Non-zero coefficient bitmaps for coherent joint transmission using codebook reporting

Abstract

According to some embodiments, a method performed by a user equipment (UE) comprises receiving (502), from a network node, an indication of a plurality of non-zero power (NZP) channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources for channel measurements, and performing (504) channel measurements on the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources. The UE selects (505) one or more NZP CSI-RS resources from the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources, and generates (506) a CSI report based on the channel measurement and the selected one or more NZP CSI-RS resources. The CSI report includes an indicator of the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources and a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources. The UE sends (508) a CSI report to the network.

Description

[0001] Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 412,067, filed on September 30, 2022, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 415,880, filed on October 13, 2022. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to wireless communication networks, and in particular, to wireless communication networks employing codebook-based precoding for spatial multiplexing. Background Art

[0004] Codebook-based precoding

[0005] Multiple antenna technology can significantly increase the data rate and reliability of wireless communication systems. Performance can be improved if both the transmitter and the receiver are equipped with multiple antennas (resulting in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication channel). Such systems and / or related technologies are generally referred to as MIMO.

[0006] A core component of fifth-generation (5G) wireless networks such as New Radio (NR) is support for MIMO antenna deployment and MIMO-related technologies such as spatial multiplexing, which can be used to increase data rates under favorable channel conditions.

[0007] Figure 1 An example of spatial multiplexing is shown. The information carrying symbol vector s is multiplied by N T xr precoding matrix or precoder , used in N T The transmit energy is distributed among a subspace of the dimensional vector space. The precoding matrix is ​​typically selected from a codebook of possible precoding matrices and is typically indicated by a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) that specifies a unique precoding matrix in the codebook for a given number of symbol streams. The r symbols in s each correspond to a MIMO layer, and r is called the transmission rank, which is equal to the precoder In this way, spatial multiplexing is achieved since multiple symbols can be transmitted simultaneously on the same time / frequency resource element (RE). The number of symbols r is usually adapted to the current channel properties.

[0008] NR uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) in the downlink. The N received by the user equipment (UE) on a certain RE R x1 vector y n can be expressed as:

[0009]

[0010] Among them, en is the receiver noise / interference vector. Precoder Can be frequency-constant (ie, wideband) or frequency-selective (ie, for each subband).

[0011] Precoder Selected to be with N R xN T MIMO Channel Matrix This matches the characteristics of the channel, resulting in so-called channel-dependent precoding. This is often also called closed-loop precoding.

[0012] In closed-loop precoding, the UE feeds back a recommendation about a suitable precoder to the gNodeB (gNB) in the form of a PMI based on downlink channel measurements. To this end, the UE is configured with a channel state information (CSI) reporting configuration that includes a CSI reference signal (CSI-RS) for channel measurement and a codebook of candidate precoders. In addition to the precoder, the feedback may also include a rank indicator (RI) and one or two channel quality indicators (CQI). RI, PMI and CQI are part of the CSI feedback. In NR, CSI feedback can be wideband (where one CSI is reported for the entire channel bandwidth) or frequency selective (where one CSI is reported for each subband), each subband being defined as a number of consecutive physical resource blocks (PRBs) ranging between 4 and 32 PRBs depending on the bandwidth part (BWP) size.

[0013] Given the CSI feedback from the UE, the gNB determines the transmission parameters it wishes to use for transmission to the UE, including the precoding matrix, transmission rank, and modulation and coding scheme (MCS).

[0014] 2D Antenna Array

[0015] A two-dimensional antenna array can be constructed by the number of antenna ports in the first dimension (e.g., the horizontal dimension). , the number of antenna ports in the second dimension perpendicular to the first dimension (e.g., the vertical dimension) , and polarization number Therefore, the total number of antenna ports is The concept of an antenna port is non-limiting in the sense that it can refer to any virtualization (e.g., linear mapping) of a physical antenna element. For example, a pair of physical antenna elements can be fed the same signal and therefore share the same virtual antenna port.

[0016] Figure 2 A dual-polarized antenna element (ie, ) of 4x4 (i.e., ) array.

[0017] Figure 2 Is a N 1 = 4 horizontal antenna elements and N 2 = 4 vertical dual-polarized antenna elements (N p =2) is an exemplary illustration of a two-dimensional antenna array.

[0018] Precoding can be interpreted as multiplying the signal to be transmitted by a set of beamforming weights on the antenna ports before transmission. A typical approach is to tailor the precoder to the antenna shape factor, i.e., to take the precoder codebook into account when designing the precoder codebook. , and .

[0019] Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS)

[0020] CSI-RS is defined for CSI measurement and feedback. CSI-RS is transmitted on each antenna port and is used by the UE to measure the downlink channel between each transmit antenna port and each of its receive antenna ports. The transmit antenna port is also called a CSI-RS port. The number of antenna ports supported in NR is {1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32}. By measuring the received CSI-RS, the UE can estimate the channel that the CSI-RS is traversing, including the radio propagation channel and antenna gain. The CSI-RS used for the above purpose is also called non-zero power (NZP) CSI-RS.

[0021] The CSI-RS may be configured to be transmitted in certain REs in one slot and certain slots. Figure 3 An example of CSI-RS REs for 12 antenna ports is shown, showing 1 RE per RB for each port. Figure 3 An example of RE allocation for 12-port CSI-RS in NR is shown.

[0022] In addition, interference measurement resources (IMR) are defined in NR for UEs to measure interference. IMR resources contain 4 REs: 4 adjacent REs in frequency in the same OFDM symbol, or 2 x 2 REs in both time and frequency in a slot. By measuring the channel based on NZP CSI-RS and measuring interference based on IMR, the UE can estimate the actual channel and noise plus interference to determine CSI (i.e., rank, precoding matrix, and channel quality). In addition, UEs in NR can be configured to measure interference based on one or more NZP CSI-RS resources.

[0023] CSI framework in NR

[0024] In NR, a UE can be configured with multiple CSI reporting settings and multiple CSI-RS resource settings. Each resource setting can contain multiple resource sets, and each resource set can contain up to eight CSI-RS resources. For each CSI reporting setting, the UE feeds back a CSI report.

[0025] Each CSI report setting contains at least the following information:

[0026] CSI-RS resource set used for channel measurement.

[0027] Optionally, a set of CSI-RS resources used for interference measurement.

[0028] · Temporal behavior, i.e. periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic reporting.

[0029] Frequency granularity, i.e. wideband or sub-band

[0030] · CSI parameters to be reported in case there are multiple CSI-RS resources in a resource set, such as RI, PMI, CQI and CSI-RS Resource Indicator (CRI).

[0031] • Codebook type (ie, Type I or Type II) and codebook subset restrictions.

[0032] Measurement limitations

[0033] · Subband size. Indicates one of two possible subband sizes, with a value range depending on the bandwidth of the BWP. One CQI / PMI is fed back for each subband (if configured for subband reporting).

[0034] NR Release 16 Enhanced Type II (eTypeII) Codebook

[0035] The NR Release 15 Type II codebook is enhanced in NR Release 16, where instead of reporting separate precoders for different subbands, the precoders for all subbands are reported together by using the so-called frequency domain (FD) basis vectors. It exploits the frequency domain channel correlation by representing the precoder changes in the frequency domain with a set of frequency domain DFT basis vectors (which will be referred to as frequency domain basis vectors for short). Due to the channel correlation in frequency, only a few DFT basis vectors can be used to represent the precoder changes on all subbands. By doing this, the feedback overhead can be reduced, or the performance can be improved at the same feedback overhead.

[0036] For a dimension with CSI-RS antenna ports and in another dimension CSI-RS antenna ports and a given CSI-RS resource with two polarizations, for each layer ( The precoding vector based on the Release-16 Type-II codebook across all subbands can be expressed as:

[0037] ,

[0038] in:

[0039] · It is a layer with subband index The PMI subband The precoding vector is, where is the number of CSI-RS ports in the configured NZP CSI-RS resources;

[0040] · is the number of subbands used for PMI, where is the number of CQI subbands, and is the scaling factor, and Both are RRC configured;

[0041] · Same as in Rel-15 Type-II codebook and contains a set of selected beam or SD basis vectors; and

[0042] · It is a layer The size is The frequency domain (FD) compression matrix includes selected FD basis vectors, and and . is the number of FD basis vectors chosen, which depends on the rank and RRC configuration parameters Supported The value of can be found in Table 5.2.2.2.5-1 of 3GPP TS 38.214v16.14.0.

[0043] · Is the size of The coefficient matrix of ,only A subset of coefficients are non-zero and reported by the UE. The remaining Unreported coefficients are considered zero.

[0044] o is the maximum number of non-zero coefficients per layer, where It is a parameter configured by RRC. Supported The values ​​are shown in Table 5.2.2.2.5-1 of 3GPP TS 38.214 v16.14.0.

[0045] For , the total number of non-zero coefficients summed over all layers Should meet .

[0046] o The selected coefficient subset for each layer is of size Bitmap Use in A 1 is used to indicate.

[0047] o The strongest coefficient of layer l (whose magnitude and phase are not reported) is given by ∈{0, 1…2−1} to identify.

[0048] o The amplitude coefficient in is given by and to indicate, and The phase coefficient in is given by To indicate.

[0049] The above is described in section 5.2.2.2.5 of 3GPP TS 38.214 v16.14.0.

