Layer 1 measurements for multi-panel receiving user equipment

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) includes a first receive (RX) panel and a second receive (RX) panel, and is configured to determine that the UE is to perform Layer 1 (L1) measurements on beams transmitted by a first transmit and receive point (TRP) and a second transmit and receive point (TRP), where the UE tests a minimum number of beams using a beam scanning operation prior to selecting a beam for the L1 measurements, wherein the minimum number corresponds to a plurality of beam scanning rounds. In a first beam scanning round, the UE simultaneously activates the first RX panel and the second RX panel to generate an RX beam for a beam scanning operation. In a subsequent beam scanning round, the UE performs a beam scanning operation until the minimum number of beams is tested, selects a first beam of the first TRP and a second beam of the second TRP for the L1 measurement, and performs the L1 measurement.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and particularly to layer 1 measurements for multi-panel receiving user equipment. Background Art

[0002] A user equipment (UE) can connect to a network via a base station. A base station can control multiple transmit and receive points (TRPs). A UE can include multiple receive (RX) panels for receiving signals from more than one TRP. This can be described as multi-TRP (mTRP) RX.

[0003] Typically, a UE will perform Layer 1 (L1) measurements on signals received from a base station. These L1 measurements may include, for example, Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio (SINR), Radio Link Monitoring (RLM), Beam Failure Detection (BFD), Candidate Beam Detection (CBD), etc. However, when operating in mTRP RX mode, the UE may be able to perform L1 measurements on signals received from more than one TRP. When a UE is able to perform L1 measurements from more than one TRP, the UE's behavior needs to be defined. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Some exemplary embodiments relate to a method performed by a user equipment (UE) including a first receive (RX) panel and a second RX panel. The method includes: determining that the UE is to perform layer 1 (L1) measurement on beams transmitted by a first transmit and receive point (TRP) of a base station and a second TRP of the base station, wherein the UE uses a beam sweeping operation to test a minimum number of beams of the first TRP and the second TRP before selecting a beam for the L1 measurement, wherein the minimum number of beams corresponds to a plurality of beam sweeping rounds; in a first beam sweeping round, simultaneously activating the first RX panel and the second RX panel, wherein each RX panel generates one RX beam for the beam sweeping operation; in subsequent beam sweeping rounds, performing the beam sweeping operation until the minimum number of beams of the first TRP and the second TRP is tested; selecting a first beam transmitted by the first TRP and a second beam transmitted by the second TRP for the L1 measurement based on at least the beam sweeping operation; and performing the L1 measurement on signals received in the first beam and the second beam.

[0005] Other exemplary embodiments relate to a user equipment (UE) having a first receive (RX) panel, a second RX panel, and a processor communicatively coupled to the first RX panel and the second RX panel. The processor is configured to: determine that the UE is to perform layer 1 (L1) measurements on beams transmitted by a first transmit and receive point (TRP) of a base station and a second TRP of the base station, wherein the UE uses a beam sweeping operation to test a minimum number of beams of the first TRP and the second TRP before selecting a beam for the L1 measurement, wherein the minimum number of beams corresponds to a plurality of beam sweeping rounds; in a first beam sweeping round, simultaneously activate the first RX panel and the second RX panel, wherein each RX panel generates one RX beam for the beam sweeping operation; in subsequent beam sweeping rounds, perform the beam sweeping operation until the minimum number of beams of the first TRP and the second TRP is tested; select a first beam transmitted by the first TRP and a second beam transmitted by the second TRP for the L1 measurement based on at least the beam sweeping operation; and perform the L1 measurement on signals received in the first beam and the second beam.

[0006] Still another exemplary embodiment relates to a method performed by a base station having a first transmit and receive point (TRP) and a second TRP. The method includes: receiving UE capability information indicating whether a user equipment (UE) is capable of (i) activating only a single receive (RX) panel at a time or (ii) activating the first RX panel and the second RX panel simultaneously to perform L1 measurements on independent beams transmitted by the first TRP and the second TRP; and configuring a reference signal (RS) to be sent to the UE based on the capability information. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 Exemplary network arrangements are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0008] Figure 2 An exemplary user equipment (UE) is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.

