term "millimeter wave" or mmW refers to frequencies that may include mid-band frequencies, frequencies that may be within FR2, FR4, FR2-2 and / or FR5, or frequencies that may be within the EHF band.

[0039] UE 102 and base station 104 / RU 106 may each include multiple antennas. Multiple antennas may correspond to antenna elements, antenna panels, and / or antenna arrays that may facilitate beamforming operations. For example, RU 106b transmits a downlink beamformed signal to UE 102b based on a first beam set 132 in one or more transmit directions of RU 106b. UE 102b may receive a downlink beamformed signal from RU 106b based on a second beam set 134 in one or more receive directions of UE 102b. In a further example, UE 102b may also transmit an uplink beamformed signal to RU 106b based on a second beam set 134 in one or more transmit directions of UE 102b. RU 106b may receive an uplink beamformed signal from UE 102b in one or more receive directions of RU 106b. UE 102b may perform beam training to determine the optimal receive and transmit directions of the beamformed signal. The transmit and receive directions of the UE 102 and the base station 104 / RU 106 may be the same, or may be different. In a further example, a beamformed signal may be transmitted between the first base station 104a and the second base station 104b. For example, the RU 106a of the cell 190a may transmit a beamformed signal to the base station 104a of the cell 190e based on the RU beam set 136 in one or more transmit directions of the RU 106a. The base station 104a of the cell 190e may receive a beamformed signal from the RU 106a based on the base station beam set 138 in one or more receive directions of the base station 104a. Similarly, the base station 104a of the cell 109e may transmit a beamformed signal to the RU 106a based on the base station beam set 138 in one or more transmit directions of the base station 104a. The RU 106a may receive a beamformed signal from the base station 104a of the cell 190e based on the RU beam set 136 in one or more receive directions of the RU 106a.

[0040] The base station 104 may include and / or be referred to as a next generation evolved Node B (ng-eNB), a next generation NB (gNB), an evolved NB (eNB), an access point, a base transceiver station, a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), a transmit receive point (TRP), a network node, a network entity, a network device, or other related terms. The base station 104 or an entity at the base station 104 may be implemented as an IAB node, a relay node, a side link node, a converged (monolithic) base station having a RU 106 and a BBU including a DU 108 and a CU 110, or as a decomposed base station 104b including one or more of the RU 106, the DU 108, and / or the CU 110. The set of converged or decomposed base stations 104a-104b may be referred to as a next generation radio access network (NG-RAN).

[0041] The core network 120 may include an access and mobility management function (AMF) 121, a session management function (SMF) 122, a user plane function (UPF) 123, a unified data management (UDM) 124, a gateway mobile location center (GMLC) 125, and / or a location management function (LMF) 126. The core network 120 may also include one or more location servers (which may include the GMLC 125 and the LMF 126), as well as other functional entities. For example, the one or more location servers include one or more location / positioning servers, and in addition to one or more of a positioning determination entity (PDE), a serving mobile location center (SMLC), a mobile positioning center (MPC), etc., the one or more location / positioning servers may also include the GMLC 125 and the LMF 126.

[0042] The transmitted signal may also be based on one or more of a satellite positioning system (SPS) 114, such as a signal measured for positioning. In an example, the SPS 114 of the cell 190c may communicate with one or more UEs 102 (such as UE 102c) and one or more base stations 104 / RU 106 (such as RU 106c). The SPS 114 may correspond to one or more of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), a global positioning system (GPS), a non-terrestrial network (NTN), or other satellite positioning / position systems. The SPS 114 may be associated with LTE signals, NR signals (e.g., based on round trip time (RTT) and / or multiple RTT), wireless local area network (WLAN) signals, ground beacon systems (TBS), sensor-based information, NR enhanced cell ID (NR E-CID) technology, downlink departure angle (DL-AoD), downlink arrival time difference (DL-TDOA), uplink arrival time difference (UL-TDOA), uplink arrival angle (UL-AoA), and / or other systems, signals, or sensors.

[0043] UE 102 may be configured as a cellular phone, a smart phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a satellite radio, a GPS, a multimedia device, a video device, a digital audio player (e.g., a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) Audio Layer 3 (MP3) player), a camera, a game console, a tablet computer, a smart device, a wearable device, a vehicle, a utility meter, a gas pump, a home appliance, a healthcare device, a sensor / actuator, a display, or any other device with similar functionality. Some of UE 102 may be referred to as Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as parking meters, gas pumps, home appliances, vehicles, healthcare equipment, etc. UE 102 may also be referred to as a station (STA), a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handheld device, a mobile client, a client, or other similar terms. The term UE may also apply to a roadside unit (RSU), which may communicate with other RSU UEs, non-RSU UEs, the base station 104, and / or entities at the base station 104, such as the RU 106.

[0044] Still reference Figure 1In certain aspects, the UE 102 may include an inter-cell mobility (ICM) component 140 configured to: receive, from a serving base station entity such as RU 106b, an indication of a beam associated with a neighboring base station entity such as base station 104a, the indication of the beam corresponding to at least one of: a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state associated with non-dedicated signaling from the neighboring base station entity (e.g., base station 104a), or an activation delay time for the beam, the activation delay time being based on whether the beam corresponds to dedicated signaling from the neighboring base station entity (e.g., base station 104a) to the UE 102 or to non-dedicated signaling from the neighboring base station entity (e.g., base station 104a); and attempt to receive downlink communications from the neighboring base station entity (e.g., base station 104a) based on the indication.

[0045] In certain aspects, the base station 104 or an entity of the base station 104 may include a beam indication component 150, which is configured to: send an indication of a beam associated with a neighboring base station entity such as base station 104a to the UE 102, the indication of the beam corresponding to at least one of: a TCI state associated with non-dedicated signaling from the neighboring base station entity (e.g., base station 104a), or an activation delay time for the beam, the activation delay time being based on whether the beam corresponds to dedicated signaling from the neighboring base station entity (e.g., base station 104a) to the UE 102 or to non-dedicated signaling from the neighboring base station entity (e.g., base station 104a); and receive confirmation / negative confirmation (ACK / NACK) feedback for the indication sent to the UE 102. In a further aspect, the beam indication component 150 is configured to: receive a backhaul communication from a serving base station entity, such as RU 106b, the backhaul communication indicating a first transmission from the serving base station entity (e.g., RU 106b), the first transmission including an indication of a beam associated with a neighboring base station entity (e.g., base station 104a), the indication of the beam corresponding to at least one of: a TCI state associated with non-dedicated signaling from the neighboring base station entity (e.g., base station 104a), or an activation delay time for the beam, the activation delay time based on whether the beam corresponds to dedicated signaling from the neighboring base station entity (e.g., base station 104a) to the UE 102 or to non-dedicated signaling from the neighboring base station entity (e.g., base station 104a); and attempt to send a downlink communication using non-dedicated signaling based on the backhaul communication received from the serving base station entity (e.g., RU 106b), the backhaul communication indicating a first transmission from the serving base station entity (e.g., RU 106b), the first transmission including an indication of a beam associated with a neighboring base station entity (e.g., base station 104a). The present invention relates to a first transmission of a wireless communication system 106a to a wireless communication system 106b, the first transmission comprising an indication of a beam associated with a neighboring base station entity (e.g., base station 104a). Although the following description may focus on 5G NR, the concepts described herein may be applicable to other similar areas, such as 5G-Advanced and future versions, LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), and other wireless technologies.

[0046] Figure 2 A diagram 200 of a TCI update process based on TCI signaling between a UE and a base station or entity at a base station is shown. The cell radius / coverage area of ​​a base station may be based on a link budget. A "link budget" refers to the accumulation of total gains and losses in a system that provide a received signal level at a receiver such as a UE. The receiver may compare the received signal level to the receiver sensitivity to determine whether the channel provides at least a minimum signal strength for signals transmitted between the receiver and a transmitter (e.g., a UE and a base station).

[0047] In order to increase the link budget, the base station and the UE may perform analog beamforming operations to activate beam pairs associated with the increased signal strength. Both the base station and the UE maintain multiple beams that can be used for the beam pairs. Beam pairs that reduce coupling loss may result in increased coverage gain for the base station and the UE. "Coupling loss" refers to the reduction in path loss / power density between the first antenna of the base station and the second antenna of the UE, and can be indicated in decibels (dB). The beam selection process for the beam pairs activated by the base station and the UE may be associated with one or more of a beam measurement operation, a beam measurement report, or a beam indication process.

[0048] The base station may indicate 202 a TCI state to the UE via downlink signaling. For example, the base station indicates 202 TCI update signaling based on a media access control-control element (MAC-CE) or downlink control information (DCI). "TCI state" refers to a parameter set for configuring a quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship between one or more downlink reference signals and corresponding antenna ports. For example, a TCI state may indicate a QCL relationship between a downlink reference signal in a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) set and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) demodulation reference signal (DMRS) port. Due to the antenna reciprocity theorem, a single TCI state may provide beam indications for both a downlink channel / signal and an uplink channel / signal.

[0049] Beam indication techniques based on TCI signaling may include joint beam indication or separate beam indication. "Joint beam indication" refers to a single / joint TCI state for updating the beams of both downlink channels / signals and uplink channels / signals. For example, the base station may indicate a single / joint TCI state configured based on the DLorJointTCIState parameter in the downlink TCI signaling to update the beams of both the downlink channel / signal and the uplink channel / signal. For TCI signaling based on the joint TCI state, the base station may send a synchronization signal block (SSB) or CSI-RS to indicate the QCL relationship between the downlink channels / signals and the spatial relationship of the uplink channels / signals. In the first aspect, the TCI update signaling sent 202 may correspond to a joint beam indication for both the downlink channel / signal and the uplink channel / signal.

[0050] "Separate beam indication" refers to a first TCI state for updating a first beam of a downlink channel / signal and a second TCI state for updating a second beam of an uplink channel / signal. For example, a base station may indicate a first TCI state configured based on a DLorJointTCIState parameter in a downlink TCI signaling to update a first beam of a downlink channel / signal, and may indicate a second TCI state configured based on an UL-TCIState parameter in a further downlink TCI signaling to update a second beam of an uplink channel / signal. If the base station indicates a second TCI state (e.g., uplink TCI) in a downlink reference signal, the downlink reference signal may correspond to an SSB, a CSI-RS, etc. In an example in which an uplink reference signal is used to indicate a second TCI state, the uplink reference signal may correspond to a sounding reference signal (SRS), which may indicate a spatial relationship of an uplink channel / signal. In a second aspect, the TCI update signaling sent 202 may correspond to a downlink channel / signal or an uplink channel / signal based on a separate beam indication technique.

