Dynamic indication of handover delay

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and in particular to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer readable storage media for enabling flexible handover delay indication of uplink transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state handover. An apparatus comprising: means for causing reception of an indication indicating a new transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state that is activated; means for causing reception of sample-related information associated with the new TCI state; means for causing one or more pathloss reference signal (PL-RS) samples to be received based on at least one of the sample-related information or the new TCI state; and means for preparing one or more uplink data based on the new TCI state if the apparatus is ready to transmit one or more uplink data based on the sample-related information and the one or more PL-RS samples.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and in particular, to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for implementing flexible switching delay indication for uplink transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state switching. Background Art

[0002] The User Equipment (UE) physical layer procedures for uplink power control are defined in Technical Specification (TS) 38.213 Section 7. The power of the PUSCH depends on the path loss (PL b，f，c (q d )). The path loss is defined as the value obtained by the UE using the reference signal (RS) index q d The downlink path loss is calculated, where q is used to obtain the downlink path loss estimate d Associated with, or included in, the indicated TCI state or TCI-UL state. Whenever a new uplink (UL) or joint TCI state is indicated to the UE, the UE will need to use the associated DL reference signal to estimate the DL RS path loss for the newly indicated TCI state. The time allowed for the UE to detect, measure, and switch to a new UL or joint TCI state is specified in TS 38.133. Summary of the invention

[0003] The scope of protection sought by various example embodiments is defined by the claims. Example embodiments and features described in this specification that do not belong to the scope of the claims, if any, should be interpreted as examples that aid in understanding the various embodiments.

[0004] In a first aspect, a device is provided, comprising a component for receiving an indication indicating a new transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state being activated; a component for receiving sample-related information associated with the new TCI state; a component for receiving one or more path loss reference signal PL-RS samples based on at least one of the sample-related information or the new TCI state; and a component for preparing one or more uplink data based on the new TCI state if the device is ready to send one or more uplink data based on the sample-related information and the one or more PL-RS samples.

[0005] In a second aspect, an apparatus is provided, the apparatus comprising: means for causing sending an indication indicating a new transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state being activated; and means for causing sending sample related information associated with the new TCI state.

[0006] In a third aspect, a device is provided, comprising: a component for sending one or more path loss reference signal PL-RS samples based on at least one of sample-related information or a new TCI state; a component for sending scheduling information about the new TCI state after sending one or more PL-RS samples; and a component for receiving one or more uplink data based on the new TCI state.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided, comprising: receiving, by a user equipment, an indication indicating a new transmission configuration indicator TCI state being activated; receiving, by the user equipment, sample-related information associated with the new TCI state; receiving, by the user equipment, one or more path loss reference signal PL-RS samples based on the sample-related information or at least one of the new TCI state; and if the device is ready to send one or more uplink data based on the sample-related information and one or more PL-RS samples, preparing, by the user equipment, one or more uplink data based on the new TCI state.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, a method is provided, comprising: sending, by a network node, an indication indicating a new transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state being activated; and sending, by the network node, sample-related information associated with the new TCI state.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, a method is provided, comprising: sending, by a network node, one or more path loss reference signal PL-RS samples based on at least one of sample-related information or a new TCI state; sending, by the network node, scheduling information about the new TCI state after sending the one or more PL-RS samples; and receiving, by the network node, one or more uplink data based on the new TCI state.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions being used to cause a device to at least perform: receiving, by the device, an indication of a new transmission configuration indicator TCI state being activated; receiving, by the device, sample-related information associated with the new TCI state; receiving, by the device, one or more path loss reference signal PL-RS samples based on at least one of the sample-related information or the new TCI state; and if the device is ready to send one or more uplink data based on the sample-related information and one or more PL-RS samples, preparing, by the device, one or more uplink data based on the new TCI state.

[0011] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions being used to cause a network node to at least execute: sending, by the network node, an indication indicating a new transport configuration indicator (TCI) state being activated; and sending, by the network node, sample-related information associated with the new TCI state.

[0012] In a ninth aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions being used to cause a network node to at least perform: sending, by the network node, one or more path loss reference signal PL-RS samples based on at least one of sample-related information or a new TCI state; sending, by the network node, scheduling information about a new TCI state after sending one or more PL-RS samples; and receiving, by the network node, one or more uplink data based on the new TCI state.

[0013] Other features and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will also be apparent from the following description of specific embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the embodiments of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The embodiments of the present disclosure are presented in the form of examples, and their advantages are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0015] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication network is illustrated;

[0016] Figure 2 illustrates an example of a dynamic indication of a reduction in the number of TCI state switching delays;

[0017] Figure 3 FIG. 1 illustrates a signaling process in a signaling process of reducing the number of PL-RS samples for TCI state switching;

[0018] Figure 4 FIG. 1 illustrates a signaling process in a signaling process of reducing the number of PL-RS samples for TCI state switching;

[0019] Figure 5 FIG. 1 illustrates a signaling process in a signaling process of reducing the number of PL-RS samples for TCI state switching;

[0020] Figure 6 illustrates a flow chart of one of the embodiments providing a method for reducing the number of PL-RS samples for TCI state switching;

[0021] Figure 7 illustrates a flow chart of one of the embodiments providing a method for reducing the number of PL-RS samples for TCI state switching;

[0022] Figure 8 illustrates a flow chart of one of the embodiments providing a method for reducing the number of PL-RS samples for TCI state switching; and

[0023] Fig. 9 The illustrations include examples of components for performing one or more of the above-described example embodiments.

[0024] The same or similar reference numbers may refer to the same or similar elements throughout the drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The following embodiments are examples. The principle of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustrating and helping those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without any limitation to the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways except for the ways described below.

[0026] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein may have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0027] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," and "an example embodiment," etc., indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, element, or characteristic, but not every embodiment must include the particular feature, structure, element, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, it is considered to be within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, element, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments (whether or not explicitly described).

[0028] It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, the first element may be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element may be referred to as the first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0029] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions (wherein a list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”) refer to at least any one of these elements, or at least any two or more of these elements, or at least all of these elements.

[0030] As used herein, unless explicitly stated, performing a step “in response to A” does not mean that the step is performed immediately after “A” occurs, and may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0031] The terms used herein are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" also include plural forms. It should also be understood that the terms "comprises", "comprising", "has", "having", "includes", and / or "including" when used herein specify the presence of the features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0032] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one, more, or all of the following:

[0033] a) hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation only in analog and / or digital circuitry); and

[0034] b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable):

[0035] i) a combination of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and

[0036] ii) any part of a hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s), software and memory(s) that work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone) to perform various functions); and

[0037] c) Hardware circuit(s) and / or processor(s) that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, such as microprocessor(s) or a portion of microprocessor(s), but where software is not required for operation, the software may not be present.

[0038] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or process and its accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, if applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuitry also covers a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0039] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that follows any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal equipment and the network equipment in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocols, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there will certainly be future types of communication technologies and systems to embody the present disclosure. It should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to the above-mentioned systems.

[0040] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network, via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. A network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, a node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved node B (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a radio access network (RAN) node, a new generation RAN (NG-RAN) node, a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), a transmission and reception point (TRP), a remote radio head (RRH), a repeater, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a low power node (such as a femto node, a micro node), a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-terrestrial network equipment (such as satellite network equipment, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, and a geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellite), an aircraft network device, etc., depending on the terminology and technology applied. In some example embodiments, the radio access network (RAN) split architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) at an IAB donor node. The IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) part that appears like a UE to a parent node, and the DU part of the IAB node appears like a base station to a next-hop IAB node.

