Ue assisted time domain beam prediction

Abstract

This disclosure provides systems, apparatus, apparatuses, and methods, including computer programs encoded on a storage medium, for user equipment (UE) assisted time domain beam prediction. The UE (102) receives (316), from the network entity (304), beam indication signaling indicating one or more candidate beams predicted to have a beam quality that is improved compared to a current beam quality of the one or more current serving beams. The UE (102) measures (320) a first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams, and communicates (326 / 328) with the network entity (304) over the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams based on whether the second beam quality is greater than the first beam quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to activation of predicted beams based on user equipment (UE) assistance. 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] Wireless communication systems 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) supporting communication with multiple UEs. As mobile broadband technology develops, improvements in mobile broadband help to continue the advancement of such technology. For example, if the beam quality of a beam in a beam pair between a UE and a network entity degrades, the network entity may determine to update the beam in the beam pair to a different beam with improved beam quality. 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] A user equipment (UE) and a network entity such as a base station may perform an analog beamforming operation to increase a link budget between the UE and the network entity. The UE and the network entity may each support multiple beams. The UE and the network entity each select an individual beam from their respective beam sets for forming a beam pair between the UE and the network entity. A beam pair that provides increased signal strength may reduce coupling loss between the UE and the network entity and provide increased coverage gain. Therefore, the UE and the network entity perform a beam selection process based on a beam measurement / reporting operation and a beam indication technique to select a beam in the beam pair that provides increased signal strength.

[0006] The beam indication technique may include a network entity performing beam prediction to predict / select an updated communication beam that may have an improved beam quality compared to the beam quality of a current serving beam. For example, the network entity may predict / select an updated communication beam based on historical observations. However, such predictions may have limited accuracy under non-steady state conditions, such as when sudden beam changes occur due to UE rotation, translation, and / or antenna blockage. Therefore, the UE may perform beam quality measurements on the predicted beam and the current serving beam to verify whether the beam quality of the predicted beam is actually better than the beam quality of the current serving beam based on a comparison of the beam quality measurements.

[0007] According to some aspects, a UE receives beam indication signaling from a network entity such as a base station, the beam indication signaling indicating one or more candidate beams predicted to provide an improved beam quality compared to a current beam quality of one or more current serving beams. Activation of the one or more candidate beams occurs after a beam activation delay time. The UE measures a first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams, and communicates with the network entity through at least one of the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams based on whether the second beam quality is greater than the first beam quality.

[0008] According to some aspects, a network entity selects one or more candidate beams for communicating with a UE based on predicting that the one or more candidate beams provide an improved beam quality over a current beam quality of the one or more current serving beams. Activation of the one or more candidate beams occurs after a beam activation delay time. The network entity sends beam indication signaling to the UE based on the prediction of the one or more candidate beams, the beam indication signaling indicating the one or more candidate beams predicted to provide improved beam quality. The network entity communicates with the UE through at least one of the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams based on whether a first measurement of the one or more candidate beams and a second measurement of the one or more current serving beams indicate that the one or more candidate beams provide an improved beam quality over a current beam quality of the one or more current serving beams.

[0009] 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 can be implemented by any of an apparatus, 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 can be employed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1A diagram of a wireless communication system including multiple network entities communicating over multiple cells is shown.

[0011] Figure 2A is a timing diagram illustrating a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) update procedure based on TCI signaling between a user equipment (UE) and a network entity (eg, a base station).

[0012] Figure 2B is a timing diagram showing a beam selection process for a beam pair between a UE and a base station based on artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML).

[0013] Figure 2C is a timing diagram showing the TCI signaling process associated with the disordered beam activation time.

[0014] Figure 3A A signaling diagram for time domain communication at beam activation time based on the beam prediction process with UE assistance information is shown.

[0015] Figure 3B A signaling diagram for time domain communication at beam activation time based on a beam prediction process with beam activation indication is shown.

[0016] Figure 3C A signaling diagram showing time domain communication based on the beam prediction process with UE assistance information at a time before the beam validity duration expires.

[0017] Figure 3D A signaling diagram for time domain communication based on a beam prediction process with a beam activation indication at a time before the beam validity duration expires is shown.

[0018] Figure 4A TCI state activation / indication of time domain beam prediction based on Medium Access Control-Control Element (MAC-CE) indication is shown.

[0019] Figure 4B-Figure 4C It shows the updating of spatial relationship information based on MAC-CE indication.

[0020] Figure 5 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication at a UE.

[0021] Figure 6 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication at a network entity.

[0022] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of an example UE device.

[0023] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of one or more example network entities. 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 RUs 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 for 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 a 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 signal transmission. 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. Therefore, 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, pico cells, micro cells, etc. 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 the antenna of the base station 104 a of the cell 190 d to send downlink / forward link communications to the UE 102 d, or receive uplink / reverse link communications from the UE 102 d, based on the Uu interface associated with the 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 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 190e 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 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 (integrated) 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] AMF 121 is a control node that handles signal transmission between UE 102 and core network 120. AMF 121 supports registration management, connection management, mobility management, and other functions. SMF 122 supports session management and other functions. UPF 123 supports packet routing, packet forwarding, and other functions. UDM 124 supports the generation of authentication and key agreement (AKA) credentials, user identity handling, access authorization, and subscription management. GMLC 125 provides an interface for clients / applications (e.g., emergency services) to access UE positioning information. LMF 126 receives measurement and assistance information from NG-RAN and UE 102 via AMF 121 to calculate the positioning of UE 102. NG-RAN can use one or more positioning methods to determine the location of UE 102. Positioning UE 102 can involve signal measurement, positioning estimation, and optional speed calculation based on measurement. Signal measurement can be performed by UE 102 and / or serving base station 104 / RU 106.

[0043] 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.

[0044] 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.

[0045] Still refer to Figure 1In certain aspects, the UE 102 may include a predicted beam verification component 140 configured to receive beam indication signaling from a network entity, the beam indication signaling indicating one or more candidate beams predicted to provide an improved beam quality after a beam activation delay time compared to a current beam quality of one or more current serving beams. Activation of the one or more candidate beams occurs after the beam activation delay time. The predicted beam verification component 140 is further configured to measure a first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams, and communicate with the network entity via at least one of the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams based on whether the second beam quality is greater than the first beam quality.

[0046] In certain aspects, the base station 104 or a network entity of the base station 104 may include a beam selection component 150 configured to select one or more candidate beams for communicating with the UE based on a prediction that the one or more candidate beams provide an improved beam quality over a current beam quality of the one or more current serving beams. Activation of the one or more candidate beams occurs after a beam activation delay time. The beam selection component 150 is further configured to send beam indication signaling to the UE based on the prediction of the one or more candidate beams, the beam indication signaling indicating the one or more candidate beams predicted to provide improved beam quality. The beam selection component 150 is further configured to communicate with the UE via at least one of the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams based on whether a first measurement of the one or more candidate beams and a second measurement of the one or more current serving beams indicate that the one or more candidate beams provide an improved beam quality over a current beam quality of the one or more current serving beams.

[0047] 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 releases, LTE, LTE-advanced (LTE-A), and other wireless technologies. Figure 1 The wireless communication system can be used to achieve Figure 2A-2C 200 - 240 as well as aspects of subsequent figures.

[0048] Figure 2A2 is a timing diagram 200 illustrating a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) update process based on TCI signaling between a UE 102 and a base station 104 or an entity of a base station 104 (e.g., RU 106). The cell radius / coverage area of ​​a base station 104 / RU 106 may be based on a link budget. A "link budget" refers to the accumulation of total gains and losses in a system, which provides a total received power level at a receiver such as a UE 102. The receiver may compare the received power 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., UE 102 and base station 104).

[0049] To increase the link budget, the base station 104 and the UE 102 may perform analog beamforming operations to activate beam pairs associated with increased signal strength. The base station 104 and the UE 102 may each support multiple beams that may be used for the beam pairs. The beam pairs that reduce coupling loss may result in increased coverage gain for the base station 104 and the UE 102. "Coupling loss" refers to the reduction in path loss / power density between a first antenna of the base station 104 and a second antenna of the UE 102, and may be indicated in decibels (dB).

[0050] The beam selection process for the beam pair activated by the base station 104 and the UE 102 may include the UE 102 performing a beam measurement and reporting process, and then the base station 104 performing a beam indication process. The beam measurement and reporting process may be based on the UE 102 measuring multiple downlink reference signals (e.g., synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) and / or channel state information reference signals (CSI-RSs)), where different beams of the base station 104 may be associated with different signals. For example, the UE 102 may perform a beam sweeping operation to measure the signal strength and / or interference of the reference signals (e.g., SSBs / CSI-RSs) at different time instances / different symbols associated with the downlink reference signals, and report the measurement results. The beam indication process may include the base station 104 indicating a TCI state to the UE 102 based on the beam report received from the UE 102. "TCI state" refers to a parameter set used to configure a quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship between one or more downlink reference signals and corresponding antenna ports. For example, the TCI state may indicate the QCL relationship between the downlink reference signal in the CSI-RS set and the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) demodulation reference signal (DMRS) port. Due to the antenna reciprocity theorem, a single TCI state may provide beam indication for both the downlink channel / signal and the uplink channel / signal. Based on the TCI state, the base station 104 may send one or more downlink reference signals (e.g., SSB / CSI-RS) for the beam indication process.

