Beam reporting based on user equipment grouping

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, apparatuses, and methods, including computer programs encoded on a storage medium, for UE packet-based beam reporting are described herein. A first UE (102a) receives (312, 612, 912) a beam quality report of a second UE (102b) and detects (314, 914) from the beam quality report whether a first beam quality based on a beam measurement at the first UE (102a) and a second beam quality at the second UE (102b) meet a packet criterion. Based on the detection (314, 914), the first UE (102a) sends an indication (310a / 610a, 316 / 916) to a network entity (104) that the first UE (102a) and the second UE (102b) belong to a group of UEs, the group of UEs providing (320) to the network entity (104) a single beam report for UEs in the group of UEs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to user equipment (UE) grouping based beam reporting. Background Art

[0002] The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has specified a radio interface called Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR) (5G NR). The architecture of a 5G NR wireless communication system includes the 5G Core (5GC) network, the 5G Radio Access Network (5G-RAN), and user equipment (UE). Compared to previous generation cellular communication systems, the 5G NR architecture aims to provide increased data rates, reduced latency, and / or increased capacity.

[0003] Wireless communication systems can generally be configured to provide various telecommunication services (e.g., telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasting, etc.) based on multiple access technologies (such as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)) that support communication with multiple UEs. The advancement of mobile broadband continues the development of such wireless communication technologies. For example, a UE can measure beams from a base station to select / identify the strongest beam for communication with the base station. However, when multiple UEs independently perform beam measurements and report to the base station, signaling overhead and power consumption costs can be high. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects. This summary does not identify key or critical elements of all aspects, nor does it delineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that will be presented later.

[0005] A network entity (NE) (such as a base station or a unit of a base station) can communicate with a user equipment (UE) using beams from among beams that the NE can transmit. The NE can indicate to the UE a set of channel measurement resources (CMRs) for the UE to measure beams of the NE, thereby selecting / identifying one or more optimal beams from the UE's perspective for the NE to use for communication with the UE. The UE can select / identify a beam based on the measured quality of beams in the beam set. The UE sends a beam report to the network entity, indicating the measured beam quality of the optimal beam for communication with the UE.

[0006] Conventionally, each UE communicating with a network entity independently performs beam measurement and reports to the network entity. The network entity then informs the UE, for example by sending a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI), of the beam it will use for upcoming communications. However, multiple UEs (e.g., UEs with the same or similar trajectories and orientations, such as those located in the same vehicle) may have the same optimal network beam. Consequently, multiple UEs may form a UE group, where the UEs in the UE group receive communications from the NE via the same beam. In such cases, by having only one UE in the UE group perform beam measurement and reporting, signaling overhead and power consumption for the UEs in the UE group can be reduced.

[0007] Before a network entity can include a UE in a UE group, the NE or UE must determine / indicate whether the beam measured by the UE meets the criteria for the UE to join the UE group. The UEs can coordinate with each other to determine which UE will indicate to the network entity whether the beam measured by the UE meets the criteria for the UE group. The network entity determines whether the beam quality measured by the UE meets the UE grouping criteria based on a beam report received from one of the UEs. If so, the network entity can group the UE into a UE group, where one UE in the group can perform UE group-based beam reporting to the network entity for the entire UE group.

[0008] According to some aspects, a UE receives a beam quality report for a second UE and detects, based on the beam quality report, whether a first beam quality measured based on a beam at the first UE and a second beam quality at the second UE meet a grouping criterion. Based on the detection, the UE sends an indication to a network entity that the first UE and the second UE belong to a UE group, and the UE group provides a single beam report for the UEs in the UE group to the network entity.

[0009] According to some aspects, a network entity receives an indication from a UE that the UE meets grouping criteria for being in a UE group that provides the network entity with single beam reports for the UEs in the UE group. In response to receiving the indication, the network entity sends control signaling including information for adjusting the UE group. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 A diagram of a wireless communication system including a plurality of user equipments (UEs) and network entities communicating through one or more cells is shown.

[0011] Figure 2A-2C A diagram showing beam reporting based on UE groups is shown.

[0012] Figure 3A-3B A signaling diagram for UE group beam reporting based on network assistance information is shown.

[0013] Figure 4 A flow chart of a wireless communication method for grouping UEs based on network assistance information at a UE is shown.

[0014] Figure 5 A flow chart of a wireless communication method for grouping UEs based on network assistance information at a network entity is shown.

[0015] Figure 6A-6B A signaling diagram for UE group beam reporting based on coordination among UEs using beam reporting information is shown.

[0016] Figure 7 A flow chart of a wireless communication method for UE grouping based on UE coordination of beam reporting information at a UE is shown.

[0017] Figure 8 A flow chart of a wireless communication method for UE grouping based on UE coordination of beam reporting information at a network entity is shown.

[0018] Figure 9A-9B A signaling diagram for UE group beam reporting based on coordination among UEs via beam measurements is shown.

[0019] Figure 10 A flow chart of a wireless communication method at a UE for UE grouping based on UE coordination of beam measurements is shown.

[0020] Figure 11 A flow chart of a wireless communication method for UE grouping based on UE coordination based on beam measurement at a network entity is shown.

[0021] Figure 12 Flowchart of a wireless communication method for UE group-based beam reporting at a UE.

[0022] Figure 13 Flowchart of a wireless communication method for UE group-based beam reporting at a network entity.

[0023] Figure 14 is a diagram illustrating a hardware implementation for an example UE equipment.

[0024] Figure 15 is a diagram illustrating a hardware implementation for one or more example network entities. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Figure 1Figure 100 shows a wireless communication system associated with multiple cells 190. The wireless communication system includes a user equipment (UE) 102 and a base station / network entity 104. Some base stations may include a converged base station architecture, while other base stations may include a disaggregated base station architecture. The converged base station architecture includes a radio unit (RU) 106, a distributed unit (DU) 108, and a centralized unit (CU) 110, which are configured to utilize a radio protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single radio access network (RAN) node. The disaggregated base station architecture utilizes a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed between two or more units (e.g., RU 106, DU 108, CU 110). For example, CU 110 is implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs 108 may be co-located with CU 110, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed in one or more other RAN nodes. DU 108 may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs 106. Each of the RU 106, DU 108, and CU 110 may be implemented as a virtual unit, such as a virtual radio unit (VRU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual central unit (VCU). The base station / network entity 104 (e.g., a converged base station or a disaggregated unit of a base station, such as the RU 106, DU 108, or CU 110) may be referred to as a transmit-receive point (TRP).

[0026] The operation and / or network design of the base station 104 can be based on the aggregated nature of base station functions. For example, a disaggregated base station architecture is utilized in an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (O-RAN) network, or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN) (which may also be referred to as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN)). Decomposition can include distributing functions between two or more units located at various physical locations, as well as virtually distributing the functions of at least one unit, which can achieve flexibility in network design. Various units of the disaggregated base station architecture or disaggregated RAN architecture can be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit. For example, the base station 104a / 104e and / or the RUs 106a, 106b, 106c, 106d can communicate with the UEs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, and 102s via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links based on the Uu interface. In an example, multiple RUs 106 and / or base stations 104 can simultaneously serve a UE 102 , such as via intra-cell and / or inter-cell access links between the UE 102 and the RUs 106 / base stations 104 .

[0027] RU 106, DU 108, and CU 110 may include (or may be coupled to) one or more interfaces configured to send or receive information / signals via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Base station 104 or any of the one or more decomposed base station units may be configured to communicate with one or more other base stations 104 or one or more other decomposed base station units via a wired or wireless transmission medium. In an example, a processor, memory, and / or controller associated with executable instructions of the interface may be configured to provide communication between base stations 104 and / or one or more decomposed base station units via a wired or wireless transmission medium. For example, a wired interface may be configured to send or receive information / signals via a wired transmission medium, such as via a fronthaul link 160 between RU 106d and a baseband unit (BBU) 112 of base station 104d associated with cell 190d. The BBU 112 includes the DU 108 and the CU 110, and may also have a wired interface (e.g., a midhaul link) configured between the DU 108 and the CU 110 to transmit or receive information / signals between the DU 108d and the CU 110d. In a further example, a wireless interface, which may include a receiver, a transmitter, or a transceiver (such as an RF transceiver), may be configured to transmit and / or receive information / signals via a wireless transmission medium, such as information transmitted between the RU 106a of the cell 190a and the base station 104e of the cell 190e via the cross-cell communication beams 136-138 of the RU 106a and the base station 104e.

[0028] The RU 106 may be configured to implement low-level functions. For example, the RU 106 is controlled by the DU 108 and may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions or low-level PHY functions, such as performing fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc. The functions of the RU 106 may be based on functional division, such as low-level functional division.

[0029] RU 106 (such as RU 106c of cell 190c) can communicate with UE 102 (such as UE 102c) via an access link or via over-the-air (OTA) communication with one or more UEs 102. For example, RU 106b of cell 190b communicates with UE 102b of cell 190b via a first communication beam set 132 of RU 106b and a second communication beam set 134b of UE 102b, which may correspond to inter-cell communication beams or, in some examples, cross-cell communication beams. For example, UE 102b of cell 190b can communicate with RU 106a of cell 190a via a third communication beam set 134a of UE 102b and a fourth communication beam set 136 of RU 106a. Both real-time and non-real-time features of control and user plane communications of RU 106 can be controlled by an associated DU 108.

[0030] Any combination of RU 106, DU 108, and CU 110, or any reference to any of them individually, may correspond to base station 104. Thus, base station 104 may include at least one of RU 106, DU 108, or CU 110. Base station 104 provides UE 102 with access to the core network. Base station 104 may relay communications between UE 102 and the core network. Base station 104 may be associated with a macro cell of a high-power cellular base station and / or a small cell of a low-power cellular base station. For example, cell 190e may correspond to a macro cell, while cells 190a-190d may correspond to small cells. Small cells include femto cells, pico cells, micro cells, and the like. A cell structure including at least one macro cell and at least one small cell may be referred to as a "heterogeneous network."

[0031] Transmissions from a UE 102 to a base station 104 / RU 106 are referred to as uplink (UL) transmissions, while transmissions from a base station 104 / RU 106 to a UE 102 are referred to as downlink (DL) transmissions. Uplink transmissions may also be referred to as reverse link transmissions, while downlink transmissions may also be referred to as forward link transmissions. For example, RU 106 d utilizes an antenna of base station 104 d in cell 190 d to transmit downlink / forward link communications to UE 102 d or receive uplink / reverse link communications from UE 102 d over a Uu interface associated with an access link between UE 102 d and base station 104 d / RU 106 d.

[0032] The communication link between the UE 102 and the base station 104 / RU 106 can be based on multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link can be associated with one or more carriers. The UE 102 and the base station 104 / RU 106 can utilize a spectrum bandwidth of Y MHz (e.g., 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, 20 MHz, 100 MHz, 400 MHz, 800 MHz, 1600 MHz, 2000 MHz, etc.) per carrier, allocated in a carrier aggregation of up to a total of Yx MHz, with x component carriers (CCs) used for communication in each of the uplink and downlink directions. The carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other along the spectrum. In an example, uplink and downlink carriers may be allocated in an asymmetric manner, with more or fewer carriers allocated for the uplink or downlink. The component carriers may include a primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. The primary component carrier may be associated with a primary cell (PCell), and the secondary component carrier may be associated with a secondary cell (SCell).

[0033] Some UEs 102 (such as UEs 102a and 102s) can perform device-to-device (D2D) communication via a sidelink. For example, the sidelink communication / D2D link utilizes the spectrum of a wireless wide area network (WWAN) associated with uplink and downlink communications. The sidelink communication / D2D link can also use one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), and / or a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) to transmit information between UEs 102a and 102s. Such sidelink / D2D communication can be performed via various wireless communication systems, such as wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems, Bluetooth systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, new radio (NR) systems, and the like.