[0041] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, the terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS), a user device, or an access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device (such as a digital camera), a game terminal device, a music storage and playback device, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop mounted device (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical equipment and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronic devices, equipment operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. The terminal device may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) part of an IAB node (eg, a relay node).In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0042] As used herein, the terms "resource", "transmission resource", "resource block", "physical resource block" (PRB), "uplink resource", "downlink resource" or "sidelink resource" may refer to any resource used to perform communication (e.g., communication between a terminal device and a network device), such as a resource in the time domain, a resource in the frequency domain, a resource in the spatial domain or a resource in the code domain, or any other resource that enables communication. In the following, unless explicitly stated, resources in both the frequency domain and the time domain will be used as examples of transmission resources to describe some example embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the example embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0043] Figure 1 An example of a simplified wireless communication network showing some physical and logical entities is illustrated. Figure 1 The connections shown in the figure may be physical connections or logical connections. It is clear to those skilled in the art that a wireless communication network may also include Figure 1 other physical and logical entities than those shown.

[0044] However, the example embodiments described herein are not limited to the wireless communication networks given as examples, but those skilled in the art may apply the embodiments described herein to other wireless communication networks having necessary characteristics.

[0045] Figure 1 The example wireless communication network shown in illustrative figures includes an access network, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 110.

[0046] Figure 1 A user equipment (UE) 100, 102 is shown, which is configured to make a wireless connection with a radio access network node (RAN node 1, 2) 104, 105 of an access network on one or more communication channels in a radio cell. The RAN node 104, 105 may be an evolved Node B (abbreviated as eNB or eNodeB) or a next generation Node B (abbreviated as gNB or gNodeB) providing a radio cell. The wireless connection (e.g., radio link) from the UE 100, 102 to the RAN node 104, 105 may be referred to as an uplink (UL) or reverse link, and the wireless connection (e.g., radio link) from the RAN node 104, 105 to the UE 100, 102 may be referred to as a downlink (DL) or forward link.

[0047] UE 100 may also communicate directly with another UE 102 via a wireless connection commonly referred to as a side link (SL), and vice versa. It should be understood that the RAN nodes 104, 105 or their functions may be implemented using any node, host, server or access point entity suitable for providing such functions.

[0048] The access network may include more than one RAN node 104, 105, in which case the RAN nodes 104, 105 may also be configured to communicate with each other via wired or wireless links. For example, these links between the RAN nodes 104, 105 may be used to send and receive control plane signaling, and may also be used to route data (such as measurements) from one RAN node 104 to another RAN node 105.

[0049] The RAN nodes 104, 105 may include a computing device configured to control radio resources of the RAN nodes. RAN nodes may also be referred to as base stations, base transceiver stations (BTS), access points, access nodes, radio access nodes, cell sites, or any other type of node capable of wirelessly connecting to a UE (e.g., UE 100, 102). The RAN node may include, or be coupled to, a transceiver. A connection may be provided from the transceiver of the RAN node to an antenna unit that establishes a bidirectional radio link to the UE 100, 102. The antenna unit may include an antenna or antenna element, or multiple antennas or antenna elements.

[0050] The RAN nodes 104, 105 may also be connected to a core network (CN) 110. The core network 110 may include an evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or a fifth generation core network (5GC). The EPC may include network entities such as a serving gateway (S-GW for routing and forwarding data packets), a packet data network gateway (P-GW) for providing a connection of a UE to an external packet data network, and a mobility management entity (MME). The 5GC may include network functions such as a user plane function (UPF), an access and mobility management function (AMF), and a location management function (LMF). The core network 110 may include a tracking collection entity (TCE), and an operation and maintenance entity for supporting MDT.

[0051] The core network 110 may also be able to communicate with one or more external network entities 113 (such as a public switched telephone network or the Internet), or utilize services provided by them. For example, in a 5G wireless communication network, the UPF of the core network 110 may be configured to communicate with an external data network via an N6 interface. In an LTE wireless communication network, the P-GW of the core network 110 may be configured to communicate with an external data network.

[0052] The illustrated UE 100, 102 is a type of device that can be allocated and assigned resources on the air interface. UE 100, 102 may also be referred to as a wireless communication device, a subscriber unit, a mobile station, a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user terminal, a terminal device, or a user equipment, to name a few. A UE may be a computing device operating with or without a subscriber identity module (SIM), including but not limited to the following types of computing devices: a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld, a computing device including a wireless modem (e.g., an alarm or measurement device, etc.), a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a tablet computer, a game console, a notebook computer, a multimedia device, a reduced capability (RedCap) device, a wearable device with a radio component (e.g., a watch, a headset, or glasses), a sensor including a wireless modem, or any computing device including a wireless modem integrated in a vehicle.

[0053] The wireless communication network may also be capable of supporting the use of cloud services, for example, at least part of the core network operations may be performed as a cloud service. The wireless communication network may also include a central control entity or the like to provide facilities for wireless communication networks of different operators to cooperate, for example, in spectrum sharing.

[0054] 5G / 6G allows the use of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas in the RAN nodes 104, 105 and / or the UEs 100, 102, many more RAN nodes than in LTE networks (the so-called small cell concept), including macro sites operating in cooperation with smaller sites, and the use of various radio technologies depending on service requirements, use cases and / or available spectrum. 5G wireless communication networks can support a wide range of use cases and related applications, including video streaming, augmented reality, different ways of sharing data and various forms of machine-type applications, such as (massive) machine-type communications (mMTC), including vehicle safety, different sensors and real-time control.

[0055] In a 5G wireless communication network, the RAN nodes and / or UEs may have multiple radio interfaces, i.e., below 6 GHz, cmWave, and mmWave, and may also be integrated with existing legacy radio access technologies such as LTE. For example, integration with LTE may be implemented as a system in which macro coverage may be provided by LTE, and 5G radio interface access may come from small cells by aggregation to LTE. In other words, the 5G wireless communication network may support both inter-RAT operability (such as LTE-5G) and inter-RI operability (inter-radio interface operability, such as below 6 GHz-cmWave-mmWave). One of the concepts considered for use in a 5G wireless communication network may be network slicing, in which multiple independent and dedicated virtual subnets (network instances) may be created within substantially the same infrastructure to run services with different requirements for latency, reliability, throughput, and mobility.

[0056] 5G may enable analysis and knowledge generation at the data source. This approach may involve utilizing resources that may not be continuously connected to the network, such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, and sensors. Multi-access edge computing (MEC) can provide a distributed computing environment for application and service hosting. It may also have the ability to store and process content near cellular subscribers for faster response times. Edge computing can cover a wide range of technologies, such as wireless sensor networks, mobile data collection, mobile signature analysis, collaborative distributed peer-to-peer networking and processing, and can also be classified as local cloud / fog computing and grid / mesh computing, dew computing, mobile edge computing, cloudlet, distributed data storage and retrieval, autonomous self-healing networks, remote cloud services, augmented and virtual reality, data caching, Internet of Things (massive connectivity and / or latency critical), critical communications (autonomous driving cars, traffic safety, real-time analysis, time-critical control, healthcare applications).

[0057] In some example embodiments, the RAN nodes 104, 105 may include: a radio unit (RU), which includes a radio transceiver (TRX), i.e., a transmitter (Tx) and a receiver (Rx); one or more distributed units (DUs), which may be used for so-called layer 1 (L1) processing and real-time layer 2 (L2) processing; and a central unit (CU) (also referred to as a centralized unit), which may be used for non-real-time L2 and layer 3 (L3) processing. The CU may be connected to one or more DUs, for example, via an F1 interface. Such an embodiment of the access node may enable centralization of the CU relative to the cell site and the DU, while the DU may be more distributed and may even be retained at the cell site. The CU and DU may also be collectively referred to as a baseband or baseband unit (BBU). The CU and DU may also be included in a radio access point (RAP).

[0058] The CU may be a logical node that hosts the radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), and / or packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the NR protocol stack for the access node. The DU may be a logical node that hosts the radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and / or physical (PHY) layers of the NR protocol stack for the access node. The operation of the DU may be at least partially controlled by the CU. It should also be understood that the functional distribution between the DU and the CU may vary depending on the implementation. The CU may include a control plane (CU-CP), which may be a logical node that hosts the control plane portion of the RRC and PDCP protocols of the NR protocol stack for the access node. The CU may also include a user plane (CU-UP), which may be a logical node that hosts the user plane portion of the PDCP protocol and the SDAP protocol for the CU of the access node.

