Method, apparatus and computer program

Abstract

An apparatus, method and computer program are provided for performing receiving, from a user equipment, a capability indication indicating a capability of the user equipment, the capability indication indicating whether the user equipment is capable of simultaneously switching a transmission control indicator (TCI) state based on a respective TCI state switching command from more than one transmission receiving point (TRP), wherein the apparatus is comprised in a network access node.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to a method, an apparatus, a system and a computer program, and in particular but not limited to an apparatus for simultaneously processing the sending of a transmission configuration indicator switching instruction and / or receiving capability information of a user equipment. Background Art

[0002] A communication system can be viewed as a facility that enables a communication session between two or more entities (such as user terminals, base stations and / or other nodes) by providing a carrier between the various entities involved in the communication path. A communication system can be provided, for example, by a communication network and one or more compatible communication devices. A communication session may include, for example, data communications for carrying communications, such as voice, video, electronic mail (email), text messages, multimedia and / or content data, etc. Non-limiting examples of the services provided include two-way or multi-way calls, data communications or multimedia services, and access to a data network system (such as the Internet).

[0003] In a wireless communication system, at least a part of a communication session between at least two stations is conducted over a wireless link. Examples of wireless systems include public land mobile networks (PLMNs), satellite-based communication systems, and different wireless local networks, such as wireless local area networks (WLANs). Some wireless systems can be divided into cells and are therefore often referred to as cellular systems.

[0004] A user can access the communication system through an appropriate communication device or terminal. The user's communication device may be referred to as a user equipment (UE) or user device. The communication device is provided with appropriate signal receiving and sending devices for implementing communication, for example, implementing access to a communication network or direct communication with other users. The communication device can access a carrier provided by a station (e.g., a base station of a cell) and send and / or receive communications on the carrier.

[0005] Communication systems and associated equipment typically operate according to a given standard or specification that specifies what the various entities associated with the system are allowed to do and how it should be implemented. The communication protocols and / or parameters that will be used for the connection are also typically defined. An example of a communication system is UTRAN (3G radio). Other examples of communication systems are the Long Term Evolution (LTE) of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) radio access technology and the so-called 5G or New Radio (NR) networks. NR is being standardized by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Summary of the invention

[0006] According to a first aspect, a device is provided, comprising a component for performing the following items: receiving a capability indication indicating the capability of the user equipment from a user equipment, the capability indication indicating whether the user equipment is capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding transmission control indicator TCI state switching commands from more than one transmission reception point TRP, wherein the device is included in a network access node.

[0007] The component may also be configured to perform: for each of the more than one TRPs, controlling the transmission of at least one TCI state switching command to the user equipment based on the capability indication.

[0008] When the capability indication indicates that the user equipment is capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, the component can also be used to perform: causing a first TRP among the more than one TRP to send a first TCI state switching command to the user equipment using a signal at a first time; and causing a second TRP among the more than one TRP to send a second TCI state switching command to the user equipment using a signal at the first time.

[0009] When a first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a first TCI to a second TCI and a second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a third TCI to a fourth TCI, the component can also be used to perform: determining a second time corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching to the second TCI according to the first TCI state switching command; and causing both the first TRP and the second TRP to communicate with the user equipment based on the second TCI and the fourth TCI from the second time.

[0010] When the capability indication indicates that the user equipment is unable to simultaneously switch the TCI state based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, the component can also be used to perform: determining an indication of the time required for the UE to switch the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command; causing a first TRP among the more than one TRPs to send a first TCI state switching command to the user equipment by signaling at a first time; and causing a second TRP among the more than one TRPs to send a second TCI state switching command to the user equipment by signaling at a second time, wherein the first time is separated from the second time by at least the time required for the indication of switching the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command.

[0011] The indicated time required to switch the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command may include at least one of the duration of switching the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command included in the media access control control element signaling, or the duration of switching the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command included in the downlink control information signaling.

[0012] The means for determining may include means for receiving an indication of the required time from the user equipment.

[0013] When the capability indication indicates that the user equipment is unable to simultaneously switch the TCI state based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, the component can also be used to perform: receiving from the user equipment that the user equipment is able to buffer more than one TCI state switching commands while the TCI state is switched based on another TCI state switching command; causing a first TRP among the more than one TRP to send a first TCI state switching command to the user equipment with a signal at a first time; and causing a second TRP among the more than one TRP to send a second TCI state switching command to the user equipment with a signal at the first time.

[0014] When the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the first TCI to the second TCI and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the third TCI to the fourth TCI, the component can also be used to perform: determine a third duration, which is at least equal to the sum of the first duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the first TCI state to the second TCI state and the second duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state; and after at least a third duration after the first time, cause both the first TRP and the second TRP to communicate with the user equipment using the second TCI and fourth TCI states.

[0015] When the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the first TCI to the second TCI and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the third TCI to the fourth TCI, the component can also be used to perform: determine a third duration, which is at least equal to the sum of the first duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the first TCI state to the second TCI state and the second duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state; cause the first TRP to communicate with the user equipment using the second TCI state after a first duration after the first time; and cause the second TRP to communicate with the user equipment using the fourth TCI state after at least a third duration after the first time.

[0016] The TCI state switching command may be included in at least one of medium access control control element signaling or downlink control information signaling.

[0017] According to a second aspect, a device is provided, comprising a component for performing the following items: using a signal to send a capability indication indicating the capability of the device to a network access node, the capability indication indicating whether the device is capable of simultaneously switching the transmission control indicator TCI state based on corresponding TCI state switching commands received from more than one transmission reception point TRP, wherein the device is included in a user equipment.

[0018] When the capability indication indicates that the device is capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, the component can also be used to perform: receiving a first TCI state switching command from a first TRP among more than one TRP at a first time; and receiving a second TCI state switching command from a second TRP among more than one TRP at a first time.

[0019] When the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the first TCI to the second TCI and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the third TCI to the fourth TCI, the component can also be used to perform: determining a second time corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching to the second TCI according to the first TCI state switching command; and communicating with the first TRP and the second TRP based on the second TCI and the fourth TCI from the second time.

[0020] When the capability indication indicates that the device is unable to simultaneously switch the TCI state based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, the component can also be used to perform: determining an indication of the time required for the user device to switch the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command; receiving a first TCI state switching command from a first TRP among more than one TRPs at a first time; and receiving a second TCI state switching command from a second TRP among more than one TRPs at a second time, wherein the first time is separated from the second time by at least the time indicated by processing the TCI state switching command.

[0021] The indicated time required to switch the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command includes at least one of a duration for processing the TCI state switching command included in the media access control control element signaling or a duration for processing the TCI state switching command included in the downlink control information signaling.

[0022] The means may also include means for performing signaling an indication of the required time to the network access node.

[0023] When the capability indication indicates that the device is not capable of simultaneously switching the TCI state based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, the component can also be used to perform: signaling to a network access node that the device is capable of buffering more than one TCI state switching commands while the TCI state is being switched based on another TCI state switching command; receiving a first TCI state switching command from a first TRP among the more than one TRPs at a first time; and receiving a second TCI state switching command from a second TRP among the more than one TRPs at the first time or within a predetermined duration after the first time, the predetermined duration corresponding to the time required for the user equipment to process the TCI state switching command.

[0024] When the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the first TCI to the second TCI and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the third TCI to the fourth TCI, the component can also be used to perform: determine a third duration, the third duration is at least equal to the sum of the first duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the first TCI state to the second TCI state and the second duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state; and after at least a third duration after the first time, communicate with the first TRP and the second TRP based on the second TCI and fourth TCI states.

[0025] When the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the first TCI to the second TCI and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the third TCI to the fourth TCI, and the component can also be used to perform: determine a third duration, the third duration is at least equal to the sum of the first duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the first TCI state to the second TCI state and the second duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state; communicate with the first TRP based on the second TCI state after a first duration after the first time; and communicate with the second TRP based on the fourth TCI state after at least a third duration after the first time.

[0026] The TCI state switching command may be included in at least one of medium access control control element signaling or downlink control information signaling.

[0027] According to a third aspect, a device is provided, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the device to at least perform: receiving a capability indication indicating a capability of the user equipment from a user equipment, the capability indication indicating whether the user equipment is capable of simultaneously switching a transmission control indicator TCI state based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one transmission reception point TRP, wherein the device is included in a network access node.

[0028] At least one processor may be configured to cause the apparatus to perform: for each of more than one TRP, controlling the transmission of at least one TCI state switching command to the user equipment based on the capability indication.

[0029] When the capability indication indicates that the user equipment is capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, at least one processor may be configured to cause the device to execute: causing a first TRP in one TRP to send a first TCI state switching command to the user equipment using a signal at a first time; and causing a second TRP in more than one TRP to send a second TCI state switching command to the user equipment using a signal at a first time.

[0030] When a first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a first TCI to a second TCI and a second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a third TCI to a fourth TCI, and at least one processor may be configured to cause the device to perform: determining a second time corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching to the second TCI according to the first TCI state switching command; and causing both the first TRP and the second TRP to communicate with the user equipment based on the second TCI and the fourth TCI from the second time.

[0031] When the capability indication indicates that the user equipment is unable to simultaneously switch TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, at least one processor may be configured to cause the device to perform: determining an indication of a time required for the UE to switch the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command; causing a first TRP among the more than one TRPs to signal a first TCI state switching command to the user equipment at a first time; and causing a second TRP among the more than one TRPs to signal a second TCI state switching command to the user equipment at a second time, wherein the first time is separated from the second time by at least the time indicated by the time required to switch the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command.

[0032] The indicated time required to switch the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command may include at least one of the duration of switching the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command included in the media access control control element signaling or the duration of switching the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command included in the downlink control information signaling.

[0033] The determining may include receiving an indication of the required time from the user equipment.

[0034] When the capability indication indicates that the user equipment is not capable of switching the TCI state based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP at the same time, at least one processor may be configured to cause the apparatus to perform: receiving from the user equipment the ability of the user equipment to buffer more than one TCI state switching command while the TCI state is switched based on another TCI state switching command; causing a first TRP among the more than one TRPs to signal a first TCI state switching command to the user equipment at a first time; and causing a second TRP among the more than one TRPs to signal a second TCI state switching command to the user equipment at the first time.

