Beam prediction result feedback to target cell for lower layer triggered mobility latency reduction

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for lower layer triggered mobility (LTM). A method for wireless communication by a user equipment, the method comprising receiving signaling to configure the user equipment with a set of candidate cells, where the user equipment supports LTM for handover between the candidate cells. The method includes receiving an LTM command for handover from a source cell to a target cell from a set of candidate cells. The method includes reporting one or more beam prediction results to a target cell prior to handover to the target cell.

Description

BACKGROUND TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Aspects of the disclosure relate to wireless communications, and more particularly, to techniques for lower layer triggered mobility (LTM).

[0003] Related Art

[0004] Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasts, or other similar types of services. These wireless communications systems can employ multiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources. Examples of such multiple-access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems, and other similar technologies.

[0005] Despite the tremendous technological advancements in wireless communications systems over the years, challenges remain. For example, complex and dynamic environments can still attenuate or block signals between a wireless transmitter and a wireless receiver. Thus, there is a continuing desire to improve the technical performance of wireless communications systems, including, for example: improving the speed and data carrying capacity of communications, improving the efficiency of use of shared communications media, reducing the power used by transmitters and receivers in performing communications, improving the reliability of wireless communications, avoiding redundant transmissions and / or receptions and related processing, improving the coverage area of wireless communications, increasing the number and types of devices that can access a wireless communications system, increasing the ability of different types of devices to communicate with each other, increasing the number and types of wireless communications media that are available for use, and so on. Thus, there is a need to further improve wireless communications systems to overcome the aforementioned technical challenges and others. SUMMARY

[0006] One aspect provides a method for wireless communications by a user equipment. The method includes receiving signaling that configures the user equipment with a set of candidate cells. The user equipment can support LTM to switch between the candidate cells. The method includes receiving an LTM command to handover from a source cell to a target cell from the set of candidate cells and reporting one or more beam prediction results to the target cell prior to the handover to the target cell.

[0007] Another aspect provides a method for wireless communications by a network entity. The network entity can be associated with a target cell. The method includes obtaining a report of one or more beam prediction results from a user equipment. The method includes obtaining a notification of an LTM handover of the user equipment from a source cell to the network entity from the source cell.

[0008] Another aspect provides a method for wireless communications by a network entity. The network entity can be associated with a source cell. The method includes outputting signaling that configures a user equipment with a set of candidate cells associated with an LTM. The method includes outputting signaling that configures the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to a target cell from the set of candidate cells prior to a handover to the target cell. The method includes outputting an LTM command that instructs the user equipment to handover from the network entity to the target cell.

[0009] Other aspects provide an apparatus that is operable to, configured to, or otherwise adapted to perform any one or more of the methods previously described and / or those described elsewhere herein; a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform any one or more of the methods previously described and / or those described elsewhere herein; a computer program product embodied on a computer readable medium comprising code for performing any one or more of the methods previously described and / or those described elsewhere herein; and / or a apparatus comprising means for performing any one or more of the methods previously described and / or those described elsewhere herein. By way of example, an apparatus can include a processing system, a device that has a processing system, or a processing system that is configured or otherwise adapted to cooperate with one or more networks.

[0010] The following description and drawings are illustrative of certain aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0011] The drawings depict certain features of the various aspects described herein and are not to be considered limiting of the scope of the disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 1 An example wireless communication network is depicted.

[0013] FIG. 2 An example disaggregated base station architecture is depicted.

[0014] FIG. 3 Aspects of an example base station and an example user equipment are depicted.

[0015] FIG. 4A 、 FIG. 4B 、 FIG. 4C And FIG. 4D Various example aspects of data structures for a wireless communication network are depicted.

[0016] FIG. 5 An example beam refinement procedure in accordance with certain aspects of the disclosure is illustrated.

[0017] FIG. 6This is a diagram illustrating an example operation that can perform beam management.

[0018] FIG. 7 This illustrates a general functional framework for AI-enabled RAN intelligence.

[0019] FIG. 8 The example depicts mobility (LTM) triggered by layer 1 / 2 (L1 / L2) based on artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML).

[0020] FIG. 9 An example call flow is described to provide beam prediction result feedback to the target cell in order to reduce the latency of LTM.

[0021] FIG. 10 A method for wireless communication by user equipment is described.

[0022] FIG. 11 A method for wireless communication by network entities such as target cells is described.

[0023] FIG. 12 A method for wireless communication by network entities such as source cells is described.

[0024] FIG. 13 Various aspects of the example communication device are described.

[0025] FIG. 14 Various aspects of the example communication device are described. Detailed Implementation

[0026] This disclosure provides apparatus, methods, processing systems, and computer-readable media for lower-level triggered mobility.

[0027] In some wireless communication systems, signal processing (referred to as beamforming or beam steering) can be performed to redirect wireless signals to a specific direction of a beam. In such systems, two or more wireless devices can perform beam management procedures to select the beam with which they will communicate. For beam management purposes, network entities can configure user equipment using a set of resources for channel measurements, which may be referred to as channel measurement resources (CMR). The network entity can use the transmit beam set to transmit one or more RSs, such as synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), on the CMR. The UE can measure the RS to select the receive beam and generate a measurement report for the beam management process.

[0028] In advanced wireless systems, as a UE moves between coverage areas of different cells, mobility procedures appropriately help maintain the UE's network connectivity. Mobility procedures generally refer to the mechanisms that allow a UE to transition from service from a source cell to service from a target cell. In some cases, the handover from the source cell to the target cell can be triggered by physical layer (PHY or Layer 1 / L1) signaling and / or media access control layer (MAC or Layer 2 / L2) signaling; this is often referred to as lower layer (L1 / L2) triggered mobility (LTM). In LTM, as the UE moves, a new serving cell (e.g., the primary cell (PCell) can be selected (e.g., reselected) from the set of cells based on L1 measurements against pre-configured candidate cells.

[0029] Temporal beam prediction (also known as time-domain (TD) beam prediction) generally refers to techniques used in wireless communications to predict and optimize the direction of transmit and / or receive beams over time. Temporal beam prediction may involve predicting a beam that will be suitable (e.g., preferably) for use in the future (e.g., after the time of measurement completion). The prediction may be based on current measurements of RSs transmitting using different beams (e.g., which may or may not include the predicted beam). Temporal beam prediction can be particularly relevant in scenarios where wireless channel conditions change rapidly, such as in high-mobility environments or in the presence of fading effects.

[0030] In wireless communication systems employing beamforming, multiple antennas can be used to transmit and receive signals. By dynamically adjusting the direction of the transmitted beam, the transmitted energy can be focused towards the intended receiver, mitigating interference from other directions. However, due to the dynamic nature of wireless channels, if the beamforming strategy is not continuously and effectively updated, the optimal beam direction may change rapidly, leading to suboptimal performance.

[0031] Temporal beam prediction addresses this challenge by utilizing historical channel state information (CSI) and leveraging the temporal correlations within the wireless channel. By analyzing past channel measurements, such as received signal strength, signal quality, and / or channel characteristics, the future behavior of the wireless channel can be inferred, and the optimal beam direction can be predicted.

[0032] In some cases, artificial intelligence (AI) and / or machine learning (ML) models can be used to perform temporal beam prediction and / or spatial beam prediction (e.g., prediction of beam A based on measurements of a different beam (beam B)). For example, such a model can predict the channel characteristics of a first set of beams based on measurements (e.g., historical measurements) of a second set of beams (e.g., different from the first set of beams). Such beam prediction can be performed by models at network entities and / or UEs.

[0033] In some LTM systems, the source cell transmits an LTM command to the UE to hand over the UE to the target cell. After receiving the LTM command, the UE can transmit measurement results and / or time beam predictions (e.g., associated with the target cell) to the source cell, and the source cell forwards the measurements and / or beam predictions to the target cell. However, in some cases, latency bottlenecks may exist due to non-ideal backhaul between the source and target cells. Therefore, the measurement results and / or time beam predictions may be outdated when received at the target cell.

[0034] Therefore, various aspects of this disclosure allow the UE to directly provide beam prediction results to the target cell. In some aspects, the UE provides beam prediction results to the target cell in a Random Access Channel (RACH) message.

[0035] In some respects, beam prediction results are based on L1 reference signal received power (RSRP) and / or L1 signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) measurements. In other respects, beam prediction results include beams predicted for the target cell based on measurements of the source cell.

[0036] In some respects, the UE waits before measuring, predicting beam prediction results, and / or reporting beam prediction results to the target cell. For example, the UE may wait for a pre-configured or configured delay from the time it receives an LTM command or another message from the source cell.

[0037] In some respects, reporting beam prediction results to the target is pre-configured, semi-statically configured, and / or dynamically configured at the UE. For example, the timing, reporting amount, measurement beam, and / or beam to be predicted for reporting beam prediction results to the target can be pre-configured or configured at the UE.

[0038] In some respects, in addition to the target cell, the UE also reports the beam prediction results to the source cell.

[0039] In some respects, the UE reports updated beam prediction results to the target cell after reporting the initial beam prediction results.

[0040] Reporting beam prediction results from the UE to the target cell can reduce latency in LTM.

[0041] Introduction to Wireless Communication Networks

[0042] The techniques and methods described herein can be used in a variety of wireless communication networks. Although aspects may be described herein using terms commonly associated with 3G, 4G, and / or 5G wireless technologies, aspects of this disclosure are equally applicable to other communication systems and standards not explicitly mentioned herein.

[0043] FIG. 1An example of a wireless communication network 100 in which the aspects described herein can be implemented is depicted.

[0044] Generally, wireless communication network 100 includes various network entities (optionally, network elements or network nodes). Network entities are typically communication devices and / or communication functions performed by communication devices (e.g., user equipment (UE), base station (BS), components of the BS, servers, etc.). For example, various functions of the network and various devices associated with and interacting with the network can be considered network entities. Furthermore, wireless communication network 100 includes terrestrial aspects, such as terrestrial network entities (e.g., BS 102), and non-terrestrial aspects, such as satellite 140 and aircraft 145, which may include onboard network entities (e.g., one or more BSs) capable of communicating with other network elements (e.g., terrestrial BSs) and user equipment.

[0045] In the depicted example, wireless communication network 100 includes BS 102, UE 104 and one or more core networks (such as Evolved Packet Core (EPC) 160 and 5G Core (5GC) network 190) that interoperate to provide communication services over various communication links, including wired and wireless links.

[0046] FIG. 1 Various example UEs 104 are described, which may more generally include: cellular phones, smartphones, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), satellite radios, global positioning systems, multimedia devices, video devices, digital audio players, cameras, game consoles, tablet computers, smart devices, wearable devices, vehicles, electricity meters, air pumps, large or small kitchen appliances, healthcare devices, implants, sensors / actuators, displays, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, always-on (AON) devices, edge processing devices, or other similar devices. UE 104 may also be more generally referred to as mobile devices, wireless devices, wireless communication devices, stations, mobile stations, subscriber stations, mobile subscriber stations, mobile units, subscriber units, wireless units, remote units, remote devices, access terminals, mobile terminals, wireless terminals, remote terminals, mobile phones, and others.