[0051] The base station may configure the QCL type and / or source reference signal for QCL signaling. The QCL type of the downlink reference signal may be based on higher layer parameters, such as qcl-Type in the QCL-Info parameter. The first QCL type corresponding to typeA may be associated with Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay and / or delay spread. The second QCL type corresponding to typeB may be associated with Doppler shift and / or Doppler spread. The third QCL type corresponding to typeC may be associated with Doppler shift and / or average delay. The fourth QCL type corresponding to typeD may be associated with a spatial reception (Rx) parameter. The UE may use the same spatial transmission filter to indicate the spatial relationship for receiving a downlink reference signal from the base station or sending an uplink TCI signaling. The TCI update signaling sent 202 updates the TCI state for the channel of the CC that shares the TCI state indicated by the TCI update signaling. The CC may be associated with a cell included in the cell list. The cell list is configured based on RRC signaling indicating parameters such as a simultaneousTCI-UpdateList1 parameter, a simultaneousTCI-UpdateList2 parameter, a simultaneousTCI-UpdateList3 parameter, or a simultaneousTCI-UpdateList4 parameter.

[0052] The UE sends 204 ACK / NACK feedback to the base station in response to TCI update signaling sent 202 from the base station to the UE. At least X symbols 208 after the UE sends 204 ACK / NACK feedback to the base station, the UE may apply 206 the TCI state indicated via the TCI update signaling. For example, if the UE sends 204 ACK to the base station in response to the TCI update signaling, the UE applies 206 the TCI state indicated after a configured duration 208. In an example in which the UE sends 204 NACK to the base station in response to the TCI update signaling, the UE does not apply 206 the TCI state indicated via the TCI update signaling sent 202 from the base station to the UE. The duration of X symbols 208 before the UE applies 206 the indicated TCI state may be configured based on RRC signaling from the base station.

[0053] The signaling transmitted between the base station and the UE can be dedicated signaling or non-dedicated signaling. "Dedicated signaling" refers to UE-specific signaling between the base station and the UE. For example, dedicated signaling corresponds to a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), PDSCH, physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) associated with a list of cells that share the indicated TCI state. "Non-dedicated signaling" refers to signaling between a base station and a non-specific UE. For example, non-dedicated signaling corresponds to a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), a PDCCH / PDSCH sent from a base station for a non-specific UE, a non-periodic CSI-RS, or an SRS for a codebook, non-codebook, or antenna switching.

[0054] For dedicated signaling from the base station to the UE, the base station sends 202 a TCI state associated with a first downlink reference signal of the serving cell and / or a TCI state associated with a second downlink reference signal of a neighboring cell / target cell. However, for non-dedicated signaling from the base station to the UE, the base station sends 202 a TCI state associated with a first downlink reference signal of the serving cell, but does not send a TCI state associated with a second downlink reference signal of a neighboring cell / target cell. The lack of TCI state information from the non-dedicated signaling of the neighboring cell / target cell may prevent the serving cell from changing to a neighboring cell / target cell without supporting the ICM process.

[0055] The PDCCH in the control resource set (CORESET) associated with the type 0 / 0A / 0B / 1 / 2 common search space and the PDSCH scheduled by such PDCCH are non-dedicated signals. However, other PDCCH and PDSCH signaling can be dedicated signals. The search space type may be defined based on a standardized protocol. The PUSCH / PUCCH triggered by DCI at the UE, activated based on MAC-CE, or configured based on uplink grant in RRC signaling from the base station is a dedicated signal.

[0056] The ICM procedure may include the base station sending 202 a TCI state associated with a downlink reference signal (e.g., SSB, CSI-RS, etc.) of a neighboring cell / target cell, wherein the downlink reference signal corresponds to dedicated signaling. For non-dedicated signaling, the TCI state sent 202 may be associated with a serving cell. Thus, after the beam indication operation, the serving cell is not changed for the UE. Such a procedure may be referred to as an inter-cell beam management (ICBM) procedure.

[0057] Whether non-dedicated signaling (e.g., non-dedicated PDCCH / PDSCH, non-periodic CSI-RS, and / or SRS) shares the indicated TCI state may be based on the RRC configuration associated with the RRC signaling. Other channels / signals may not share the indicated TCI state. The base station may send separate TCI signaling for other channels / signals that do not share the indicated TCI state. For example, the base station may send separate TCI signaling via MAC-CE. Signaling that does not share the indicated TCI state may include periodic or semi-persistent CSI-RS, SSB, PRACH, or SRS for beam management.

[0058] The serving cell / base station sends an RRC configuration to the UE for pre-configuring the UE to communicate with the neighboring cell / target cell. The pre-configuration includes RRC parameters associated with the neighboring cell / target cell. The RRC parameters may be included in the RRCReconfiguration message. After the serving cell / base station sends beam indication signaling to the UE based on the TCI state associated with the neighboring cell / target cell, the UE applies the RRC parameters according to the pre-configuration to communicate with the neighboring cell / target cell. In certain cases related to handover, the serving cell is updated to the neighboring cell / target cell after the beam indication operation.

[0059] The increased complexity associated with the UE updating the RRC parameters may cause the common beam activation delay for non-ICM procedures to be unsuitable for ICM procedures. For example, the base station and the UE may perform a non-ICM procedure based on a shorter beam activation delay than the ICM procedure. Therefore, the length of the beam activation delay may depend on whether the base station and the UE are implementing an ICM procedure or a non-ICM procedure. In addition, the layer 1 (L1) signaling of ACK / NACK feedback for beam indication operations may cause NACK to ACK or ACK to NACK errors in the ICM process. When such an error occurs, the UE may attempt to recover from the error. In addition, based on the TCI update signaling, some channels or CCs may not share the indicated TCI state sent 202. For example, some channels or CCs are associated with neighboring cells / target cells, while other channels or CCs are associated with serving cells. The neighboring cell / target cell may have a physical cell ID that is different from the cell identifier (ID) of the serving cell.

[0060] Figure 3 300 is a communication signaling diagram illustrating communication between UE 102 and first network entity 304 / second network entity 305. First network entity 304 / second network entity 305 may correspond to different base stations 104 or entities at different base stations 104, such as RU 106, DU 108, CU 110, etc. In one example, first network entity 304 provides a serving cell to the UE (e.g., RU 106b provides serving cell 190b to UE 102b), and second network entity 305 provides a neighboring cell (e.g., RU 106a provides neighboring cell 190a to UE 102b). First network entity 304 and UE 102 may perform a beam indication technique based on a configuration of a first beam application delay for a non-ICM procedure or a second beam application delay for an ICM procedure.

[0061] Since the UE 102 may update the RRC parameters for the ICM process, the first beam application time for the ICM process may be different from the second beam application time for a non-ICM process such as ICBM, which may be configured based on RRC signaling (e.g., associated with the beamAppTime parameter). Based on the time used by the UE 102 to update the RRC parameters for the ICM process, the second beam application time for the ICM process may be longer than the first beam application time for the non-ICM / ICBM process. The value of the beamAppTime parameter may correspond to {1, 2, 4, 7, 14, 28, 42, 56, 70,84, 224, 336} symbols, where a value greater than 70 may not be applicable to frequency range 1 (FR1).

[0062] Thus, a first beam application delay may be implemented to update a TCI state for a non-ICM procedure such as ICBM, and a second beam application delay (e.g., a longer delay) may be implemented to update a TCI state for an ICM procedure. The UE 102 sends 306 a UE capability report to the first network entity 304. The UE capability report indicates a minimum beam application delay for the ICM procedure. That is, the UE capability report sent 306 by the UE 102 may indicate a second / longer beam application delay used by the UE 102 to update RRC parameters for the ICM procedure.

[0063] The first network entity 304 sends 308 a configuration of a second beam application delay for an ICM procedure to the UE 102. The configuration sent 308 by the first network entity 304 may be based on a UE capability report received 306 from the UE 102. In an example, the first network entity 304 may indicate the configuration of the second beam application delay for the ICM procedure to the UE 102 using RRC signaling. The first network entity 304 may indicate the beamAppTimeForMobility parameter to the UE 102 in association with the pdsch-config parameter in the RRC signaling, or the first network entity 304 may indicate the beamAppTimeForMobility parameter based on MAC-CE or DCI (e.g., in beam indication signaling 310) based on the UE capabilities received 306 from the UE 102. The second beam application delay for the ICM procedure may be configured per neighbor cell / target cell, or may be configured commonly across neighbor cells / target cells. Next, the first network entity 304 sends 309 a backhaul communication to the second network entity 305 over an Xn interface, wherein the backhaul communication indicates the beam indication signaling that the first network entity 304 intends to send to the UE 102 .

[0064] Thereafter, the first network entity 304 sends 310 beam indication signaling to the UE 102. The beam indication signaling indicates an updated beam for communicating with the UE 102. For example, the updated beam may correspond to a first updated beam (e.g., a non-ICM process) of the first network entity 304 or a second updated beam (e.g., an ICM process) of the second network entity 305. Then, the UE 102 determines 312 a delay associated with the beam indication signaling. That is, the UE 102 determines whether the received 310 beam indication signaling is associated with an ICM process or a non-ICM process. Whether the UE 102 applies a first beam application delay for a non-ICM process such as ICBM or applies a second beam application delay for an ICM process may be determined 312 based on an indicated TCI state associated with the received 310 beam indication signaling. If the TCI state associated with the received 310 beam indication signaling from the first network entity 304 indicates an ICM procedure (e.g., RRC parameter update), the UE 102 determines 312 that the delay corresponds to a second beam application delay for the ICM procedure. Otherwise, the UE 102 determines 312 that the delay corresponds to a first beam application delay for a non-ICM procedure such as ICBM. The duration of the beam application delay may be an enumerated binary indicator (e.g., 00=10 ms, 01=25 ms, 10=50 ms, 11=100 ms, or 00=56 symbols, 01=112 symbols, 10=224 symbols, 11=448 symbols) or a direct number (integer value: 10 – 100 ms, or 10-100 time slots).