[0009] Figure 3 An exemplary base station is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.

[0010] Figure 4 An exemplary arrangement including two TRPs transmitted to a UE according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0011] Figure 5 An example of the current measurement period for L1 measurements when the UE uses one RX panel to measure a single beam from a single TRP is shown.

[0012] Figure 6A first example of a UE performing a beam scanning operation for the purpose of L1 measurement according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0013] Figure 7 A second example of a UE performing a beam scanning operation for the purpose of L1 measurement according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0014] Figure 8 A signaling diagram illustrating a UE reporting capability related to mTRP L1 measurements according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and associated drawings, wherein like elements are provided with like reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments relate to a user equipment (UE) including a multi-panel receive (RX) capability for receiving signals from more than one transmit and receive point (TRP). Specifically, the exemplary embodiments relate to the UE performing layer 1 (L1) measurements on signals received from multiple TRPs.

[0016] The exemplary embodiments are described with reference to a UE. However, reference to a UE is provided for illustrative purposes only. The exemplary embodiments may be used with any electronic component that can establish a connection with a network and is configured with hardware, software, and / or firmware for exchanging information and data with the network. Therefore, the term UE as described herein is used to represent any electronic component.

[0017] The exemplary embodiments are also described with reference to a fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR) network and a next generation Node B (gNB). The exemplary embodiments are also described with reference to a TRP transmitting in NR frequency range 2 (FR2). However, references to a 5G NR network, gNB, or a specific frequency range for transmission are provided for illustrative purposes only. The exemplary embodiments may be utilized with any suitable type of network and base station.

[0018] A gNB may be configured with multiple transmit and receive points (TRPs). Throughout this specification, a TRP generally refers to a group of components configured to transmit and / or receive beams. In some embodiments, multiple TRPs may be deployed locally at the gNB. For example, the gNB may include multiple antenna arrays / panels, each configured to generate a different beam. In other embodiments, multiple TRPs may be deployed at various locations and connected to the gNB via backhaul connections. For example, multiple small cells may be deployed at different locations and connected to the gNB. However, these examples are provided for illustrative purposes only. Those skilled in the art will understand that TRPs are configured to adapt to a variety of different conditions and deployment scenarios. Therefore, any reference to a TRP as a specific network component or to multiple TRPs deployed in a specific arrangement is for illustrative purposes only. The TRPs described herein may represent any type of network component configured to transmit and / or receive beams.

[0019] The network may support transmissions based on multiple TRPs (mTRPs). From the perspective of the UE, mTRP operations may include establishing and maintaining connections with multiple TRPs simultaneously. In order to receive mTRP transmissions, the UE may be equipped with multiple receive (RX) panels (e.g., antenna panels and receive chains), where each RX panel may receive signals from a separate TRP. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the signals sent by each TRP may include reference signals (RS) that may be used by the UE to perform certain measurements. These measurements may include L1 measurements such as RSRP, SINR, RLM, BFD, CBD, etc. However, it should be understood that the exemplary embodiments are not limited to these L1 measurements, but are applicable to any type of L1 measurement.

[0020] According to an exemplary embodiment, techniques are introduced to enable enhanced FR2-1 UEs to simultaneously perform downlink (DL) reception from different directions on a single component carrier using different quasi-co-located (QCL) type D RSs. As described in more detail below, these techniques can be used to reduce the L1 measurement period (or delay) and / or relax measurement / scheduling restrictions.

[0021] Figure 1 An exemplary network arrangement 100 according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. The exemplary network arrangement 100 includes a UE 110. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the UE 110 may be any type of electronic component configured to communicate via a network, such as a mobile phone, tablet computer, desktop computer, smartphone, phablet, embedded device, wearable device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc. It should also be understood that an actual network arrangement may include any number of UEs used by any number of users. Therefore, the example of a single UE 110 is provided for illustrative purposes only.

