TCI state based on SRS enhancement

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for sounding reference signal (SRS) enhancement based on a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state. In an example method, a terminal device receives a TCI status from a network device. The terminal device determines at least one initialization parameter for the UL SRS transmission based on the TCI state. The terminal device also transmits the UL SRS to the network device based on the at least one initialization parameter. In this manner, UL SRS interference randomization is enhanced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to the field of communications, and more particularly to terminal devices, network devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media for enhancing probe reference signals (SRS) based on the state of a transmission configuration indicator (TCI). Background Technology

[0002] In the New Radio (NR) system, the UE performs UL SRS transmissions under the control of the gNB for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) enhancement. Based on the reception of UL SRS resources, the gNB can measure the uplink radio channel. The NR system supports various UL SRS uses, including antenna switching, beam management, codebook and non-codebook.

[0003] UL cross-SRS interference can affect the channel state information (CSI) quality of both UL and DL, limiting the potential advantages of coherent joint transmission (CJT) for physical downlink data sharing channel (PDSCH) transmission in multi-transmitter receiver (TRP) scenarios. To avoid the impact of persistent UL cross-SRS interference on the same resource elements from different UEs, SRS enhancement needs further investigation. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Generally, the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution for SRS enhancement based on TCI state.

[0005] In a first aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes: at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to at least: receive a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state from a network device; determine at least one initialization parameter for uplink (UL) sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission based on the TCI state; and transmit the ULSRS to the network device based on the at least one initialization parameter.

[0006] In a second aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: send a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state to an end device; determine at least one initialization parameter for receiving an Uplink (UL) Sound Reference Signal (SRS) based on the TCI state; and receive the UL SRS from the end device based on the at least one initialization parameter.

[0007] In a third aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state from a network device; determining at least one initialization parameter for uplink (UL) probe reference signal (SRS) transmission based on the TCI state; and sending the UL SRS to the network device based on the at least one initialization parameter.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: sending a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state to a terminal device; determining at least one initialization parameter for receiving an uplink (UL) sounding reference signal (SRS) based on the TCI state; and receiving the UL SRS from the terminal device based on the at least one initialization parameter.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: components for receiving a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state from a network device; components for determining at least one initialization parameter for uplink (UL) probe reference signal (SRS) transmission based on the TCI state; and components for transmitting the ULSRS to the network device based on the at least one initialization parameter.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: components for transmitting a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state to a terminal device; components for determining at least one initialization parameter for receiving an Uplink (UL) Sound Reference Signal (SRS) based on the TCI state; and components for receiving the ULSRS from the terminal device based on the at least one initialization parameter.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including program instructions is provided. When executed by a device, the program instructions cause the device to perform at least the following: receive a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state from a network device; determine at least one initialization parameter for uplink (UL) sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission based on the TCI state; and send the UL SRS to the network device based on the at least one initialization parameter.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including program instructions is provided. When executed by a device, the program instructions cause the device to perform at least the following: send a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state to a terminal device; determine at least one initialization parameter for receiving an uplink (UL) sounding reference signal (SRS) based on the TCI state; and receive the UL SRS from the terminal device based on the at least one initialization parameter.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, a computer program including instructions is provided that, when executed by a device, causes the device to at least: receive a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state from a network device; determine, based on the TCI state, at least one initialization parameter for uplink (UL) probe reference signal (SRS) transmission; and transmit the UL SRS to the network device based on the at least one initialization parameter.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, a computer program including instructions is provided that, when executed by a device, causes the device to at least: send a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state to a terminal device; determine at least one initialization parameter for receiving an uplink (UL) sounding reference signal (SRS) based on the TCI state; and receive the UL SRS from the terminal device based on the at least one initialization parameter.

[0015] In an eleventh aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes: a receiving circuitry configured to receive a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state from a network device; a determining circuitry configured to determine at least one initialization parameter for uplink (UL) probe reference signal (SRS) transmission based on the TCI state; and a transmitting circuitry configured to transmit the UL SRS to the network device based on the at least one initialization parameter.

[0016] In a twelfth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes: a transmitting circuit system configured to transmit a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state to a terminal device; a determining circuit system configured to determine at least one initialization parameter for receiving an uplink (UL) sounding reference signal (SRS) based on the TCI state; and a receiving circuit system configured to receive the UL SRS from the terminal device based on the at least one initialization parameter.

[0017] It should be understood that the summary portion is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0019] Figure 1A An example communication network in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown;

[0020] Figure 1BAn example of an intra-cluster interference scenario for coherent joint transmission (C-JT) based on time division duplex (TDD) is shown;

[0021] Figure 1C An example of an inter-cluster interference scenario for TDD-based C-JT is shown;

[0022] Figure 2 Examples of process flows according to some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are shown;

[0023] Figure 3 A flowchart is shown illustrating an example method implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 4 Another flowchart is shown, illustrating an example method implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 5 A simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown; and

[0026] Figure 6 A block diagram illustrating an example of a computer-readable medium according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0027] Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0029] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0030] In this disclosure, references to "an embodiment," "an embodiment," "an exemplary embodiment," etc., indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, these phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Additionally, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, those skilled in the art will understand that, whether explicitly described or not, incorporating other embodiments to affect such a feature, structure, or characteristic is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0031] It should be understood that while the terms “first” and “second”, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0032] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” “having,” “including,” and / or “containing” as used herein specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”, means at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0033] As used in this application, the term "circuit system" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) Hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation only in analog and / or digital circuit systems); and (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) A combination of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuits having software / firmware, and (ii) Any part of a hardware processor(s) having software (including (multiple) digital signal processors, software, and (multiple) memories, which work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions); and (c) (multiple) hardware circuits and / or (multiple) processors, such as (multiple) microprocessors or a portion thereof, which require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but may be absent when operation is not required.

[0034] This definition of circuit system applies to all uses of the term in this application (including in any claim). As another example, as used in this application, the term circuit system also covers implementations of hardware circuitry or processors (or processors) or a portion thereof and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, and if applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuit system also covers baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices, or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or network devices.

[0035] As used herein, the terms “network,” “communication network,” or “data network” refer to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Wi-Fi, etc. Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices / components in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable intergenerational communication protocol, including but not limited to fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth-generation (5G), the IEEE 802.11 communication protocol, and / or any other currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, there will certainly be future types of communication technologies and systems that can be utilized to implement this disclosure. The scope of this disclosure should not be considered limited to the systems described above.