[0065] In a further example, the first network entity 304 may configure the UE 102 to apply a first beam application delay for a non-ICM procedure or a second beam application delay for an ICM procedure based on the beam indication signaling sent 310 to the UE 102. For MAC-CE based beam indication signaling, each indicated TCI or TCI code point or each MAC-CE may include a flag to indicate whether the updated beam used for communicating with the UE 102 is for an ICM procedure or a non-ICM / ICBM procedure.

[0066] For DCI-based beam indication signaling, a beam indication field may be included in the DCI to indicate whether the updated beam used for communicating with UE102 is for an ICM process or a non-ICM / ICBM process. In some examples, an old field included in the DCI (such as a field indicating an antenna port, a serving cell index, or a bandwidth part (BWP) index) may also be used for the beam indication field to indicate whether the updated beam is for an ICM process or a non-ICM / ICBM process. In a further example, the starting control channel element (CCE) index for a PDCCH with a DCI may be used to indicate whether the updated beam is for an ICM process or a non-ICM / ICBM process. An odd starting CCE index may indicate an ICM process, while an even starting CCE index may indicate a non-ICM / ICBM process. In yet a further example, whether the beam indication is for an ICM process or a non-ICM / ICBM process may be based on a search space (SS) or CORESET for the PDCCH. Some SSs or CORESETs may be predefined or configured for beam indication associated with ICM procedures, while other SSs / CORESETs may be predefined or configured for beam indication associated with non-ICM / ICBM procedures.

[0067] After the UE 102 receives 310 beam indication signaling from the first network entity 304 and determines 312 a delay associated with the beam indication signaling, the UE 102 may send 314 ACK / NACK feedback for the beam indication signaling. For example, if the UE 102 sends an ACK to the first network entity 304 in response to receiving 310 the beam indication signaling, the first network entity 304 avoids further communication with the UE 102 in view of the ICM procedure. If the UE 102 sends a NACK to the first network entity 304 in response to receiving 310 the beam indication signaling, the first network entity 304 may determine to retransmit the beam indication signaling sent 310 to the UE 102. After sending 314 ACK for the beam indication signaling to the first network entity 304, the UE 102 applies the indicated beam based on the determined 312 delay time. The UE 102 and the first network entity 304 may count the beam application delay from the last symbol of the ACK sent 314 in response to the beam indication signaling. Alternatively, the UE 102 and the first network entity 304 may count the beam application delay from the last symbol of the beam indication signaling sent 310 by the first network entity 304 to the UE 102. Thereafter, the UE 102 communicates 316 with the first network entity 304 / the second network entity 305 based on the updated beam after the beam application delay time. Figure 3 A separate delay for ICM signaling is supported (eg, different from ICBM delay). Figure 4 by Figure 3 The basis is constructed for dual connectivity scenarios, especially for network entities with QCL antenna ports.

[0068] Figure 4 is a communication signaling diagram 400 illustrating communication between the UE 102 and the first network entity 304 / the second network entity 305 . Figure 4 The signaling sent 310 and received 314 in Figure 3 310, 314, but explicitly for source and target base station entities, rather than just for serving and neighboring cells. The beam indication signaling sent 310 from the first network entity 304 (e.g., source cell) indicates a TCI state associated with the second network entity 305 (e.g., target cell). After receiving 314 an ACK / NACK feedback signal from the UE 102, the first network entity 304 decodes 416 the ACK / NACK feedback signal received from the UE 102. For example, if the serving cell first network entity 304 receives an ACK in response to the sending 310 of the beam indication signaling, the first network entity 304 may update the communication process based on the indicated beam. If the serving cell first network entity 304 instead receives a NACK, the first network entity 304 may determine to retransmit the previously sent 310 beam indication signaling to the UE 102.

[0069] When beam indication signaling is received 310 from the first network entity 304, the UE 102 may be configured to perform carrier aggregation. If the beam indication signaling indicates a TCI state associated with the second network entity 305 (e.g., the target cell) that triggers RRC reconfiguration, the UE 102 determines 418a which serving cell in the cell list corresponds to the PCell of the target cell and the activation / deactivation state of the corresponding SCell. The first network entity 304 / second network entity 305 may perform a similar determination 418b on the PCell of the target cell and the activation / deactivation state of the corresponding SCell based on the association between the indicated TCI state and the first network entity 304 / second network entity 305. In the example, the first network entity 304 sends control signaling (not shown) to the UE 102 after 310 to indicate the PCell and the active SCell to the UE 102, so that the UE 102 and the network entities 304-305 make the same determinations 418a-418b and 420a-420b. For example, the first network entity 304 may configure the cell list to the UE 102 based on RRC signaling. The RRC signaling may be associated with a simultaneousTCI-UpdateList1 parameter, a simultaneousTCI-UpdateList2 parameter, a simultaneousTCI-UpdateList3 parameter, or a simultaneousTCI-UpdateList4 parameter. In a further example, the control signaling may be sent 310 to the UE 102 together with the beam indication signaling.

[0070] The UE 102 and the network entities 304-305 determine 420a-420b the QCL and spatial relationship of the channels / signals of the source cell. In the example, some communications may occur on channels that do not share the indicated TCI state associated with the beam indication signaling, but can still be configured with the TCI state associated with the serving cell. The UE communicates 422 with the first network entity 304 / second network entity 305 based on the indicated TCI state.

[0071] After the beam application time associated with the TCI state of the target cell indicating the ICM process, the UE 102 and the first network entity 304 / the second network entity 305 may determine that the PCell of the target cell is the cell associated with the beam indication signaling or the ACK for the beam indication signaling. In the example, the UE 102 and the first network entity 304 / the second network entity 305 determine that the PCell of the target cell is within the coverage of the PCell of the source cell. In a further example, the first network entity 304 may configure the PCell of the target cell based on higher layer signaling such as RRC signaling, MAC-CE for beam indication, or DCI associated with the beam indication signaling. For example, the PCell of the target cell corresponds to a CC indicated based on a serving cell index in the DCI associated with the beam indication signaling.

[0072] The RRC signaling indicating the RRC configuration parameters of the target cell may indicate the PCell. The RRC configuration parameters may be indicated in the RRCReconfiguration message. In the example of indicating TCI signaling based on MAC-CE, the first network entity 304 may indicate the PCell index of the cell list to indicate that the target cell is the PCell. Figure 5 A PCell indication diagram 500 based on beam indication signaling associated with ICM is shown. For example, the PCell indication diagram 500 indicates a MAC-CE format, wherein the field "PCell index" is used to indicate a specific cell within a cell list as a PCell. The PCell indication diagram 500 may also be applicable to primary secondary cell (PSCell) indication, or alternatively to an ICM process that is not based on dual connectivity operation.

[0073] After the beam application time for the TCI associated with the target cell for the ICM process, the UE 102 and the first network entity 304 / the second network entity 305 may determine that the CCs other than the PCell or PSCell of the target cell have been deactivated. That is, the UE 102 and the first network entity 304 / the second network entity 305 may determine that the SCell of the target cell has been deactivated. Alternatively, the UE 102 and the first network entity 304 / the second network entity 305 may determine that at least a subset of CCs other than the CCs of the PCell or PSCell of the target cell (i.e., CCs of the SCell) are activated. One or more active CC indexes may be configured based on higher layer signaling such as RRC signaling or MAC-CE.

[0074] After the beam application time for the TCI associated with the target cell for the ICM process, the UE 102 may also avoid monitoring at least a subset of channels / signals in active CCs having TCI states or QCL relations associated with cells other than the target cell. In an example, the UE 102 may avoid monitoring non-dedicated channels / signals in active CCs having TCI states or QCL relations associated with cells other than the target cell. The UE 102 may continue to monitor dedicated channels / signals even if the TCI states and QCL relations are associated with different cells.

[0075] The PDCCH in the CORESET associated with the type 0 / 0A / 0B / 1 / 2 common search space and the PDSCH scheduled based on the PDCCH in the CORESET are non-dedicated signals. Other signals such as periodic / semi-persistent CSI-RS and SRS for beam management are dedicated signals. For rate matching, the UE 102 and the first network entity 304 / the second network entity 305 may determine that the resource elements (REs) for the channels / signals that the UE 102 is not monitoring are available resources. In an alternative example, the UE 102 and the first network entity 304 / the second network entity 305 may determine that the REs for the channels / signals that the UE 102 is not monitoring are unavailable resources.

[0076] Figure 6 6 is a communication signaling diagram 600 illustrating communication between UE 102 and first network entity 304 / second network entity 305 when UE 102 performs a timer-based fallback operation to first network entity 304 based on a layer 1 / layer 2 (L1 / L2) ICM failure. Figure 7 .

[0077] Figure 6 and Figure 3The elements 310, 312, 314 of the first network entity 304 correspond to each other. For example, when the updated beam is applied to the ICM process relative to the beam of the second network entity 305, the UE 102 determines a beam application time to be used for the ICM process. As another example, when the TCI state associated with the beam indication signaling received 310 from the first network entity 304 indicates an ICM process (e.g., an RRC parameter update), the UE 102 determines 312 that the delay corresponds to the ICM process. For the updated beam associated with the ICM process, the UE 102 applies the indicated beam based on the beam application delay time determined 312 for the ICM process, and communicates 316 with the second network entity 305 based on the updated beam after the beam application delay time associated with the ICM process. For example, the communication 316 can be based on the second network entity 305 sending signaling that is not dedicated to the UE 102 (i.e., signaling that is not associated with a handover process that causes the target network entity / base station to become a serving network entity / base station).

[0078] The UE 102 initiates 618 a timer for the backoff procedure to the first network entity 304. The UE 102 may use the timer to resolve missed detection from the second network entity 305 or misdetection of beam indication signaling associated with the ICM procedure for which the UE sends 314 ACK / NACK feedback to the first network entity.

[0079] The communication between the UE 102 and the first network entity 304 may correspond to a source cell. When the first network entity 304 is associated with the source cell, the UE 102 receives 310 beam indication signaling, wherein the beam indication signaling indicates a TCI state associated with a target cell of the second network entity 305. Such beam indication signaling corresponds to an L1 / L2 ICM procedure. The UE 102 may initiate a first timer for an ICM procedure with a target cell (e.g., the second network entity 305) in response to receiving 310 beam indication signaling from the source cell (e.g., the first network entity 304). After a beam application delay time for the TCI associated with the target cell, the UE 102 may initiate a first timer for an ICM procedure with the target cell. Alternatively, the UE 102 may initiate a first timer for an ICM procedure with the target cell after receiving 310 beam indication signaling from the first network entity 304.