[0022] UE 110 can be configured to communicate with one or more networks. In the example of network configuration 100, the network with which UE 110 can wirelessly communicate is a 5G NR radio access network (RAN) 120. However, UE 110 can also communicate with other types of networks (e.g., 5G cloud RAN, next generation RAN (NG-RAN), long term evolution (LTE) RAN, traditional cellular networks, wireless local area networks (WLAN), etc.), and UE 110 can also communicate with the network via a wired connection. With respect to the exemplary embodiment, UE 110 can establish a connection with 5G NR RAN 120. Therefore, UE 110 can have at least a 5G NR chipset to communicate with 5G NR RAN 120.

[0023] The 5G NR RAN 120 may be part of a cellular network that may be deployed by a network operator, such as Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc. The 5G NR RAN 120 may include, for example, base stations or access nodes (NodeB, eNodeB, HeNB, eNBS, gNB, gNodeB, macrocell, microcell, small cell, femtocell, etc.) configured to transmit and receive communication traffic from UEs equipped with appropriate cellular chipsets.

[0024] In network arrangement 100, 5G NR RAN 120 deploys gNB 120A. gNB 120A may be configured with multiple Transmission Relay Ports (TRPs). Each TRP may represent one or more components configured to transmit and / or receive signals. In some embodiments, multiple TRPs may be deployed locally on gNB 120A. In other embodiments, multiple TRPs may be distributed at different locations and connected to gNB 120A via backhaul connections. For example, multiple small cells may be deployed at different locations and connected to gNB 120A. However, these examples are provided for illustrative purposes only.

[0025] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a TRP is configured to adapt to a variety of different conditions and deployment scenarios. Therefore, any reference to a TRP as a specific network component or to multiple TRPs deployed in a specific arrangement is for illustrative purposes only. The TRPs described herein may represent any type of network component configured to transmit and / or receive beams. As indicated above, in some examples, the terms "TRP" and "cell" may be used interchangeably to generally refer to the same connection and / or node.

[0026] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any relevant procedures may be performed for UE 110 to connect to 5G NR RAN 120. For example, as discussed above, 5G NR RAN 120 may be associated with a particular cellular provider where UE 110 and / or its user has protocol and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card). Upon detecting the presence of 5G NR RAN 120, UE 110 may send corresponding credential information in order to associate with 5G NR RAN 120. More specifically, UE 110 may associate with a particular base station (e.g., gNB 120A).

[0027] The network arrangement 100 also includes a cellular core network 130, the Internet 140, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) 150, and a network service backbone 160. The cellular core network 130 may refer to an interconnected collection of components that manage the operation and traffic of the cellular network. It may include an evolved packet core (EPC) and / or a 5G core (5GC). The cellular core network 130 also manages traffic flowing between the cellular network and the Internet 140. The IMS 150 may generally be described as an architecture for delivering multimedia services to the UE 110 using IP protocols. The IMS 150 may communicate with the cellular core network 130 and the Internet 140 to provide multimedia services to the UE 110. The network service backbone 160 may communicate directly or indirectly with the Internet 140 and the cellular core network 130. The network service backbone 160 may generally be described as a collection of components (e.g., servers, network storage arrangements, etc.) that implement a set of services that can be used to extend the functionality of the UE 110 to communicate with various networks.

[0028] Figure 2 An exemplary UE 110 is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. The UE 110 will refer to Figure 1 1. The UE 110 may include a processor 205, a memory arrangement 210, a display device 215, an input / output (I / O) device 220, a transceiver 225, and other components 230. The other components 230 may include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a power supply, a data acquisition device, a port for electrically connecting the UE 110 to other electronic devices, and the like.

[0029] The processor 205 may be configured to execute multiple engines of the UE 110. For example, the engines may include an mTRP L1 measurement engine 235. The mTRP L1 measurement engine 235 may perform various operations related to simultaneous downlink (DL) reception of reference signals from multiple TRPs for L1 measurement. These operations include, but are not limited to, determining the number of beam sweeping operations to perform, determining a measurement period for L1 measurement, reporting capability information to the network, and determining whether to relax scheduling or measurement restrictions.