[0059] The cloud computing system can also be used to provide CU and / or DU. The CU provided by the cloud computing system can be called a virtualized CU (vCU). In addition to the vCU, there can also be a virtualized DU (vDU) provided by the cloud computing system. In addition, there can also be a combination in which the DU can be implemented on a so-called bare metal solution, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a customer-specific standard product (CSSP) system-on-chip (SoC).

[0060] By leveraging network function virtualization (NFV) and software defined networking (SDN), edge cloud can be introduced into the access network (e.g., RAN). Using edge cloud can mean that access node operations should be performed at least partially in a computing system that is operably coupled to the remote radio head (RRH) or radio unit (RU) of the access node. It is also possible that the access node operations can be performed on a distributed computing system or a cloud computing system located at the access node. The application of cloud RAN architecture enables RAN real-time functions to be performed at the access network (e.g., in the DU) and non-real-time functions to be performed in a centralized manner (e.g., in the CU).

[0061] It should also be understood that in future wireless communication networks, the functional distribution between core network operations and access node operations may be different, or even non-existent, compared to LTE or 5G. Some other technological advances that may be used include big data and all-IP, which may change the way wireless communication networks are constructed and managed. 5G (or New Radio NR) wireless communication networks can support multiple hierarchical structures, in which multi-access edge computing (MEC) servers can be placed between the core network 110 and the access node 104. It should be understood that MEC can also be applied in LTE wireless communication networks.

[0062] A 5G wireless communication network ("5G network") or a 6G network may also include non-terrestrial communication networks (such as satellite communication networks) to enhance or supplement the coverage of the 5G radio access network. For example, satellite communications can support data transmission between the 5G radio access network and the core network, thereby achieving wider network coverage. Possible use cases may be to provide service continuity for machine-to-machine (M2M) or Internet of Things (IoT) devices or for passengers on board, or to ensure service availability for critical communications and future railway / maritime / aviation communications. Satellite communications can utilize geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite systems or low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems, in particular giant constellations (systems in which hundreds of (nano) satellites are deployed). A given satellite 106 in a giant constellation can cover several satellite-enabled network entities that create a ground cell. Ground cells can be created by ground relay access nodes or by RAN nodes 104, 105 located on the ground or in a satellite.

[0063] It is obvious to those skilled in the art that Figure 1 The RAN nodes 104, 105 depicted in the figure are only examples of a portion of an access network (e.g., a radio access network), and in practice, the access network may include more than two RAN nodes, the UE 100, 102 may access multiple radio cells, and the access network may also include other equipment, such as physical layer relay access nodes or other entities. At least one of the access nodes may be a Home eNodeB or a Home gNodeB. A Home gNodeB or a Home eNodeB is an access node that can be used to provide indoor coverage within a home, office, or other indoor environment.

[0064] Furthermore, in a geographical area of ​​an access network (e.g., a radio access network), a plurality of different kinds of radio cells and a plurality of radio cells may be provided. A radio cell may be a macro cell (or umbrella cell), which may be a large cell up to tens of kilometers in diameter, or a smaller cell, such as a micro cell, a femto cell or a pico cell. Figure 1 The RAN nodes 104, 105 may provide any kind of these cells. The cellular radio network may be implemented as a multi-layer access network comprising several kinds of radio cells. In a multi-layer access network, one RAN node may provide one or more kinds of radio cells, and thus providing such a multi-layer access network may require multiple RAN nodes.

[0065] In order to meet the need for improving access network performance, the concept of "plug-and-play" RAN nodes can be introduced. In addition to the home eNodeB or home gNodeB, the access network that can use the "plug-and-play" RAN node can also include a home node B gateway or HNB-GW ( Figure 1(not shown in the figure). The HNB-GW, which may be installed in the operator's access network, may aggregate services from a large number of home eNodeBs or home gNodeBs back to the operator's core network.

[0066] To meet the performance requirements of 5G networks and the unprecedented growth demand of mobile subscribers, millions of RAN nodes (i.e., base stations) are being deployed. Such rapid growth brings up the problem of network optimization. Artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) techniques can be used to automate this optimization. For example, AI or ML can be used for the following RAN use cases: network energy saving, load balancing, and / or mobility optimization.

[0067] AI / ML-based predictions can improve performance. For example, predictions of UE trajectory or future location can help adjust handover thresholds, such as cell-individual offsets, or select RAN-based notification areas (RNAs) in RRC inactive mode. Predictions of UE location can further help with network resource allocation for various use cases, including energy saving, load balancing, and mobility management. As another example, predicted information about UE performance at the target cell can be used to improve handover decisions. By leveraging predicted information about incoming UE traffic and predicted information about traffic that can be offloaded from candidate energy-saving cells to neighboring cells that ensure coverage, energy-saving decisions made locally at the cell can be improved.

[0068] exist Figure 1 In the embodiment of the present invention, RAN node 1 104 and RAN node 2 105 may be replaced by TRP1 and TRP2. In this case, the gNB may manage or control TRP1 104 and TRP2 105, or different gNBs may manage or control TRP2 105.

[0069] Multiple send / receive point operation

[0070] Hereinafter, multi-TRP operations that can be applied to embodiments and / or examples of the present disclosure will be described.

[0071] In multiple transmit / receive point (multi-TRP) operation, the serving cell can schedule UEs from two TRPs to provide better coverage, reliability and / or data rate for the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

[0072] There are two different operation modes for scheduling multi-TRP PDSCH transmissions: single downlink control information (DCI) and multiple DCI. For both modes, control of uplink and downlink operations can be performed by the physical layer and the MAC layer within the configuration provided by the RRC layer. In single DCI mode, the UE is scheduled by the same DCI for two TRPs, while in multiple DCI mode, the UE is scheduled by independent DCI from each TRP.

[0073] There are two different operation modes for multi-TRP PDCCH, such as: 1) PDCCH repetition, and 2) SFN-based PDCCH transmission. In both modes, the UE can receive two PDCCH transmissions carrying the same DCI, one PDCCH transmission per TRP. In PDCCH repetition mode, the UE can receive two PDCCH transmissions carrying the same DCI from two linked search spaces, each search space associated with a different CORESET. In system frame number (SFN)-based PDCCH transmission mode, the UE can receive two PDCCH transmissions carrying the same DCI from a single search space / CORESET using different TCI states.

[0074] For multi-TRP PUSCH repetition, the UE performs PUSCH transmission of the same content to two TRPs with corresponding beam directions associated with different spatial relationships, based on the indication in a single DCI or in a semi-static configuration grant provided by RRC. For multi-TRP PUCCH repetition, the UE performs PUCCH transmission of the same content to two TRPs with corresponding beam directions associated with different spatial relationships.

[0075] For inter-cell multi-TRP operation, for multi-DCI PDSCH transmission, one or more TCI states can be associated with an SSB with a PCI different from the serving cell PCI. An activated TCI state can be simultaneously associated with at most one PCI different from the serving cell PCI.

[0076] TCI state switching delay

[0077] When the UE is requested to switch to a TCI state with the higher layer parameters DLorJointTCIState or UL-TCIstate associated with a downlink reference signal (DL RS), the UE shall complete the switch of the active uplink TCI state within the delay defined in TS38.133 clause 8.16.1.

[0078] The path loss reference signal (PL-RS) may be associated with or included in the UL TCI state or the joint TCI state. The requirements in this section shall apply if the following conditions are met:

[0079] -PL-RS and UL TCI state or source reference signal (RS) in joint TCI state

[0080] same;

[0081] -The PL-RS and source RS in the UL TCI state or the joint TCI state are QCL-TypeD.

[0082] The present disclosure relates to TCI state switching functionality. One of the goals of MIMO EVO in Rel-18 is to enhance multi-TRP operation (especially in FR2) in cases where the UE is able to use two UL streams from two panels for simultaneous transmission to one or two receive TRPs. The time required for the UE to switch TCI states is specified in the RAN4 requirements of the TS38.133 standard document. So far, these requirements have been specified as fixed times required to meet sudden requirements in all cases and conditions.