[0047] BS 102 communicates wirelessly with UE 104 via communication link 120 (e.g., transmitting or receiving signals to or from UE 104). Communication link 120 between BS 102 and UE 104 may include uplink (UL) (also known as reverse link) transmission from UE 104 to BS 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also known as forward link) transmission from BS 102 to UE 104. In various aspects, communication link 120 may utilize multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technologies, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity.

[0048] BS 102 may typically include: NodeB, enhanced NodeB (eNB), next-generation enhanced NodeB (ng-eNB), next-generation NodeB (gNB or gNodeB), access point, transceiver base station, radio base station, radio transceiver, transceiver functionality, transmit / receive point, and / or others. Each BS in BS 102 may provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110, which may sometimes be referred to as a cell, and in some cases may overlap (e.g., a small cell 102' may have a coverage area 110' that overlaps with the coverage area 110 of a macro cell). For example, BS may provide communication coverage for macro cells (covering a relatively large geographic area), pico cells (covering a relatively small geographic area, such as a stadium), femtocells (covering a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home)), and / or other types of cells.

[0049] Although BS 102 is described as a single communication device in various aspects, it can be implemented in various configurations. For example, to give a few examples, one or more components of the base station can be decomposed, including a central unit (CU), one or more distributed units (DU), one or more radio units (RU), a near real-time (near RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC), or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC. In another example, various aspects of the base station can be virtualized. More generally, a base station (e.g., BS 102) can include components located at a single physical location or components located at various physical locations. In examples where the base station includes components located at various physical locations, the various components can each perform functions, such that the various components collectively achieve functionality similar to a base station located at a single physical location. In some aspects, a base station including components located at various physical locations can be referred to as a decomposed radio access network architecture (such as an open RAN (O-RAN) or virtualized RAN (VRAN) architecture). FIG. 2 An example decomposed base station architecture is depicted and described.

[0050] Different BSs 102 within the wireless communication network 100 can also be configured to support different radio access technologies (such as 3G, 4G, and / or 5G). For example, a BS 102 configured for 4G LTE (collectively referred to as Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) can interface with EPC 160 via a first backhaul link 132 (e.g., S1 interface). A BS 102 configured for 5G (e.g., 5G NR or Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN)) can interface with 5GC 190 via a second backhaul link 184. BSs 102 can communicate directly or indirectly (e.g., via EPC 160 or 5GC 190) on a third backhaul link 134 (e.g., X2 interface), which can be wired or wireless.

[0051] Wireless communication network 100 can subdivide the electromagnetic spectrum into various categories, bands, channels, or other characteristics. In some aspects, subdivision is provided based on wavelength and frequency, where frequency may also be referred to as carrier, subcarrier, channel, tone, or subband. For example, 3GPP currently defines frequency range 1 (FR1) as including 410MHz to 7125MHz, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as “sub-6GHz”. Similarly, 3GPP currently defines frequency range 2 (FR2) as including 24,250MHz to 71,000MHz, which is sometimes (interchangeably) referred to as “millimeter wave” (“mmW” or “mmWave”). In some cases, FR2 can be further defined according to subranges (such as a first subrange FR2-1 including 24,250MHz to 52,600MHz and a second subrange FR2-2 including 52,600MHz to 71,000MHz). Base stations configured to communicate using mmWave / near mmWave radio bands (e.g., mmWave base stations such as BS 180) can utilize beamforming (e.g., 182) with UEs (e.g., 104) to improve path loss and range.

[0052] The communication link 120 between BS 102 and, for example, UE 104 can be via one or more carriers, which may have different bandwidths (e.g., 5MHz, 10MHz, 15MHz, 20MHz, 100MHz, 400MHz and / or other MHz) and may be aggregated in various ways. The carriers may be adjacent to each other or may not be adjacent to each other. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to DL compared to UL).

[0053] Compared to lower-frequency communication, communication using higher frequency bands may have higher path loss and shorter range. Therefore, some base stations (e.g.,FIG. 1 The BS 180 (180) can utilize beamforming 182 with the UE 104 to improve path loss and range. For example, the BS 180 and UE 104 may each include multiple antennas, such as antenna elements, antenna panels, and / or antenna arrays, to facilitate beamforming. In some cases, the BS 180 may transmit beamformed signals to the UE 104 in one or more transmit directions 182''. The UE 104 may receive beamformed signals from the BS 180 in one or more receive directions 182''. The UE 104 may also transmit beamformed signals to the BS 180 in one or more transmit directions 182''. The BS 180 may also receive beamformed signals from the UE 104 in one or more receive directions 182''. The BS 180 and UE 104 can then perform beamforming training to determine the optimal receive and transmit directions for each of the BS 180 and UE 104. It is worth noting that the transmit and receive directions of the BS 180 may be the same or different. Similarly, the sending and receiving directions of UE 104 may be the same or different.

[0054] The wireless communication network 100 further includes a Wi-Fi AP 150 that communicates with a Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in, for example, unlicensed spectrum in 2.4 GHz and / or 5 GHz.

[0055] Some UEs 104 may use device-to-device (D2D) communication links 158 to communicate with each other. The D2D communication link 158 may use one or more sidelink channels, such as physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), and / or physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH).

[0056] EPC 160 may include various functional components, including: Mobility Management Entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, Serving Gateway 166, Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) Gateway 168, Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BM-SC) 170, and / or Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway 172, as in the illustrated example. MME 162 may communicate with Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 174. MME 162 is the control node that handles signaling between UE 104 and EPC 160. Generally, MME 162 provides bearer and connectivity management.

[0057] Generally, user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transmitted through Serving Gateway 166, which is itself connected to PDN Gateway 172. PDN Gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. PDN Gateway 172 and BM-SC 170 are connected to IP services 176, which may include, for example, the Internet, intranets, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), packet-switched (PS) streaming services, and / or other IP services.

[0058] The BM-SC 170 provides functionality for MBMS user service dispatch and delivery. The BM-SC 170 can serve as an entry point for content provider MBMS transmissions, can be used to authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services within a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), and / or can be used to schedule MBMS transmissions. The MBMS gateway 168 can be used to distribute MBMS services to BS 102 belonging to a Broadcast-Specific Service Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) area, and / or can be responsible for session management (start / stop) and collecting eMBMS-related billing information.

[0059] 5GC 190 may include various functional components, including: Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, Session Management Function (SMF) 194, and User Plane Function (UPF) 195. AMF 192 can communicate with Unified Data Management (UDM) 196.

[0060] AMF 192 is the control node that handles signaling between UE 104 and 5GC 190. AMF 192 provides services such as Quality of Service (QoS) flow and session management.

[0061] Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transmitted via UPF 195, which connects to IP service 197 and provides the UE with IP address allocation and other functions for 5GC 190. IP service 197 may include, for example, the Internet, intranet, IMS, PS streaming service, and / or other IP services.

[0062] In various aspects, to give a few examples, network entities or network nodes can be implemented as aggregated base stations, decomposed base stations, components of base stations, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, relay nodes, and sidelink nodes.

[0063] FIG. 2An example decomposed base station 200 architecture is depicted. The decomposed base station 200 architecture may include one or more central units (CUs) 210, which may communicate directly with the core network 220 via a backhaul link, or indirectly with the core network 220 through one or more decomposed base station units, such as a near real-time (near-RT) RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) 225 via an E2 link, or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC 215 associated with a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) framework 205, or both. CUs 210 may communicate with one or more distributed units (DUs) 230 via corresponding midhaul links, such as F1 interfaces. DUs 230 may communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 240 via corresponding fronthaul links. RUs 240 may communicate with corresponding UEs 104 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some specific implementations, UE 104 may be served simultaneously by multiple RUs 240.

[0064] Each unit in a cell (e.g., CU 210, DU 230, RU 240, and near-RT RIC 225, non-RT RIC 215, and SMO frame 205) may include or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or transmit signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of the cells, or an associated processor or controller that provides instructions to the cell's communication interface, may be configured to communicate with one or more other cells via the transmission medium. For example, these cells may include a wired interface configured to receive signals or transmit signals to one or more other cells via a wired transmission medium. Additionally or alternatively, a cell may include a wireless interface that may include a receiver, transmitter, or transceiver (such as a radio frequency (RF) transceiver) configured to receive signals on a wireless transmission medium or transmit signals to one or more other cells, or both.

[0065] In some aspects, CU 210 can host one or more higher-level control functions. Such control functions may include Radio Resource Control (RRC), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), Serving Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function can be implemented using an interface configured to signal to other control functions hosted by CU 210. CU 210 can be configured to handle user plane functions (e.g., Central Unit-User Plane (CU-UP)), control plane functions (e.g., Central Unit-Control Plane (CU-CP)), or combinations thereof. In some implementations, CU 210 can be logically divided into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, CU-UP units can communicate bidirectionally with CU-CP units via an interface such as an E1 interface. CU 210 can be implemented to communicate with DU 230 for network control and signaling, as needed.

[0066] DU 230 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RU 240s. In some aspects, DU 230 may at least partially host one or more of the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.) according to functional splits (such as those defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In some aspects, DU 230 may further host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may be implemented using an interface configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by DU 230 or with control functions hosted by CU 210.

[0067] Lower-layer functionality can be implemented by one or more RU 240s. In some deployments, the RU240 controlled by the DU 230 may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions or low-PHY layer functions (such as performing Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, or both, based at least in part on functional decomposition (such as lower-layer functional decomposition). In such architectures, the RU 240 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UE 104s. In some specific implementations, the real-time and non-real-time aspects of control plane and user plane communications with the RU 240 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 230. In some scenarios, this configuration enables the implementation of the DU 230 and CU 210 in cloud-based RAN architectures (such as vRAN architectures).

[0068] SMO framework 205 can be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of both non-virtualized and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, SMO framework 205 can be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which can be managed via operation and maintenance interfaces such as the O1 interface. For virtualized network elements, SMO framework 205 can be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform such as Open Cloud (O-Cloud) 290 to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface such as the O2 interface. Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, CU 210, DU 230, RU 240, and near-RT RIC 225. In some implementations, SMO framework 205 can communicate with the hardware aspects of the 4G RAN (such as Open eNB (O-eNB) 211) via the O1 interface. Additionally, in some implementations, SMO framework 205 can communicate directly with one or more RU 240s via the O1 interface. SMO framework 205 may also include a non-RT RIC 215 configured to support the functionality of SMO framework 205.