[0030] The engine 235 described above is provided as an application (e.g., a program) executed by the processor 205 for illustrative purposes only. The functionality associated with the engine 235 may also be represented as a separate, integrated component of the UE 110, or may be a modular component coupled to the UE 110, such as an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include input circuitry for receiving signals and processing circuitry for processing signals and other information. The engine may also be embodied as one application or multiple independent applications. In addition, in some UEs, the functionality described for the processor 205 is split between two or more processors, such as a baseband processor and an application processor. The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of the UE.

[0031] The memory arrangement 210 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE 110. The display device 215 may be a hardware component configured to display data to a user, and the I / O device 220 may be a hardware component that enables the user to enter input. The display device 215 and the I / O device 220 may be separate components or may be integrated together (such as a touch screen). The transceiver 225 may be a hardware component configured to establish a connection with the 5G NR-RAN 120, LTE-RAN (not shown in the figure), traditional RAN (not shown in the figure), WLAN (not shown in the figure), etc. Thus, the transceiver 225 can operate on a plurality of different frequencies or channels (e.g., a set of contiguous frequencies).

[0032] Figure 3 An exemplary base station 300 is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments. Base station 300 may represent a gNB 120A or any other type of access node through which UE 110 may establish a connection and manage network operations.

[0033] The base station 300 may include a processor 305, a memory arrangement 310, an input / output (I / O) device 315, a transceiver 320, a plurality of TRPs 325, and other components 330. The other components 330 may include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a battery, a data acquisition device, ports for electrically connecting the base station 300 to other electronic devices and / or a power source, a TxRU, a transceiver chain, antenna elements, an antenna panel, and the like.

[0034] As described above, in some scenarios, multiple TRPs 330 may be deployed locally at the base station 300. In other scenarios, one or more of the multiple TRPs may be deployed at a physical location remote from the base station 300 and connected to the base station via a backhaul connection. The base station 300 may be configured to control the multiple TRPs 330 and perform operations such as, but not limited to, allocating resources, configuring reference signals, implementing beam management techniques, and the like.

[0035] The processor 305 may be configured to execute various engines of the base station 300. For example, the engines may include an mTRP L1 measurement engine 335 that may perform various operations related to simultaneously receiving reference signals from multiple TRPs downlink (DL) by a UE for L1 measurement. These operations include, but are not limited to, configuring reference signals for the UE, determining a measurement period for L1 measurement, receiving UE capability information, and determining whether to relax scheduling or measurement restrictions.

[0036] The engine 335 described above as an application (e.g., a program) executed by the processor 305 is merely exemplary. The functionality associated with the engine 335 may also be represented as a separate, integrated component of the base station 300, or may be a modular component coupled to the base station 300, such as an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include input circuitry for receiving signals and processing circuitry for processing signals and other information. In addition, in some base stations, the functionality described for the processor 305 is split between multiple processors (e.g., a baseband processor, an application processor, etc.). The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of the base station.

[0037] The memory 310 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the base station 300. The I / O device 315 may be a hardware component or port that enables a user to interact with the base station 300. The transceiver 320 may be a hardware component configured to exchange data with the UE 110 and any other UEs in the network arrangement 100. The transceiver 320 may operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., a set of contiguous frequencies). Thus, the transceiver 320 may include one or more components (e.g., radios) to enable data exchange with various networks and UEs.

[0038] Figure 4 An exemplary arrangement 400 is shown including two TRPs 410 and 420 transmitting to a UE 110 in accordance with various exemplary embodiments. Figure 4 An example is illustrated in which the UE 110 has activated two RX panels and is receiving signals from the first TRP 410 via the first RX panel and is receiving signals from the second TRP 420 via the second RX panel. Figure 4 As shown, UE 110 receives beams at angles of arrival (AoA) specific to each TRP (e.g., AoA1 from TRP 410 and AoA2 from TRP 420). As described above, these beams may include signals with different QCL types of DRS in FR2-1. UE 110 may use each of the two beams for L1 measurement. The use of two beams by UE 110 for L1 measurement may result in a reduced measurement period, or the use of an existing measurement period and relaxed scheduling restrictions. The manner in which exemplary embodiments are implemented to achieve these results will be described in more detail below.