[0035] When a first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a first TCI to a second TCI and a second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a third TCI to a fourth TCI, and at least one processor can be configured to cause the device to perform: determining a third duration, which is at least equal to the sum of a first duration corresponding to a time associated with a user device switching from a first TCI state to a second TCI state and a second duration corresponding to a time associated with a user device switching from a third TCI state to a fourth TCI state; and after at least a third duration after the first time, causing both the first TRP and the second TRP to communicate with the user device using the second TCI and fourth TCI states.

[0036] When a first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a first TCI to a second TCI and a second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a third TCI to a fourth TCI, and at least one processor can be configured to cause the device to perform: determining a third duration, which is at least equal to the sum of a first duration corresponding to a time associated with the user equipment switching from the first TCI state to the second TCI state and a second duration corresponding to a time associated with the user equipment switching from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state; causing the first TRP to communicate with the user equipment using the second TCI state after a first duration after the first time; and causing the second TRP to communicate with the user equipment using the fourth TCI state after at least a third duration after the first time.

[0037] The TCI state switching command may be included in at least one of medium access control control element signaling or downlink control information signaling.

[0038] According to a fourth aspect, a device is provided, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least perform: signaling a capability indication indicating the capability of the device to a network access node, the capability indication indicating whether the device is capable of simultaneously switching a transmission control indicator (TCI) state based on corresponding TCI state switching commands received from more than one transmission reception point (TRP), wherein the device is included in a user equipment.

[0039] When the capability indication indicates that the device is capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, at least one processor can be configured to cause the device to execute: receiving a first TCI state switching command from a first TRP among the more than one TRPs at a first time; and receiving a second TCI state switching command from a second TRP among the more than one TRPs at a first time.

[0040] When a first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a first TCI to a second TCI and a second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a third TCI to a fourth TCI, at least one processor may be configured to cause the device to perform: determining a second time corresponding to a time associated with the user equipment switching to the second TCI according to the first TCI state switching command; and communicating with the first TRP and the second TRP based on the second TCI and the fourth TCI from the second time.

[0041] When the capability indication indicates that the device is unable to simultaneously switch TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, and at least one processor can be configured to cause the device to perform: determining an indication of the time required for the user device to switch the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command; receiving a first TCI state switching command from a first TRP among the more than one TRPs at a first time; and receiving a second TCI state switching command from a second TRP among the more than one TRPs at a second time, wherein the first time is separated from the second time by at least the time indicated by the processing required to process the TCI state switching command.

[0042] The indicated time required to switch the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command includes at least one of a duration for processing the TCI state switching command included in the media access control control element signaling or a duration for processing the TCI state switching command included in the downlink control information signaling.

[0043] The at least one processor may be configured to cause the apparatus to perform signaling an indication of the required time to a network access node.

[0044] When the capability indication indicates that the device is unable to simultaneously switch the TCI state based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, at least one processor may be configured to cause the device to perform: signaling to a network access node that the device is able to buffer more than one TCI state switching commands while the TCI state is being switched based on another TCI state switching command; receiving a first TCI state switching command from a first TRP among the more than one TRPs at a first time; and receiving a second TCI state switching command from a second TRP among the more than one TRPs at the first time or within a predetermined duration after the first time, the predetermined duration corresponding to the time required for the user equipment to process the TCI state switching command.

[0045] When a first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a first TCI to a second TCI and a second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a third TCI to a fourth TCI, and at least one processor can be configured to cause the device to perform: determining a third duration, the third duration being at least equal to the sum of a first duration corresponding to a time associated with a user equipment switching from a first TCI state to a second TCI state and a second duration corresponding to a time associated with a user equipment switching from a third TCI state to a fourth TCI state; and communicating with the first TRP and the second TRP based on the second TCI and fourth TCI states at least a third duration after the first time.

[0046] When a first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a first TCI to a second TCI and a second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a third TCI to a fourth TCI, and at least one processor can be configured to cause the device to perform: determining a third duration, the third duration being at least equal to the sum of a first duration corresponding to a time associated with the user equipment switching from the first TCI state to the second TCI state and a second duration corresponding to a time associated with the user equipment switching from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state; communicating with the first TRP based on the second TCI state after a first duration after the first time; and communicating with the second TRP based on the fourth TCI state after at least a third duration after the first time.

[0047] The TCI state switching command may be included in at least one of medium access control control element signaling or downlink control information signaling.

[0048] According to a fifth aspect, a method for a device is provided, the method comprising: receiving a capability indication indicating the capability of the user equipment from a user equipment, the capability indication indicating whether the user equipment is capable of simultaneously switching a transmission control indicator TCI state based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one transmission receiving point TRP, wherein the device is included in a network access node.

[0049] The method may further include, for each of more than one TRPs, controlling transmission of at least one TCI state switch command to the user equipment based on the capability indication.

[0050] When the capability indication indicates that the user equipment is capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, the method may further include: causing a first TRP in one TRP to send a first TCI state switching command to the user equipment using a signal at a first time; and causing a second TRP in more than one TRP to send a second TCI state switching command to the user equipment using a signal at the first time.

[0051] When the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the first TCI to the second TCI and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the third TCI to the fourth TCI, and the method may also include: determining a second time corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching to the second TCI according to the first TCI state switching command; and causing both the first TRP and the second TRP to communicate with the user equipment based on the second TCI and the fourth TCI from the second time.

[0052] When the capability indication indicates that the user equipment is unable to simultaneously switch the TCI state based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, the method may further include: determining an indication of the time required for the UE to switch the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command; causing a first TRP among the more than one TRPs to signal a first TCI state switching command to the user equipment at a first time; and causing a second TRP among the more than one TRPs to signal a second TCI state switching command to the user equipment at a second time, wherein the first time is separated from the second time by at least the time required for the indication of switching the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command.

[0053] The indicated time required to switch the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command may include at least one of the duration of switching the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command included in the media access control control element signaling or the duration of switching the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command included in the downlink control information signaling.

[0054] The determining may include receiving an indication of the required time from the user equipment.

[0055] When the capability indication indicates that the user equipment is unable to switch the TCI state based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP at the same time, the method may further include: receiving from the user equipment that the user equipment is able to buffer more than one TCI state switching commands while the TCI state is switched based on another TCI state switching command; causing a first TRP among the more than one TRPs to send a first TCI state switching command to the user equipment using a signal at a first time; and causing a second TRP among the more than one TRPs to send a second TCI state switching command to the user equipment using a signal at the first time.

[0056] When the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the first TCI to the second TCI and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the third TCI to the fourth TCI, the method may also include: determining a third duration, which is at least equal to the sum of the first duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the first TCI state to the second TCI state and the second duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state; and after at least a third duration after the first time, causing both the first TRP and the second TRP to communicate with the user equipment using the second TCI and fourth TCI states.

[0057] When the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the first TCI to the second TCI and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the third TCI to the fourth TCI, the method may also include: determining a third duration, which is at least equal to the sum of the first duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the first TCI state to the second TCI state and the second duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state; causing the first TRP to communicate with the user equipment using the second TCI state after a first duration after the first time; and causing the second TRP to communicate with the user equipment using the fourth TCI state after at least a third duration after the first time.

[0058] The TCI state switching command may be included in at least one of medium access control control element signaling or downlink control information signaling.

[0059] According to a sixth aspect, a device is provided, comprising a component for performing the following items: sending a capability indication indicating the capability of the device to a network access node by signaling, the capability indication indicating whether the device is capable of simultaneously switching the transmission control indicator TCI state based on corresponding TCI state switching commands received from more than one transmission reception point TRP, wherein the device is included in a user equipment.

[0060] When the capability indication indicates that the device is capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, the method may also include: receiving a first TCI state switching command from a first TRP among the more than one TRP at a first time; and receiving a second TCI state switching command from a second TRP among the more than one TRP at a first time.

[0061] When the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the first TCI to the second TCI and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the third TCI to the fourth TCI, and the method may also include: determining a second time corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching to the second TCI according to the first TCI state switching command; and communicating with the first TRP and the second TRP based on the second TCI and the fourth TCI from the second time.

[0062] When the capability indication indicates that the device is unable to simultaneously switch the TCI state based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, the component may be a method that may also include: determining an indication of the time required for the user device to switch the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command; receiving a first TCI state switching command from a first TRP among the more than one TRPs at a first time; and receiving a second TCI state switching command from a second TRP among the more than one TRPs at a second time, wherein the first time is separated from the second time by at least the time indicated by the processing required to process the TCI state switching command.

[0063] The indicated time required to switch the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command includes at least one of a duration for processing the TCI state switching command included in the media access control control element signaling or a duration for processing the TCI state switching command included in the downlink control information signaling.

[0064] The method may further comprise signalling an indication of the required time to the network access node.

[0065] When the capability indication indicates that the device is not capable of simultaneously switching the TCI state based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, the method may further include: signaling to a network access node that the device is capable of buffering more than one TCI state switching commands while the TCI state is being switched based on another TCI state switching command; receiving a first TCI state switching command from a first TRP among the more than one TRPs at a first time; and receiving a second TCI state switching command from a second TRP among the more than one TRPs at the first time or within a predetermined duration after the first time, the predetermined duration corresponding to the time required for the user equipment to process the TCI state switching command.

[0066] When the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the first TCI to the second TCI and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the third TCI to the fourth TCI, the method may also include: determining a third duration, the third duration being at least equal to the sum of the first duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the first TCI state to the second TCI state and the second duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state; and communicating with the first TRP and the second TRP based on the second TCI and the fourth TCI states at least a third duration after the first time.

[0067] When the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the first TCI to the second TCI and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the third TCI to the fourth TCI, the method may also include: determining a third duration, the third duration being at least equal to the sum of the first duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the first TCI state to the second TCI state and the second duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state; communicating with the first TRP based on the second TCI state after a first duration after the first time; and communicating with the second TRP based on the fourth TCI state after at least a third duration after the first time.