[0034] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into different categories, bands, channels, etc. based on the different frequencies / wavelengths associated with the electromagnetic spectrum. Fifth-generation (5G) NR is typically associated with two operating frequency bands (FRs), referred to as Frequency Range 1 (FR1) and Frequency Range 2 (FR2). FR1 ranges from 410 MHz to 7.125 GHz, and FR2 ranges from 24.25 GHz to 71.0 GHz, including FR2-1 (24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz) and FR2-2 (52.6 GHz to 71.0 GHz). Although a portion of FR1 is actually greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often referred to as the "sub-6 GHz" band. In contrast, FR2 is often referred to as the "millimeter wave" (mmW) band. FR2 is distinct from the "extremely high frequency" (EHF) band, but is a close subset of it. The EHF band ranges from 30 GHz to 300 GHz and is sometimes also referred to as the "millimeter wave" band. Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are often referred to as "mid-band" frequencies. The operating band for mid-band frequencies may be referred to as Frequency Range 3 (FR3), which ranges from 7.125 GHz to 24.25 GHz. Frequency bands within FR3 may include characteristics of FR1 and / or FR2. Thus, the features of FR1 and / or FR2 may be extended to mid-band frequencies. Higher operating bands have been identified to extend 5G NR communications above the 52.6 GHz associated with the upper limit of FR2. Three of these higher operating bands include FR2-2 (ranging from 52.6 GHz to 71.0 GHz), FR4 (ranging from 71.0 GHz to 114.25 GHz), and FR5 (ranging from 114.25 GHz to 300 GHz). The upper limit of FR5 corresponds to the upper limit of the EHF band. Therefore, unless otherwise expressly stated herein, the term "sub-6 GHz" may refer to frequencies less than 6 GHz, frequencies within FR1, or frequencies that may include mid-band frequencies. Further, unless otherwise expressly stated herein, the term "millimeter wave" or mmW may refer to frequencies that may include mid-band frequencies, frequencies that may be within FR2-1, FR4, FR2-2, and / or FR5, or frequencies that may be within the EHF band.

[0035] UE 102 and base station 104 / RU 106 may each include multiple antennas. The multiple antennas may correspond to antenna elements, antenna panels, and / or antenna arrays that may facilitate beamforming operations. For example, RU 106b may transmit downlink beamformed signals to UE 102b based on a first communication beam set 132 in one or more transmit directions of RU 106b. UE 102b may receive downlink beamformed signals from RU 106b based on a second communication beam set 134b in one or more receive directions of UE 102b. In a further example, UE 102b may also transmit uplink beamformed signals to RU 106b based on a second communication beam set 134b in one or more transmit directions of UE 102b. RU 106b may receive uplink beamformed signals from UE 102b in one or more receive directions of RU 106b.

[0036] UE 102b may perform beam training to determine optimal receive and transmit directions for beamformed signals. The transmit and receive directions of UE 102 and base station 104 / RU 106 may be the same or different. In a further example, beamformed signals may be transmitted between a first base station / RU 106a and a second base station 104e. For example, base station 104e of cell 190e may transmit beamformed signals to RU 106a based on communication beam 138 in one or more transmit directions of base station 104e. RU 106a may receive beamformed signals from base station 104e of cell 190e based on RU communication beam 136 in one or more receive directions of RU 106a. In a further example, base station 104e transmits downlink beamformed signals to UE 102e based on communication beam 138 in one or more transmit directions of base station 104e. The UE 102e receives downlink beamformed signals from the base station 104e in one or more receive directions of the UE 102e based on the UE communication beam 130. The UE 102e may also transmit uplink beamformed signals to the base station 104e in one or more transmit directions of the UE 102e based on the UE communication beam 130, so that the base station 104e can receive the uplink beamformed signals from the UE 102e in one or more receive directions of the base station 104e.

[0037] The base station 104 may include and / or be referred to as a network entity. That is, a “network entity” may refer to the base station 104 or at least one unit of the base station 104, such as the RU 106, the DU 108, and / or the CU 110. The base station 104 may also include and / or be referred to as a next-generation evolved Node B (ng-eNB), a first-generation NB (gNB), an evolved NB (eNB), an access point, a base transceiver station, a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), a TRP, a network node, a network device, or other related terms. The base station 104 or an entity at the base station 104 may be implemented as an IAB node, a relay node, a sidelink node, a converged (monolithic) base station having the RU 106 and the BBU 112 including the DU 108 and the CU 110, or as a decomposed base station including one or more RUs 106, DUs 108, and / or CUs 110. A converged or disaggregated set of base stations may be referred to as a next generation radio access network (NG-RAN). In some examples, UE 102a operates in dual connectivity (DC) with base station 104e and base station / RU 106a. In such a case, base station 104e may be a primary node, and base station / RU 160a may be a secondary node.

[0038] Still refer to Figure 1 In certain aspects, any of the UEs 102 may include a UE group reporting component 140 configured to: receive a beam quality report for a second UE; detect, based on the beam quality report, whether a first beam quality based on a beam measurement at the first UE and a second beam quality at the second UE meet a grouping criterion; and based on the detection, send an indication to a network entity that the first UE and the second UE belong to a UE group that provides a single beam report for the UEs in the UE group to the network entity.

[0039] In certain aspects, any one of the base stations 104 or a network entity of the base station 104 may include a UE group configuration component 150, which is configured to: receive an indication from a UE that the UE meets the grouping criteria for being in a UE group, and the UE group provides a single beam report for the UEs in the UE group to the network entity; and in response to receiving the indication, send control signaling including information for adjusting the UE group.

[0040] therefore, Figure 1 A wireless communication system is described that can incorporate aspects of one or more of the other figures described herein (such as Figure 2A-2CFurther, although the following description may focus on 5G NR, the concepts described herein may be applicable to other similar areas, such as 5G-Advanced and future versions, LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), and other wireless technologies such as 6G.

[0041] Figure 2A-2C Figures 200-240 illustrate beam reporting based on UE groups. The cell radius / coverage area of ​​a network entity 104 (such as a base station) can be based on a link budget. "Link budget" refers to the accumulation of total gains and losses in the system, which provides a received signal level at a receiver such as UE 102. The receiver can compare the received signal level to the receiver sensitivity to determine whether the channel provides at least a minimum signal strength for signals transmitted between the receiver and the transmitter (e.g., UE 102 and network entity 104).

[0042] To increase the link budget, the network entity 104 and the UE 102 may perform simulated beamforming operations to activate a beam pair with increased signal strength. Both the network entity 104 and the UE 102 maintain multiple beams that can be used for the beam pair. A beam pair with reduced coupling loss may result in increased coverage gain for the network entity 104 and the UE 102. "Coupling loss" refers to a reduction in path loss / power density between a first antenna of the network entity 104 and a second antenna of the UE 102 and may be expressed in decibels (dB). The beam selection process for the beam pair activated by the network entity 104 and the UE 102 may be associated with one or more of a beam measurement operation, a beam measurement report, or a beam indication process.

[0043] The conventional beam reporting process is UE-specific. That is, each UE 102 communicating with the network entity 104 performs an independent beam measurement and reporting process with the network entity 104. The network entity 104 can then select a beam for the UE 102 via transmission configuration indicator (TCI) update signaling. However, some UEs 102a, 102b, 102c may share the same or similar trajectories. For example, the UEs 102a, 102b, 102c may be located in the same vehicle and may be in close proximity to each other. Therefore, if the UEs 102a, 102b, 102c also have the same orientation, the best (e.g., strongest) network beam for the UEs 102a, 102b, 102c may be the same. That is, as a result of the directional antennas included in UE 102, even if UEs 102a, 102b, 102c share the same or similar trajectories, the best / strongest network beam for UEs 102a, 102b, 102c may be different when their orientations are different. For example, UEs 102a, 102b, 102c may be located in the same car / vehicle and therefore share the same trajectory. However, UE 102c may have a different orientation than UEs 102a-102b. In a further example, another UE 102d may be located outside the car / vehicle and therefore have a different trajectory than UEs 102a-102c located inside the car / vehicle.

[0044] UEs 102a-102b that share the same trajectory and orientation can communicate with the network entity 104 using a common network beam. Consequently, the UEs 102a-102b do not have to perform independent beam measurement and reporting procedures with the network entity 104 because one of the UEs 102a-102b can perform beam measurement and reporting for both UEs 102a-102b, which can be considered a UE group. Independent beam measurement and reporting by the UEs 102a-102b results in increased overhead and UE power consumption at a UE (e.g., UE 102b) that would otherwise avoid performing such measurement and reporting if included in a UE group with a group leader UE that performs measurement and reporting for the entire UE group.

[0045] Before UE 102 can measure and report beam quality for the entire UE group, UE 102 may have to determine whether other UEs in the UE group have or are expected to have the same or similar trajectory and orientation as UE 102 that is performing measurements and reporting to network entity 104, or more specifically, whether other UEs in the UE group have or are expected to have the same best / strongest network beam. Therefore, a UE group monitoring procedure may be implemented to determine whether other UEs are part of the beam reporting group with the measuring / reporting UE.

[0046] In the first example, if Figure 2A As shown in FIG. 200 , beam reporting for a UE group is implemented based on network assistance information. The network entity 104 receives 210a a beam report from a second UE 102b and relays 212a the beam report to the first UE 102a. The first UE 102a may be monitoring a UE group. Therefore, after receiving the relayed beam report 212a from the network entity 104, the first UE 102a may determine whether the second UE 102b shares a common best network beam with the UEs in the UE group.

[0047] In the second example, if Figure 2B 220 , beam reporting for a UE group is implemented based on coordination among UEs 102a-102b using beam reporting information. The second UE 102b sends 214b a beam report to the first UE 102a. In some implementations, the second UE 102b sends 214b the beam report to the first UE 102a via a dedicated signal. In other implementations, the second UE 102b sends the beam report via a signal that is also received 210b by the network entity 104, which may then provide relay support for the first UE 102a and / or use additional information received from the first UE 102a to confirm the UE grouping. If the second UE 102b sends 214b the beam report to the first UE 102a using dedicated signaling, the first UE 102a determines whether the second UE 102b shares a common best network beam with the UEs in the UE group.

[0048] In the third example, Figure 2CAs shown in FIG240 , beam reporting for a UE group is implemented based on coordination among UEs 102a-102b via beam measurement. In some implementations, a second UE 102b sends 213c a request to a first UE 102a to send 214c a measured beam quality report back to the second UE 102b, or the second UE 102b may freely receive 214c the measured beam quality report from the first UE 102a (e.g., without sending a request to the first UE 102a). The second UE 102b sends 210c a beam report to the network entity 104 based on receiving 214c the measured beam quality report from the first UE 102a and the measured beam quality of the second UE 102b. In other implementations, the first UE 102a receives 214c the indicated beam quality report by the second UE 102b and, in response, sends 214c the measured beam report of the first UE 102a back to the second UE 102b, which sends 210c a beam report for the UE group to the network entity 104. In both implementations, the beam report includes the coordinated beam measurements of the first UE 102a and the second UE 102b.

[0049] The network entity 104 may semi-statically or dynamically configure / instruct one of the first UE 102a or the second UE 102b to send a beam report and configure / instruct the other UE to perform UE group detection. The network entity 104 may send radio resource control (RRC) signaling or a media access control-control element (MAC-CE) for semi-static configuration of the UEs 102 within the UE group, or the network entity 104 may send downlink control information (DCI) for dynamic configuration of the UEs 102 within the UE group. In some examples, the UE group may include more than two UEs.

[0050] UE group-based beam reporting can reduce signaling overhead and power consumption by UE 102. Sending a single UE group-based beam report for all UEs in the UE group reduces beam reporting overhead for other UEs in the UE group, which can improve overall system performance. UEs in the UE group that do not send (send / ransmit) beam reports can experience power savings due to the power that would otherwise be consumed for independent beam measurement and reporting by UE 102. Figure 2A-2C An example technique for sending beam reports for a group of UEs to a network entity is shown. Figure 3A-3B 、 Figure 6A-6B and Figure 9A-9B A method for grouping UEs to perform respective Figure 2A 、 Figure 2B and Figure 2CThe signaling process of the example technology is described.