[0039] Figure 5 An example of the current measurement period for L1 measurement when the UE uses one RX panel to measure a single beam from a single TRP is shown. This means that the UE measures a single RX beam at any time. Therefore, Figure 5 The tables in are based on the assumption that the UE is performing measurements on signals received from a single TRP or gNB. Figure 5 The example shows the L1-RSRP measurement period (or delay) defined in 3GPP TS 38.133. Table 9.5.4.1-2 is for L1-RSRP measurement based on synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), and Table 9.5.4.2-2 is for L1-RSRP measurement based on channel state information (CSI) RS. It should be understood that these tables are provided as examples only, and other L1 measurements may have different measurement periods.

[0040] However, for the examples provided above and other L1 measurement periods, one of the parameters used to calculate the measurement period is the beam scanning factor N. Assuming that the UE uses a single activated RX panel to perform beam scanning, the current beam scanning factor N for single panel RX has a value of 8. Since only one panel is activated at any given time, the UE generates only one RX beam at a time. Therefore, a beam scanning factor of 8 means that the UE needs N opportunities in each round of beam scanning to scan N different RX beams for L1 measurements. An exemplary embodiment of multi-panel RX allows the beam scanning value to be reduced to a number less than 8. In an exemplary embodiment, this new beam scanning factor may be referred to as N', where N'<8. Examples of values ​​for N' are provided below. However, from Figure 5 It should be apparent from the formulas in the table that decreasing the value of N will decrease the measurement period.

[0041] In some exemplary embodiments, previously determined layer 3 (L3) measurements may be used to down-select a panel / beam, for example, to reduce a beam scanning factor N. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that while the exemplary embodiments are described with reference to L1 measurements, UE 110 may perform many other measurements, including L3 measurements, on signals received from TRPs 410 and 420. L3 measurements are typically used for operations such as handover and may include the same general types of measurements performed for L1, such as RSRP. L3 measurements may include beam-level measurements, for example, measurements related to individual beams or groups of beams transmitted by a TRP.

[0042] In an exemplary embodiment, UE 110 may reduce the number of scanned fine beams for L1 measurements using beam-level L3 measurements (or any other measurements) with inherent information about the beams transmitted by each of TRPs 410 and 420. This means that the beam scanning factor N may be reduced to N' (e.g., where N' < 8).

[0043] Figure 6 A first example of a UE 110 performing a beam sweeping operation for L1 measurement purposes according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. In this example, the UE 110 can be considered to have a first RX panel activated, which is performing a beam sweeping operation on signals from a first TRP 410. The beams generated by the first RX panel are labeled 610-640. Similarly, the UE 110 can be considered to have a second RX panel activated, which is performing a beam sweeping operation on signals from a second TRP 420. The beams generated by the second RX panel are labeled 650-680.

[0044] If all beams 610-680 are used in a beam sweeping round, the beam sweeping factor will be a standard N, e.g., 4 on the first RX panel and 4 on the second RX panel. However, in this exemplary embodiment, UE 110 may reduce the number of beams used for a beam sweeping round based on previously determined layer 3 (L3) measurements. For example, previous L3 measurements may indicate that UE 110 is unlikely to use beams 650-680 to find a valid beam for L1 measurement of TRP 410, and therefore, UE 110 may activate only beams 610-640 for the first RX panel. Similarly, based on previous L3 measurements, UE 110 may determine that it is unlikely to use beams 610-640 to find a valid beam for L1 measurement of TRP 420, and therefore, UE 110 may activate only beams 650-680 for the second RX panel. Therefore, in this example, the beams used for each round of beam scanning for each TRP will be reduced from N to N'=4.

[0045] It should be understood that the above is merely exemplary and that the use of previous L3 measurements may result in a different number of beam scanning patterns or a different combination of beam scanning patterns being active.