[0036] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which terminal devices access the network and receive services. A network device can refer to a base station (BS), or access point (AP), or transmit and receive point (TRP), such as a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also known as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a WiFi device, a repeater, or a low-power node (such as a femtosecond, picosecond, etc.), depending on the terminology and technology applied. In the following description, the terms "network device," "AP device," "AP," and "access point" are used interchangeably.

[0037] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), station (STA), or station equipment, or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, VoIP phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices (such as digital cameras), gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop-mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronic devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms “station,” “station equipment,” “STA,” “terminal equipment,” “communication equipment,” “terminal,” “user equipment,” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

[0038] As used herein, the term "TRP" refers to a transmit-receive point located on the network side at a specific geographical location, having an antenna array (having one or more antenna elements) that can be used to transmit and receive signals to / from terminal devices. In embodiments of this disclosure, a TRP may refer to a macrocell, microcell, RRH, relay, femtonode, piconet, etc. Although some embodiments of this disclosure are described with reference to, for example, two TRPs, these embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and are not intended to imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. It should be understood that this disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0039] The Rel-15 specification defines that UL SRS transmission is always completed under the control of the gNB. Based on the reception of UL SRS resources, the gNB can measure the uplink radio channel and / or determine the downlink radio channel when uplink-downlink channel reciprocity is valid. This specification provides support for different UL SRS uses, namely antenna switching, beam management, codebook and non-codebook. Then, UE-specific UL SRS measurements can be used for: • Antenna switching: UE antenna switching capability, xTyR The UE antenna switching capability indicated by "xTyR" corresponds to a UE that can perform SRS transmission on "x" antenna ports across a total of "y" antennas, where "y" corresponds to all or a subset of the UE's receiving antennas. o For UL channel scheduling and link adaptation purposes o When channel reciprocity exists, i.e., during TDD deployment, it is used to estimate the downlink propagation channel. The gNB can then use this information for its downlink transmission to the UE. • Non-codebook: The UE transmits a set of precoded UL SRS resources, where each SRS is precoded using a different set of weights generated by the UE. Based on UL SRS resource transmission, the gNB indicates to the UE which UL SRS resources will be used as precoder weights for PUSCH transmission. Non-codebook-based transmission assumes channel reciprocity, thus enabling the UE to generate uplink precoding weights based on downlink measurements. • Codebook: The UE transmits a set of non-precoded UL SRS resources based on which UL SRS resource is indicated by the gNB, and transmits the precoder matrix indicator (TPMI) and rank indicator (RI) to be applied to the scheduled PUSCH transmissions. Codebook-based transmission does not assume channel reciprocity; therefore, the UE cannot generate uplink precoding weights based on downlink measurements. • Beam Management: The UE sends UL SRS resources for beam management. This configuration is generally used when there is no beam mapping between the uplink and downlink beams.

[0040] Rel-15 supports UL SRS transmissions on up to four antenna ports (i.e., 1, 2, and 4). For Rel-15, the UE is configured with a specific Zadoff-Chu sequence for transmission as SRS. The length of this sequence is equal to the number of allocated resource elements (REs) affected by the RE mode (i.e., Comb-2, Comb-4, and Physical Resource Block (PRB)).

[0041] In Rel-15, different antenna ports of a single UE are multiplexed in the code domain through cyclic shifts associated with the Zadoff-Chu sequence and configured RE modes (i.e., Comb-2 or Comb-4). The cyclic shifts in the time domain correspond to linear phase shifts in the frequency domain. This sequence is directly mapped to a set of resource elements corresponding to the frequency domain sequence. When different UEs are configured to share the same UL SRS comb mode, different cyclic shifts are assumed to be configured for UL SRS transmission to avoid inter-SRS interference at the gNB.

[0042] Rel-15 defines 30 distinct sequence groups that can be configured by the gNB. Depending on the sequence length, there are different numbers of sequences: When the SRS is configured with a sequence length ≤ 60, there is one sequence associated with each group. When the SRS is configured with a sequence length ≥ 60, each group includes two sequences for each group. In other words, for a sequence length ≥ 60, the SRS can be configured with 60 distinct sequences.

[0043] The specification defines that each sequence group u is initialized as follows. Sequence group ,in It is a sequence identifier that can have values ​​from 0 to 1023. The parameter l' is the OFDM symbol number within the SRS resource. - If groupOrSequenceHopping equals "neither", then neither group frequency hopping nor sequence frequency hopping should be used. - If groupOrSequenceHopping equals "groupHopping", then group frequency hopping should be used, but sequence frequency hopping should not be used. in l is the time slot number within the radio frame, l' is the OFDM symbol within the time slot, and l0 is the starting position in the time domain (relative to the last OFDM symbol count within the time slot). It is the number of symbols within a time slot, and the pseudo-random sequence c(i) is defined by Clause 5.2.1 and should be passed through at the beginning of each radio frame. initialization. - If groupOrSequenceHopping equals "sequenceHopping", then sequence frequency hopping should be used, but group frequency hopping should not be used. in This is the number of PRBs allocated to the SRS, representing the sequence allocation in PRB numbers. The pseudo-random sequence c(i) is defined by Clause 5.2.1 and should be passed at the beginning of each radio frame. initialization.

[0044] The NR Rel-17 specification provides support for single-user DL PDSCH scheduling up to level 8 (i.e., rank 8). However, the Rel-15 UL SRS resource configuration with antenna switching can only provide support for UEs equipped with 4 RX antenna ports. In other words, even if the UE is equipped with 8 RX antenna ports, 4 of the 8 antenna ports can be used for DL ​​CSI acquisition on the gNB side based on ULSRS detection. Obviously, this leads to a suboptimal use of the potential advantages of DL TX precoding and RX processing, limiting system performance, for example, in terms of spectral efficiency and interference suppression.

