Method and device for wireless communication, user equipment and base station

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described. A method for wireless communication at a user equipment, comprising: receiving control signaling indicating a beam configuration for each physical cell identifier of a plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers, the beam configuration indicates one or more transmission configuration indicator states for each physical cell identifier of the plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers, where the one or more transmission configuration indicator states are associated with a downlink channel and a downlink reference signal, and comprising one or more spatial relationships for an uplink channel and an uplink reference signal; receiving an indication of one or more physical cell identifiers of the plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers; and applying a beam configuration for each of the one or more physical cell identifiers based at least in part on the indication of the one or more physical cell identifiers.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application filed on April 28, 2021, with application number 202180030529.6 and invention title "Implicit Beam Indicator".

[0002] Cross-references to related applications

[0003] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 241,959, entitled “IMPLICIT BEAM INDICATION”, filed April 27, 2021, by ZHOU et al., which claims the right to be assigned to the assignee of this application to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 018,273, entitled “IMPLICIT BEAM INDICATION”, filed April 30, 2020. Technical Field

[0004] The following text generally refers to wireless communication, and more specifically to implicit beam indication. Background Technology

[0005] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcasting, and so on. These systems can support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple access systems include fourth-generation (4G) systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A Advanced (LTE-A), or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth-generation (5G) systems, which may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems can employ technologies such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), or Discrete Fourier Transform Extended Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple access communication system may include one or more base stations or one or more network access nodes, all simultaneously supporting communication with multiple communication devices, which may otherwise be referred to as User Equipment (UE).

[0006] A UE can be configured with multiple candidate cells to communicate with a wireless communication network. A UE can be configured to communicate with a subset of candidate cells for a period of time. Some techniques used to configure and manage the UE and subsets of candidate cells based on inter-cell mobility are flawed. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses supporting implicit beamforming. Generally, the described techniques provide indication to a User Equipment (UE) of one or more beam configurations for candidate PCIs before receiving an indication of a selected subset of candidate Physical Cell Identifiers (PCIs). In some examples, the UE may be served by multiple cells. In some cases, a serving cell may have multiple Transmit / Receive Points (TRPs) that may be located at different locations, and each TRP may have a different PCI. The UE may be served by a subset of the candidate PCIs of the serving cell. In some cases, the UE may be configured with a set of serving cells, where each serving cell may have a single candidate PCI, and the UE may be served by a selected subset (e.g., one or more) of that set of serving cells. The wireless communication systems described herein can implement techniques for enhancing implicit beamforming indication. For example, the UE may be configured (e.g., pre-configured) with one or more beam configurations for at least some (if not every) of the candidate PCIs, and the UE may apply one or more beam configurations based on implicit indications of one or more selected beam configurations. For example, the beam configuration of different channels and reference signals associated with candidate PCIs in the selected candidate PCI group can be configured (e.g., pre-configured) or indicated (e.g., pre-indicated) at the UE. Then, when the UE receives the indication of the selected candidate PCI set, the UE can implicitly apply the beam configuration corresponding to the selected candidate PCI set.

[0008] A method for wireless communication at a UE is described. The method may include receiving a beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in a candidate set of physical cell identifiers, receiving an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers in the candidate set of physical cell identifiers, and applying the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers based on the indication of the selected subset of physical cell identifiers.

[0009] An apparatus for wireless communication at a UE is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to receive a beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in a candidate set of physical cell identifiers, receive an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers in the candidate set of physical cell identifiers, and apply a beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers based on the indication of the selected subset of physical cell identifiers.

[0010] Another apparatus for wireless communication at a UE is described. The apparatus may include components for: receiving beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in a candidate set of physical cell identifiers; receiving an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers in the candidate set of physical cell identifiers; and applying the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers based on the indication of the selected subset of physical cell identifiers.

[0011] A non-transitory computer-readable medium is described, storing code for wireless communication at a UE. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to receive beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in a candidate set of physical cell identifiers, to receive an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers in the candidate set of physical cell identifiers, and to apply beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers based on the indication of the selected subset of physical cell identifiers.

[0012] A method for wireless communication at a base station is described. The method may include sending a beam configuration to a UE for each physical cell identifier in a candidate physical cell identifier set, sending an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers in the candidate physical cell identifier set, and communicating with the UE via one or more cells corresponding to the selected subset of physical cell identifiers, based on the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers.

[0013] An apparatus for wireless communication at a base station is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to send to a UE a beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in a candidate physical cell identifier set, an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers in the candidate physical cell identifier set, and to communicate with the UE via one or more cells corresponding to the selected subset of physical cell identifiers, based on the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers.

[0014] Another apparatus for wireless communication at a base station is described. The apparatus may include components for: transmitting beam configuration to a UE for each physical cell identifier in a candidate physical cell identifier set; transmitting an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers in the candidate physical cell identifier set; and communicating with the UE via one or more cells corresponding to the selected subset of physical cell identifiers, based on the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers.

[0015] A non-transitory computer-readable medium is described, storing code for wireless communication at a base station. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to send to a UE a beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in a candidate physical cell identifier set, an indication to send a selected subset of physical cell identifiers in the candidate physical cell identifier set, and to communicate with the UE via one or more cells corresponding to the selected subset of physical cell identifiers, based on the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers.

[0016] A method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE) is described, comprising: receiving control signaling indicating beam configuration for each of a plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers, wherein the beam configuration indicates one or more transmission configuration indicator states for each of the plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers, wherein the one or more transmission configuration indicator states are associated with a downlink channel and a downlink reference signal, and include one or more spatial relationships for an uplink channel and an uplink reference signal; receiving an indication of one or more physical cell identifiers from the plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers; and applying beam configuration for each of the one or more physical cell identifiers, at least in part based on the indication of the one or more physical cell identifiers.

[0017] A method for wireless communication at a base station is described, comprising: transmitting control signaling to a user equipment (UE) indicating a beam configuration for each of a plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers, wherein the beam configuration indicates one or more transmission configuration indicator states for each of the plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers, wherein the one or more transmission configuration indicator states are associated with a downlink channel and a downlink reference signal, and include one or more spatial relationships for an uplink channel and an uplink reference signal; transmitting an indication of one or more physical cell identifiers among the plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers; and communicating with the UE via one or more cells corresponding to the one or more physical cell identifiers according to the beam configuration for each of the one or more physical cell identifiers.

[0018] An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE) is described, comprising: one or more processors, one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors; and instructions stored in the one or more memories and executable by the one or more processors to cause the UE to: receive control signaling indicating beam configuration for each of a plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers, wherein the beam configuration indicates one or more transmission configuration indicator states for each of the plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers, wherein the one or more transmission configuration indicator states are associated with a downlink channel and a downlink reference signal, and include one or more spatial relationships for an uplink channel and an uplink reference signal; receive an indication of one or more physical cell identifiers from the plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers; and apply beam configuration for each of the one or more physical cell identifiers, at least in part based on the indication of the one or more physical cell identifiers. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 An example of a system for wireless communication that supports implicit beam indication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0020] Figure 2 An example of a wireless communication system supporting implicit beam indication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0021] Figure 3 An example of a process flow supporting implicit beam indication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0022] Figure 4 and Figure 5 A block diagram of an apparatus supporting implicit beam indication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0023] Figure 6 A block diagram of a communication manager supporting implicit beam indication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0024] Figure 7 A diagram of a system including a device supporting implicit beam indication, according to aspects of this disclosure, is shown.

[0025] Figure 8 and Figure 9 A block diagram of an apparatus supporting implicit beam indication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0026] Figure 10 A block diagram of a communication manager supporting implicit beam indication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0027] Figure 11A diagram of a system including a device supporting implicit beam indication, according to aspects of this disclosure, is shown.

[0028] Figures 12 to 14 A flowchart illustrating a method for supporting implicit beam indication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0029] In a wireless communication system, a user equipment (UE) can be served by multiple cells. As channel conditions change, or as the UE moves within the system, it can be switched or reassigned to different cells over time. In some cases, two modes can exist associated with a UE served by multiple cells.

[0030] In the first mode, each serving cell can have multiple Transmit / Receive Points (TRPs) located at different locations, and each TRP can have a different Physical Cell Indicator (PCI). The UE can be served by a subset of the serving cell's PCIs (e.g., candidate PCIs), and the selected subset of PCIs can be changed, for example, via downlink control information or a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0031] In the second mode, the UE can be configured with a set of serving cells, each with a single PCI. The UE can be served by a selected subset of cells in this set, which can be changed via downlink control information (DCI) or MAC CE. In some other wireless communication systems, after the UE receives an indication of the selected PCI subset, the base station (e.g., the base station sending the indication of the selected PCI subset) can explicitly indicate the beamforming configuration of the downlink and uplink channels and reference signals for the PCI (e.g., active Transport Configuration Indicator (TCI) status, spatial relationships). This signaling, sent after configuring the UE with PCI, may increase cell handover latency and affect reliability because the UE may not have the correct beamforming configuration for the PCI before receiving this signaling.

[0032] However, the wireless communication system described herein can implement techniques for enhancing implicit beamforming indication. For example, the UE can be configured (e.g., pre-configured) with beamforming for at least some (if not every) of the candidate PCIs, and the UE can apply one or more beamforming configurations based on implicit indications of one or more selected beamforming configurations. For example, beamforming for different channels and reference signals associated with PCIs in a selected PCI set can be configured (e.g., pre-configured) or indicated (e.g., pre-indicated) at the UE. Then, when the UE receives an indication of the selected PCI set, the UE can implicitly apply the pre-configured beamforming corresponding to the selected PCI set. This eliminates additional signaling from other different systems, thereby reducing cell handover latency and ensuring the UE has a beamforming configuration with improved reliability.