[0080] If the UE 102 detects a downlink signal (e.g., non-UE-specific signaling) (e.g., PDCCH) from the target cell, the UE 102 determines that the target cell becomes the serving cell and stops the first timer. The UE 102 may maintain the radio link with the source cell while monitoring the downlink signal (e.g., non-UE-specific signaling) from the target cell, and / or the UE 102 may terminate the radio link based on sending 314 ACK / NACK feedback to the first network entity 304.

[0081] The first timer may expire 620 before the UE 102 stops the timer. Expiration of the first timer indicates an L1 / L2 ICM failure. Therefore, if the first timer expires 620, the UE 102 may perform a fallback operation to the source cell to resume communication with the first network entity 304 based on the source cell. The first network entity 304 may configure the duration of the first timer to the UE 102 via RRC signaling (not shown; occurs after or in association with 310). For example, the first network entity 304 sends an RRC reconfiguration message including a first timer value for the first timer to the UE 102. In a further example, the first network entity 304 may broadcast a system information block (SIB) including the first timer value. The SIB may correspond to SIB1 or other types of SIBs for indicating the first timer value. The first network entity 304 may configure the first timer value for each first timer for each target cell that is a candidate for the ICM process. Alternatively, the first network entity 304 may configure the first timer value for the first timer across candidate / target cells in common. In yet further examples, the UE 102 can use a default, preconfigured, or predetermined timer value for the first timer.

[0082] The fallback procedure to the first network entity 304 may be based on a random access procedure, such as a contention-free random access (CFRA) procedure or a contention-based random access (CBRA) procedure. When the first timer expires, the UE 102 may trigger a random access procedure toward a source cell associated with the first network entity 304. The random access procedure may be a four-step random access procedure, wherein the UE 102 may include a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) for the source cell in a message 3 (Msg3) of the four-step random access procedure. Alternatively, the random access procedure may be a two-step random access procedure, wherein the UE 102 may include a C-RNTI for the source cell in a message A (MsgA) of the two-step random access procedure. When the first network entity 304 receives the C-RNTI in the random access procedure via the source cell, the first network entity 304 may identify that the UE 102 triggered the fallback procedure. The fallback operation may be triggered based on a failure of the L1 / L2 ICM of the target cell, wherein the UE 102 indicates the failure to the first network entity 304 via the source cell. For example, UE 102 sends 622 to first network entity 304 a request to fall back to communicating with first network entity 304 via the source cell.

[0083] UE 102 may avoid initiating an RRC connection reestablishment procedure in response to an L1 / L2 ICM failure. That is, the UE may avoid sending an RRC message (e.g., an RRCReestablishmentRequest message) in a Msg3 or MsgA sent to the first network entity. Thus, the first network entity 304 will not be triggered by UE 102 based on the L1 / L2 ICM failure to perform an RRC connection reestablishment procedure with UE 102. Performing the RRC connection reestablishment procedure may cause UE 102 and the first network entity 304 to reset radio configuration parameters, so that the first network entity 304 may reconfigure parameters starting from the radio link, and cause an increased communication delay between UE 102 and the first network entity 304.

[0084] The UE 102 may initiate a second timer (not shown) based on the detection of the L1 / L2 ICM failure. The first timer corresponds to a first duration value received 310 together with the beam indication signaling. When the UE begins to attempt to receive non-UE-dedicated signaling from the second network entity 305, the first timer is initiated 618, wherein the expiration of the first timer before the neighboring / target cell entity becomes the serving cell entity causes the L1 / L2 ICM failure. The second timer that the UE 102 may initiate at the same time as the first timer corresponds to a second timer duration (e.g., longer than the first duration). After the L1 / L2 ICM failure and at the expiration of the second timer, the UE 102 performs an RRC connection reestablishment procedure (not shown). The first network entity 304 may send an RRC reconfiguration message including a second timer value for the second timer to the UE 102. As another example, the first network entity broadcasts a SIB including the second timer value. The SIB may correspond to SIB1 or other types of SIBs indicating the second timer value. The second timer value is longer than the first timer value so that the second timer does not expire before the first timer.

[0085] If the UE 102 detects a downlink signal (e.g., non-UE-dedicated signaling) such as DCI from the target cell on the PDCCH, the UE 102 determines that the target cell has become a serving cell and stops the second timer. If the second timer expires before the UE 102 stops the second timer, the UE 102 initiates an RRC connection reestablishment procedure. The UE 102 may perform the RRC connection reestablishment procedure on a source cell, a target cell, or a cell different from the source cell and the target cell. The UE 102 may send or receive an RRC reestablishment request message (e.g., an RRCReestablishmentRequest message) on a cell such as the source cell, the target cell, or a different cell in order to perform the RRC connection reestablishment procedure. The UE 102 may also send or receive an RRC reestablishment completion message (e.g., an RRCReestablishmentComplete message) on a cell such as the source cell, the target cell, or a different cell. In the example, the UE 102 initiates the second timer only when the target cell corresponds to the target PCell or the target PSCell. Alternatively, regardless of whether the target cell corresponds to a PCell, a PSCell, or a SCell, the UE 102 may initiate the second timer.

[0086] The request sent 622 from the UE 102 to the first network entity 304 may be sent on a PUCCH or a PUSCH. For example, the control signaling sent after or in association with the beam indication signaling may include an RRC reconfiguration message that configures the resources of the PUCCH or PUSCH used by the UE 102 to send 622 the fallback request. After the first network entity 304 receives 622 the fallback request from the UE 102, the first network entity may send 624 a response to the fallback request. The response to the fallback request may be sent 624 from the first network entity 304 to the UE 102 on a PDCCH. The PDCCH may be a PDCCH in a dedicated SS or CORESET that the first network entity 304 configures for the UE 102 based on higher layer signaling such as a SIB or an RRC reconfiguration message. Alternatively, the PDCCH may be a PDCCH associated with a specific radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) that the first network entity 304 configures to the UE 102 based on higher layer signaling. In a further example, the PDCCH may be a PDCCH associated with a dedicated DCI format, or a PDCCH scheduled for transmission based on the same HARQ process as used for a PUSCH associated with a fallback request.

[0087] The UE 102 communicates 628 with the source cell based on the response to the fallback request received 624 from the first network entity 304 . Figure 6 describes the fallback process, and Figure 7 A successful handover process will be described.

[0088] Figure 7 is a communication signaling diagram 700 illustrating communications between the UE 102 and the first network entity 304 / the second network entity 305 to support successful handover of source and target cells using beam pointing techniques for ICM. Figure 7 and Figure 6 The elements 310, 312, 314, 618 correspond to each other.

[0089] The UE 102 may confirm receipt 720 of downlink signaling, such as a reference signal or other UE-specific signaling, from the target cell / second network entity 305 for the ICM procedure based on sending 722 an ACK to the source cell / first network entity 304. The ACK sent 722 to the first network entity 304 is an ACK (e.g., an additional ACK) that is different from the ACK / NACK feedback sent 314 to the first network entity 304 in response to the beam indication signaling. The ACK indicates to the first network entity 304 that the ICM procedure between the UE 102 and the first network entity 304 / second network entity 305 has been successfully performed. If the UE 102 detects / receives 720 a downlink signal (e.g., PDCCH) intended for the UE 102 from the target cell, the UE 102 determines that the target cell becomes a serving cell and stops the timer. Expiration of the timer before the UE 102 terminates the timer indicates an L1 / L2 ICM failure. Figure 6 As shown, UE 102 may perform a fallback operation to the source cell based on the L1 / L2 ICM failure to resume communication with the first network entity 304 via the source cell.

[0090] The UE 102 may perform a CFRA procedure or a CBRA procedure to send 722 an additional ACK to the first network entity 304. The CBRA procedure may be a four-step random access procedure or a two-step random access procedure. The four-step CBRA procedure may include the UE 102 sending 722 an additional ACK in Msg3 of the random access procedure. The two-step CBRA procedure may include the UE 102 sending 722 an additional ACK in MsgA of the random access procedure. For the CFRA procedure, the second network entity 305 may configure PRACH resources based on RRC signaling or DCI from the target cell.

[0091] Alternatively, the UE 102 may send 722 an additional ACK on a PUCCH or PUSCH configured based on RRC signaling or triggered by a DCI from the target cell. If the additional ACK is sent 722 on the PUSCH, the UE 102 may send the additional ACK in a MAC-CE or multiplex the additional ACK with other uplink control information in the PUSCH. Alternatively, the second network entity 305 (e.g., the target cell) may send the additional ACK to the first network entity 304 (e.g., the source cell) via a backhaul link / Xn interface between the second network entity 305 and the first network entity 304. The second network entity 305 may send the additional ACK to the first network entity 304 via the backhaul link / Xn interface based on an uplink signal such as a PUCCH, a PUSCH, or a PRACH received from the UE 102. After the first network entity 304 receives the additional ACK from the UE 102 or from the second network entity via the backhaul link / Xn interface, the UE 102 may communicate 724 with the target cell based on the indicated beam for the ICM procedure.

[0092] Figure 8A-8B Flowcharts 800-850 of methods of wireless communication are shown. Figure 1 and Fig.11 The method may be performed by a UE 102, a device 1102, etc., which may include a memory 1124' and may correspond to the entire UE 102 or device 1102, or a component of the UE 102 or device 1102 (such as a wireless baseband processor 1124 and / or an application processor 1106).

[0093] The UE 102 sends 802 a UE capability report indicating a minimum delay of an activation delay time of a beam—the minimum delay being measured after receiving an indication of a beam associated with the second network entity. Figure 3 , the UE 102 sends 306 a UE capability report for minimum beam application delay for ICM to the first network entity 304. The ICM component 140 of the UE 102 or device 1102 may perform the sending 802.

[0094] The UE 102 receives 804 a configuration for an activation delay time of a beam associated with a second network entity based on at least one of RRC signaling, MAC-CE, or DCI—the configuration for the activation delay time being specific to the second network entity or common to a plurality of cells including the second network entity. Figure 3 , the UE 102 receives 308 a configuration of a beam application delay for ICM from the first network entity 304. The ICM component 140 of the UE 102 or device 1102 may perform the receiving 804.