[0051] Figure 3A-3B Signaling diagrams 300-350 for UE group beam reporting based on network assistance information are shown. A first UE 102a may report 302 UE capabilities for UE group beam reporting based on the network assistance information to the network entity 104. In other implementations, the network entity 104 may receive the UE capabilities from a core network (e.g., an access and mobility management function (AMF)) or from a second network entity. The UE capabilities may indicate whether the UE supports UE group beam reporting and / or the maximum number of beams indicated for the network assistance information procedure (e.g., four different control signals from the network entity 104).

[0052] The network entity 104 sends 304a-304b control signaling to a first UE 102a and a second UE 102b for a beam reporting configuration (e.g., a channel state information (CSI)-ReportConfig) for a channel measurement resource (CMR) set 308. The control signaling sent 304a to the first UE 102a may include UE grouping criteria for a group of UEs that receive the same network beam from the network entity 104. In some implementations, a flag may be indicated in the control signaling to enable UE group-based beam reporting. The UE grouping criteria may indicate a threshold for the first UE 102a to determine 314 whether both UEs 102a-102b meet the UE group-based beam reporting criteria. The threshold may be a Layer 1 Reference Signal Received Power (L1-RSRP) threshold, a Layer 1 Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio (L1-SINR) threshold, an L1-RSRP offset threshold, or an L1-SINR offset threshold. The thresholds may be predefined (e.g., the L1-RSRP threshold may be predefined as -120 dBm, the L1-SINR threshold may be predefined as 0 dB, and the L1-RSRP offset threshold and the L1-SINR offset threshold may be predefined as 9 dB). In some implementations, the network entity 104 may configure two thresholds, wherein a first threshold is used for joining a UE group and a second threshold is used for leaving a UE group.

[0053] The control signaling sent 304a to the first UE 102a may indicate a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) for the first UE 102a to receive 312 network assistance information. If the network entity 104 does not configure an RNTI, the first UE 102a may receive the network assistance information control signaling based on a cell RNTI (C-RNTI). The network entity 104 may configure the same RNTI for UEs in the same UE group to provide multicast-based network assistance information. In an example, the network entity 104 sends the configuration 304a-304b to the first UE 102a and the second UE 102b via RRC signaling. The RRC signaling may indicate an RRCReconfiguration message or a System Information Block (SIB) from the network entity 104 to the UEs 102a-102b, where the SIB may be a traditional type of SIB (e.g., SIB1) sent by the network entity 104 or a different SIB (e.g., SIB J, where J corresponds to an integer greater than 21). The RRC signaling may also include a CSI-ReportConfig. The RRC signaling may indicate the CMR set 308 for beam measurement and the parameters for determination 314 of the UE grouping criteria.

[0054] The network entity 104 may send 306b a trigger indication for beam reporting based on the CMR set 308 to the second UE 102b. The trigger indication may be sent 306b via control signaling via MAC-CE or DCI. For example, the network entity 104 may trigger 306b a semi-persistent beam report via MAC-CE and trigger 306b an aperiodic beam report via DCI. The second UE 102b may send 310b a beam report based on the CMR set 308 to the network entity 104.

[0055] After receiving 310b the beam report from the second UE 102b, the network entity 104 sends 312 to the first UE 102a additional control signaling indicating the beam quality reported by the second UE 102b for the CMR set 308. Based on the beam quality information relayed from the second UE 102b to the first UE 102a by the network entity 104, the first UE 102a determines 314 whether both the UEs 102a-102b meet the UE grouping criteria for UE group-based beam reporting. That is, the first UE 102a determines 314 whether the measured beam quality for the CMR set 308 by the first UE 102a and the indicated beam quality for the CMR set 308 by the second UE 102b meet the UE grouping criteria.

[0056] The first UE 102a sends 316, 310a a report to the network entity 104 based on the determination 314 of the UE grouping criteria. For example, in diagram 300, the first UE 102a sends 316 a UE status report indicating whether the UE grouping criteria are met. In diagram 350, the first UE 102a sends 310a a beam report for the measured CMR set to the network entity 104. The network entity 104 may send 306a a second trigger indication for the beam report to the first UE 102a, and in response to the trigger indication, the first UE 102a sends 310a a beam report to the network entity 104, so that the network entity 104 can determine whether the UE grouping criteria are met. The configuration may include an indicator that enables the first UE 102a to determine whether to send 310a the beam report.

[0057] If the UE grouping criteria are not met, the first UE 102a may not send the beam report to the network entity 104. That is, if the UE grouping criteria are not met, the first UE 102a may refrain from sending the beam report regardless of whether the network entity 104 sends 306a the second triggering indication for the beam report. Otherwise, if the UE grouping criteria are met, when the beam report is triggered 306a by the network entity 104, the first UE 102a may send 310a the beam report. In diagram 300, if the UE grouping criteria are not met, the first UE 102a may similarly refrain from sending 316 the UE status report to the network entity 104, but may send 316 the UE status report to the network entity 104 when the UE grouping criteria are met.

[0058] The configuration sent 304a to the first UE 102a may include a first counter N1 for leaving the UE group and a second counter N2 for joining the UE group. If the number of consecutively detected negative UE grouping instances is greater than N1, the first UE 102a may determine to leave the UE group. If the number of consecutively detected positive UE grouping instances is greater than N2, the first UE 102a may determine to join the UE group. In some examples, parameters such as N1=1 and / or N2=2 may be predefined for the first UE 102a. If the network entity 104 determines that the UE grouping criteria are not met based on the reported (non) reception 310a / 316, or if the first UE 102a sends 310a / 316 a report indicating a negative status for UE grouping, the network entity 104 may send 318 UE group update signaling to the first UE 102a to update the UE group (e.g., UE joins the UE group or leaves the UE group).

[0059] The network entity 104 may transmit 312 network assistance information control signaling via a MAC-CE, which may correspond to a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) associated with the C-RNTI. The network entity 104 may relay 312 the beam report from the second UE 102b to the first UE 102a along with the CMR index and / or corresponding L1-RSRP / L1-SINR received 310b from the second UE 102b. In other implementations, the network entity 104 transmits 312 a subset of beams from the reported beams to the first UE 102a. For example, the network entity 104 transmits beams based on N received CMR indices and / or corresponding L1-RSRP / L1-SINRs, where N may be predefined (e.g., N=1) or configured 304a-304b by the network entity 104 (e.g., via RRC signaling or MAC-CE). If the network entity 104 configures 304a multiple beam reporting configurations for the first UE 102a, the network entity 104 may further indicate a CMR set index or a beam reporting configuration identifier (ID), such as CSI-ReportConfigId, via a MAC-CE. If the network entity 104 configures 304a multiple serving cells for the first UE 102a, the network entity 104 may indicate a serving cell index via a MAC-CE. If the network entity 104 configures 304a multiple bandwidth parts (BWPs) for the first UE 102a, the network entity 104 may indicate a BWP index via a MAC-CE.

[0060] The network assistance information control signaling sent 312 to the first UE 102a via MAC-CE may correspond to a PDSCH associated with an RNTI. The RNTI may be indicated in the configuration for the first UE 102a or may be predefined. The network entity 104 may configure the RNTI for the UE group to support multicast MAC-CE-based beam reporting indication. The network entity 104 may further configure resources for the PDSCH (e.g., time and frequency domain resources, modulation and coding scheme (MCS), demodulation reference signal (DMRS) ports, etc.). In other implementations, the network entity 104 may send DCI scheduling the PDSCH, wherein the network entity 104 sends a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) with the DCI based on the configured RNTI. The network entity 104 may send the PDCCH in a common search space (CSS) (e.g., Type 3-CSS). The network entity 104 may also send 312 network assistance information control signaling via DCI based on the PDCCH associated with the C-RNTI. In an example, the network entity 104 sends the PDCCH in the CSS or UE-specific search space (USS).

[0061] The first UE 102a may determine 314 whether the UE grouping criteria is met based on a beam quality offset between the beam quality measured by the first UE 102a and the indicated beam quality (e.g., reported 310b by the second UE 102b and relayed to the first UE 102a by the network entity 104) for one or more beams. If the maximum beam quality offset for the indicated beam is below a threshold (e.g., 9 dB), the first UE 102a may determine 314 that the UE grouping criteria is met. If the maximum beam quality offset for the indicated beam is greater than or equal to the threshold (e.g., 9 dB), the first UE 102a may determine 314 that the UE grouping criteria is not met. In other implementations, the first UE 102a may determine 314 that the UE grouping criteria is met if the minimum beam quality offset, average beam quality offset, best beam, or worst beam of the indicated beam is below a threshold, and that the UE grouping criteria is not met if the minimum beam quality offset, average beam quality offset, best beam, or worst beam of the indicated beam is greater than or equal to the threshold. "Best beam" refers to the beam with the highest indicated beam quality (e.g., highest L1-RSRP or highest L1-SINR). "Worst beam" refers to the beam with the lowest indicated beam quality (e.g., lowest L1-RSRP or lowest L1-SINR). The first UE 102a may calculate the average beam quality offset based on a linear averaging technique or a dB domain averaging technique. The first UE 102a may determine 314 whether the UE grouping criteria has changed from met to not met based on the first UE 102a continuously detecting more than N1 negative UE grouping instances. The first UE 102a may also determine 314 whether the UE grouping criteria has changed from not satisfied to satisfied based on the first UE 102a continuously detecting more than N2 positive UE grouping instances.

[0062] The first UE 102a may further determine 314 UE grouping based on beam quality measured by the first UE 102a for at least one beam, which is also indicated 312 in control signaling from the network entity 104. For example, if the maximum measured beam quality of the indicated beam is greater than a threshold, the first UE 102a determines 314 that the UE grouping criteria is met. The threshold may be configured 304a-304b by the network entity 104 or predefined (e.g., L1-RSRP of -100dBm or L1-SINR of 0 dB). If the maximum measured beam quality for the indicated beam is less than or equal to the threshold, the first UE 102a may determine 314 that the UE grouping criteria is not met. In other implementations, if the minimum measured beam quality of the indicated beam, the average measured beam quality, the measured beam quality of the best beam, or the measured beam quality of the worst beam is greater than a threshold, the first UE 102a determines 314 that the UE grouping criteria are met, and if the minimum measured beam quality of the indicated beam, the average measured beam quality, the measured beam quality of the best beam, or the measured beam quality of the worst beam is less than or equal to the threshold, the first UE 102a determines 314 that the UE grouping criteria are not met.

[0063] The first UE 102a sends 310a / 316 an indicator of UE group status to the network entity 104. The indicator can be a beam report for the measured CMR set (as shown in diagram 350) or a UE group status report (as shown in diagram 300). The first UE 102a can send the indicator via the PUCCH, for example, where the network entity 104 configures 304a PUCCH resources via RRC signaling or indicates the PUCCH resources via MAC-CE or DCI (such as via a PUCCH resource index in control signaling sent 312 to the first UE 102a). In other implementations, the first UE 102a can send the indicator via the PUSCH. The network entity 104 can configure the PUSCH resources, such as time and frequency domain resources, MCS, DMRS ports, etc., via RRC signaling, or schedule the PUSCH resources via MAC-CE or DCI. In further implementations, the first UE 102a can send the indicator via the PRACH. The network entity 104 may configure at least two PRACH resources via RRC signaling, or indicate at least two PRACH resources via MAC-CE or DCI. In an example, the network entity 104 indicates at least two PRACH resources by sending 312 control signaling to the first UE 102a. At least one of the configured / indicated PRACH resources may correspond to a positive indicator for the UE group status, while the remaining configured / indicated PRACH resources may correspond to a negative indicator for the UE group status.