[0033] The aspects of this disclosure are initially described in the context of wireless communication systems. These aspects are further illustrated and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts relating to implicit beam pointing.

[0034] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system 100 supporting implicit beam indication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. The wireless communication system 100 may include one or more base stations 105, one or more UEs 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, an Advanced LTE (LTE-A) network, an LTE-A Pro network, or a New Radio (NR) network. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may support enhanced broadband communication, ultra-reliable (e.g., mission-critical) communication, low-latency communication, communication with low-cost and low-complexity devices, or any combination thereof.

[0035] Base stations 105 can be distributed throughout a geographic area to form a wireless communication system 100 and can be devices of different forms or with different capabilities. Base stations 105 and UE 115 can communicate wirelessly via one or more communication links 125. Each base station 105 can provide a coverage area 110, on which UE 115 and base station 105 can establish one or more communication links 125. Coverage area 110 can be an example of a geographic area on which base stations 105 and UE 115 can support signal communication according to one or more radio access technologies.

[0036] UE 115 can be distributed throughout the entire coverage area 110 of the wireless communication system 100, and each UE 115 can be fixed, mobile, or both at different times. UE 115 can be devices in different forms or with different capabilities. Figure 1Some example UE 115s are shown in the document. The UE 115 described herein can be used with various types of devices (such as... Figure 1 The other UE 115, base station 105, or network equipment (e.g., core network node, relay equipment, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, or other network equipment) shown in the diagram communicate.

[0037] Base station 105 may communicate with core network 130, communicate with each other, or both. For example, base station 105 may connect to core network 130 via one or more backhaul links 120 (e.g., via S1, N2, N3, or other interfaces). Base station 105 may communicate with each other directly (e.g., directly between base stations 105) or indirectly (e.g., via core network 130) or both on backhaul links 120 (e.g., via X2, Xn, or other interfaces). In some examples, backhaul link 120 may be or include one or more radio links.

[0038] One or more base stations 105 described herein may include, or may be referred to by those skilled in the art as, base transceiver station, radio base station, access point, radio transceiver, node B, e-node B (eNB), next-generation node B or gigabit node B (any of which may be referred to as gNB), home node B, home e-node B or other suitable terms.

[0039] UE 115 may include or be referred to as a mobile device, wireless device, remote device, handheld device, or subscriber device, or some other suitable term, wherein “device” may also be referred to as a unit, station, terminal, or client, among other examples. UE 115 may also include or be referred to as a personal electronic device, such as a cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet computer, laptop computer, or personal computer. In some examples, UE 115 may include or be referred to as a wireless local loop (WLL) station, Internet of Things (IoT) device, Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or machine-type communication (MTC) device, among other examples, which may be implemented in various objects such as appliances or vehicles, meters, and other examples.

[0040] The UE 115 described in this article can be used with various types of devices (such as...) Figure 1 The other UEs 115 shown can sometimes act as relays, as well as base station 105, and network equipment including macro eNBs or gNBs, small cell eNBs or gNBs, or relay base stations and other examples.

[0041] UE 115 and base station 105 can wirelessly communicate with each other on one or more carriers via one or more communication links 125. The term "carrier" can refer to a set of radio spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting communication link 125. For example, a carrier for communication link 125 may include a portion of the radio spectrum band (e.g., a bandwidth portion (BWP)) operating according to one or more physical layer channels of a given radio access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR). Each physical layer channel may carry acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information), control signaling coordinating the operation of the carrier, user data, or other signaling. Wireless communication system 100 can support communication with UE 115 using carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation. UE 115 can be configured with multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation can be used in conjunction with both frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) component carriers.

[0042] In some examples (e.g., in a carrier aggregation configuration), the carrier may also have acquisition signaling or control signaling to coordinate the operation of other carriers. The carrier may be associated with a frequency channel (e.g., an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number (EARFCN)) and can be located according to a channel grid for discovery by UE 115. The carrier may operate in standalone mode, in which initial acquisition and connection can be performed by UE 115 via the carrier, or the carrier may operate in non-standalone mode, in which connection is anchored using different carriers (e.g., different carriers of the same or different radio access technologies).

[0043] The communication link 125 shown in the wireless communication system 100 may include uplink transmission from UE 115 to base station 105, or downlink transmission from base station 105 to UE 115. The carrier may carry downlink communication or uplink communication (e.g., in FDD mode), or may be configured to carry both downlink and uplink communication (e.g., in TDD mode).

[0044] A carrier can be associated with a specific bandwidth of the radio spectrum, and in some examples, the carrier bandwidth can be referred to as the carrier or the “system bandwidth” of the wireless communication system 100. For example, the carrier bandwidth can be one of many defined bandwidths for a carrier specific to a particular radio access technology (e.g., 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, or 80 MHz). Devices of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., base station 105, UE 115, or both) can have a hardware configuration that supports communication on a specific carrier bandwidth, or can be configured to support communication on one of a set of carrier bandwidths. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may include a base station 105 or UE 115 that supports simultaneous communication via carriers associated with multiple carrier bandwidths. In some examples, each served UE 115 can be configured to operate on a portion (e.g., a subband, BWP) or all of the carrier bandwidth.

[0045] The signal waveform transmitted on a carrier can consist of multiple subcarriers (e.g., using multi-carrier modulation (MCM) techniques, such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or discrete Fourier transform extended OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM)). In a system employing MCM, a resource element can consist of a symbol period (e.g., the duration of a modulation symbol) and a subcarrier, where the symbol period and subcarrier spacing are inversely related. The number of bits carried by each resource element can depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme, the decoding rate of the modulation scheme, or both). Therefore, the more resource elements the UE 115 receives and the higher the order of the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate can be for the UE 115. Wireless communication resources can refer to a combination of radio spectrum resources, temporal resources, and spatial resources (e.g., spatial layers or beams), and the use of multiple spatial layers can further improve the data rate or data integrity of communication with the UE 115.

[0046] It can support one or more sets of parameters for the carrier, wherein the parameter set may include the subcarrier spacing ( (and cyclic prefix). A carrier can be divided into one or more BWPs with the same or different parameter sets. In some examples, UE 115 can be configured with multiple BWPs. In some examples, a single BWP of a carrier can be active at a given time, and communication for UE 115 can be restricted to one or more active BWPs.

[0047] The time interval of base station 105 or UE 115 can be expressed as a multiple of a basic time unit, such as referring to... The sampling period is seconds, where It can represent the maximum supported subcarrier spacing, and This can represent the maximum supported Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) size. The time interval of the communication resource can be organized according to radio frames, each with a specified duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms)). Each radio frame can be identified by a System Frame Number (SFN) (e.g., ranging from 0 to 1023).

[0048] Each frame may include multiple consecutively numbered subframes or time slots, and each subframe or time slot may have the same duration. In some examples, a frame may (e.g., in the time domain) be divided into subframes, and each subframe may be further divided into a number of time slots. Alternatively, each frame may include a variable number of time slots, and the number of time slots may depend on the subcarrier spacing. Each time slot may include a number of symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of the cyclic prefix preceding each symbol period). In some wireless communication systems 100, time slots may be further divided into multiple mini-time slots containing one or more symbols. In addition to the cyclic prefix, each symbol period may also contain one or more (e.g., (Number) sampling periods. The duration of a symbol period can depend on the subcarrier spacing or the operating frequency band.

[0049] A subframe, time slot, mini-time slot, or symbol can be the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., in the time domain) and can be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI). In some examples, the duration of the TTI (e.g., the number of symbol periods in the TTI) can be variable. Additionally or alternatively, (e.g., in a burst of shortened TTIs (sTTIs)) the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 can be dynamically selected.

[0050] Physical channels can be multiplexed on a carrier using various techniques. Physical control channels and physical data channels can be multiplexed on a downlink carrier, for example, using one or more of Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques. The control region (e.g., control resource set (CORESET)) of a physical control channel can be defined by a number of symbol periods and can extend across the system bandwidth or a subset of the system bandwidth of the carrier. One or more control regions (e.g., CORESETs) can be configured for a set of UEs 115. For example, one or more of UEs 115 can monitor or search for control information based on one or more search space sets, and each search space set can include one or more control channel candidates in one or more aggregation levels arranged in a cascaded manner. The aggregation level of control channel candidates can refer to the number of control channel resources (e.g., control channel elements (CCEs)) associated with coded information in a control information format having a given payload size. The search space set can include a common search space set configured to send control information to multiple UEs 115 and a UE-specific search space set for sending control information to a specific UE 115.

[0051] Each base station 105 may provide communication coverage via one or more cells (e.g., macro cells, small cells, hotspots, or other types of cells, or any combination thereof). The term "cell" may refer to a logical communication entity used for communication with base station 105 (e.g., on a carrier) and may be associated with an identifier used to distinguish neighboring cells (e.g., Physical Cell Identifier (PCID), Virtual Cell Identifier (VCID), etc.). In some examples, a cell may also refer to a geographic coverage area 110 or a portion of geographic coverage area 110 (e.g., a sector) on which a logical communication entity operates. Depending on various factors such as the capabilities of base station 105, the range of such cells can range from small areas (e.g., structures, subsets of structures) to large areas. For example, a cell may be or include buildings, subsets of buildings, or external space between or overlapping geographic coverage areas 110, among other examples.