[0046] In other exemplary embodiments, the previous L3 measurements are not used to reduce the panel / beam. In these exemplary embodiments, the fine beam scanning will need to cover the sphere projected from UE 110. Therefore, how much N can be reduced depends on the specific UE implementation. The following figures provide examples of reduction. It should be understood that this reduction is based on the fact that UE 110 can generate two beams pointing in different directions at each beam scanning opportunity using two active RX panels, and reducing the beam scanning factor should still result in UE 110 detecting a valid beam for L1 measurement purposes.

[0047] A first example of a beam scanning operation performed by UE 110 for the purpose of L1 measurement is shown. Figure 6 An example can also be used to illustrate the exemplary embodiments currently described. In this example, each RX panel can generate four beams pointing in different directions (e.g., beams 610-640 from RX panel 1 and beams 650-680 from RX panel 2). Since the UE can scan two beams, e.g., 610 and 650, at the first beam scanning opportunity, scan 620 and 660 at the second opportunity, scan 630 and 670 at the third opportunity, and scan 640 and 680 at the fourth opportunity, the UE only needs 4 such beam scanning opportunities to complete the scanning of 8 beams. Therefore, in this example, the beam scanning factor will be reduced to N'=4, e.g., 2 on the first RX panel and 2 on the second RX panel.

[0048] It should be understood that the above is merely exemplary, and other beam scanning patterns may exist for reducing N to N'. For example, at a first opportunity, beams 610 and 670 are scanned; at a second opportunity, beams 630 and 680 are scanned; at a third opportunity, beams 620 and 660 are scanned; and at a fourth opportunity, beams 640 and 650 are scanned. Other combinations of beam scanning patterns may be active at a given time.

[0049] The number of active beam scanning patterns and the combination of active beam scanning patterns may be based on any factor or combination of factors. For example, the factors may include the location / orientation of UE 110, the cell in which UE 110 resides, and the relative positioning between the UE and the TRP.

[0050] Figure 7A first example of a beam sweeping operation performed by UE 110 for L1 measurement purposes according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. In this example, RX panel 1 may generate two beams, such as 710 and 720, and RX panel 2 may generate six beams, such as 730-780.

[0051] In this exemplary embodiment, UE 110 may again reduce the beam scanning factor (e.g., the number of opportunities required to scan 8 beams). For example, at the first opportunity, beams 710 and 730 are scanned; at the second opportunity, beams 720 and 740 are scanned. However, at the third opportunity, only beam 750 is scanned because there are no more beams from RX panel 1 to scan. Subsequently, beams 760-780 are scanned at the fourth, fifth, and sixth opportunities, respectively. Figure 7 and Figure 6 By comparison, it can be seen that the number of beams that each RX panel can generate may affect the beam scanning operation. Therefore, in this example, the beam scanning factor will be reduced to N'=6, for example, 2 on the first RX panel and 4 on the second RX panel.

[0052] Similar to the first example with respect to the presently described exemplary embodiment, it should be understood that the above is merely exemplary and there may be other ways of reducing N to N' and the combination of beam scanning patterns activated for a particular RX panel may be determined based on any relevant factors.

[0053] In some exemplary embodiments, the new beam scanning factor N'<8 may be a range of values ​​that may be hard-coded into the standard (eg, 3GPP standard), and a UE capable of activating two RX panels at a time needs to meet the corresponding L1 measurement delay requirement for each N.

[0054] In other exemplary embodiments, the value of N' may be a UE capability. In these exemplary embodiments, the UE may report various information to the network. For example, the UE may report the value of N', whether the UE operates with one or two active RX panels at a time for L1 measurement purposes, etc.

[0055] Figure 8A signaling diagram 800 is shown for UE 110 reporting capabilities related to mTRP L1 measurements, according to various exemplary embodiments. Signaling diagram 800 is performed between UE 110 and gNB 120A. As described above, UE 110 may perform an association procedure to communicate with 5G NR RAN 120 via gNB 120A. As part of the association procedure, UE 110 may transmit capability information to gNB 120A. While the exemplary embodiments describe providing UE capability information during the association procedure, it should be understood that UE capability information may be provided to gNB 120A at any time while UE 110 is camped on gNB 120A, and may also be periodically updated while UE 110 is camped on gNB 120A.