[0064] In some implementations, in response to the first UE 102a detecting that the UE grouping criteria are not met, the first UE 102a sends 310a / 316 an indicator of the UE grouping status to the network entity 104. If the first UE 102a detects that the UE grouping criteria are met, the first UE 102a refrains from sending the indicator to the network entity 104. In further implementations, in response to the first UE 102a detecting that the UE grouping criteria are met, the first UE 102a sends 310a / 316 an indicator of the UE grouping status to the network entity 104. If the first UE 102a detects that the UE grouping criteria are not met, the first UE 102a refrains from sending the indicator to the network entity 104. The first UE 102a may send the indicator via a PUCCH, a PUSCH, or a PRACH. The network entity 104 may configure 304a PRACH resources via RRC signaling or indicate PRACH resources via MAC-CE or DCI, such as by indicating at least one PRACH resource in control signaling sent 312 to the first UE 102a.

[0065] The first UE 102a may send 316 the UE status reporting indicator (such as in diagram 300) to the network entity 104 to indicate whether the UE grouping state has changed. If the first UE 102a detects that the UE grouping state has changed (e.g., from satisfied to not satisfied or from not satisfied to satisfied), the first UE 102a may send 316 a positive indicator to the network entity 104. Otherwise, the first UE 102a may send 316 a negative indicator to the network entity 104. In some examples, the first UE 102a sends 316 the UE reporting state indicator to the network entity 104 only if the first UE 102a detects a changed UE grouping state. If the first UE 102a does not detect a change to the UE grouping state, the first UE 102a may refrain from sending the indicator.

[0066] In a further example, if the first UE 102a detects a change to the UE packet state, the first UE 102a may send an acknowledgment (ACK) or a negative acknowledgment (NACK). An ACK may correspond to a change in the UE packet state from not satisfied to satisfied, or vice versa, while a NACK may correspond to a change in the UE packet state from satisfied to not satisfied, or vice versa. The first UE 102a may send an indicator to the network entity 104 based on the detection (or non-detection) of the UE packet state change. If the first UE 102a detects that the UE packet state has not changed (or vice versa), the first UE 102a may refrain from sending the indicator.

[0067] The network entity 104 may send 318 UE group update signaling that updates the UE group used for UE group-based beam reporting. The network entity 104 may send 318 the update via control signaling / RRC signaling (e.g., RRC Reconfiguration) or via MAC-CE or DCI. The RRC signaling may indicate an update to the RNTI for the first UE 102a to receive network assistance information or enable / disable a previously configured RNTI. The network entity 104 may also enable or disable UE group-based beam reporting and / or whether the first UE 102a determines UE grouping criteria.

[0068] In some examples, the UE group update signaling may indicate a measurement period, such as DRX-M, where the network entity 104 indicates whether the DRX-M is in an on duration / state or an off duration / state. The network entity 104 may indicate a start time for the DRX-M configuration, or the start time may be predefined (e.g., DRX-M starts based on sending 318 of control signaling). When DRX-M is off, the first UE 102a does not perform measurements for beam reporting. When DRX-M is on, the first UE 102a may perform measurements for beam reporting. The UE group update signaling may update the beam reporting periodicity of a beam reporting configuration for periodic or semi-persistent beam reporting. The network entity 104 may send 318 UE group update signaling to activate or deactivate the beam reporting configuration.

[0069] The UE group update signaling may indicate that the first UE 102a is the leader UE of the UE group. Accordingly, the first UE 102a may send 320 a single UE group beam report to the network entity 104 (e.g., based on measurements of the CMR 308), the single UE group beam report indicating information for the entire UE group. Figure 3A-3B The beam reporting information is relayed from the second UE 102b to the first UE 102a by the network entity 104, and Figure 4-Figure 5 Shown for implementation Figure 3A-3B Specifically, Figure 4 UE 102 is shown Figure 3A-3B implementation of one or more aspects of . Figure 5 The network entity 104 is shown Figure 3A-3B implementation of one or more aspects of .

[0070] Figure 4 A flow chart 400 of a wireless communication method for UE grouping based on network assistance information at a UE 102 is shown. For example, the UE 102 sends 402 UE capabilities regarding a UE group beam report based on the network assistance information. Figure 3A-3B , the UE 102 sends 302 to the network entity 104 UE capabilities regarding UE group based beam reporting with network assistance information.

[0071] UE 102 receives 404 configuration signaling indicating at least one of: a beam reporting configuration based on a CMR set, or a UE grouping standard (and an optional RNTI for receiving control signaling from a network entity). Figure 3A-3B, the UEs 102a-102b receive 304a-304b beam reporting configurations for a CMR set 308 from the network entity 104. The first UE 102a also receives 304a UE grouping criteria and an optional RNTI for receiving 312 control signaling from the network entity 104.

[0072] The UE 102 determines 405 whether the UE grouping criteria has been received. If the UE 102 determines 405 that the UE grouping criteria has not been received, the UE 102 receives 406 signaling that triggers the configured beam reporting. For example, referring to Figure 3A-3B , the second UE 102b receives 306b a trigger indication for beam reporting from the network entity 104. The UE 102 receives 408 the beam on the CMR set. For example, referring to Figure 3A-3B , the second UE 102b performs measurements on the CMR set 308, causing the UE 102 to send 410 a beam report for the CMR set. Figure 3A-3B , the second UE 102b sends 310b a beam report for the measured CMR set 308 to the network entity 104 .

[0073] If the UE 102 determines 405 that the UE grouping criteria are received, the UE 102 receives 408 a beam on the CMR set. Figure 3A-3B , the first UE 102a performs measurements on the CMR set 308.

[0074] UE 102 receives 412 control signaling from a network entity indicating a beam quality report for another UE. Figure 3A-3B , the first UE 102a receives 312 control signaling from the network entity 104, the control signaling indicating the beam quality reported by the second UE 102b.

[0075] The UE 102 compares the indicated beam quality of the other UE and the measured beam quality of the UE with the UE grouping criteria 414. For example, referring to Figure 3A-3B , the first UE 102a determines 314 whether the measured beam quality and the indicated beam quality for the CMR set 308 meet the UE grouping criteria.

[0076] In some implementations, the UE 102 receives 406 signaling that triggers the configured beam reporting. Figure 3B , the first UE 102a receives 306a a trigger indication for beam reporting from the network entity 104.

[0077] UE 102 sends 415 a beam report for a CMR set or an indication of the status relative to the UE grouping criteria. Figure 3B, the first UE 102a sends 310a a beam report for the measured CMR set 308 to the network entity 104. Figure 3A , the first UE 102a sends 316 a UE status report to the network entity 104 indicating whether the UE grouping criteria are met.

[0078] UE 102 receives 418 UE group update control signaling. Figure 3A-3B , the UE 102 receives 318 UE group update signaling from the network entity 104 (eg, to update the status of the UE group). Figure 4 A method is described from the UE side of a wireless communication link, while Figure 5 A method from the network side of a wireless communication link is described.

[0079] Figure 5 A flow chart 500 of a wireless communication method for grouping UEs based on network assistance information at a network entity 104 is shown. For example, the network entity 104 receives 502 UE capabilities related to UE group beam reports based on network assistance information. Figure 3A-3B , the network entity 104 receives 302 from the UEs 102a-102b UE capabilities regarding UE group based beam reports with network assistance information.

[0080] The network entity 104 sends 504 control signaling that configures at least one beam reporting configuration based on the CMR set, UE grouping criteria, and / or RNTI used to send other control signaling. Figure 3A-3B , the network entity 104 sends 304a-304b to the UEs 102a-102b the beam reporting configuration for the CMR set 308. The network entity 104 also sends 304a the UE grouping criteria and an optional RNTI for sending 312 control signaling to the first UE 102a.

[0081] The network entity 104 sends 506b a first signaling to trigger a first configured beam report. Figure 3A-3B , the network entity 104 sends 306b a trigger indication for beam reporting to the second UE 102b.

[0082] The network entity 104 transmits 508 a beam on the CMR set. For example, referring to Figure 3A-3B , the network entity 104 sends beams on the configured CMR set 308 to the UEs 102a - 102b .

[0083] The network entity 104 receives 510 a first beam report for a CMR set. Figure 3A-3B, the network entity 104 receives 310b a beam report for the measured CMR set 308 from the second UE 102b.

[0084] The network entity 104 relays 512 the beam quality indicated in the first beam report to another UE. Figure 3A-3B , the network entity 104 sends 312 control signaling to the first UE 102a indicating the beam quality reported by the second UE 102b.

[0085] In some implementations, the network entity 104 sends 506a a second signaling that triggers a second configured beam report from another UE. Figure 3B , the network entity 104 sends 306a a trigger indication for beam reporting to the first UE 102a.

[0086] The network entity 104 receives 515 a second beam report for a CMR set or an indication of a UE status relative to the UE grouping criteria from another UE. Figure 3B , the network entity 104 receives 310a a beam report for the measured CMR set 308 from the first UE 102a. Figure 3A , the network entity 104 receives 316 a UE status report from the first UE 102a indicating whether the UE grouping criteria are met.

[0087] The network entity 104 sends 518 UE group update control signaling. Figure 3A-3B , the network entity 104 sends 318 UE group update signaling to the first UE 102a (eg, to update the status of the UE group). Figure 3A-Figure 5 The beam reporting information is relayed from the second UE 102b to the first UE 102a by the network entity 104, and Figures 6A-8 Sending beam report information directly from the second UE 102b to the first UE 102a via sidelink communication is described.

[0088] Figure 6A-6B Signaling diagrams 600-650 of UE group beam reporting based on coordination among UEs 102a-102b using beam reporting information are shown. Elements 306b, 308, 310b, 314, 316, 318, and 320 have been described with respect to FIG.

[0089] The first UE 102a and the second UE 102b may report 602a-602b to the network entity 104 the UE capabilities reported based on the beam of the UE group based on the coordination among the UEs 102a-102b using the beam reporting information. In other implementations, the network entity 104 may receive the UE capabilities from the core network (e.g., AMF) or from the second network entity. The UEs 102a-102b may further report 602a-602b the coordination message types supported by the UEs 102a-102b (e.g., whether the UEs 102a-102b support UE coordination via a side link or other technology (such as Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.)). In an example, the UEs 102a-102b may indicate a recommended coordination identifier (ID) for UEs associated with the same user (e.g., a smartwatch and a mobile phone).

[0090] The network entity 104 sends 604a-604b control signaling to the first UE 102a and the second UE 102b for beam reporting configuration of the CMR set 308. The control signaling sent 604a-604b to the first UE 102a and the second UE 102b may include an optional RNTI, such as for the second UE 102b to send beam reporting information to the first UE 102a and for the first UE 102a to receive 612 beam reporting information from the second UE 102b. The control signaling sent 604a to the first UE 102a may also include UE grouping criteria for the UE group. The network entity 104 may configure 604a resources for the first UE 102a to use for beam reporting.

[0091] In some implementations, the triggering indication sent 306b to the second UE to trigger 310b the beam report from the second UE 102b can be based on the configured RNTI, so that both the first UE 102a and the second UE 102b can receive the control signaling including the triggering indication. In other implementations, the network entity 104 sends 306b the control signaling based on the C-RNTI for the second UE 102b, so that the first UE 102a does not receive the control signaling.

[0092] The second UE 102b may send 612 beam report information to the first UE 102a via the configured RNTI for the first UE 102a to determine 314 whether the UE grouping criteria are met. Alternatively, the second UE 102b may send 310b a beam report based on the C-RNTI for the second UE 102b and send 612 the beam report information to the first UE 102a in a UE coordination message. The second UE 102b may send 612 the UE coordination message via a sidelink or other technology (such as Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.).

[0093] In diagram 650 , the network entity 104 sends 606 a control signaling to the first UE 102 a, the control signaling including a trigger indication for a beam report based on the C-RNTI for the first UE 102 a. The first UE 102 a may determine whether to provide a beam report based on a determination 314 of UE grouping criteria. In the example, if the UE grouping criteria are met, the first UE 102 a does not send a beam report to the network entity 104. Otherwise, the first UE 102 a sends 610 a beam report based on the measured CMR set and the RNTI / C-RNTI for the first UE 102 a to the network entity 104. In diagram 600 , the first UE 102 a sends 316 a UE status report to the network entity 104 indicating whether the UE grouping criteria are met.