[0052] Macro cells typically cover a relatively large geographical area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and can allow unrestricted access to UE 115 with a service subscription to a network provider supporting the macro cell. In contrast, small cells can be associated with a lower-power base station 105 and can operate in the same or different (e.g., licensed, unlicensed) frequency bands as macro cells. Small cells can provide unrestricted access to UE 115 with a service subscription to a network provider, or restricted access to UE 115 associated with a small cell (e.g., UE 115 in a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG), or UE 115 associated with a user in a home or office). Base station 105 can support one or more cells and can also support communication using one or more component carriers on one or more cells.

[0053] In some examples, a carrier can support multiple cells, and different cells can be configured according to different protocol types that can provide access for different types of devices (e.g., MTC, Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB)).

[0054] In some examples, base station 105 may be mobile and thus provide communication coverage for mobile geographic coverage areas 110. In some examples, different geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, but different geographic coverage areas 110 may be supported by the same base station 105. In other examples, overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by different base stations 105. Wireless communication system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous network in which different types of base stations 105 use the same or different radio access technologies to provide coverage for various geographic coverage areas 110.

[0055] The wireless communication system 100 can support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, base stations 105 can have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different base stations 105 can be approximately time-aligned. For asynchronous operation, base stations 105 can have different frame timing, and in some examples, transmissions from different base stations 105 can be time-misaligned. The techniques described herein can be used for both synchronous and asynchronous operation.

[0056] Some UE 115 devices (such as MTC or IoT devices) can be low-cost or low-complexity devices that can provide automated communication between machines (e.g., via machine-to-machine (M2M) communication). M2M communication or MTC can refer to data communication technologies that allow devices to communicate with each other or with base station 105 without human intervention. In some examples, M2M communication or MTC can include communication from a device that integrates sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay such information to a central server or application that uses the information or presents it to a person interacting with an application. Some UE 115 devices can be designed to collect information or enable automated behavior of machines or other devices. Examples of applications for MTC devices include smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, medical monitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather and geological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based service charging.

[0057] Some UE 115s can be configured to operate in a power-saving mode, such as half-duplex communication (e.g., a mode that supports unidirectional communication via transmission or reception but not simultaneously via both). In some examples, half-duplex communication may be performed at a reduced peak rate. Other power-saving techniques for UE 115 include entering a power-saving deep sleep mode when not engaged in active communication, operating on limited bandwidth (e.g., according to narrowband communication), or a combination of these techniques. For example, some UE 115s can be configured to operate using a narrowband protocol type associated with a defined portion or range (e.g., a set of subcarriers or resource blocks (RBs)) within a carrier, within a carrier's guard band, or outside a carrier.

[0058] Wireless communication system 100 can be configured to support ultra-reliable communication or low-latency communication, or various combinations thereof. For example, wireless communication system 100 can be configured to support ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) or mission-critical communication. UE 115 can be designed to support ultra-reliable, low-latency, or mission-critical functions (e.g., mission-critical functions). Ultra-reliable communication can include private or group communication and can be supported by one or more mission-critical services such as mission-critical push-to-talk (MCPTT), mission-critical video (MC video), or mission-critical data (MC data). Support for mission-critical functions can include service prioritization, and mission-critical services can be used for public safety or general business applications. The terms ultra-reliable, low-latency, mission-critical, and ultra-reliable low-latency are used interchangeably herein.

[0059] In some examples, UE 115 may also be able to communicate directly with other UE 115 on a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 135 (e.g., using a peer-to-peer (P2P) or D2D protocol). One or more UE 115s utilizing D2D communication may be within the geographic coverage area 110 of base station 105. Other UE 115s in such a group may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of base station 105 or may not be able to receive transmissions from base station 105 for other reasons. In some examples, the group of UE 115s communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system in which each UE 115 sends to each other UE 115 in the group. In some examples, base station 105 facilitates the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication occurs between UE 115s without the involvement of base station 105.

[0060] In some systems, the D2D communication link 135 may be an example of a communication channel such as a sidelink communication channel between vehicles (e.g., UE 115). In some examples, vehicles may communicate using vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, or some combination thereof. Vehicles may signal information related to traffic conditions, signal control, weather, safety, emergencies, or any other information related to the V2X system. In some examples, vehicles in a V2X system may communicate with roadside infrastructure (such as roadside units), or communicate with the network via one or more network nodes (e.g., base station 105) using vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication, or communicate with both.

[0061] Core network 130 can provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. Core network 130 can be an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC), which may include at least one control plane entity (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), access and mobility management function (AMF)) managing access and mobility, and at least one user plane entity (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or user plane function (UPF)) routing packets to or interconnecting with external networks. The control plane entity can manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management, for UE 115 served by base station 105 associated with core network 130. User IP packets can be transmitted through the user plane entity, which can provide IP address allocation and other functions. The user plane entity can connect to network operator IP service 150. Operator IP service 150 may include access to the Internet, one or more intranets, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), or packet-switched streaming services.

[0062] Some network devices, such as base station 105, may include sub-components, such as access network entity 140, which may be an example of an access node controller (ANC). Each access network entity 140 may communicate with UE 115 through one or more other access network transport entities 145, which may be referred to as a radio head, smart radio head, or transmit / receive point (TRP). Each access network transport entity 145 may include one or more antenna panels. In some configurations, the various functions of each access network entity 140 or base station 105 may be distributed across various network devices (e.g., radio heads and ANCs) or combined into a single network device (e.g., base station 105).

[0063] Wireless communication system 100 can operate using one or more frequency bands typically in the range of 300 MHz to 300 GHz. Generally, the area from 300 MHz to 3 GHz is referred to as the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) band or decimeter band because the wavelength range is from approximately 1 decimeter to 1 meter in length. UHF waves can be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features, but these waves can penetrate structures sufficiently to enable macrocells to serve UE 115 located indoors. Compared to transmission using smaller frequencies and longer waves in the lower frequencies (HF) or very high frequencies (VHF) portions of the spectrum below 300 MHz, UHF wave transmission can be associated with smaller antennas and shorter distances (e.g., less than 100 km).

[0064] The wireless communication system 100 can also operate in the ultra-high frequency (SHF) band (also known as the centimeter band) using a frequency band from 3 GHz to 30 GHz, or in the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (e.g., from 30 GHz to 300 GHz) (also known as the millimeter band). In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 can support millimeter-wave (mmW) communication between the UE 115 and the base station 105, and the EHF antennas of the individual devices can be smaller and more closely spaced than UHF antennas. In some examples, this can facilitate the use of antenna arrays within the devices. However, compared to SHF or UHF transmissions, EHF transmissions may suffer from even greater atmospheric attenuation and shorter distances. The techniques disclosed herein can be employed in transmissions using one or more different frequency bands, and the designated use of frequency bands across these frequency bands may vary depending on the country or regulatory body.

[0065] Wireless communication system 100 may use both licensed and unlicensed radio spectrum bands. For example, wireless communication system 100 may employ Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), LTE Unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology in unlicensed bands such as the 5 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band. When operating in unlicensed radio spectrum bands, devices such as base station 105 and UE 115 may employ carrier sensing for collision detection and avoidance. In some examples, operation in unlicensed bands may be based on carrier aggregation configurations combined with component carriers operating in licensed bands (e.g., LAA). Operation in unlicensed spectrum may include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, P2P transmissions, or D2D transmissions, among other examples.

[0066] Base station 105 or UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas that can be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication, or beamforming. The antennas of base station 105 or UE 115 may be located within one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels that can support MIMO operation or transmit beamforming or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be co-located at an antenna assembly such as an antenna tower. In some examples, the antennas or antenna arrays associated with base station 105 may be located in a variety of geographical locations. Base station 105 may have an antenna array with a plurality of rows and columns of antenna ports, which base station 105 may utilize to support beamforming for communication with UE 115. Similarly, UE 115 may have one or more antenna arrays that can support various MIMO or beamforming operations. Additionally or alternatively, the antenna panel may support radio frequency beamforming for signals transmitted via the antenna ports.

[0067] Base station 105 or UE 115 can use MIMO communication to utilize multipath signal propagation and improve spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers. Such a technique can be referred to as spatial multiplexing. Multiple signals can be transmitted, for example, by a transmitting device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Similarly, multiple signals can be received by a receiving device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Each of the multiple signals can be referred to as a separate spatial stream and can carry bits associated with the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams (e.g., different codewords). Different spatial layers can be associated with different antenna ports used for channel measurement and reporting. MIMO techniques include single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) in which multiple spatial layers are transmitted to the same receiving device and multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) in which multiple spatial layers are transmitted to multiple devices.

[0068] Beamforming, also known as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception, is a signal processing technique used at a transmitting or receiving device (e.g., base station 105, UE 115) to shape or manipulate antenna beams (e.g., transmit beams, receive beams) along a spatial path between the transmitting and receiving devices. Beamforming can be achieved by combining signals communicated via antenna elements of an antenna array, such that some signals propagating relative to the antenna array in a specific orientation experience constructive interference while others experience destructive interference. Adjustments to signals communicated via antenna elements may include the transmitting or receiving device applying amplitude shifts, phase shifts, or both to signals carried via antenna elements associated with that device. The adjustments associated with each antenna element can be defined by a beamforming weight set associated with a specific orientation (e.g., relative to the antenna array of the transmitting or receiving device, or relative to some other orientation).

[0069] Base station 105 or UE 115 may use beam scanning technology as part of beamforming operations. For example, base station 105 may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays (e.g., antenna panels) to perform beamforming operations for directional communication with UE 115. Some signals (e.g., synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) may be transmitted multiple times by base station 105 in different directions. For example, base station 105 may transmit signals according to different beamforming weight sets associated with different transmission directions. Transmissions in different beam directions can be used (e.g., by a transmitting device such as base station 105, or by a receiving device such as UE 115) to identify the beam direction for later transmission or reception by base station 105.