[0068] The TCI state switching command may be included in at least one of medium access control control element signaling or downlink control information signaling.

[0069] According to a seventh aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving a capability indication indicating a capability of the user equipment from a user equipment, the capability indication indicating whether the user equipment is capable of simultaneously switching a transmission control indicator TCI state based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one transmission reception point TRP, wherein the apparatus is included in a network access node.

[0070] The apparatus may also be enabled to perform: for each of more than one TRPs, controlling the transmission of at least one TCI state switching command to the user equipment based on the capability indication.

[0071] When the capability indication indicates that the user equipment is capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, the device can also be enabled to execute: causing a first TRP in one TRP to send a first TCI state switching command to the user equipment using a signal at a first time; and causing a second TRP in more than one TRP to send a second TCI state switching command to the user equipment using a signal at a first time.

[0072] When the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the first TCI to the second TCI and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the third TCI to the fourth TCI, the device can also be enabled to perform: determining a second time corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching to the second TCI according to the first TCI state switching command; and enabling both the first TRP and the second TRP to communicate with the user equipment based on the second TCI and the fourth TCI from the second time.

[0073] When the capability indication indicates that the user equipment is unable to simultaneously switch the TCI state based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, the device can also be caused to perform: determining an indication of the time required for the UE to switch the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command; causing a first TRP among the more than one TRPs to send a first TCI state switching command to the user equipment using a signal at a first time; and causing a second TRP among the more than one TRPs to send a second TCI state switching command to the user equipment using a signal at a second time, wherein the first time is separated from the second time by at least the time required for the indication of switching the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command.

[0074] The indicated time required to switch the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command may include at least one of the duration of switching the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command included in the media access control control element signaling or the duration of switching the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command included in the downlink control information signaling.

[0075] The determining may include receiving an indication of the required time from the user equipment.

[0076] When the capability indication indicates that the user equipment is unable to switch the TCI state based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP at the same time, the device can also be enabled to execute: receiving from the user equipment that the user equipment is able to buffer more than one TCI state switching command while the TCI state is switched based on another TCI state switching command; causing a first TRP among the more than one TRPs to send a first TCI state switching command to the user equipment using a signal at a first time; and causing a second TRP among the more than one TRPs to send a second TCI state switching command to the user equipment using a signal at the first time.

[0077] When the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the first TCI to the second TCI and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the third TCI to the fourth TCI, the device can also be caused to perform: determine a third duration, which is at least equal to the sum of the first duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the first TCI state to the second TCI state and the second duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state; and after at least a third duration after the first time, cause both the first TRP and the second TRP to communicate with the user equipment using the second TCI and the fourth TCI states.

[0078] When the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the first TCI to the second TCI and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the third TCI to the fourth TCI, the device can also be caused to perform: determine a third duration, which is at least equal to the sum of the first duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the first TCI state to the second TCI state and the second duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state; cause the first TRP to communicate with the user equipment using the second TCI state after a first duration after the first time; and cause the second TRP to communicate with the user equipment using the fourth TCI state after at least a third duration after the first time.

[0079] The TCI state switching command may be included in at least one of medium access control control element signaling or downlink control information signaling.

[0080] According to an eighth aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: signaling a capability indication indicating the capability of the apparatus to a network access node, the capability indication indicating whether the apparatus is capable of simultaneously switching a transmission control indicator (TCI) state based on corresponding TCI state switching commands received from more than one transmission reception point (TRP), wherein the apparatus is included in a user equipment.

[0081] When the capability indication indicates that the device is capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, the device can also be enabled to execute: receiving a first TCI state switching command from a first TRP among the more than one TRP at a first time; and receiving a second TCI state switching command from a second TRP among the more than one TRP at a first time.

[0082] When the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the first TCI to the second TCI and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the third TCI to the fourth TCI, the device can also be enabled to perform: determining a second time corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching to the second TCI according to the first TCI state switching command; and communicating with the first TRP and the second TRP based on the second TCI and the fourth TCI from the second time.

[0083] When the capability indication indicates that the device is unable to simultaneously switch the TCI state based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, the device can also be enabled to perform: determining an indication of the time required for the user device to switch the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command; receiving a first TCI state switching command from a first TRP among the more than one TRPs at a first time; and receiving a second TCI state switching command from a second TRP among the more than one TRPs at a second time, wherein the first time is separated from the second time by at least the time indicated by the processing required to process the TCI state switching command.

[0084] The indicated time required to switch the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command includes at least one of a duration for processing the TCI state switching command included in the media access control control element signaling or a duration for processing the TCI state switching command included in the downlink control information signaling.

[0085] The apparatus may also be caused to perform signaling an indication of the required time to a network access node.

[0086] When the capability indication indicates that the device is unable to simultaneously switch the TCI state based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, the device can also be enabled to perform: sending a signal to the network access node that the device is able to buffer more than one TCI state switching commands while the TCI state is switched based on another TCI state switching command; receiving a first TCI state switching command from a first TRP among the more than one TRPs at a first time; and receiving a second TCI state switching command from a second TRP among the more than one TRPs at the first time or within a predetermined duration after the first time, the predetermined duration corresponding to the time required for the user equipment to process the TCI state switching command.

[0087] When the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the first TCI to the second TCI and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the third TCI to the fourth TCI, the device can also be caused to perform: determine a third duration, the third duration is at least equal to the sum of the first duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the first TCI state to the second TCI state and the second duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state; and after at least a third duration after the first time, communicate with the first TRP and the second TRP based on the second TCI and fourth TCI states.

[0088] When the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the first TCI to the second TCI and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the third TCI to the fourth TCI, the device can also be caused to perform: determine a third duration, the third duration is at least equal to the sum of the first duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the first TCI state to the second TCI state and the second duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state; communicate with the first TRP based on the second TCI state after the first duration after the first time; and communicate with the second TRP based on the fourth TCI state after at least the third duration after the first time.

[0089] The TCI state switching command may be included in at least one of medium access control control element signaling or downlink control information signaling.

[0090] In all aspects above, the means of the user equipment may be caused to provide at least one of the first duration, the second duration or the third duration to the means of the network access node. Additionally or alternatively, at least one of the first duration or the third duration may be configured by a communication standard.

[0091] According to one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, comprising program instructions, which when executed by an apparatus causes the apparatus to at least perform a method according to any of the preceding aspects.

[0092] In the above, many different embodiments have been described. It should be understood that further embodiments can be provided by combining any two or more of the above embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0093] Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0094] Figure 1 shows a representation of a network system according to some example embodiments;

[0095] Figure 2 shows a representation of a control device according to some example embodiments;

[0096] Figure 3 shows representations of apparatus according to some example embodiments;

[0097] Figure 4 An example beam hierarchy is shown;

[0098] Figure 5A and 5B Example processing times are shown;

[0099] Figures 6A to 6D illustrates example signaling and processing capabilities of a user equipment; and

[0100] Figures 7 to 8 Operations that may be performed by the apparatus described herein are illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0101] The following relates to at least one mechanism that provides an indication to an access network node (such as, for example, a gNB) of a user equipment (UE)'s ability to simultaneously process instructions for causing the UE to change a receive beam to receive signals from multiple transmit-receive points (TRPs). The instructions may be received from multiple TRPs.

[0102] Since the instruction to change the beam can be provided to the UE in the form of a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) switching request (also referred to as a TCI state switching command in this document), the following considers at least one mechanism for providing an access network node with an indication of the UE's ability to simultaneously process transmission configuration indicator (TCI) switching requests / TCI state switching commands received at the UE from different TRPs.

[0103] The access network node may use the indicated capability to more efficiently schedule resources and / or control transmissions when the UE is being switched between different beams provided by multiple transmission-reception points (TRPs) coordinated or otherwise controlled by the access network node.

[0104] In more detail, the UE receives signaling from the TRP via a beam. In order to coherently receive signaling on that beam, the UE first synchronizes to that beam. The UE may use at least one TCI to determine how to synchronize with the reference signal for that beam. The TCI provides information to allow the UE to more easily synchronize with the reference signals for those beams (as described in more detail below).

[0105] The network may determine that the UE should receive on a different beam than the beam that the UE is currently receiving. This determination may be performed, for example, due to changed network conditions and / or changed load conditions. Accordingly, the network may send an instruction to the UE to change the beam from the current beam to the new beam.

[0106] The instruction may be provided in part in the form of indicating a new TCI to be used for the new beam, wherein information included in the new TCI is used by the UE to synchronize to the new beam.

[0107] In one example, the network may send a TCI state switch command using layer 1 (L1) signaling (e.g., downlink control information (DCI) and / or layer 2 (L2) signaling (e.g., media control access (MAC) control element (CE)) to trigger a TCI state change.

[0108] After the beam change, the reference signal (RS) is received by the UE from the TRP using a different spatial filter and / or different antenna port demodulation for the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) compared to how the reference signal was received by the UE from the TRP before the TCI state change.

[0109] The time required by the UE from receiving the instruction to change beam to actually receiving on the new beam can be marked as the switching delay. These switching delays may be the result of the UE synchronizing to the second beam.

[0110] The UE receiving these TCI switching instructions may respond to the received TCI change instructions based on its capabilities. Since the UE capabilities may vary, this may cause inefficient switching signaling deployed by the network node. In addition, as the number of TRPs serving the UE increases, the situation may become more complicated.

[0111] The following aims to solve such inefficient signaling problems by enabling the UE to provide information to the access network node, which informs the access network node whether the UE can process multiple TCI switching instructions received simultaneously via multiple TRPs. The access network node can use this information to control the corresponding time of the transmission of the TCI switching instructions on each of the multiple TRPs. This can help reduce the total transmission volume and help the access network node to schedule transmission resources more efficiently.

[0112] In the following, certain embodiments are explained by referring to a mobile communication device capable of communicating via a wireless cellular system and a mobile communication system serving such a mobile communication device. Before explaining the exemplary embodiments in detail, certain general principles of a wireless communication system, its access system and a mobile communication device are explained with reference to Figure 1 , 2 3 are briefly explained to help understand the technology on which the examples are based. It will be appreciated that the following description is not limited to 5G systems and can be extended to later developed systems (e.g., 6G and beyond).