[0050] Release 16 also introduces an enhanced Type II (eType II) port selection (PS) codebook, which is intended for beamformed CSI-RS, i.e., each CSI-RS port corresponds to a 2D spatial beam. Based on the measurement, the UE selects the best CSI-RS port and recommends the rank, precoding matrix, and CQI conditioned on the rank and precoding matrix to the gNB.

[0051] The precoding matrix consists of a linear combination of the selected CSI-RS ports. (in, and is the rank indicated by the rank indicator (RI), the precoding matrix has the same form as the Release-16 enhanced type-II codebook, namely:

[0052] ,

[0053] matrix and Same as in Release 16 enhanced type II codebook. The main difference is , which is caused by The size given is The port selection matrix is Is the size of The port selection vector, and at position contains one element with value 1 (indicating the selected CSI-RS port), while all other elements have values ​​0, e.g. and L is the number of selected CSI-RS ports from each polarization, and the same ports are selected for both polarizations. Supported The values ​​can be found in Table 5.2.2.2.6-1 of 3GPP TS 38.214 v16.14.0.

[0054] Use the high-level parameter portSelectionSamplingSize to configure The value of and .

[0055] The selected CSI-RS port is determined by i 1,1 ∈{0, 1…⌈P CSI-RS / 2d⌉-1} (which is reported by the UE to the gNB). 1,2 are not relevant and therefore are not reported.

[0056] For Release 16 enhanced Type II CSI feedback, the CSI report consists of two parts: Part 1 and Part 2. Part 1 has a fixed payload size and is used to identify the number of information bits in Part 2. Part 1 contains RI, CQI, and an indication of the total number of non-zero amplitude coefficients across layers, i.e. Part 2 contains the PMI. Part 1 and part 2 of the CSI report are encoded separately.

[0057] NR Release 17 further enhances Type II port selection codebook

[0058] The Release 16 port selection codebook is further enhanced in Release 17, where it is assumed that each CSI-RS port is associated with a channel delay, and different channel delays are associated with different CSI-RS ports. It is also assumed that the delay associated with the CSI-RS port has been pre-compensated before being sent, so the UE can only select one or two frequency domain basis vectors, i.e. The one or two FD basis vectors are the same for all layers, so use to replace .

[0059] The number L of CSI-RS ports or beams to be selected at each polarization is indirectly configured as , where the parameter Configured by RRC, as shown in Table 5.2.2.2.7-1 of 3GPP TS 38.214 v17.6.0.

[0060] based on Port Select Vector from A total of 2L CSI-RS ports are selected from the ports, and the port selection vector is identified by the following formula:

[0061]

[0062]

[0063] Its index Instructions, where:

[0064] .

[0065] The selected FD basis vectors , Depend on to identify, where:

[0066]

[0067]

[0068] Among them, the index is assigned so that along with And increase. By Index instruct.

[0069] Coherent joint PDSCH transmission from multiple TRPs

[0070] In NR Release 18, it has been agreed to support coherent joint downlink transmission (CJT) from multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs) by extending the Release 16 and Release 17 enhanced type-II codebooks to multiple TRPs. In the case of CJT, each layer of the PDSCH is transmitted from multiple TRPs. Figure 4 An example is shown in Figure 4 An example of CJT on two TRPs is shown, where a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) with two layers is transmitted from two TRPs by applying two different precoding matrices to the PDSCH at TRP 1 and TRP 2. The two precoders are designed so that for each layer, the signals received from the two TRPs are phase aligned at the UE and are therefore coherently combined at the UE.

[0071] The extension of the NR Release 16 Type II codebook to CJT has been discussed in 3GPP, and the following two codebook structure modes have been agreed to support CJT:

[0072] • Mode 1: SD / FD basis vector selection for each TRP / TRP group, which allows independent FD basis vector selection across N TRPs / TRP groups. Example Formula (N = number of TRPs or TRP groups):

[0073]

[0074] Mode 2: SD basis vector selection for each TRP / TRP group (port group or resource) and joint / common (across N TRPs) FD basis vector selection. Example Formula (N = number of TRPs or TRP groups):

[0075]

[0076] in, contains the selected beam or SD basis vectors for the nth TRP, is the selected FD basis vector associated with the nth TRP, contains the coefficients associated with the nth TRP, is the common set of selected FD basis vectors for all TRPs. Summary of the invention

[0077] According to some embodiments, a method performed by a user equipment (UE) includes: receiving an indication of a plurality of non-zero power (NZP) channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources for channel measurement from a network node, and performing channel measurement on the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources. The UE selects one or more NZP CSI-RS resources from the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources, and generates a CSI report based on the channel measurement and the selected one or more NZP CSI-RS resources. The CSI report includes: an indicator of the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources, and a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources. The UE sends the CSI report to the network.

[0078] According to some embodiments, a user equipment includes a processing circuit, a communication interface coupled to the processing circuit, and a memory coupled to the processing circuit. The memory includes computer-readable instructions, which, when executed by the processing circuit, cause the user equipment to perform operations, including: receiving an indication of a plurality of non-zero power (NZP) channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources for channel measurement from a network node; performing channel measurement on the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources; selecting one or more NZP CSI-RS resources from the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources; generating a CSI report based on the channel measurement and the selected one or more NZP CSI-RS resources, wherein the CSI report includes: an indicator of the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources, and a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources; and sending the CSI report to the network.

[0079] Some embodiments provide a non-transitory medium including computer-readable program instructions, which, when executed by a processing circuit of a user equipment, cause the user equipment to perform operations, the operations including: receiving an indication of multiple non-zero power (NZP) channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources for channel measurement from a network node; performing channel measurement on the multiple NZP CSI-RS resources; selecting one or more NZP CSI-RS resources from the multiple NZP CSI-RS resources; generating a CSI report based on the channel measurement and the selected one or more NZP CSI-RS resources, wherein the CSI report includes: an indicator of the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources, and a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources; and sending the CSI report to the network.

[0080] According to some embodiments, a method performed by a network node includes sending an indication of a plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources for channel measurement to a UE, and receiving a CSI report based on the channel measurement of the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources. The CSI report includes an indicator of one or more NZP CSI-RS resources selected by the UE, and a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources.

[0081] According to some embodiments, a network node includes a processing circuit, a communication interface coupled to the processing circuit, and a memory coupled to the processing circuit. The memory includes computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processing circuit, cause the network node to perform operations including: sending an indication of a plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources for channel measurement to a UE, and receiving a CSI report based on the channel measurement of the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources. The CSI report includes an indicator of one or more NZP CSI-RS resources selected by the UE, and a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources.

[0082] Some embodiments provide a non-transitory medium including computer-readable program instructions that, when executed by a processing circuit of a network node, cause the network node to perform the operations of the above-described method associated with the network node. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0083] Figure 1 An exemplary transmission structure for spatial multiplexing in NR is shown.

[0084] Figure 2 Is a N 1 = 4 horizontal antenna elements and N 2 = 4 vertical dual-polarized antenna elements (N p =2) is an exemplary illustration of a two-dimensional antenna array.

[0085] Figure 3 An example of CSI-RS REs for 12 antenna ports is shown.

[0086] Figure 4 An example of a CJT on two TRPs is shown.

[0087] Figure 5 and Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of a UE according to some embodiments.

[0088] Figure 7 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of a network node according to some embodiments.

[0089] Figure 8 An example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments is shown.

[0090] Fig. 9 A UE according to some embodiments is shown.

[0091] Fig.10 A network node according to some embodiments is shown.

[0092] Fig.11is a block diagram of a host according to various aspects described herein.

[0093] Fig.12 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment capable of virtualizing functionality implemented by some embodiments.

[0094] Fig.13 A communication diagram is shown in which a host communicates with a UE via a network node over a partially wireless connection according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0095] There are some challenges. When Release 16 eType II codebook is used for multi-TRP (mTRP) coherent joint transmission, the UE does not always use / select every TRP. Therefore, the linear combination coefficient matrix in the eType II codebook will contain many zeros, which means that the TRP is not selected at all or is not selected for a given transmission layer. If the legacy Release 16 eType II codebook is reused, the non-zero coefficient (NZC) bitmap needs to be reported as long as there is one NZC for the layer, which leads to a huge overhead for reporting the NZC bitmap.

[0096] Certain embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. Some embodiments provide methods for identifying which TRP is not selected / recommended by the UE to send a transport layer. Based on this information, methods are proposed for saving the overhead of eII type CSI reporting.

[0097] Some embodiments provide a method for reporting Type II CSI by a UE. According to some embodiments, the UE receives a configuration or other indication or signaling of more than one NZP CSI-RS resource for channel measurement from a network. The UE performs channel measurement on the more than one NZP CSI-RS resource for channel measurement and calculates Type II CSI based on the measured channel.

[0098] The UE includes at least one of the following items in CSI part 1 of the Type II CSI: an indicator of the selected NZP CSI-RS resources in part 1, an indicator of the selected NZP CSI-RS resources in part 1 having a first value (e.g., having a non-zero value), and an indicator of the unselected NZP CSI-RS resources in part 1 having a second value (e.g., having a zero value). The indicator may include a bitmap for indicating a non-zero coefficient bitmap reported in CSI part 2.

[0099] In addition, the UE includes a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the selected NZP CSI-RS resource in part 2 of the Type II CSI, and may omit the non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the unselected NZP CSI-RS resource in part 2 of the Type II CSI.