[0070] Some signals (such as data signals associated with a specific receiving device) may be transmitted by base station 105 in a single beam direction (e.g., the direction associated with a receiving device such as UE 115). In some examples, the beam direction associated with transmission along a single beam direction may be determined based on signals transmitted in one or more beam directions. For example, UE 115 may receive one or more signals transmitted by base station 105 in different directions and may report to base station 105 an indication of the signal received by UE 115 with the highest signal quality or other acceptable signal quality.

[0071] In some examples, transmissions performed by a device (e.g., base station 105 or UE 115) may be executed using multiple beam directions, and the device may use a combination of digital precoding or radio frequency beamforming to generate a combined beam for transmission (e.g., from base station 105 to UE 115). UE 115 may report feedback indicating precoding weights for one or more beam directions, and this feedback may correspond to the configured number of beams across the system bandwidth or one or more subbands. Base station 105 may transmit reference signals that can be precoded or unprecoded (e.g., cell-specific reference signal (CRS), channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS)). UE 115 may provide feedback for beam selection, which may be a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) or codebook-based feedback (e.g., multi-panel codebook, linear combination codebook, port selection codebook). Although these techniques are described with reference to signals transmitted by base station 105 in one or more directions, UE 115 may employ similar techniques to transmit signals multiple times in different directions (e.g., to identify the beam direction of subsequent transmissions or receptions by UE 115) or to transmit signals in a single direction (e.g., to transmit data to a receiving device).

[0072] When receiving various signals (such as synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) from base station 105, a receiving device (e.g., UE 115) may attempt multiple receiving configurations (e.g., directional listening). For example, the receiving device may attempt multiple receiving directions by receiving via different antenna subarrays, by processing the received signals according to different antenna subarrays, by receiving according to different sets of receiving beamforming weights applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of the antenna array (e.g., different sets of directional listening weights), or by processing the received signals according to different sets of receiving beamforming weights applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of the antenna array (any of which can be referred to as "listening" according to different receiving configurations or receiving directions). In some examples, the receiving device may use a single receiving configuration to receive along a single beam direction (e.g., when receiving data signals). The single receiving configuration may be aligned on a beam direction determined based on listening according to different receiving configuration directions (e.g., a beam direction determined to have the highest signal strength, highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or other acceptable signal quality based on listening according to multiple beam directions).

[0073] The wireless communication system 100 can be a packet-based network operating according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, communication at the bearer layer or Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer can be IP-based. The Radio Link Control (RLC) layer can perform packet segmentation and reassembly for communication on logical channels. The Media Access Control (MAC) layer can perform priority processing and multiplexing logical channels into transport channels. The MAC layer can also use error detection techniques, error correction techniques, or both to support retransmissions at the MAC layer to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol layer can provide the establishment, configuration, and maintenance of RRC connections between the UE 115 and the base station 105 or core network 130 supporting user plane data radio bearers. At the physical layer, transport channels can be mapped to physical channels.

[0074] UE 115 and base station 105 can support data retransmission to increase the likelihood of successful data reception. Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback is a technique used to increase the likelihood of correct data reception on communication link 125. HARQ can include a combination of error detection (e.g., using Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)), forward error correction (FEC), and retransmission (e.g., Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ)). HARQ can improve throughput at the MAC layer under poor radio conditions (e.g., low signal-to-noise ratio conditions). In some examples, the device can support simultaneous time-slot HARQ feedback, where the device can provide HARQ feedback in a specific time slot for data received in previous symbols within that time slot. In other cases, the device can provide HARQ feedback in subsequent time slots or according to some other time interval.

[0075] UE 115 can be instructed with a beam configuration for candidate PCIs before receiving an indication of a selected subset of PCIs. UE 115 can be served by multiple cells. In some cases, the serving cell can have multiple TRPs at different locations, each TRP can have a different PCI, and UE 115 can be served by a subset of the serving cell's PCIs. In some cases, the UE can be configured with a set of serving cells, each serving cell having a single PCI, and the UE can be served by a selected subset of that set of serving cells. The wireless communication system 100 can implement techniques for enhancing implicit beam configuration indication. For example, UE 115 can be pre-configured with a beam configuration for each candidate PCI, and UE 115 can apply the beam configuration based on the implicit indication of the selected beam configuration. For example, beam configurations for different channels and reference signals associated with PCIs in the selected PCI set can be pre-configured or pre-indicated to UE 115. Then, when UE 115 receives an indication of the selected PCI set, UE 115 can implicitly apply the pre-configured beam configuration corresponding to the selected PCI set.

[0076] Figure 2 An example of a wireless communication system 200 supporting implicit beam indication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. In some examples, wireless communication system 200 may implement aspects of wireless communication system 100. Wireless communication system 200 may include UE 115-a, which may be an example of UE 115 described herein. UE 115-a may communicate with one or more TRPs 210, which may be an example of base station 105 or a small cell as described herein.

[0077] UE 115-a can be configured with one or more cells to communicate with a wireless communication network. UE 115-a can receive an indication of a Physical Cell Identifier (PCI) set and communicate with the network via one or more cells corresponding to one or more of the PCI sets. In some cases, the PCI can be provided by base station 105 or one or more TRPs 210. For example, base station 105 can provide one or more cells for UE 115-a. Additionally or alternatively, one or more TRPs 210 can be distributed throughout wireless communication system 200 and can provide one or more cells for UE 115-a.

[0078] The wireless communication system 200 can support enhancement techniques for inter-cell mobility. For example, the wireless communication system 200 can support inter-cell mobility based on Layer 1 (L1) and Layer 2 (L2). In some examples, L1 can refer to the physical layer, while L2 can refer to the MAC, RLC, and PDCP layers.

[0079] In some cases, L1 and L2-based inter-cell mobility can include two modes. In the first mode of inter-cell mobility, the serving cell (e.g., each serving cell) can have multiple TRPs 210. In some cases, the TRPs 210 can be located at different locations. In the first mode, each TRP 210 can have a different PCI. The PCI of the TRP 210 in the first mode can be carried by the synchronization signal block (SSB) sent by the TRP 210. The UE 115 can be served by a subset of the serving cell's PCI. In some cases, the subset of the serving PCI can be changed via DCI or MAC CE information.

[0080] As an example of the first mode, UE 115-a may have a serving cell with multiple TRPs 210, such as TRP 210-a and TRP 210-b. TRP 210-a and TRP 210-b can provide UE 115-a with an active PCI, which can be indicated to UE 115-a via DCI or MAC CE. For example, TRP 210-a may be associated with a first PCI and provide link 205-a for UE 115-a, and TRP 210-b may be associated with a second PCI and provide link 205-b for UE 115-a. In some examples, TRP 210-a and TRP 210-b may be distributed to different locations within the wireless communication network 200, which can provide UE 115-a with improved spatial diversity. TRP 210-a and TRP 210-b may each transmit an SSB carrying the corresponding PCI. UE 115-a can receive SSB and identify the PCI of TRP 210-a and TRP 210-b respectively.

[0081] In the second mode, UE 115 can be configured with a group of serving cells, each with a single PCI. For example, UE 115 can be configured with multiple serving cells, each with a different PCI. UE 115 can be configured to measure L1 metrics for each serving cell in the group (e.g., each serving cell). For example, UE 115 can measure L1 Reference Received Power (RSRP), Signal-to-Interference-Noise Ratio (SINR), Reference Received Quality (RSRQ), or other L1 characteristic metrics for each candidate serving cell. UE 115 can be served by a subset of the serving cell group at a time. In some cases, the subset can be changed by DCI or MAC CE. Base station 105 (e.g., providing serving cells) can determine the subset based on L1 reports from UE 115. For example, UE 115 can send L1 reports for RSRP, SINR, RSRQ, etc., to the selected serving cell or anchor serving cell in the group.

[0082] As an example of the second mode, TRP 210-a can provide one or more serving cells for UE 115-a. For example, TRP 210-a can provide a serving cell with a first PCI to provide link 205-a for UE 115-a. In some cases, TRP 210-a can be an example of base station 105. UE 115-a can perform measurements on one or more serving cells provided by TRP 210-a and report the measurements to TRP 210-a. TRP 210-a can select a subset of serving cells based on the report and configure that subset as the active serving cell for UE 115-a. In some other examples, multiple TRPs 210 can provide serving cells. For example, TRP 210-a can provide one or more serving cells, while TRP 210-b can provide one or more serving cells. In one example, TRP 210-b can provide a second serving cell with a second PCI to provide link 205-b for UE 115-a.

[0083] In some cases, UE 115-a can receive an indication of a subset of PCIs in the Wake-up Signal (WUS). UE 115-a can monitor the WUS at a specified time before the Discontinuous Reception (DRX) on-duration. The WUS can include an indicator for each UE 115 to signal whether to wake up for the next configured DRX on-duration. As an example, UE 115-a can operate during the DRX off period. UE 115-a can monitor and detect the WUS during the specified time period. In some cases, the WUS can indicate the activation of a subset of PCIs for UE 115-a from a larger set of candidate PCIs.