[0056] Therefore, UE 110 transmits UE capability information to gNB 120A at 810. The UE capability information may include a value for N', e.g., N' < 8. In the same UE capability message (or in a different UE capability message), UE 110 may also report whether UE 110 operates with one or two active RX panels at a time for L1 measurement purposes.

[0057] In some exemplary embodiments, UE 110 may report only the value of N′, and gNB 120A may then infer that since UE 110 supports a lower beam scanning factor, UE 110 will have two active RX panels at a time for L1 measurement purposes.

[0058] In other exemplary embodiments, UE 110 may report N' and whether UE 110 is operating with one or two active RX panels at a time for L1 measurement purposes. In this case, UE 110 may have the ability to use one or two RX panels and switch between them based on any individual factor. If UE 110 reports N' but it currently supports only one RX panel, gNB 120A will understand that the N' value is invalid and that the original value of N applies.

[0059] UE capability information may be reported via any signaling mechanism (eg, uplink control information (UCI), medium access control element (MAC CE), radio resource control (RRC) signaling, etc.).

[0060] In each of the exemplary embodiments described above, it is described that in the mTRP L1 measurement scenario, it is possible to reduce N to N'. In some exemplary embodiments, this reduction of N to N' can be, for example, based on the above reference Figure 5The formulas described are used to reduce the L1 measurement delay. In these exemplary embodiments, the L1 measurement delay is reduced, but the measurement and / or scheduling constraints applied to the current single TRP L1 measurement remain unchanged.

[0061] In other exemplary embodiments, this reduction of N to N' can be used to change measurement and / or scheduling constraints. In these exemplary embodiments, even if the beam scanning factor N is reduced to N', as described above by way of example, the determination of the L1 measurement delay is still based on the assumption that N has a value of 8, e.g., the calculated L1 measurement delay is the same for single TRP and mTRP scenarios. However, by keeping the L1 measurement delay the same, this allows measurement and / or scheduling constraints to be relaxed.

[0062] Examples of exemplary ways to relax scheduling constraints are provided below. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that these exemplary ways to relax scheduling constraints are equally applicable to measurement constraints.

[0063] In some exemplary embodiments, during an L1 measurement period, e.g., for L1 measurements based on non-DRX SSB, max(T Report ,ceil(M*P*N)*T SSB ),like Figure 5 The network may assume that the UE will use the first ceil(M*P*N')*T SSB The measurement is made and, therefore, the scheduling constraints on the remaining time can be lifted, e.g., max(T Report ,ceil(M*P*N)*T SSB )-ceil(M*P*N')*T SSB .

[0064] In other exemplary embodiments, the UE may use a T SSB Take the measurement and use the next (N-N') / N'T SSB These exemplary embodiments may be more generally described as including a predefined pattern that may be specified, such as 1110, which means that the first three T SSB For measurement, and the last T SSB Used for data reception. This mode may be hard-coded in the standard (eg, 3GPP standard) or dynamically signaled by the UE or network via UCI / DCI, MACCE, or RRC.

[0065] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the exemplary embodiments described above can be implemented with any suitable software configuration or hardware configuration or combination thereof. Exemplary hardware platforms for implementing the exemplary embodiments may include, for example, Intel x86-based platforms with compatible operating systems, Windows OS, Mac platforms and MAC OS, mobile devices with operating systems such as iOS, Android, etc. The exemplary embodiments of the above-described methods may be embodied as a program comprising lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which, when compiled, can be executed on a processor or microprocessor.

[0066] Although this application describes various embodiments, each having different features in various combinations, those skilled in the art will understand that any feature of one embodiment may be combined with features of other embodiments in any manner that is not expressly disavowed or that is not functionally or logically inconsistent with the operation of the device or the stated function of the disclosed embodiment.