[0100] The UE may include non-zero coefficients reported via a set of amplitude and phase indicators corresponding to the non-zero coefficients indicated by each non-zero coefficient bitmap included in part 2.

[0101] The UE reports to the network Type II CSI consisting of Part 1 and Part 2. Part 1 of the CSI may include other quantities such as rank indicator and / or CQI.

[0102] In some embodiments, the indicator for selecting and / or not selecting NZP CSI-RS resources is a NZP CSI-RS Resource Indicator (CRI).

[0103] In some embodiments, the indicator for selecting and / or not selecting NZP CSI-RS resources is the number of selected spatial domain (SD) basis vector indicators for each NZP CSI-RS resource (i.e., the number of selected SD basis vectors indicated by the indicator for each NZP CSI-RS resource).

[0104] In some embodiments, the indicator for selecting and / or not selecting NZP CSI-RS resources is the number of non-zero coefficients indicated for each NZP CSI-RS resource (ie, the number of non-zero coefficients indicated by the indicator for each NZP CSI-RS resource).

[0105] In some embodiments, the indicator in part 1 for selecting and / or not selecting NZP CSI-RS resources also selects the transport layer. For example, one or more of the following may apply:

[0106] A first indicator, indicating whether to select / not select a first NZP CSI-RS for a first transmission layer;

[0107] A second indicator, indicating whether to select / not select the first NZP CSI-RS for the second transmission layer;

[0108] A third indicator indicating whether to select / not select the second NZP CSI-RS for the first transmission layer; and / or

[0109] A fourth indicator, indicating whether to select / not select the second NZP CSI-RS for the second transmission layer.

[0110] In some further embodiments, for each indicator indicating selection of one NZP CSI-RS and one transmission layer, the UE may include one non-zero coefficient bitmap in part 2, and may omit the non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to each indicator indicating non-selection of one NZP CSI-RS and one transmission layer from part 2. In some further embodiments, the UE may include in part 2 the non-zero coefficients indicated by each bitmap, wherein each non-zero coefficient is indicated via a set of amplitude and phase indicators.

[0111] In some embodiments, each NZP CSI-RS resource represents a TRP.

[0112] Certain embodiments may provide one or more technical advantages. For example, some embodiments enable a UE to omit the NZC bitmap corresponding to one or more NZP CSI-RS resources (or TRPs) and / or transport layers to save CSI reporting overhead (if applicable). This can help significantly reduce Type II CSI reporting overhead for CJT use cases.

[0113] Some embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.The embodiments are provided merely as examples to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0114] In 3GPP, it has been agreed that each TRP or TRP group is associated with an NZP CSI-RS resource, and therefore, in this specification, TRP, TRP group, and NZP CSI-RS resource are used interchangeably.

[0115] In the legacy Release-16 Type II codebook, the total number of non-zero coefficients (NNZC) for all layers (i.e., K NZ ), which the gNB uses to derive the payload size for CSI Part 2. The actual number and location of NZCs for each transport layer is identified by the layer-specific NZC bitmap. Note that the legacy Release 16 eType II codebook only supports CSI reporting using a single TRP or a single NZP CSI-RS resource.

[0116] For Type II codebook enhancement for mTRP (i.e., utilizing CJT), there may be two options for NZC bitmap design. One design is to have a single NZC bitmap for each layer in all NZP CSI-RS resources (or TRPs). Another design option is to have a separate NZC bitmap for each layer of each NZP CSI-RS resource (or each TRP). 1) is selected individually for each NZP CSI-RS resource, so it is more reasonable to report one bitmap per layer for each NZP CSI-RS resource (i.e., TRP or TRP group). This is because: even if multiple NZP CSI-RS resources (i.e., TRP, TRP group) are configured, not all NZP CSI-RS resources are always good and used / recommended by the UE, and the reported linear combination matrix W 2 The coefficients associated with unused / unselected NZP CSI-RS resources in will have zero values. This can happen in many scenarios, for example, when the UE has much weaker links to some TRPs compared to other TRPs, or when different TRPs favor different transport layers (e.g., TRP 1 and TRP 2 are used for Layer 1, and TRP 2 and TRP 3 are used for Layer 2).

[0117] Furthermore, there is a maximum NNZC that can be reported, so the remaining unreported coefficients need to be set to zero. Since weak TRPs are usually associated with weak linear combination coefficients (LCCs), this further increases the likelihood that the UE will not select a weak TRP. Therefore, the W associated with an unused / unrecommended TRP is 2 The matrix (or if W 2 If it spans all TRPs, then it is W 2 Note that reporting of the NZC bitmap is the main contributor to overhead, second only to reporting the actual quantized NZCs (assuming that most NZCs are reported), so reporting the bitmap when the elements corresponding to it are all zero is a waste of uplink resources.

[0118] In some embodiments, assuming that when an eType II codebook is used for mTRP with CJT, a separate NZC bitmap (one NZC bitmap per NZP CSI-RS resource for each transport layer) is used to extract the NZC bitmap from the LCC matrix W 2 Then, each reported LCC matrix W 2 And the corresponding NZC bitmap is associated with the TRP and the transport layer.

[0119] In 3GPP TS 38.214 v17.2.0, Release 16e eType II NZC bitmap is indexed by To report / instruct, where ,in ,and

[0120] · is the layer index, where is the transmission rank.

[0121] · Is the SD base index

[0122] · is the FD base index, where is the number of selected FD basis vectors.

[0123] By introducing an index for each TRP / TRP group (ie, each CSI-RS resource), the above NZC bitmap for Release-16e Type II codebook for a single TRP can be extended to support TRP / TRP group (i.e., CSI-RS resources). Then, for the CSI-RS resources , the bitmap can be indexed To report / instruct, where ,in ,and

[0124] · is the layer index, where is the transmission rank

[0125] · Is related to CSI-RS resources the associated SD base index, and For CSI-RS resources The number of selected SD basis vectors

[0126] · Is related to CSI-RS resources and Layer the associated FD base index, and For CSI-RS resources and Layer The number of selected FD basis vectors

[0127] · is the index associated with the nth CSI-RS resource, and is the total number of CSI-RS resources.

[0128] Note that from the matrix W corresponding to a given NZP CSI-RS resource (or TRP) and a given transport layer 2 The LCC may be reported as a set of amplitude and phase coefficient indicators, where the number of indicators depends on the number of NZCs indicated by the bitmap corresponding to the given NZP CSI-RS resource (or TRP) and a given transport layer.

[0129] Some embodiments provide methods for enabling a UE to omit the NZC bitmap corresponding to one or more NZP CSI-RS resources (or TRPs) and / or transport layers to save CSI reporting overhead (if applicable).

[0130] An explicit indication may be used to indicate which NZC bitmap to report, where each NZC bitmap is associated with a CSI-RS resource and / or a transport layer.

[0131] Omit reporting of NZC bitmap based on NZP CSI-RS Resource Indicator (CRI)

[0132] In mTRP operation with CJT, each TRP or TRP group is associated with an NZP CSI-RS resource. When the UE does not select a configured TRP (i.e., NZP CSI-RS resource) (e.g., the configured TRP has a weak link to the served UE compared to other configured TRPs), then the UE may not select the TRP and not report the CRI associated with the unselected TRP to the network. Alternatively, in CSI Part 1, the CRI associated with the unselected TRP is indicated with a zero value. In this way, in the CSI reported to the gNB, the corresponding NZC bitmap is omitted in CSI Part 2 because the LCC matrix W associated with this TRP is not reported to the network. 2 Contains only zeros.

[0133] In one embodiment, the NZC bitmap associated with unselected NZP CSI-RS resources (i.e., TRP or TRP group) is not reported to the gNB.

[0134] In some embodiments, unselected NZP CSI-RS resources are identified from the reported CRI values ​​(eg, for the CRI corresponding to the first NZP CSI-RS resource, the reported value is 0).

[0135] Omit reporting of the NZC bitmap based on the selected SD basis vectors

[0136] In some cases, the gNB configures the total number of SD basis vectors for the UE. , and the UE is responsible for determining the number of selected SD basis vectors for each NZP CSI-RS resource (i.e., TRP or TRP group). The number of selected SD basis vectors is expressed as .Then, ,in, is the total number of configured NZP CSI-RS resources (i.e., TRPs or TRP groups). Note that if is configured as the maximum number of selected SD basis vectors for all NZP CSI-RS resources, then (That is, the number of SD basis vectors selected by the UE in all NZP CSI-RS resources may be less than the maximum number of selected SD basis vectors of all NZP CSI-RS resources).

[0137] It may happen that the SD basis vectors are only selected from a subset of the NZP CSI-RS resources, i.e. for some value, This may be because there are NZP CSI-RS resources (ie, TRP or TRP group) that have a weak link with the served UE, etc. The UE then does not report the corresponding bitmap.

[0138] In some embodiments, if the number of selected SD basis vectors for an NZP CSI-RS resource (ie, a TRP or a TRP group) is zero, then the associated bitmap for that NZP CSI-RS resource is not reported.

[0139] In some embodiments, the number of selected SD basis vectors for each TRP (i.e., ,in ) is reported to the gNB, and if , then the NZP CSI-RS resources are not reported The associated bitmap.

[0140] In some examples, the selected SD basis vectors are reported to the gNB in ​​a bitmap whose size is equal to the total number of configured NZP CSI-RS ports divided by two and then summed for all configured NZP CSI-RS resources. In the bitmap, a "1" indicates a selected SD basis vector, while a "0" indicates an unselected SD basis vector. If the total number of "1"s associated with an NZP CSI-RS resource is zero, then the bitmap associated with that NZP CSI-RS resource is not reported.