[0045] In Rel-17, depending on the reported antenna switching capability of the UE, the UE can be configured to... SRS- ResourceSet High-level parameters in usage Set to "antennaSwitching", depending on the indicated UE capability. Supported SRS-TxPort Switch The UE can be configured with only the following settings: "t1r2" for 1T2R, "t1r1-t1r2" for 1T=1R / 1T2R, "t2r4" for 2T4R, "t1r4" for 1T4R, "t1r6" for 1T6R, "t1r8" for 1T8R, "t2r6" for 2T6R, "t2r8" for 2T8R, "t4r8" for 4T8R, "t1r1-t1r2-t1r4" for 1T=1R / 1T2R / 1T4R, "t1r4-t2r4" for 1T4R / 2T4R, "t1r1-t1r2-t2r2-t "2r4" is used for 1T=1R / 1T2R / 2T=2R / 2T4R, "t1r1-t1r2-t2r2-t1r4-t2r4" is used for 1T=1R / 1T2R / 2T=2R / 1T4R / 2T4R, "t1r1" is used for T=1R, "t2r2" is used for 2T=2R, "t1r1-t2r2" is used for 1T=1R / 2T=2R, "t4r4" is used for 4T=4R, or "t1r1-t2r2-t4r4" is used for 1T=1R / 2T=2R / 4T=4R, where T and R define the number of transmit antenna ports and receive antenna ports on the UE side, respectively. The indicated “xTyR” UE antenna switching capability corresponds to a UE capable of SRS transmission on “x” antenna ports across a total of “y” antennas, where “y” corresponds to all or a subset of the UE’s receiving antennas.

[0046] Rel-17 also introduces a new comb pattern, namely Comb-8, with a maximum cyclic shift count of 6. Table 1 summarizes the supported comb pattern values ​​KTC and the maximum cyclic shift count. Table 1 [TS 38.211 Table 6.4.1.4.2-1:] as The maximum number of circular shifts of the function

[0047] In Rel-18, it is important to identify and specify the necessary enhancements for uplink MIMO, while the necessary enhancements for downlink MIMO that facilitate the use of large antenna arrays, not only for FR1 but also for FR2, will still need to be introduced to meet the demands of the evolution of NR deployment.

[0048] One of the goals of Rel-18 NR MIMO Evo DL UL is to discuss and define how to provide specification support for SRS enhancements to manage cross-SRS interference between transmit-receive points (TRPs) for TDD CJTs via SRS capacity enhancements and interference randomization, as follows: 1. Assuming ideal backhaul and synchronization, and the same number of antenna ports across TRPs, investigate, and, if reasonable, specify enhancements to CSI acquisition for FR1 and coherent JTs up to 4 TRPs, as follows: - For the Rel-16 / 17 Type-II codebook refinement of CJT mTRP for FDD, and its associated CSI report, the throughput-overhead tradeoff is considered. - SRS enhancement manages TRP-to-TRP cross SRS interference for TDD CJT via SRS capacity enhancement and / or interference randomization, where the constraints are: 1) no additional resources are consumed for SRS; 2) existing SRS comb structures are reused; and 3) no new SRS root sequences are used. - Note: The maximum number of CSI-RS ports per resource is the same as in Rel-17, i.e., 32.

[0049] Uplink (UL) sounding reference signal (SRS) interference (i.e., cross-SRS) can affect the channel state information (CSI) quality of both UL and DL, limiting the potential advantages (e.g., interference reduction and throughput enhancement) of TDD-based coherent joint transmission (CJT) for physical downlink data sharing channel (PDSCH) transmission in multi-TRP scenarios. UL SRS interference or cross-SRS occurs when different SRS sequences with corresponding SRS resources overlap in the resource element (RE) domain (i.e., sharing the same symbols, RBs, and the same comb offset). To avoid the impact of persistent strong UL cross-SRS interference on the same resource elements from different UEs, interference randomization in the form of UL SRS comb offset frequency hopping and cyclic shift frequency hopping can be considered an attractive approach for Rel-18.

[0050] At the RAN1#112 meeting, it was agreed that Rel-18 would provide specification support for both comb offset and cyclic shift frequency hopping schemes, as follows: Agreement (RAN1#112 Athens) For SRS interference randomization, the following is supported: Option 3: Both cyclic shift frequency hopping and comb offset frequency hopping o At least these two features can be configured individually o FFS: Combined Cyclic Shift Frequency Hopping and Comb Offset Frequency Hopping for UEs o FFS: Frequency hopping alone or in combination with SRS sequence group / sequence frequency hopping o FFS: Associated UE capabilities

[0051] Furthermore, during the RAN1#112 meeting, two different options for initializing comb offset and / or cyclic shift frequency hopping were identified as being to be further selected at the next RAN1#112-bis electronic meeting. Agreement (RAN1#112 Athens) For SRS comb offset frequency hopping and / or cyclic shift frequency hopping, for each SRS port, the frequency hopping mode is determined based on a pseudo-random sequence c(i) and initialized by one of the following IDs. • Option 1: Reuse SRS sequence identifiers . • Option 2: Introduce new (multiple) IDs. o FFS: Value range, a new ID or two separate new IDs, (multiple) default IDs

[0052] Embodiments of this disclosure relate to 3GPP New Radio (NR) physical layer designs for Rel-18 and beyond multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) enhancements, specifically to SRS enhancements based on TCI states. In some embodiments, a group-based initialization method is further introduced for UL SRS comb offset and cyclic shift frequency hopping interference randomization.

[0053] The purpose of this explanation is to refer to Figures 1A to 6 The principles and exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are described. However, it should be noted that these embodiments are provided to enable those skilled in the art to understand the inventive concepts of this disclosure and implement the solutions presented herein, and are not intended to limit the scope of this application in any way.

[0054] Figure 1A Examples of application scenarios 100 in which some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented are shown. Application scenario 100, which is part of a communication network, includes terminal devices and network devices.

[0055] In the description of the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, network environment 100 may also be referred to as communication system 100 (e.g., part of a communication network). For illustrative purposes only, various aspects of the exemplary embodiments will be described in the context of one or more terminal devices and network devices communicating with each other. However, it should be understood that the description herein can be applied to other types of apparatuses or other similar apparatuses that are referenced using other terms.

[0056] Network device 110 can provide services to terminal device 120, and network device 110 and terminal device 120 can communicate data and control information with each other. In some embodiments, network device 110 and terminal device 120 can communicate via a direct link / channel.

[0057] In communication system 100, the link from network device 110 to terminal device 120 is called the downlink (DL), and the link from terminal device 120 to network device 110 is called the uplink (UL). In the downlink, network device 110 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter), and terminal device 120 is a receiving (RX) device (or receiver). In the uplink, terminal device 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter), and network device 110 is an RX device (or receiver). It should be understood that network device 110 can provide one or more serving cells. Figure 1A As shown, network device 110 provides a serving cell 102, and terminal device 120 resides on that serving cell 102. In some embodiments, network device 110 may provide multiple serving cells, and terminal device 120 may switch between serving cells from a source cell to a target cell during its movement. It should be understood that... Figure 1A The number of serving cells shown is for illustrative purposes and does not imply any limitation.