[0069] The non-RT RIC 215 can be configured to include logical functions that enable non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, including artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows for model training and updates, or policy-based guidance for applications / features in the near-RT RIC 225. The non-RT RIC 215 can be coupled to or communicate with the near-RT RIC 225, such as via an A1 interface. The near-RT RIC 225 can be configured to include logical functions that enable near real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via an interface, such as via an E2 interface, through data collection and action, connecting one or more CU 210s, one or more DU 230s, or both, and O-eNBs to the near-RT RIC 225.

[0070] In some implementations, to generate AI / ML models to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 225, the non-RT RIC 215 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. This information can be utilized by the near-RT RIC 225 and may be received from non-network data sources or network functions at the SMO framework 205 or the non-RT RIC 215. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 215 or the near-RT RIC 225 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 215 may monitor long-term trends and patterns in performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions via the SMO framework 205 (such as reconfiguration via O1) or by creating RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0071] FIG. 3 Various aspects of examples BS 102 and UE 104 are described.

[0072] Generally, BS 102 includes various processors (e.g., 320, 330, 338, and 340), antennas 334a-334t (collectively referred to as 334), transceivers 332a-332t (collectively referred to as 332) including modulators and demodulators, and other aspects that enable the wireless transmission of data (e.g., data source 312) and the wireless reception of data (e.g., data sink 339). For example, BS 102 can transmit and receive data between BS 102 and UE 104. BS 102 includes a controller / processor 340 that can be configured to implement the various functions described herein related to wireless communication.

[0073] Generally, UE 104 includes various processors (e.g., 358, 364, 366, and 380), antennas 352a-352r (collectively referred to as 352), transceivers 354a-354r (collectively referred to as 354) including modulators and demodulators, and other aspects that enable the wireless transmission of data (e.g., retrieved from data source 362) and the wireless reception of data (e.g., provided to data sink 360). UE 104 includes a controller / processor 380 that can be configured to implement the various functions described herein related to wireless communication.

[0074] Regarding example downlink transmission, BS 102 includes a transmission processor 320 that can receive data from data source 312 and control information from controller / processor 340. The control information may be for a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), Physical Control Format Indicator Channel (PCFICH), Physical HARQ Indicator Channel (PHICH), Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Group Shared PDCCH (GC PDCCH), and / or others. In some examples, this data may be for a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH).

[0075] The transmitter processor 320 can process (e.g., encode and symbol map) data and control information to obtain data symbols and control symbols, respectively. The transmitter processor 320 can also generate reference symbols (such as those for the primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), PBCH demodulation reference signal (DMRS), and channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS)).

[0076] The transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 330 can perform spatial processing (e.g., pre-decoding) on ​​data symbols, control symbols, and / or reference symbols where applicable, and can provide the output symbol stream to the modulators (MODs) in transceivers 332a-332t. Each modulator in transceivers 332a-332t can process its corresponding output symbol stream to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator can further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and up-convert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The downlink signal from the modulators in transceivers 332a-332t can be transmitted via antennas 334a-334t respectively.

[0077] To receive downlink transmissions, UE 104 includes antennas 352a-352r that receive downlink signals from BS 102 and provide the received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) in transceivers 354a-354r respectively. Each demodulator in transceivers 354a-354r can adjust (e.g., filter, amplify, down-convert, and digitize) the corresponding received signal to obtain an input sample. Each demodulator can further process the input sample to obtain the received symbols.

[0078] The MIMO detector 356 acquires received symbols from all demodulators in transceivers 354a-354r, performs MIMO detection on the received symbols where applicable, and provides the detected symbols. The receive processor 358 processes (e.g., demodulates, deinterleaves, and decodes) the detected symbols, provides the decoded data of UE 104 to data sink 360, and provides the decoded control information to controller / processor 380.

[0079] Regarding the example uplink transmission, UE 104 further includes a transmission processor 364 that receives and processes data from data source 362 (e.g., for PUSCH) and control information from controller / processor 380 (e.g., for Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH)). Transmission processor 364 can also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., for Sounding Reference Signal (SRS)). Symbols from transmission processor 364 may be pre-decoded by TX MIMO processor 366, where applicable, further processed by modulators in transceivers 354a-354r (e.g., for SC-FDM), and transmitted to BS 102.

[0080] At BS 102, uplink signals from UE 104 can be received by antennas 334a-t, processed by demodulators in transceivers 332a-332t, detected by MIMO detector 336 where applicable, and further processed by receiver processor 338 to obtain decoded data and control information transmitted by UE 104. Receiver processor 338 can provide the decoded data to data sink 339 and the decoded control information to controller / processor 340.

[0081] Memory 342 and memory 382 can store data and program code for BS 102 and UE 104, respectively.

[0082] Scheduler 344 can schedule UE to transmit data on the downlink and / or uplink.

[0083] In various respects, BS 102 can be described as transmitting and receiving various types of data associated with the methods described herein. In these contexts, "transmitting" can refer to various mechanisms that output data, such as from data source 312, scheduler 344, memory 342, transmit processor 320, controller / processor 340, TX MIMO processor 330, transceiver 332a-332t, antenna 334a-334t, and / or other aspects described herein. Similarly, "receiving" can refer to various mechanisms that acquire data, such as from antenna 334a-334t, transceiver 332a-332t, RX MIMO detector 336, controller / processor 340, receive processor 338, scheduler 344, memory 342, and / or other aspects described herein.

[0084] In various respects, UE 104 can also be described as transmitting and receiving various types of data associated with the methods described herein. In these contexts, “transmitting” can refer to various mechanisms that output data, such as from data source 362, memory 382, ​​transmit processor 364, controller / processor 380, TX MIMO processor 366, transceiver 354a-354t, antenna 352a-352t, and / or other aspects described herein. Similarly, “receiving” can refer to various mechanisms that acquire data, such as from antenna 352a-352t, transceiver 354a-354t, RX MIMO detector 356, controller / processor 380, receive processor 358, memory 382, ​​and / or other aspects described herein.

[0085] In some respects, one or more processors can be configured to perform various operations (such as those associated with the methods described herein) and respectively send (output) data to another interface configured to send data or receive (obtain) data from another interface configured to receive data.

[0086] FIG. 4A , FIG. 4B , FIG. 4C and FIG. 4D Describes the use of wireless communication networks (such as FIG. 1 All aspects of the data structure of the wireless communication network 100.

[0087] Specifically, FIG. 4A Figure 400 is an example of the first subframe within a 5G (e.g., 5G NR) frame structure. FIG. 4B Figure 430 illustrates an example of a DL channel within a 5G subframe. FIG. 4C Figure 450 illustrates an example of the second subframe within a 5G frame structure, and FIG. 4D Figure 480 illustrates an example of a UL channel within a 5G subframe.

[0088] Wireless communication systems can utilize Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP) on both the uplink and downlink. Such systems can also support half-duplex operation using Time Division Duplex (TDD). OFDM and Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiplexing (SC-FDM) will (e.g., as...) FIG. 4B and FIG. 4D The system bandwidth (as depicted in the text) is divided into multiple orthogonal subcarriers. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Modulation symbols can be transmitted in the frequency domain using OFDM and / or in the time domain using SC-FDM.

[0089] Wireless communication frame structures can be frequency division duplex (FDD), where for a specific set of subcarriers, subframes within that set are dedicated to either deep (DL) or ultra-low (UL). Wireless communication frame structures can also be time division duplex (TDD), where for a specific set of subcarriers, subframes within that set are dedicated to both DL and UL.

[0090] exist FIG. 4A and FIG. 4C In this example, the wireless communication frame structure is TDD, where D stands for DL, U for UL, and X is flexibly used between DL and UL. The UE can configure the time slot format using the received Slot Format Indicator (SFI) (dynamically via DL Control Information (DCI) or semi-statically / statically via RRC signaling). In the depicted example, a 10ms frame is divided into 10 equal-sized 1ms subframes. Each subframe may include one or more time slots. In some examples, each time slot may include 7 or 14 symbols, depending on the time slot format. Subframes may also include micro-slots, which typically have fewer symbols than the entire time slot. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0091] In some respects, the number of time slots within a subframe is based on the time slot configuration and parameter set. For example, for time slot configuration 0, different parameter sets (μ) 0 to 6 allow 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 time slots per subframe, respectively. For time slot configuration 1, different parameter sets 0 to 2 allow 2, 4, and 8 time slots per subframe, respectively. Therefore, for time slot configuration 0 and parameter set μ, there are 14 symbols per time slot and 2µ time slots per subframe. The subcarrier spacing and symbol length / duration are functions of the parameter set. The subcarrier spacing can be equal to... kHz, where μ is the parameter set from 0 to 6. Therefore, the parameter set... It has a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz and a parameter set It has a subcarrier spacing of 960 kHz. The symbol length / duration is negatively correlated with the subcarrier spacing. FIG. 4A , FIG. 4B , FIG. 4C and FIG. 4D It provides slot configuration 0 with 14 symbols per slot and parameter set with 4 slots per subframe. Example: The time slot duration is 0.25 ms, the subcarrier spacing is 60 kHz, and the symbol duration is approximately 16.67 μs.

[0092] like FIG. 4A , FIG. 4B , FIG. 4C and FIG. 4DAs depicted, the resource grid can be used to represent the frame structure. Each time slot includes a resource block (RB) (also known as a physical RB (PRB)) extending for, for example, 12 consecutive subcarriers. The resource grid is divided into multiple resource elements (REs). The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0093] like FIG. 4A As illustrated in the example, some REs in the RE carry information for the UE (e.g., FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 The reference (pilot) signal (RS) for UE 104. The RS may include demodulation RS (DMRS) and / or CSI-RS for channel estimation at the UE. The RS may also include beam measurement RS (BRS), beam refinement RS (BRRS) and / or phase tracking RS (PT-RS).

[0094] FIG. 4B Examples of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame are illustrated. The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) carries the DCI within one or more Control Channel Elements (CCEs), each CCE comprising, for example, nine RE groups (REGs), each REG comprising, for example, four consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol.

[0095] The Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) can be located within symbol 2 of a specific subframe of the frame. The PSS is generated by the UE (e.g., FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 104) is used to determine subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identifier.

[0096] The secondary synchronization signal (SSS) can be located in symbol 4 of a specific subframe of the frame. The SSS is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identifier group number and radio frame timing.

[0097] Based on the Physical Layer Identifier and Physical Layer Cell Identifier Group Number, the UE can determine the Physical Cell Identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the aforementioned DMRS. The Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), carrying the Master Information Block (MIB), can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form a Synchronization Signal (SS) / PBCH block. The MIB provides the System Frame Number (SFN) and the number of Restricted Frames (RBs) in the system bandwidth. The Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information (such as System Information Blocks (SIBs)) not transmitted via the PBCH, and / or paging messages.