[0094] The control signaling sent 604b to the second UE 102b may be RRC signaling (e.g., CSI-ReportConfig or RRCReconfiguration) indicating the RNTI for beam reporting of the second UE 102b and / or control signaling sent to the first UE 102a. The control signaling may also indicate the CMR set 308 used for beam measurement. The UEs 102a-102b may use sidelink resources (e.g., time and frequency domain resources) for sidelink communication between the UEs 102a-102b. The network entity 104 may provide a configuration for the first UE 102a and the second UE 102b to perform UE coordination via the sidelink based on the beam reporting information. The configuration 604b for the second UE 102b may indicate a beam reporting configuration ID that shares the same configuration as the first UE 102a. The configuration may also indicate a serving cell ID and / or a BWP ID that shares the beam reporting configuration with the first UE 102a.

[0095] The control signaling sent 604a to the first UE 102a may be RRC signaling (e.g., CSI-ReportConfig or RRCReconfiguration) indicating an RNTI for the first UE 102a to receive 612 beam report information from the second UE 102b. The network entity 104 may configure the same RNTI for UEs in the same group. If no RNTI is configured for the first UE 102a, the first UE 102a may receive 612 beam report information via a side link or other technology (such as Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.). The control signaling sent 604a to the first UE 102a indicates resources for receiving 612 beam report information from the second UE 102b. In some implementations, the network entity 104 configures a PUCCH resource ID to indicate the resources used for beam reporting. In other implementations, the network entity 104 configures a configured grant for the PUSCH to indicate the resources used for beam reporting. The shared beam reporting configuration ID indicates the beam reporting configuration ID that shares the same beam reporting configuration with the second UE 102b. The shared serving cell ID indicates the serving cell ID that shares the same beam reporting configuration with the second UE 102b. The shared BWP ID indicates the BWP ID that shares the beam reporting configuration with the second UE 102b.

[0096] The network entity 104 may send 306b a trigger indication via a MAC-CE or DCI based on the configured RNTI or C-RNTI of the second UE 102b. In an example, the network entity 104 sends a PDCCH that schedules a MAC-CE for activating semi-persistent beam reporting. The network entity 104 may send the PDCCH and the scheduled PDSCH based on the configured RNTI. In other examples, the network entity 104 sends a PDCCH that schedules aperiodic beam reporting. The network entity 104 may send the PDCCH based on the configured RNTI (e.g., in a Type 3-CSS).

[0097] The second UE 102b may transmit 612 beam reporting information to the first UE 102a via a sidelink, such as on the PSSCH, based on dedicated signaling or multicast signaling. In some implementations, the second UE 102b transmits 612 the beam reporting information to the first UE 102a along with the reported CMR index and / or the corresponding reported L1-RSRP / L1-SINR. In other implementations, the second UE 102b transmits 612 a subset of the reported beams to the first UE 102a. For example, the second UE 102b transmits beams based on N reported CMR indices and / or the corresponding L1-RSRP / L1-SINR, where N may be predefined (e.g., N=1) or configured 604a-604b by the network entity 104 (e.g., via RRC signaling) or indicated by the second UE 102b via UE coordination signaling. If the network entity 104 configures 604a multiple shared beam reporting configurations for the first UE 102a, the second UE 102b may further indicate a CMR set index or a shared beam reporting configuration ID, such as CSI-ReportConfigId. If the network entity 104 configures multiple shared serving cells for both UEs 102a-102b, the second UE 102b may indicate the serving cell index to the first UE 102a. If the network entity 104 configures multiple shared BWPs for both UEs 102a-102b, the second UE 102b may indicate the BWP index to the first UE 102a. Figure 6A-6B describes UE coordination using beam reporting information, while Figure 7-Figure 8 Shown for implementation Figure 6A-6B Specifically, Figure 7 UE 102 is shown Figure 6A-6B implementation of one or more aspects of . Figure 8 The network entity 104 is shown Figure 6A-6B implementation of one or more aspects of .

[0098] Figure 7 A flow chart 700 of a wireless communication method for UE grouping based on UE coordination of beam reporting information at a UE 102 is shown. For example, the UE 102 sends 702 UE capabilities related to UE group beam reporting based on UE coordination of beam reporting information. Figure 6A-6B , the UE 102 sends 602 to the network entity 104 regarding UE capabilities for UE group based beam reporting based on UE coordination using beam reporting information.

[0099] UE 102 receives 704 configuration signaling including at least one of: a beam reporting configuration based on a CMR set, or a UE grouping criterion (and an optional RNTI for receiving beam reports from another UE). Figure 6A-6B , the UEs 102a-102b receive 604a-604b beam reporting configurations for the CMR set 308 and optional RNTIs for the beam reporting information from the network entity 104. The first UE 102a also receives 604a UE grouping criteria from the network entity 104.

[0100] The UE 102 determines 705 whether the UE grouping criteria has been received. If the UE 102 determines 705 that the UE grouping criteria has not been received, the UE 102 receives 706b signaling to trigger the configured beam report based on the configured RNTI or C-RNTI. For example, referring to Figure 6A-6B , the second UE 102b receives 306b a trigger indication for a beam report from the network entity 104. The UE 102 receives 708 the beam on the CMR set. For example, referring to Figure 6A-6B , the second UE 102b performs measurements on the CMR set 308, causing the UE 102 to send 710 a beam report for the CMR set based on the RNTI or C-RNTI. Figure 6A-6B , the second UE 102b sends 310b a beam report for the measured CMR set 308 to the network entity 104. The UE 102 may also send 712a a beam report to the sidelink UE. Figure 6A-6B , the second UE 102b sends 612 beam report information to the first UE 102a.

[0101] If the UE 102 determines 705 that the UE grouping criteria are received, the UE 102 receives 708 the beam on the CMR set. Figure 6A-6B , the first UE 102a performs measurements on the CMR set 308.

[0102] UE 102 receives 712b a beam report from another UE. Figure 6A-6B , the first UE 102a receives 612 beam reporting information from the second UE 102b.

[0103] The UE 102 compares the indicated beam quality of the other UE and the measured beam quality of the UE with the UE grouping criteria 714. For example, referring to Figure 6A-6B , the first UE 102a determines 314 whether the measured beam quality and the indicated beam quality for the CMR set 308 meet the UE grouping criteria.

[0104] In some implementations, the UE 102 receives 706a signaling that triggers the configured beam reporting. Figure 6B , the first UE 102a receives 606a a trigger indication for beam reporting from the network entity 104 based on RNTI / C-RNTI.

[0105] UE 102 sends 715 a beam report for a CMR set or an indication of the UE status relative to the UE grouping criteria based on the configured RNTI or C-RNTI. Figure 6B , the first UE 102a sends 610a a beam report for the measured CMR set 308 to the network entity 104. Figure 6A , the first UE 102a sends 316 a UE status report to the network entity 104 indicating whether the UE grouping criteria are met.

[0106] UE 102 receives 718 UE group update control signaling. Figure 6A-6B , the UE 102 receives 318 UE group update signaling from the network entity 104 (eg, to update the status of the UE group). Figure 7 A method is described from the UE side of a wireless communication link, while Figure 8 A method from the network side of a wireless communication link is described.

[0107] Figure 8 A flow chart 800 of a wireless communication method for UE grouping based on UE coordination of beam reporting information at a network entity 104 is shown. For example, the network entity 104 receives 802 UE capabilities related to UE group beam reporting based on UE coordination of beam reporting information. Figure 6A-6B , the network entity 104 receives 602 from the UEs 102a-102b UE capabilities regarding UE group based beam reporting based on UE coordination using beam reporting information.

[0108] The network entity 104 sends 804 control signaling that configures at least one beam reporting configuration based on a CMR set, a UE grouping criterion, an RNTI for beam reporting, and / or resources for beam reporting. Figure 6A-6B , the network entity 104 sends 604a-604b beam reporting configurations and optional RNTIs for beam reporting information for the CMR set 308 to the UEs 102a-102b. The network entity 104 also sends 604a UE grouping criteria to the first UE 102a.

[0109] The network entity 104 sends 806b a signaling to trigger the configured beam report based on the configured RNTI or C-RNTI. Figure 6A-6B, the network entity 104 sends 306b a trigger indication for beam reporting to the second UE 102b.

[0110] The network entity 104 transmits 808 a beam on the CMR set. Figure 6A-6B , the network entity 104 sends beams on the configured CMR set 308 to the UEs 102a - 102b .

[0111] The network entity 104 receives 810 a first beam report for a CMR set based on the configured RNTI or C-RNTI. Figure 6A-6B , the network entity 104 receives 310b a beam report for the measured CMR set 308 from the second UE 102b.

[0112] In some implementations, the network entity 104 sends 806a a second signaling that triggers a second configured beam report from another UE. Figure 6B , the network entity 104 sends 606a a trigger indication for beam reporting to the first UE 102a based on the RNTI / C-RNTI.

[0113] The network entity 104 receives 815 a second beam report for a CMR set or an indication of the UE status relative to the UE grouping criteria based on the configured RNTI or C-RNTI. Figure 6B , the network entity 104 receives 610a a beam report for the measured CMR set 308 from the first UE 102a. Figure 6A , the network entity 104 receives 316 a UE status report from the first UE 102a indicating whether the UE grouping criteria are met.

[0114] The network entity 104 sends 818 UE group update control signaling. For example, refer to Figure 6A-6B , the network entity 104 sends 318 UE group update signaling to the first UE 102a (eg, to update the status of the UE group). Figures 6A-8 describes UE coordination using beam reporting information, while Figures 9A-11 UE coordination using beam measurements is described.

[0115] Figure 9A-9B Signaling diagrams 900-950 of UE group beam reporting based on coordination among UEs 102a-102b via beam measurements are shown. Elements 306b, 308, 318 and 320 have been described with respect to FIG.

[0116] The first UE 102a and the second UE 102b may report 902a-902b to the network entity 104 the UE capabilities for UE group-based beam reporting based on coordination among the UEs 102a-102b via beam measurement. In other implementations, the network entity 104 may receive the UE capabilities from the core network (e.g., AMF) or from the second network entity. The UEs 102a-102b may indicate whether the UEs 102a-102b support beam reporting when UE group-based beam reporting is enabled (e.g., whether the reporting UE is a UE that transmits beam reports or a UE that assists with beam measurement).

[0117] The network entity 104 may configure 904a-904b a UE coordination scheme based on the beam measurements of the UEs 102a-102b. The UE coordination scheme may indicate whether a beam reporting process is enabled, or whether beams are transmitted based on minimum, maximum, or average beam quality (e.g., based on the L1-RSRP / L1-SINR of the beams measured by the coordinating UEs 102a-102b).

[0118] In diagram 900, a first UE 102a transmits 911 a beam quality request to a second UE 102b via a sidelink (e.g., PSCCH or PSSCH). The second UE 102b transmits 912a the measured beam quality to the first UE 102a via a sidelink (e.g., PSSCH) (e.g., in response to the beam quality request). The first UE 102a determines 914b whether the measured beam qualities for both UEs 102a and 102b meet UE grouping criteria. The first UE 102a transmits 916b a beam report based on the UE coordination scheme and a UE status report regarding whether the UE grouping criteria are met to the network entity 104.

[0119] The measured beam qualities may correspond to M measured beams. Beam indices for the M measured beams may be indicated by the first UE 102a or reported by the second UE 102b. The value of M may be predefined or indicated by the first UE 102a. If the trigger indication received 306b from the network entity 104 is based on the RNTI for the second UE 102b, the first UE 102a may avoid sending a beam quality request to the second UE 102b, because in some implementations, the second UE 102b may also receive a trigger indication from the network entity 104. Alternatively, the UEs 102a-102b may perform UE coordination of beam measurements using other technologies (such as Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.).