[0141] In some embodiments, the number of selected SD basis vectors is indicated in part 1 of the CSI report, while the associated bitmap of the NZP CSI-RS from which the SD basis vectors are selected is indicated in part 2 of the CSI report.

[0142] Omit reporting of the NZC bitmap based on the number of NZCs reported (NNZC)

[0143] The determination of whether to report the NZC bitmap may also be based on the reported NNZC.

[0144] One possible solution is to report the total NNZC per NZP CSI-RS resource, expressed as ,in, Is the NZP CSI-RS resource index. If the UE does not recommend TRP, it reports (e.g., in CSI part 1), and the corresponding bitmap is not reported in CSI part 2.

[0145] Another alternative is to report each NZP CSI-RS resource and the total NNZC for each layer, for example expressed as ,in, is the NZP CSI-RS resource index, and Is the layer index. If the UE does not recommend NZP CSI-RS resources for a certain layer, it reports (e.g., in CSI part 1), and the corresponding bitmap is not reported in CSI part 2.

[0146] Omit reporting of NZC bitmaps based on explicit indication of the use of bitmaps ("bitmap of bitmaps")

[0147] In some cases, the indication of the reported bitmap is only TRP specific, i.e., for each NZP CSI-RS resource. In one embodiment, a bitmap of size A bitmap to indicate the NZC bitmap reported by the UE, where is the number of TRPs selected by the UE. In an alternative embodiment, a bitmap of size N is used, where N is the number of CSI-RS resources configured by the gNB. In this way, a bitmap of length N can be used to select a subset of TRPs (i.e., a subset of CSI-RS resources out of N CSI-RS resources). In some embodiments, the bitmap of length N is reported as part of CSI Part 1.

[0148] For example, in the 3GPP specification, the bitmap for indicating the reported NZC bitmap may be reported / indicated by a new index, for example, the new index is represented as ,in, ,in .when When TRP (i.e., CSI-RS resources )'s associated NZC bitmap (i.e., ,in ) contains only zeros and is therefore not reported. The corresponding LCC shall be considered as zero and not reported by the UE as part of the CSI feedback.

[0149] In an alternative embodiment, the number of selected (or unselected) TRPs or NZP CSI-RS resources is reported in Part 1 of the CSI. The selected NZP CSI-RS resources or TRPs are indicated in Part 2 of the CSI (e.g., by This will reduce the payload size of Part 1 of the CSI at the expense of a slight increase in the payload size of Part 2 of the CSI. For example, for 4 NZP CSI-RS resources / TRPs configured, 2 bits are required, whereas when a bitmap is used in Part 1 of the CSI (e.g., ), then 4 bits are required. For reliable decoding, it is desirable that the payload size of Part 1 of the CSI is small.

[0150] In another embodiment, the total number of UE-selected SD basis vectors or beams across all TRP / NZP CSI-RS resources is reported in Part 1 of the CSI. The selected NZP CSI-RS resources or TRPs and the selected number of SD basis vectors associated with each selected TRP (i.e., ) is indicated in Section 2 of the CSI (e.g., by ).

[0151] In some other cases, the indication of the reported bitmap is both TRP-specific and layer-specific, i.e., for each NZP CSI-RS resource and for each layer. A bitmap to indicate the NZC bitmap reported by the UE, where is the maximum transmission rank configured by the gNB or supported or reported by the UE (i.e., known to the gNB before receiving CSI). ).

[0152] For example, in the 3GPP specification, it is used to indicate CSI-RS resources and Layer The bitmap of the reported NZC bitmap may be reported / indicated by a new index, for example, the new index is represented as ,in, ,in and .when ,in and When TRP (i.e., NZP CSI-RS resources ) and layer , the associated NZC bitmap (i.e., ) contains only zeros and is therefore not reported. The corresponding LCC shall be considered as zero and not reported as part of the CSI by the UE. Note that when hour, ,in and .

[0153] The bitmap above used to indicate the reported NZC bitmap (for TRP specific indications, , or for TRP-specific and layer-specific indications, ) is reported in CSI Part 1, and the NZC bitmap (i.e., },Apart from or The gNB can then use or To determine the report The payload size.

[0154] In an alternative embodiment, the total number of selected layers in all TRPs is reported in Part 1 of the CSI. The selected NZP CSI-RS resources or TRPs and the selected layers for each TRP are indicated in Part 2 of the CSI (e.g., by ). This will slightly reduce the payload size of Part 1 of the CSI at the expense of a slightly increased payload size of Part 2 of the CSI. For example, when 4 NZP CSI-RS resources / TRPs are configured and the maximum rank is 4, 4 bits are required to indicate the total number of layers in all TRPs (e.g., from 1 to 16), while by using a bitmap in Part 1 of the CSI (e.g., ), then 16 bits will be required.

[0155] gNB reconstructs the precoder

[0156] When the UE does not report the NZC bitmap, the gNB shall assume LCC All corresponding elements in the matrix are zero.

[0157] Figure 5 A method performed by a UE according to some embodiments is shown. Figure 5 The steps shown may be performed in the order and combination shown or in a different order or combination. The method includes receiving (block 502) an indication, configuration or other signaling of a plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources for channel measurement from a network. In response to the indication, the UE performs (block 504) channel measurement on the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources for channel measurement.

[0158] At block 805, the UE selects one or more NZP CSI-RS resources from the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources;

[0159] At block 806, the UE generates Type II CSI based on the channel measurement and the selected one or more NZP CSI-RS resources. The UE reports (block 508) the Type II CSI consisting of Part 1 and Part 2 to the network.

[0160] Figure 6 Shows that it can be used as Figure 5 The UE may include (block 506A) at least one of the following in CSI part 1 of the Type II CSI to generate a portion of a Type II CSI report in block 806 of the UE. For example, to generate the Type II CSI report, the UE may include (block 506A) in CSI part 1 of the Type II CSI: (a) an indicator of one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources in part 1, and / or (b) an indicator of one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources in part 1 having a first value (e.g., having a non-zero value) and an indicator of one or more unselected NZP CSI-RS resources having a second value (e.g., having a zero value). In some embodiments, the UE may include (block 506B) in part 2 of the Type II CSI a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources and omit the non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more unselected NZP CSI-RS resources in part 2 of the Type II CSI. In some embodiments, the UE may include (block 506C) non-zero coefficients reported via a set of amplitude and phase indicators corresponding to the non-zero coefficients indicated by each non-zero coefficient bitmap included in part 2 of the Type II CSI.

[0161] Figure 6 The steps shown may be performed in the order and combination shown or in a different order or combination.

[0162] An indicator of one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources is included in part 1 of the Type II CSI report, and a non-zero coefficient bitmap is included in part 2 of the Type II CSI report.

[0163] Part 2 of the Type II CSI report may omit the non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to unselected NZP CSI-RS resources among the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources.

[0164] The non-zero coefficients indicated by the non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources can be reported in the Type II CSI report via a set of amplitude and phase indicators, which corresponds to the non-zero coefficients indicated by each non-zero coefficient bitmap included in the Type II CSI report.

[0165] Part 1 of the Type II CSI report also includes a rank indicator (RI) and / or a channel quality indicator (CQI).The indicator of the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources may include a NZP CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI).

[0166] The indicator of the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources may include a number of selected spatial domain (SD) basis vectors for each NZP CSI-RS resource.

[0167] The indicator of the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources may include a number of non-zero coefficients indicated for each of the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources.

[0168] The indicator of the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources may also indicate the number of transmission layers associated with the selected NZP CSI-RS resources.

[0169] In some embodiments, the one or more indicators of the selected NZP CSI-RS resources may include a first indicator indicating that a first NZP CSI-RS resource is selected for a first transmission layer, and / or a second indicator indicating that a first NZP CSI-RS resource is selected for a second transmission layer, and / or a third indicator indicating that a second NZP CSI-RS resource is selected for the first transmission layer, and / or a fourth indicator indicating that a second NZP CSI-RS resource is selected for the second transmission layer.

[0170] For each indicator indicating selection of one NZP CSI-RS resource and one transmission layer, the Type II CSI report may include one non-zero coefficient bitmap.

[0171] Each non-zero coefficient may be indicated via a set of amplitude and phase indicators.

[0172] Each NZP CSI-RS resource may represent a transmit / receive point (TRP).

[0173] An indicator of the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources may be provided in a bitmap indicating a non-zero coefficient bitmap included in part 2 of a Type II CSI report.

[0174] A bitmap for indicating a non-zero coefficient bitmap may be included in part 1 of a Type II CSI report, and a non-zero coefficient bitmap may be included in part 2 of a Type II CSI report.

[0175] Each bit in the bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap may be associated with a configured NZP CSI-RS resource.

[0176] Each bit in the bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap associated with the selected NZP CSI-RS resource may indicate one non-zero coefficient bitmap for each transmission layer.

[0177] In some embodiments, each bit in the bitmap used to indicate the non-zero coefficient bitmap associated with the selected NZP CSI-RS resource n may correspond to v different non-zero coefficient bitmaps i. （1,7,l,n） (l=1, 2…v), where v is the transmission rank, l is the transmission layer index, and i （1,7,l,n） is the non-zero coefficient bitmap associated with the selected NZP CSI-RS resource n and transmission layer l.