[0098] like FIG. 4CAs illustrated, some REs in the REs carry DMRS for channel estimation at the base station (indicated as R for a particular configuration, but other DMRS configurations are possible). The UE can transmit DMRS for PUCCH and DMRS for PUSCH. PUSCH DMRS can be transmitted, for example, in the first or second symbol before the PUSCH. PUCCH DMRS can be transmitted in different configurations depending on whether a short or long PUCCH is being transmitted and depending on the specific PUCCH format used. UE104 can transmit a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS). SRS can be transmitted, for example, in the last symbol of a subframe. SRS can have a comb structure, and the UE can transmit SRS on one of the comb teeth. SRS can be used by the base station for channel quality estimation to enable frequency-dependent scheduling of the UL.

[0099] FIG. 4D Examples of various UL channels within a subframe of a frame are illustrated. The PUCCH can be located as indicated in one configuration. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, channel quality indicators (CQI), pre-decoding matrix indicators (PMI), rank indicators (RI), and HARQ ACK / NACK feedback. The PUSCH carries data and may additionally be used to carry buffer status reports (BSR), power clearance reports (PHR), and / or UCI.

[0100] Example Beam Refinement Procedures

[0101] In mmWave systems, beamforming can be important for overcoming high path loss. As described herein, beamforming refers to establishing a link between a BS and a UE, where the two devices form beams corresponding to each other. Both the BS and the UE find at least one sufficient beam to form a communication link. The BS beam and the UE beam form a so-called beam-pair link (BPL). As an example, on a DL (Low-Low) network, the BS can use the transmit beam, and the UE can use the receive beam corresponding to the transmit beam to receive and transmit. On a UL (Low-Low) network, the UE can use the transmit beam, and the BS can use the receive beam corresponding to the transmit beam to receive and transmit. The combination of the transmit beam and the corresponding receive beam can be a BPL.

[0102] At least one BPL is established for network access. A UE or BS can use different BPLs for different channels, for communication with different BSs (TRPs), or as a fallback BPL in case an existing BPL fails. As part of beam management, the beams used by the BS and UE are refined from time to time due to changing channel conditions (e.g., due to movement of the UE or other objects). Additionally, the performance of a BPL may suffer fading due to Doppler spread. Due to changing channel conditions over time, BPLs can be periodically updated or refined. Therefore, it can be beneficial for the BS and UE to monitor beams and new BPLs.

[0103] FIG. 5 The P1, P2, and P3 procedures for BPL discovery and refinement are illustrated. The network uses the P1 procedure to enable the discovery of new BPLs. In the P1 procedure, as... FIG. 5 As illustrated, BS 502 uses different beams to transmit different symbols of a reference signal (“P1 signal”), each beam being formed in a different spatial direction, such that it reaches several (e.g., most or all) relevant locations within the cell. In other words, BS 502 uses different transmit beams in different directions to transmit the beam over time.

[0104] In order to successfully receive at least one symbol of the P1 signal, UE 504 finds an appropriate receive beam. UE 504 searches using the available receive beams and applies a different UE receive beam for each occurrence of the P1 signal.

[0105] Once UE 504 successfully receives a symbol of the P1 signal, UE 504 has already discovered a BPL (i.e., the pair of UE receive beams used to receive the P1 signal in that symbol and the corresponding BS transmit beams used by the BS to transmit the P1 signal in that symbol). In some cases, UE 504 may not wait until UE 504 has found the optimal UE receive beam, as this could delay subsequent actions. Instead, UE 504 can report the first successfully discovered BPL. UE 504 can measure the RSRP of the P1 signal in that symbol and report the symbol index along with the RSRP to the BS. In some cases, UE 504 discovers and reports the discovery of multiple BPLs. In the example, UE 504 can determine the received P1 signal with a high RSRP. UE 504 may not know which beam the BS used to transmit the P1 signal in the symbol; however, by reporting the symbol index to BS 502, BS 502 can receive the report and determine which BS beam BS 502 used in that symbol.

[0106] Procedures P2 and P3 can be used to refine individual BPLs. Procedure P2 is used to refine the BS beam of the BPL, and procedure P3 is used to refine the UE beam of the BPL.

[0107] In process P2, such as FIG. 5 As shown, BS 502 can transmit several symbols of a reference signal using different BS transmit beams spatially close to BPL. For example, BS 502 can use adjacent beams surrounding the selected BPL beam to perform beam scanning. UE 504 maintains a constant UE receive beam when attempting to receive the reference signal from BS 504. Therefore, as... FIG. 5 As illustrated, although UE 504 uses the same beams as in BPL, the BS transmit beams used for the P2 procedure may differ from those used in the P1 procedure. For example, the BS transmit beams used for the P2 procedure may be closer together or more focused than those used for the P1 procedure. UE 504 can measure the RSRP of various BS beams and indicate to the BS the optimal measurement, optimal measurement timing, or optimal beam.

[0108] In the P3 process, such as FIG. 5 As shown, the BS 502 transmits a constant beam within the symbol of the reference signal transmission, while the UE 504 scans using different UE receive beams. For example, the UE 502 can use adjacent beams of the BPL beam to perform beam scanning. The UE 504 can measure the RSRP of each beam and identify the optimal UE transmit beam. The UE 504 can then use the optimal UE receive beam for the BPL and report the RSRP to the BS 502.

[0109] Over time, BS 502 and UE 504 establish several BPLs. When BS 502 transmits a specific channel or signal, BS 502 informs UE 504 which BPL will be involved, allowing UE 504 to tune in the correct UE receive beam direction before the signal begins. In this way, each sample of the signal or channel can be received by UE 504 using the correct receive beam. In the example, BS 502 may indicate which BPL is involved for the scheduled signal (e.g., SRS, CSI-RS) or channel (e.g., PDSCH, PDCCH, PUSCH, PUCCH). In NR, this information may be referred to as Quasi-Co-location (QCL) indication.

[0110] Two antenna ports are quasi-co-located (QCL) if the properties of a channel that transmits symbols on one antenna port can be inferred from the properties of a channel that transmits symbols on another antenna port. A QCL at least supports beam management functionality, frequency / timing offset estimation functionality, and radio resource management (RRM) functionality.

[0111] BS 502 can use BPLs previously received by UE 504. The transmit beams for the signal to be transmitted and the previously received signals must both point in the same direction or be in the QCL. The QCL indication can be received by UE 504 before the signal to be received, allowing UE 504 to use the correct receive beam for each signal or channel. The QCL indication can be received when the BPL for a signal or channel changes. The QCL indication can be received for each scheduled instance. The QCL indication can be sent in the DCI, in the Media Access Control-Control Element (MAC-CE), or in an RRC message.

[0112] Example Beam Management

[0113] In wireless communication, various processes can be performed for beam management. FIG. 6 This is a diagram illustrating example operation 600 where beam management can be performed. In initial access 602, the network may scan several beams, for example, via a beam-shaped SSB. The network may configure the UE using RACH resources associated with the beam-shaped SSB to facilitate initial access via RACH resources. The SSB may have a wider beam shape compared to other reference signals such as CSI-RS. The UE may use SSB detection to identify the RACH timing (RO) for transmitting the RACH preamble (e.g., as part of a contention-based random access (CBRA) procedure).

[0114] In connectivity mode 604, the network and UE can perform hierarchical beam refinement, including beam selection (e.g., as described above relative to...). FIG. 5 The described P1 process), beam refinement for the transmitter (e.g., as described above relative to...) FIG. 5 The described P2 process) and beam refinement for the receiver (e.g., as described above relative to...) FIG. 5 The described P3 process).

[0115] In certain cases where a beam failure occurs (e.g., due to beam misalignment and / or obstruction), the UE may perform a beam failure recovery (BFR) procedure 606, which allows the UE to return to connected mode 604 without performing a radio link failure (RLF) procedure 608. For example, the UE may be configured using candidate beams for beam failure recovery. In response to detecting a beam failure, the UE may request the network to perform the BFR procedure 606 via one of the candidate beams (e.g., a candidate beam with an RSRP above a certain threshold). In some cases where an RLF occurs, the UE may perform an RLF procedure 608 (e.g., a RACH procedure) to recover from a radio link failure.

[0116] likeFIG. 6 As shown, and as described below relative to FIG. 7 In more detail, beam management process 604 may use artificial intelligence (AI), such as machine learning (ML).

[0117] Example Frameworks for AI / ML in Radio Access Networks

[0118] FIG. 7 An example AI / ML functional framework 700 is described, in which the aspects described herein can be implemented.

[0119] The AI / ML functional framework 700 includes data collection function 702, model training function 704, model inference function 706, and participant function 708. These functions interoperate to provide a platform for collaboratively applying AI / ML to various processes in the RAN.

[0120] Data collection function 702 typically provides input data to model training function 704 and model inference function 706. AI / ML algorithm-specific data preparation (e.g., data preprocessing and cleaning, formatting and transformation) may not be performed in data collection function 702. Examples of input data to data collection function 702 (or other functions) may include measurements from UEs or different network entities in the RAN, feedback from participant function 708, and outputs from AI / ML models. Data collection function 702 analyzes the data to be input to model training function 704 and model inference function 706. Data collection function 702 delivers training data to model training function 704 and inference data to model inference function 706.

[0121] The model training function 704 can perform AI / ML model training, validation, and testing, which can generate model performance metrics as part of the model testing process. The model training function 704 can also be responsible for data preparation (e.g., data preprocessing and cleaning, formatting, and transformation) based on the training data delivered by the data collection function 702.

[0122] The model training function 704 can provide model deployment / update data to the model interface function 706. The model deployment / update data can be used to initially deploy trained, validated, or tested AI / ML models to the model inference function 706 or to deliver updated models to the model inference function 706.

[0123] Model inference function 706 can provide AI / ML model inference output (e.g., prediction or decision) to participant function 708, and sometimes can also provide model performance feedback to model training function 704. Model inference function 706 can also sometimes be responsible for data preparation (e.g., data preprocessing and cleaning, formatting and transformation) based on inference data delivered by data collection function 702.

[0124] The inference output of the AI / ML model can be generated by the model inference function 706. Model performance feedback can be used to monitor the performance of the AI / ML model. For example, if some information derived from the model inference function is useful for improving the AI / ML model trained in the model training function 704, model performance feedback can be delivered to the model training function 704.

[0125] Model inference function 706 can signal the model's output to nodes that have requested the model's output (e.g., via subscription) or to nodes that take action based on the output from the model inference function. Before deployment, the AI / ML model used in model inference function 706 may need to be initially trained, validated, and tested by model training function. Model training function 704 and model inference function 706 may be able to request specific information that will be used to train or execute AI / ML algorithms and avoid receiving unnecessary information. The nature of such information can depend on the use case and the AI / ML algorithm.