[0058] Communication in network environment 100 can be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol(s), including but not limited to cellular communication protocols such as fourth-generation (4G) and fifth-generation (5G), wireless local area network communication protocols such as IEEE 802.11, and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Furthermore, communication can utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform Extended OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other technologies currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0059] It should be understood that Figure 1A The number of devices and their connections and types shown are for illustrative purposes and do not imply any limitation. Communication system 100 may include any suitable number of devices suitable for implementing embodiments of this disclosure.

[0060] like Figure 1A As shown, the communication network 100 may include network device 110 (also referred to as gNB or BS). The communication network 100 may also include terminal device 120 (also referred to as user equipment 120 or UE 120). Although Figure 1A Only one network device 110 and one terminal device 120 are shown, but the number of network devices and terminal devices is unlimited. In other words, there can be one or more network devices 110 and one or more terminal devices 120 in the network.

[0061] For Rel-18, intra-cluster and inter-cluster interference (cross-SRS) scenarios are considered for TDD-based DL C-JT, where persistent UL SRS interference occurs in the frequency domain when different user-specific SRS sequences from multiple UEs with corresponding SRS resources overlap in the resource element (RE) domain (i.e., sharing the same symbol, PRB, comb type, and comb offset). Figure 1B An example of an intra-cluster interference scenario for coherent joint transmission (C-JT) based on time division duplex (TDD) is shown. Figure 1C An example of an inter-cluster interference scenario for TDD-based C-JT is shown.

[0062] In inter-cluster interference scenarios, multiple clusters can be deployed, where each cluster can have a group of TRPs sharing a cluster-specific physical cell ID and UEs sharing the same cluster-specific UL SRS Zadoff-Chu (ZC) sequence group index (i.e., the root sequence outside of 30 different sequence groups). In intra-cluster interference scenarios, it can be assumed that a group of TRPs within the same cluster share the same physical cell ID and UEs configured with the same UL SRS ZC sequence root sequence.

[0063] As previously mentioned, Rel-18 will specify support for the initialization of UL SRS comb offset frequency hopping and / or cyclic shift frequency hopping by specifying option 1 (where an existing SRS sequence identifier 𝑛ID SRS is used) or defining a new scheme (i.e., option 2, where one or both new IDs are introduced).

[0064] Regarding Options 1 and 2, the type of new ID required and how the Rel-18 UE should configure / indicate initialization information for UL SRS comb offset and / or cyclic shift hopping remain ambiguous. Furthermore, for a given UL SRS with configured / indicated information, the corresponding UE behavior (i.e., how the UE should interpret the indication information) remains unclear. In light of the foregoing analysis and discussion, embodiments of this disclosure are provided.

[0065] Generally, embodiments of this disclosure propose a novel TCI-based UL SRS initialization method for UL SRS, and in some embodiments, for comb offset and cyclic shift frequency hopping interference randomization. According to embodiments of this disclosure, network device 110 may send a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state to terminal device 120. Terminal device 120 may receive the TCI state from network device 110 and apply it as the indicated TCI state. Terminal device 120 may determine one or more initialization parameters based on the indicated TCI state. Terminal device 120 may also send UL SRS to network device 110 based on at least one initialization parameter. In some embodiments, some transmission parameters (such as comb offset and cyclic shift values) may be derived and modified based on the initialization parameters to obtain interference randomization in the communication network 100.

[0066] Figure 2 Examples of process flows according to some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are shown. For ease of understanding, reference will be made to... Figure 1A Describe the process flow 200. It should be understood that, although referenced... Figure 1A The communication network 100 describes the process flow 200, but the process flow 200 can also be applied to other similar communication scenarios.

[0067] Network device 110 sends (201) Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status to terminal device 120. Correspondingly, terminal device 120 receives (202) TCI status from network device 110. In some embodiments, network device 110 may indicate or send the TCI status via downlink control information (DCI). For example, the TCI status ID applicable to PUCCH / PUSCH transmissions (among up to eight active TCI status IDs via MAC CE commands) is indicated (e.g., via multiple bits) in DCI format 1_1 or 1_2 (DL allocation). In the absence of a downlink allocation when network device 110 wants to change the indicated TCI status ID to another value, the DCI then sets all fields (except the indicated TCI status ID) to a default value. The indicated TCI status may be, for example, a first indicated (uniform) TCI or a second indicated (uniform) TCI status, where any TCI status ID 0…N can be applied as the indicated TCI status. The DCI has a dedicated code point field that defines the first and / or second indicated TCI states. In some embodiments, the TCI state for the UL SRS may be one of the first and / or second indicated TCI states.

[0068] Alternatively or additionally, network device 110 may include the TCI status configured in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message. For example, the TCI status may be configured in an Information Element (IE) of an SRS resource or SRS resource set associated with a UL SRS. In some embodiments, the identifier (ID) of the TCI status is associated with an SRS resource set ID or SRS resource ID associated with a UL SR. For example, the TCI status ID may be configured in the IE via an RRC message. srs-TCIState-r17 It is configured in. Additionally, there exists a term called... followUnifiedTCIstateSRS The flag controls whether the SRS follows the TCI status ID indicated by the DCI, rather than the TCI status ID configured via the RRC.

[0069] Upon receiving (202) the TCI state, terminal device 120 determines (203) at least one initialization parameter for UL probe reference signal (SRS) transmission based on the TCI state. The indicated TCI state may indicate initialization parameters for a UL SRS with comb offset frequency hopping and / or cyclic shift frequency hopping. Multiple initialization parameters may be associated with the TCI state and used to calculate the comb offset and / or cyclic shift frequency hopping of the UL SRS to obtain the corresponding interference randomization.

[0070] In some embodiments, when the terminal device 120 is configured with DLorJoint-TCIState or UL-TCIStateIE, and the UL SRS resource set is configured with followUnifiedTCIstate-r17 (That is, when the comb offset and / or cyclic shift hopping parameters follow or are associated with the indicated (uniform) TCI state), the terminal device 120 may apply the comb offset hopping and cyclic shift hopping initialization parameters to the TCI state ID, which is applied as the indicated TCI state. In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may assume that the comb offset hopping and cyclic shift hopping initialization parameters are specific to the TCI state. IE srsCombAndCyclicHopping Provided.