[0178] For each indicator indicating selection of one NZP CSI-RS resource and one transmission layer, the Type II CSI report may include one non-zero coefficient bitmap.

[0179] The non-zero coefficients indicated by each non-zero coefficient bitmap may be indicated via a set of amplitude and phase indicators.

[0180] Type II CSI reports may include non-zero coefficients.

[0181] The non-zero coefficients may be reported in a Type II CSI report via a set of amplitude and phase indicators corresponding to the non-zero coefficients indicated by each non-zero coefficient bitmap included in the Type II CSI report.

[0182] Figure 7 A method performed by a network node according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 7 The steps shown may be performed in the order and combination shown or in a different order. The network node sends (block 702) an indication of a plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources for channel measurement to a UE. The network node receives (block 704) a CSI report based on the channel measurement of the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources. The CSI report includes an indicator of one or more NZP CSI-RS resources selected by the UE and a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources.

[0183] The CSI report may be a type II CSI report including a non-zero coefficient bitmap based on channel measurement and a bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap included in the type II CSI report.

[0184] When the UE does not report an NZC bitmap, the network node assumes (block 705) that the LCC W 2 All corresponding elements in the matrix are zero.

[0185] The network node selects a precoding matrix based on the Type II CSI report (block 706) and sends a signal to the UE using the selected precoding matrix (block 708).

[0186] The Type II CSI report may include a non-zero coefficient bitmap based on channel measurement and a bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap included in the Type II CSI report.

[0187] A bitmap for indicating a non-zero coefficient bitmap may be included in part 1 of a Type II CSI report, and a non-zero coefficient bitmap may be included in part 2 of a Type II CSI report.

[0188] Part 1 of the Type II CSI report may include RI and / or CQI.

[0189] Each bit in the bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap may be associated with a configured NZP CSI-RS resource.

[0190] Each bit in the bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap associated with the selected NZP CSI-RS resource may indicate one non-zero coefficient bitmap for each transmission layer.

[0191] Each bit in the bitmap used to indicate the non-zero coefficient bitmap associated with the selected NZP CSI-RS resource n can be associated with v different non-zero coefficient bitmaps i （1,7,l,n） (l=1, 2…v), where v is the transmission rank, l is the transmission layer index, and i （1,7,l,n） is the non-zero coefficient bitmap associated with the selected NZP CSI-RS resource n and transmission layer l.

[0192] For each indicator indicating selection of one NZP CSI-RS resource and one transmission layer, the Type II CSI report may include one non-zero coefficient bitmap, and the Type II CSI report may omit the non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to each indicator indicating that one NZP CSI-RS resource and one transmission layer are not selected.

[0193] The non-zero coefficients indicated by each non-zero coefficient bitmap may be indicated via a set of amplitude and phase indicators.

[0194] Type II CSI reports may include non-zero coefficients.

[0195] The non-zero coefficients may be reported in a Type II CSI report via a set of amplitude and phase indicators corresponding to the non-zero coefficients indicated by each non-zero coefficient bitmap included in the Type II CSI report.

[0196] Each NZP CSI-RS resource may represent a TRP.

[0197] Figure 8 An example of a communication system 800 is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0198] In this example, the communication system 800 includes: a telecommunications network 802, including an access network 804 such as a radio access network (RAN); and a core network 806, including one or more core network nodes 808. The access network 804 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 810a and 810b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 810), or any other similar 3GPP access nodes or non-3GPP access points. The network node 810 facilitates direct or indirect connection of UEs, such as connecting UE 812a, UE 812b, UE 812c, and UE 812d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UE 812) to the core network 806 via one or more wireless connections.

[0199] Example wireless communications via wireless connections include sending and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for transmitting information without using wiring, cables, or other material conductors. In addition, in different embodiments, the communication system 800 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that can facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals (whether via a wired connection or via a wireless connection). The communication system 800 may include any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar types of systems, and / or be connected to any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar types of system interfaces.

[0200] UE 812 may be any of a variety of communication devices, including wireless devices that are arranged, configured and / or operable to wirelessly communicate with network node 810 and other communication devices. Similarly, network node 810 is arranged, capable, configured and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with UE 812 and / or with other network nodes or devices in telecommunication network 802 to enable and / or provide network access (e.g., wireless network access) and / or to perform other functions (e.g., management) in telecommunication network 802.

[0201] In the depicted example, the core network 806 connects the network node 810 to one or more hosts (such as the host 816). These connections may be direct connections or indirect connections via one or more intermediate networks or devices. In other examples, the network node may be directly coupled to the host. The core network 806 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 808) composed of hardware and software components. The features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UE, the network node, and / or the host, so that their descriptions are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 808. The example core network node includes the functions of one or more of the following items: a mobile switching center (MSC), a mobility management entity (MME), a home subscriber server (HSS), an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), an authentication server function (AUSF), a subscription identifier cancellation function (SIDF), a unified data management (UDM), a security edge protection agent (SEPP), a network open function (NEF), and / or a user plane function (UPF).

[0202] The host 816 may be owned or under the control of a service provider other than the operator or provider of the access network 804 and / or the telecommunications network 802, and may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. The host 816 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include real-time and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services (e.g., retrieving and compiling data about various environmental conditions detected by multiple UEs), analysis functions, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for alarm and monitoring centers, or any other such functions performed by a server.

[0203] As a whole, Figure 8 The communication system 800 enables connections between UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In this sense, the communication system can be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures such as specific standards, including but not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standards (e.g., 6G); Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard (WiFi); and / or any other suitable wireless communication standards, such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0204] In some examples, the telecommunication network 802 is a cellular network implementing 3GPP standardized features. Therefore, the telecommunication network 802 can support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices connected to the telecommunication network 802. For example, the telecommunication network 802 can provide ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or providing massive machine type communication (mMTC) / massive IoT services to yet other UEs.

[0205] In some examples, UE 812 is configured to send and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, the UE may be designed to send information to the access network 804 according to a predetermined schedule when triggered by an internal or external event or in response to a request from the access network 804. In addition, the UE may be configured to operate in a single RAT mode or a multi-RAT mode or a multi-standard mode. For example, the UE may operate using any one or a combination of Wi-Fi, NR, and LTE, i.e., be configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio-Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0206] In this example, the hub 814 communicates with the access network 804 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 812c and / or UE 812d) and a network node (e.g., network node 810b). In some examples, the hub 814 may be a controller, a router, a content source and an analyzer, or any other communication device described herein with respect to the UE. For example, the hub 814 may be a broadband router that enables the UE to access the core network 806. As another example, the hub 814 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators of the UE. The commands or instructions may be received from the UE, the network node 810, or received through executable code, scripts, processes, or other instructions in the hub 814. As another example, the hub 814 may be a data collector that acts as a temporary storage device for UE data, and in some embodiments, analysis or other processing of the data may be performed. As another example, the center 814 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, speaker, or other media delivery device, the hub 814 can retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, and then the hub 814 provides it directly to the UE after performing local processing and / or after adding additional local content. In yet another example, the hub 814 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UE, especially if one or more of the UEs are low-energy IoT devices.

[0207] The hub 814 may have a continuous / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 810b. The hub 814 may also allow different communication schemes and / or scheduling between the hub 814 and the UE (e.g., UE 812c and / or UE 812d) and between the hub 814 and the core network 806. In other examples, the hub 814 is connected to the core network 806 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. In addition, the hub 814 may be configured to be connected to an M2M service provider via the access network 804, and / or to another UE via a direct connection. In some scenarios, the UE may establish a wireless connection with the network node 810 while still being connected via a wired or wireless connection through the hub 814. In some embodiments, the hub 814 may be a dedicated hub, i.e., a hub whose main function is to route communications from the network node 810b to the UE / route communications from the UE to the network node 810b. In other embodiments, the hub 814 may be a non-dedicated hub, ie, a device operable to route communications between the UE and the network node 810b but additionally capable of operating as a communications origin and / or endpoint for certain data channels.

[0208] Fig. 9 A UE 900 according to some embodiments is shown. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable of, configured, arranged and / or operable to wirelessly communicate with a network node and / or other UEs. Examples of UEs include, but are not limited to, smart phones, mobile phones, cellular phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, game consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback devices, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablet computers, laptop computers, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop-mounted devices (LMEs), smart devices, wireless client equipment (CPEs), vehicle-mounted or vehicle-embedded / integrated wireless devices, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by 3GPP, including narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UEs, machine type communication (MTC) UEs, and / or enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs.

[0209] The UE may, for example, support device-to-device (D2D) communications by implementing 3GPP standards for sidelink communications, dedicated short-range communications (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, the UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the associated device. Alternatively, the UE may represent a device that is intended to be sold to or operated by a human user but may not or may not initially be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, the UE may represent a device that is not intended to be sold to or operated by an end user but may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0210] UE 900 includes a processing circuit 902 that is operably coupled to an input / output interface 906, a power supply 908, a memory 910, a communication interface 912, and / or any other components or any combination thereof via a bus 904. Some UEs may utilize Fig. 9 All or a subset of the components shown. The level of integration between components may vary from UE to UE. In addition, some UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0211] The processing circuit 902 is configured to process instructions and data, and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operable to execute instructions stored in the memory 910 as a machine-readable computer program. The processing circuit 902 may be implemented as: one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., implemented in discrete logic, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors (e.g., microprocessors or digital signal processors (DSPs)) together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuit 902 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0212] In an example, the input / output interface 906 may be configured to provide one or more interfaces to an input device, an output device, or one or more input and / or output devices.