[0113] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a 5G system (5GS) is shown. The 5GS may consist of a terminal or user equipment (UE), a 5G radio access network (5GRAN) or a next generation radio access network (NG-RAN), a 5G core network (5GC), one or more application functions (AFs), and one or more data networks (DNs).

[0114] 5GC may include the following entities: network slice selection function (NSSF); network openness function; network repository function (NRF); policy control function (PCF); unified data management (UDM); application function (AF); authentication server function (AUSF); access and mobility management function (AMF); and session management function (SMF). Figure 1 Also shown are the various interfaces (N1, N2, etc.) that may be implemented between the various elements of the system.

[0115] 5G-RAN may include one or more gNodeBs (gNBs) or one or more gNodeB (GNB) distributed unit functions connected to one or more gNodeB (gNB) centralized unit functions.

[0116] 5G-RAN can provide at least one coverage area to the terminal. This coverage area is called a cell. A cell can be provided by one or more transmit-receive points (TRPs). The TRPs of the same cell have a common synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) block, which is cell-specific.

[0117] In multiple transmit / receive point (multi-TRP) operation, the serving cell can schedule UEs from two TRPs. This can provide better coverage, reliability and / or data rate for the UE on at least one of the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) and / or physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

[0118] There are two different modes of operation for scheduling multi-TRP PDSCH transmissions: single downlink control information (single DCI) and multiple downlink control information (multiple DCI). For both modes, control of uplink and downlink operations can be performed by the physical layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer within the configuration provided by the radio resource control (RRC) protocol layer.

[0119] In single DCI mode, only one TRP is responsible for the transmission of control data (PDCCH) to the UE. Therefore, the UE is scheduled by the PDCCH including DCI for two TRPs.

[0120] In contrast, in multi-DCI mode, two TRPs are responsible for the transmission of control data to the UE. Therefore, the UE is scheduled by independent DCI from each TRP.

[0121] Figure 2 shows the control method for Figure 1 An example of a control device 200 for the functions of a 5GRAN or 5GC shown above. The control device may include at least one random access memory (RAM) 211a, at least one read-only memory (ROM) 211b, at least one processor 212, 213, and an input / output interface 214. At least one processor 212, 213 may be coupled to RAM211a and ROM211b. At least one processor 212, 213 may be configured to execute appropriate software code 215. The software code 215 may, for example, allow one or more steps to be executed to perform one or more aspects of the present invention. The software code 215 may be stored in ROM211b. The control device 200 may be interconnected with another control device 200 that controls other functions of the 5GRAN or 5GC. In some embodiments, each function of the 5GRAN or 5GC includes a control device 200. In an alternative embodiment, two or more functions of the 5GRAN or 5GC may share a control device.

[0122] Figure 3 An example of a terminal 300 is shown, such as Figure 1The terminal shown above. The terminal 300 can be provided by any device capable of sending and receiving radio signals. Non-limiting examples include user equipment, a mobile station (MS) or a mobile device, such as a mobile phone or a so-called "smartphone", a computer provided with a wireless interface card or other wireless interface facilities (e.g., a USB dongle), a personal data assistant (PDA) or tablet computer provided with wireless communication capabilities, a machine type communication (MTC) device, an Internet of Things (IoT) type communication device, or any combination of these, etc. The terminal 300 can provide, for example, data communication for carrying communication. The communication can be one or more of voice, electronic mail (email), text message, multimedia data, machine data, etc.

[0123] The terminal 300 may receive signals over the air or radio interface 307 via appropriate means for receiving, and may transmit signals via appropriate means for transmitting radio signals. Figure 3 In the mobile device, the transceiver device is schematically designated by block 306. The transceiver device 306 may be provided, for example, by a radio component and an associated antenna arrangement. The antenna arrangement may be arranged internally or externally to the mobile device.

[0124] The terminal 300 may be provided with at least one processor 301, at least one memory ROM 302a, at least one RAM 302b and other possible components 303 for software and hardware assisted execution of the tasks it is designed to perform, including access to and communication with access systems and other communication devices. At least one processor 301 is coupled to RAM 302b and ROM 302a. At least one processor 301 may be configured to execute appropriate software code 308. Software code 308 may, for example, allow execution of one or more aspects of the present invention. Software code 308 may be stored in ROM 302a.

[0125] The processor, memory and other related control means may be provided on an appropriate circuit board and / or in a chipset. This feature is represented by reference 304. The device may optionally have a user interface such as a keyboard 305, a touch screen or touchpad, a combination thereof, etc. Optionally, depending on the type of device, one or more of a display, a speaker and a microphone may be provided.

[0126] 5G RAN (also referred to herein as “New Radio” NR) includes a frequency range (frequency range 2, FR2) for downlink signal transmission (e.g., for transmitting signals on the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) and / or the Channel State Indicator Reference Signal (CSI-RSI)).

[0127] FR2 bands have larger bandwidths and are used to meet 5G NR use cases that use higher data rates. However, these FR2 bands are also subject to challenging propagation conditions such as high path loss, environmental absorption, penetration loss, etc. This will refer to Figure 4 Provide explanation.

[0128] Figure 4 The beam hierarchy associated with the FR2 frequency band is shown. 401 shows a first layer (lower layer) on which the FR2 frequency band can be seen, and 402 shows a second layer (upper layer) on which the FR2 frequency band can be seen.

[0129] like Figure 4 As shown, the first layer 401 includes a plurality of relatively wide frequency bands 403, each of which is associated with a corresponding synchronization signal block (SSB). The second layer 402 shows that each of these wide frequency bands 403 can be divided into a plurality of corresponding channel state indicator reference signals (CSI-RS) 404 associated with the wide frequency band. The frequency range of these CSI-RS is narrower than that of the wide frequency band 403.

[0130] To mitigate the effects of signal attenuation associated with these narrower FR2 beams, beam management procedures have been defined in 3GPP.

[0131] The beam management process is a set of procedures to assist the UE to set up its receive (Rx) and transmit (Tx) beams accordingly for downlink and uplink transmissions. NR supports a hierarchical beam-based approach where the SSB beam is the root beam, e.g. Figure 4 These beam management mechanisms are used to mitigate the negative effects caused by the channel characteristics of FR2, which may include severe path loss experienced by the transmitted signal and a narrow spatial domain formed by the transmitter.

[0132] One of the implemented downlink beam management mechanisms uses a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) signaling framework. In the TCI signaling framework, the properties of the reference signal to be received by the UE are indicated to the UE using TCI.

[0133] The TCI is an indication of an expected quasi co-location (QCL) type associated with a reference signal (RS). The QCL type may be used by a UE to determine which receive beams may be processed in a similar manner (e.g., because they are spatially close and / or may experience similar types of interference effects when transmitted to the UE). The QCL type may be used to indicate whether the reference signal is a QCL in terms of at least one of Doppler shift and / or spread and / or delay average and / or spread.

[0134] In more detail, the TCI state is used to establish a QCL connection between the target reference signal and the source RS. When the properties of the channel through which the symbols on one antenna port are transmitted can be inferred from the channel through which the symbols on the other antenna port are transmitted, the two antenna ports are considered to be quasi-co-located. The TCI state can be configured for PDCCH, PDSCH and / or channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) to transmit QCL indications (e.g., Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay and / or delay spread) for the corresponding reference.

[0135] The UE may be configured with up to 128 TCI states using Layer 3 (e.g., Radio Resource Control layer) signaling. For example, the gNB may configure the UE with TCI states via RRC signaling, where each TCI state may have one or two source reference signals (RS) that provide QCL parameters for the target RS. The actual number of configured TCI states may depend on the capabilities of the UE. This UE capability (also referred to as "maxNumberConfiguredTCIstatesPerCC") may be signaled by the UE to the gNB when the UE registers to the network.

[0136] Of these TCI states configured at the UE, the gNB may cause a subset of these configuration sets to be activated for a specific duration using lower layer signaling (e.g., Layer 1 (physical layer) and / or Layer 2 (Media Access Control (MAC) layer) signaling). For example, activation may be caused by signaling an indication of which TCI states are to be active. An example mechanism for indicating at least one TCI state utilizes a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE). Another example mechanism for indicating at least one TCI state is a Downlink Control Information (DCI) signaling procedure.

[0137] For PDSCH, among the TCI states configured at the UE, up to 8 TCI states can be activated for the UE. These activated TCI states can be indicated to the UE by the network via MAC control element signaling and can be part of a code point table (such as the TCI code point table shown in Table 1).

[0138] TCI code point TCI Status(s) 000 TCI#0 001 TCI#2, TCI#1 010 TCI#0, TCI#3 … … 111 TCI#3

[0139] Table 1 TCI code point table

[0140] It can be seen that at least some of these TCI code points may be associated with multiple TCI states. Therefore, when TCI code points associated with multiple TCI states have been indicated, the UE can perform measurements and / or receive additional instructions from the network when determining which TCI to use to receive signals.

[0141] In FR2, the network may indicate a transmit beam change for PDSCH or PDCCH by signaling an indication of switching to the current TCI state (e.g., using a code point reference in the case of PDSCH). As described above, this may be signaled using DCI (PDSCH) and / or using a MAC control element (PDCCH).

[0142] Typically, when a UE transitions from a first configuration of active TCI state of a CORESET to a second configuration of active TCI state of a CORESET, for each CSI-RS for radio link management (RLM) present in the second configuration, the UE uses the evaluation period corresponding to the second configuration from the time of transition. This applies to both non-synchronized and synchronized evaluations of monitored cells.

[0143] For example, in the case of PDCCH, after receiving the TCI state switching command via MAC-CE, the UE may first send a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback to the serving cell.

[0144] In the case of PDSCH, the UE may receive a MAC-CE for activation of a TCI state stored in the code point table. In addition, the UE may receive a DCI indicating a target TCI from the code point table.