[0084] Wireless communication systems can support beamforming configurations. For example, TRP 210-a can apply TCI states when transmitting or sending downlink reference signals to UE 115-a on a downlink channel. UE 115-a can apply spatial relationships between the uplink channel and the reference signal. The TCI state can associate the channel of a reference signal transmitted in a previous communication with the upcoming communication. For example, TRP 210-a can apply the same channel as the channel used to transmit the demodulation reference signal to the downlink shared channel. UE 115-a can determine that the downlink shared channel has the same channel as the demodulation reference signal, and UE 115-a can apply a beamforming configuration corresponding to the previously received demodulation reference signal to receive the downlink shared channel. In some cases, the TCI state and spatial relationships can correspond to different beam directions or antenna array configurations. In some cases, the TCI state can correspond to the downlink channel and reference signal, and the spatial relationships can correspond to the uplink channel and reference signal.

[0085] In some wireless communication systems, after base station 105 indicates the selection of a subset of PCIs from the candidate PCI set, base station 105 may send an explicit beamforming configuration for the selected PCI subset. Sending an explicit indication after the selected PCI subset has already been configured can affect reliability because UE 115 may not have the correct beamforming configuration for the PCIs before receiving the signaling. Therefore, if an incorrect beamforming configuration is applied, UE 115 may miss some communications. Furthermore, the explicit indication of the selected PCI subset can incur signaling overhead for UE 115.

[0086] The techniques described herein provide implicit beam indication for inter-cell mobility. For example, UE 115-a can receive an indication of beam configuration for a candidate PCI set before receiving an indication of a selected subset of PCIs. Then, when UE 115-a receives the indication of the selected subset of PCIs, UE 115-a can implicitly apply the pre-indicated beam configuration without receiving additional signaling. For example, UE 115-a can receive a pre-configured set of beam configurations for a candidate PCI set, then UE 115-a can receive an indication of a subset of PCIs selected from the candidate PCIs, and UE 115-a can apply the configuration from the beam configuration set for the selected subset of PCIs.

[0087] In the Mode 1 example, the PCI group can be all candidate PCIs configured for each serving cell. In this example, the wake-up signal can indicate the PCI selected for each serving cell for UE 115-a. For example, the indication of the selected subset of PCIs can indicate the PCI corresponding to one or more TRPs configured for the serving cell. In the Mode 2 example, the PCI group can be a set of serving cell PCIs configured for L1 / L2-based cell selection within the group. In this example, the wake-up signal can indicate the selected PCI corresponding to the serving cell in the group used for UE 115-a. In some cases, UE 115-a can receive beam configuration for each candidate PCI, but UE 115-a can apply beam configuration corresponding to the indicated subset of selected PCI states.

[0088] Beam configuration for PCI states can include indications of TCI states and spatial relationships. In some cases, beam configuration can include uplink and downlink TCI states for downlink channels and reference signals. For example, beam configuration can indicate which TCI states TRP 210 and UE 115-a will use to communicate Transmit Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) or Positioning Reference Signal, and other downlink reference signals on the downlink control channel, the downlink shared channel, and other examples of uplink reference signals. In some cases, beam configuration can include spatial relationships for uplink channels and reference signals. For example, beam configuration can indicate spatial relationships for uplink control channels, uplink shared channels, sounding reference signals (SRS), physical random access channels or random access preambles, and other examples of uplink channels or uplink reference signals.

[0089] The beam configuration indication can be transmitted to the UE 115-a before selecting the corresponding PCI. For example, the beam configuration indication can be transmitted via downlink control information, MAC CE, or RRC signaling.

[0090] Beam configuration can be extended to other types of communication. For example, beam configuration can be applied to path loss reference signals used for uplink transmit power determination. In some cases, beam configuration can be applied to periodic services, such as semi-periodic scheduled communication or configured licensed communication. In some cases, beam configuration can include parameters for these other types of services.

[0091] Figure 3 An example of a process flow 300 supporting implicit beam indication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. In some examples, process flow 300 may be implemented by aspects of wireless communication system 100. Process flow 300 may be implemented by UE 115-b or base station 105-b or both, which may be corresponding examples of UE 115 and base station 105 described herein.

[0092] In some cases, base station 105 may communicate with UE 115-b via one or more TRPs. For example, base station 105-b may be an example of a serving cell with multiple TRPs at different locations. In some cases, at least some TRPs (if not every TRP) may have different PCIs, which can be indicated to UE 115-b via SSBs sent by the TRPs. In some examples, base station 105-b may be an example of a TRP (e.g., having a PCI) that can be configured by the wireless communication network to communicate with UE 115-b. In some cases, base station 105 may be an example of a TRP. This could be an example of Mode 1 for inter-cell mobility (e.g., L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility).

[0093] In some other examples, base station 105-b can provide one or more serving cells for UE 115-b. For example, each serving cell can have a corresponding PCI. In this example, base station 105-b can be a serving cell in a set of serving cells. This example can be a mode 2 example for inter-cell mobility (e.g., L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility).

[0094] At 305, UE 115-b can receive beam configuration for each of the multiple candidate PCIs. Base station 105-b can transmit the beam configuration for each of the multiple candidate PCIs via downlink control information, MAC CE, RRC signaling, or any combination thereof.

[0095] In some cases, the beam configuration for each of the multiple candidate PCIs may include one or more uplink TCI states, downlink TCI states, or both for the downlink channel and downlink reference signal. In some cases, the beam configuration for each of the multiple candidate PCIs may include one or more spatial relationships for the uplink channel and uplink reference signal. In some cases, the downlink channel may include a downlink control channel, a downlink shared channel, or both. In some cases, the downlink reference signal may include a channel state information reference signal, a positioning reference signal, or both. In some cases, the uplink channel may include an uplink shared channel, an uplink control channel, a random access channel, or both. In some examples, the uplink reference signal may include a probe reference signal, a random access preamble, or both.

[0096] At 310, UE 115-b can receive an indication of a selected subset of PCIs from among multiple candidate PCIs. In some cases, UE 115-b can receive the beam configuration for each of the multiple candidate PCIs before receiving the indication of the selected subset of PCIs.

[0097] At 315, UE 115-b can apply beam configuration for each PCI in the selected PCI subset based on an indication of the selected PCI subset. In some cases, UE 115-b can implicitly apply beam configuration for each PCI in the selected PCI subset after receiving the indication, without receiving additional explicit indication of beam configuration for the selected PCI subset. This can reduce signaling overhead and improve reliability, because UE 115-b can effectively apply beam configuration for PCIs and communicate with the correct configuration, thereby reducing the possibility of missed communication due to incorrect beam configuration application or no beam configuration. In some cases, beam configuration for each PCI among multiple candidate PCIs can also be applied to path loss reference signal configuration for uplink transmit power determination, semi-persistent scheduling configuration, authorized configuration of configuration, or any combination thereof.

[0098] At 320, UE 115-b and base station 105-b can communicate according to the beam configuration for a selected subset of PCI. For example, UE 115-b and base station 105-b can communicate or transmit downlink reference signals on the downlink channel according to the uplink and downlink TCI states, or UE 115-b and base station 105-b can communicate or transmit uplink reference signals on the uplink channel according to the indicated spatial relationship.

[0099] By implementing these techniques, UE 115-b can implicitly apply beam configuration based on which PCIs are indicated in the selected subset of PCIs. This reduces the signaling overhead of other systems that would otherwise require explicit signaling to use beam configuration after indicating the selected PCIs. Furthermore, UE 115-b can communicate using beam configuration, thereby improving reliability by using the correct beam configuration faster than if UE 115-b had to wait for additional explicit beam configuration signaling.

[0100] Figure 4 A block diagram 400 of a device 405 supporting implicit beam indication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Device 405 may be an example of an aspect of UE 115 as described herein. Device 405 may include a receiver 410, a communication manager 415, and a transmitter 420. Device 405 may also include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0101] Receiver 410 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to implicit beam indication). This information can be transmitted to other components of device 405. Receiver 410 can be a reference. Figure 7 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 720 described. The receiver 410 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna set.

[0102] Communication manager 415 can receive beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the candidate physical cell identifier set, receive an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers in the candidate physical cell identifier set, and apply beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers based on the indication of the selected subset of physical cell identifiers. Communication manager 415 may be an example of an aspect of communication manager 710 described herein.

[0103] The communication manager 415 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the communication manager 415 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0104] The communication manager 415 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that some functions are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the communication manager 415 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the communication manager 415 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including but not limited to input / output (I / O) components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0105] Actions performed by the UE communication manager 415 as described herein can be implemented to achieve one or more potential advantages. One implementation allows the UE 115 to reduce signaling overhead by being pre-configured with a beam configuration for candidate PCIs. For example, by pre-configuring the UE with a beam configuration, the UE 115 may not receive additional signals explicitly indicating the beam configuration for a selected subset of PCIs. Furthermore, pre-configuration or pre-indication can improve the reliability of signaling at the UE 115. For example, the UE 115 can apply the beam configuration more quickly, which can improve reliability because the UE 115 can communicate without an incorrect beam configuration.

[0106] Transmitter 420 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 405. In some examples, transmitter 420 may be co-located with receiver 410 in a transceiver. For example, transmitter 420 may be a reference. Figure 7 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 720 described. The transmitter 420 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0107] Figure 5 A block diagram 500 of a device 505 supporting implicit beam indication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Device 505 may be an example of aspects of device 405 or UE 115 as described herein. Device 505 may include a receiver 510, a communication manager 515, and a transmitter 535. Device 505 may also include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0108] Receiver 510 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to implicit beam indication). This information can be transmitted to other components of device 505. Receiver 510 can serve as a reference. Figure 7 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 720 described. The receiver 510 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna set.

[0109] Communication manager 515 may be an example of an aspect of communication manager 415 as described herein. Communication manager 515 may include beam configuration receiving component 520, PCI selection indication component 525, and beam configuration application component 530. Communication manager 515 may be an example of an aspect of communication manager 710 as described herein.