[0126] Participant function 708 can receive output from model inference function 706, which can trigger or execute corresponding actions. Participant function 708 can trigger actions against other entities or against itself. Feedback generated by participant function 708 can provide information for deriving training data, inference data, or for monitoring the performance of AI / ML models. As noted above, input data for data collection function 702 may include this feedback from participant function 708. Feedback from participant function 708 or other network entities (e.g., via data collection function 702) can also be used at model inference function 706.

[0127] Examples LTM

[0128] As noted above, mobility procedures help maintain the UE's network connectivity as it moves between coverage areas of different cells. For example, such mobility procedures can allow the UE to switch from service from a source cell to service from a target cell. For instance, in LTM, as the UE moves, a new serving cell (e.g., PCell) can be selected (e.g., reselected) from a set of pre-configured candidate cells based on L1 measurements. LTM procedures can provide robustness against blocking, improved higher-rank opportunities across different cells, and reduced latency across different cells. In some aspects, LTM can utilize AI / ML805 (e.g., such as those described above relative to...). FIG. 7 The AI / ML functional framework described in 700 is used to improve LTM.

[0129] In some respects, as a UE moves within an LTM candidate cell, network entities (e.g., UE 104 or BS 102) can use AI / ML to determine, recommend, and / or report certain information. For example... FIG. 8 As illustrated in scenario 810, as UE 816 moves between candidate cell 812 and candidate cell 814, AI / ML 805 can be used to determine / recommend / report whether monitoring / reporting of LTM candidate cell RS is triggered.

[0130] As illustrated in scenario 820, AI / ML 805 can also be used to determine / recommend / report which LTM candidate cells the UE should monitor / report (e.g., based on the location of the UE 816 relative to the candidate cells).

[0131] As illustrated in scenario 820, AI / ML 805 can also be used to determine / recommend / report which RSs and / or beams to monitor / report (e.g., within the set of LTM candidate cells 812, 814, and 818), and / or when / how to report the quality of the monitored beams. FIG. 8 In the example illustrated, the shading (filling) indicates the RS and / or beam that has been selected for monitoring / reporting.

[0132] AI / ML-based LTM can offer certain advantages. For example, from the UE's perspective, it can reduce power consumption for mobility. From the network's perspective (e.g., in cases where the UE 816 does not report / recommend certain information), less dynamic signaling may be needed to reconfigure RS measurements.

[0133] Aspects Related to Providing Beam Prediction Result Feedback to a Target Cell for LTM Latency Reduction

[0134] As discussed above, AI / ML (e.g., AI / ML framework 700) can be used in RAN. Depending on some aspects, AI / ML can be used for beam prediction.

[0135] In some respects, AI / ML can be used for spatial beam prediction. For spatial beam prediction, the UE can predict a first set of downlink beams (e.g., set A beams) based on measurements of a second set of downlink beams (e.g., set B beams). The first set and the second set of beams are different spatial beams. In some respects, the second set of downlink beams can be wide beams (e.g., such as SSB), and the first set of beams can be narrow beams (e.g., CSI-RS). In some respects, both the first set and the second set of beams can be narrow beams.

[0136] In some respects, AI / ML can be used for temporal beam prediction. For example, a UE can predict a first set of downlink beams (e.g., set A beams) based on historical measurements of a second set of downlink beams (e.g., set B beams). For purely temporal beam prediction, the first set and the second set of downlink beams are the same spatial beams at different times. For both spatial and temporal beam prediction, the first set and the second set of beams are different spatial beams at different times.

[0137] Depending on certain aspects, AI / ML-based beam prediction can be used for LTM. For example, AI / ML can be used for spatial beam prediction to reduce UE power consumption and measurement latency for a large number of cross-cell beams. The UE can measure the L1-RSRP of a first set across cell SSBs and predict the L1-RSRP of a second set across cell SSBs based on the measurement.

[0138] In some respects, AI / ML can be used for time-beam prediction to reduce LTM latency and avoid throughput interruptions. The UE can measure the current L1-RSRP of the SSB and, based on the measurement, predict the L1-RSRP of the same beam (e.g., SSB) or different beams (e.g., CSI-RS) of the LTM target cell relative to future timing. Time-beam prediction can be taken into account for LTM (e.g., conditional LTM) triggering conditions.

[0139] While LTM can reduce handover latency compared to Layer 3 (L3) based handover, latency bottlenecks may exist due to non-ideal backhaul delays. For example, in inter-DU or inter-CU scenarios, non-ideal backhaul delays of hundreds of milliseconds may occur. In LTM, the source cell can transmit an LTM cell handover command to the UE, instructing the UE to hand over to the target cell. The UE can transmit beam information associated with the target cell (e.g., measured, predicted, and / or preferred Transmit Configuration Indicator (TCI) status information) to the source cell, and the source cell forwards the beam information to the target cell. However, due to the non-ideal backhaul between the source and target cells, there may be a delay before the forwarded beam information is received at the target cell, at which point the beam information may be outdated. For example, the time beam prediction performed by the UE and included in the beam information may be for a timing that occurs before the beam information is received and can be used by the target cell. In addition, the source cell may wait for the target cell to confirm the beam (e.g., TCI status), and once the target cell confirms, the source cell may transmit the beam indication to the UE before an LTM cell handover may occur, which may introduce additional LTM handover delay.

[0140] In some respects, the UE can directly report beam information to the target cell. Allowing the UE to directly report beam information to the target cell can reduce LTM handover latency. For example, the target cell can receive the information earlier than the target cell receives the information from the source cell via a non-ideal backhaul link. In some respects, the target cell can then acknowledge the information earlier, thereby allowing cell handover to begin. In some respects, the target cell can use the information earlier to select the downlink beam for communicating with the UE.

[0141] Example Operations of Entities in a Communication Network

[0142] FIG. 9 A process flow 900 is described for communication within a network between network entity 902 (e.g., associated with a source cell), user equipment 904, and network entity 906 (e.g., associated with a target cell). In some aspects, network entity 902 and / or network entity 906 can be relative to... FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 The BS 102 depicted and described, or relative to FIG. 2 Examples of decomposed base stations depicted and described. Similarly, UE 904 can be relative to... FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 The example of UE104 depicted and described herein. However, in other respects, UE 904 may be another type of wireless communication device, and network entity 902 and network entity 906 may be another type of network entity or network node, such as those network entities or network nodes described herein.

[0143] As shown in the figure, at operation 908, optionally, source cell 902 can configure beam prediction configuration for UE 904.

[0144] At operation 910, source cell 902 may transmit an LTM cell handover command to UE 904 at timing t0. In some respects, the LTM cell handover command is an LTM cell handover MAC-CE command.

[0145] At operation 912, source cell 902 may transmit a cell handover notification to target cell 906. Source cell 902 may transmit the cell handover notification 912 to target cell 902 at timing t0 or shortly thereafter.

[0146] At operation 914, UE 904 may, for example, transmit beam prediction result feedback to target cell 906 at timing t1 based on beam prediction configuration, and be received by target cell 906 at timing t2, which is earlier than the timing when target cell 906 receives the cell handover notification at timing t3. In some aspects, UE 904 transmits beam prediction result feedback to target cell 906 at operation 914 before UE 904 actually hands over to target cell 906.

[0147] In some aspects, UE 904 may transmit beam prediction feedback to target cell 906 in a RACH message at operation 914. For example, UE 904 may transmit beam prediction feedback to target cell 906 in RACH MsgA of a two-step RACH procedure (e.g., in MsgA PUSCH). In another example, UE 904 may transmit beam prediction feedback to target cell 906 in RACH Msg3 of a four-step RACH procedure.

[0148] In some aspects, UE 904 measures the SSB and / or CSI-RS of source cell 902 and / or target cell 906, and predicts the time L1-RSRP and / or L1-SINR of the SSB or virtual resources associated with target cell 906 at a later time (e.g., a time after the measurement time). In some aspects, UE 904 targets the L1-RSRP or L1-SINR strength in advance. K Resource execution forecasts.

[0149] As shown in the figure, the beam prediction results provided by UE 904 to target cell 906 at operation 914 may include predictions associated with multiple different time beams. For example, as FIG. 9As shown, the beam prediction result feedback may include a first time beam associated with the target cell 906 at or near time t3, a second time beam associated with the target cell 906 at time t4, and a third time beam associated with the target cell 906 at time t5.

[0150] In some aspects, after a delay from receiving the LTM cell handover command at operation 910, UE 904 performs beam measurement and prediction and / or transmits beam prediction results at operation 914. In an exemplary example, the delay between the source cell 902 transmitting the cell handover notification at time t0 at operation 912 and the target cell 906 receiving the cell handover notification at t3 can be 300 ms. In an exemplary example, the delay between UE 904 transmitting beam prediction results to the target cell 906 at time t1 at operation 914 and the target cell 906 receiving these beam prediction results at t2 can be 20 ms. In an exemplary example, UE 902 may be able to perform beam prediction for timings up to 100 ms from the measurement and prediction time. Therefore, in the exemplary example, UE 902 may wait 200ms before reporting the beam prediction result to target cell 906, so that the predicted time beam is expected to be received by target cell 906 before the time t3 when it receives the cell handover notification from source cell 902 and will not be outdated.

[0151] As discussed above, at operation 908, optionally, source cell 902 may configure beam prediction configuration for UE 904. In some aspects, source cell 902 configures the beam prediction configuration at UE 904 via semi-static RRC signaling. In some aspects, source cell 902 configures the beam prediction configuration at UE 904 via dynamic DCI and / or MAC-CE signaling. In some aspects, source cell 902 configures the beam prediction configuration at UE 904 in an LTM cell handover MAC-CE command. In some aspects, the beam prediction configuration is pre-configured at UE 904 (e.g., specified in 3GPP technical standards and hard-coded at UE 904). In some aspects, a combination of pre-configuration and configuration is used to configure the beam prediction configuration.

[0152] Depending on some aspects, the beam prediction configuration configures or pre-configures the RACH timing or paging timing for UE 904 to report beam prediction results to target cell 906.

[0153] In some respects, beam prediction configuration is configured or pre-configured for whether UE 904 should send beam prediction results to LTM target cell 906 via RACH.

[0154] In some aspects, beam prediction configuration configures or pre-configures UE 904 to send the beam prediction results' MsgA or Msg1, RACH timing (RO), or paging timing (PO) to the LTM target cell 906. For example, beam prediction configuration can configure or pre-configure UE 904 to report in the RO or PO associated with the primary cell (PCell) or special cell (sPCell) in the LTM target cell to be handed over. UE 904 can identify the RO or PO associated with the candidate target cell through the LTM configuration associated with the target cell.

[0155] In some respects, the beam prediction configuration configures or pre-configures the UE 904 to report in the RO or PO associated with the SSB that has high L1-RSRP and / or L1-SINR in the most recent LTM measurement report performed by the UE 904 before receiving the LTM cell handover command.