[0071] In some embodiments, the initialization parameters(s) may include at least one of the following elements: SRS sequence identifier, cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) associated with an uplink / downlink (UL / DL) DCI that triggers UL SRS transmission, or associated with a DL DCI indicating TCI status, UL SRS slot index, UL SRS symbol index, configured comb offset, configured cyclic shift, physical cell ID, UL SRS resource ID, UL SRS resource set ID, or TCI status ID.

[0072] Terminal device 120 is provided with indications of initialization parameters for a UL SRS transmission having comb-off frequency hopping and / or cyclic shift frequency hopping associated with an indicated TCI state. In some embodiments, the indicated TCI state may share initialization parameters with a given TCI state. Therefore, the association between the indicated TCI state and a given TCI state can be implicitly / explicitly indicated or configured.

[0073] In some embodiments, the association between one or more indicated TCI state sets and one or more specific TCI states (aka reference TCI states) can be defined. That is, TCI states can be grouped, and TCI states in the same group have common initialization parameters of associated reference TCI states(s). In some embodiments, based on a received TCI state (first TCI state) and the association, the terminal device 120 can determine one of the reference TCI states (second TCI state) associated with the received TCI state, and determine the initialization parameters based on that reference TCI state.

[0074] In some embodiments, the association between an indicated TCI state and a reference TCI state can be explicitly indicated or configured. In explicit indication or configuration, the indicated set of TCI states is associated with initialization parameters, which the terminal device 120 uses to determine initialization parameters for calculating UL SRS comb offset and / or cyclic shift hopping values. In some embodiments, the network device 110 can configure the terminal device 120 to have an association between one or more sets of TCI states and a reference TCI state via Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages. A set of TCI state IDs can be associated with only one TCI state ID or mapped to only one TCI state ID. For example, indicated TCI state IDs 0-6 can be associated with TCI state ID 0.

[0075] In implicit indication, without any additional signaling indicating that one or more sets of TCI state IDs are associated with one or more individual TCI state IDs, terminal device 120 can determine a reference or a specific TCI state based on TCI state association rules. TCI association rules can be defined, for example, such that indicated TCI state ID < 11 is associated with the TCI state of ID 0 (or with the TCI state of the configuration having the lowest state ID), and indicated TCI state ID > 10 is associated with the TCI state of ID 11.

[0076] After sending the (201) TCI status to terminal device 120, network device 110 determines (204) at least one initialization parameter for UL SRS reception based on the TCI status. Network device 110 may determine the initialization parameters in a similar manner to terminal device 120. For brevity, details are omitted.

[0077] After determining (203) at least one initialization parameter, terminal device 120 sends (205) UL SRS to network device 110 based on at least one initialization parameter. Accordingly, network device 110 receives (206) UL SRS from terminal device 120. In some embodiments, terminal device 120 may determine a comb offset and / or cyclic shift for UL SRS based on (a plurality of) initialization parameters. Terminal device 120 may also send UL SRS based on comb offset and / or cyclic shift.

[0078] In some embodiments, comb offset hopping and / or cyclic shift hopping parameters may be associated with an indicated TCI state (i.e., the parameters are not specifically configured for each TCI state). The indicated TCI state may be, for example, a first indicated (uniform) TCI or a second indicated (uniform) TCI state (e.g., in DCI), where any TCI state ID 0…N may be applied as the indicated TCI state. When a TCI state is applied as the indicated TCI state, comb offset hopping and / or cyclic shift hopping may be associated with any TCI state ID that is the indicated TCI state: any TCI state applied as the indicated TCI state may apply the comb offset hopping and / or cyclic shift hopping parameters associated with (the first, second, or Nth) indicated TCI state. In some embodiments, the indicated TCI state used for initializing comb offset and / or cyclic shift hopping may be CORESET pool index specific.

[0079] In some embodiments, terminal device 120 may be configured with an explicit association between one or more indicated TCI state sets for UL SRS comb offset hopping and / or cyclic shift hopping and one or more individual TCI states. After terminal device 120 receives a DCI including a TCI code point field with the indicated TCI state, terminal device 120 may apply the configured association between an individual TCI state and the indicated TCI state, and apply initialization parameters associated with an individual TCI state to the indicated TCI state and the corresponding UL SRS resource set with resources configured for UL SRS comb offset hopping and cyclic shift hopping. Based on the indicated TCI state (which may be associated with an individual TCI state), the slot index (=X1), and the symbol index (=X2), terminal device 120 may determine the UL SRS antenna port. p i The frequency domain start position of the ULSRS resource used for comb offset frequency hopping is initialized as follows: in It is the number of transmission combs, ={2,4,8}, and It is the number of resource elements in the physical resource block (e.g., 12 resource elements). It is the physical resource block offset (PRB) in units of PRB, and Define a frequency hopping function with specific initialization parameters X1, X2, X3, ... as input parameters. For example, X1 = slot offset, X2 = OFDM symbol index, and X3 is an initialization parameter dependent on the TCI state, such as the ID of the indicated TCI state, or the ID of a TCI state associated with the indicated TCI state. Additionally, the function... It can also be a function of one or more other TCI state-specific initialization parameters, i.e., initialization parameters that depend on the TCI state. In some embodiments, the mapping from TCI states to corresponding functions and input parameters can be configured by indication (e.g., RRC messages) or defined in requirements. Parameters This is a comb offset value, which can be common to all antenna ports associated with a UL SRS resource or resource set. Therefore, the comb offset value can be determined as a function dependent on the indicated TCI state. The use of it is randomized.

[0080] Based on the explicit association between a certain set of TCI states and the indicated TCI states (associated with, for example, TCI states with a slot index (=X1), or any initialization parameter), the terminal device 120 can determine the cyclic shift 𝛼 for the UL SRS antenna port pi. 𝑖 ,as follows: in {0,1,… } is a cyclic shift offset configured by a higher layer, where It is the maximum number of cyclic shifts given in the table. Define a frequency hopping function with specific initialization parameters X1, X2, ... as input parameters. For example, X1 = slot index (providing a portion of the TCI), and X2 is an initialization parameter that depends on the TCI state, such as the ID of the indicated TCI state, or the ID of a TCI state associated with the indicated TCI state. It can also be a function of one or more other TCI state-specific initialization parameters. Table 1 above shows the comb number as... The maximum number of circular shifts of the function .