[0051] TCI update / indication signaling may be sent 202 via a MAC-control element (MAC-CE) or downlink control information (DCI). The base station 104 may indicate separate TCI states for each downlink resource / channel, and the base station 104 may indicate separate spatial relationship information for each uplink resource / channel. Uplink information may be indicated via RRC or MAC-CE based on a technique similar to the TCI update / indication signaling sent 202 for downlink signaling. The base station 104 may indicate the TCI states of multiple downlink / uplink resources / channels using a single MAC-CE or DCI. For TCI update / indication signaling based on MAC-CE or DCI, the UE 102 begins applying 206 the indicated TCI after X milliseconds / slots 208 since the UE 102 sends 204 an acknowledgement (ACK) for a transport block (TB) scheduled using MAC-CE or DCI, or X milliseconds / slots 208 after the UE 102 sends 204 an ACK for a DCI that does not have a scheduled TB. In an example, for TCI update / indication signaling based on MAC-CE transmission 202, X may correspond to X=3ms; or, for TCI update / indication signaling based on DCI transmission 202, X may be configured via RRC signaling, where X corresponds to the beam activation delay time.

[0052] Beam indication techniques associated with TCI signaling may include joint beam indication or separate beam indication. "Joint beam indication" refers to a single / joint TCI state used by the base station 104 to update the beams of both the downlink channel / signal and the uplink channel / signal. For example, the base station 104 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 104 may send SSB / CSI-RS to indicate the QCL relationship between the downlink channels / signals and the spatial relationship of the uplink channels / signals. In a first aspect, the TCI update / indication signaling sent 202 by the base station 104 may correspond to a joint beam indication for both the downlink channel / signal and the uplink channel / signal.

[0053] "Separate beam indication" refers to a first TCI state of a first beam used by the base station 104 to update a downlink channel / signal and a second TCI state of a second beam used by the base station 104 to update an uplink channel / signal. For example, the base station 104 may indicate a first TCI state configured based on a DLorJointTCIState parameter in 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 further downlink TCI signaling to update a second beam of an uplink channel / signal. If the base station 104 indicates a second TCI state (e.g., uplink TCI) in a downlink reference signal, the downlink reference signal may correspond to an SSB / CSI-RS. In an example where the base station 104 uses an uplink reference signal to indicate a second TCI state, the uplink reference signal may correspond to a sounding reference signal (SRS) that may indicate a spatial relationship of an uplink channel / signal. In a second aspect, the TCI update / indication signaling sent 202 by the base station 104 can correspond to a downlink channel / signal or an uplink channel / signal based on a separate beam indication technique.

[0054] The base station 104 can 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 the qcl-Type in the QCL-Info parameter. The first QCL type typeA includes values ​​for Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread. The second QCL type typeB includes values ​​for Doppler shift and Doppler spread. The third QCL type typeC includes values ​​for Doppler shift and average delay. The fourth QCL type typeD includes values ​​for spatial reception (Rx) parameters. UE 102 can use the same spatial transmission filter to indicate the spatial relationship for receiving a downlink reference signal from the base station 104 or sending an uplink TCI signaling to the base station 104.

[0055] Figure 2B2 is a timing diagram 220 showing a beam selection process for a beam pair between a UE 102 and a base station 104 based on artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML). "AI / ML" refers to one or more data-driven algorithms that generate an output set based on an input set without being explicitly programmed to generate the output set. For example, an AI / ML algorithm may use a data collection process to predict an output value based on an input value associated with historical data. The data collection process includes network nodes 106, 108, 110 and other network nodes, management entities 121, 122 and other management entities, UE 102, etc. that collect data for training AI / ML models, data analysis, reasoning, etc. The AI / ML model corresponds to a data-driven algorithm that applies AI / ML techniques to generate an output set based on an input set. The AI / ML model is trained by learning the input / output relationship of a given data set, and the trained AI / ML model may use the input / output relationship to generate reasoning for an output set based on an input set.

[0056] The AI / ML model may be implemented to predict one or more improved beams for future communications between the base station 104 and the UE 102 based on one or more beam reports indicating past beam / condition information. In an example, a neural network 226 associated with the AI / ML model may receive as input a plurality of input beam indices 222 associated with past beam / conditions of one or more best reported beams. The plurality of input beam indices 222 of the one or more best reported beams may correspond to beam information of active beams for a duration of X2 milliseconds / time slots 224. Based on receiving the plurality of input beam indices 222 of the one or more best reported beams, the neural network 226 outputs a corresponding set of one or more output beam indices 228, the neural network 226 predicting that the corresponding set of one or more output beam indices 228 will provide one or more best output beams at a future time (e.g., starting from an activation time and ending at expiration of a valid duration). The one or more output beam indices 228 of the one or more predicted output beams may correspond to active beams for a second duration of X1 milliseconds / time slots 230.

[0057] Base station 104 may utilize AI / ML techniques to indicate TCI states for future beams / conditions based on past beam measurement and reporting information received from UE 102. However, when future beams are subject to sudden changes in conditions (e.g., based on UE rotation, translation, and / or antenna blocking), neural network 226 may not be able to predict the best future beam with a threshold accuracy. Therefore, UE 102 may send a report including UE assistance information to base station 104 indicating whether one or more output beam indices 228 of neural network 226 actually experience better beam quality and / or link budget than one or more current serving beams.

[0058] Figure 2C 240 is a timing diagram illustrating a TCI signaling process associated with out-of-order beam activation time. The base station 104 may send DCI to the UE 102 in a manner that implicitly or explicitly indicates whether a second beam indication 242b for the UE 102 "overwrites" (i.e., is to be used in place of) a first beam indication 242a for the UE 102. Initially, the base station 104 indicates 242a the first beam indication to the UE 102 first in time and indicates 242b the second beam indication to the UE 102 second in time.

[0059] Base station 104 may use a field in the DCI to explicitly indicate to UE 102 whether a first beam indication is overwritten by a second beam indication indicated in an earlier DCI. The first beam associated with the first beam indication and the second beam associated with the second beam indication may correspond to the predicted beam of the beam prediction process performed at base station 104. In some examples, a reserved value of a field such as an antenna port may be used to provide an indication in the DCI. In a further example, the indication in the DCI may correspond to an index of a starting control channel element (CCE) of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). For example, an odd index may indicate to UE 102 that base station 104 is overwriting a previous beam indication, and an even index may indicate to UE 102 that base station 104 is not overwriting a previous beam indication. The indication in the DCI may also correspond to a search space or control resource set (CORESET) of the PDCCH. The base station 104 may utilize the TCI for the search space / CORESET in the PDCCH to indicate whether the base station 104 is overwriting a previous beam indication (e.g., based on the search space type such as a common search space or a UE-specific search space, a search space index, and / or a CORESET index configured based on RRC signaling).

[0060] The base station 104 may deactivate a previous beam indication via a DCI or a MAC-CE. A field for TCI state / spatial relationship information included in the MAC-CE indication may indicate whether the base station 104 is deactivating a previous beam indication for one or more corresponding channels. In an example, the base station 104 may use a dedicated TCI state / spatial relationship information index to indicate the deactivation of a previous beam indication for one or more corresponding channels. In a further example, the base station 104 may use a field in TCI signaling to indicate the deactivation of a previous beam indication.

[0061] For MAC-CE or DCI based beam indication, the base station 104 and the UE 102 may determine whether the TCI state indicated in the MAC-CE or DCI implicitly overwrites the previous beam indication associated with the predicted TCI state based on the activation delay time. For example, the UE 102 may receive 242a a first TCI indication signaling with a first activation delay time 208a indicator from the base station 104 at a first time instance, and may receive 242b a second TCI indication signaling with a second activation delay time 208b indicator from the base station 104 at a second time instance. However, the activation delay time 208b of the second TCI indication signaling may be shorter than the activation delay time 208a of the first TCI indication signaling. In this example, the UE overwrites the shorter activation duration 208b, which would otherwise cause the activation 244b of the second beam associated with the second TCI indication signaling to occur before the activation 244a of the first beam associated with the first TCI indication signaling. That is, when the activation 244a-244b of the first / second beam is scheduled to occur out of order in which the first / second TCI indication signaling is received 242a-242b from the base station 104, the later activation 244a overrides the earlier out-of-order activation 244b. Therefore, when this occurs, the UE 102 can determine that the first TCI indication signaling overwrites the second TCI indication signaling and omits the activation 244b of the second out-of-order TCI indication signaling. The UE 102 can send a UE capability report to the base station 104 to indicate whether the UE 102 supports explicit and / or implicit out-of-order activation time of TCI indication signaling. Figure 2A-2C describes beam direction / selection techniques, and Figure 3A-3D The beam quality verification process for the indicated / selected beam is described.