[0145] In the case of PDCCH as well as PDSCH, TCI switching will have a certain delay associated with it. Therefore, the UE can be considered to switch to the target active TCI state within a certain delay. In other words, it takes time between the UE receiving the command / indication to change the TCI state and the UE actually switching to the new TCI state. This is called the TCI state switching delay.

[0146] This reference Figure 5A was explained.

[0147] Figure 5A The activation signaling for a single TRP case is shown. The signaling reflects the specification in 3GPP TS 38.133.

[0148] Figure 5A A TCI switch is shown performed for a first TRP 501. During 502, the UE is configured to use a first TCI (TCI0) for receiving signals via a first beam of the first TRP. During 503, the UE is configured to use a second TCI (TCI2) for receiving signals via a second beam of the first TRP. The switch may be due to the UE receiving downlink signals via resources on a different beam than used for TCI2 relative to TCI0.

[0149] During 502, the first TRP signals a MAC control element to the UE, indicating a single TCI state at 504. Subsequently, during 502, the first TRP signals a synchronization signal at 505 using a synchronization signal block (SSB). This synchronization signal can be signaled within a predefined amount of time after the MAC control element is signaled at 504 (e.g., the time to allow the UE to perform any MAC protocol layer retransmission mechanism (tHARQ) plus the time defined by the specification (3ms in the current specification)). Subsequently, during 502, the first TRP signals a DCI at 506. This DCI signaling can be performed within a predefined duration after 505 (e.g., the time to allow synchronization signal block processing). The DCI indication can indicate which TCI to use from the code point table. Starting at 506, the UE has a predefined amount of time until TCI2 is scheduled to start setting its spatial filter (timeDurationForQCL).

[0150] In more detail, the existing Radio Resource Management (RRM) defined for a single TRP requires that the TCI state switching delay (based on MAC-CE) is The time slot length, while in the case of DCI-based TCI state switching delay, it is timeDurationForQCL, where timeDurationForQCL is the minimum number of OFDM symbols required by the UE to perform PDCCH reception and apply the spatial QCL information received in the DCI for PDSCH processing. Currently, as per the standard, the maximum value is 28 symbols (250μs).

[0151] It should be understood that although DCI Figure 5A , but it is not used in all cases. For example, when the activated TCI state is associated with only a single TCI state, no DCI from the gNodeB is required to specify which TCI state will be used by the UE for PDSCH reception. In this case, TCI / beam switching can be done before the DCI is received by the UE.

[0152] The current TCI state switch delay requirements for MAC-CE based TCI switching for PDCCH, DCI based TCI state switch delay and active TCI state list update delay are defined in 3GPP TS 38.133 (see section 8.10).

[0153] These 3GPP TCI state switching delay requirements have been defined for a single TRP. However, these 3GPP TCI state switching delay requirements are not optimal for scenarios where there are TCI state switching of multiple TRPs serving a UE.

[0154] Activation signaling is associated with multiple TRP scenarios. Figure 5B is shown.

[0155] Figure 5B The TCI switching performed for the first TRP 501' is shown. During 502', the UE is configured to use the first TCI (CI0) to receive signals for the first beam of the first TRP. During 503', the UE is configured to use the second TCI (TCI2) to receive signals for the second beam of the first TRP.

[0156] During 502', the first TRP signals a MAC control element to the UE indicating the TCI state at 504'. Subsequently, during 502', the first TRP signals a synchronization signal at 505' using a synchronization signal block (SSB). The synchronization signal can be signaled a predefined amount of time after the MAC control element is signaled at 504' (e.g., the time allowed for the UE to perform any MAC protocol layer retransmission mechanism (tHARQ) plus the time defined by the specification (3ms in the current specification)). Subsequently, during 502', the first TRP sends a DCI indication at 506'. The DCI indication signaling can be performed within a predefined duration after 505' (e.g., the time allowed for synchronization signal block processing). Starting from 506', the UE has a predefined amount of time until TCI2 is scheduled to begin QCL processing (timeDurationForQCL).

[0157] Figure 5B Also shown is the TCI switching performed for the second TRP 511'. During 512', the UE is configured to use the third TCI (TCI1) to receive signals on the first beam of the second TRP. During 513', the UE is configured to use the fourth TCI (TCI3) to receive signals on the second beam of the second TRP.

[0158] During 512', the first TRP signals a MAC control element to the UE indicating a single TCI state at 504'. Subsequently, during 512', the first TRP uses a synchronization signal block (SSB) to signal a synchronization signal at 505'. The synchronization signal can be signaled a predefined amount of time after the MAC control element is signaled at 504' (e.g., the time allowed for the UE to perform any MAC protocol layer retransmission mechanism (tHARQ) plus the time defined by the specification (3ms in the current specification)). Subsequently, during 512', the first TRP signals a DCI indication at 506'. This DCI indication signaling can be performed within a predefined duration after 505' (e.g., the time allowed for synchronization signal block processing). Starting from 506', the UE has a predefined amount of time until TCI2 is scheduled to begin QCL processing (timeDurationForQCL).

[0159] In a multi-TRP scenario, the UE may be configured to measure parameter values ​​on a set of reference signal beams from different TRPs to determine the level of signal attenuation experienced by the received reference signal beams. For example, the UE may perform measurements on the received signal to determine the reference signal received power (RSRP) and report the determined RSRP back to the network (e.g., using a channel state indicator (CSI) CSI report).

[0160] Based on the reported value from the UE, the network selects the TCI state to be used for reception on the PDCCH and sends an indication (eg, a MAC control element) to the UE indicating the new TCI state for the PDCCH.

[0161] In case of PDSCH, based on the reported value from the UE, the network sends an activation command using MAC-CE, which includes the TCI status to be stored in the codepoint table.

[0162] After the update of the active TCI list in the codepoint table, the network may then send downlink control information (DCI) indicating which activated TCI states from the codepoint table are to be used for reception of the PDSCH.

[0163] In other words, in the m-TRP scenario for m-DCI, there may be a situation where the UE will receive a single TCI state per MAC control element from each TRP for activation. In this case, as in s-TRP, if the active TCI state contains only a single TCI state, the expected time that the UE can receive the PDSCH with the new TCI state is not specified in the specification. In this case, if the MAC-CE switching delay and the DCI switching delay are considered, the switching time is long.

[0164] The following aims to address at least one of the above problems.

[0165] In more detail, the following aims to remove at least some of the unnecessary delays involved in TCI switching in multi-TRP scenarios.

[0166] To this end, a new UE capability that can be provided from the UE to the network is introduced below. The new UE capability can indicate whether the UE associated with the UE capability can simultaneously process MAC control elements for TCI state activation (or switch TCI states simultaneously in other ways).

[0167] For those UEs that are not capable of automatic switching, the new UE capabilities may additionally provide some additional information on how the UE can handle MAC control elements from multiple TRPs.

[0168] For example, a new UE capability may specify a time offset between when corresponding TCI state changes indicated by two different MAC control elements may be implemented. The network may use the specified time offset to control the time at which the two different MAC control elements are sent (e.g., such that the transmission of one MAC control element is delayed relative to the transmission of another MAC control element).

[0169] Although the UE may specify a time offset, it should be understood that the UE may still store both MAC control elements simultaneously. In this case, the network may determine to send both MAC control elements simultaneously (e.g., without applying a delay to the transmission of one of the MAC control elements). In other words, when the new UE capabilities also indicate that the UE can buffer one of the MAC control elements while processing the other MAC control element, the network may continue to cause the two MAC control elements to be sent simultaneously.

[0170] It should also be understood that in the case of m-TRP, when each MAC-CE from the corresponding TRP includes a single TCI state for activation (and therefore the codepoint table also contains a single active TCI state), this TCI state can be used directly for PDSCH reception without DCI signaling. The access network node can use this knowledge of the number of codepoints in the codepoint table to further determine when the UE will complete the TCI switch, as it will be able to include or not include timing for DCI reception.

[0171] These features will be illustrated with respect to the following examples.

[0172] It should be understood that although these examples focus on a multi-TRP scenario with the UE receiving signals from two TRPs, similar approaches may also be applied to scenarios in which the network indicates any other number of TCIs (e.g., 1 or >2 TCI states) to the UE.

[0173] It should also be understood that although the following examples involve the use of a MAC control element command used to activate a target TCI state for a PDSCH, the following techniques may also be applicable to the use of a MAC control element used to provide a target TCI state indication for a PDCCH.

[0174] In addition, although the following examples are constructed in the context of a MAC control element for causing a TCI state indication to be provided for a TCI state change, the mechanisms described below may also be used with respect to a DCI for causing a TCI state indication to be provided for a TCI state change. The UE may provide corresponding UE capability information for each of the MAC control element and the DCI. The UE may provide single UE capability information for both the MAC control element and the DCI (e.g., the capability may indicate that the UE can simultaneously process the TCI state change indication only when both the MAC control element and the DCI TCI state change indication can be processed simultaneously).

[0175] Figure 5B The behavior of the UE in this example can be as follows Fig. 6A , and / or in accordance with Figure 6B , and / or in accordance with Figure 6C , and / or in accordance with Fig.6D .

[0176] In the first example, the UE can process DCI state changes simultaneously. Fig. 6A is shown in .

[0177] Fig. 6A An example UE behavior is shown where the UE is capable of simultaneously processing multiple MAC control elements received on corresponding flows.

[0178] Fig. 6A A first TRP transmission 601 is shown, which receives signaling using a first TCI (TCI0) during a first time 602, and receives signaling using a second TCI (TCI2) during a second time 603. During 602, the UE receives a MAC control element from the first TRP at 604. Assume that the UE has a predefined maximum amount of time (t process ) to determine the second TCI to be used at 603.

[0179] Fig. 6A Further shown is a second TRP transmission 611, which receives signaling using a third TCI (TCI1) during a first time 602 and receives signaling using a fourth TCI (TCI3) during a second time 603. During 602, the UE receives a MAC control element from the second TRP at 604. Assume that the UE has a predefined maximum amount of time (t process) to determine the fourth TCI to be used at 603.