[0120] In diagram 950, the second UE 102b sends 912b the measured beam quality to the first UE 102a, so that the first UE 102a determines 914a whether the measured beam quality for both UEs meets the UE grouping criteria. The first UE 102a sends 916a an indication of the measured beam quality by the first UE 102a and an indication of the UE grouping criteria determination to the second UE 102b, so that the second UE 102b relays 916b the information to the network entity 104. That is, the second UE 102b sends 916b a beam report to the network entity 104, which indicates that the information 916a was received from the first UE 102a.

[0121] The control signaling sent 904a-904b to the UEs 102a-102b via RRC signaling (e.g., CSI-ReportConfig or RRCReconfiguration) may indicate a UE coordination scheme, which may further indicate whether the UEs 102a-102b perform a beam reporting procedure. The beam measurement may also indicate whether the UEs 102a-102b should transmit a minimum, maximum, or average beam quality (e.g., the L1-RSRP / L1-SINR of the beams measured by the coordinated UEs 102a-102b). If the UEs 102a-102b measure at least the L1-RSRP / L1-SINR, the beam measurement scheme may correspond to the reported L1-RSRP / L1-SINR.

[0122] UE 102 sends a 916b beam report to network entity 104 based on the UE coordinated beam measurement results and an indicator of the UE grouping status (e.g., whether the UE grouping criteria are met). UE 102 may send the 916b beam report and the UE grouping status indicator on PUCCH or PUSCH. In other implementations, the UE grouping status indicator may be an implicit indication via PUCCH or PUSCH. The network entity 104 may configure at least two PUCCH resources through RRC signaling, or indicate at least two PUCCH resources through MAC-CE or DCI. The first PUCCH resource may correspond to a positive UE grouping status indicator, and the second PUCCH resource may correspond to a negative UE grouping status indicator. For PUSCH indication, the network entity 104 may configure at least two scrambling IDs for the PUSCH or the DMRS of the PUSCH through RRC signaling, or may indicate the at least two scrambling IDs through MAC-CE or DCI. The first scrambling ID may correspond to a positive UE grouping status indicator, and the second scrambling ID may correspond to a negative UE grouping status indicator. The UE 102 may select a corresponding PUCCH resource or scrambling ID based on the UE grouping status in order to send 916b a beam report to the network entity 104 on the selected PUCCH resource or on the PUSCH with the selected scrambling ID.

[0123] The UE 102 may send 916 a beam report to the network entity 104 based on the UE-coordinated beam measurement results and an indicator indicating the UE grouping status of each UE in the group (e.g., whether the UE grouping criteria are met on a per-UE basis). The UE 102 may send 916 a beam report via the PUCCH or PUSCH, with the beam report having a bitmap indicating the UE grouping status of each UE. For example, bit X in the bitmap indicates the UE grouping status of UE X. In this example, a value of 1 indicates a positive UE grouping status, while a value of 0 indicates a negative UE grouping status. Figure 9A-9B describes UE coordination using beam reporting information, while Figure 10-11 Shown for implementation Figure 9A-9B Specifically, Figure 10 UE 102 is shown Figure 9A-9B implementation of one or more aspects of . Figure 11 The network entity 104 is shown Figure 9A-9B implementation of one or more aspects of .

[0124] Figure 10A flow chart 1000 of a wireless communication method for UE grouping based on UE coordination of beam measurements at a UE 102 is shown. For example, the UE 102 sends 1002 UE capabilities related to a UE group beam report based on UE coordinated beam measurements. Figure 9A-9B , the UE 102 sends 902 to the network entity 104 UE capabilities regarding UE group based beam reporting based on UE coordination using beam measurements.

[0125] UE 102 receives 1004 control signaling that configures at least one beam reporting configuration based on a CMR set, a UE coordination scheme for beam measurement, and / or an RNTI for beam reporting. Figures 9A-9B , the UEs 102a-102b receive 904a-904b from the network entity 104 a beam reporting configuration for the CMR set 308, a UE coordination scheme, and an optional RNTI for beam reporting.

[0126] The UE 102 determines 1005 whether to perform beam reporting to the network entity. If the UE 102 determines 1005 to perform beam reporting to the network entity, the UE 102 may receive 1006b signaling triggering the configured beam reporting based on the configured RNTI or C-RNTI. For example, referring to Figure 9A , the first UE 102a receives 306b a trigger indication for beam reporting from the network entity 104.

[0127] UE 102 receives 1008 the beam on the CMR set. For example, referring to Figure 9A-9B , UE 102a-102b performs measurements on CMR set 308, causing UE 102 to send 1012c a beam measurement indication or beam quality request to another UE. Figure 9B , the second UE 102b sends 912 the measured beam quality to the first UE 102a. Figure 9A , the first UE 102a sends a 911 beam quality request to the second UE 102b.

[0128] UE 102 receives 1013c a beam report from another UE. For example, Figure 9A , the first UE 102a receives 912a the measured beam quality from the second UE 102b. Figure 9B , the second UE 102b receives 916a the measured beam quality and an indication of the UE grouping criteria determination from the first UE 102a.

[0129] The UE 102 compares the beam qualities of the UE and another UE with the UE grouping criteria 1014. For example, referring to Figure 9A- Figure 9b, the UEs 102a-102b determine 914a-914b whether the measured beam qualities of both UEs 102a-102b meet the UE grouping criteria.

[0130] UE 102 sends 1016 a beam report indicating the UE status relative to the UE grouping criteria. Figure 9A , the first UE 102a sends 916b a beam report to the network entity 104 based on UE coordination and a UE status report on whether the UE grouping criteria are met. Figure 9B , the first UE 102a sends 916 a report of the measured beam quality and an indication of the UE grouping criterion determination to the second UE 102b, and the second UE 102b relays 916b the indication of the UE grouping criterion determination to the network entity 104.

[0131] If the UE 102 determines 1005 not to perform beam reporting to the network entity, the UE 102 receives 1008 the beam on the CMR set, as described above, so that the UE 102 can receive 1012d a beam measurement indication or a beam quality request from another UE. Figure 9B , the first UE 102b receives 912 the measured beam quality to the second UE 102b. Figure 9A , the second UE 102b receives 911 beam quality request from the first UE 102a.

[0132] The UE 102 compares the beam qualities of the UE and another UE with the UE grouping criteria 1014. For example, referring to Figure 9A - Figure 9b, the UEs 102a-102b determine 914a-914b whether the measured beam qualities of both UEs 102a-102b meet the UE grouping criteria.

[0133] UE 102 sends 1013d a beam report to another UE and an optional indication of the UE status relative to the UE grouping criteria. Figure 9B , the first UE 102a sends 916a the measured beam quality and an indication of the UE grouping criteria determination to the second UE 102b.

[0134] UE 102 receives 1018 UE group update control signaling. Figure 9A-9B , the UE 102 receives 318 UE group update signaling from the network entity 104 (eg, to update the status of the UE group). Figure 10 A method is described from the UE side of a wireless communication link, and Figure 11 A method is described from the network side of a wireless communication link.

[0135] Figure 11 A flow chart 1100 of a wireless communication method for UE grouping based on UE coordination of beam measurements at a network entity 104 is shown. For example, the network entity 104 receives 1102 UE capabilities related to UE group beam reports based on UE coordinated beam measurements. Figure 9A-9B , the network entity 104 receives 902 from the UEs 102a-102b UE capabilities regarding UE group based beam reporting based on UE coordination using beam measurements.

[0136] The network entity 104 sends 1104 control signaling that configures at least one beam reporting configuration based on a CMR set, a UE coordination scheme for beam measurement, and / or an RNTI for beam reporting. Figures 9A-9B , the network entity 104 sends 904a-904b to the UEs 102a-102b the beam reporting configuration for the CMR set 308, the UE coordination scheme, and an optional RNTI for beam reporting.

[0137] The network entity 104 sends 1106 signaling to trigger the configured beam report based on the configured RNTI or C-RNTI. Figure 9A , the network entity 104 sends 306b a trigger indication for beam reporting to the first UE 102a.

[0138] The network entity 104 transmits 1108 a beam on the CMR set such that the network entity 104 receives 1116 a beam report indicating the UE status relative to the UE grouping criteria. Figure 9A , the network entity 104 receives 916b a beam report from the first UE 102a based on UE coordination and a UE status report regarding whether the UE grouping criteria are met. Figure 9B , the network entity 104 receives 916 a beam report from the first UE 102a, the beam report being based on the measured beam quality and an indication determined by the UE grouping criteria relayed 916b from the first UE 102a to the network entity 104 by the second UE 102b.

[0139] The network entity 104 sends 1118 UE group update control signaling. For example, refer to Figure 9A-9B , the network entity 104 sends 318 UE group update signaling to the UE 102 (eg, to update the status of the UE group). Figures 2A-11 A process is shown for sending 320 a single beam report for a group of UEs to the network entity 104. Figure 12-13 Shown for implementation Figures 2A-11 Specifically, Figure 12 UE 102 is shown Figures 2A-11implementation of one or more aspects of . Figure 13 The network entity 104 is shown Figures 2A-11 implementation of one or more aspects of .

[0140] Figure 12 A flow chart 1200 of a wireless communication method at a UE is shown. Figure 3A-3B 、 Figure 6A-6B 、 Figure 9A-9B and Figure 14 , the method can be performed by UE 102, UE equipment 1402, etc., which may include memory 1426', 1406', 1416 and may correspond to the entire UE 102 or the entire UE equipment 1402, or components of the UE 102 or UE equipment 1402, such as the wireless baseband processor 1426 and / or the application processor 1406.

[0141] UE 102 sends 1202 to the network entity a UE capability report indicating the capability of the first UE to operate within the UE group. Figure 3A-3B , the UE 102 sends 302 to the network entity 104 UE capabilities regarding UE group based beam reporting with network assistance information. Figure 6A-6B , the UE 102 sends 602 to the network entity 104 UE capabilities regarding UE group based beam reporting based on UE coordination using beam reporting information. Figure 9A-9B , the UE 102 sends 902 to the network entity 104 UE capabilities regarding UE group based beam reporting based on UE coordination using beam measurements.

[0142] UE 102 receives 1204 a configuration indicating a grouping criterion from a network entity. Figure 3A-3B , the first UE 102a receives 304a from the network entity 104 a beam reporting configuration for a CMR set 308 , UE grouping criteria, and an optional RNTI for receiving 312 control signaling.

[0143] UE 102 receives 1212 a beam quality report from a second UE. Figure 3A-3B , the first UE 102a receives 312 control signaling from the network entity 104 indicating the beam quality reported by the second UE 102b. Figure 6A-6B , the first UE 102a receives 612 beam reporting information from the second UE 102b. Figure 9A-9B , UE 102 receives 912 the measured beam quality of another UE.

[0144] UE 102 detects 1214 from the beam quality report that the first beam quality based on the beam measurement at the first UE and the second beam quality at the second UE meet the grouping criterion. Figure 3A-3B and Figure 6A-6B , the first UE 102a determines 314 whether the measured beam quality of the CMR set 308 and the indicated beam quality by the second UE 102b meet the UE grouping criteria.

[0145] UE 102 sends 1215 to a network entity an indication that the first UE and the second UE belong to a UE group, which provides the network entity with a single beam report for the UEs in the UE group. Figure 3A 、 Figure 6A and Figure 9A-9B , UE 102 sends 316, 916 a UE status report to network entity 104 indicating whether the UE grouping criteria are met. Figure 3B and Figure 6B , the first UE 102a sends 310a, 610a a beam report based on the measured CMR set 308 to the network entity 104, the beam report indicating the grouping status.

[0146] In response to the sending of the indication, the UE 102 receives 1218 control signaling from the network entity with information related to the UE group. Figure 3A-3B 、 Figure 6A-6B and Figure 9A-9B , the UE 102 receives 318 UE group update signaling from the network entity 104 .