[0083] For example, in NR systems, the UE's UL transmission is controlled by the UL TCI state or the joint TCI state, both of which are part of the unified TCI framework. When the gNB requests the UE to start using a new UL TCI state, the gNB cannot simply assume that the UE is ready to transmit until a defined "switching delay" has passed. This switching delay is specified in the TS 38.133 specification document. The switching delay will ensure that the UE has enough time (e.g., in any case) to ensure sufficient measurements of beam alignment and beam correspondence. The switching delay is a maximum value, it is an upper limit.

[0084] The requirement for TCI state switching delay shall apply to UL TCI state switching of either individual UL TCI states or joint TCI states using the unified TCI state switching framework.

[0085] If the source RS in UL TCI state or joint TCI state is associated with a PCI different from the PCI of the serving cell, these requirements shall apply if the cell with different PCI meets the known cell condition. If the known cell condition is not met, longer delays may occur.

[0086] In case of joint TCI state switching, the UE is not expected to transmit on the UL based on the target TCI state until the UE completes the DL and UL TCI state switching.

[0087] For separate UL TCI state switching or joint TCI state switching for PUCCH or PUSCH, or semi-persistent / aperiodic / periodic SRS, when beamCorrespondenceWithoutUL-BeamSweeping is set to 1, after receiving the PDSCH carrying the MAC-CE activation command in time slot n of the serving cell, if the target TCI state is known, the UE may be able to send an uplink signal with the target TCI state in the time slot calculated by Formula 1, and if the target TCI state is unknown, the UE may send an uplink signal with the target TCI state in the time slot calculated by Formula 2.

[0088] [Formula 1]

[0089]

[0090] [Formula 2]

[0091]

[0092] The UE may transmit using the old UL TCI state until the time slot

[0093] Regarding formulas 1 and 2, T HARQ (in slots) is the timing between downlink (DL) data transmission and acknowledgment. NM = 1 if the target PL-RS is not maintained by the UE, otherwise 0. In FR2, if the target PL-RS associated with or included in the target UL or joint TCI state is an SSB, the requirements in this section shall apply when the target PL-RS is maintained by the UE. first_target-PL-RS is the time of the first path loss RS transmission after L1-RSRP measurement when the target TCI state is unknown. first_target-PL-RS is the time of the first path loss RS transmission after the UE decodes the MAC CE command for a known TCI state. target_PL-RS is the period of the target path loss reference signal, which will be the SSB or NZP CSI-RS when the PL-RS is associated with the serving cell. target_PL-RS is the period of the target path loss reference signal, which will be SSB when the PL-RS is associated with a different PCI than the serving cell. L1-RSRP is the time used for Rx beam refinement in FR2. These requirements apply if no more than 4 different RSs are activated as PL-RSs for each serving cell in all active UL (or joint) TCI states.

[0094] Referring to Equations 1 and 2, the specified TCI switching delay is calculated by allowing 5 samples (e.g., T first_target-PL-RS +4*T target_PL-RS ) is defined by the UE time of the switching delay. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the sample refers to one or more PL-RS or a group of PL-RS used to calculate the switching delay.

[0095] In formulas 1 and 2, T first_target-PL-RS is the time until the first PL-RS, and T target-PL-RS When using a synchronization signal block (SSB) as a PL-RS, the time period between PL-RSs may be, for example, 20ms or 40ms due to the SSB-based RRM measurement timing configuration (SMTC) window configuration.

[0096] For example, in the case of a 40ms PL-RS periodicity, the above formula 1 using 5 samples would correspond to a fixed delay of over 200ms. This is a significant delay in dynamic scenarios, such as UE movement and frequent changes of UL TCI states. Furthermore, when the UE is ready for handover but the network is not aware of this, this delay may be unnecessary and the delay is fixed in the specification.

[0097] Therefore, embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods, apparatus, computer program media, etc., which are about how and when to enable a network (gNB) and / or UE to be dynamically configured to use a smaller number (<5) of PL-RS samples before switching to a new joint or UL TCI state to have a shorter switching time while avoiding failures and / or improving UL throughput due to faster UL scheduling.

[0098] Dynamic indication of switching delay for UL TCI state switching

[0099] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, methods are proposed to enable the UE to optimize the time required to align and synchronize with the new UL TCI state (e.g., switching delay) and thus minimize the UL TCI state switching delay. As a result, the gNB does not have to wait unnecessarily before scheduling the first UL transmission in the new TCI state.

[0100] The number of samples required for the UE to switch to a new UL TCI state may be estimated by the gNB based on the requirements on UL power accuracy, and / or the UE measured signal-to-noise ratio (SINR) of the PL-RS to be measured.

[0101] Hereinafter, various embodiments of providing dynamic indication to reduce switching delay of UL TCI state switching will be explained.

[0102] One of the embodiments provides a method by which the UE can indicate to the gNB the preferred number of PL-RS samples (e.g., SSB) required for the currently measured SINR. In this case, the preferred PL-RS number means the number of samples required to achieve RSRP measurement accuracy (less than y dB). When the UE has reached the number of PL-RS samples, it will additionally indicate to the gNB that the new TCI state can now be used for UL scheduling.

[0103] One of the embodiments provides a method by which a gNB can indicate to a UE the number of PL-RS samples (e.g., SSBs) that the UE should measure before any UL scheduling, so that the time of the first UL scheduling is known to the gNB and no additional signaling is required.

[0104] Note that for both embodiments, the number of PL-RS samples may depend on the UL conditions for the first UL transmission known to the gNB, and the DL channel conditions known to the UE.

[0105] Figure 2 An example of a dynamic indication of a reduction in the number of TCI state switching delays is illustrated.

[0106] See also Figure 2 , discloses a user equipment 100, a TRP1 104, and a TRP2 105. In this case, TRP1 and TRP2 may be managed and controlled by a single gNB, or separate gNBs, respectively. In addition, all processes performed by TRP1 and TRP2 may be performed by TRP1 only.

[0107] The capability of the gNB or the UE is to dynamically adapt the number of PL-RS samples that the UE shall measure before the UE starts the first UL transmission in a new UL TCI state.

[0108] At 210, when the new TCI state has been configured, the user equipment 100 and the gNB may perform a TCI state switching procedure to change the old TCI state to the new TCI state. At 210, the TCI state switching has been triggered by the network node, and the user equipment 100 may receive an indication indicating a new transport configuration indicator (TCI) state being activated.

[0109] At 220, the user device 100 may receive sample related information associated with the new TCI state from TRP1 104. Alternatively, the user device 100 may send sample related information associated with the new TCI state to TRP1 104. If TRP1 104 receives or determines the sample related information, then at 223, TRP1 may send the sample related information to TRP2 105.

[0110] At 230 and 240, the user equipment 100 may monitor path loss reference signal (PL-RS) samples to receive one or more PL-RS samples from TRP2 105 based on at least one of sample related information or a new TCI state.

[0111] At 250, if the user equipment 100 is ready to send one or more uplink data based on the sample-related information and the one or more PL-RS samples, the user equipment 100 may prepare the one or more uplink data based on the new TCI state.

[0112] In some embodiments, the sample-related information may include one or more conditions.

[0113] In some embodiments, the sample-related information may be received via a medium access control (MAC) message (or MAC CE), and the one or more conditions include at least one of: a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold, or uplink power accuracy.

[0114] In some embodiments, at 240, the user equipment may determine that one or more conditions are met based on the received one or more PL-RS samples. In addition, before stage 250, the user equipment 100 may send an indication indicating that the user equipment is ready to send uplink data using the new TCI state.

[0115] In some embodiments, the sample-related information may include one or more possible numbers of one or more PL-RS samples. In this case, the sample-related information may be received via a radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0116] In some embodiments, the user equipment 100 may send an indication indicating a preferred number of PL-RS samples among one or more possible numbers. In this case, the preferred number of PL-RS samples is determined by the user equipment 100 based on SNR or UL power accuracy.

[0117] In some embodiments, the user equipment 100 may receive an indication indicating the number of PL-RS samples via a MAC message or physical layer signaling.