[0081] In some embodiments, implicit indications based on specific TCI state association rules are used. Without any additional signaling indicating that one or more sets of TCI state IDs are associated with one or more TCI state IDs, terminal device 120 can determine this based on TCI state association rules. TCI association rules can be defined such that, for example, an indicated TCI state ID < 11 is always associated with the TCI state of ID 0 (or with the TCI state of the configuration having the lowest state ID), and an indicated TCI state ID > 10 is always associated with the TCI state of ID 11. Terminal device 120 can obtain (multiple) initialization parameters associated with the mapped TCI state and calculate comb offset frequency hopping and cyclic shift frequency hopping based on (multiple) initialization parameters, for example, using the example formulas described above.

[0082] In doing so, the comb offset and cyclic shift values ​​can be changed between consecutive UL SRS transmissions and receptions based on a formula with (multiple) initialization parameters as input parameters. Therefore, the UL SRS transmitted from terminal device 120 to network device 110 can have improved interference randomization.

[0083] In view of the above, embodiments of this disclosure use an additional dimension (i.e., TCI state) to enhance UL SRS interference randomization. In some embodiments, a single cluster or multiple clusters can be subdivided into TCI states (associated with different TRP or Coreset pool indices), which can be configured with TCI state-specific initialization parameters. As a result of interference randomization, the CSI quality for UL and DL transmissions can be significantly improved compared to existing methods.

[0084] Figure 3 A flowchart of an example method 300 implemented at a terminal device according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For ease of understanding, reference will be made from the perspective of the terminal device 120. Figure 1A Description method 300.

[0085] At block 310, terminal device 120 receives TCI status from network device 110. In some embodiments, the TCI status may be indicated via downlink control information (DCI) from network device 110. The DCI may include at least two TCI statuses, and the TCI status may be one of the at least two TCI statuses. Alternatively or additionally, the TCI status may be configured via RRC messages in the information element of an SRS resource or SRS resource set associated with the UL SRS. In some embodiments, the ID of the TCI status may be associated with an SRS resource set ID or SRS resource ID associated with the UL SRS. In some embodiments, the TCI status may be specific to a CORESET pool index.

[0086] At block 320, terminal device 120 determines at least one initialization parameter for UL SRS transmission based on the TCI state. The at least one initialization parameter may be associated with the TCI state. In some embodiments, the at least one initialization parameter may include at least one of the following: SRS sequence identifier, Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI) associated with an uplink / downlink (UL / DL) DCI that triggers UL SRS transmission, or associated with a DLDCI indicating the TCI state, UL SRS slot index; UL SRS symbol index; configured comb offset; configured cyclic shift; physical cell ID; UL SRS resource ID; UL SRS resource set ID; or TCI state ID.

[0087] In some embodiments, the TCI state is a first TCI state, and the terminal device 120 can determine a second TCI state associated with the first TCI state and determine at least one initialization parameter based on the second TCI state. The at least one initialization parameter may be associated with the second TCI state. In some embodiments, the at least one initialization parameter may be common to a set of TCI states, including both the first and second TCI states.

[0088] In some embodiments, the association between the first TCI state and the second TCI state is configured via an RRC message. Alternatively or additionally, the association between the first TCI state and the second TCI state may be predefined based on rules at the terminal device.

[0089] At 330, terminal device 120 transmits UL SRS to network device 110 based on at least one initialization parameter. In some embodiments, terminal device 120 may determine a comb offset and / or cyclic shift for UL SRS based on at least one initialization parameter, and transmit UL SRS based on the comb offset and / or cyclic shift. In some embodiments, the comb offset and / or cyclic shift is changed between consecutive UL SRS transmissions based on a formula having at least one initialization parameter as an input parameter.

[0090] Figure 4 Another flowchart illustrating an example method implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For ease of understanding, reference will be made from the perspective of terminal device 120. Figure 1A Description method 400.

[0091] At box 410, network device 110 sends a TCI status to terminal device 120. In some embodiments, the TCI status may be indicated via downlink control information (DCI). The DCI may include at least two TCI statuses, and the TCI status may be one of the at least two TCI statuses. Alternatively or additionally, the TCI status may be configured via an RRC message in an information element of an SRS resource or SRS resource set associated with the UL SRS. In some embodiments, the ID of the TCI status may be associated with an SRS resource set ID or SRS resource ID associated with the UL SRS. In some embodiments, the TCI status may be specific to a CORESET pool index.

[0092] At block 420, network device 110 determines at least one initialization parameter for UL SRS reception based on the TCI state. The at least one initialization parameter may be associated with the TCI state. In some embodiments, the at least one initialization parameter may include at least one of the following: SRS sequence identifier, Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI) associated with an uplink / downlink (UL / DL) DCI that triggers UL SRS transmission, or associated with a DLDCI indicating the TCI state, UL SRS slot index; UL SRS symbol index; configured comb offset; configured cyclic shift; physical cell ID; UL SRS resource ID; UL SRS resource set ID; or TCI state ID.

[0093] In some embodiments, the TCI state is a first TCI state, and the network device 110 can determine a second TCI state associated with the first TCI state, and determine at least one initialization parameter based on the second TCI state. The at least one initialization parameter may be associated with the second TCI state. In some embodiments, the at least one initialization parameter may be common to a set of TCI states, including both the first and second TCI states.

[0094] In some embodiments, network device 110 may configure terminal device 120 to have an association between a first TCI state and a second TCI state via Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages. Alternatively or additionally, the association between the first TCI state and the second TCI state may be predefined based on rules at the network device.

[0095] At 430, network device 110 receives UL SRS from terminal device 120 based on at least one initialization parameter. In some embodiments, network device 110 may determine a comb offset and / or cyclic shift for UL SRS based on at least one initialization parameter, and receive UL SRS based on the comb offset and / or cyclic shift. In some embodiments, the comb offset and / or cyclic shift is varied between consecutive UL SRS receptions based on a formula having at least one initialization parameter as an input parameter.

[0096] In some embodiments, the apparatus capable of performing method 300 (e.g., terminal device 120) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 300. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0097] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: components for receiving a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state from a network device; components for determining at least one initialization parameter for uplink (UL) probe reference signal (SRS) transmission based on the TCI state; and components for transmitting the UL SRS to the network device based on the at least one initialization parameter.

[0098] In some embodiments, the component for transmitting UL SRS to a network device based on at least one initialization parameter may include: a component for determining at least one of comb offset and cyclic shift of UL SRS based on at least one initialization parameter; and a component for transmitting UL SRS based on at least one of comb offset and cyclic shift.