[0180] In this example, the UE is configured to signal a UE capability indication to the network (e.g., to the network access node / gNB) indicating that the UE is capable of simultaneously receiving and processing MAC-Ce.

[0181] With this signaling message / capability indication, the UE indicates at the beginning that the UE can process MAC-CEs received for TCI state activation simultaneously in the case of PDSCH. In this case, the gNodeB will know that the UE can activate TCI states independently and in parallel, and can configure its multiple TRPs to provide their TCI state change indications simultaneously.

[0182] In the second example, the UE is not capable of processing TCI state changes simultaneously, and is not capable of buffering more than one TCI state change simultaneously (or it is not known whether the UE is capable of buffering more than one TCI state change simultaneously).

[0183] In this example, the UE may signal to the access node a UE capability indicating that the UE cannot process more than one TCI state change simultaneously, and an indication of a time offset for providing separate TCI state change indications to the UE. The time offset may correspond to at least the time required by the UE to process a single received TCI state change indication.

[0184] The network can be Figure 6B In response thereto (e.g., delaying transmission of the second TCI state change indication relative to transmission of the first TCI state change indication by at least the indicated offset time). The network may delay transmission by a time equal to the indicated offset time. The network may delay transmission by a time different from the indicated offset time.

[0185] Figure 6B A second example is shown in which the UE is unable to process multiple MAC control elements simultaneously. In this example, the MAC control element provided by the second TRP can be delayed relative to the MAC control element provided by the first TRP.

[0186] In more detail, Figure 6B A first TRP transmission 601' is shown, which receives signaling using a first TCI (TCI0) during a first time 602' and receives signaling using a second TCI (TCI2) during a second time 603'. During 602', the UE receives a MAC control element from the first TRP at 604'. Assume that the UE has a predefined maximum amount of time (t process ) to determine the second TCI to be used at 603'.

[0187] Figure 6BFurther shown is a second TRP transmission 611', which receives signaling using a third TCI (TCI1) during a third time 612' and receives signaling using a fourth TCI (TCI3) during a fourth time 613'. During 612', the UE receives a MAC control element from the second TRP at 614', which is different from the time of 604'. Assume that the UE has a predefined maximum amount of time (t process ) to determine the fourth TCI to be used in 603'.

[0188] In a third example, the UE is not capable of processing TCI state changes simultaneously and is also capable of buffering more than one TCI state change simultaneously.

[0189] In this example, the UE may signal to the access node UE capabilities indicating that the UE is not capable of processing more than one TCI state change simultaneously, and an indication of a zero time offset for providing separate TCI state change indications to the UE. The time offset may correspond to at least the time required by the UE to process a single received TCI state change indication.

[0190] The network can be Figure 6C Respond to this.

[0191] Figure 6C A second example is shown in which the UE is unable to process multiple MAC control elements simultaneously. In this example, the MAC control element provided by the second TRP can be delayed relative to the MAC control element provided by the first TRP.

[0192] In more detail, Figure 6C A first TRP transmission 601″ is shown, which receives signaling using a first TCI (TCI0) during a first time 602″ and receives signaling using a second TCI (TCI2) during a second time 603″. During 602″, the UE receives a MAC control element from the first TRP at 604″. Assume that the UE has a predefined maximum amount of time (t process ) to determine the second TCI to be used at 603".

[0193] Figure 6B Further shown is a second TRP transmission 611″, which receives signaling using a third TCI (TCI1) during a third time 612″, and receives signaling using a fourth TCI (TCI3) during a second time 613″. During 612″, the UE receives a MAC control element from the second TRP at 604″, and buffers the MAC control element received from the second TRP until at least the processing time for the MAC control element from the first TRP has been completed (e.g., the start of 613″). Assume that the UE has a predefined maximum amount of time (tprocess ) to determine the fourth TCI to be used at 605".

[0194] The offsets for the second and third examples may result from the processing capabilities of the UE, such as those related to the UE performing time-frequency synchronization, sending a hybrid automatic repeat (HARQ) response, and / or the UE setting its spatial filters.

[0195] Fig.6D A fourth example is shown, where the MAC control element includes only a single TCI state for activation.

[0196] In this example, the UE can use this single TCI state to receive signaling on the PDSCH without waiting for an additional DCI indication. The signaling can be used by each TRP to which the MAC-CE with a single TCI state activated is applicable. In other words, in an m-TRP scenario, the signaling can be used when the network sends a MAC control element activating TCI states for two TRPs. After a preconfigured TCI state activation delay, both TCI states are considered applicable to (e.g., used for) the PDSCH without the need for an additional DCI indication.

[0197] like Fig.6D As shown, a first TRP transmission 601"' is provided, which receives signaling using a first TCI (TCI0) during a first time 602"' and receives signaling using a second TCI (TCI2) during a second time 603"'. During 602"', the UE receives a MAC control element from the first TRP at 604"'. Assume that the UE has a predefined maximum amount of time (t process ) to determine the second TCI to be used at 603"'.

[0198] In the first to fourth examples above, the TCI state has been activated after the processing time. However, in the case of simultaneous reception of m-TRPs, the UE can start receiving in a new TCI state after switching for both TRPs has been completed.

[0199] Figure 7 and Figure 8 Operations that can be performed by a device that deploys at least some of the above principles are shown. Therefore, it can be understood that some of the features mentioned below can find functional correspondences in the features mentioned in the above examples. It should also be understood that the above examples provide examples of how the features described below can be implemented, but the above examples are not limiting.

[0200] Figure 7Operations that may be performed by an apparatus are shown. The apparatus may include a network access node. The apparatus may include a gNB. The apparatus may include an entity that may perform the functions of at least one of a network access or a gNB.

[0201] During 701, the apparatus receives a capability indication from a user equipment. The capability indication indicates the capability of the user equipment. The capability indication indicates whether the user equipment is capable of simultaneously switching a transmission control indicator TCI state based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one transmission reception point TRP, wherein the apparatus is included in a network access node.

[0202] In other words, the capability indication may indicate whether the user equipment is capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on multiple instructions received from corresponding TRPs (e.g., a first TCI state switching command from a first TRP and a second TCI state switching command from a second TRP).

[0203] The TCI state switching command may be considered as a command to switch the TCI state (eg, switch from a previous TCI value to a new TCI value). The TCI state switching command may be considered as an instruction to switch the TCI state.

[0204] The TCI state switch command can be regarded as a beam switch request and / or a beam switch command (e.g., a request and / or command to switch from a first beam provided by a first TRP to a second beam provided by the first TRP).

[0205] It should be understood that the above reference to the TCI state switch command can be generally applied to physical and / or MAC layer signaling. For example, the capability may indicate the ability of the user equipment to simultaneously process physical and / or MAC protocol layer signaling received from multiple TRPs. It should be understood that the ability of the UE to simultaneously receive from multiple TRPs is different from the ability of the UE to simultaneously process (e.g., switch beams) signaling from multiple corresponding TRPs. Specifically, the latter may cause the UE to take certain actions other than buffering all of the said signaling being processed simultaneously.

[0206] For each of more than one TRPs, the apparatus may control the transmission of at least one TCI state switching command to the user equipment based on the capability indication. For example, the apparatus may cause a plurality of at least one TCI state switching commands to be received at the UE simultaneously and / or to be received at different times. In addition to whether the UE may process such signaling simultaneously (e.g., switching of TCI states associated with multiple TRPs may be performed simultaneously), the apparatus's determination of when to provide at least one TCI state switching command may also be performed based on additionally provided information from the UE, the additionally provided information indicating to the UE whether the UE may receive from multiple TRPs simultaneously.

[0207] In a first example, the capability indication indicates that the user equipment is capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP. In this example, the UE may cause a first TRP among the more than one TRPs to signal a first TCI state switching command to the user equipment at a first time, and cause a second TRP among the more than one TRPs to signal a second TCI state switching command to the user equipment at a first time.

[0208] From this example, the device may be able to make assumptions about when the UE may communicate according to a new / switched TCI state, and control multiple TRPs accordingly. The assumption may be based on, for example, receiving an indication of the required time from a user equipment. The assumption may be based on, for example, determining the required time using a preconfigured value (e.g., which may be defined by a 3GPP standard). It should be understood that references to "required time" in this application may correspond to times defined by communication protocols and / or communication standards (e.g., 3GPP). It should also be understood that references to "required time" in this application may correspond to times based on the capabilities of the UE (e.g., processing speed). In such a case, the time based on the UE capabilities may be determined based on information signaled from the UE to the device, and / or based on times derived from previous UE behavior. It should also be understood that references to "required time" in this application may correspond to a combination of a time period defined by a communication protocol and / or communication standard and a time attributed to the UE capabilities.

[0209] For example, assuming that a first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a first TCI to a second TCI, and a second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a third TCI to a fourth TCI, the device can determine a second time corresponding to a time associated with the user equipment switching to the second TCI according to the first TCI state switching command, and cause both the first TRP and the second TRP to communicate with the user equipment based on the second TCI and the fourth TCI from the second time.

[0210] In other words, the apparatus may cause both the first TRP and the second TRP to communicate with the switched TCI simultaneously, the same time corresponding to the time required for a single TCI switch to be performed. This is because the apparatus may assume that the switches are performed in parallel. The determined time may correspond to the time taken for the DCI TCI state switch command to be processed, the time taken for the MAC control element TCI state switch command to be processed, and / or a combination of the DCI TCI state switch command required time and the MAC control element TCI state switch command required time (and may include the time assumed for any retransmission mechanism time in between).

[0211] As a second example, the capability indication may indicate that the user equipment is not capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP. Separately (although possibly with the same capability indication), the UE may also indicate to the device that the UE is not capable of receiving TCI state switching commands from multiple TRPs simultaneously, or may remain silent on whether the UE is capable of receiving TCI state switching commands from multiple TRPs simultaneously.

[0212] In this example, the device can determine an indication of the time required for the UE to switch the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command, so that a first TRP among more than one TRP sends a first TCI state switching command to the user equipment using a signal at a first time, and causes a second TRP among more than one TRP to send a second TCI state switching command to the user equipment using a signal at a second time, wherein the first time and the second time are at least separated by the time required for the indication of switching the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command.