[0156] In some respects, beam prediction configuration configures or pre-configures UE 904 to report in RO or PO for contention-based random access (CBRA) or contention-free random access (CFRA).

[0157] In some respects, the beam prediction configuration configures or pre-configures whether UE 904 retransmits the report in the RACH message if no response is received from the target cell 904.

[0158] In some respects, beam prediction configuration utilizes the cell identifier (ID) associated with the RO or PO to configure or pre-configure the UE 904 to report beam prediction results to the target cell 906.

[0159] In some respects, beam prediction configuration utilizes specific ROs or POs to configure or pre-configure UE 904 to report beam prediction results to target cell 906.

[0160] In some respects, beam prediction configuration utilizes random access preambles to be sent in the RO (e.g., MsgA preamble in a two-step RACH process or Msg1 preamble in a four-step RACH process) to configure or pre-configure UE 904.

[0161] In some respects, beam prediction configuration utilizes the DMRS sequence to be used in RACHMsgA or Msg3 when sending beam prediction results to target cell 906 to configure or pre-configure UE 904.

[0162] Depending on some aspects, the beam prediction configuration is configured or pre-configured for the amount of beam prediction results reported by UE 904 to target cell 906.

[0163] In some respects, beam prediction configuration configures or pre-configures L1-RSRP and / or L1-SINR resources to be measured and / or predicted in the report for the UE 904, or before K One resource.

[0164] In some aspects, beam prediction configuration utilizes time-domain offsets for the report to configure or pre-configure UE904. For example, beam prediction configuration may utilize one or more time offsets from the time when UE904 performs measurements (e.g., measurements of SSB and / or CSI-RS) to one or more future timings associated with time prediction to configure or pre-configure UE904.

[0165] In some respects, beam prediction configuration utilizes the time-domain offset from the time UE 904 receives a trigger report message from source cell 902 (e.g., from the time LTM cell handover MAC-CE command is received) to the time UE 904 completes measurement or beam prediction to configure or pre-configure UE 904.

[0166] Depending on some aspects, the beam prediction configuration configures or pre-configures the measured beam and / or predicted beam for UE 904 to report beam prediction results to target cell 906.

[0167] In some respects, beam prediction configuration configures or pre-configures UE 904 to predict SSB relative to the PCell or sPCell of the target cell 906.

[0168] In some respects, beam prediction configuration configures or pre-configures UE 904 to predict virtual resources associated with the LTM configuration of target cell 906.

[0169] In some respects, the beam prediction configuration configures or pre-configures the UE 904 to measure the SSB and / or CSI-RS configured for L1 measurement by the LTM configuration associated with the target cell 906.

[0170] In some aspects, beam prediction configuration configures or pre-configures the UE 904 with the mapping (e.g., mapping or association) between the predicted beams and measurement resources. For example, this mapping could be parent-child association, beamwidth, pointing direction, etc.

[0171] In some aspects, the beam prediction configuration configures or pre-configures UE 904 to report beam prediction results to target cell 906 in response to a DCI or MAC-CE from source cell 902 that is later than and different from the LTM cell handover MAC-CE command. In some aspects, UE 904 is triggered multiple times to report beam prediction results to target cell 906. For example, in cases where the non-ideal backhaul delay is unexpectedly long (e.g., causing previously reported time prediction results to become outdated), source cell 902 may transmit a signal (e.g., MAC-CE or DCI) that triggers UE 904 to perform the measurement, predict the beam again, and report the beam prediction results to target cell 906. In some aspects, the beam prediction configuration for additionally triggered beam prediction reports can be different. For example, the offset for the report can be shorter (due to a longer time elapsed since the cell handover notification was sent from source cell 902 to target cell 906).

[0172] In some aspects, the beam prediction configuration configures or pre-configures UE 902 to report beam prediction results to source cell 902 in addition to reporting to target cell 906. In other aspects, UE 904 reports beam prediction results to source cell 902 in a MsgA or Msg3 RACH message.

[0173] In some respects, the beam prediction configuration configures or pre-configures UE 902 to report beam prediction results to source cell 902 based on aperiodic or semi-periodic CSI reports or MAC-CE, and can be triggered by LTM cell handover MAC-CE commands, DCI, or different MAC-CEs.

[0174] In some respects, beam prediction configuration configures or pre-configures UE 902 to be at least ahead of aperiodic or semi-periodic CSI reports or MAC-CE. X MS reports the beam prediction results to source cell 902.

[0175] In some respects, the beam prediction configuration configures or pre-configures the UE 902 to report beam prediction results to the source cell 902 relative to a set of future times that are the same as or different from the predictions reported to the target cell 906.

[0176] Example Operations of User Equipment

[0177] FIG. 10 It shows the user equipment (such as) FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 Example of a method 1000 for wireless communication of UE 104.

[0178] In some aspects, at step 1002, the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell. In some aspects, configuring or pre-configuring the user equipment includes hard-coding the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell. In some aspects, configuring or pre-configuring the user equipment includes the user equipment receiving Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling that semi-statically configures the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell. In some aspects, configuring or pre-configuring the user equipment includes the user equipment receiving, in an LTM command for handover, an indication dynamically configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

[0179] Method 1000 may include: at step 1004, receiving signaling to configure user equipment using a set of candidate cells, wherein the user equipment supports LTM for handover between candidate cells. In some cases, this step refers to operations as described in reference... FIG. 13 The circuitry and / or code described for receiving, or that can be executed by the circuitry and / or code for receiving.

[0180] Method 1000 then proceeds to step 1006: receiving the LTM command from the source cell to the target cell from the set of candidate cells. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to, as described in reference... FIG. 13 The circuitry and / or code for receiving described herein may be executed by circuitry and / or code for receiving. In some aspects, the LTM command for handover is transmitted via LTM Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) or physical (PHY) layer signaling.

[0181] In some aspects, method 1000 further includes: measuring one or more resources or virtual resources associated with a first or more beams associated with the source cell at a first opportune moment. In some cases, this step refers to operations as described in reference... FIG. 13 The circuitry and / or code for measurement described herein may be executed by circuitry and / or code for measurement. In some aspects, these measurements include a Layer 1 reference signal, which includes at least one of the following: a received power (L1-RSRP) measurement of the one or more resources, an L1 signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), or a combination thereof.

[0182] In some aspects, method 1000 further includes: predicting a second or more beams associated with a target cell based on measurements, wherein the second or more beams are associated with time beams that are different from the first or more beams and are associated with one or more later timings. In some cases, this step refers to the operation as described in reference... FIG. 13 The described circuitry for prediction and / or code for prediction, or code for prediction, may be executed by such circuitry and / or code. In some aspects, the second or more beams are associated with multiple later timings. In some aspects, predicting the second or more beams based on measurements includes: inputting measurements into a machine learning (ML) model; and outputting the second or more beams from the ML model.

[0183] Method 1000 then proceeds to step 1008: Report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handing them over. In some cases, this step refers to the operation as described in reference... FIG. 13 The circuitry and / or code described for reporting, or which may be executed by circuitry and / or code for reporting, are described. In some aspects, reporting one or more beam prediction results to the target cell includes reporting one or more beam prediction results to the target cell in RACH message A (MsgA) during a two-step random access channel (RACH) procedure, wherein RACH MsgA includes RACH preamble transmission and Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission. In some aspects, reporting one or more beam prediction results to the target cell includes reporting one or more beam prediction results to the target cell in RACH message 3 (Msg3) during a four-step random access channel (RACH) procedure, wherein RACH Msg3 includes Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission. In some aspects, reporting one or more beam prediction results to the target cell at step 1008 includes reporting one or more beam prediction results to the target cell after a delay following the receipt of the message triggering the report. In some respects, the delay is based on the anticipated delay associated with the notification of the handover from the source cell to the target, and the delay associated with the timing of reporting one or more beam prediction results and the timing associated with the predicted beams.

[0184] In some aspects, at step 1002, the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to select a random access channel (RACH) timing or paging timing (PO) associated with the target cell to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell. In some aspects, at step 1002, the user equipment is configured or pre-configured with a cell identifier (ID) associated with the RACH timing or PO. In some aspects, at step 1002, the user equipment is configured or pre-configured with at least one of the following: a random access preamble, a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) sequence, or a combination thereof associated with the RACH timing or PO. In some aspects, at step 1002, the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to select from among RACH timings or POs associated with the synchronization signal block (SSB) having the highest signal quality measurement to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell. In some respects, at step 1002, the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to select from RACH timings or POs associated with contention-based random access (CBRA) or contention-free random access (CFRA) to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

[0185] In some aspects, at step 1002, the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to retransmit a report of one or more beam prediction results to the target cell if no response to the report is received from the target cell. In some aspects, at step 1002, the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to avoid retransmitting a report of one or more beam prediction results to the target cell if no response to the report is received from the target cell.

[0186] In some aspects, at step 1002, the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to report one or more beams. In some aspects, at step 1002, the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to report beams associated with a specified number of highest signal quality measurements. In some aspects, at step 1002, the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to report one or more second beams occurring at one or more specified time offsets from the measurement of one or more first beams. In some aspects, at step 1002, the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to perform measurement or prediction of one or more beams at a specified time offset from the receipt of an LTM command for handover. In some aspects, at step 1002, the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to measure one or more resources or virtual resources for predicting one or more beams.

[0187] In some aspects, at step 1002, the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell in response to receiving an LTM command for handover. In some aspects, at step 1002, the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell in response to receiving a message received from the source cell after the LTM command for handover. In some aspects, the message received from the source cell after the handover command includes a Downlink Control Information (DCI) message or a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) message.

[0188] In some aspects, at step 1002, the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to report one or more beam prediction results to the source cell at step 1010. In some aspects, at step 1002, the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to report one or more beam prediction results to the source cell in response to receiving an LTM command for handover to the target cell.

[0189] In some aspects, method 1000 also includes receiving messages from the source cell after reporting one or more beams. In some cases, this step refers to the operation as described in reference... FIG. 13 The described circuitry for receiving and / or the code for receiving may be executed by circuitry for receiving and / or the code for receiving. In some aspects, method 1000 further includes: in response to receiving the message, reporting one or more second beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell. In some cases, this step refers to the operation as described in reference... FIG. 13 The circuitry and / or code described for reporting, or that can be executed by the circuitry and / or code for reporting.

[0190] In one aspect, method 1000 or any aspect thereof may be made by means of a device (such as...) FIG. 10 The communication device 1300 is used to perform the method 1000. The device includes various components that are operable to, configured to, or adapted to perform the method 1000. The communication device 1300 is described in more detail below.

[0191] It should be noted that Example Operations of Network Entities Associated with a Target Cell This is merely one example of a method, and other methods that include fewer, additional, or alternative steps may also be consistent with this disclosure.