[0110] The beam configuration receiving component 520 can receive beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the candidate physical cell identifier set.

[0111] PCI selection indicator component 525 can receive an indication of a subset of physical cell identifiers selected from the candidate physical cell identifier set.

[0112] The beam configuration application component 530 can apply beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers based on an indication of the selected subset of physical cell identifiers.

[0113] Transmitter 535 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 505. In some examples, transmitter 535 can be co-located with receiver 510 in a transceiver. For example, transmitter 535 can be a reference. Figure 7 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 720 described. The transmitter 535 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0114] Figure 6 A block diagram 600 of a communication manager 605 supporting implicit beam indication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Communication manager 605 may be an example of aspects of communication manager 415, communication manager 515, or communication manager 710 described herein. Communication manager 605 may include a beam configuration receiving component 610, a PCI selection indicating component 615, and a beam configuration application component 620. Each of these components may communicate directly or indirectly with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0115] The beam configuration receiving component 610 can receive beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the candidate physical cell identifier set.

[0116] In some examples, the beam configuration receiving component 610 can receive beam configuration for each physical cell identifier before receiving an indication of a subset of selected physical cell identifiers.

[0117] In some examples, receiving beam configuration includes receiving beam configuration via downlink control information, medium access control control elements, radio resource control signaling, or any combination thereof.

[0118] In some cases, the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the candidate physical cell identifier set includes one or more transmission configuration indicator states for downlink channels and downlink reference signals, and one or more spatial relationships for uplink channels and uplink reference signals.

[0119] In some cases, the downlink channel includes the downlink control channel, the downlink shared channel, or both. In some cases, the downlink reference signal includes the channel state information reference signal, the positioning reference signal, or both. In some cases, the uplink channel includes the uplink shared channel, the uplink control channel, the random access channel, or both. In some cases, the uplink reference signal includes the sounding reference signal, the random access preamble, or both.

[0120] In some cases, the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the candidate physical cell identifier set includes a path loss reference signal configuration for uplink transmit power determination, a semi-persistent scheduling configuration, a licensed configuration, or any combination thereof.

[0121] In some cases, the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the candidate physical cell identifier set is further applied to the path loss reference signal configuration, semi-persistent scheduling configuration, authorized configuration, or any combination thereof for uplink transmit power determination.

[0122] PCI selection indication component 615 can receive an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers from the candidate physical cell identifier set. In some cases, each candidate physical cell identifier in the candidate physical cell identifier set corresponds to a transmission / reception point in the transmission / reception point set configured for the serving cell. In some cases, each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers corresponds to a corresponding transmission / reception point in the transmission / reception point set configured for the serving cell. In some cases, each physical cell identifier in the candidate physical cell identifier set corresponds to a corresponding serving cell in a set of serving cells. In some cases, each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers corresponds to a corresponding serving cell in that set of serving cells. In some cases, the serving cell set is configured for Layer 1 / Layer 2 based cell selection.

[0123] The beam configuration application component 620 can apply beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers based on an indication of the selected subset of physical cell identifiers.

[0124] In some examples, beam configuration application component 620 can implicitly apply beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the subset of selected physical cell identifiers without receiving additional explicit instructions for beam configuration for the subset of selected physical cell identifiers after receiving an indication of the selected subset of physical cell identifiers.

[0125] Figure 7 A diagram of a system 700 including a device 705 supporting implicit beam pointing, according to aspects of this disclosure, is shown. Device 705 may be an example of device 405, device 505, or UE 115 as described herein, or may include components of device 405, device 505, or UE 115 as described herein. Device 705 may include components for bidirectional voice and data communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including a communication manager 710, an I / O controller 715, a transceiver 720, an antenna 725, a memory 730, and a processor 740. These components may communicate electronically via one or more buses (e.g., bus 745).

[0126] The communication manager 710 can receive beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the candidate physical cell identifier set, receive an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers in the candidate physical cell identifier set, and apply beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers based on the indication of the selected subset of physical cell identifiers.

[0127] I / O controller 715 can manage input and output signals for device 705. I / O controller 715 can also manage peripheral devices not integrated into device 705. In some cases, I / O controller 715 can represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some cases, I / O controller 715 can utilize operating systems such as iOS®, ANDROID®, MS-DOS®, MS-WINDOWS®, OS / 2®, UNIX®, LINUX®, or other known operating systems. In other cases, I / O controller 715 can represent or interact with a modem, keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, or similar device. In some cases, I / O controller 715 can be implemented as part of a processor. In some cases, a user can interact with device 705 via I / O controller 715 or via hardware components controlled by I / O controller 715.

[0128] Transceiver 720 can communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links as described above. For example, transceiver 720 can represent a wireless transceiver and can communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. Transceiver 720 may also include a modem for modulating packets and providing the modulated packets to the antenna for transmission, and for demodulating packets received from the antenna.

[0129] In some cases, a wireless device may include a single antenna 725. However, in other cases, the device may have more than one antenna 725, which may be able to transmit or receive multiple wireless transmissions simultaneously.

[0130] Memory 730 may include RAM and ROM. Memory 730 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 735, including instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the various functions described herein. In some cases, among other things, memory 730 may contain a BIOS, which can control basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0131] Processor 740 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processors, DSPs, CPUs, microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGAs, programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 740 may be configured to use a memory controller to operate a memory array. In other cases, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 740. Processor 740 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 730) to cause device 705 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting implicit beamforming).

[0132] Code 735 may include instructions for implementing aspects of this disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communication. Code 735 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or other types of memory. In some cases, code 735 may not be directly executable by processor 740, but may enable a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein.

[0133] Figure 8 A block diagram 800 of a device 805 supporting implicit beam indication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Device 805 may be an example of an aspect of base station 105 as described herein. Device 805 may include a receiver 810, a communication manager 815, and a transmitter 820. Device 805 may also include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0134] Receiver 810 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to implicit beam indication). This information can be transmitted to other components of device 805. Receiver 810 can serve as a reference. Figure 11 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1120 described. The receiver 810 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna set.

[0135] The communication manager 815 can send a beam configuration to the UE for each physical cell identifier in the candidate physical cell identifier set, send an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers in the candidate physical cell identifier set, and communicate with the UE via one or more cells corresponding to the selected subset of physical cell identifiers, based on the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers. The communication manager 815 may be an example of an aspect of the communication manager 1110 described herein.

[0136] The communication manager 815 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the communication manager 815 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0137] The communication manager 815 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that some functions are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the communication manager 815 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the communication manager 815 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including but not limited to input / output (I / O) components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0138] Transmitter 820 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 805. In some examples, transmitter 820 can be co-located with receiver 810 in a transceiver. For example, transmitter 820 can be a reference... Figure 11 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1120 described. The transmitter 820 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0139] Figure 9A block diagram 900 of a device 905 supporting implicit beam indication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Device 905 may be an example of aspects of device 805 as described herein or base station 105. Device 905 may include receiver 910, communication manager 915, and transmitter 935. Device 905 may also include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0140] Receiver 910 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to implicit beam indication). This information can be transmitted to other components of device 905. Receiver 910 can serve as a reference. Figure 11 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1120 described. The receiver 910 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna set.

[0141] Communication manager 915 may be an example of an aspect of communication manager 815 as described herein. Communication manager 915 may include beam configuration transmission component 920, PCI selection indication component 925, and beam communication component 930. Communication manager 915 may be an example of an aspect of communication manager 1110 as described herein.

[0142] The beam configuration transmission component 920 can transmit beam configurations to the UE for each physical cell identifier in the candidate physical cell identifier set.

[0143] The PCI selection indicator component 925 can send an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers from the candidate physical cell identifier set.

[0144] The beam communication component 930 can communicate with the UE via one or more cells corresponding to the selected subset of physical cell identifiers, based on the beam configuration of each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers.

[0145] Transmitter 935 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 905. In some examples, transmitter 935 can be co-located with receiver 910 in a transceiver. For example, transmitter 935 can be a reference. Figure 11 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1120 are described. The transmitter 935 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0146] Figure 10A block diagram 1000 of a communication manager 1005 supporting implicit beam indication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Communication manager 1005 may be an example of aspects of communication manager 815, communication manager 915, or communication manager 1110 described herein. Communication manager 1005 may include beam configuration transmission component 1010, PCI selection indication component 1015, and beam communication component 1020. Each of these components may communicate directly or indirectly with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0147] The beam configuration transmission component 1010 can transmit beam configuration to the UE for each physical cell identifier in the candidate physical cell identifier set. In some examples, the beam configuration transmission component 1010 can transmit the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier before an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers. In some examples, transmitting the beam configuration includes transmitting the beam configuration via downlink control information, medium access control control elements, radio resource control signaling, or any combination thereof.

[0148] In some cases, the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the candidate physical cell identifier set includes one or more transmission configuration indicator states for downlink channels and downlink reference signals, and one or more spatial relationships for uplink channels and uplink reference signals.

[0149] In some cases, the downlink channel includes the downlink control channel, the downlink shared channel, or both. In some cases, the downlink reference signal includes the channel state information reference signal, the positioning reference signal, or both. In some cases, the uplink channel includes the uplink shared channel, the uplink control channel, the random access channel, or both. In some cases, the uplink reference signal includes the sounding reference signal, the random access preamble, or both.

[0150] In some cases, the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the candidate physical cell identifier set includes a path loss reference signal configuration for uplink transmit power determination, a semi-persistent scheduling configuration, a licensed configuration, or any combination thereof.

[0151] In some cases, the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the candidate physical cell identifier set is further applied to the path loss reference signal configuration, semi-persistent scheduling configuration, authorized configuration, or any combination thereof for uplink transmit power determination.