[0213] The indicated time required to switch the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command may include at least one of a duration for switching the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command included in the media access control control element signaling or a duration for switching the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command included in the downlink control information signaling. The indicated time may be signaled from the UE to the network. The indicated time may be defined by a standard (e.g., 3GPP).

[0214] Determining may include receiving an indication of the required time from the user equipment.Determining may include determining the required time using a preconfigured value (eg, which may be defined by a 3GPP standard).

[0215] As a third example, the capability indication indicates that the user equipment is not capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP. Separately (although possibly as part of the same capability indication), the UE may further indicate to the device that the UE is capable of receiving TCI state switching commands from multiple TRPs simultaneously.

[0216] In other words, the apparatus may receive an indication from the user equipment that the user equipment may buffer more than one TCI state switch command while the TCI state is being switched based on another TCI state switch command. The apparatus may cause a first TRP of the more than one TRP to signal the first TCI state switch command to the user equipment at a first time, and cause a second TRP of the more than one TRP to signal the second TCI state switch command to the user equipment at a first time.

[0217] In both the second example and the third example, the device may be able to determine a time at which the UE is able to communicate using the new TCI state, and based on the determined time, cause the TRP associated with the new TCI state to communicate according to the new TCI state.

[0218] The apparatus may be configured to cause the TRP to wait to communicate using its associated new TCI state until all TCI switches have been made.

[0219] For example, when the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the first TCI to the second TCI, and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the third TCI to the fourth TCI, the device may: determine a third duration, which is at least equal to the sum of the first duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the first TCI state to the second TCI state and the second duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state (it should be understood that the first duration and the second duration may be the same length or different lengths). The device may cause both the first TRP and the second TRP to communicate with the user equipment using the second TCI and fourth TCI states after at least the third duration after the first time. The first TRP and the second TRP may be caused to abandon the use of the second TCI and fourth TCI states to communicate with the UE until at least the third duration after the first time. The first TRP and the second TRP may be caused to start communicating with the UE using their second TCI and fourth TCI states simultaneously.

[0220] As another example, when a first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a first TCI to a second TCI, and a second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a third TCI to a fourth TCI, the apparatus may: determine a first duration corresponding to a time associated with the user equipment switching from the first TCI state to the second TCI state, determine a second duration corresponding to a time associated with the user equipment switching from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state (it should be understood that the first duration and the second duration may be the same length), determine a third duration at least equal to the sum of the first duration and the second duration, and cause both the first TRP and the second TRP to communicate with the user equipment using the second TCI and the fourth TCI states after at least the third duration after the first time. The first TRP and the second TRP may be caused to abandon communicating with the UE using the second TCI and the fourth TCI states until at least the third duration after the first time. The first TRP and the second TRP may be caused to start communicating with the UE using their second TCI and fourth TCI states simultaneously.

[0221] The apparatus may be configured to cause the TRP to begin communicating as soon as its associated new TCI state has been configured at the UE (eg, the TRP does not wait until all TCI switches are made before communicating with the UE using its new TCI state).

[0222] For example, when the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the first TCI to the second TCI, and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from the third TCI to the fourth TCI, the device may: determine a third duration, which is at least equal to the sum of the first duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the first TCI state to the second TCI state and the second duration corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state (it should be understood that the first duration and the second duration may be the same length or different lengths). The device may cause the first TRP to communicate with the user equipment using the second TCI state after a first duration after the first time, and cause the second TRP to communicate with the user equipment using the fourth TCI state after at least a third duration after the first time.

[0223] As another example, when a first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a first TCI to a second TCI, and a second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a third TCI to a fourth TCI, the device may: determine a first time duration corresponding to a time associated with a switch of the user equipment from the first TCI state to the second TCI state, determine a second time duration corresponding to a time associated with a switch of the user equipment from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state, determine a third time duration that is at least equal to the sum of the first and second time durations, cause the first TRP to communicate with the user equipment using the second TCI state after a first time duration after the first time, and cause the second TRP to communicate with the user equipment using the fourth TCI state after at least a third time duration after the first time.

[0224] In all the above examples, the user equipment signals at least one of the first duration, the second duration or the third duration to the equipment of the network access node. Additionally or alternatively, at least one of the first duration or the third duration may be configured by a communication standard.

[0225] The device can control (or at least coordinate) the transmission of at least one or more TRPs.

[0226] Figure 8 Operations that may be performed by an apparatus are shown. The apparatus may include a user device. The user device may correspond to Figure 7 It should be understood that the following uses Figure 7The same term features can be referred to as Figure 7 Related description to understand.

[0227] During 801, the device signals a capability indication to a network access node, indicating the capability of the device, the capability indication indicating whether the device is capable of simultaneously switching transmission control indicator TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands received from more than one transmission reception point TRP, wherein the device is included in a user equipment.

[0228] When the capability indication indicates that the device is capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, the device may receive a first TCI state switching command from a first TRP among the more than one TRP at a first time, and receive a second TCI state switching command from a second TRP among the more than one TRP at a first time.

[0229] When a first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a first TCI to a second TCI, and a second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a third TCI to a fourth TCI, the device may: determine a second time corresponding to the time associated with the user equipment switching to the second TCI according to the first TCI state switching command; and communicate with the first TRP and the second TRP based on the second TCI and the fourth TCI from the second time.

[0230] The capability indication may indicate that the device is not capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP. Separately (although possibly with the same capability indication), the UE may also indicate to the device that the UE is not capable of receiving TCI state switching commands from multiple TRPs simultaneously, or may remain silent on whether the UE is capable of receiving TCI state switching commands from multiple TRPs simultaneously.

[0231] The apparatus may determine an indication of a time required by a user device to switch a TCI state based on a TCI state switching command, receive a first TCI state switching command from a first TRP among more than one TRPs at a first time, and receive a second TCI state switching command from a second TRP among more than one TRPs at a second time, wherein the first time is separated from the second time by at least the time of the indication required to process the TCI state switching command.

[0232] The indicated time required to switch the TCI state based on the TCI state switch command may include at least one of a duration for processing the TCI state switch command included in the media access control control element signaling or a duration for processing the TCI state switch command included in the downlink control information signaling. The indicated time may be signaled from the UE to the network access node. The indicated time may be defined by a standard (e.g., 3GPP).

[0233] When the capability indication indicates that the device is unable to simultaneously switch TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, the device may signal to the network access node that the device may buffer more than one TCI state switching commands while the TCI state is being switched based on another TCI state switching command, receive a first TCI state switching command from a first TRP among the more than one TRPs at a first time, and receive a second TCI state switching command from a second TRP among the multiple TRPs at the first time or within a predetermined duration after the first time, the predetermined duration corresponding to a time required by the user equipment to process the TCI state switching command.

[0234] When a first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a first TCI to a second TCI, and a second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a third TCI to a fourth TCI, the device may: determine a third duration, which is at least equal to the sum of a first duration corresponding to a time associated with the user equipment switching from the first TCI state to the second TCI state and a second duration corresponding to a time associated with the user equipment switching from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state (it should be understood that the first duration and the second duration may be the same length or different lengths); and communicate with both the first TRP and the second TRP using the second TCI and fourth TCI states after a third duration at least after the first time.

[0235] When a first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a first TCI to a second TCI, and a second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a third TCI to a fourth TCI, the device may: determine a first duration corresponding to a time associated with a switch of the user equipment from the first TCI state to the second TCI state; determine a second duration corresponding to a time associated with a switch of the user equipment from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state; determine a third duration at least equal to the sum of the first duration and the second duration; and communicate with the first TRP and the second TRP using the second TCI and the fourth TCI states after at least a third duration after the first time.

[0236] When a first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a first TCI to a second TCI, and a second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a third TCI to a fourth TCI, the device may: determine a third duration, which is at least equal to the sum of a first duration corresponding to a time associated with the user equipment switching from the first TCI state to the second TCI state and a second duration corresponding to a time associated with the user equipment switching from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state (it should be understood that the first duration and the second duration may be the same length or different lengths); communicate with the first TRP using the second TCI state after a first duration after the first time; and communicate with the second TRP using the fourth TCI state after at least a third duration after the first time.

[0237] When a first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a first TCI to a second TCI, and a second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a third TCI to a fourth TCI, the device may: determine a first duration corresponding to a time associated with a user equipment switching from the first TCI state to the second TCI state; determine a second duration corresponding to a time associated with a user equipment switching from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state; determine a third duration at least equal to the sum of the first duration and the second duration; communicate with the first TRP using the second TCI state after a first duration after the first time; and communicate with the second TRP using the fourth TCI state after at least a third duration after the first time.

[0238] In all the above examples, the user equipment signals at least one of the first duration, the second duration or the third duration to the arrangement of the network access node. Additionally or alternatively, at least one of the first duration or the third duration may be configured by a communication standard.

[0239] In the above Figure 7 and Figure 8 In all examples of the present invention, the TCI state switching command may be included in MAC and / or physical protocol layer signaling. The TCI state switching command may be included in at least one of medium access control control element signaling or downlink control information signaling.

[0240] The above examples may provide at least one mechanism for achieving faster activation and switching to a target TCI state, and may provide an access node (e.g., a gNB) with flexibility to schedule UEs earlier when those UEs do not require more time to switch to a target TCI state.

[0241] It should be understood that these devices may include or be coupled to other units or modules for transmission and / or reception, such as radio components or radio heads. Although these devices have been described as one entity, different modules and memories may be implemented in one or more physical or logical entities.

[0242] It should be noted that although some embodiments have been described in relation to 5G networks, similar principles may be applied in relation to other networks and communication systems. Therefore, although certain embodiments above are described by way of example with reference to certain example architectures for wireless networks, technologies and standards, the embodiments may be applied to any other suitable form of communication system in addition to the communication system shown and described herein.

[0243] It is also noted herein that while example embodiments are described above, there are numerous variations and modifications which may be made to the disclosed solution without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0244] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions, where a list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one element, or at least two or more elements, or at least all elements.