[0067] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0068] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure covers modifications and variations of the present disclosure as long as they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the user equipment (UE) comprising a first receive (RX) panel and a second RX panel, the method comprising: determining that the UE is to perform layer 1 (L1) measurement on beams transmitted by a first transmit and receive point (TRP) of a base station and a second TRP of the base station, wherein the UE tests a minimum number of beams of the first TRP and the second TRP using a beam scanning operation before selecting the beam for the L1 measurement, wherein the minimum number of beams corresponds to a plurality of beam scanning rounds; In a first beam scanning round, activating the first RX panel and the second RX panel simultaneously, wherein each RX panel generates one RX beam for a beam scanning operation; performing beam scanning operations in subsequent beam scanning rounds until the minimum number of beams of the first TRP and the second TRP are tested; selecting a first beam transmitted by the first TRP and a second beam transmitted by the second TRP for the L1 measurement based at least on the beam scanning operation; as well as The L1 measurement is performed on signals received in the first beam and the second beam.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the minimum number is based on previous layer 3 (L3) measurements performed by the UE on signals received from the first TRP and the second TRP. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the number of beam scanning rounds is a preconfigured number. The method of claim 1 , wherein the number of beam scanning rounds is based on the capability of the UE.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: The number of beam scanning rounds is reported to the base station using one of uplink control information (UCI), medium access control control element (MAC CE), or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The UE supports two active RX panels to the base station using one of uplink control information (UCI), medium access control element (MAC CE), or radio resource control (RRC) signaling. 7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein in each subsequent beam scanning round, the first RX panel and the second RX panel are activated simultaneously, and each RX panel generates one RX beam for the beam scanning operation. 8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein in at least one of the subsequent beam scanning rounds, the first RX panel is not activated and the second RX panel is activated, wherein the second RX panel generates one RX beam for a beam scanning operation.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the signals received in the first beam and the second beam are in frequency range 2 (FR2) of a new No Radio (NR) spectrum, and the first signal of the first beam has a quasi-co-located type D reference signal (QCL type D RS) that is different from the second signal of the second beam.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The first L1 measurement period is determined based on at least the number of beam scanning rounds. 11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein measurement and scheduling restrictions during the first L1 measurement period are the same as when the UE supports only one active Rx panel for beam scanning operation.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the second L1 measurement period is determined based on the UE supporting only one active Rx panel for beam scanning operation, the method further comprising: One of measurement restriction or scheduling restriction is relaxed based on a time difference between the first L1 measurement cycle and the second L1 measurement cycle. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the relaxation comprises allowing the UE to perform data reception in the time difference. The method of claim 12 , wherein performing data reception is based on a pattern alternating between data reception and L1 measurement in the time difference.

15. A method performed by a base station, the base station comprising a first transmit and receive point (TRP) and a second TRP, the method comprising: receiving UE capability information indicating whether a user equipment (UE) is capable of (i) activating only a single receive (RX) panel at a time or (ii) activating a first RX panel and a second RX panel simultaneously to perform L1 measurements on independent beams transmitted by the first TRP and the second TRP; and A reference signal (RS) to be sent to the UE is configured based on the capability information.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the UE capability information comprises a plurality of beam scanning rounds, the plurality of beam scanning rounds being used by the UE to test a minimum number of beams of the first TRP and the second TRP using a beam scanning operation before selecting the beam for L1 measurement, wherein a number of beam scanning rounds being less than a predetermined number indicates that the UE is capable of simultaneously activating the first RX panel and the second RX panel for performing L1 measurement.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising: The first L1 measurement period is determined based on at least the number of beam scanning rounds.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising: determining a second L1 measurement period based at least on the predetermined number; determining a relaxation of one of a measurement restriction or a scheduling restriction based on a time difference between the first L1 measurement period and the second L1 measurement period; as well as The relaxation of the measurement restriction or scheduling restriction is signaled to the UE. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the relaxation comprises allowing the UE to perform data reception in the time difference.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein performing data reception is based on a pattern alternating between data reception and L1 measurements in the time difference.

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