[0213] In a specific embodiment, the UE 900 is configured to: receive an indication of a plurality of non-zero power (NZP) channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources for channel measurement from a network node, and perform channel measurement on the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources. The UE 900 selects one or more NZP CSI-RS resources from the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources, and generates a CSI report based on the channel measurement and the selected one or more NZP CSI-RS resources. The CSI report includes an indicator of the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources, and a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources. The UE 900 sends the CSI report to the network.

[0214] In some embodiments, the power supply 908 is configured as a battery or a battery pack. Other types of power supplies may be used, such as an external power supply (e.g., a power socket), a photovoltaic device, or a battery. The power supply 908 may also include a power supply circuit for delivering power from the power supply 908 itself and / or an external power supply to various parts of the UE 900 via an input circuit or an interface such as a power cable. The delivered power may be used, for example, for charging the power supply 908. The power supply circuit may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modification on the power from the power supply 908 so that the power is suitable for the corresponding components of the UE 900 to which the power is supplied.

[0215] The memory 910 may be or be configured to include a memory such as a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable EPROM (EEPROM), a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a hard disk, a removable tape, a flash drive, etc. In one example, the memory 910 includes one or more application programs 914, such as an operating system, a web browser application, a widget, a gadget engine, or other applications, and corresponding data 916. The memory 910 may store any of a variety of operating systems or a combination of operating systems used by the UE 900.

[0216] The memory 910 may be configured to include a plurality of physical drive units, such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), a flash memory, a USB flash drive, an external hard drive, a thumb drive, a pen drive, a key drive, a high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical drive, a built-in hard drive, a Blu-ray optical drive, a holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical drive, an external mini dual in-line memory module (DIMM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), an external micro DIMM SDRAM, a smart card memory (e.g., a tamper-proof module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC), including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as USIM and / or ISIM), other memories, or any combination thereof. The UICC may be, for example, an embedded UICC (eUICC), an integrated UICC (iUICC), or a removable UICC commonly referred to as a “SIM card”. The memory 910 may allow the UE 900 to access instructions, applications, etc. stored on a temporary or non-temporary storage medium to offload data or upload data. An article of manufacture, such as an article of manufacture utilizing a communication system, may be tangibly embodied as or in memory 910, which may be or include a device-readable storage medium.

[0217] The processing circuit 902 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using a communication interface 912. The communication interface 912 may include one or more communication subsystems and may include an antenna 922 or be communicatively coupled to the antenna 922. The communication interface 912 may include one or more transceivers for communication (such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network)). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 918 and / or a receiver 920 suitable for providing network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocation, etc.). In addition, the transmitter 918 and the receiver 920 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 922) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or may be implemented separately as an alternative.

[0218] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functionality of the communication interface 912 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth, near field communication, location-based communication (e.g., using a global positioning system (GPS) to determine location), another type of communication functionality, or any combination thereof. Communication may be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards (e.g., IEEE 802.11, code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, new radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / Internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical network (SONET), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), QUIC, hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), etc.).

[0219] Regardless of the type of sensor, the UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensor through its communication interface 912 via a wireless connection to a network node. The data captured by the UE's sensor may be transmitted via another UE via a wireless connection to a network node. The output may be periodic (e.g., every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to balance the load of reports from several sensors), in response to a trigger event (e.g., sending an alarm when humidity is detected), in response to a request (e.g., a user-initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0220] When the UE is in the form of an IoT device, the UE can be a device used in one or more application areas, including but not limited to urban wearable technology, extended industrial applications, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such IoT devices are the following devices or devices embedded in the following devices: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, and any kind of medical device (such as a heart rate monitor or a remote-controlled surgical robot, etc.). In addition to the Fig. 9 In addition to the other components depicted in the illustrated UE 900 , a UE in the form of an IoT device may include circuitry and / or software depending on the intended application of the IoT device.

[0221] As yet another specific example, in an IoT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement and sends the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another UE and / or a network node. In this case, the UE may be an M2M device, which may be referred to as an MTC device in the 3GPP context. As a specific example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle (e.g., a car, bus, truck, ship, and airplane) or other device that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting its operating status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0222] In fact, for a single use case, any number of UEs may be used together. For example, a first UE may be a drone or integrated in a drone and provide the drone's speed information (obtained via a speed sensor) to a second UE, which is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone's speed. The first UE and / or the second UE may also include more than one of the above functions. For example, a UE may include a sensor and an actuator and handle data communications for both the speed sensor and the actuator.

[0223] Fig.10 A network node 1000 according to some embodiments is shown. As used herein, a network node refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or devices in a telecommunications network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, eNBs, and gNBs).

[0224] Base stations may be classified based on the amount of coverage they provide (or in other words, their transmit power level), and thus may be referred to as femto, pico, micro or macro base stations, depending on the amount of coverage provided. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node that controls a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station, such as a centralized digital unit and / or a remote radio unit (RRU), sometimes referred to as a remote radio head (RRH). These remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna-integrated radio. Portions of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0225] Other examples of network nodes include a multi-transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access node, a multi-standard radio (MSR) device (e.g., an MSR BS), a network controller (e.g., a radio network controller (RNC) or a base station controller (BSC)), a base transceiver station (BTS), a transmission point, a transmission node, a multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), an operation and maintenance (O&M) node, an operation support system (OSS) node, a self-organizing network (SON) node, a positioning node (e.g., an evolved serving mobile location center (E-SMLC)), and / or a minimization of drive tests (MDT).

[0226] The network node 1000 includes a processing circuit 1002, a memory 1004, a communication interface 1006, and a power supply 1008. The network node 1000 may be composed of multiple physically separated components (e.g., NB components and RNC components, BTS components and BSC components, etc.), which may have their own corresponding components. In certain scenarios where the network node 1000 includes multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more separate components may be shared between several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NBs. In such a scenario, each unique "NB and RNC pair" may be considered as a single separate network node in some cases. In some embodiments, the network node 1000 may be configured to support multiple RATs. In such an embodiment, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 1004 exists for different RATs), and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 1010 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 1000 may also include multiple sets of the various components shown for different wireless technologies (e.g., GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, radio frequency identification (RFID), or Bluetooth wireless technologies) integrated into the network node 1000. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets and other components within the network node 1000.

[0227] The processing circuit 1002 may include a combination of one or more of the following: a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic that is operable to provide network node 1000 functionality alone or in combination with other network node 1000 components (e.g., memory 1004).

[0228] In a particular embodiment, the network node 1000 sends an indication of a plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources for channel measurement to a user equipment, and receives a CSI report based on the channel measurement of the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources. In response to determining that the CSI report does not include a non-zero coefficient bitmap for a first NZP CSI-RS resource in the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources, a corresponding element in a linear combination coefficient (LCC) matrix of the network node may be assumed to be zero. The network node selects a precoding matrix for transmission to the UE based on the CSI report, and sends a signal to the UE using the selected precoding matrix.

[0229] In some embodiments, the processing circuit 1002 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuit 1002 includes one or more of a radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 1012 and a baseband processing circuit 1014. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 1012 and the baseband processing circuit 1014 may be on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units (e.g., a radio unit and a digital unit). In alternative embodiments, part or all of the RF transceiver circuit 1012 and the baseband processing circuit 1014 may be on the same chip or chipset, board, or unit set.

[0230] The memory 1004 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including but not limited to permanent storage devices, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, RAM, ROM, mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drive, compact disk (CD) or digital video disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile memory or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data and / or instructions that can be used by the processing circuit 1002. The memory 1004 may store any suitable instructions, data or information, including computer programs, software, applications including one or more of logic, rules, codes, tables, and / or other instructions that can be executed by the processing circuit 1002 and used by the network node 1000. The memory 1004 may be used to store any calculations performed by the processing circuit 1002 and / or any data received via the communication interface 1006. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 1002 and the memory 1004 are integrated together.

[0231] The communication interface 1006 is used for wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network nodes, access networks and / or UEs. As shown, the communication interface 1006 includes a port / terminal 1016 for, for example, sending data to the network and receiving data from the network via a wired connection. The communication interface 1006 also includes a radio front-end circuit 1018, which can be coupled to the antenna 1010, or in some embodiments, coupled to a part of the antenna 1010. The radio front-end circuit 1018 includes a filter 1020 and an amplifier 1022. The radio front-end circuit 1018 can be connected to the antenna 1010 and the processing circuit 1002. The radio front-end circuit can be configured to adjust the signal transmitted between the antenna 1010 and the processing circuit 1002. The radio front-end circuit 1018 can receive digital data to be sent to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuit 1018 can use a combination of a filter 1020 and / or an amplifier 1022 to convert the digital data into a radio signal with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signal can then be sent via the antenna 1010. Similarly, when data is received, antenna 1010 may collect the radio signal, which may then be converted to digital data by radio front end circuit 1018. The digital data may be passed to processing circuit 1002. In other embodiments, the communication interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0232] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 1000 does not include a separate radio front end circuit 1018, instead the processing circuit 1002 includes the radio front end circuit and is connected to the antenna 1010. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuit 1012 is part of the communication interface 1006. In yet another embodiment, the communication interface 1006 includes one or more ports or terminals 1016, the radio front end circuit 1018, and the RF transceiver circuit 1012 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 1006 communicates with a baseband processing circuit 1014 that is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0233] Antenna 1010 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna 1010 may be coupled to radio front end circuit 1018 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly sending and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, antenna 1010 is separate from network node 1000 and may be connected to network node 1000 via an interface or port.