[0062] Figure 3A A signaling diagram 300 shows time domain communication between a network entity 304 and a UE 102 after a beam activation delay time based on a beam prediction process associated with UE assistance information. The network entity 304 may correspond to a base station 104 or an entity at the base station 104 such as a RU 106, DU 108, CU 110, etc.

[0063] The UE 102 sends 305 a UE capability message to the network entity 304. The UE capability message may indicate whether the UE 102 supports out-of-order activation time (eg, skipping 244b) of TCI indication signaling, as described in relation to Figure 2CIn a further example, the UE capability message may indicate whether the UE supports the beam prediction process (e.g., via a field in the UE capability message indicating support for UE assistance information, beam activation delay time, etc.). The network entity 304 sends 306 a beam measurement and reporting configuration to the UE 102 via RRC signaling. The beam measurement and reporting configuration may configure a first beam measurement and reporting process (e.g., 310-312) and / or a second beam measurement and reporting process (e.g., 320-322) associated with the predicted beam indication signaling. For example, the network entity 304 may send at least one first RRC message (e.g., an RRCReconfiguration message) that configures the UE 102 for the first beam measurement and reporting process. The at least one first RRC message may also include one or more RRC parameters that enable receiving 316 predicted beam indication signaling from the network entity 304 indicating the predicted beam. In a further example, the network entity 304 may send a second RRC message (e.g., an RRCReconfiguration message) that configures / enables the UE 102 to perform a second beam measurement and reporting procedure associated with the predicted beam indicated in the predicted beam indication signaling.

[0064] The network entity 304 sends 308 one or more downlink reference signals to the UE 102, which may be used by the UE 102 to perform a first beam measurement and reporting process (e.g., 310-312). The one or more downlink reference signals may correspond to one or more SSBs, CSI-RS, etc. The network entity 304 may send 308 the one or more downlink reference signals before, during, or after sending at least one first RRC message and / or a second RRC message.

[0065] UE 102 measures 310 one or more downlink reference signals received 308 from network entity 304 for performing a first beam measurement and reporting procedure. Measurement 310 may be performed in response to at least one first RRC message received 306 from network entity 304. UE 102 sends 312 a beam report to network entity 304 based on the beam measurement. The beam report may indicate one or more beam indices and corresponding beam quality information, such as layer 1 (L1) reference signal received power (RSRP) (L1-RSRP) information and / or L1 signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) (L1-SINR) information. UE reporting of beam quality may be activated based on RRC, MAC-CE, or DCI signaling. For example, network entity 304 may indicate whether to send a beam report from UE 102 based on MAC-CE. In other examples, a field of the DCI may be used to indicate whether UE 102 is to send a beam report to the network entity, or the UE report may be based on a DCI format, a search space, or a CORESET of the DCI. The one or more beam indices included in the beam report sent 312 to the network entity 304 identify at least a subset of the one or more downlink reference signals received 308 from the network entity 304. The network entity 304 may request multiple periods of reference signal beam reports 390 periodically or aperiodically.

[0066] The network entity 304 predicts 314 a beam that may have improved quality in the future compared to a current serving beam of the UE 102 based on a beam prediction process. The beam prediction may be based on a period of receiving 312 beam reports from the UE 102. The beam prediction may utilize AI / ML techniques. The network entity 304 sends 316 predicted beam indication signaling to the UE 102 indicating the beam predicted 314 by the network entity 304. The predicted beam indication signaling may indicate a TCI state and / or spatial relationship information to indicate the beam predicted 314 by the network entity 304. The beam indication signaling may also indicate a time when the UE 102 will activate the beam predicted 314 by the network entity 304 if the beam includes improved quality compared to a current serving beam of the UE 102. If the beam indication signaling includes a validity duration for activating the predicted beam that expires before the UE 102 uses the predicted beam, the UE 102 will not activate the predicted beam. If the predicted beam is activated by the UE 102 after the activation time and within the valid duration, the current serving beam switches to the predicted beam. These two values, activation time 208 and valid duration, limit the usage time of the predicted beam by the UE.

[0067] In response to receiving 316 the predicted beam indication signaling, the UE 102 sends 318 a first acknowledgement / negative acknowledgement (ACK / NACK) feedback to the network entity 304. For example, the UE 102 sends an ACK to the network entity 304 to indicate that the UE 102 has successfully decoded the predicted beam indication signaling. The first ACK / NACK feedback sent 318 to the network entity 304 may correspond to a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ)-ACK (HARQ-ACK). If the UE 102 does not successfully decode the predicted beam indication signaling, the UE 102 sends 318 a negative acknowledgement (NACK) to the network entity 304. In this case, the network entity 304 may resend the predicted beam indication signaling to the UE 102, send different predicted beam indication signaling to the UE 102, or refrain from further sending predicted beam indication signaling to the UE 102. The network entity 304 may configure a dedicated PUCCH resource for the UE 102 to send 318 a first ACK / NACK feedback for the predicted beam indication signaling. The UE 102 may send 318 the first ACK / NACK feedback on the PUCCH resource at N time slots / symbols before the beam activation time of the predicted beam. The value of N may be predefined or configured by the network entity 304 based on higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC parameters of PUCCH-config or PDSCH-config). In some examples, the UE 102 sends 318 the first ACK / NACK feedback on the PUCCH resource based on the first ACK / NACK feedback corresponding to the NACK indication. Therefore, if the predicted beam meets the beam activation condition, the UE 102 may activate the predicted beam without sending the first ACK / NACK feedback to the network entity 304. When the PUCCH resource overlaps with the PUSCH in the time domain, the UE 102 may multiplex the ACK with other information on the PUSCH. In other examples, UE 102 may transmit one of PUCCH or PUSCH.

[0068] Before the validity period of activation of the predicted beam expires, the UE 102 may monitor (e.g., periodically or aperiodically) whether the predicted beam satisfies the activation condition. For example, the UE 102 may measure 320 the beam quality of the predicted beam and the current serving beam to determine whether the predicted beam satisfies the beam activation condition. If the UE 102 detects that the predicted beam satisfies the activation condition before the validity period expires, the UE 102 may send 322 UE assistance information to the network entity 304 (e.g., using an RRC message, a MAC-CE indication, a PUCCH transmission, etc.) to indicate that the UE 102 recommends switching to the predicted beam. In an example, the UE 102 may send 322 UE assistance information for the predicted beam in an uplink beam associated with the current serving beam. The UE 102 may send a second ACK / NACK feedback in the UE assistance information for the predicted beam at N time slots / symbols before the beam activation time of the predicted beam to indicate whether the predicted beam meets the beam activation condition. The UE 102 may send 322 UE assistance information via MAC-CE, such as for transmission of the second NACK. In an example, the MAC-CE for sending 322 UE assistance information may also be used to indicate one or more of the following: a serving cell index, a BWP index (e.g., a DL BWP / UL BWP index), a TCI state / spatial relationship information index associated with the NACK, a recommended beam, a beam quality of the predicted beam, a current serving beam or a recommended beam, a recommended beam index, etc. The UE 102 may request the network entity 304 to schedule resources for the UE 102 to send 322 UE assistance information via MAC-CE. For example, the network entity 304 may configure resources based on higher layer signaling or based on a contention-based random access (CBRA) procedure.

[0069] In some examples, the network entity 304 sends a command to the UE 102 (not shown; occurs after 318) to cause the UE 102 to temporarily suppress beam measurement and reporting on beams other than the predicted beam and the serving beam. The command may be indicated by an RRC message (e.g., an RRC reconfiguration message), a MAC-CE, or a DCI. In response to the command, the UE stops and / or suppresses measuring beams other than the predicted beam and the current serving beam for a configured time period. In a further example, successfully decoding the predicted beam indication signaling may trigger the UE 102 to stop and / or suppress measuring beams other than the predicted beam and the current serving beam.

[0070] After receiving 322 the UE assistance information for the predicted beam, the network entity 304 may send 324 a response message to the UE 102 to indicate acceptance / configuration of the predicted beam. Alternatively, the network entity 304 may determine that a different beam may provide better quality than the predicted beam and indicate in the response message sent 324 to the UE 102 that a different beam will be used to communicate with the network entity 304. The UE 102 may send a third ACK / NACK feedback (not shown; occurs after 324; where the second ACK / NACK feedback may correspond to the UE assistance information being ACK or NACK) to the network entity 304 to (positively or negatively) acknowledge receipt 324 of the response message from the network entity 304.