[0192] FIG. 11

[0193] FIG. 1 This shows the network entities (such as FIG. 3 and FIG. 2 BS 102 or as relative to FIG. 14An example of a method 1100 for wireless communication using a decomposed base station (discussed under discussion). Network entities may be associated with LTM target cells.

[0194] Method 1100 begins at step 1102: obtaining a report of one or more beam prediction results from the user equipment. In some cases, this step refers to the operation as described in reference... FIG. 14 The described circuitry and / or code for obtaining the beam prediction results may be executed by the circuitry and / or code for obtaining the beam prediction results. In some aspects, the reporting of obtaining one or more beam prediction results from the user equipment at step 1102 includes: obtaining one or more beam prediction results from the user equipment before the user equipment is handed over from the source cell to the network entity. In some aspects, the reporting of obtaining one or more beam prediction results from the user equipment at step 1102 includes: obtaining one or more beam prediction results from the user equipment in RACH message 3 (Msg3) during the four-step random access channel (RACH) procedure, wherein RACH Msg3 includes Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission.

[0195] Method 1100 then proceeds to step 1104: obtaining notification from the source cell of the user equipment's lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM) handover from the source cell to the network entity. In some cases, this step refers to the operation as described in the reference. FIG. 14 The circuitry described is used to obtain the circuitry and / or the code ...

[0196] In some aspects, after receiving a report of one or more beam prediction results from the user equipment at step 1102, a notification of LTM handover from the source cell is received at step 1104.

[0197] In some aspects, method 1300 further includes, at step 1106, selecting a Transmit Configuration Indicator (TCI) to be used for communication with the user equipment based on the report. In some cases, this step refers to the operation as described in reference... FIG. 14 The circuitry and / or code described are for selection, or may be executed by circuitry and / or code for selection. In some aspects, one or more beam prediction results are associated with different time beams related to one or more subsequent timings. In some aspects, one or more beam prediction results are associated with multiple later timings.

[0198] In some respects, reporting of obtaining one or more beam prediction results from user equipment includes obtaining one or more beam prediction results from user equipment in RACH message A (MsgA) during a two-step random access channel (RACH) procedure, wherein RACH MsgA includes RACH preamble transmission and Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission.

[0199] In one aspect, method 1100 or any aspect thereof may be made by means of a device (such as...) FIG. 11 The communication device 1400 is used to perform the method, which includes various components capable of operating, being configured, or being adapted to perform the method 1100. The communication device 1400 is described in more detail below.

[0200] It should be noted that Example Operations of Network Entities Associated with a Source Cell This is merely one example of a method, and other methods that include fewer, additional, or alternative steps may also be consistent with this disclosure.

[0201] FIG. 12

[0202] FIG. 1 This shows the network entities (such as FIG. 3 and FIG. 2 BS 102 or as relative to FIG. 14 An example of a method 1200 for wireless communication using a decomposed base station (discussed in this paper). Network entities may be associated with source cells.

[0203] Method 1200 begins at step 1202: The output configures the signaling for the user equipment using a set of candidate cells associated with lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM). In some cases, this step refers to the operation as described in reference... FIG. 14 The circuitry and / or code described for output, or that can be executed by the circuitry and / or code for output.

[0204] Method 1200 then proceeds to step 1204: outputting signaling that configures the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handing it over to the target cell from the set of candidate cells. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to, as described in reference... FIG. 14 The circuitry and / or code described for output, or that can be executed by the circuitry and / or code for output.

[0205] Method 1200 then proceeds to step 1206: Outputting an LTM command instructing the user equipment to hand over from the network entity to the target cell. In some cases, this step refers to the operation as described in the reference... FIG. 14The circuitry and / or code described are for output, or may be executed by circuitry and / or code for output. In some aspects, LTM commands for handover are delivered via LTM Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) or physical (PHY) layer signaling.

[0206] In some aspects, the signaling at step 1204 that configures the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to report one or more predicted beams associated with the target cell, wherein the one or more predicted beams are associated with different time beams associated with one or more later timings. In some aspects, these different time beams are associated with multiple later timings.

[0207] In some aspects, the signaling that configures the user equipment at step 1204 to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell in RACH message A (MsgA) during the two-step random access channel (RACH) procedure, wherein RACH MsgA includes RACH preamble transmission and Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission.

[0208] In some aspects, the signaling at step 1204 configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover includes semi-static radio resource control (RRC) signaling configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell. In some aspects, the signaling at step 1204 configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover includes dynamic signaling configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

[0209] In some aspects, the signaling at step 1204 configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to select a random access channel (RACH) timing or paging timing (PO) associated with the target cell to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell. In some aspects, the signaling at step 1204 configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell utilizes a cell identifier (ID) associated with the RACH timing or PO to configure the user equipment. In some aspects, the signaling at step 1204 configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell utilizes at least one of the following: a random access preamble associated with the RACH timing or PO, a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) sequence, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the signaling at step 1204 configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover configures the user equipment to select between a RACH timing or PO associated with the synchronization signal block (SSB) having the highest signal quality measurement to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell. In some aspects, the signaling at step 1204 configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover configures the user equipment to select between a RACH timing or PO associated with contention-based random access (CBRA) or contention-free random access (CFRA) to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

[0210] In some aspects, the signaling configured at step 1204 to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell also configures the user equipment to retransmit the report of one or more beam prediction results to the target cell if no response to the report is received from the target cell. In other aspects, the signaling configured at step 1204 to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell also configures the user equipment to avoid retransmitting the report of one or more beam prediction results to the target cell if no response to the report is received from the target cell.

[0211] In some aspects, at step 1204, the signaling configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover utilizes the one or more beams to be reported to configure the user equipment.

[0212] In some aspects, signaling at step 1204 that configures the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to report beams associated with a specified number of highest signal quality measurements.

[0213] In some aspects, the signaling at step 1204 that configures the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to report one or more second beams occurring at one or more specified time offsets from the measurement of one or more first beams.

[0214] In some aspects, the signaling at step 1204 that configures the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover configures the user equipment to perform one or more beam measurements or predictions at a specified time offset from the time the LTM command for handover is received.

[0215] In some aspects, at step 1204, the signaling configuration of the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover utilizes one or more resources or virtual resources to be measured for predicting one or more beams to configure the user equipment.

[0216] In some aspects, the signaling at step 1204 configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell in response to receiving an LTM command for handover. In some aspects, the signaling at step 1204 configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell in response to receiving a message received from a network entity after receiving an LTM command for handover. In some aspects, the message includes a Downlink Control Information (DCI) message or a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) message.

[0217] In some aspects, the signaling at step 1204 that configures the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell after a delay following receipt of a message triggering a report. In some aspects, this delay is based on an expected delay associated with the notification of handover transmitted by the network entity to the target and a delay associated with the timing of reporting one or more beam prediction results and the predicted beams.

[0218] In some aspects, method 1200 further includes outputting a message to the user equipment after the LTM command, wherein signaling at step 1204 further configures the user equipment to report one or more second beam prediction results to the target cell in response to receiving the message before handover to the target cell. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to, as referenced FIG. 14 The circuitry and / or code described for output, or that can be executed by the circuitry and / or code for output.

[0219] In some aspects, method 1200 further includes: obtaining a report of one or more beam prediction results from the user equipment at step 1208. In some cases, this step refers to the operation as described in reference... FIG. 14 The circuitry described is used to obtain the circuitry and / or the code ...

[0220] In some respects, the signaling at step 1204 further configures the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the network entity in response to an LTM command for handover to the target cell.

[0221] In some aspects, the signaling that configures the user equipment at step 1204 to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell in RACH message 3 (Msg3) during the four-step random access channel (RACH) procedure, wherein RACH Msg3 includes physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission.

[0222] In one aspect, method 1200 or any aspect thereof may be made by means of a device (such as...) Example Communication Devices The communication device 1400 is used to perform the method 1200, which includes various components capable of operating, being configured, or adapted to perform the method. The communication device 1400 is described in more detail below.

[0223] It should be noted that FIG. 13 This is merely one example of a method, and other methods that include fewer, additional, or alternative steps may also be consistent with this disclosure.

[0224] FIG. 1

[0225] FIG. 3 Various aspects of the example communication device 1300 are described. In some aspects, the communication device 1300 is user equipment, such as those described above relative to... FIG. 3 and FIG. 10 The UE 104 described.

[0226] Communication device 1300 includes a processing system 1305 coupled to a transceiver 1365 (e.g., a transmitter and / or receiver). Transceiver 1365 is configured to transmit and receive signals for communication device 1300 via antenna 1370, such as the various signals described herein. Processing system 1305 may be configured to perform processing functions of communication device 1300, including processing signals received by and / or to be transmitted by communication device 1300.

[0227] Processing system 1305 includes one or more processors 1310. In various aspects, the one or more processors 1310 may represent one or more of a receive processor 358, a transmit processor 364, a TX MIMO processor 366, and / or a controller / processor 380, as relative to... FIG. 10 As described. One or more processors 1310 are coupled to a computer-readable medium / memory 1335 via a bus 1360. In some aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 1335 is configured to store instructions (e.g., computer-executable code) that, when executed by one or more processors 1310, cause one or more processors 1310 to perform relative to FIG. 10 The method 1000 described herein or any aspect thereof. It should be noted that references to processors performing the functions of communication device 1300 may include one or more processors 1310 performing those functions of communication device 1300.

[0228] In the depicted example, computer-readable medium / memory 1335 stores codes (e.g., executable instructions), such as code 1340 for receiving, code 1345 for reporting, code 1350 for measurement, and code 1355 for prediction. Processing the code 1340 for receiving, the code 1345 for reporting, the code 1350 for measurement, and the code 1355 for prediction enables the communication device 1300 to perform actions relative to... FIG. 10 The method 1000 described or any aspect thereof.

[0229] One or more processors 1310 include circuitry configured to implement (e.g., execute) code stored in a computer-readable medium / memory 1335, including circuitry such as circuitry 1315 for receiving, circuitry 1320 for reporting, circuitry 1325 for measurement, and circuitry 1330 for prediction. Processing using the circuitry 1315 for receiving, the circuitry 1320 for reporting, the circuitry 1325 for measurement, and the circuitry 1330 for prediction enables the communication device 1300 to perform actions relative to... FIG. 3 The method 1000 described or any aspect thereof.

[0230] The various components of the communication device 1300 can provide for performing relative to FIG. 13 The described method 1000 or any component related thereto. For example, components for sending, transmitting, or outputting for transmission may include... FIG. 3 The transceiver 354 and / or antenna 352 of the UE 104 illustrated herein, and / or FIG. 13 The communication device 1300 includes a transceiver 1365 and an antenna 1370. Components for receiving or acquiring data may include... FIG. 14 The transceiver 354 and / or antenna 352 of the UE 104 illustrated herein, and / or FIG. 1 The transceiver 1365 and antenna 1370 of the communication equipment 1300.