[0118] In some embodiments, if TRP1 104 receives sample-related information from user equipment 100, TRP1 104 may forward the sample-related information to TRP2 105. TRP2 105 may then estimate the time delay for TCI state switching before scheduling UL resources. At 260, TRP2 105 may send UL scheduling information to user equipment 100, and user equipment 100 may then send UL data via the scheduled UL resources.

[0119] In some embodiments, if TRP1 104 and TRP2 105 are the same entity, stage 233 is not performed, and stages 235 and 240 may be performed by TRP1.

[0120] Figure 3 One signaling process in the signaling process of reducing the number of PL-RS samples for TCI state switching is illustrated.

[0121] exist Figure 3 In the embodiment of the present invention, a user equipment 100, a TRP1 104, and a TRP2 105 are disclosed. In this case, TRP1 104 and TRP2 105 can be managed and controlled by a single gNB, or separate gNBs, respectively. In addition, only one TRP (e.g., TRP1 104) can be managed and controlled by a network node (e.g., a gNB).

[0122] In the following, it is explained that the number of PL-RS samples is implicitly reduced by sending sample related information including one or more conditions. In this case, one or more conditions for reducing the number of PL-RS samples may be set.

[0123] At 310, TRP1 104 sends a MAC CE to the user equipment 100 to trigger a TCI state switch. The MAC CE may include a unified TCI state activation command to indicate that a new TCI state is to be activated. The MAC CE indicates a new UL TCI state or a joint TCI state that has been added to the activated TCI state list. The activated TCI state list may be configured as up to 8 codewords. The MAC CE may include sample related information associated with the new TCI state. The sample related information may include one or more conditions for determining whether the user equipment is ready to use the new TCI state to send uplink data. The one or more conditions include at least one of the following items: a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold, or uplink power accuracy information.

[0124] At 320, the user equipment 100 starts monitoring the activation UL TCI status received via the MAC CE.

[0125] At 330, TRP2 105 sends one or more PL-RS to the user equipment 100. The one or more PL-RS are quasi co-located (QCL) with the new UL TCI state. The user equipment 100 receives and decodes the one or more PL-RS until one or more conditions indicated by the MACCE are met. At 330, SSB can be used as PL-RS, but other RS ​​can be used for PL-RS.

[0126] For example, the user equipment 100 measures the UL power accuracy or SNR threshold by decoding each of the one or more PL-RSs. At 330, it is assumed that the number of PL-RS samples is less than 5. When the requested UL power accuracy (or SNR threshold) is reached, at 340, the user equipment 100 stops decoding the PL-RS and sends an indication indicating that the user equipment 100 is ready to send UL data in the newly activated UL TCI state. The indication indicates that the UE has received enough samples to achieve the required accuracy and the UE is now ready to send uplink data to TRP2 105.

[0127] At 340, the indication may be sent via a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a scheduling request (SR) message, an acknowledgement message, or a new UL message. In addition, the indication may include a number of PL-RS samples received and / or decoded by the user equipment. The number of PL-RS samples may be used by the gNB to schedule UL resources.

[0128] At 350, TRP1 104 may transmit an indication to TRP2 105 indicating that the user equipment 100 is ready to send UL data in the newly activated UL TCI state.

[0129] As another example, the user equipment 100 may directly send an indication to TRP2 105 indicating that the user equipment 100 is ready to send UL data in the newly activated UL TCI state.

[0130] At 360, TRP2 105 (i.e., gNB) may start scheduling UL data in the new UL / joint TCI state after receiving the indication. TRP2 105 may send uplink scheduling information for sending UL data to the user equipment 100. The scheduling information may be included in downlink control information (DCI) or DL-SCH. DCI may be sent via PDCCH.

[0131] At 370, the user equipment 100 estimates a path loss (PL), and calculates a UL transmission power for transmitting UL data based on the UL scheduling information and the estimated PL.

[0132] At 380, the user equipment 100 may transmit UL data via the PUSCH by using the calculated UL transmission power.

[0133] New signaling (from the user equipment to the gNB) may indicate to the user equipment that enough PL-RS samples have been measured and prepare the UE to send UL data using the newly activated / indicated UL TCI state.

[0134] In some embodiments, if TRP1 104 and TRP2 105 are the same, stage 350 is not performed, and stages 330 and 360 are performed by TRP1. Additionally or alternatively, TRP1 104 and TRP2 105 may be controlled by different gNBs (e.g., gNB1 and gNB2).

[0135] Figure 4 One signaling process in the signaling process of reducing the number of PL-RS samples for TCI state switching is illustrated.

[0136] exist Figure 4 In the embodiment of the present invention, a user equipment 100, a TRP1 104, and a TRP2 105 are disclosed. In this case, TRP1 104 and TRP2 105 can be managed and controlled by a single gNB, or separate gNBs, respectively. In addition, only one TRP (e.g., TRP1 104) can be managed and controlled by a network node (e.g., a gNB).

[0137] Hereinafter, an embodiment of reducing the number of PL-RS samples by explicitly notifying sample-related information including the possible number of PL-RS samples to be used is explained.

[0138] At 410, TRP1 104 configures sample related information to reduce the number of PL-RS samples. The sample related information may include a possible number of PL-RS samples. The possible number of PL-RS samples may meet the UL power accuracy requirement and may be set to one of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. In addition, the sample related information may be sent via a radio resource control (RRC) configuration message or an RRC information element (IE). The sample related information may also include one or more conditions, the one or more conditions including at least one of the following: an SNR threshold, or UL power accuracy information.

[0139] In some embodiments, the possible number of PL-RS samples can be configured based on the SNR threshold or US power accuracy. For example, when the SNR condition is good compared to the SNR threshold, the possible number of PL-RS samples can be selected as 1, 2, or 3 (or between 1 and 2). On the other hand, when the SNR condition is not so good compared to the SNR threshold, the possible number of PL-RS samples can be selected as 3, 4, or 5 (or between 4 and 5).

[0140] At 420, if the user equipment 100 receives sample-related information, the user equipment 100 may select a preferred number of PL-RS samples. For example, the user equipment may use one or more DL-RSs to estimate at least one of the SNR or UL power accuracy in order to determine the preferred number of PL-RS samples. The DL-RS includes one or more PL-RSs, SSBs, channel state indication reference signals (CSI-RSs), and tracking reference signals (TRSs). The user equipment 100 may send an indication indicating the preferred number of PL-RS samples. The indication may be sent via a MAC message or an RRC message. When the SNR or UL power accuracy is met, or when a network node (e.g., TRP1 104) requests, the indication may be periodically sent in an event-triggered manner (e.g., a non-periodic manner) at a period set by the network.

[0141] At 423, TRP1 may forward the indication of 420 to TRP2 105. And then, at 425, TRP2 may estimate a time delay before scheduling UL resources on the cell of TRP2 based on the indication. For example, the estimation of the time delay (i.e., UL switching delay time) may be performed based on the indication forwarded at 423.

[0142] At 430, TRP1 104 may send a MAC CE including a unified TCI state activation command indicating that a new TCI state is to be activated to the user equipment 100. That is, the MAC CE indicates that the new UL / joint TCI state is added to the activated TCI state list (up to 8 codewords in the activated list).

[0143] At 440, the user equipment 100 starts monitoring one or more PL-RS samples based on the preferred number of PL-RS samples that are quasi co-located (QCL) with the new UL TCI state.

[0144] At 450, TRP2 105 sends one or more PL-RS to the user equipment 100. The one or more PL-RS are quasi co-located (QCL) with the new UL TCI state. The user equipment 100 receives and decodes the one or more PL-RS until the preferred PL-RS sample number is reached. The user equipment 100 estimates the path loss for the number of samples indicated at 420. At 450, SSB, CSI-RS and / or TRS may be used as PL-RS, but other RS ​​may be used for PL-RS.