[0071] The UE 102 may communicate 326 with the network entity 304 based on the indicated beam after the beam activation delay time. For example, the UE 102 may receive a downlink transmission from the network entity 304 on the indicated beam (e.g., the predicted beam or a different beam indicated in the response message) after the beam activation delay time. After the UE 102 activates the indicated beam to communicate 326 with the network entity 304, the UE 102 may stop using the current serving beam to communicate with the network entity 304. That is, the UE 102 may switch the current serving beam to the indicated beam. After the network entity 304 starts using the indicated beam to communicate 326 with the UE 102, the network entity 304 may also stop using the current serving beam to communicate with the UE 102.

[0072] If the UE 102 detects a beam failure on the indicated beam after switching the current serving beam to the indicated beam, the UE 102 may send a request to the network entity 304 to switch the serving beam back to the previous serving beam or a different beam. If the UE 102 detects a beam failure on the current serving beam before the beam activation time, the UE 102 may perform a beam failure recovery (BFR) procedure for the current serving beam with the network entity 304. The UE 102 may not activate the predicted beam in response to detecting the beam failure or in response to initiating the BFR procedure.

[0073] Figure 3B A signaling diagram 301 is shown of time domain communication between a network entity 304 and a UE 102 after a beam activation delay time based on a beam prediction process associated with a beam activation indication. Figure 3B Elements 305, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, 316, 318, 320, and 390 in Figure 3A Element 326 has also been described with respect to Figure 3ADescribed but not in combination with element 325.

[0074] Before the validity timer of the activation of the predicted beam expires, the UE 102 may monitor whether the predicted beam satisfies the activation condition. If the UE 102 detects that the predicted beam satisfies the activation condition before the validity time expires, the UE 102 may send 325 a beam activation indication to the network entity 304 to indicate to the network entity 304 that the current serving beam is switching to the predicted beam. The UE 102 may send 325 the beam activation indication via an RRC message, a MAC-CE, or a PUCCH transmission. In the example, the UE 102 sends 325 the beam activation indication to the network entity 304 before the beam activation time (i.e., the UE 102 starts communicating 326 with the network entity 304 based on the predicted beam at X time slots after sending 325 the beam activation indication). In a further example, the UE 102 sends 325 a beam activation indication at or after the beam activation time (i.e., immediately after the beam activation indication transmission, the UE 102 starts communicating 326 with the network entity 304 based on the predicted beam). The UE 102 may send 325 the beam activation indication to the network entity 325 on the uplink beam corresponding to the predicted beam. If the UE 102 detects that the predicted beam does not meet the activation condition, the UE 102 may continue to communicate with the network entity 304 on the current serving beam.

[0075] If the UE 102 switches the current serving beam to the predicted beam, the UE 102 may begin communicating 326 with the network entity 304 based on the indicated beam (i.e., the predicted beam associated with the beam indication signaling). The UE 102 may switch the current serving beam to the predicted beam after the beam activation delay time and without receiving subsequent indications such as the beam indication signaling from the network entity 304. Figure 3A 324 of the response message 324 received from the UE 102, the UE 102 switches the current serving beam to the predicted beam to communicate 326 with the network entity 304. After the UE 102 activates the predicted beam to communicate 326 with the network entity 304, the UE 102 may stop using the current serving beam to communicate with the network entity 304. After the network entity 304 starts using the predicted beam to communicate 326 with the UE 102, the network entity 304 may also stop using the current serving beam to communicate with the UE 102. The network entity 304 may communicate 326 with the UE 102 based on the predicted beam after the beam activation delay time based on receiving 325 the beam activation indication from the UE 102.

[0076] In some examples, in response to UE 102 determining to switch the current serving beam to the predicted beam, UE 102 does not send 325 a beam activation indication to network entity 304. Instead, if UE 102 detects that the predicted beam satisfies the activation condition, UE 102 starts communicating 326 based on the predicted beam after the beam activation delay time. That is, there is a time gap between 325 and 326. If UE 102 detects that the predicted beam does not satisfy the activation condition, UE 102 may send an indication to network entity 304 on an uplink beam associated with the current serving beam to indicate to network entity 304 that the predicted beam does not satisfy the activation condition. Network entity 304 may determine whether UE 102 uses the predicted beam at a later time.

[0077] If the UE 102 detects a beam failure on the current serving beam, the UE 102 may send 325 a beam activation indication to the network entity 304 (e.g., on the predicted beam) and switch the current serving beam to the predicted beam to communicate with the network entity 304. In a further example, if the UE 102 detects a beam failure on the current serving beam, the UE 102 may perform a BFR procedure with the network entity 304. The UE 102 may not activate the predicted beam in response to detecting the beam failure or in response to initiating the BFR procedure.

[0078] Figure 3C A signaling diagram 302 illustrates time domain communication between a network entity 304 and a UE 102 after a beam activation delay time and before expiration of a beam effective duration based on a beam prediction process associated with UE assistance information. Figure 3C Elements 305, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, 316, 318, 320, 322, 324, and 390 in Figure 3A Described.

[0079] When the network entity 304 sends 316 predicted beam indication signaling to the UE 102, the network entity 304 may include / indicate via the predicted beam indication signaling a beam validity period / duration for activating the predicted beam. If the beam validity period expires before the UE 102 uses the predicted beam, the UE 102 will not activate the predicted beam.

[0080] Before the beam validity expires (e.g., immediately after receiving 324 the response message from the network entity 304), the UE 102 may communicate 328 with the network entity 304 based on the indicated beam. For example, the UE 102 may receive a downlink transmission from the network entity 304 on the indicated beam (e.g., the predicted beam or a different beam indicated in the response message) before the beam validity duration expires. After the UE 102 activates the indicated beam to communicate 328 with the network entity 304, the UE 102 may stop using the current serving beam to communicate with the network entity 304. That is, the UE 102 may switch the current serving beam to the indicated beam. After the network entity 304 starts using the indicated beam to communicate 328 with the UE 102, the network entity 304 may also stop using the current serving beam to communicate with the UE 102.

[0081] Figure 3D A signaling diagram 303 illustrates time domain communication between a network entity 304 and a UE 102 after a beam activation delay time and before expiration of a beam effective duration based on a beam prediction process associated with a beam activation indication. Figure 3D Elements 305, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, 316, 318, 320, 390 in Figure 3A and Figure 3C Element 325 has also been described with respect to Figure 3B Described but not in combination with element 328.

[0082] As shown, UE 102 activates the beam before the beam validity time expires (e.g., immediately after detecting that the predicted beam meets the activation condition and without receiving a subsequent indication such as Figure 3C 324, switches the current serving beam to the predicted beam) sends 325 a beam activation indication to the network entity 304. If UE 102 detects that the predicted beam does not meet the activation condition before the beam validity period expires, UE 102 can continue to communicate with the network entity 304 on the current serving beam.

[0083] The UE 102 may communicate 328 with the network entity 304 based on the predicted beam before the beam validity duration expires. After the UE 102 activates the predicted beam to communicate 328 with the network entity 304, the UE 102 may stop using the current serving beam to communicate with the network entity 304. That is, the UE 102 may switch the current serving beam to the predicted beam. After the network entity 304 starts using the predicted beam to communicate 328 with the UE 102, the network entity 304 may also stop using the current serving beam to communicate with the UE 102. The network entity 304 may communicate 328 with the UE 102 based on the predicted beam before the beam validity duration expires based on receiving 325 the beam activation indication from the UE 102.

[0084] For time domain beam prediction, the network entity 304 may indicate a beam activation delay time, spatial relationship information, and / or path loss reference signal update for the TCI state. For example, the network entity 304 may indicate the beam activation delay time via a MAC-CE or a DCI. The UE 102 may apply the beam activation delay time to a target channel associated with the indicated / predicted beam. The UE 102 may report 305 UE capabilities for a minimum beam activation delay and / or a maximum beam activation delay. In an example, the beam activation delay time may correspond to M symbols based on a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of a downlink bandwidth part (BWP) associated with the TCI update / indication signaling, or based on an SCS of an uplink BWP associated with an ACK / NACK feedback for the beam indication signaling transmission 318. The UE 102 and the network entity 304 may count the beam activation time for the predicted beam after the ACK / NACK feedback for the beam indication signaling transmission 318.

[0085] If the network entity 304 determines (e.g., based on beam measurements and reports from the UE 102) that the previously indicated predicted beam does not provide improved beam quality compared to the current serving beam, the network entity 304 may deactivate or cancel the previously indicated predicted beam. The network entity 304 may utilize RRC signaling to enable TCI update / indication signaling, which may be configured per search space, per CORESET, per BWP, per serving cell, per serving cell group, per serving cell list, or per UE.