[0095] The UE 102 receives 806 from the first network entity an indication of a beam associated with the second network entity—the indication of the beam corresponding to at least one of: a TCI state associated with non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity, or an activation delay time for the beam, the activation delay time being based on whether the beam corresponds to dedicated signaling from the second network entity or non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity. For example, referring to Figure 3-Figure 4 and Figure 6-Figure 7 , the UE 102 receives 310 beam indication signaling from the first network entity 304. The beam indication signaling 304 may indicate a TCI state. The ICM component 140 of the UE 102 or device 1102 may perform receiving 806.

[0096] UE 102 sends 808 ACK / NACK feedback for the indication received from the first network entity—the minimum delay of the activation delay time of the beam can be measured from the last symbol of the ACK / NACK feedback. Figure 3-Figure 4 and Figure 6-Figure 7 , the UE 102 sends 314 to the first network entity 304 an ACK / NACK feedback for the beam indication signaling received 310 from the first network entity 304. The ICM component 140 of the UE 102 or device 1102 may perform the sending 802.

[0097] The UE 102 refrains 810 from monitoring at least a subset of channels in an active CC having at least one of a TCI state or a QCL associated with a cell different from the PCell of the second network entity—REs of at least a subset of the channels are indicated as available or unavailable. Figure 5 , the UE 102 avoids monitoring the CC based on the PCell indication map 500 associated with the ICM process. The ICM component 140 of the UE 102 or device 1102 may perform avoidance 810.

[0098] UE 102 attempts 812 to receive downlink communications from the second network entity based on the indication. Figure 3-Figure 4 and Figure 6 , UE 102 attempts to communicate 316 with the second network entity 305 based on the updated beam after the beam application delay time. In the communication signaling diagram 400, UE 102 attempts to communicate 422 with the second network entity 305 based on the indicated TCI state. The ICM component 140 of the UE 102 or device 1102 can perform the attempt 812.

[0099] After the activation delay time of the beam, the UE 102 initiates 814 a first timer for receiving downlink communications from the second network entity. Figure 6-Figure 7, the UE 102 initiates one or more timers 618, such as a timer for receiving downlink communications from the second network entity 305. The ICM component 140 of the UE 102 or device 1102 may perform the initiating 814.

[0100] After the activation delay time of the beam, the UE 102 initiates 816 a second timer for sending an RRC reestablishment request—the RRC reestablishment request is sent based on the second timer reaching the expiration time of the second timer. Figure 6-Figure 7 , the UE 102 initiates one or more timers 618, such as a timer for an RRC reestablishment request with the first network entity 304. The ICM component 140 of the UE 102 or device 1102 may perform the initiating 816.

[0101] The second timer is initiated 816 simultaneously with the first timer and is longer than the first timer. If both timers are still active, the UE 102 receives 818 a downlink communication from the second network entity before the expiration of the timer. For example, referring to Figure 7 , the UE 102 receives 720 downlink signaling from the second network entity 305. The ICM component 140 of the UE 102 or device 1102 may perform the receiving 818.

[0102] UE 102 stops 820 the first timer and the second timer based on receiving a downlink communication from the second network entity occurring before expiration of the first timer. Figure 7 , based on receiving 720 downlink signaling from the second network entity 305, the UE 102 stops initiating 618 the first timer and the second timer. The ICM component 140 of the UE 102 or device 1102 may perform the stopping 820.

[0103] UE 102 sends 822 an ACK to the first network entity in response to receiving the downlink communication from the second network entity before expiration of the timer. Figure 7 , the UE 102 sends 722 an additional ACK to the first network entity 304 in response to the downlink signaling received 720 from the second network entity 305. The ICM component 140 of the UE 102 or device 1102 may perform the sending 822.

[0104] If the first timer expires, the UE 102 sends 824 a request to communicate with the first network entity based on the expiration of the timer occurring before receiving downlink communications from the second network entity. Figure 6, UE 102 sends 622 to first network entity 304 a request to fall back to first network entity 304 via a source cell. The request is sent 622 based on timer expiration 620 prior to receiving downlink communication from second network entity 305. ICM component 140 of UE 102 or device 1102 may perform sending 824.

[0105] UE 102 receives 826 a response from the first network entity to the request to communicate with the first network entity. Figure 6 , the UE 102 receives 624 from the first network entity 304 a response to the fallback request, which was sent 622 from the UE 102 to the first network entity 304. The ICM component 140 of the UE 102 or device 1102 may perform the receiving 826.

[0106] If both the second timer and the first timer expire (based on the second timer being longer than the first timer and the two timers being initiated at the same time), the UE 102 initiates 828 an RRC connection reestablishment procedure. The UE 102 may perform the RRC connection reestablishment procedure on a source cell, a target cell, or a cell different from the source cell and the target cell. The ICM component 140 of the UE 102 or device 1102 may perform initiation 828.

[0107] Fig. 9 900 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication at a first network entity providing a serving / source cell. Figure 1 and Fig.12 The method may be performed by a base station 104 or an entity at the base station 104, such as a first network entity 304, which may correspond to the RU 106, the DU 108, the CU 110, the RU processor 1242, the DU processor 1232, or the CU processor 1212, etc. The base station 104 or an entity at the base station 104 may include a memory 1212' / 1232' / 1242', which may correspond to the entire first network entity 304 or the base station 104, or a component of the first network entity 304 or the base station 104 (such as the RU processor 1242, the DU processor 1232, or the CU processor 1212).

[0108] The first network entity 304 or base station 104 receives 902 a UE capability report indicating a minimum delay of an activation delay time of a beam—the minimum delay being measured after sending an indication of a beam associated with the second network entity. Figure 3, the first network entity 304 receives 306 a UE capability report for minimum beam application delay for ICM from the UE 102. The receiving 902 may be performed by the beam indication component 150 of the base station 104 or the first network entity 304 at the base station 104 (such as the RU 106, DU 108 and / or CU 110).

[0109] The first network entity 304 or the base station 104 sends 904 a configuration for an activation delay time of a beam associated with the second network entity based on at least one of RRC signaling, MAC-CE or DCI—the configuration for the activation delay time being specific to the second network entity or common to a plurality of cells including the second network entity. Figure 3 , the first network entity 304 sends 308 a configuration of a beam application delay for ICM to the UE 102. The beam indication component 150 of the base station 104 or the first network entity 304 at the base station 104 (such as the RU 106, DU 108 and / or CU 110) can perform the sending 904.

[0110] The first network entity 304 or the base station 104 sends 906 to the UE an indication of a beam associated with the second network entity—the indication of the beam corresponding to at least one of: a TCI state associated with non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity, or an activation delay time of the beam, the activation delay time being based on whether the beam corresponds to dedicated signaling from the second network entity or non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity. For example, referring to Figure 3-Figure 4 and Figure 6-Figure 7 , the first network entity 304 sends 310 beam indication signaling to the UE 102. The beam indication signaling 304 may indicate a TCI state. The beam indication component 150 of the base station 104 or the first network entity 304 at the base station 104 (such as the RU 106, DU 108, and / or CU 110) may perform the sending 906.

[0111] The first network entity 304 or base station 104 receives 908 ACK / NACK feedback for the indication sent to the UE. Figure 3-Figure 4 and Figure 6-Figure 7 , the first network entity 304 receives 314 ACK / NACK feedback from the UE 102 for the beam indication signaling sent 310 to the UE 102. The base station 104 or the beam indication component 150 of the first network entity 304 at the base station 104 (such as the RU 106, DU 108 and / or CU 110) can perform the receiving 908.

[0112] The first network entity 304 or base station 104 receives 910 an ACK from the UE indicating that a beam associated with the second network entity is received at the UE. Figure 7 , the first network entity 304 receives 722 from the UE 102 an additional ACK associated with downlink signaling sent 720 from the second network entity 305 to the UE 102. Alternatively, the network entity 304 or the base station 104 receives 911 a NACK from the UE indicating that the beam associated with the second network entity was not decoded at the UE. The beam indication component 150 of the base station 104 or the first network entity 304 at the base station 104 (such as the RU 106, the DU 108 and / or the CU 110) can perform the receiving 910-911.

[0113] The first network entity 304 or the base station 104 receives 912 from the UE a request to communicate with the first network entity based on the expiration of the UE-side timer occurring before receiving downlink communication from the second network entity. Figure 6 , the first network entity 304 receives 622 a request from the UE 102 to fall back to communicating with the first network entity 304 via the source cell. The request is received 622 based on the UE timer expiring 620 before the downlink communication is received from the second network entity 305 to the UE 102. The base station 104 or a beam indication component 150 of the first network entity 304 at the base station 104 (such as the RU 106, the DU 108 and / or the CU 110) can perform the receiving 912.

[0114] The first network entity 304 or base station 104 sends 914 to the UE a response to the request to communicate with the first network entity. Figure 6 , the first network entity 304 sends 624 to the UE 102 a response to the fallback request received 622 from the UE 102. The beam indication component 150 of the base station 104 or the first network entity 304 at the base station 104 (such as the RU 106, DU 108 and / or CU 110) can perform the sending 914.

[0115] Fig.10 1000 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication at a second network entity providing a neighboring / target cell. The method may be performed by a base station 104 or an entity at the base station 104, such as a second network entity 305, which may correspond to a RU 106, a DU 108, a CU 110, a RU processor 1242, a DU processor 1232, or a CU processor 1212, etc. Fig.12, the base station 104 or an entity at the base station 104 may include memories 1212' / 1232' / 1242', which may correspond to the entire second network entity 305 or the base station 104, or components of the second network entity 305 or the base station 104 (such as the RU processor 1242, the DU processor 1232 or the CU processor 1212).

[0116] The second network entity 305 or the base station 104 receives 1002 a backhaul communication from the first network entity, the backhaul communication indicating a first transmission from the first network entity, the first transmission comprising an indication of a beam associated with the second network entity—the indication of the beam corresponding to at least one of: a TCI state associated with non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity, or an activation delay time for the beam, the activation delay time being based on whether the beam corresponds to dedicated signaling from the second network entity or to non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity. For example, with reference to Figure 3 , the second network entity 305 receives 309 backhaul communications from the first network entity 304 via an Xn interface. The backhaul communications received 309 from the first network entity 304 indicate beam indication signaling sent 310 from the first network entity 304 to the UE 102. The beam indication signaling is associated with a beam of the second network entity 305. The receiving 1002 may be performed by a beam indication component 150 of the base station 104 or a second network entity 305 at the base station 104 (such as the RU 106, the DU 108, and / or the CU 110).