[0145] At 460, TRP2 105 (i.e., gNB) may start scheduling UL data in the new UL / joint TCI state after estimating the UL switching delay time at 425. TRP2 may send uplink scheduling information for sending UL data to the user equipment 100. The scheduling information may be included in downlink control information (DCI) or DL-SCH. The DCI may be sent via the PDCCH.

[0146] At 470, the user equipment 100 estimates a path loss (PL), and calculates a UL transmission power for transmitting UL data based on the UL scheduling information and the estimated PL.

[0147] At 480, the user equipment 100 may transmit UL data via the PUSCH by using the calculated UL transmission power.

[0148] After switching to a new TCI state, the user equipment may continue to monitor the signal-to-noise ratio in the target TCI state and update the indication of the preferred PL-RS sample number.

[0149] In some embodiments, if TRP1 104 and TRP2 105 are the same, stage 423 is not performed, and stages 425, 450, and 460 are performed by TRP1. Additionally or alternatively, TRP1 104 and TRP2 105 may be controlled by different gNBs (e.g., gNB1 and gNB2).

[0150] In addition or alternatively to the embodiments, at 430, the MAC CE may include a number of PL-RS samples determined by TRP1 104 or TPR2 105 (or gNB). In this case, TRP1 104 considers the indication received from the user equipment 100 to determine the reduced number of PL-RS. Alternatively, TPR2 105 may receive an indication indicating a preferred number of PL-RS samples at 425, and then TRP2 105 may determine the reduced number of PL-RS samples considering the estimated time delay. Thereafter, TRP2 105 sends the reduced number of PL-RS samples to TRP1 and / or the user equipment 100. Alternatively or additionally, TRP1 104 may schedule a UL grant for the user equipment 100 so that the user equipment 100 can send UL data to TRP2 105. TRP1 104 may then send a UL grant to the user equipment 100 and TRP2 105.

[0151] If the user equipment 100 receives a reduced number of PL-RS samples at 430 , the user equipment 100 will receive and decode the PL-RS samples according to the reduced number of PL-RS samples at 440 and 450 .

[0152] Figure 5 One signaling process in the signaling process of reducing the number of PL-RS samples for TCI state switching is illustrated.

[0153] Figure 5 The embodiments explained are Figure 4 Therefore, the following will explain Figure 5 different stages, and other identical or similar stages can refer to Figure 4 corresponding stage.

[0154] At 510, TRP1 104 configures sample related information to reduce the number of PL-RS samples. The sample related information may include a possible number of PL-RS samples. The possible number of PL-RS samples may meet the UL power accuracy requirement or SNR threshold, and may be set to one of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. In this case, the sample related information may be sent to the user equipment via a radio resource control (RRC) configuration message or an RRC information element (IE) together with the new TCI state. The sample related information may also include one or more conditions, the one or more conditions including at least one of the following items: SNR threshold, or UL power accuracy information.

[0155] At 520, TRP1 104 may decide to reduce the number of PL-RS samples based on the UL channel conditions of the new TCI state and / or the possible reported UE DL quality measurements of the DL-RS associated with the new TCI state. TRP1 104 may then send an indication indicating the reduced number of PL-RS samples.

[0156] In some embodiments, the indication may be sent via a MAC message or physical layer signaling (eg, DCI) at 520. That is, the possible number of PL-RS samples is configured semi-statically, while the reduced number of PL-RS samples is dynamically configured.

[0157] At 523, TRP1 may forward the indication of 520 to TRP2 105. Then, at 525, TRP2 may estimate a time delay before scheduling UL resources on the cell of TRP2 based on the indication. For example, the estimation of the time delay (i.e., UL switching delay time) may be performed based on the indication forwarded at 523.

[0158] At 530, TRP1 104 may send a MAC CE including a unified TCI state activation command to the user equipment 100, indicating that a new TCI state is to be activated. That is, the MAC CE indicates that the new UL / joint TCI state is added to the activated TCI state list (up to 8 codewords in the activated list).

[0159] In some other embodiments, the MAC message of 520 may be the same as the MAC CE of 530. Alternatively, stage 530 may not be performed and the TCI activation command may be sent via the MAC message of 520.

[0160] At 540 , the user equipment 100 starts monitoring one or more PL-RS samples based on the reduced number of PL-RS samples indicated by the indication of 520 .

[0161] The explanation of stages 540 to 580 may refer to the explanation of stages 440 to 480 .

[0162] In some embodiments, if TRP1 104 and TRP2 105 are the same, stage 523 is not performed, and stages 525, 550, 560, and 580 may be performed by TRP1.

[0163] According to the current system, TCI state switching requires up to 5 PL-RS sample periods. However, using Figures 3 to 5 The solution can significantly reduce the switching delay. For example, if PL-RS is SSB, the time interval between SSBs is 20ms (or 40ms), and the number of reduced PL-RS samples is 3, the required switching delay can be reduced by more than 60ms (or 120ms).

[0164] Figure 6 Illustrated is a flow chart providing one of the embodiments for reducing the number of PL-RS samples for TCI state switching.

[0165] See also Figure 6 The method includes the following steps: receiving, by a user equipment, an indication indicating a new transmission configuration indicator TCI state being activated; receiving, by the user equipment, sample-related information associated with the new TCI state; receiving, by the user equipment, one or more path loss reference signal PL-RS samples based on at least one of the sample-related information or the new TCI state; and if the user equipment is ready to send one or more uplink data based on the sample-related information and the one or more PL-RS samples, preparing, by the user equipment, one or more uplink data based on the new TCI state.

[0166] In some exemplary embodiments, the user equipment is Figures 2 to 5 A user device 100 is provided.

[0167] In some exemplary embodiments, the sample-related information may include: one or more conditions.

[0168] In some exemplary embodiments, the sample-related information may be received via a medium access control (MAC) message, and the one or more conditions may include at least one of the following: a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold, or an uplink power accuracy.

[0169] In some exemplary embodiments, the method may further include the steps of: determining that one or more conditions are satisfied based on the received one or more PL-RS samples; and causing an indication to be sent indicating that the apparatus is ready to send uplink data using a new TCI state.

[0170] In some exemplary embodiments, the sample-related information may include one or more possible numbers of one or more PL-RS samples, and the sample-related information may be received via a radio resource control, RRC, message.

[0171] In some exemplary embodiments, the method may further comprise the step of sending an indication indicating a preferred number of PL-RS samples from among one or more possible numbers.

[0172] In some exemplary embodiments, the method may further comprise the step of receiving an indication indicating the number of PL-RS samples.

[0173] In some exemplary embodiments, the sample-related information may include an indication indicating the number of PL-RS samples.

[0174] Figure 7 Illustrated is a flow chart providing one of the embodiments for reducing the number of PL-RS samples for TCI state switching.

[0175] See also Figure 7 The method comprises the following steps: the network node sends an indication indicating a new transmission configuration indicator TCI state being activated; and the network node sends sample related information associated with the new TCI state.

[0176] In some exemplary embodiments, the network node may be Figures 2 to 5 of a TRP1 104 or a gNB.

[0177] In some exemplary embodiments, the sample-related information may include: one or more conditions.

[0178] In some exemplary embodiments, the sample-related information may be received via a medium access control (MAC) message, and the one or more conditions may include at least one of: a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold, or an uplink power accuracy.

[0179] In some exemplary embodiments, the sample-related information may include: one or more possible numbers of one or more PL-RS samples, and wherein the sample-related information may be sent via a radio resource control, RRC, message.

[0180] In some exemplary embodiments, the method may further comprise the step of receiving an indication indicating a preferred number of PL-RS samples from among one or more possible numbers.

[0181] In some exemplary embodiments, the method may further comprise the step of sending an indication indicating the number of PL-RS samples.

[0182] In some exemplary embodiments, the sample-related information may include an indication indicating the number of PL-RS samples.

[0183] In some exemplary embodiments, the method may further include the following steps: sending one or more path loss reference signal (PL-RS) samples based on at least one of sample-related information or a new TCI state; after sending one or more PL-RS samples, sending scheduling information about the new TCI state; and receiving one or more uplink data based on the new TCI state.

[0184] Figure 8 Illustrated is a flow chart providing one of the embodiments for reducing the number of PL-RS samples for TCI state switching.