[0086] The network entity 304 may configure the beam activation delay time based on the MAC-CE for the TCI state / spatial relationship information. The network entity 304 may indicate a candidate beam activation delay list via RRC signaling, or the candidate beam activation delay list may be based on a predefined protocol. A field in the MAC-CE may be used to select the beam activation delay for the TCI state / spatial relationship information. Alternatively, the network entity 304 may separately indicate the beam activation delay via RRC signaling or a second MAC-CE. In a further example, the network entity 304 may indicate the beam activation delay via DCI and indicate a candidate beam activation delay list via RRC signaling, or the candidate beam activation delay list may be based on a predefined protocol. A field of DCI format 1_1 or DCI format 1_2 may be used to select the beam activation delay for the TCI state / spatial relationship information.

[0087] After comparing the beam quality of the predicted beam with the current serving beam, the UE 102 may send 322 a second ACK / NACK feedback corresponding to the UE assistance information. The UE 102 may determine the beam quality based on L1-RSRP information, L1-SINR information, or coupling loss of the downlink reference signal corresponding to the TCI state / spatial relationship information of the predicted beam and the current serving beam. The UE 102 may determine the coupling loss based on the L1-RSRP / transmission power of the downlink reference signal. In some examples, the network 304 may configure (not shown) a beam quality comparison metric at the UE 102.

[0088] If at least a subset of the predicted beam activation conditions are met, the UE 102 may send 322 an ACK to the network entity 304 in a second ACK / NACK feedback associated with the UE assistance information. Thus, the UE 102 may send 318 a first ACK / NACK feedback to indicate whether the UE 102 successfully decoded the beam indication signaling; the UE 102 may send 322 a second ACK / NACK feedback in the UE assistance information to indicate whether the predicted beam meets the predicted beam activation conditions; and the UE 102 may send a third ACK / NACK feedback (not shown, occurring after 324) to indicate whether the UE 102 received 324 a response message from the network entity 304. One or more thresholds associated with the predicted beam activation conditions may be configured to the UE 102 based on higher layer signaling, or may be based on a predefined protocol. Otherwise, the UE 102 may send a NACK to the network entity 304 for the second ACK / NACK feedback. UE 102 may send ACK for a second ACK / NACK feedback based on at least one of the following: the beam quality of the current serving beam is lower than a first threshold, the beam quality of the predicted beam is higher than a second threshold, or the beam quality of the predicted beam is higher than the beam quality of the current serving beam by a third threshold.

[0089] In a multi-beam indication example, where more than one TCI state / spatial relationship information is included in the predicted beam indication signaling sent 316 to the UE 102, the beam quality may be based on an average beam quality, a minimum beam quality, or a maximum beam quality associated with the multiple beams. In a further example, the UE 102 may send ACK / NACK feedback for each predicted beam of the multi-beam indication. Thus, if T beams are included in the multi-beam indication signaling, the UE 102 may send 322 T ACK / NACKs to the network entity 304 for the T beams.

[0090] The network entity 304 may request (not shown) a beam quality report for the predicted beam and the current serving beam. The sent request may trigger a dedicated CSI-reportConfig at the UE 102, wherein the CSI-reportConfig may be configured for a specific beam ID such that the UE 102 reports beam quality (e.g., L1-RSRP / L1-SINR) of the predicted beam and the current serving beam instead of beam quality of channel measurement resources (CMRs). In a further example, the network entity 304 may trigger a CSI-reportConfig, wherein the CMR list includes a downlink reference signal that is the same as or the same as the downlink reference signal QCL configured for the TCI state to be applied or the current TCI state. The UE 102 may report at least the beam quality of the predicted beam and the current serving beam in a manner similar to sending 312 a beam report. In a further example, UE 102 may report the beam quality of the predicted beam and the current serving beam directly to the network entity 304 based on the configured PUCCH resources N time slots / symbols before the beam activation time of the predicted beam as UE auxiliary information for the predicted beam in 322. Figure 3A-3D UE-assisted beam activation is described. In some examples, elements 326 and 328 can be combined into a single block (e.g., communication can be activated based on the indicated beam after the beam activation delay time and before the expiration of the beam effective duration. Figure 4A-4C Support MAC-CE indication for beam activation.

[0091] Figure 4A-4C MAC-CE indication diagrams 410-430 for time domain beam prediction are shown. The MAC-CE based beam prediction indication may be associated with a flag (F) indicating whether the predicted beam overwrites a previously indicated predicted beam that has not yet been activated, such as Figure 2C If the network entity 304 determines that the previously indicated / predicted beam does not meet the activation condition based on the updated beam measurement report received from the UE 102, the network entity may replace the previously indicated / predicted beam with a different beam indicated via the MAC-CE. For example, the network entity 304 may receive 322 a second NACK for the previously indicated beam, which may cause the network entity 304 to select a different beam to overwrite the previously indicated beam by sending a MAC-CE.

[0092] Figure 4AThe TCI state activation / indication of the time domain beam prediction based on the first MAC-CE indication diagram 410 is shown. The first MAC-CE indication diagram 410 includes an "action delay" field for indicating the beam activation delay. The first MAC-CE indication diagram 410 also includes a field "F" for indicating whether the MAC-CE is overwriting the previous MAC-CE for the previously predicted beam. The other fields of the first MAC-CE indication diagram 410 correspond to the fields associated with the predefined protocol.

[0093] Figure 4B-Figure 4C An example MAC-CE indication for updating spatial relationship information is shown. For example, Figure 4B PUCCH spatial relationship information based on time domain beam prediction of the second MAC-CE indication diagram 420 is shown. Figure 4C The SRS spatial relationship information based on the time domain beam prediction of the third MAC-CE indication diagram 430 is shown. The second / third MAC-CE indication diagram 420-430 also includes an action delay field and an F field, wherein an additional octet may be added to the MAC-CE indication diagram 430 to indicate the action delay field and the F field. In some examples, the F field may be replaced by a reserved field R. The other fields of the second / third MAC-CE indication diagram 420-430 correspond to fields associated with the predefined protocol. Figure 3A-3D shows the UE-assisted Figure 3A and Figure 3C ) or UE beam activation ( Figure 3B and Figure 3D )’s predicted beam activation. Figure 5-Figure 6 Shown is the method for implementing Figure 3A-3D Specifically, Figure 5 UE 102 is shown Figure 3A-3D Implementation of one or more aspects. Figure 6 The network entity 304 is shown Figure 3A-3D Implementation of one or more aspects.

[0094] Figure 5 A flowchart 500 of a method of wireless communication at a UE is shown. Figure 1 and Figure 7 The method may be performed by UE 102, UE device 702, etc., which may include a memory 724' and may correspond to the entire UE 102 or UE device 702, or components of the UE 102 or UE device 702 such as a wireless baseband processor 724 and / or an application processor 706.

[0095] UE 102 sends 505 a UE capability message indicating at least one of: a first UE capability for a beam prediction process, a second UE capability for an out-of-order beam activation time, or a third UE capability for a beam activation delay duration. Figure 3A-3D , the UE 102 sends 305 a UE capability message to the network entity 304 .

[0096] UE 102 receives 506 an RRC message indicating the configuration of beam reporting for one or more candidate beams indicated in the beam indication signaling. Figure 3A-3D , UE 102 receives 306 beam measurement and reporting configuration from network entity 304.

[0097] The UE 102 receives 516 beam indication signaling from a network entity, the beam indication signaling indicating one or more candidate beams predicted to have an improved beam quality compared to the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams. Figure 3A-3D , the UE 102 receives 316 predicted beam indication signaling from the network entity 304 based on the beam prediction performed 314 by the network entity 304. Figure 2C , the neural network 226 can predict a small number of candidate beams.

[0098] UE 102 measures 520 a first beam quality of one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality of one or more candidate beams. Figure 3A-3D , the UE 102 measures 320 the beam quality of the predicted beam and the current serving beam.

[0099] If the beam prediction process is network activated, the UE 102 sends 522 beam quality information to the network entity 304, the beam quality information indicating a first beam quality measured for one or more current serving beams and / or a second beam quality measured for one or more candidate beams. Figure 3A and Figure 3C , the UE 102 sends 322 UE assistance information for the predicted beam to the network entity 304. The UE assistance information indicates the measured 320 beam quality of the predicted beam and / or the current serving beam.

[0100] The UE 102 receives 524 a message from the network entity indicating a communication beam to be used for communicating with the network entity based on the transmission of the beam quality information. Figure 3A and Figure 3C, after sending 322 UE assistance information for the predicted beam to the network entity 304, the UE 102 receives 324 a response message from the network entity 304. The response message indicates the beam used for communicating with the network entity 304 and the beam activation time or the beam effective duration.

[0101] If the beam prediction process is UE-activated, the UE 102 sends 525 a beam activation indication to the network entity based on measurements of the first beam quality of one or more current serving beams and the second beam quality of one or more candidate beams. Figure 3B and Figure 3D , the UE 102 sends 325 a beam activation indication to the network entity 304 based on the predicted beam and the measured 320 beam quality of the current serving beam.