[0117] The second network entity 305 or base station 104 transmits 1004 a downlink communication using non-dedicated signaling based on a backhaul communication received from the first network entity, the backhaul communication indicating a first transmission from the first network entity, the first transmission including an indication of a beam associated with the second network entity. Figure 3-Figure 4 and Figure 6 , the second network entity 305 communicates 316 with the UE 102 based on the updated beam after the beam application delay time. In the communication signaling diagram 400, the second network entity 305 communicates 422 with the UE 102 based on the indicated TCI state. The beam indication component 150 of the base station 104 or the second network entity 305 at the base station 104 (such as the RU 106, the DU 108 and / or the CU 110) can perform the sending 1004.

[0118] The second network entity 305 or the base station 104 sends 1006 a downlink communication based on at least one of the activation delay time, the TCI state of the active CC, or the QCL—the downlink communication being associated with non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity. Figure 3 and Figure 7, the second network entity 305 sends 720 downlink signaling to the UE 102 based on the backhaul communication indicating the beam indication signaling received 309 from the first network entity 304. The beam indication component 150 of the base station 104 or the second network entity 305 at the base station 104 (such as the RU 106, DU 108 and / or CU 110) can perform the sending 1006. Fig.11 The UE device 1102 described in the flowchart 800-850 may perform the method, such as Fig.12 The first network entity 304 described in the flowchart 900 may perform the method, and also Fig.12 The second network entity 305 described in the flowchart 1000 may execute the method.

[0119] Fig.11 1100 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a UE device 1102. The device 1102 may be a UE 102, a component of a UE, or may implement UE functionality. In some aspects, the device 1102 may include a wireless baseband processor 1124 (also referred to as a modem) coupled to one or more transceivers 1122 (e.g., a wireless RF transceiver). The wireless baseband processor 1124 may include on-chip memory 1124'. In some aspects, the device 1102 may further include one or more subscriber identity modules (SIM) cards 1120 and an application processor 1106 coupled to a secure digital (SD) card 1108 and a screen 1110. The application processor 1106 may include on-chip memory 1106'.

[0120] The device 1102 may further include a Bluetooth module 1112, a WLAN module 1114, an SPS module 1116 (e.g., a GNSS module), and a cellular module 1117 located within one or more transceivers 1122. The Bluetooth module 1112, the WLAN module 1114, the SPS module 1116, and the cellular module 1117 may include an on-chip transceiver (TRX) (or in some cases, only a receiver (RX)). The Bluetooth module 1112, the WLAN module 1114, the SPS module 1116, and the cellular module 1117 may include their own dedicated antennas and / or utilize antenna 1180 for communication. The device 1102 may further include one or more sensor modules 1118 (e.g., an atmospheric pressure sensor / altimeter; motion sensors such as an inertial management unit (IMU), a gyroscope, and / or an accelerometer; light detection and ranging (LIDAR), radio-aided detection and ranging (RADAR), sound navigation and ranging (SONAR), a magnetometer, audio, and / or other technologies for positioning), additional modules for memory 1126, a power supply 1130, and / or a camera 1132.

[0121] The wireless baseband processor 1124 communicates with another UE 102 and / or with a RU associated with the network entity 304 / 305 via one or more antennas 1180 through the transceiver 1122. The wireless baseband processor 1124 and the application processor 1106 can each include a computer-readable medium / memory 1124', 1106', respectively. The additional modules of the memory 1126 can also be regarded as computer-readable media / memory. Each computer-readable medium / memory 1124', 1106', 1126 can be non-temporary. The wireless baseband processor 1124 and the application processor 1106 are each responsible for general processing, including executing software stored on a computer-readable medium / memory. When the software is executed by the wireless baseband processor 1124 / application processor 1106, it causes the wireless baseband processor 1124 / application processor 1106 to perform the various functions described. The computer-readable medium / memory can also be used to store data manipulated by the wireless baseband processor 1124 / application processor 1106 when executing the software. The wireless baseband processor 1124 / application processor 1106 may be a component of the UE 102. The device 1102 may be a processor chip (modem and / or application) and include only the wireless baseband processor 1124 and / or application processor 1106, and in another configuration, the device 1102 may be the entire UE 102 and include additional modules of the device 1102.

[0122] As discussed, the ICM component 140 is configured to receive from the first network entity an indication of a beam associated with the second network entity, the indication of the beam corresponding to at least one of: a TCI state associated with non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity, or an activation delay time of the beam, the activation delay time being based on whether the beam corresponds to dedicated signaling from the second network entity to the UE or non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity; and attempt to receive downlink communications from the second network entity based on the indication. The ICM component 140 may be located within the radio baseband processor 1124, the application processor 1106, or both the radio baseband processor 1124 and the application processor 1106. The ICM component 140 may be one or more hardware components explicitly configured to perform the process / algorithm, implemented by one or more processors configured to perform the process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium for implementation by one or more processors, or some combination thereof.

[0123] As shown, the device 1102 may include various components configured for various functions. In one configuration, the device 1102, and in particular the wireless baseband processor 1124 and / or the application processor 1106, includes: a component for receiving an indication of a beam associated with a second network entity from a first network entity, the indication of the beam corresponding to at least one of: a TCI state associated with non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity, or an activation delay time of the beam, the activation delay time being based on whether the beam corresponds to dedicated signaling from the second network entity to the UE or to non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity; and a component for attempting to receive downlink communications from the second network entity based on the indication. The device 1102 further includes a component for sending a UE capability report indicating a minimum delay of the activation delay time of the beam, the minimum delay being measured after receiving the indication of the beam associated with the second network entity. The device 1102 further includes a component for sending an ACK / NACK feedback for an indication received from the first network entity, the minimum delay of the activation delay time of the beam being measured from the last symbol of the ACK / NACK feedback. The device 1102 further includes a component for receiving a configuration of an activation delay time for a beam associated with a second network entity based on at least one of RRC signaling, MAC-CE, or DCI, the configuration for the activation delay time being specific to the second network entity or being common to multiple cells including the second network entity.

[0124] In a further aspect, the device 1102, and in particular the radio baseband processor 1124 and / or the application processor 1106, includes means for avoiding monitoring at least a subset of channels in an active CC having at least one of a TCI state or a QCL associated with a cell different from a PCell of a second network entity, the REs of at least a subset of the channels being indicated as available or unavailable. The device 1102 further includes means for receiving a downlink communication from the second network entity based on at least one of an activation delay time, a TCI state or a QCL of the active CC, the downlink communication being associated with non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity. The device 1102 further includes: means for initiating a timer for receiving a downlink communication from the second network entity after the activation delay time of the beam; and means for stopping the first timer and the second timer based on receiving a downlink communication from the second network entity occurring before expiration of the first timer. The device 1102 further includes: means for receiving a downlink communication from the second network entity before expiration of the timer; and means for sending an ACK to the first network entity in response to receiving a downlink communication from the second network entity before expiration of the timer. The device 1102 further includes: a component for sending a request to the first network entity for communicating with the first network entity based on the expiration of the timer occurring before receiving downlink communication from the second network entity; and a component for receiving a response to the request for communicating with the first network entity from the first network entity. The device 1102 further includes a component for initiating a second timer for a second transmission of an RRC reestablishment request after the activation delay time of the beam, the RRC reestablishment request being sent based on the second timer reaching the expiration time of the second timer. The component can be the ICM component 140 of the device 1102 configured to perform the functions recited by the component.

[0125] Fig.12 1200 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a network entity 304 / 305. The network entity 304 / 305 may be a BS, a component of a BS, or may implement BS functionality. The network entity 304 / 305 may include at least one of a CU 110, a DU 108, or a RU 106. For example, depending on the layer functionality handled by the beam indication component 150, the network entity 304 / 305 may include a CU 110; both a CU 110 and a DU 108; each of a CU 110, a DU 108, and a RU 106; a DU 108; both a DU 108 and a RU 106; or a RU 106.

[0126] CU 110 may include a CU processor 1212. CU processor 1212 may include on-chip memory 1212'. In some aspects, CU 110 may further include an additional memory module 1214 and a communication interface 1218. CU 110 communicates with DU 108 via a mid-range link (such as an F1 interface). DU 108 may include a DU processor 1232. DU processor 1232 may include on-chip memory 1232'. In some aspects, DU 108 may further include an additional memory module 1234 and a communication interface 1238. DU 108 communicates with RU 106 via a front-range link. RU 106 may include a RU processor 1242. RU processor 1242 may include on-chip memory 1242'. In some aspects, RU 106 may further include an additional memory module 1244, one or more transceivers 1246, an antenna 1280, and a communication interface 1248. RU 106 communicates wirelessly with UE 102 .

[0127] On-chip memory 1212', 1232', 1242' and additional memory modules 1214, 1234, 1244 can each be considered a computer-readable medium / memory. Each computer-readable medium / memory can be non-transitory. Each of the processors 1212, 1232, 1242 is responsible for general processing, including executing software stored on the computer-readable medium / memory. The software, when executed by the corresponding processor, causes the processor to perform the various functions described. The computer-readable medium / memory can also be used to store data manipulated by the processor when executing the software.

[0128] As discussed, the beam indication component 150 is configured to: send an indication of a beam associated with a second network entity to the UE, the indication of the beam corresponding to at least one of: a TCI state associated with non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity, or an activation delay time for the beam, the activation delay time being based on whether the beam corresponds to dedicated signaling from the second network entity to the UE or to non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity; and receive ACK / NACK feedback for the indication sent to the UE. In a further aspect, the beam indication component 150 is configured to: receive a backhaul communication from a first network entity, the backhaul communication indicating a first transmission from the first network entity, the first transmission including an indication of a beam associated with a second network entity, the indication of the beam corresponding to at least one of: a TCI state associated with non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity, or an activation delay time for the beam, the activation delay time based on whether the beam corresponds to dedicated signaling from the second network entity to the UE or non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity; and send a downlink communication using non-dedicated signaling based on the backhaul communication received from the first network entity, the backhaul communication indicating the first transmission from the first network entity, the first transmission including an indication of a beam associated with the second network entity. The beam indication component 150 may be located within one or more processors of one or more of the CU 110, the DU 108, and the RU 106. The beam indication component 150 can be one or more hardware components explicitly configured to perform the process / algorithm, implemented by one or more processors configured to perform the process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium for implementation by one or more processors, or some combination thereof.