[0234] Antenna 1010, communication interface 1006 and / or processing circuit 1002 may be configured to perform any receiving operation and / or certain obtaining operations performed by a network node as described herein. Any information, data and / or signal may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network device. Similarly, antenna 1010, communication interface 1006 and / or processing circuit 1002 may be configured to perform any sending operation performed by a network node as described herein. Any information, data and / or signal may be sent to a UE, another network node and / or any other network device.

[0235] The power supply 1008 provides power to the various components of the network node 1000 in a form suitable for the various components (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required by each corresponding component). The power supply 1008 may also include power management circuitry or be coupled to a power management circuitry to supply power to the components of the network node 1000 for performing the functions described herein. For example, the network node 1000 may be connected to an external power source (e.g., a power grid, a power outlet) via an input circuit or interface (e.g., a cable), whereby the external power source supplies power to the power circuit of the power supply 1008. As another example, the power supply 1008 may include a power source in the form of a battery or a battery pack, which is connected to the power circuit or integrated in the power circuit. If the external power source fails, the battery can provide backup power.

[0236] Embodiments of network node 1000 may include beyond Fig.10 Additional components to the components shown are used to provide certain aspects of the functionality of the network node (including any functionality described herein and / or any functionality required to support the subject matter described herein). For example, the network node 1000 may include a user interface device to allow information to be input into the network node 1000 and to allow information to be output from the network node 1000. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other management functions for the network node 1000.

[0237] Fig.11 is a block diagram of a host 1100 according to various aspects described herein, which host 1100 may be Fig.10 1016 of the embodiment of the host. As used herein, the host 1100 can be or include various combinations of hardware and / or software (including processing resources in a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, a container, or a server cluster). The host 1100 can provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0238] The host 1100 includes a processing circuit 1102, which is operably coupled to an input / output interface 1106, a network interface 1108, a power supply 1110, and a memory 1112 via a bus 1104. Other components may be included in other embodiments. The features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the previous figures (e.g., Fig.11 and Fig.12 ) so that its description is generally applicable to corresponding components of the host 1100.

[0239] The memory 1112 may include one or more computer programs, including data 1116 and one or more host applications 1114, which may include user data, such as data generated by a UE for the host 1100, or data generated by the host 1100 for the UE. An embodiment of the host 1100 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application 1114 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for a variety of different categories, types, or implementations of UE (e.g., mobile phones, desktop computers, wearable display systems, head-up display systems). The host application 1114 may also provide user authentication and permission checks, and may periodically report health status, routing, and content availability to a central node (such as a device in a core network or a device on the edge of a core network). Thus, the host 1100 can select and / or indicate to the UE a different host for an over-the-top service. The host application 1114 can support various protocols, such as HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0240] Fig.121200 is a block diagram showing a virtualized environment 1200 in which the functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In this context, virtualization means creating a virtual version of an apparatus or device that may include a virtualized hardware platform, storage device, and network resources. As used herein, virtualization may be applied to any device or component thereof described herein, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functions are implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs), which are implemented in one or more virtual environments 1200 hosted by one or more of a hardware node (e.g., a hardware computing device operating as a network node, UE, core network node, or host). In addition, in an embodiment where a virtual node does not require a radio connection (e.g., a core network node or host), the node may be fully virtualized.

[0241] Application 1202 (which may alternatively be referred to as a software instance, a virtual application, a network function, a virtual node, a virtual network function, etc.) operates in a virtualized environment Q400 to implement some features, functions, and / or benefits of some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0242] Hardware 1204 includes processing circuitry, memory storing software and / or instructions that can be executed by the hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices described herein (such as network interfaces, input / output interfaces, etc.). Software can be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1206 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1208a and VMs 1208b (one or more of which can be generally referred to as VMs 1208), and / or perform any functions, features, and / or benefits described in connection with some embodiments described herein. Virtualization layer 1206 can present a virtual operating platform to VMs 1208 that looks like network hardware.

[0243] The VM 1208 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networks or interfaces, and virtual storage, and can be operated by a corresponding virtualization layer 1206. Different embodiments of instances of virtual devices 1202 can be implemented on one or more VMs 1208, and these embodiments can be made in different ways. In some contexts, virtualization of hardware is referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV can be used to unify numerous network device types onto industry standard high-capacity server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage that can be located in data centers and customer premises equipment (CPE).

[0244] In the context of NFV, VM 1208 can be a software implementation of a physical machine whose operating program is executed as if it were executed on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each VM 1208 and the hardware portion of hardware 1204 that executes the VM (whether it is hardware dedicated to the VM and / or hardware shared by the VM with other VMs) form a separate virtual network element. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling a specific network function that operates in one or more VMs 1208 on top of hardware 1204 and corresponds to an application 1202.

[0245] The hardware 1204 may be implemented in a standalone network node with general or specific components. The hardware 1204 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, the hardware 1204 may be part of a larger hardware cluster (e.g., in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed by management and orchestration 1210, which oversees, among other things, the lifecycle management of the application 1202. In some embodiments, the hardware 1204 is coupled to one or more radio units, each of which includes one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. The radio unit may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces, and may be used in conjunction with virtual components to provide radio capabilities to virtual nodes (e.g., radio access nodes or base stations). In some embodiments, some signaling may be provided by using a control system 1212, which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0246] Fig.13 A communication diagram is shown in which a host 1302 communicates with a UE 1306 via a network node 1304 over a partially wireless connection according to some embodiments. Fig.13 Describe the UE discussed in the previous paragraphs (e.g., Fig.10 UE 1012a and / or Fig.11 UE 1100), network node (e.g., Fig.10 The network node 1010a and / or Fig.12 network node 1200) and a host (e.g., Fig.10 Host 1016 and / or Fig.13 An example implementation of a host 1300 according to various embodiments.

[0247] Similar to the host 1300, an embodiment of the host 1302 includes hardware, such as a communication interface, a processing circuit, and a memory. The host 1302 also includes software that is stored in the host 1302 or can be accessed by the host 1302 and can be executed by the processing circuit. The software includes a host application that is operable to provide services to a remote user, such as a UE 1306 connected via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1350 extending between the UE 1306 and the host 1302. In providing services to the remote user, the host application can provide user data sent using the OTT connection 1350.

[0248] Network node 1304 includes hardware that enables it to communicate with host 1302 and UE 1306. Connection 1360 can be a direct connection or through a core network (such as Fig.10 The core network 1006 of the present invention) and / or one or more other intermediate networks (eg, one or more public, private, or managed networks). For example, the intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0249] UE 1306 includes hardware and software that is stored in or accessible by UE 1306 and can be executed by the processing circuitry of the UE. The software includes a client application (e.g., a web browser or an operator-specific "app") that is operable to provide services to a human or non-human user via UE 1306 with the support of host 1302. In host 1302, an executing host application can communicate with an executing client application via an OTT connection 1350, which terminates at UE 1306 and host 1302. When providing services to a user, the client application of the UE can receive request data from the host application of the host and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1350 can send both request data and user data. The client application of the UE can interact with the user to generate user data that is provided to the host application via the OTT connection 1350.

[0250] The OTT connection 1350 may extend via a connection 1360 between the host 1302 and the network node 1304 and via a wireless connection 1370 between the network node 1304 and the UE 1306 to provide connectivity between the host 1302 and the UE 1306. The connection 1360 and the wireless connection 1370 through which the OTT connection 1350 may be provided have been drawn abstractly to illustrate communications between the host 1302 and the UE 1306 via the network node 1304 without explicitly involving any intermediate devices and the precise routing of messages via those devices.

[0251] As an example of sending data via OTT connection 1350, in step 1308, host 1302 provides user data, which can be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a specific human user who interacts with UE 1306. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with UE 1306, which shares data with host 1302 without explicit human interaction. In step 1310, host 1302 initiates a transmission to UE 1306, the transmission carrying the user data. Host 1302 may initiate the transmission in response to a request sent by UE 1306. The request may be caused by human interaction with UE 1306 or by operation of a client application executed on UE 1306. According to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, the transmission may be transmitted via network node 1304. Therefore, in step 1312, according to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, network node 1304 sends the user data carried in the transmission initiated by host 1302 to UE 1306. In step 1314 , UE 1306 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executing on UE 1306 that is associated with a host application executed by host 1302 .

[0252] In some examples, UE 1306 executes a client application that provides user data to host 1302. User data may be provided as a reaction or response to data received from host 1302. Therefore, in step 1316, UE 1306 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. When providing user data, the client application may also consider user input received from a user via an input / output interface of UE 1306. Regardless of the specific manner in which user data is provided, in step 1318, UE 1306 initiates a transmission of user data to host 1302 via network node 1304. In step 1320, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, network node 1304 receives user data from UE 1306 and initiates sending the received user data to host 1302. In step 1322, host 1302 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by UE 1306.

[0253] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to UE 1306 using OTT connection 1350, in which wireless connection 1370 forms the final part. More specifically, the teachings of these embodiments can reduce the CSI reporting overhead of coherent joint downlink transmission, thereby providing benefits such as increased network capacity and reduced latency.