[0102] UE 102 communicates 527 with a network entity via one or more candidate beams or one or more current serving beams based on whether the second beam quality is greater than the first beam quality. Figure 3A-3D , the UE 102 communicates 326 / 328 with the network entity 304 based on the indicated beam. If the indicated beam is network activated, the activation duration 208 may start when the UE 102 receives 324 the response message. If the indicated beam is UE activated, the activation duration 208 may start when the UE 102 sends 325 the beam activation indication. Figure 5 A method from the UE side of a wireless communication link is described, while Figure 6 A method from the network side of a wireless communication link is described.

[0103] Figure 6 600 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication at a network entity. Figure 1 and Figure 8 The method may be performed by the base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 at the base station 104, which may correspond to the RU 106, the DU 108, the CU 110, the RU processor 842, the DU processor 832, the CU processor 812, etc. The base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 at the base station 104 may include a memory 812' / 832' / 842', which may correspond to the entirety of one or more network entities 804 or base station 104, or a component of one or more network entities 804 or base station 104 such as the RU processor 842, the DU processor 832, or the CU processor 812.

[0104] The base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 at the base station 104 sends 606 an RRC message indicating the configuration of the beam report for the one or more candidate beams indicated in the beam indication signaling. Figure 3A-3D , the base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 at the base station 104 sends 306 to the UE 102 a beam measurement and reporting configuration for the predicted beam indicated in the predicted beam indication signaling.

[0105] The base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 at the base station 104 receives 605 a UE capability message indicating at least one of: a first UE capability for a beam prediction process, a second UE capability for an out-of-order beam activation time, or a third UE capability for a beam activation delay duration. Figure 3A-3D , the network entity 304 receives 305 a UE capability message from the UE 102 .

[0106] The base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 at the base station 104 selects 614 one or more candidate beams for communicating with the UE based on predicting that the one or more candidate beams have an improved beam quality compared to the current beam quality of the one or more current serving beams. Figure 3A-3D , the base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 at the base station 104 performs 314 a beam prediction process for selecting the predicted beam for communicating with the UE 102. The beam selection component 150 of the base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 at the base station 104 (such as the RU 106, DU 108, and / or CU 110) can perform the selection 614.

[0107] The base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 at the base station 104 sends 616 beam indication signaling to the UE based on the prediction of the one or more candidate beams, where the beam indication signaling indicates the beam selected from the one or more candidate beams. Figure 3A-3D , the base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 at the base station 104 sends 316 predicted beam indication signaling to the UE 102 based on the beam prediction performed 314 by the network entity 304.

[0108] If the beam prediction process is network activated, the base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 at the base station 104 receives 622 beam quality information from the UE, the beam quality information indicating a first beam quality measured for one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality measured for one or more candidate beams. Figure 3A and Figure 3C, the base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 at the base station 104 receives 322 UE assistance information for the predicted beam from the UE 102. The UE assistance information may indicate the measured 320 beam quality of the predicted beam and / or the current serving beam.

[0109] The base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 at the base station 104 sends 624 a message to the UE indicating the communication beam used for communicating with the UE based on the reception of the beam quality information. Figure 3A and Figure 3C , the base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 at the base station 104, after receiving 322 UE assistance information for the predicted beam from the UE 102, sends 324 a response message to the UE 102. The response message may indicate the beam used for communicating with the UE 102.

[0110] If the beam prediction process is UE-activated, the base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 at the base station 104 receives 625 a beam activation indication from the UE based on the first beam quality measurements of the one or more current serving beams and the second beam quality measurements of the one or more candidate beams. Figure 3B and Figure 3D , the base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 at the base station 104 receives 325 a beam activation indication from the UE 102 based on the predicted beam and the measured 320 beam quality of the current serving beam.

[0111] The base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 at the base station 104 communicates 627 with the UE via the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams based on whether the first measurement of the one or more candidate beams and the second measurement of the one or more current serving beams indicate that the one or more candidate beams have an improved beam quality compared to the current beam quality of the one or more current serving beams. For example, referring to Figure 3A-3D , the base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 at the base station 104 communicate 326 / 328 with the UE 102 based on the indicated beam. If the indicated beam is network activated, the activation duration 208 may start when the UE 102 receives 324 the response message. If the indicated beam is UE activated, the activation duration 208 may start when the UE 102 sends 325 the beam activation indication. Figure 7 The UE device 702 described in the flowchart 500 may perform the method of the flowchart 500. The base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 ( Figure 8 The method of flowchart 600 may be executed as described in the accompanying drawings.

[0112] Figure 7 700 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a UE device 702. The device 702 may be a UE 102, a component of a UE 102, or may implement UE functionality. In some aspects, the device 702 may include a wireless baseband processor 724 (also referred to as a modem) coupled to one or more transceivers 722 (e.g., a wireless RF transceiver). The wireless baseband processor 724 may include on-chip memory 724'. In some aspects, the device 702 may further include one or more subscriber identity module (SIM) cards 720 and an application processor 706 coupled to a secure digital (SD) card 708 and a screen 710. The application processor 706 may include on-chip memory 706'.

[0113] The device 702 may further include a Bluetooth module 712, a WLAN module 714, an SPS module 716 (e.g., a GNSS module), and a cellular module 717 located within one or more transceivers 722. The Bluetooth module 712, the WLAN module 714, the SPS module 716, and the cellular module 717 may include an on-chip transceiver (TRX) (or in some cases, only a receiver (RX)). The Bluetooth module 712, the WLAN module 714, the SPS module 716, and the cellular module 717 may include their own dedicated antennas and / or communicate using antenna 780. The device 702 may further include one or more sensor modules 718 (e.g., an atmospheric pressure sensor / altimeter; a motion sensor 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), an additional module for the memory 726, a power supply 730, and / or a camera 732.

[0114] The wireless baseband processor 724 communicates with another UE 102 and / or with a RU associated with the base station 104 via one or more antennas 780 through the transceiver 722. The wireless baseband processor 724 and the application processor 706 can each include a computer-readable medium / memory 724', 706', respectively. The additional modules of the memory 726 can also be regarded as computer-readable media / memory. Each computer-readable medium / memory 724', 706', 726 can be non-temporary. The wireless baseband processor 724 and the application processor 706 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 724 / application processor 706, it causes the wireless baseband processor 724 / application processor 706 to perform the various functions described. The computer-readable medium / memory can also be used to store data manipulated by the wireless baseband processor 724 / application processor 706 when executing the software. The wireless baseband processor 724 / application processor 706 can be a component of the UE 102. The device 702 may be a processor chip (modem and / or applications) and include only the radio baseband processor 724 and / or the application processor 706 , and in another configuration, the device 702 may be the entire UE 102 and include additional modules of the device 702 .

[0115] As discussed above, the predicted beam verification component 140 is configured to receive beam indication signaling from a network entity, the beam indication signaling indicating one or more candidate beams predicted to have improved beam quality compared to the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams. The predicted beam verification component 140 is further configured to measure the first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams and the second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams, and communicate with the network entity through the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams based on whether the second beam quality is greater than the first beam quality. The predicted beam verification component 140 can be located within the wireless baseband processor 724, the application processor 706, or both the wireless baseband processor 724 and the application processor 706. The predicted beam verification component 140 can be one or more hardware components specifically configured to perform the process / algorithm, implemented by one or more processors configured to perform the process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium to be implemented by one or more processors, or some combination thereof.

[0116] As shown, the device 702 may include various components configured for various functions. In one configuration, the device 702, and specifically the wireless baseband processor 724 and / or the application processor 706, includes: a component for receiving beam indication signaling from a network entity, the beam indication signaling indicating one or more candidate beams predicted to have an improved beam quality compared to the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams; a component for measuring a first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams; and a component for communicating with the network entity through the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams based on whether the second beam quality is greater than the first beam quality.

[0117] The apparatus 702 further includes a component for receiving an RRC message indicating a configuration of a beam report for one or more candidate beams indicated in the beam indication signaling. The apparatus 702 further includes a component for receiving control signaling from a network entity indicating an uplink resource for sending a beam report to the network entity. The apparatus 702 further includes a component for sending beam quality information to the network entity, the beam quality information indicating a first beam quality measured for one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality measured for one or more candidate beams; and a component for receiving a message indicating a communication beam for communicating with the network entity from the network entity based on sending the beam quality information. The apparatus 702 further includes a component for sending an ACK to the network entity, the ACK indicating at least one of the following: a first beam quality of one or more current serving beams is lower than a first threshold, a second beam quality of one or more candidate beams is higher than a second threshold, or a second beam quality of one or more candidate beams is higher than a first beam quality of one or more current serving beams by a third threshold. The apparatus 702 further includes a component for sending a beam activation indication to a network entity based on measuring a first beam quality of one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality of one or more candidate beams. The component may be a predicted beam verification component 140 of the apparatus 702 configured to perform the functions recited by the component.

[0118] Figure 88 is a diagram 800 illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of one or more network entities 804. The one or more network entities 804 may be a base station, a component of a base station, or may implement base station functionality. The one or more network entities 804 may include at least one of a CU 110, a DU 108, or a RU 106. For example, depending on where the neural network processing power is available, the beam selection component 150 may be located at one or more network entities 804, such as 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.