[0099] In some embodiments, at least one of the comb offset and cyclic shift can be changed between consecutive UL SRS transmissions based on a formula having at least one initialization parameter as an input parameter.

[0100] In some embodiments, the TCI state may be a first TCI state, and the apparatus may further include: a component for determining a second TCI state associated with the first TCI state, and a component for determining at least one initialization parameter based on the second TCI state.

[0101] In some embodiments, at least one initialization parameter may be public to the TCI state, which includes a first TCI state and a second TCI state.

[0102] In some embodiments, the association between the first TCI state and the second TCI state can be configured via Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages.

[0103] In some embodiments, the association between the first TCI state and the second TCI state can be predefined based on rules at the device.

[0104] In some embodiments, the TCI status may be indicated via downlink control information (DCI) or configured via a second RRC message in an information element of an SRS resource or SRS resource set associated with the UL SRS.

[0105] In some embodiments, DCI may include at least two TCI states, and the TCI state may be one of the at least two TCI states.

[0106] In some embodiments, the identifier (ID) of the TCI status may be associated with the SRS resource set ID or SRS resource ID associated with the UL SRS.

[0107] In some embodiments, at least one initialization parameter may be associated with the TCI state.

[0108] In some embodiments, the TCI status can be specific to the CORESET pool index.

[0109] In some embodiments, at least one initialization parameter may include at least one of the following: SRS sequence identifier; C-RNTI, which is associated with an uplink / downlink (UL / DL) DCI that triggers UL SRS transmission or with a DL DCI that indicates TCI status; UL SRS slot index; UL SRS symbol index; configured comb offset; configured cyclic shift; physical cell ID; UL SRS resource ID; UL SRS resource set ID; or TCI status ID.

[0110] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 300. In some embodiments, the components include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause performance of the apparatus.

[0111] In some embodiments, the apparatus capable of performing method 400 (e.g., network device 110) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 400. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0112] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: components for sending a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state to a terminal device; components for determining at least one initialization parameter for receiving an uplink (UL) probe reference signal (SRS) based on the TCI state; and components for receiving the UL SRS from the terminal device based on the at least one initialization parameter.

[0113] In some embodiments, the component for receiving UL SRS from a terminal device based on at least one initialization parameter may include: a component for determining at least one of comb offset and cyclic shift of UL SRS based on at least one initialization parameter; and a component for receiving UL SRS based on at least one of comb offset and cyclic shift.

[0114] In some embodiments, at least one of comb offset and cyclic shift can be changed between consecutive UL SRS receptions based on a formula having at least one initialization parameter as an input parameter.

[0115] In some embodiments, the TCI state may be a first TCI state, and the apparatus may further include: components for determining a second TCI state associated with the first TCI state, and components for determining at least one initialization parameter based on the second TCI state.

[0116] In some embodiments, at least one initialization parameter may be public to the TCI state, which includes a first TCI state and a second TCI state.

[0117] In some embodiments, the apparatus may include components for configuring a terminal device with an association between a first TCI state and a second TCI state via a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

[0118] In some embodiments, the association between the first TCI state and the second TCI state may be based on rules predefined at the device.

[0119] In some embodiments, the TCI status may be indicated via downlink control information (DCI) or configured via a second RRC message in an information element of an SRS resource or SRS resource set associated with the UL SRS.

[0120] In some embodiments, DCI may include at least two TCI states, and a TCI state may be one of the at least two TCI states.

[0121] In some embodiments, the identifier (ID) of the TCI status may be associated with the SRS resource set ID or SRS resource ID associated with the UL SRS.

[0122] In some embodiments, at least one initialization parameter may be associated with the TCI state.

[0123] In some embodiments, the TCI status can be specific to the CORESET pool index.

[0124] In some embodiments, at least one initialization parameter may include at least one of the following: SRS sequence identifier; C-RNTI, which is associated with an uplink / downlink (UL / DL) DCI that triggers UL SRS transmission or with a DL DCI that indicates TCI status; UL SRS slot index; UL SRS symbol index; configured comb offset; configured cyclic shift; physical cell ID; UL SRS resource ID; UL SRS resource set ID; or TCI status ID.

[0125] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for performing additional steps in some embodiments of method 400. In some embodiments, the components include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause performance of the apparatus.

[0126] Figure 5 A simplified block diagram of a device 500 suitable for implementing some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Device 500 can be provided to implement a communication device, such as... Figure 1A The network device 110 or terminal device 120 shown is illustrated. As shown, device 500 includes one or more processors 510, one or more memories 520 coupled to processor 510, and one or more communication modules 540 coupled to processor 510.

[0127] Communication module 540 is used for bidirectional communication. Communication module 540 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface can represent any interface required for communication with other network elements.

[0128] Processor 510 can be any type suitable for a local technology network and can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), and processor based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. Device 500 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-dependent on a clock of a synchronous main processor.

[0129] Memory 520 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 524, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, optical disc (CD), digital video disk (DVD), and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 522 and other volatile memories that do not persist during power-off periods.

[0130] Computer program 530 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 510. Program 530 may be stored in ROM 524. Processor 510 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 530 into RAM 522.

[0131] The embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by program 530, enabling device 500 to execute as described in the reference. Figure 3 and Figure 4 Any process discussed in this disclosure. Embodiments of this disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0132] In some example embodiments, program 530 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium that may and is included in device 500 (such as in memory 520) or other storage devices accessible to device 500. Device 500 may load program 530 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 522 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc.

[0133] Figure 6 A block diagram of an example of a computer-readable medium 600 according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. A program 530 is stored on the computer-readable medium 600. Note that although the computer-readable medium 600... Figure 5 The program 530 is shown in the form of a CD or DVD, but the computer-readable medium 600 may be any other form suitable for carrying or storing the program 530.

[0134] Generally, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while others can be implemented in firmware or software executable by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or other illustrated representations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0135] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in program modules, which execute on a target real or virtual processor on a device to perform the functions described above. Figure 3 Alternatively, methods 300 or 400 may be used. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The functionality of a program module can be combined or divided among program modules as needed in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions used for a program module can execute on a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules can reside on local and remote storage media.

[0136] Program code used to perform the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that, when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine, partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0137] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0138] Computer-readable media can be computer-readable signal media or computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatuses, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media will include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof. As used herein, the term “non-transient” is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not signaling), not a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM and ROM).