[0152] PCI selection indication component 1015 can send an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers from the candidate physical cell identifier set. In some cases, each candidate physical cell identifier in the candidate physical cell identifier set corresponds to a transmission / reception point in the transmission / reception point set configured for the serving cell. In some cases, each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers corresponds to a corresponding transmission / reception point in the transmission / reception point set configured for the serving cell. In some cases, each physical cell identifier in the candidate physical cell identifier set corresponds to a corresponding serving cell in a set of serving cells.

[0153] In some cases, each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers corresponds to a corresponding serving cell in the serving cell group. In some cases, the serving cell set is configured for layer 1 / layer 2 based cell selection.

[0154] The beam communication component 1020 can communicate with the UE via one or more cells corresponding to the selected subset of physical cell identifiers, based on the beam configuration of each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers.

[0155] Figure 11 A diagram of a system 1100 including a device 1105 supporting implicit beam pointing, according to aspects of this disclosure, is shown. Device 1105 may be an example of device 805, device 905, or base station 105 as described herein, or may include components of device 805, device 905, or base station 105 as described herein. Device 1105 may include components for bidirectional voice and data communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including a communication manager 1110, a network communication manager 1115, a transceiver 1120, an antenna 1125, a memory 1130, a processor 1140, and an inter-station communication manager 1145. These components may communicate electronically via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1150).

[0156] The communication manager 1110 can send beam configurations for each physical cell identifier in the candidate physical cell identifier set to the UE, send an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers in the candidate physical cell identifier set, and communicate with the UE via one or more cells corresponding to the selected subset of physical cell identifiers according to the beam configurations for each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers.

[0157] The network communication manager 1115 can manage communication with the core network (e.g., via one or more wired backhaul links). For example, the network communication manager 1115 can manage the delivery of data communication for client devices such as one or more UEs 115.

[0158] Transceiver 1120 can communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links as described above. For example, transceiver 1120 can represent a wireless transceiver and can communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. Transceiver 1120 may also include a modem for modulating packets and providing the modulated packets to the antenna for transmission, and for demodulating packets received from the antenna.

[0159] In some cases, a wireless device may include a single antenna 1125. However, in other cases, the device may have more than one antenna 1125, which may be able to transmit or receive multiple wireless transmissions simultaneously.

[0160] Memory 1130 may include RAM, ROM, or a combination thereof. Memory 1130 may store computer-readable code 1135 including instructions that, when executed by a processor (e.g., processor 1140), cause the device to perform the various functions described herein. In some cases, among other things, memory 1130 may contain a BIOS that controls basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0161] Processor 1140 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processors, DSPs, CPUs, microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGAs, programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 1140 may be configured to use a memory controller to operate a memory array. In some cases, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 1140. Processor 1140 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 1130) to cause device 1105 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting implicit beamforming).

[0162] Inter-site communication manager 1145 can manage communication with other base stations 105 and may include a controller or scheduler for cooperating with other base stations 105 to control communication with UE 115. For example, inter-site communication manager 1145 can coordinate the scheduling of transmissions to UE 115 for various interference mitigation techniques such as beamforming or joint transmission. In some examples, inter-site communication manager 1145 may provide an X2 interface within LTE / LTE-A wireless communication network technology to facilitate communication between base stations 105.

[0163] Code 1135 may include instructions for implementing aspects of this disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communication. Code 1135 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or other types of memory. In some cases, code 1135 may not be directly executable by processor 1140, but may enable a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein.

[0164] Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating a method 1200 for supporting implicit beam indication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of method 1200 can be implemented by a UE 115 or its components as described herein. For example, operation of method 1200 can be implemented by, as referenced... Figures 4 to 7 The communication manager described herein is used for execution. In some examples, the UE can execute a set of instructions to control the UE's functional elements to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE can use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0165] At 1205, the UE can receive beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the candidate physical cell identifier set. The operation of 1205 can be performed according to the method described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1205 can be derived from, as referenced... Figures 4 to 7 The described beam configuration is used to execute the receiving component.

[0166] At 1210, the UE can receive an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers from the candidate physical cell identifier set. The operation of 1210 can be performed according to the method described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1210 can be derived from, as referenced... Figures 4 to 7 The described PCI selection instruction component is to perform.

[0167] At 1215, the UE can apply beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers based on the indication of the selected subset. The operation of 1215 can be performed according to the method described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1215 can be derived from, as referenced... Figures 4 to 7 The described beam configuration is applied to the component for execution.

[0168] Figure 13 A flowchart illustrating a method 1300 supporting implicit beam indication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of method 1300 can be implemented by a UE 115 or its components as described herein. For example, operation of method 1300 can be implemented by, as referenced... Figures 4 to 7The communication manager described herein is used for execution. In some examples, the UE can execute a set of instructions to control the UE's functional elements to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE can use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0169] At 1305, the UE can receive beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the candidate physical cell identifier set. The operation of 1305 can be performed according to the method described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1305 can be derived from, as referenced... Figures 4 to 7 The described beam configuration is used to execute the receiving component.

[0170] At 1310, the UE can receive an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers from the candidate physical cell identifier set. The operation at 1310 can be performed according to the method described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation at 1310 can be derived from, as referenced... Figures 4 to 7 The described PCI selection instruction component is to perform.

[0171] At 1315, after receiving an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers, without receiving additional explicit indication of beam configuration for the selected subset of physical cell identifiers, the UE can implicitly apply beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers. The operation of 1315 can be performed according to the method described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1315 can be derived from, as referenced... Figures 4 to 7 The described beam configuration is applied to the component for execution.

[0172] Figure 14 A flowchart illustrating a method 1400 supporting implicit beam indication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of method 1400 can be implemented by a base station 105 or its components as described herein. For example, operation of method 1400 can be implemented by, as referenced... Figures 8 to 11 The communication manager described herein performs this function. In some examples, the base station may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the base station to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the base station may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0173] At point 1405, the base station can send beam configuration to the UE for each physical cell identifier in the candidate physical cell identifier set. The operation at point 1405 can be performed according to the method described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation at point 1405 can be derived from, as referenced... Figures 8 to 11 The described beam configuration is used to transmit components to perform this.

[0174] At point 1410, the base station may send an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers from the candidate physical cell identifier set. The operation at point 1410 can be performed according to the method described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation at point 1410 may be derived from, as referenced... Figures 8 to 11 The described PCI selection instruction component is to perform.

[0175] At 1415, the base station can communicate with the UE via one or more cells corresponding to the selected subset of physical cell identifiers, based on a beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the selected subset. The operation of 1415 can be performed according to the method described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1415 can be derived from, as referenced... Figures 8 to 11 The described beam communication component is used to perform this.

[0176] The following provides an overview of aspects of this disclosure:

[0177] Aspect 1: A method for wireless communication at a UE, comprising: receiving a beam configuration for each physical cell identifier among a plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers; receiving an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers among the plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers; and applying the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers based at least in part on the indication of the selected subset of physical cell identifiers.

[0178] Aspect 2: According to the method of aspect 1, wherein receiving beam configuration for each physical cell identifier includes: receiving beam configuration for each physical cell identifier before receiving an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers.

[0179] Aspect 3: According to the method of aspect 1, wherein applying the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers includes: implicitly applying the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers without receiving an additional explicit instruction for the beam configuration of the selected subset of physical cell identifiers after receiving an instruction for the selected subset of physical cell identifiers.

[0180] Aspect 4: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, wherein the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier among a plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers includes one or more transmission configuration indicator states for downlink channels and downlink reference signals, and includes one or more spatial relationships for uplink channels and uplink reference signals.

[0181] Aspect 5: According to the method described in aspect 4, the downlink channel includes a downlink control channel, a downlink shared channel, or both.

[0182] Aspect 6: The method according to any one of Aspects 4 to 5, wherein the downlink reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal, a positioning reference signal, or both.

[0183] Aspect 7: The method according to any one of Aspects 4 to 6, wherein the uplink channel includes an uplink shared channel, an uplink control channel, a random access channel, or both.

[0184] Aspect 8: The method according to any one of Aspects 4 to 7, wherein the uplink reference signal includes a probe reference signal, a random access preamble, or both.

[0185] Aspect 9: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 8, wherein receiving the beam configuration includes receiving the beam configuration via DCI, MACCE, RRC signaling or any combination thereof.

[0186] Aspect 10: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 9, wherein the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier among a plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers includes a path loss reference signal configuration for uplink transmit power determination, a semi-persistent scheduling configuration, a configuration grant configuration, or any combination thereof.

[0187] Aspect 11: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 10, wherein the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier among a plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers is further applied to a path loss reference signal configuration, a semi-persistent scheduling configuration, a configuration grant configuration, or any combination thereof for uplink transmit power determination.

[0188] Aspect 12: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 11, wherein each of the plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers corresponds to a transmission / reception point among the plurality of transmission / reception points configured for the serving cell.

[0189] Aspect 13: According to the method of aspect 12, each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers corresponds to a corresponding transmission / reception point among a plurality of transmission / reception points configured for the serving cell.

[0190] Aspect 14: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 13, wherein each physical cell identifier among a plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers corresponds to a corresponding serving cell in a set of serving cells.

[0191] Aspect 15: According to the method of aspect 14, each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers corresponds to a corresponding serving cell in the group of serving cells.

[0192] Aspect 16: The method according to any one of Aspects 14 to 15, wherein a plurality of serving cells are configured for cell selection based on Layer 1 / Layer 2.