[0119] The CU 110 may include a CU processor 812. The CU processor 812 may include an on-chip memory 812'. In some aspects, the CU 110 may further include an additional memory module 814 and a communication interface 818. The CU 110 communicates with the DU 108 via a mid-range link (such as an F1 interface). The DU 108 may include a DU processor 832. The DU processor 832 may include an on-chip memory 832'. In some aspects, the DU 108 may further include an additional memory module 834 and a communication interface 838. The DU 108 communicates with the RU 106 via a front-end link. The RU 106 may include a RU processor 842. The RU processor 842 may include an on-chip memory 842'. In some aspects, the RU 106 may further include an additional memory module 844, one or more transceivers 846, an antenna 880, and a communication interface 848. The RU 106 communicates wirelessly with the UE 102.

[0120] On-chip memory 812 ', 832 ', 842 ' and additional memory modules 814, 834, 844 can each be considered a computer readable medium / memory. Each computer readable medium / memory can be non-transitory. Each of the processors 812, 832, 842 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 described functions. The computer readable medium / memory can also be used to store data manipulated by the processor when executing the software.

[0121] As discussed, the beam selection component 150 is configured to select one or more candidate beams for communicating with the UE based on predicting that the one or more candidate beams have an improved beam quality over the current beam quality of the one or more current serving beams. The beam selection component 150 is further configured to send beam indication signaling to the UE based on the prediction of the one or more candidate beams, the beam indication signaling indicating the beam selected from the one or more candidate beams. The beam selection component 150 is further configured to communicate with the UE through the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams based on whether the first measurement of the one or more candidate beams and the second measurement of the one or more current serving beams indicate that the one or more candidate beams have an improved beam quality over the current beam quality of the one or more current serving beams. The beam selection component 150 can be located within one or more processors of one or more of the CU 110, the DU 108, and the RU 106. The beam selection component 150 can be one or more hardware components specifically configured to perform the process / algorithm, implemented by one or more processors configured to perform the process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium to be implemented by one or more processors, or some combination thereof.

[0122] The one or more network entities 804 may include various components configured for various functions. In one configuration, the one or more network entities 804 include: a component for selecting one or more candidate beams for communicating with the UE based on a prediction that the one or more candidate beams have an improved beam quality over a current beam quality of the one or more current serving beams; a component for sending beam indication signaling to the UE based on the prediction of the one or more candidate beams, the beam indication signaling indicating the beam selected from the one or more candidate beams; and a component for communicating with the UE through the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams based on whether a first measurement of the one or more candidate beams and a second measurement of the one or more current serving beams indicate that the one or more candidate beams have an improved beam quality over a current beam quality of the one or more current serving beams.

[0123] The one or more network entities 804 further include a component for sending an RRC message indicating the configuration of the beam report of the one or more candidate beams indicated in the beam indication signaling. The one or more network entities 804 further include a component for sending control signaling to the UE, the control signaling indicating the uplink resources for receiving the beam report from the UE. The one or more network entities 804 further include a component for receiving beam quality information from the UE, the beam quality information indicating a first beam quality measured for one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality measured for one or more candidate beams; and a component for sending a message to the UE indicating the communication beam used for communicating with the UE based on the received beam quality information. The one or more network entities 804 further include a component for receiving an ACK from the UE, the ACK indicating at least one of the following: the first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams is lower than the first threshold, the second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams is higher than the second threshold, or the second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams is higher than the first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams by a third threshold. The one or more network entities 804 further include a component for receiving a beam activation indication from the UE based on a first beam quality measurement of one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality measurement of one or more candidate beams. The component may be a beam selection component 150 of the one or more network entities 804 configured to perform the functions recited by the component.

[0124] The specific order or hierarchy of the boxes in the process and flow chart disclosed herein is an illustration of an exemplary method. 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 can be indicated with dotted lines. The attached method claims present elements of each box in the exemplary order, and are not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented in the claims, process and flow chart.

[0125] 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 the various concepts. 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.

[0126] Various aspects of wireless communication systems, such as telecommunication systems, are presented with reference to various apparatus and methods. These apparatus 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, 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.

[0127] 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.

[0128] 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, magnetic disk storage, 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.

[0129] 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.

[0130] 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.

[0131] 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 disclosure consistent with the language of the claims.

[0132] 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.

[0133] Unless expressly indicated otherwise, ordinal terms such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily imply an order in time, sequence, value, etc., but are used to distinguish different instances of the term or phrase following each ordinal term.

[0134] 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".

[0135] The following examples are merely illustrative and may be combined with other examples or teachings described herein without limitation.

[0136] Example 1 is a method of wireless communication at a UE, comprising: receiving beam indication signaling from a network entity, the beam indication signaling indicating one or more candidate beams that are predicted to provide an improved beam quality compared to a current beam quality of one or more current service beams, activation of the one or more candidate beams occurring after a beam activation delay time; measuring a first beam quality of one or more current service beams and a second beam quality of one or more candidate beams; and based on whether the second beam quality is greater than the first beam quality, communicating with the network entity through at least one of the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current service beams.

[0137] Example 2 can be combined with Example 1 and includes: communicating with a network entity via one or more candidate beams and at least one of the following occurs: after a beam activation delay time of the one or more candidate beams or before expiration of a valid duration of the one or more candidate beams, indicating parameters of a beam activation delay time and a valid duration for each of the one or more candidate beams.

[0138] Example 3 can be combined with any one of Examples 1-2, and includes: communicating with the network entity through one or more candidate beams when the second beam quality is greater than the first beam quality, and wherein communicating with the network entity only through one or more current serving beams when the second beam quality is less than or equal to the first beam quality.

[0139] Example 4 may be combined with Example 1 and further include receiving an RRC message indicating a configuration of beam reporting for one or more candidate beams indicated in the beam indication signaling.

[0140] Example 5 may be combined with any of Examples 1-4 and further include receiving control signaling from a network entity indicating uplink resources for sending beam reports to the network entity.

[0141] Example 6 may be combined with any one of Examples 1-5 and include: beam indication signaling indicating at least one of TCI status or spatial relationship information of one or more candidate beams.

[0142] Example 7 may be combined with any one of Examples 1-6, and include using MAC-CE or DCI to indicate at least one of beam indication signaling or beam activation delay time of one or more candidate beams.

[0143] Example 8 can be combined with any one of Examples 1-6, and includes: beam indication signaling includes an information element (IE) indicating whether at least one of the TCI state or spatial relationship information replaces at least one of the previous TCI state or previous spatial relationship information, and the beam indication signaling is sent to the UE using MAC-CE or DCI and indicates to the UE based on at least one of the starting CCE index, the search space of the DCI, or the CORESET of the DCI.

[0144] Example 9 can be combined with any one of Examples 1-8, and further includes sending beam quality information to a network entity, the beam quality information indicating a first beam quality measured for one or more current service beams and a second beam quality measured for one or more candidate beams; and receiving a message from the network entity indicating at least one of one or more candidate beams or one or more current service beams for communicating with the network entity after the beam activation time based on sending the beam quality information.

[0145] Example 10 may be combined with Example 9 and include: the beam quality information indicates at least one of L1-RSRP information or L1-SINR information of at least one of the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams.

[0146] Example 11 can be combined with any of Examples 1-10 and includes: sending beam quality information to a network entity includes using dedicated PUCCH resources configured via RRC signaling or using MAC-CE to indicate at least one of: a serving cell index, a BWP index, a first beam quality of one or more current serving beams, or a second beam quality of one or more candidate beams.

[0147] Example 12 can be combined with any of Examples 1-11, and further includes sending an ACK to a network entity, which indicates at least one of the following: the first beam quality of one or more current service beams is lower than a first threshold, the second beam quality of one or more candidate beams is higher than a second threshold, or the second beam quality of one or more candidate beams is higher than the first beam quality of one or more current service beams by a third threshold.

[0148] Example 13 may be combined with Example 12 and include sending the ACK to the network entity including multiplexing the ACK with other information sent to the network entity.

[0149] Example 14 can be combined with any one of Examples 1-13 and includes: sending beam quality information to a network entity starting a beam activation delay time at a first number of time slots before activation of one or more candidate beams, the first number of time slots being based on a predefined protocol or configured based on RRC signaling.

[0150] Example 15 can be combined with any one of Examples 1-14 and include: beam quality information indicating that activation of one or more candidate beams is within a second number of time slots after the beam activation delay time of the one or more candidate beams, and the second number of time slots is based on a predefined protocol or configured based on RRC signaling.

[0151] Example 16 may be combined with any of Examples 1-8, and further include sending a beam activation indication to a network entity based on measuring a first beam quality of one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality of one or more candidate beams.