[0254] In an example scenario, host 1302 may collect and analyze plant status information. As another example, host 1302 may process audio and video data that may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating a map. As another example, host 1302 may collect and analyze real-time data to help control vehicle congestion (e.g., control traffic lights). As another example, host 1302 may store surveillance videos uploaded by a UE. As another example, host 1302 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR, or AR, which may be broadcast, multicast, or unicast to a UE. As other examples, host 1302 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time-critical electrical loads to balance power generation demand, positioning services, presentation services (e.g., compiling charts based on data collected from remote devices, etc.), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing, and / or sending data.

[0255] In some examples, a measurement process may be provided for monitoring data rate, latency, and other factors that are the object of improvement of one or more embodiments. There may also be an optional network function for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1350 between the host 1302 and the UE 1306 in response to changes in the measurement results. The measurement process and / or the network function for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in the software and hardware of the host 1302 and / or the UE 1306. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in other devices through which the OTT connection 1350 passes, or associated with the other devices; the sensors may participate in the measurement process by providing the values ​​of the monitoring quantities exemplified above or providing the values ​​of other physical quantities from which the software can calculate or estimate the monitoring quantities. The reconfiguration of the OTT connection 1350 may include message formats, retransmission settings, preferred routes, etc.; the reconfiguration does not require direct changes to the operation of the network node 1304. Such processes and functions may be known and practiced in the art. In some embodiments, the measurement may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates the host 1302 to measure throughput, propagation time, latency, etc. Measurements may be made by software using the OTT connection 1350 to send messages (particularly empty or "dummy" messages) while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0256] Although the computing devices (e.g., UE, network node, host) described herein may include a combination of the hardware components shown, other embodiments may include computing devices with different combinations of components. It should be understood that these computing devices may include any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. The determination, calculation, acquisition, or similar operations described herein may be performed by a processing circuit, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information to other information, comparing the obtained information or the converted information with the information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or the converted information, and making a determination based on the result of the processing. In addition, although the components are depicted as a single box located within a larger box or nested within multiple boxes, in fact, the computing device may include multiple different physical components constituting a single illustrated component, and the functions may be divided between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any component described herein, and / or the functions of the components may be divided between the processing circuit and the communication interface. In another example, the non-computationally intensive functions of any such component may be implemented in software or firmware, and the computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0257] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein may be provided by a processing circuit that executes instructions stored in a memory, which in some embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by a processing circuit, for example, in a hardwired manner, without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium. In any of these specific embodiments, the processing circuit may be configured to perform the described functions, regardless of whether instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium are executed. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to separate processing circuits or to other components of a computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole and / or are generally enjoyed by end users and wireless networks.

Claims

1. A method performed by a user equipment UE, comprising: receiving (502) from a network node an indication of a plurality of non-zero power NZP channel state information reference signal CSI-RS resources for channel measurement; performing (504) channel measurement on the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources; selecting (505) one or more NZP CSI-RS resources from the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources; generating (506) a channel state information (CSI) report based on the channel measurement and the selected one or more NZP CSI-RS resources, wherein the CSI report comprises: an indicator of the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources, and a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources; and The CSI report is sent (508) to the network.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The indicator of the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources is included in part 1 of the CSI report, and the non-zero coefficient bitmap is included in part 2 of the CSI report.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The indicator of the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources is a bitmap comprising a plurality of bits, wherein each bit in the bitmap is associated with one of the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources, wherein if a bit in the bitmap is set to one value, the corresponding NZP CSI-RS resource is selected, and wherein if a bit in the bitmap is set to another value, the corresponding NZP CSI-RS resource is not selected.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The non-zero coefficients indicated by the non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources are reported in the CSI report via a set of amplitude and phase indicators corresponding to the non-zero coefficients indicated by each non-zero coefficient bitmap included in the CSI report.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: Part 1 of the CSI report also includes a rank indicator and / or a channel quality indicator CQI.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The indicator of the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources comprises an NZP CSI-RS resource indicator CRI, each NZP CRI being associated with one of the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources, wherein if the NZP CRI is reported, the corresponding NZP CSI-RS resource is selected.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The indicator of the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources comprises a number of selected spatial domain SD basis vectors for each of the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources, wherein if the number of selected spatial domain SD basis vectors is non-zero, the corresponding NZP CSI-RS resource is selected.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The indicator of the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources comprises a number of non-zero coefficients indicated for each of the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources, wherein if the number of non-zero coefficients is non-zero, the corresponding NZP CSI-RS resource is selected.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The indicator of the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources further indicates a number of transmission layers associated with the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The indicator of the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources comprises a bitmap, wherein each bit in the bitmap is associated with one of the multiple NZP CSI-RS resources and one of the maximum number of transmission layers, wherein if a bit is set to a value, the non-zero coefficient bitmap of the corresponding NZP CSI-RS resource and transmission layer is included in the CSI report.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: Each bit of the non-zero coefficient bitmap is associated with a coefficient, and if a bit in the bitmap is set to a value, the corresponding coefficient is reported in the CSI report, wherein each reported coefficient or non-zero coefficient includes an amplitude and a phase indicator.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein: Each NZP CSI-RS resource represents a transmission / reception point TRP.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The indicator of the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources comprises a bitmap indicating a non-zero coefficient bitmap included in part 2 of the CSI report.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein: A bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap is included in part 1 of the CSI report.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein: Each bit in the bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap is associated with a configured NZP CSI-RS resource and a transmission layer.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein: Each bit in the bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap is associated with a non-zero coefficient bitmap for one of the maximum number of transmission layers and one of the multiple NZP CSI-RS resources, wherein if the bit in the bitmap is set to a value, the corresponding non-zero coefficient bitmap is included in the CSI report.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein: For each indicator indicating selection of one NZP CSI-RS resource and one transmission layer, the CSI report includes one non-zero coefficient bitmap.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein: The non-zero coefficients are reported in the CSI report via a set of amplitude and phase indicators corresponding to the non-zero coefficients indicated by each non-zero coefficient bitmap included in the CSI report.

19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein: The CSI report includes a Type II CSI report.

20. A user equipment (900), comprising: Processing circuit (902); a communication interface (912), coupled to the processing circuit; as well as A memory (910) coupled to the processing circuit, wherein the memory comprises computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the processing circuit, cause the user equipment to perform operations according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

21. A non-transitory medium comprising computer-readable program instructions which, when executed by a processing circuit of a user device, cause the user device to perform the operations of any one of claims 1 to 19.

22. A method performed by a network node, comprising: Sending (702) an indication of a plurality of non-zero power NZP channel state information reference signal CSI-RS resources for channel measurement to a user equipment UE; as well as A CSI report based on channel measurement of the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources is received (704), wherein the CSI report comprises an indicator of one or more NZP CSI-RS resources selected by the UE and a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein: The CSI report includes a bitmap for indicating a non-zero coefficient bitmap included in the CSI report.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein: A bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap is included in part 1 of the CSI report, and the non-zero coefficient bitmap is included in part 2 of the CSI report.

25. The method according to claim 23 or 24, wherein: A bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap comprises a plurality of bits, wherein each bit in the bitmap is associated with one of the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources, wherein if the bit in the bitmap is set to one value, the corresponding NZP CSI-RS resource is selected, and if the bit in the bitmap is set to another value, the corresponding NZP CSI-RS resource is not selected.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein: Part 1 of the CSI report includes a rank indicator and / or a channel quality indicator CQI.

27. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 26, wherein: Each bit in the bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap is associated with a configured NZP CSI-RS resource and a transmission layer.

28. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 27, wherein: Each bit associated with the selected NZP CSI-RS resource in the bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap indicates one non-zero coefficient bitmap for each transmission layer.

29. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 29, wherein: Each bit of the non-zero coefficient bitmap is associated with a coefficient, and if a bit in the bitmap is set to a value, the corresponding coefficient is reported in the CSI report, wherein each reported coefficient or non-zero coefficient includes an amplitude and a phase indicator.

30. The method according to any one of claims 22 to 29, wherein: The non-zero coefficients are reported in the CSI report via a set of amplitude and phase indicators corresponding to the non-zero coefficients indicated by each non-zero coefficient bitmap included in the CSI report.

31. The method according to any one of claims 22 to 30, wherein: Each NZP CSI-RS resource represents a transmission / reception point TRP.

32. The method according to any one of claims 22 to 31, further comprising: In response to determining that the CSI report does not include a non-zero coefficient bitmap for a first NZP CSI-RS resource in the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources, assuming (705) that a corresponding element in a linear combination coefficient LCC matrix is ​​zero; selecting (706) a precoding matrix for transmission to the UE based on the CSI report; as well as A signal is sent (708) to the UE using the selected precoding matrix.

33. The method according to any one of claims 22 to 32, wherein: The CSI report includes a Type II CSI report.

34. A network node (1000), comprising: Processing circuit (1002); a communication interface (1006), coupled to the processing circuit; as well as A memory (1004) coupled to the processing circuit, wherein the memory comprises computer readable instructions which, when executed by the processing circuit, cause the network node to perform operations according to any one of claims 22 to 33.

35. A non-transitory medium comprising computer readable program instructions which, when executed by processing circuitry of a network node, cause the network node to perform operations according to any one of claims 22 to 33.

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