[0245] In general, various embodiments may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Certain aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device, although the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Although various aspects of the present disclosure may be illustrated and described in block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representations, it should be fully understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0246] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0247] (a) implemented solely in hardware circuitry (e.g., implemented solely in analog and / or digital circuitry) and

[0248] (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable):

[0249] (c) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware and (i) any portion of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s), software and memory(s) that work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions; and

[0250] (ii) Hardware circuits and / or processor(s), such as microprocessor(s) or portion(s) of microprocessor(s), require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but the software may not be present when the software is not required for operation.

[0251] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term "circuitry" also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term "circuitry" also covers, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device, if applicable to the particular claim element.

[0252] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by computer software executable by a data processor of a mobile device (such as in a processor entity), or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. Computer software or programs (also referred to as program products) include software routines, applets and / or macros that can be stored in a data storage medium readable by any device, and they include program instructions for performing specific tasks. A computer program product may include one or more computer executable components that are configured to perform an embodiment when the program is run. One or more computer executable components may be at least one software code or a portion thereof.

[0253] In this regard, it should also be noted that any block of the logic flow in the figure can represent program steps, or interconnected logic circuits, blocks and functions, or a combination of program steps and logic circuits, blocks and functions. The software can be stored on physical media, such as memory chips or memory blocks implemented in processors, magnetic media (such as hard disks or floppy disks), and optical media (such as, for example, DVDs and their data variants CDs). Physical media are non-transient media.

[0254] As used herein, the term "non-transitory" is a limitation of the medium itself (ie, tangible, not a signal), not a limitation of data storage persistence (eg, RAM vs. ROM).

[0255] The memory may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. The data processor may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may include, as non-limiting examples, one or more of the following: a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an FPGA, a gate-level circuit, and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture.

[0256] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced in various components, such as integrated circuit modules. The design of integrated circuits is generally a highly automated process. Complex and powerful software tools are available to convert a logic level design into a semiconductor circuit design that is ready to be etched and formed on a semiconductor substrate.

[0257] The scope of protection sought by various embodiments of the present disclosure is defined by the independent claims. Embodiments and features described in this specification that do not belong to the scope of the independent claims (if any) should be interpreted as examples that help understand the various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0258] The foregoing description has provided a complete and informative description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure by way of non-limiting examples. However, various modifications and adaptations may become apparent to those skilled in the relevant art in view of the foregoing description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. However, all such and similar modifications of the teachings of the present disclosure will still fall within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. Indeed, there are additional embodiments that include a combination of one or more embodiments with any other embodiments previously discussed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising means for performing the following: Receiving a capability indication from a user equipment indicating a capability of the user equipment, the capability indication indicating whether the user equipment is capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding transmission control indicator TCI state switching commands from more than one transmission reception point TRP, wherein the device is included in a network access node.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the component is further configured to perform: For each of the more than one TRPs, based on the capability indication, control the transmission of at least one TCI state switching command to the user equipment.

3. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the capability indication indicates that the user equipment is capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, wherein the component is further configured to perform: causing a first TRP among the more than one TRPs to signal a first TCI state switching command to the user equipment at a first time; and Enable the second TRP among the more than one TRP to send a second TCI state switching command to the user equipment using a signal at the first time.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a first TCI to a second TCI, and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a third TCI to a fourth TCI, and the component is further configured to perform: determining, according to the first TCI state switching command, a second time corresponding to a time associated with switching of the user equipment to the second TCI; and Cause both the first TRP and the second TRP to communicate with the user equipment based on the second TCI and the fourth TCI from the second time.

5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the capability indication indicates that the user equipment is not capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, wherein the component is further configured to perform: determining an indication of a time required for the UE to switch a TCI state based on a TCI state switching command; causing a first TRP among the more than one TRPs to signal a first TCI state switching command to the user equipment at a first time; and Make the second TRP among the more than one TRPs send a second TCI state switching command to the user equipment using a signal at a second time, wherein the first time and the second time are at least separated by the time required for the indication of switching the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the indicated time required to switch the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command comprises at least one of the following items: a duration of switching the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command included in the media access control control element signaling, or a duration of switching the TCI state based on the TCI state switching command included in the downlink control information signaling.

7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 6, wherein the means for determining comprises: Means for receiving said indication of said time required from said user equipment.

8. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the capability indication indicates that the user equipment is not capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, wherein the component is further configured to perform: receiving an indication from the user equipment that the user equipment is capable of buffering more than one TCI state switch command while a TCI state is being switched based on another TCI state switch command; causing a first TRP among the more than one TRPs to signal a first TCI state switching command to the user equipment at a first time; and Enable the second TRP among the more than one TRP to send a second TCI state switching command to the user equipment using a signal at the first time.

9. The apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a first TCI to a second TCI, and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a third TCI to a fourth TCI, and the component is further configured to perform: determining a third duration that is at least equal to a sum of a first duration corresponding to a time associated with a switch of the user equipment from the first TCI state to the second TCI state and a second duration corresponding to a time associated with a switch of the user equipment from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state; and After at least the third duration after the first time, both the first TRP and the second TRP are caused to communicate with the user equipment using the second TCI and fourth TCI states.

10. The apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a first TCI to a second TCI, and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a third TCI to a fourth TCI, and the component is further configured to perform: determining a third duration, the third duration being at least equal to a sum of a first duration corresponding to a time associated with a switch of the user equipment from the first TCI state to the second TCI state and a second duration corresponding to a time associated with a switch of the user equipment from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state; causing the first TRP to communicate with the user equipment using the second TCI state after the first duration after the first time; as well as Enable the second TRP to communicate with the user equipment using the fourth TCI state after at least the third duration after the first time.

11. The apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 10, wherein the means for determining the third duration comprises: Means for receiving from the user equipment at least one of: the first duration, the second duration, or a third duration.

12. An apparatus comprising means for performing: A capability indication indicating the capability of the device is signaled to a network access node, the capability indication indicating whether the device is capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding transmission control indicator TCI state switching commands received from more than one transmission reception point TRP, wherein the device is included in a user equipment.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the capability indication indicates that the apparatus is capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, wherein the means is further configured to: At a first time, receiving a first TCI state switch command from a first TRP of the more than one TRPs; and At the first time, a second TCI state switching command is received from a second TRP among the more than one TRPs.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a first TCI to a second TCI, and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a third TCI to a fourth TCI, and the component is further configured to perform: determining, according to the first TCI state switching command, a second time corresponding to a time associated with switching of the user equipment to the second TCI; and Communicate with the first TRP and the second TRP based on the second TCI and the fourth TCI from the second time.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the capability indication indicates that the apparatus is incapable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, wherein the means is further configured to: determining an indication of a time required for the user equipment to switch a TCI state based on a TCI state switching command; At a first time, receiving a first TCI state switch command from a first TRP of the more than one TRPs; and At a second time, a second TCI state switch command is received from a second TRP among the more than one TRPs, wherein the first time is separated from the second time by at least the time indicated by which the TCI state switch command is required to be processed.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the indicated time required to switch the TCI state based on the TCI state switch command comprises at least one of the following items: a duration for processing the TCI state switch command included in media access control control element signaling, or a duration for processing the TCI state switch command included in downlink control information signaling.

17. The apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 16, further comprising: Means for signaling said indication of a required time to said network access node.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the capability indication indicates that the apparatus is incapable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding TCI state switching commands from more than one TRP, wherein the means is further configured to: signaling to the network access node that the apparatus is capable of buffering more than one TCI state switch command while a TCI state is being switched based on another TCI state switch command; At a first time, receiving a first TCI state switch command from a first TRP of the more than one TRPs; as well as A second TCI state switching command is received from a second TRP among the more than one TRPs at the first time or within a predetermined duration after the first time, and the predetermined duration corresponds to the time required by the user equipment to process the TCI state switching command.

19. The apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a first TCI to a second TCI, and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a third TCI to a fourth TCI, and the component is further configured to perform: determining a third duration that is at least equal to a sum of a first duration corresponding to a time associated with a switch of the user equipment from the first TCI state to the second TCI state and a second duration corresponding to a time associated with a switch of the user equipment from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state; and After at least the third duration after the first time, communicate with the first TRP and the second TRP based on the second TCI and the fourth TCI state.

20. The apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the first TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a first TCI to a second TCI, and the second TCI state switching command causes the UE to switch from a third TCI to a fourth TCI, and the component is further configured to perform: determining a third duration, the third duration being at least equal to a sum of a first duration corresponding to a time associated with a switch of the user equipment from the first TCI state to the second TCI state and a second duration corresponding to a time associated with a switch of the user equipment from the third TCI state to the fourth TCI state; After the first duration after the first time, communicating with the first TRP based on the second TCI state; and After at least the third duration after the first time, communicate with the second TRP based on the fourth TCI state.

21. The apparatus according to any one of claims 19 and 20, wherein the component is further configured to perform: At least one of the following is signaled to the network access node: the first duration, the second duration, or a third duration.

22. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the TCI state switch command is included in at least one of the following items: in medium access control control element signaling, or downlink control information signaling.

23. A method for an apparatus, the method comprising: Receiving a capability indication from a user equipment indicating a capability of the user equipment, the capability indication indicating whether the user equipment is capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding transmission control indicator TCI state switching commands from more than one transmission reception point TRP, wherein the device is included in a network access node.

24. A method for an apparatus, the method comprising: A capability indication indicating the capability of the device is signaled to a network access node, the capability indication indicating whether the device is capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding transmission control indicator TCI state switching commands received from more than one transmission reception point TRP, wherein the device is included in a user equipment.

25. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to: Receiving a capability indication from a user equipment indicating a capability of the user equipment, the capability indication indicating whether the user equipment is capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding transmission control indicator TCI state switching commands from more than one transmission reception point TRP, wherein the device is included in a network access node.

26. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to: A capability indication indicating the capability of the device is signaled to a network access node, the capability indication indicating whether the device is capable of simultaneously switching TCI states based on corresponding transmission control indicator TCI state switching commands received from more than one transmission reception point TRP, wherein the device is included in a user equipment.

Images