[0152] Example 17 is a method of wireless communication at a network entity, comprising: selecting one or more candidate beams for communicating with a UE based on a prediction that the one or more candidate beams provide an improved beam quality compared to a current beam quality of one or more current service beams, activation of the one or more candidate beams occurring after a beam activation delay time; sending beam indication signaling to the UE based on the prediction of the one or more candidate beams, the beam indication signaling indicating one or more candidate beams predicted to provide improved beam quality; and communicating with the UE through at least one of the one or more candidate beams or one or more current service beams based on whether a first measurement of the one or more candidate beams and a second measurement of the one or more current service beams indicate that the one or more candidate beams provide an improved beam quality compared to the current beam quality of the one or more current service beams.

[0153] Example 18 may be combined with Example 17 and include: communicating with the UE via one or more candidate beams occurs at least one of: after a beam activation delay time associated with the one or more candidate beams or before expiration of a valid duration of the one or more candidate beams.

[0154] Example 19 can be combined with any one of Examples 17-18, and includes: communicating with the UE only through one or more current service beams when the first beam quality of one or more current service beams is greater than or equal to the second beam quality of one or more candidate beams, and wherein communication with the UE occurs through one or more candidate beams when the first beam quality of one or more current service beams is less than the second beam quality of one or more candidate beams.

[0155] Example 20 may be combined with Example 17 and further include sending an RRC message indicating a configuration of beam reporting for one or more candidate beams indicated in the beam indication signaling.

[0156] Example 21 may be combined with any of Examples 17-20, and further include sending control signaling to the UE indicating uplink resources for receiving beam reports from the UE.

[0157] Example 22 may be combined with any one of Examples 17-21, and include: beam indication signaling indicating at least one of TCI status or spatial relationship information of one or more candidate beams.

[0158] Example 23 may be combined with any of Examples 17-22 and include using MAC-CE or DCI to indicate at least one of beam indication signaling or beam activation delay time of one or more candidate beams to the UE.

[0159] Example 24 can be combined with any one of Examples 17-22 and include: beam indication signaling includes an IE that indicates whether at least one of the TCI state or spatial relationship information replaces at least one of the previous TCI state or previous spatial relationship information, and the IE is sent to the UE using MAC-CE or DCI and indicates to the UE based on at least one of the CCE index, the search space of the DCI, or the CORESET of the DCI.

[0160] Example 25 can be combined with any one of Examples 17-24, and further includes receiving beam quality information from a UE, the beam quality information indicating a first beam quality measured for one or more current service beams and a second beam quality measured for one or more candidate beams; and sending a message to the UE indicating at least one of the one or more candidate beams or one or more current service beams based on the received beam quality information.

[0161] Example 26 may be combined with Example 25 and include: the beam quality information indicates at least one of L1-RSRP information or L1-SINR information of at least one of the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams.

[0162] Example 27 can be combined with any of Examples 17-26 and include: receiving beam quality information from the UE includes using dedicated PUCCH resources configured via RRC signaling or using MAC-CE to indicate at least one of: a serving cell index, a BWP index, a first beam quality of one or more current serving beams, or a second beam quality of one or more candidate beams.

[0163] Example 28 can be combined with any of Examples 17-27, and further includes receiving an ACK from the UE, which indicates at least one of the following: the first beam quality of one or more current serving beams is lower than a first threshold, the second beam quality of one or more candidate beams is higher than a second threshold, or the second beam quality of one or more candidate beams is higher than the first beam quality of one or more current serving beams by a third threshold.

[0164] Example 29 may be combined with Example 28 and include: receiving an ACK from the UE includes multiplexing the ACK with other information received from the UE.

[0165] Example 30 can be combined with any of Examples 17-29 and include: receiving beam quality information from the UE at a first number of time slots before the beam activation delay time of one or more candidate beams, the first number of time slots being based on a predefined protocol or configured based on RRC signaling.

[0166] Example 31 can be combined with any one of Examples 17-30 and include: beam quality information indicating that activation of one or more candidate beams is within a second number of time slots after the beam activation delay time of the one or more candidate beams, and the second number of time slots is based on a predefined protocol or configured based on RRC signaling.

[0167] Example 32 may be combined with any of Examples 17-24, and further include receiving a beam activation indication from the UE based on a first beam quality measurement of one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality measurement of one or more candidate beams.

[0168] Example 33 is an apparatus for wireless communication for implementing a method as described in any of Examples 1-32.

[0169] Example 34 is an apparatus for wireless communication comprising components for implementing a method as described in any of Examples 1-32.

[0170] Example 35 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 1-32.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving beam indication signaling from a network entity, the beam indication signaling indicating one or more candidate beams predicted to provide an improved beam quality compared to a current beam quality of one or more current serving beams, activation of the one or more candidate beams occurring after a beam activation delay time; measuring a first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams; as well as Based on whether the second beam quality is greater than the first beam quality, communicating with the network entity via at least one of: the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication with the network entity through the one or more candidate beams occurs at least one of: after the beam activation delay time of the one or more candidate beams or before the valid duration of the one or more candidate beams expires.

3. The method as described in any one of claims 1-2, wherein when the second beam quality is greater than the first beam quality, the communication with the network entity occurs through the one or more candidate beams, and wherein when the second beam quality is less than or equal to the first beam quality, the communication with the network entity occurs only through the one or more current serving beams.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a radio resource control (RRC) message indicating a configuration of beam reporting for the one or more candidate beams indicated in the beam indication signaling.

5. The method as described in any one of claims 1-4 further includes receiving control signaling from the network entity, and the control signaling indicates uplink resources used to send the beam report to the network entity.

6. The method of any one of claims 1-5, wherein the beam indication signaling indicates at least one of a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state or spatial relationship information of the one or more candidate beams.

7. A method as described in any one of claims 1-6, wherein at least one of the beam indication signaling or the beam activation delay time of the one or more candidate beams is indicated using a media access control-control element (MAC-CE) or downlink control information (DCI).

8. A method as described in any one of claims 1-6, wherein the beam indication signaling includes an information element (IE), the IE indicating whether at least one of the TCI state or the spatial relationship information replaces at least one of the previous TCI state or the previous spatial relationship information, and the beam indication signaling is sent to the UE using the MAC-CE or the DCI.

9. The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising: sending beam quality information to the network entity, the beam quality information indicating the first beam quality measured for the one or more current serving beams and the second beam quality measured for the one or more candidate beams; as well as Based on sending the beam quality information, a message is received from the network entity indicating at least one of: the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams for communicating with the network entity.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the beam quality information indicates at least one of layer 1 (L1) reference signal received power (RSRP) (L1-RSRP) information or L1 signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) (L1-SINR) information for at least one of the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams.

11. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 10, wherein sending the beam quality information to the network entity comprises: Using a dedicated physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource configured via the RRC signaling or using the MAC-CE to indicate at least one of: a serving cell index, a bandwidth part (BWP) index, the first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams, or the second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams.

12. The method of any one of claims 1-11, further comprising sending an acknowledgement (ACK) to the network entity, the ACK indicating at least one of the following: the first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams is lower than a first threshold, The second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams is above a second threshold, or The second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams is higher than the first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams by a third threshold.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9-12, wherein sending the beam quality information to the network entity starts the beam activation delay time at a first number of time slots before the activation of the one or more candidate beams, and the first number of time slots is based on a predefined protocol or is configured based on the RRC signaling.

14. A method as described in any one of claims 9-13, wherein the beam quality information indicates that the activation of the one or more candidate beams is located within a second number of time slots after the beam activation delay time of the one or more candidate beams, and the second number of time slots is based on a predefined protocol or is configured based on the RRC signaling.

15. The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising: A beam activation indication is sent to the network entity based on measuring the first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams and the second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams.

16. A method of wireless communication at a network entity, comprising: selecting the one or more candidate beams for communicating with a user equipment (UE) based on a prediction that the one or more candidate beams provide an improved beam quality over a current beam quality of one or more current serving beams, activation of the one or more candidate beams occurring after a beam activation delay time; sending beam indication signaling to the UE based on the prediction of the one or more candidate beams, the beam indication signaling indicating the one or more candidate beams predicted to provide the improved beam quality; as well as Based on whether the first measurement of the one or more candidate beams and the second measurement of the one or more current serving beams indicate that the one or more candidate beams provide the improved beam quality compared to the current beam quality of the one or more current serving beams, communicating with the UE via at least one of: the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the communication with the UE through the one or more candidate beams occurs at least one of the following: after the beam activation delay time associated with the one or more candidate beams or before the effective duration of the one or more candidate beams expires.

18. A method as described in any one of claims 16-17, wherein the communication with the UE occurs only through the one or more current service beams when the first beam quality of the one or more current service beams is greater than or equal to the second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams, and wherein the communication with the UE occurs through the one or more candidate beams when the first beam quality of the one or more current service beams is less than the second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams.

19. An apparatus 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 1-18.

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