[0147] UE 102 sends 1220 to the network entity a single beam report for the UEs in the UE group based on the measurements performed on the CMR set. Figure 3A-3B 、 Figure 6A-6B and Figure 9A-9B , the UE 102 sends 320 a UE group beam report to the network entity 104. Figure 12 A method is described from the UE side of a wireless communication link, and Figure 13 A method is described from the network side of a wireless communication link.

[0148] Figure 13 1300 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method at a network entity. Figure 3A-3B 、 Figure 6A-6B 、 Figure 9A-9B and Figure 15The method may be performed by one or more network entities 104, which may correspond to a base station or a unit of a base station, such as RU 106, DU 108, CU 110, RU processor 1506, DU processor 1526, CU processor 1546, etc. The one or more network entities 104 may include a memory 1506' / 1526' / 1546', which may correspond to the entirety of the one or more network entities 104, or a component of the one or more network entities 104, such as RU processor 1506, DU processor 1526, or CU processor 1546.

[0149] The network entity 104 receives 1302 a UE capability report from the UE indicating the UE's capability to operate within the UE group. Figure 3A-3B , the network entity 104 receives 302 from the UE 102 UE capabilities regarding UE group based beam reporting with network assistance information. Figure 6A-6B , the network entity 104 receives 602 from the UE 102 UE capabilities regarding UE group based beam reporting based on UE coordination using beam reporting information. Figure 9A-9B , the network entity 104 receives 902 from the UE 102 UE capabilities regarding UE group based beam reporting based on UE coordination using beam measurements.

[0150] The network entity 104 sends 1304 to the UE an indication of the configuration of the grouping criteria. Figure 3A-3B , the network entity 104 sends 304a to the first UE 102a a beam reporting configuration for a CMR set 308, a UE grouping criterion, and an optional RNTI for sending 312 control signaling.

[0151] The network entity 104 relays 1312 the beam quality report from another UE to the UE in order to receive an indication from the UE regarding the grouping criteria. Figure 3A-3B , the network entity 104 sends 312 control signaling to the first UE 102a indicating the beam quality reported by the second UE 102b.

[0152] The network entity 104 receives 1315 an indication from the UE that the UE meets the grouping criteria for being in a UE group that provides the network entity with a single beam report for the UEs in the UE group. Figure 3A 、 Figure 6A and Figure 9A-9B , the network entity receives 316, 916 a UE status report from the UE 102 indicating whether the UE grouping criteria are met. Figure 3B and Figure 6B, the network entity 104 receives 310a, 610a a beam report based on the measured CMR set 308 from the UE 102, the beam report indicating a grouping status.

[0153] The network entity 104 may adjust 1317 the UE group in response to receiving 1315 the indication from the UE 102. For example, if the indication corresponds to the UE meeting the grouping criteria, the network entity 104 adds 1317a the UE to the UE group, or removes 1317b the UE from the UE group if the indication corresponds to the UE not meeting the grouping criteria. For example, referring to Figure 3A-3B 、 Figure 6A-6B and Figure 9A-9B , the network entity 104 adds UE 102 to or removes the UE from the UE group via UE group update signaling sent 318 to the UE 102 .

[0154] The network entity 104 sends 1318 control signaling including information for adjusting the UE group. Figure 3A-3B 、 Figure 6A-6B and Figure 9A-9B , the network entity 104 sends 318 UE group update signaling to the UE 102.

[0155] The network entity 104 receives 1320 from the UE a single beam report for the UEs in the UE group based on the measurements performed on the CMR set. Figure 3A-3B 、 Figure 6A-6B and Figure 9A-9B , the network entity 104 receives 320 a UE group beam report from the UE 102. Figure 14 The described UE equipment 1402 can perform the method of flowchart 1200. Figure 15 As described in , one or more network entities 104 may perform the method of flowchart 1300 .

[0156] Figure 1414 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a UE device 1402. The UE device 1402 may be the UE 102, a component of the UE 102, or may implement UE functionality. The UE device 1402 may include an application processor 1406, which may have on-chip memory 1406′. In an example, the application processor 1406 may be coupled to a secure digital (SD) card 1408 and / or a display 1410. The application processor 1406 may also be coupled to a sensor module 1412, a power supply 1414, an additional memory module 1416, a camera 1418, and / or other related components. For example, the sensor module 1412 may control a barometric pressure sensor / altimeter, a motion sensor (such as an inertial management unit (IMU), a gyroscope, an accelerometer), a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) device, a radio-aided detection and ranging (RADAR) device, a sound navigation and ranging (SONAR) device, a magnetometer, an audio device, and / or other technologies for positioning.

[0157] UE equipment 1402 may further include a wireless baseband processor 1426, which may be referred to as a modem. Wireless baseband processor 1426 may have on-chip memory 1426'. Like and similar to application processor 1406, wireless baseband processor 1426 may also be coupled to sensor module 1412, power supply 1414, additional memory module 1416, camera 1418, and / or other related components. Wireless baseband processor 1426 may also be coupled to one or more subscriber identity module (SIM) cards 1420 and / or one or more transceivers 1430 (e.g., wireless RF transceivers).

[0158] Within one or more transceivers 1430, the UE equipment 1402 may include a Bluetooth module 1432, a WLAN module 1434, an SPS module 1436 (e.g., a GNSS module), and / or a cellular module 1438. The Bluetooth module 1432, the WLAN module 1434, the SPS module 1436, and the cellular module 1438 may each include an on-chip transceiver (TRX), or in some cases, only a transmitter (TX) or only a receiver (RX). The Bluetooth module 1432, the WLAN module 1434, the SPS module 1436, and the cellular module 1438 may each include a dedicated antenna and / or utilize an antenna 1440 to communicate with one or more other nodes. For example, the UE equipment 1402 can communicate with another UE 102 (e.g., sidelink communication) and / or communicate with a network entity 104 (e.g., uplink / downlink communication) via the antenna 1440 via the transceiver 1430, where the network entity 104 can correspond to a base station or a unit of a base station, such as RU 106, DU 108 or CU 110.

[0159] The wireless baseband processor 1426 and the application processor 1406 may each include a computer-readable medium / memory 1426′, 1406′, respectively. The additional memory module 1416 may also be considered a computer-readable medium / memory. Each computer-readable medium / memory 1426′, 1406′, 1416 may be non-transitory. The wireless baseband processor 1426 and the application processor 1406 may each be responsible for general processing, including executing software stored on the computer-readable medium / memory 1426′, 1406′, 1416. This software, when executed by the wireless baseband processor 1426 / application processor 1406, causes the wireless baseband processor 1426 / application processor 1406 to perform the various functions described herein. The computer-readable medium / memory may also be used to store data manipulated by the wireless baseband processor 1426 / application processor 1406 when executing the software. The wireless baseband processor 1426 / application processor 1406 may be a component of the UE 102. UE equipment 1402 may be a processor chip (e.g., modem and / or applications) and include only the wireless baseband processor 1426 and / or the application processor 1406. In other examples, UE equipment 1402 may be the entire UE 102 and include additional modules of the equipment 1402.

[0160] As discussed, the UE group reporting component 140 is configured to: receive a beam quality report for a second UE; detect, based on the beam quality report, whether a first beam quality based on a beam measurement at the first UE and a second beam quality at the second UE meet a grouping criterion; and, based on the detection, send an indication to a network entity that the first UE and the second UE belong to a UE group that provides a single beam report for the UEs in the UE group to the network entity. The UE group reporting component 140 can be located within the application processor 1406 (e.g., at 140a), within the radio baseband processor 1426 (e.g., at 140b), or within both the application processor 1406 and the radio baseband processor 1426. The UE group reporting components 140a-140b can be one or more hardware components specifically configured to perform the stated processes / algorithms, implemented by one or more processors configured to perform the stated processes / algorithms, stored on a computer-readable medium for implementation by one or more processors, or a combination thereof.

[0161] Figure 15FIG15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of one or more network entities 104. The one or more network entities 104 may be a base station, a component of a base station, or may implement base station functionality. The one or more network entities 104 may include or correspond to at least one of a RU 106, a DU 108, or a CU 110. The CU 110 may include a CU processor 1546, which may have on-chip memory 1546′. In some aspects, the CU 110 may further include an additional memory module 1556 and / or a communication interface 1548, both of which may be coupled to the CU processor 1546. The CU 110 may communicate with the DU 108 via a midhaul link 162, such as an F1 interface between the communication interface 1548 of the CU 110 and the communication interface 1528 of the DU 108.

[0162] The DU 108 may include a DU processor 1526, which may have on-chip memory 1526'. In some aspects, the DU 108 may further include an additional memory module 1536 and / or a communication interface 1528, both of which may be coupled to the DU processor 1526. The DU 108 may communicate with the RU 106 via a fronthaul link 160 between the communication interface 1528 of the DU 108 and the communication interface 1508 of the RU 106.

[0163] The RU 106 may include a RU processor 1506, which may have on-chip memory 1506'. In some aspects, the RU 106 may further include an additional memory module 1516, a communication interface 1508, and one or more transceivers 1530, all of which may be coupled to the RU processor 1506. The RU 106 may further include an antenna 1540, which may be coupled to the one or more transceivers 1530, such that the RU 106 may communicate with the UE 102 via the antenna 1540 through the one or more transceivers 1530.

[0164] On-chip memory 1506', 1526', 1546' and additional memory modules 1516, 1536, 1556 can each be considered a computer-readable medium / memory. Each computer-readable medium / memory can be non-transitory. Each of processors 1506, 1526, 1546 is responsible for general processing, including executing software stored on the computer-readable medium / memory. The software, when executed by the corresponding processor 1506, 1526, 1546, causes the processor 1506, 1526, 1546 to perform the various functions described herein. The computer-readable medium / memory can also be used to store data manipulated by the processor 1506, 1526, 1546 when executing the software. In an example, the UE group configuration component 150 can be located at any one of the one or more network entities 104, such as at the CU 110; at both the CU 110 and the DU 108; at each of the CU 110, DU 108, and RU 106; at the DU 108; at both the DU 108 and the RU 106; or at the RU 106.

[0165] As discussed, the UE group configuration component 150 is configured to: receive an indication from a UE that the UE meets the grouping criteria for being in a UE group that provides a single beam report for the UEs in the UE group to the network entity; and, in response to receiving the indication, send control signaling including information for adjusting the UE group. The UE group configuration component 150 can be within one or more processors of one or more network entities 104, such as the RU processor 1506 (e.g., at 150a), the DU processor 1526 (e.g., at 150b), and / or the CU processor 1546 (e.g., at 150c). The UE group configuration components 150a-150c can be one or more hardware components specifically configured to perform the stated processes / algorithms, implemented by one or more processors 1506, 1526, 1546 configured to perform the stated processes / algorithms, stored on a computer-readable medium for implementation by one or more processors 1506, 1526, 1546, or a combination thereof.

[0166] The specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the processes and flowcharts disclosed herein is illustrative of example methods. Therefore, the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the processes and flowcharts may be rearranged. Some blocks may also be combined or deleted. Dashed lines may indicate optional elements of a diagram. The accompanying method claims present elements of each block in an example order and are not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented in the claims, processes, and flowcharts.

[0167] The detailed description set forth herein, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, describes various configurations and does not represent the only configuration in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details to provide a comprehensive explanation of the various concepts. However, these concepts may be practiced without using these specific details. In some cases, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring such concepts.

[0168] Various aspects of wireless communication systems (such as telecommunication systems) are presented with reference to various apparatus and methods. These apparatus and methods are described in the detailed description that follows and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, components, circuits, processes, call flows, systems, algorithms, etc. (collectively, "elements"). These elements can be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0169] Element, or any part of an element or any combination of elements can be implemented as a "processing system" including one or more processors. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, systems on chip (SoCs), baseband processors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gating logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other similar hardware configured to perform the various functions described throughout this disclosure. One or more processors in a processing system can execute software, which can be referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other. Software should be broadly interpreted as meaning instructions, instruction sets, codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, execution threads, processes, functions, or any combination thereof.