[0129] The network entity 304 / 305 may include various components configured for various functions. In one configuration, the network entity 304 / 305 includes: a component for sending an indication of a beam associated with a second network entity to a UE, the indication of the beam corresponding to at least one of: a TCI state associated with non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity, or an activation delay time of the beam, the activation delay time being based on whether the beam corresponds to dedicated signaling from the second network entity to the UE or to non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity; and a component for receiving ACK / NACK feedback for the indication sent to the UE. The network entity 304 / 305 further includes a component for receiving a UE capability report indicating a minimum delay of the activation delay time of the beam, the minimum delay being measured after sending the indication of the beam associated with the second network entity. The network entity 304 / 305 further includes a component for sending a configuration of an activation delay time for a beam associated with the second network entity based on at least one of RRC signaling, MAC-CE, or DCI, the configuration for the activation delay time being specific to the second network entity or being common to a plurality of cells including the second network entity. The network entity 304 / 305 further includes a component for receiving an ACK from the UE, the ACK indicating that the beam associated with the second network entity is received at the UE. The network entity 304 / 305 further includes a component for: receiving a request from the UE for communicating with the first network entity based on expiration of a timer occurring before receiving downlink communication from the second network entity; and sending a response to the request for communicating with the first network entity to the UE. The network entity 304 / 305 further includes a component for receiving a second request for an RRC reestablishment procedure with the UE, the second request for the RRC reestablishment request being received based on the beam associated with the second network entity not being received at the UE. The means may be the beam directing component 150 of the network entity 304 / 305 configured to perform the functions recited by the means.

[0130] In another configuration, the network entity 304 / 305 includes: a component for receiving a backhaul communication from a first network entity, the backhaul communication indicating a first transmission from the first network entity, the first transmission including an indication of a beam associated with a second network entity, the indication of the beam corresponding to at least one of: a TCI state associated with non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity, or an activation delay time of the beam, the activation delay time being based on whether the beam corresponds to dedicated signaling from the second network entity to the UE or non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity; and a component for sending a downlink communication using non-dedicated signaling based on the backhaul communication received from the first network entity, the backhaul communication indicating a first transmission from the first network entity, the first transmission including an indication of a beam associated with the second network entity. The network entity 304 / 305 further includes a component for sending a downlink communication based on at least one of the activation delay time, the TCI state of the active CC, or the QCL, the downlink communication being associated with the non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity. The means may be the beam directing component 150 of the network entity 304 / 305 configured to perform the functions recited by the means.

[0131] The specific order or hierarchy of the boxes in the process and flow chart disclosed herein is an illustration of an example means. Therefore, the specific order or hierarchy of the boxes in the process and flow chart can be rearranged. Some boxes can also be merged or deleted. The optional boxes of the process and flow chart are indicated by dotted lines. The attached method claims present elements of each box in an example order and are not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented in the claims, process and flow chart.

[0132] The detailed description set forth herein describes various configurations in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but does not represent the only configuration in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for providing a comprehensive explanation of each concept. However, these concepts can be practiced without using these specific details. In some cases, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid blurring such concepts.

[0133] Various aspects of wireless communication systems (such as telecommunication systems) are presented with reference to various devices and methods. These devices and methods are described in the detailed description that follows and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, components, circuits, processes, call flows, communication signaling diagrams, systems, algorithms, etc. (collectively, "elements"). These elements may be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0134] Elements, or any part of elements or any combination of elements can be implemented as a "processing system" including one or more processors. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, systems on chip (SoCs), baseband processors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gating logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other similar hardware configured to perform various functions described throughout this disclosure. One or more processors in a processing system can execute software, which can be referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other. Software should be broadly interpreted as meaning instructions, instruction sets, codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, execution threads, processes, functions, or any combination thereof.

[0135] If the functions described herein are implemented in software, the functions may be stored on a computer-readable medium (such as a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium) or encoded as one or more instructions or codes on the computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage devices, magnetic disk storage devices, other magnetic storage devices, combinations of these types of computer-readable media, or any other medium that can be used to store computer-executable code in the form of computer-accessible instructions or data structures. The storage medium can be any available medium that is accessible to a computer.

[0136] The aspects, implementations, and / or use cases described herein may be implemented across many different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and packaging arrangements. For example, the aspects, implementations, and / or use cases may be generated via integrated chip implementations and other non-module component-based devices such as end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment, retail / procurement devices, medical devices, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled devices, machine learning (ML)-enabled devices, and the like. The aspects, implementations, and / or use cases may range from chip-level or modular components to non-modular or non-chip-level implementations, and further to aggregated, distributed, or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) devices or systems incorporating one or more of the techniques described herein.

[0137] Devices incorporating the various aspects and features described herein may also include additional components and features for implementing and practicing the various aspects and features claimed and described. For example, the transmission and reception of wireless signals necessarily include many components for analog and digital purposes, such as hardware components, antennas, RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors, interleavers, adders / summers, etc. The techniques described herein may be practiced in a wide variety of devices, chip-level components, systems, distributed arrangements, aggregated or disaggregated components, end-user devices, etc., in various configurations.

[0138] The description herein is provided to enable those skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not limited to the various aspects described herein, but should be interpreted in view of the full scope of the invention consistent with the language of the claims.

[0139] Unless explicitly stated, references to singular elements do not mean "one and only one", but rather "one or more". Terms such as "if", "when ..." and "at ..." do not imply an immediate temporal relationship or reaction. That is, these phrases (such as "when ...") do not imply an immediate action in response to the occurrence of an action or during the occurrence of an action, but simply mean that if a certain condition is met, an action will occur, but no specific or immediate time constraints are required for the occurrence of the action. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the term "some" refers to one or more. Combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C" or "one or more of A, B, or C" include any combination of A, B, and / or C, such as A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, and may include multiple A, multiple B, and / or multiple C, or may include only A, only B, or only C. A set should be interpreted as a set of elements in which the number of elements is one or more.

[0140] The structural equivalents and functional equivalents of the elements of various aspects described in the entire disclosure known or later learned by those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are covered by the claims. The words "module", "mechanism", "element", "device", etc. may not be substitutes for the word "component". Therefore, unless the phrase "component for ..." is used to clearly state the claim element, any claim element shall not be interpreted as a means plus function. As used herein, the phrase "based on" should not be interpreted as a reference to a closed information set, one or more conditions, one or more factors, etc. In other words, unless clearly stated differently, the phrase "based on A" (where "A" can be information, conditions, factors, etc.) should be interpreted as "at least based on A".

[0141] The following examples are merely illustrative and may be combined with other examples or teachings described herein without limitation.

[0142] Example 1 is a method of wireless communication at a UE, comprising: receiving an indication of a beam associated with a second network entity from a first network entity, the indication of the beam corresponding to at least one of: a TCI state associated with non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity, or an activation delay time of the beam, the activation delay time being based on whether the beam corresponds to dedicated signaling from the second network entity to the UE or to non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity; and attempting to receive downlink communication from the second network entity based on the indication.

[0143] Example 2 may be combined with Example 1 and further include sending a UE capability report indicating a minimum delay of an activation delay time for a beam, the minimum delay being measured after receiving an indication of a beam associated with the second network entity.

[0144] Example 3 may be combined with any of Examples 1-2 and include: a minimum delay of the activation delay time of the beam is measured since a last symbol of the indication received by the first network entity.

[0145] Example 4 can be combined with any of Examples 1-3 and further includes sending ACK / NACK feedback for an indication received from the first network entity, the minimum delay of the activation delay time of the beam being measured from the last symbol of the ACK / NACK feedback.

[0146] Example 5 can be combined with any of Examples 1-4 and further include receiving a configuration for an activation delay time for a beam associated with a second network entity based on at least one of RRC signaling, MAC-CE, or DCI, wherein the configuration for the activation delay time is specific to the second network entity or is common to multiple cells including the second network entity.

[0147] Example 6 may be combined with any of Examples 1-5 and include: an activation delay time for a beam associated with the second network entity is based on whether an indication of the beam corresponds to a TCI state associated with non-dedicated signaling.

[0148] Example 7 can be combined with any of Examples 1-6 and include at least one of the following: the first CC is associated with an indication of a beam; or the second CC is associated with sending ACK / NACK feedback in response to an indication of a beam, and the indication of the beam received from the first network entity indicates a TCI state.

[0149] Example 8 can be combined with any of Examples 1-7 and include: the TCI state associated with the non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity corresponds to a joint TCI state indicating both downlink signaling and uplink signaling, or a separate TCI state indicating one of the downlink signaling or the uplink signaling.

[0150] Example 9 may be combined with any of Examples 1-8 and include: the activation state of at least a subset of one or more other CCs corresponding to one or more other cells other than the PCell is based on a pre-configuration of the one or more other cells.

[0151] Example 10 can be combined with any of Examples 1-9 and further include avoiding monitoring at least a subset of channels in an active CC having at least one of a TCI state or a QCL associated with a cell different from a PCell of a second network entity, REs of at least a subset of the channels being indicated as available or unavailable.

[0152] Example 11 can be combined with any of Examples 1-10 and further include receiving downlink communication from the second network entity based on at least one of the activation delay time, the TCI state of the active CC, or the QCL, the downlink communication being associated with non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity.

[0153] Example 12 can be combined with any of Examples 1-11 and further include: initiating a first timer for receiving downlink communication from a second network entity after an activation delay time of the beam; and stopping the first timer and the second timer based on receiving downlink communication from the second network entity before expiration of the first timer.

[0154] Example 13 may be combined with any of Examples 1-12 and further include: receiving downlink communications from the second network entity before expiration of the timer; and sending an ACK to the first network entity in response to receiving downlink communications from the second network entity before expiration of the timer.

[0155] Example 14 can be combined with any of Examples 1-12 and further include: sending a request to the first network entity to communicate with the first network entity based on expiration of a timer before receiving downlink communication from the second network entity; and receiving a response to the request to communicate with the first network entity from the first network entity.

[0156] Example 15 may be combined with any of Examples 1-14 and include: at least one of an ACK or a request to communicate with the first network entity is sent to the first network entity based on at least one of a CFRA procedure, a CBRA procedure, a PUCCH, a PUSCH, or a DCI.

[0157] Example 16 can be combined with any of Examples 1-15 and further include initiating a second timer for a second transmission of an RRC reconstruction request after an activation delay time of the beam, the RRC reconstruction request being sent based on the second timer reaching an expiration time of the second timer.