[0185] See also Figure 8 The method includes the following steps: the network node sends one or more path loss reference signal PL-RS samples based on at least one of sample-related information or a new TCI state; the network node sends scheduling information about the new TCI state after sending the one or more PL-RS samples; and the network node receives one or more uplink data based on the new TCI state.

[0186] In some exemplary embodiments, the network node may be Figures 2 to 5 A TRP2 105 or a gNB.

[0187] In some exemplary embodiments, the method may further include the following steps: receiving an indication indicating a preferred PL-RS sample number; and estimating a time delay for sending scheduling information about a new TCI state based on the indication.

[0188] Fig. 9An example of an apparatus 900 is illustrated, which includes components for performing one or more of the above-described example embodiments. For example, the apparatus 900 may be an apparatus such as the network entity 113, the RAN 104, or the user equipment 100, or may be an apparatus including the network entity 113, the RAN 104, or the user equipment 100, or may be an apparatus included in the network entity 113, the RAN 104, or the user equipment 100, and supports the above-described embodiments.

[0189] The RAN node 104 may also be referred to as, for example, a network element, a next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) node, NodeB, eNB, gNB, base transceiver station (BTS), base station, NR base station, 5G base station, access node, access point (AP), cell site, relay node, repeater, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, IAB donor node, distributed unit (DU), central unit (CU), baseband unit (BBU), radio unit (RU), radio head, remote radio head (RRH), or transmission and reception point (TRP).

[0190] The apparatus 900 may include, for example, a circuit system or a chipset suitable for implementing one or more of the above-described example embodiments. The apparatus 900 may be an electronic device including one or more electronic circuit systems. The apparatus 900 may include a communication control circuit system 910 (such as at least one processor), and at least one memory 920 storing instructions 922, which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the apparatus 900 to perform one or more of the above-described example embodiments, such as by Figures 2 to 8 The embodiments explained in the description thereof. For example, such instructions 922 may include computer program code (software). At least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions may provide means for providing or causing execution of any of the above methods and / or blocks.

[0191] The processor is coupled to the memory 920. The processor is configured to read data from the memory 920 and write data to the memory 920. The memory 920 may include one or more memory cells. The memory cell may be volatile or non-volatile. It should be noted that there may be one or more non-volatile memory cells and one or more volatile memory cells, or, alternatively, there may be one or more non-volatile memory cells, or, alternatively, there may be one or more volatile memory cells. The volatile memory may be, for example, a random access memory (RAM), a dynamic random access memory, or a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM). The non-volatile memory may be, for example, a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a flash memory, an optical storage device, or a magnetic storage device. In general, the memory may be referred to as a non-transient computer-readable medium. The term "non-transient" used herein is a restriction on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), rather than a restriction on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM and ROM). The memory 920 stores computer-readable instructions executed by the processor. For example, non-volatile memory stores computer readable instructions, and the processor executes the instructions using volatile memory that temporarily stores data and / or instructions.

[0192] The computer readable instructions may have been pre-stored in the memory 920, or alternatively or additionally, they may be received by the device via an electromagnetic carrier signal, and / or may be copied from a physical entity (such as a computer program product). Execution of the computer readable instructions causes the device 900 to perform one or more of the functions described above.

[0193] The memory 920 may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and / or removable memory. The memory may include a configuration database for storing configuration data, such as a current neighbor cell list, and in some example embodiments, the structure of frames used in detected neighbor cells.

[0194] In some example embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable medium may be provided. The non-transitory computer readable medium may include a computer program product for executing a program executed by Figures 2 to 8 and instructions for the embodiments explained in its description.

[0195] As an example, the non-transitory computer-readable medium may include program instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform at least the following operations: receive an indication indicating a new transmission configuration indicator TCI state that is activated; receive sample-related information associated with the new TCI state; receive one or more path loss reference signal PL-RS samples based on at least one of the sample-related information or the new TCI state; and if the device is ready to send one or more uplink data based on the sample-related information and one or more PL-RS samples, prepare one or more uplink data based on the new TCI state.

[0196] As another example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may be provided. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may include program instructions, which, when executed by a device, cause the device to at least perform the following operations: send an indication indicating an activated new transmission configuration indicator TCI state; and send sample-related information associated with the new TCI state.

[0197] As another example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may be provided. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may include program instructions, which, when executed by a device, cause the device to at least perform the following operations: send one or more path loss reference signal PL-RS samples based on at least one of sample-related information or a new TCI state; after sending the one or more PL-RS samples, send scheduling information about the new TCI state; and receive one or more uplink data based on the new TCI state.

[0198] Reference again Fig. 9 , the device 900 may also include, or be connected to, a communication interface 930 (such as a radio unit), which includes hardware and / or software for implementing a communication connection with one or more wireless communication devices according to one or more communication protocols. The communication interface 930 includes at least one transmitter (Tx) and at least one receiver (Rx), which may be integrated into the device 900 or the device 900 may be connected to the at least one transmitter (Tx) and at least one receiver (Rx). The communication interface 930 may provide components for performing some of the blocks of one or more of the example embodiments described above. The communication interface 930 may include one or more components, such as a power amplifier, a digital front end (DFE), an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a frequency converter, a (de) modulator, and / or an encoder / decoder circuit system.

[0199] The communication interface 930 provides the apparatus with radio communication capabilities for communicating in a wireless communication network. For example, the communication interface may provide a radio interface for one or more wireless communication devices. The apparatus 900 may also include or be connected to another interface to a core network (such as a network coordinator device or AMF), and / or include or be connected to an access node of a wireless communication network.

[0200] The apparatus 900 may further include a scheduler 940 configured to allocate radio resources. The scheduler 940 may be configured together with the communication control circuit system 910 or may be configured separately.

[0201] It should be noted that the apparatus 900 may also include Fig. 9 Various components are not shown in the figure. These various components can be hardware components and / or software components.

[0202] The above embodiments may cover the following use cases:

[0203] - Single TRP connector / UL TCI switch,

[0204] -MTRP inter-cell master DCI (mDCI),

[0205] - Secondary DCI (sDCI) within MTRP cell: Switching TCI between TRP1 and TRP2 in the same cell,

[0206] - MTRP intra-cell (mDCI: similar to two parallel single TRP TCI switches), and / or

[0207] -ICBM (Inter-Cell Beam Management), switching TCI between cells.

[0208] The techniques and methods described herein can be implemented in various ways. For example, these techniques can be implemented in hardware (one or more devices), firmware (one or more devices), software (one or more modules), or a combination thereof. For hardware implementations, the (multiple) devices of the example embodiments can be implemented in one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), graphics processing units (GPUs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof. For firmware or software, the implementation can be implemented by a module (e.g., a process, a function, etc.) of at least one chipset that performs the functions described herein. The software code can be stored in a memory unit and executed by a processor. The memory unit can be implemented inside the processor or outside the processor. In the latter case, as is known in the art, the memory unit can be communicatively coupled to the processor in various ways. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the components of the system described herein can be rearranged and / or supplemented by additional components to facilitate the implementation of the various aspects described, etc., and they are not limited to the precise configurations set forth in the given figures.

[0209] It will be clear to those skilled in the art that, as technology advances, the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways. The embodiments are not limited to the above-described example embodiments, but can be varied within the scope of the claims. Therefore, all words and expressions should be interpreted broadly, and they are intended to illustrate rather than limit the embodiments.

[0210] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide the following examples:

[0211] Example 1. An apparatus comprising:

[0212] means for causing reception of an indication of a new transmission configuration indicator, TCI, state indicating activation;

[0213] means for causing receipt of sample related information associated with a new TCI state;

[0214] means for causing reception of one or more path loss reference signal PL-RS samples based on at least one of sample related information or a new TCI state; and

[0215] A means for preparing one or more uplink data based on a new TCI state if the apparatus is ready to send one or more uplink data based on the sample related information and the one or more PL-RS samples.

[0216] Example 2. An apparatus according to Example 1, wherein the sample-related information includes: one or more conditions.