[0170] If the functions described herein are implemented in software, these functions may be stored on a computer-readable medium (such as a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium) or encoded as one or more instructions or codes on the computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, combinations of these types of computer-readable media, or any other medium that can be used to store computer-executable code in the form of computer-accessible instructions or data structures. The storage medium can be any available medium that is accessible to the computer.

[0171] The various aspects, implementations, and / or use cases described herein can be implemented across many different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and packaging arrangements. For example, the various aspects, implementations, and / or use cases can be generated via integrated chip implementations and other non-module component-based devices such as end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment, retail / procurement devices, medical devices, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled devices, machine learning (ML)-enabled devices, and the like. The various aspects, implementations, and / or use cases can range from chip-level or modular components to non-modular or non-chip-level implementations, and further to aggregated, distributed, or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) devices or systems incorporating one or more of the techniques described herein.

[0172] Devices incorporating aspects and features described herein may also include additional components and features for implementing and practicing the aspects and features claimed and described. For example, the transmission and reception of wireless signals necessarily include many components for analog and digital purposes, such as hardware components, antennas, RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors, interleavers, adders / summers, etc. The techniques described herein can be practiced in a wide variety of devices, chip-level components, systems, distributed arrangements, aggregated or disaggregated components, end-user devices, etc., in various configurations.

[0173] The description herein is provided to enable those skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not limited to the various aspects described herein, but should be interpreted in view of the full scope of the disclosure consistent with the language of the claims.

[0174] Unless expressly stated, references to singular elements do not mean "one and only one", but rather "one or more". Terms such as "if", "when" and "at" do not imply an immediate temporal relationship or reaction. That is, these phrases (e.g., "when") do not imply immediate action in response to the occurrence of an action or during the occurrence of an action, but simply mean that if a certain condition is met, a certain action will occur, but no specific or immediate temporal constraint is required for the occurrence of the action. The terms "may", "might" and "can" as used in this disclosure generally carry certain meanings. For example, "may" refers to a permissible feature that may or may not occur, "might" refers to a feature that is likely to occur, and "may" refers to an ability (e.g., to be able to). The phrase "for example" generally carries a similar meaning to "may", and therefore, "may" is sometimes excluded from sentences that include "for example" or other similar phrases.

[0175] Unless expressly stated otherwise, the term "some" refers to one or more. Combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C" or "one or more of A, B, or C" include any combination of A, B, and / or C, such as A and B, A and C, B and C, or A, B, and C, and may include multiple A's, multiple B's, and / or multiple C's, or may include only A's, only B's, or only C's. A set should be interpreted as a set of elements where the number of elements is one or more.

[0176] Unless otherwise expressly indicated, ordinal terms such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily imply an order in time, sequence, value, etc., but are used to distinguish different instances of the term or phrase following each ordinal term. Figure numerals as used in the specification and drawings are sometimes cross-referenced between the drawings to indicate identical or similar features. Features that are identical in multiple drawings may be labeled with the same figure numerals in the multiple drawings. Features that are similar but not identical across multiple drawings may be labeled with figure numerals having different leading digits but one or more of the same trailing digits (e.g., 206, 306, 406, etc. may refer to similar features in the drawings). Sometimes, "X" is used to generally indicate multiple variations of a feature. For example, "X06" may generally refer to all reference numbers ending in "06" (e.g., 206, 306, 406, etc.).

[0177] Structural equivalents and functional equivalents of the elements of various aspects described in the entire present disclosure that are known or later learned by those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are covered by the claims. The words "module", "mechanism", "element", "device" and the like may not be substitutes for the word "component". Therefore, unless the phrase "component for ..." is used to expressly state the claim elements, any claim element shall not be interpreted as a means plus function. As used herein, the phrase "based on" should not be interpreted as a reference to a closed information set, one or more conditions, one or more factors, etc. In other words, unless explicitly stated differently, the phrase "based on A" (wherein "A" can be information, conditions, factors, etc.) should be interpreted as "at least based on A".

[0178] The following examples are illustrative only and may be combined with other examples or teachings described herein without limitation.

[0179] Example 1 is a method of wireless communication at a UE, comprising: receiving a beam quality report of a second UE; detecting, based on the beam quality report, whether a first beam quality based on beam measurement at the first UE and a second beam quality at the second UE meet a grouping criterion; and based on the detection, sending an indication to a network entity that the first UE and the second UE belong to a UE group, and the UE group provides the network entity with a single beam report for the UEs in the UE group.

[0180] Example 2 may be combined with Example 1 and include: receiving the beam quality report of the second UE includes: obtaining the beam quality report of the second UE from the network entity.

[0181] Example 3 may be combined with Example 1 and include: receiving the beam quality report of the second UE includes: obtaining the beam quality report of the second UE from sidelink communication with the second UE.

[0182] Example 4 can be combined with any of Examples 1-3 and include: the grouping criterion requires that the difference between the first beam quality and the second beam quality is within a predefined range, and the first beam quality and the second beam quality are based on the amplitude or signal-to-noise ratio of measurements performed by the first UE and the second UE on the same signal.

[0183] Example 5 can be combined with any of Examples 1-4 and further include receiving a configuration indicating the grouping criteria from the network entity.

[0184] Example 6 can be combined with Example 5 and include: the configuration further indicates at least one of: the RNTI used in the reception of the beam quality report, the configuration identifier for the single beam report, the serving cell identifier for the single beam report, or the BWP identifier associated with the single beam report.

[0185] Example 7 can be combined with any one of Examples 1-6 and include: the sending of the indication occurs when: the grouping criterion is met when the first UE is not in the UE group, or when the grouping criterion is not met when the first UE is included in the group.

[0186] Example 8 can be combined with any of Examples 1-7 and further include sending a UE capability report to the network entity indicating a capability of the first UE to operate within the UE group.

[0187] Example 9 can be combined with Example 8 and include: the UE capability report indicates at least one of: the maximum number of measured beams reported to the network entity, the type of the received message for the beam quality report for the second UE supported by the first UE, or an identifier of a UE coordination process between the first UE and the second UE, which UE coordination process is adopted in the detection.

[0188] Example 10 can be combined with any one of Examples 1-9 and further include receiving control signaling having information related to the UE group from the network entity in response to the sending of the indication, wherein the information includes at least one of the following: a UE group flag indicating that the first UE is in the UE group, a flag indicating that the first UE provides the single beam report to the network entity, a measurement period characteristic, a beam report configuration for preparing the single beam report, or a frequency of the single beam report.

[0189] Example 11 can be combined with any one of Examples 1-10 and further include sending the single beam report for the UE in the UE group based on the measurement performed on the channel measurement resource (CMR) set to the network entity.

[0190] Example 12 is a method of wireless communication performed by a network entity, the method comprising: receiving an indication from a UE that the UE meets grouping criteria for being in a UE group, the UE group providing a single beam report for the UEs in the UE group to the network entity; and in response to the reception of the indication, sending control signaling including information for adjusting the UE group.

[0191] Example 13 can be combined with Example 12 and include the information indicating: if the indication corresponds to the grouping criterion being met for the UE, then the UE is added to the UE group; or if the indication corresponds to the grouping criterion not being met for the UE, then the UE is removed from the UE group.

[0192] Example 14 can be combined with any of Examples 12-13 and further include relaying a beam quality report from the second UE to the UE before the receiving of the indication.

[0193] Example 15 can be combined with any of Examples 12-14 and further include sending a configuration indicating the grouping criterion to the UE.

[0194] Example 16 can be combined with any of Examples 12-15 and further include receiving a UE capability report from the UE indicating the capability of the UE to operate within the UE group.

[0195] Example 17 is an apparatus for wireless communication implementing the method of any one of Examples 1-16.

[0196] Example 18 is an apparatus for wireless communication, comprising means for implementing the method of any one of Examples 1-16.

[0197] Example 19 is a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement the method of any one of Examples 1-16.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication performed by a first user equipment (UE) (102a), the method comprising: receiving (312, 612, 912) a beam quality report from a second UE (102b); detecting (314, 914) whether a first beam quality based on a beam measurement at the first UE (102a) and a second beam quality at the second UE (102b) meet a grouping criterion based on the beam quality report; and Based on the detection (314, 914), an indication (310a / 610a, 316 / 916) is sent to a network entity (104) that the first UE (102a) and the second UE (102b) belong to a UE group, and the UE group provides (320) a single beam report for the UEs in the UE group to the network entity (104).

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving (312, 612, 912) the beam quality report of the second UE (102b) comprises: The beam quality report of the second UE (102b) is obtained (312) from the network entity (104).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving (312, 612, 912) the beam quality report of the second UE (102b) comprises: The beam quality report of the second UE (102b) is obtained (612, 912) from sidelink communication with the second UE (102b).

4. The method of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the grouping criterion requires that the difference between the first beam quality and the second beam quality be within a predefined range, wherein the first beam quality and the second beam quality are based on amplitudes or signal-to-noise ratios of measurements performed on the same signal by the first UE (102a) and the second UE (102b).

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: A configuration indicative of the grouping criteria is received (304a) from the network entity (104).

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the configuration further indicates at least one of: a radio network temporary identifier RNTI employed in said receiving (312) of said beam quality report, a configuration identifier for said single beam reporting, The serving cell identifier for the single beam report, or The bandwidth part (BWP) identifier associated with the single beam report.

7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sending of the indication (310a / 610a, 316 / 916) occurs when: When the grouping criterion is met when the first UE (102a) is not in the UE group, or When the grouping criterion is not satisfied when the first UE (102a) is included in the group.

8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: A UE capability report is sent (302, 602, 902) to the network entity (104) indicating a capability of the first UE (102a) to operate within the UE group.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the UE capability report indicates at least one of: the maximum number of measured beams reported to the network entity (104), a type of message supported by the first UE (102a) for the reception (312, 612, 912) of the beam quality report for the second UE (102b), or An identifier of a UE coordination procedure between the first UE (102a) and the second UE (102b), the UE coordination procedure being employed in the detecting (314, 914).

10. The method of any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising: receiving (318) control signaling having information related to the group of UEs from the network entity (104) in response to the sending of the indication (310a / 610a, 316 / 916), wherein the information comprises at least one of: a UE group flag indicating that the first UE (102a) is in the UE group, a flag instructing the first UE (102a) to provide (320) the single beam report to the network entity (104), Measuring cycle characteristics, a beam reporting configuration for preparing said single beam report, or The frequency of the single beam report.

11. The method of any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising: The single beam report for the UE in the UE group based on measurements performed on a channel measurement resource (CMR) set (308) is sent (320) to the network entity (104).

12. A method of wireless communication performed by a network entity (104), the method comprising: receiving an indication (310a / 610a, 316 / 916) from a user equipment (UE) (102a) that the UE (102a) meets grouping criteria for being in a UE group, the UE group providing (320) to the network entity (104) individual beam reports for the UEs in the UE group; and In response to said receiving of said indication (310a / 610a, 316 / 916), control signaling including information for adjusting said UE group is sent (318).

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the information indicates: If the indication corresponds to the grouping criterion being met for the UE (102a), adding the UE (102a) to the UE group; or If the indication corresponds to the grouping criterion not being met for the UE (102a), the UE (102a) is removed from the UE group.

14. The method of any one of claims 12-13, further comprising: Prior to said receiving of said indication (310a / 610a, 316 / 916), a beam quality report is relayed (312) from a second UE (102b) to said UE (102a).

15. The method of any one of claims 12 to 14, further comprising: A configuration indicating the grouping criteria is sent (304a) to the UE (102a).

16. The method of any one of claims 12 to 15, further comprising: A UE capability report is received (302, 602, 902) from the UE (102a / 102b) indicating a capability of the UE (102a / 102b) to operate within the UE group.

17. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising a memory, a transceiver, and a processor, the processor being coupled to the memory and the transceiver, the apparatus being configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

Images