[0158] Example 17 is a method of wireless communication at a first network entity, comprising: sending an indication of a beam associated with a second network entity to a UE, the indication of the beam corresponding to at least one of: a TCI state associated with non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity, or an activation delay time of the beam, the activation delay time being based on whether the beam corresponds to dedicated signaling from the second network entity to the UE or to non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity; and receiving ACK / NACK feedback for the indication sent to the UE.

[0159] Example 18 may be combined with Example 17 and further include receiving a UE capability report indicating a minimum delay of an activation delay time for a beam, the minimum delay being measured after sending an indication of a beam associated with the second network entity.

[0160] Example 19 may be combined with any of Examples 17-18 and include: a minimum delay of the activation delay time of the beam is measured from the last symbol of the indication sent to the UE.

[0161] Example 20 can be combined with any one of Examples 17-19 and include: the minimum delay of the activation delay time of the beam is measured from the last symbol of the ACK / NACK feedback.

[0162] Example 21 can be combined with any of Examples 17-20 and further include sending a configuration for an activation delay time for a beam associated with a second network entity based on at least one of RRC signaling, MAC-CE, or DCI, wherein the configuration for the activation delay time is specific to the second network entity or is common to multiple cells including the second network entity.

[0163] Example 22 may be combined with any of Examples 17-21 and include: an activation delay time for a beam associated with the second network entity is based on whether an indication of the beam corresponds to a TCI state associated with non-dedicated signaling.

[0164] Example 23 can be combined with any of Examples 17-22 and include at least one of the following: the first CC is associated with an indication of a beam; or the second CC is associated with receiving ACK / NACK feedback in response to an indication of a beam, and the indication of the beam sent to the UE indicates a TCI state.

[0165] Example 24 can be combined with any of Examples 17-23 and include: the TCI state associated with the non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity corresponds to a joint TCI state indicating both downlink signaling and uplink signaling, or a separate TCI state indicating one of the downlink signaling or the uplink signaling.

[0166] Example 25 may be combined with any of Examples 17-24 and include: the activation state of at least a subset of one or more other CCs corresponding to one or more other cells other than the PCell is based on a pre-configuration of the one or more other cells.

[0167] Example 26 may be combined with any of Examples 17-25 and further include receiving an ACK from the UE, the ACK indicating that a beam associated with the second network entity is received at the UE.

[0168] Example 27 can be combined with any of Examples 17-25 and further include: receiving a request from the UE to communicate with the first network entity based on expiration of a timer before receiving downlink communication from the second network entity; and sending a response to the request to communicate with the first network entity to the UE.

[0169] Example 28 may be combined with any of Examples 17-27 and include: at least one of the ACK or the request to communicate with the first network entity is received from the UE based on at least one of a CFRA procedure, a CBRA procedure, a PUCCH, a PUSCH, or a DCI.

[0170] Example 29 may be combined with any of Examples 17-28 and further include receiving a second request for an RRC reestablishment process with the UE, the second request for the RRC reestablishment request being received based on not receiving a beam associated with the second network entity at the UE.

[0171] Example 30 is a method of wireless communication at a second network entity, comprising: receiving backhaul communication from a first network entity, the backhaul communication indicating a first transmission from the first network entity, the first transmission including an indication of a beam associated with the second network entity, the indication of the beam corresponding to at least one of: a TCI state associated with non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity, or an activation delay time for the beam, the activation delay time being based on whether the beam corresponds to dedicated signaling from the second network entity to a UE or to non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity; and sending downlink communication using non-dedicated signaling based on the backhaul communication received from the first network entity, the backhaul communication indicating a first transmission from the first network entity, the first transmission including an indication of a beam associated with the second network entity.

[0172] Example 31 may be combined with Example 30 and include: the backhaul communication received from the first network entity is a UE capability report based on a minimum delay indicating an activation delay time of a beam.

[0173] Example 32 may be combined with any of Examples 30-31 and include: configuration of the activation delay time of the beam is specific to the second network entity or is common to multiple cells including the second network entity.

[0174] Example 33 may be combined with any of Examples 30-32 and include: an activation delay time for a beam associated with the second network entity is based on whether an indication of the beam corresponds to a TCI state associated with non-dedicated signaling.

[0175] Example 34 can be combined with any of Examples 30-33 and include: the TCI state associated with the non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity corresponds to a joint TCI state indicating both downlink signaling and uplink signaling, or a separate TCI state indicating one of the downlink signaling or the uplink signaling.

[0176] Example 35 may be combined with any of Examples 30-34 and further include sending a downlink communication based on at least one of an activation delay time, a TCI state of an active CC, or a QCL, the downlink communication being associated with non-dedicated signaling from a second network entity.

[0177] Example 36 may be combined with any of Examples 30-35 and include: the transmission of the downlink communication is configured to trigger stopping the timer at the UE.

[0178] Example 37 may be combined with any of Examples 30-36 and include: the sending of the downlink communication is configured to trigger ACK / NACK feedback to the first network entity.

[0179] Example 38 is a wireless communication device for implementing the method as described in any of Examples 1-37.

[0180] Example 39 is a wireless communication device comprising components for implementing the method described in any of Examples 1-37.

[0181] Example 40 is a non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable code, which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to implement a method as described in any one of Examples 1-37.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving, from a first network entity, an indication of a beam associated with a second network entity, the indication of the beam corresponding to at least one of: a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state associated with non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity, or an activation delay time for the beam, the activation delay time being based on whether the beam corresponds to dedicated signaling from the second network entity to the UE or the non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity; as well as Attempting to receive a downlink communication from the second network entity based on the indication.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Sending a UE capability report indicating a minimum delay of the activation delay time for the beam, the minimum delay being measured after receiving the indication of the beam associated with the second network entity.

3. The method of any one of claims 1-2, wherein the minimum delay of the activation delay time of the beam is measured from the last symbol of the indication received by the first network entity.

4. The method of any one of claims 1, further comprising: An acknowledgement / negative acknowledgement (ACK / NACK) feedback is sent for the indication received from the first network entity, the minimum delay of the activation delay time of the beam being measured from a last symbol of the ACK / NACK feedback.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: A configuration of the activation delay time for the beam associated with the second network entity is received based on at least one of radio resource control (RRC) signaling, medium access control-element element (MAC-CE), or downlink control information (DCI), and the configuration for the activation delay time is specific to the second network entity or common to multiple cells including the second network entity.

6. A method as described in any one of claims 1-5, wherein the activation delay time of the beam associated with the second network entity is based on whether the indication of the beam corresponds to the TCI state associated with the non-dedicated signaling.

7. A method as described in any one of claims 4-6, wherein at least one of the following: a first component carrier (CC) is associated with the indication of the beam, or a second CC is associated with sending the ACK / NACK feedback in response to the indication of the beam, and the indication of the beam received from the first network entity indicates the TCI state.

8. The method of any one of claims 1-7, wherein the TCI state associated with the non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity corresponds to a joint TCI state indicating both downlink signaling and uplink signaling, or a separate TCI state indicating one of the downlink signaling or the uplink signaling.

9. The method of any one of claims 1-8, wherein the activation state of at least a subset of one or more other CCs corresponding to one or more other cells other than a primary cell (PCell) is based on a pre-configuration of the one or more other cells.

10. The method of any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising: Avoid monitoring at least a subset of channels in an active CC having at least one of the TCI states or quasi co-location (QCL) associated with a cell different from the PCell of the second network entity, resource elements (REs) of at least the subset of channels being indicated as available or unavailable.

11. The method of any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising: The downlink communication is received from the second network entity based on the at least one of the activation delay time, the TCI state of the active CC, or the QCL, the downlink communication being associated with the non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity.

12. The method of any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising: initiating a timer for receiving the downlink communication from the second network entity after the activation delay time of the beam; as well as The timer is reset based on receiving the downlink communication from the second network entity occurring prior to expiration of the timer.

13. The method of any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising: receiving the downlink communication from the second network entity prior to the expiration of the timer; as well as An ACK is sent to the first network entity in response to receiving the downlink communication from the second network entity before the expiration of the timer.

14. The method of any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising: sending, to the first network entity, a request to communicate with the first network entity based on the expiration of the timer occurring prior to receiving the downlink communication from the second network entity; as well as A response to the request to communicate with the first network entity is received from the first network entity.

15. The method of any one of claims 1-14, wherein at least one of the ACK or the request to communicate with the first network entity is sent to the first network entity based on at least one of: a contention-free random access (CFRA) procedure, a contention-based random access (CBRA) procedure, a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), or the DCI.

16. The method of any one of claims 1 to 15, further comprising: A second timer for a second transmission of an RRC re-establishment request is initiated after the activation delay time of the beam, the RRC re-establishment request being sent based on the second timer reaching an expiration time of the second timer.

17. A method of wireless communication at a first network entity, comprising: sending an indication of a beam associated with a second network entity to a user equipment (UE), the indication of the beam corresponding to at least one of: a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state associated with non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity, or an activation delay time for the beam, the activation delay time being based on whether the beam corresponds to dedicated signaling from the second network entity to the UE or the non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity; as well as An acknowledgement / negative acknowledgement (ACK / NACK) feedback is received for the indication sent to the UE.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the TCI state associated with the non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity corresponds to a joint TCI state indicating both downlink signaling and uplink signaling, or a separate TCI state indicating one of the downlink signaling or the uplink signaling.

19. The method of any of claims 17-18, further comprising sending a backhaul communication to the second network entity, the backhaul communication indicating sending the indication of the beam associated with the second network entity.

20. A method of wireless communication at a second network entity, comprising: receiving a backhaul communication from a first network entity, the backhaul communication indicating a first transmission from the first network entity, the first transmission including an indication of a beam associated with the second network entity, the indication of the beam corresponding to at least one of: a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state associated with non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity, or an activation delay time for the beam, the activation delay time being based on whether the beam corresponds to dedicated signaling from the second network entity to a user equipment (UE) or the non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity; as well as Downlink communications are transmitted using the non-dedicated signaling based on the backhaul communications received from the first network entity, the backhaul communications indicating the first transmission from the first network entity, the first transmission including the indication of the beam associated with the second network entity.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the TCI state associated with the non-dedicated signaling from the second network entity corresponds to a joint TCI state indicating both downlink signaling and uplink signaling, or a separate TCI state indicating one of the downlink signaling or the uplink signaling.

22. A device for wireless communication, comprising a memory and at least one processor, the at least one processor being coupled to the memory and configured to implement the method of any one of claims 1-21.

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