[0139] Furthermore, although the operations are described in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring that such operations be performed in the specific order or sequence shown, or that all the operations shown can be performed to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the foregoing discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be characteristic of particular embodiments. Certain features described in the context of individual embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0140] Although this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that this disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A terminal device, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to at least: Receive the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status from the network device; Based on the TCI state, at least one initialization parameter is determined for uplink UL probe reference signal (SRS) transmission; as well as The UL SRS is sent to the network device based on the at least one initialization parameter.

2. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the terminal device is configured to send the UL SRS to the network device based on the at least one initialization parameter by means of: Based on the at least one initialization parameter, determine at least one of a comb offset and a cyclic shift for the UL SRS; and The UL SRS is transmitted based on at least one of the comb offset and the cyclic shift.

3. The terminal device of claim 2, wherein at least one of the comb offset and the cyclic shift is changed between consecutive UL SRS transmissions based on a formula having at least one initialization parameter as an input parameter.

4. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the TCI state is a first TCI state, and the terminal device is further configured to: Determine the second TCI state associated with the first TCI state; The at least one initialization parameter is determined based on the second TCI state.

5. The terminal device according to claim 4, wherein the at least one initialization parameter is common to the TCI state set, the TCI state set including the first TCI state and the second TCI state.

6. The terminal device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the association between the first TCI state and the second TCI state is configured via a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

7. The terminal device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the association between the first TCI state and the second TCI state is predefined based on rules at the terminal device.

8. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the TCI state is indicated via downlink control information (DCI) or configured via a second RRC message in an information element of an SRS resource or SRS resource set associated with the UL SRS.

9. The terminal device according to claim 8, wherein the DCI includes at least two TCI states, and the TCI state is one of the at least two TCI states.

10. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the identifier ID of the TCI state is associated with an SRS resource set ID or SRS resource ID associated with the UL SRS.

11. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the at least one initialization parameter is associated with the TCI state.

12. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the TCI state is specific to the CORESET pool index.

13. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the at least one initialization parameter includes at least one of the following: SRS sequence identifier; C-RNTI, which is associated with an uplink / downlink UL / DL DCI that triggers the UL SRS transmission, or with a DL DCI that indicates the TCI status; The time slot index of the UL SRS; The symbol index of the UL SRS; Configured comb-like offset; Configured cyclic shift; Physical cell ID; UL SRS Resource ID; UL SRS resource set ID; or TCI Status ID.

14. A network device, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: Send Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status to the terminal device; Based on the TCI state, at least one initialization parameter is determined for receiving the uplink UL probe reference signal SRS; as well as UL SRS is received from the terminal device based on the at least one initialization parameter.

15. The network device of claim 14, wherein the network device is configured to receive the UL SRS from the terminal device based on the at least one initialization parameter by: Based on the at least one initialization parameter, determine at least one of a comb offset and a cyclic shift for the UL SRS; and The UL SRS is received based on at least one of the comb offset and the cyclic shift.

16. The network device of claim 15, wherein at least one of the comb offset and the cyclic shift is changed between consecutive UL SRS receptions based on a formula having at least one initialization parameter as an input parameter.

17. The network device according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the TCI state is a first TCI state, and the network device is further configured to: Determine the second TCI state associated with the first TCI state; The at least one initialization parameter is determined based on the second TCI state.

18. The network device of claim 17, wherein the at least one initialization parameter is common to a set of TCI states, the set of TCI states including the first TCI state and the second TCI state.

19. The network device according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the network device is further configured to have an association between the first TCI state and the second TCI state via a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

20. The network device of claim 17 or 18, wherein the association between the first TCI state and the second TCI state is predefined based on rules at the network device.

21. The network device according to any one of claims 14 to 20, wherein the TCI state is indicated in downlink control information (DCI) or configured via a second RRC message in an information element of an SRS resource or SRS resource set associated with the UL SRS.

22. The network device according to any one of claims 14 to 21, wherein the DCI includes at least two TCI states, and the TCI state is one of the at least two TCI states.

23. The network device according to any one of claims 14 to 22, wherein the identifier ID of the TCI state is associated with an SRS resource set ID or SRS resource ID associated with the UL SRS.

24. The network device according to any one of claims 14 to 23, wherein the at least one initialization parameter is associated with the TCI state.

25. The network device according to any one of claims 14 to 24, wherein the TCI state is specific to the CORESET pool index.

26. The terminal device according to any one of claims 14 to 25, wherein the at least one initialization parameter includes at least one of the following: SRS sequence identifier; C-RNTI, which is associated with the uplink / downlink UL / DL DCI that triggers the SRS transmission, or with the DL DCI that indicates the TCI status; The time slot index of the UL SRS; The symbol index of the UL SRS; Configured comb-like offset; Configured cyclic shift; Physical cell ID; UL SRS Resource ID; UL SRS resource set ID; or TCI Status ID.

27. A method comprising: Receive the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status from the network device; Based on the TCI state, at least one initialization parameter is determined for uplink UL probe reference signal (SRS) transmission; as well as The UL SRS is sent to the network device based on the at least one initialization parameter.

28. A method comprising: Send Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status to the terminal device; Based on the TCI state, at least one initialization parameter is determined for receiving the uplink UL probe reference signal SRS; as well as UL SRS is received from the terminal device based on the at least one initialization parameter.

29. An apparatus comprising: Components used to receive the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status from network devices; A component for determining at least one initialization parameter for uplink UL probe reference signal (SRS) transmission based on the TCI state; as well as A component for sending UL SRS to the network device based on the at least one initialization parameter.

30. An apparatus comprising: Component used to send the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status to the terminal device; A component for determining at least one initialization parameter for receiving the uplink UL probe reference signal SRS based on the TCI state; as well as A component for receiving UL SRS from the terminal device based on the at least one initialization parameter.

31. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions, said program instructions, when executed by a device, causing the device to perform at least: Receive the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status from the network device; Based on the TCI state, at least one initialization parameter is determined for uplink UL probe reference signal (SRS) transmission; and The UL SRS is sent to the network device based on the at least one initialization parameter.

32. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions, said program instructions, when executed by a device, causing the device to perform at least: Send Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status to the terminal device; Based on the TCI state, determine at least one initialization parameter for receiving the uplink UL probe reference signal (SRS); and UL SRS is received from the terminal device based on the at least one initialization parameter.

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