[0217] Example 3. An apparatus according to Example 2, wherein the one or more conditions include at least one of the following items: a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold, or an uplink power accuracy.

[0218] Example 4. The apparatus according to example 2 or 3, comprising:

[0219] means for determining that the one or more conditions are satisfied based on the received one or more PL-RS samples; and

[0220] Means for causing sending an indication that the apparatus is ready to send uplink data using a new TCI state.

[0221] Example 5. An apparatus according to any one of Examples 1 to 4, wherein the sample-related information includes: one or more possible numbers of one or more PL-RS samples, and

[0222] The sample-related information is received via a radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0223] Example 6. The apparatus according to Example 5, comprising:

[0224] Means for causing sending an indication indicating a preferred number of PL-RS samples among one or more possible numbers.

[0225] Example 7. The apparatus according to any one of Examples 1 to 6, comprising:

[0226] Means for causing receipt of an indication indicating a number of PL-RS samples.

[0227] Example 8. An apparatus according to any one of Examples 1 to 7, wherein the sample-related information includes: an indication indicating the number of PL-RS samples.

[0228] Example 9. An apparatus comprising:

[0229] means for causing sending an indication of a new transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state indicating that it is activated; and

[0230] Means for causing sending of sample related information associated with a new TCI state.

[0231] Example 10. An apparatus according to Example 9, wherein the sample-related information includes: one or more conditions.

[0232] Example 11. An apparatus according to Example 10, wherein the one or more conditions include at least one of the following items: a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold, or an uplink power accuracy.

[0233] Example 12. An apparatus according to any of Examples 9 to 11, wherein the sample-related information includes: one or more possible numbers of one or more PL-RS samples, and

[0234] The sample-related information is sent via a radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0235] Example 13. The apparatus of any one of Examples 9 to 12, comprising:

[0236] Means for causing receipt of an indication indicating a preferred number of PL-RS samples among one or more possible numbers.

[0237] Example 14. The apparatus of any one of Examples 9 to 13, comprising:

[0238] Means for causing sending an indication indicating a number of PL-RS samples.

[0239] Example 15. An apparatus according to any one of Examples 9 to 14, wherein the sample-related information includes: an indication of the number of PL-RS samples.

[0240] Example 16. The apparatus of any one of Examples 9 to 13, comprising:

[0241] means for causing transmission of one or more path loss reference signal PL-RS samples based on at least one of sample related information or a new TCI state;

[0242] means for causing sending scheduling information about a new TCI state after sending one or more PL-RS samples; and

[0243] Means for causing one or more uplink data to be received based on a new TCI state.

[0244] Example 17. An apparatus comprising:

[0245] means for causing transmission of one or more path loss reference signal PL-RS samples based on at least one of sample related information or a new TCI state;

[0246] means for causing sending scheduling information about a new TCI state after sending one or more PL-RS samples; and

[0247] Means for receiving one or more uplink data based on a new TCI state.

[0248] Example 18. The apparatus of Example 17, comprising:

[0249] means for receiving an indication of a preferred number of PL-RS samples; and

[0250] Means for estimating a time delay for sending scheduling information regarding a new TCI state based on the indication.

[0251] Example 19. A method comprising:

[0252] Receiving, by the user equipment, an indication indicating a new transmission configuration indicator TCI state being activated;

[0253] Receiving, by the user equipment, sample related information associated with the new TCI state;

[0254] Receiving, by the user equipment, one or more path loss reference signal PL-RS samples based on at least one of the sample related information or the new TCI state; and

[0255] If the user equipment is ready to send one or more uplink data based on the sample-related information and the one or more PL-RS samples, the user equipment prepares the one or more uplink data based on the new TCI state.

[0256] Example 20. The method of Example 19, wherein the sample-related information includes: one or more conditions.

[0257] Example 21. A method according to Example 20, wherein the one or more conditions include at least one of the following items: a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold, or an uplink power accuracy.

[0258] Example 22. The method according to example 20 or 21, comprising:

[0259] determining, based on the received one or more PL-RS samples, that the one or more conditions are satisfied; and

[0260] Causes sending an indication that the device is ready to send uplink data using a new TCI state.

[0261] Example 23. A method according to any one of Examples 19 to 22, wherein the sample-related information includes: one or more possible numbers of one or more PL-RS samples, and

[0262] The sample-related information is received via a radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0263] Example 24. The method according to any one of Examples 19 to 23, comprising:

[0264] An indication is sent indicating a preferred number of PL-RS samples from among one or more possible numbers.

[0265] Example 25. The method according to any one of Examples 19 to 24, comprising:

[0266] An indication indicating a number of PL-RS samples is received.

[0267] Example 26. A method according to any one of Examples 19 to 25, wherein the sample-related information includes: an indication of the number of PL-RS samples.

[0268] Example 27. A method comprising:

[0269] sending, by the network node, an indication indicating a new transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state being activated; and

[0270] Sample related information associated with the new TCI state is sent by the network node.

[0271] Example 28. A method comprising:

[0272] Sending, by the network node, one or more path loss reference signal PL-RS samples based on at least one of the sample related information or the new TCI state;

[0273] Sending, by the network node, scheduling information about a new TCI state after sending one or more PL-RS samples; and

[0274] One or more uplink data are received by the network node based on the new TCI state.

[0275] Example 29. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to at least perform:

[0276] receiving, by the apparatus, an indication indicating a new transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state being activated;

[0277] receiving, by the device, sample-related information associated with a new TCI state;

[0278] receiving, by the apparatus, one or more path loss reference signal PL-RS samples based on at least one of sample related information or a new TCI state; and

[0279] If the device is ready to send one or more uplink data based on the sample-related information and the one or more PL-RS samples, the device prepares the one or more uplink data based on the new TCI state.

[0280] Example 30. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon for causing a network node to at least perform:

[0281] sending, by the network node, an indication indicating a new transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state being activated; and

[0282] Sample related information associated with the new TCI state is sent by the network node.

[0283] Example 31. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon for causing a network node to at least perform:

[0284] Sending, by the network node, one or more path loss reference signal PL-RS samples based on at least one of the sample related information or the new TCI state;

[0285] Sending, by the network node, scheduling information about a new TCI state after sending one or more PL-RS samples; and

[0286] One or more uplink data are received by the network node based on the new TCI state.

Claims

1. A device for communication, comprising: means for causing reception of an indication of a new transmission configuration indicator, TCI, state indicating activation; means for causing receipt of sample related information associated with the new TCI state; means for causing reception of one or more path loss reference signal PL-RS samples based on at least one of the sample-related information or the new TCI state; as well as A means for preparing the one or more uplink data based on the new TCI state if the apparatus is ready to send one or more uplink data based on the sample-related information and the one or more PL-RS samples.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sample-related information comprises: One or more conditions.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein: The one or more conditions include at least one of the following: a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold, or an uplink power accuracy.

4. The device according to claim 2 or 3, comprising: means for determining that the one or more conditions are satisfied based on the received one or more PL-RS samples; as well as Means for causing sending an indication indicating that the apparatus is ready to send the uplink data using the new TCI state.

5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sample-related information comprises: one or more possible numbers of one or more PL-RS samples, and The sample-related information is received via a radio resource control (RRC) message.

6. The device according to claim 5, comprising: Means for causing sending an indication indicating a preferred number of PL-RS samples among the one or more possible numbers.

7. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising: Means for causing receipt of an indication indicating a number of PL-RS samples.

8. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the sample-related information comprises: An indication of the number of PL-RS samples.

9. A method for communication, comprising: Receiving, by the user equipment, an indication indicating a new transmission configuration indicator TCI state being activated; Receiving, by the user equipment, sample related information associated with the new TCI state; Receiving, by the user equipment, one or more path loss reference signal PL-RS samples based on at least one of the sample related information or the new TCI state; as well as If the user equipment is ready to send one or more uplink data based on the sample-related information and the one or more PL-RS samples, the user equipment prepares the one or more uplink data based on the new TCI state.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the sample-related information comprises: One or more conditions.

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