[0193] Aspect 17: A method for wireless communication at a base station, comprising: transmitting to a UE a beam configuration for each physical cell identifier among a plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers; transmitting an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers among the plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers; and communicating with the UE via one or more cells corresponding to the selected subset of physical cell identifiers, based on the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers.

[0194] Aspect 18: The method according to aspect 17, wherein sending beam configuration for each physical cell identifier includes: sending beam configuration for each physical cell identifier before an indication of a selected subset of physical cell identifiers.

[0195] Aspect 19: The method according to any one of Aspects 17 to 18, wherein the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier among a plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers includes one or more transmission configuration indicator states for downlink channels and downlink reference signals, and includes one or more spatial relationships for uplink channels and uplink reference signals.

[0196] Aspect 20: According to the method of aspect 19, the downlink channel includes a downlink control channel, a downlink shared channel, or both.

[0197] Aspect 21: The method according to any one of Aspects 19 to 20, wherein the downlink reference signal includes CSI-RS, PRS, or both.

[0198] Aspect 22: The method according to any one of Aspects 19 to 21, wherein the uplink channel includes an uplink shared channel, an uplink control channel, a random access channel, or both.

[0199] Aspect 23: The method according to any one of Aspects 19 to 22, wherein the uplink reference signal includes a probe reference signal, a random access preamble, or both.

[0200] Aspect 24: The method according to any one of Aspects 17 to 23, wherein transmitting beam configuration includes transmitting beam configuration via DCI, MAC CE, RRC signaling or any combination thereof.

[0201] Aspect 25: The method according to any one of Aspects 17 to 24, wherein the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier among a plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers includes a path loss reference signal configuration for uplink transmit power determination, a semi-persistent scheduling configuration, a configuration grant configuration, or any combination thereof.

[0202] Aspect 26: The method according to any one of Aspects 17 to 25, wherein the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier among a plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers is further applied to a path loss reference signal configuration, a semi-persistent scheduling configuration, a configuration grant configuration, or any combination thereof for uplink transmit power determination.

[0203] Aspect 27: The method according to any one of Aspects 17 to 26, wherein each of the plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers corresponds to a transmission / reception point among a plurality of transmission / reception points configured for the serving cell.

[0204] Aspect 28: The method according to aspect 27, wherein each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers corresponds to a corresponding transmission / reception point among a plurality of transmission / reception points configured for the serving cell.

[0205] Aspect 29: The method according to any one of Aspects 17 to 28, wherein each physical cell identifier among a plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers corresponds to a corresponding serving cell in a set of serving cells.

[0206] Aspect 30: According to the method of aspect 29, each physical cell identifier in the selected subset of physical cell identifiers corresponds to a corresponding serving cell in the group of serving cells.

[0207] Aspect 31: The method according to any one of Aspects 29 to 30, wherein a plurality of serving cells are configured for cell selection based on Layer 1 / Layer 2.

[0208] Aspect 32: An apparatus for wireless communication at a UE, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform any of the methods described in aspects 1 to 16.

[0209] Aspect 33: An apparatus for wireless communication at a UE, comprising at least one component for performing the method described in any one of aspects 1 to 16.

[0210] Aspect 34: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a UE, the code including instructions executable by a processor to perform the methods described in any of aspects 1 to 16.

[0211] Aspect 35: An apparatus for wireless communication at a base station, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform any of the methods described in aspects 17 to 31.

[0212] Aspect 36: An apparatus for wireless communication at a base station, comprising at least one component for performing the method described in any one of aspects 17 to 31.

[0213] Aspect 37: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a base station, the code including instructions executable by a processor to perform the methods described in any one of aspects 17 to 31.

[0214] It should be noted that the methods described in this paper describe possible implementations, and the operations and steps can be rearranged or otherwise modified, and other implementations are possible. Furthermore, aspects from two or more methods can be combined.

[0215] While aspects of LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR systems may be described for illustrative purposes, and the terms LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR may be used in most of the description, the techniques described herein are applicable beyond LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR networks. For example, the techniques described may be applicable to a variety of other wireless communication systems, such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, and other systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.

[0216] The information and signals described herein can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and skills. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, light fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0217] The various illustrative blocks and components described herein can be implemented or executed using a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, CPU, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware component or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0218] The functions described herein can be implemented using hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented as software executed by a processor, the functions can be stored on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described herein can be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof. Features implementing the functions can also be physically located at various locations, including being distributed such that portions of the functions are implemented at different physical locations.

[0219] Computer-readable media include both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media, with communication media including any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Non-transitory storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. By way of example and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media can include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, disc-on-CD (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code components in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. As used herein, discs and platters include CDs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, wherein discs typically magnetically reproduce data, while platters optically reproduce data using lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0220] As used herein, the word "or" in a list of items (e.g., a list of items ending with phrases such as "at least one of..." or "one or more of...") in the claims indicates an inclusive list, such that a list of at least one of A, B, or C represents A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Furthermore, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step described as "based on condition A" could be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should be interpreted in the same manner as the phrase "at least partially based on".

[0221] In the accompanying drawings, similar components or features may have the same reference numerals. Furthermore, various components of the same type can be distinguished by adding a dash after the reference numeral and a second numeral to differentiate between similar components. If only the first reference numeral is used in the specification, the description applies to any similar component having the same first reference numeral, regardless of the second or other subsequent reference numerals.

[0222] The description herein, illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, describes exemplary configurations and does not represent all examples that can be implemented or that are within the scope of the claims. The term "example" as used herein means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration," and not "preferred" or "superior to other examples." Detailed descriptions include specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the described techniques. However, these techniques can be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

[0223] The description provided herein is intended to enable those skilled in the art to make or use this disclosure. Various modifications to this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be given the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: Receive control signaling indicating beam configuration for each physical cell identifier among a plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers, wherein the beam configuration indicates one or more transmission configuration indicator states for each physical cell identifier among the plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers, wherein the one or more transmission configuration indicator states are associated with downlink channels and downlink reference signals, and include one or more spatial relationships for uplink channels and uplink reference signals; Receive an indication of one or more physical cell identifiers from the plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers; and The beam configuration is applied to each of the one or more physical cell identifiers, based at least in part on the indication of the one or more physical cell identifiers.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Receiving the control signaling includes: Before receiving the indication of the one or more physical cell identifiers, receive the control signaling indicating the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Applying the beam configuration to each of the one or more physical cell identifiers includes: After receiving the indication of the one or more physical cell identifiers, the beam configuration is applied for each of the one or more physical cell identifiers without receiving additional explicit indication of the beam configuration for the one or more physical cell identifiers.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The state of one or more transmission configuration indicators is associated with a downlink channel, or a downlink reference signal, or both, and the beam configuration also indicates one or more spatial relationships for an uplink channel, or an uplink reference signal, or both.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein, The downlink channel includes a downlink control channel, a downlink shared channel, or both.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein, The downlink reference signal includes channel state information reference signal, positioning reference signal, or both.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein, The uplink channel includes an uplink shared channel, an uplink control channel, a random access channel, or both.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein, The uplink reference signal includes a probe reference signal, a random access preamble, or both.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Receiving the beam configuration also includes: The control signaling is received via downlink control information, media access control elements, radio resource control signaling, or any combination thereof.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The beam configuration for each of the plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers includes a path loss reference signal configuration for uplink transmit power determination, a semi-persistent scheduling configuration, a configuration authorization configuration, or any combination thereof.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The beam configuration for each of the plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers is also applied to the path loss reference signal configuration, semi-persistent scheduling configuration, authorized configuration, or any combination thereof for uplink transmit power determination.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Each of the multiple candidate physical cell identifiers corresponds to one of the multiple transmit / receive points configured for the serving cell.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, Each of the one or more physical cell identifiers corresponds to a corresponding transmit / receive point among the plurality of transmit / receive points configured for the serving cell.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Each of the multiple candidate physical cell identifiers corresponds to a corresponding serving cell among the multiple serving cells.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, The plurality of serving cells are configured for cell selection based on Layer 1 / Layer 2.

16. A method for wireless communication at a base station, comprising: Send control signaling to the User Equipment (UE) instructing on beam configuration for each of a plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers, wherein, The beam configuration indicates one or more transmission configuration indicator states for each of the plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers, wherein the one or more transmission configuration indicator states are associated with a downlink channel and a downlink reference signal, and include one or more spatial relationships for the uplink channel and the uplink reference signal. Sending an indication of one or more physical cell identifiers from the plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers; and The UE communicates with the UE via one or more cells corresponding to the one or more physical cell identifiers, based on the beam configuration for each of the one or more physical cell identifiers.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, Sending the control signaling includes: Before indicating the one or more physical cell identifiers, control signaling indicating the beam configuration for each physical cell identifier is sent.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The downlink channel includes a downlink control channel, a downlink shared channel, or both.

19. An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: One or more processors, One or more memories coupled to one or more processors; and Instructions, stored in the one or more memories and executable by the one or more processors, to cause the UE to: Receive control signaling indicating beam configuration for each physical cell identifier among a plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers, wherein the beam configuration indicates one or more transmission configuration indicator states for each physical cell identifier among the plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers, wherein the one or more transmission configuration indicator states are associated with downlink channels and downlink reference signals, and include one or more spatial relationships for uplink channels and uplink reference signals; Receive an indication of one or more physical cell identifiers from the plurality of candidate physical cell identifiers; and The beam configuration is applied to each of the one or more physical cell identifiers, at least in part, based on the indications of the one or more physical cell identifiers.

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