[0231] FIG. 3 Various aspects of the example communication device 1400 are described. In some aspects, the communication device 1400 is a network entity, such as... FIG. 2 and FIG. 2 BS 102 or as relative to FIG. 3 The decomposed base station under discussion.

[0232] Communication device 1400 includes a processing system 1405 coupled to a transceiver 1455 (e.g., a transmitter and / or receiver) and / or a network interface 1465. The transceiver 1455 is configured to transmit and receive signals for communication device 1400 via an antenna 1460, such as various signals as described herein. The network interface 1465 is configured to transmit and receive signals for communication device 1400 via a communication link (such as, as described herein, relative to...). FIG. 11 The described backhaul link, midhaul link, and / or fronthaul link acquire and transmit signals for the communication device 1400. The processing system 1405 can be configured to perform the processing functions of the communication device 1400, including processing signals received by the communication device 1400 and / or to be transmitted by the communication device.

[0233] Processing system 1405 includes one or more processors 1410. In various aspects, the one or more processors 1410 may represent one or more of a receive processor 338, a transmit processor 320, a TX MIMO processor 330, and / or a controller / processor 340, as relative to... FIG. 12 As described. One or more processors 1410 are coupled to a computer-readable medium / memory 1430 via a bus 1450. In some aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 1430 is configured to store instructions (e.g., computer-executable code) that, when executed by one or more processors 1410, cause one or more processors 1410 to perform relative to FIG. 11 The described method 1100 or any aspect thereof; and relative to FIG. 12The method 1200 described herein or any aspect thereof. It should be noted that a processor of the communication device 1400 that performs the function may include one or more processors 1410 of the communication device 1400 that perform the function.

[0234] In the depicted example, computer-readable medium / memory 1430 stores code (e.g., executable instructions), such as code 1435 for obtaining, code 1440 for selecting, and code 1445 for outputting. Processing the code 1435 for obtaining, the code 1440 for selecting, and the code 1445 for outputting enables the communication device 1400 to perform operations relative to... FIG. 11 The described method 1100 or any aspect thereof; and relative to FIG. 12 The method 1200 described or any aspect thereof.

[0235] One or more processors 1410 include circuitry configured to implement (e.g., execute) code stored in computer-readable medium / memory 1430, including circuitry such as circuitry 1415 for acquisition, circuitry 1420 for selection, and circuitry 1425 for output. Processing using the circuitry 1415 for acquisition, the circuitry 1420 for selection, and the circuitry 1425 for output enables the communication device 1400 to perform operations relative to... FIG. 11 The described method 1100 or any aspect thereof; and relative to FIG. 12 The method 1200 described or any aspect thereof.

[0236] The various components of the communication device 1400 provide parts for performing: relative to FIG. 3 The described method 1100 or any aspect thereof; and relative to FIG. 14 The described method 1200 or any aspect thereof. Components for sending, transmitting, or outputting for transmission may include... FIG. 3 The transceiver 332 and / or antenna 334 of BS 102 illustrated herein, and / or FIG. 14 The communication device 1400 includes a transceiver 1455 and an antenna 1460. Components for receiving or acquiring data may include... Example Clauses The transceiver 332 and / or antenna 334 of BS 102 illustrated herein, and / or Additional Notes The transceiver 1455 and antenna 1460 of the communication device 1400.

[0237] ​

[0238] Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses: Clause 1: A method for wireless communication by a user equipment, the method comprising: receiving signaling to configure the user equipment using a set of candidate cells, wherein the user equipment supports lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM) for handover between the candidate cells; receiving an LTM command for handover from a source cell to a target cell from the set of candidate cells; and reporting one or more beam prediction results to the target cell prior to handover to the target cell.

[0239] Clause 2: The method described in Clause 1, wherein the LTM command used for the handover is transmitted via LTM Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) or Physical (PHY) layer signaling.

[0240] Clause 3: The method according to any combination of Clauses 1 to 2, the method further comprising: measuring at a first timing one or more resources or virtual resources associated with a first or more beams associated with the source cell; and predicting, based on the measurement, a second or more beams associated with the target cell, wherein the second or more beams are associated with time beams different from the first or more beams associated with one or more later timings.

[0241] Clause 4: The method described in Clause 3, wherein the second or more beams are associated with multiple later timings.

[0242] Clause 5: The method according to any combination of Clauses 3 to 4, wherein the measurement includes a Layer 1 reference signal, the Layer 1 reference signal including at least one of the following: received power (L1-RSRP) measurement of the one or more resources, L1 signal plus interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), or a combination thereof.

[0243] Clause 6: The method according to any combination of Clauses 3 to 5, wherein predicting the second or more beams based on the measurement comprises: inputting the measurement into a machine learning (ML) model; and outputting the second or more beams from the ML model.

[0244] Clause 7: The method according to any combination of Clauses 1 to 6, wherein reporting the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell includes reporting the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell in RACH message A (MsgA) during a two-step random access channel (RACH) procedure, wherein the RACH MsgA includes RACH preamble transmission and Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission.

[0245] Clause 8: The method according to any combination of Clauses 1 to 7, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

[0246] Clause 9: The method described in Clause 8, wherein the user equipment being configured or pre-configured includes the user equipment being hard-coded to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

[0247] Clause 10: The method according to any combination of Clauses 8 to 9, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured includes the user equipment receiving radio resource control (RRC) signaling that semi-statically configures the user equipment to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

[0248] Clause 11: The method according to any combination of Clauses 8 to 10, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured includes the user equipment receiving, in the LTM command for handover, an instruction to dynamically configure the user equipment to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

[0249] Clause 12: The method according to any combination of Clauses 8 to 11, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to select a random access channel (RACH) timing or paging timing (PO) associated with the target cell to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

[0250] Clause 13: The method according to Clause 12, wherein the user equipment is pre-configured with a cell identifier (ID) associated with the RACH timing or the PO.

[0251] Clause 14: The method according to any combination of Clauses 12 to 13, wherein the user equipment is pre-configured with at least one of the following: a random access preamble, a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) sequence, or a combination thereof associated with the RACH timing or the PO.

[0252] Clause 15: The method according to any combination of Clauses 12 to 14, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to select among the RACH timings or POs associated with the Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) having the highest signal quality measurement to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

[0253] Clause 16: The method according to any combination of Clauses 12 to 15, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to select among RACH timings or POs associated with contention-based random access (CBRA) or contention-free random access (CFRA) to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

[0254] Clause 17: The method according to any combination of Clauses 12 to 16, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to retransmit the report of the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell when no response to the report is received from the target cell.

[0255] Clause 18: The method according to any combination of Clauses 12 to 17, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to avoid retransmitting the report of the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell when no response to the report is received from the target cell.

[0256] Clause 19: The method according to any combination of Clauses 8 to 18, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured with the one or more beams to be reported.

[0257] Clause 20: The method according to Clause 19, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to report beams associated with a specified number of highest signal quality measurements.

[0258] Clause 21: The method according to any combination of Clauses 19 to 20, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to report one or more second beams occurring at one or more specified time offsets from the measurement of one or more first beams.

[0259] Clause 22: The method according to Clause 21, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to perform measurement or prediction of the one or more beams at a specified time offset from the time the LTM command for handover is received.

[0260] Clause 23: The method according to any combination of Clauses 8 to 22, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured with one or more resources or virtual resources to be measured for predicting the one or more beams.

[0261] Clause 24: The method according to any combination of Clauses 8 to 23, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell in response to receiving the LTM command for handover.

[0262] Clause 25: The method according to any combination of Clauses 8 to 24, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell in response to receiving a message received from the source cell after the LTM command for handover.

[0263] Clause 26: The method according to Clause 25, wherein the message received from the source cell after the command for handover includes a downlink control information (DCI) message or a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) message.

[0264] Clause 27: The method according to any combination of Clauses 8 to 26, wherein reporting the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell includes reporting the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell after a delay following the receipt of the message triggering the reporting.

[0265] Clause 28: The method according to Clause 27, wherein the delay is based on the expected delay associated with the notification of the handover transmitted from the source cell to the target and the delay associated with the timing of reporting one or more beam prediction results and the timing associated with the predicted beams.

[0266] Clause 29: The method according to any combination of Clauses 8 to 29, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to report the one or more beam prediction results to the source cell.

[0267] Clause 30: The method according to Clause 29, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to report the one or more beam prediction results to the source cell in response to receiving the LTM command for handover to the target cell.

[0268] Clause 31: The method according to any combination of Clauses 1 to 30, the method further comprising: receiving a message from the source cell after reporting the one or more beams; and, in response to receiving the message, reporting one or more second beam prediction results to the target cell before handing over to the target cell.

[0269] Clause 32: The method according to any combination of Clauses 1 to 31, wherein reporting the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell includes reporting the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell in RACH message 3 (Msg3) during the four-step random access channel (RACH) procedure, wherein the RACH Msg3 includes Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission.

[0270] Clause 33: A method for wireless communication by a network entity, the method comprising: obtaining a report of one or more beam prediction results from a user equipment; and obtaining a notification from a source cell of a lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM) handover of the user equipment from the source cell to the network entity.

[0271] Clause 34: The method according to Clause 33, wherein the notification of the LTM handover from the source cell is received after the report of the one or more beam prediction results from the user equipment.

[0272] Clause 35: The method described in any combination of Clauses 33 to 34, further comprising: selecting a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) to be used for communicating with the user equipment based on the report.

[0273] Clause 36: The method described in any combination of Clauses 33 to 35, wherein the one or more beam prediction results are associated with different time beams at one or more times following the timing.

[0274] Clause 37: The method described in Clause 36, wherein the one or more beam prediction results are associated with multiple later timings.

[0275] Clause 38: The method according to any combination of Clauses 33 to 37, wherein the report of obtaining one or more beam prediction results from the user equipment includes obtaining the one or more beam prediction results from the user equipment in RACH message A (MsgA) during a two-step random access channel (RACH) procedure, wherein the RACH MsgA includes RACH preamble transmission and Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission.

[0276] Clause 39: The method according to any combination of Clauses 33 to 38, wherein the report of obtaining one or more beam prediction results from the user equipment includes obtaining the one or more beam prediction results from the user equipment prior to the handover of the user equipment from the source cell to the network entity.

[0277] Clause 40: The method according to any combination of Clauses 33 to 39, wherein the report of obtaining one or more beam prediction results from the user equipment includes obtaining the one or more beam prediction results from the user equipment in RACH message 3 (Msg3) during a four-step random access channel (RACH) procedure, wherein the RACH Msg3 includes Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission.

[0278] Clause 41: A method for wireless communication by a network entity, the method comprising: outputting signaling to configure user equipment using a set of candidate cells associated with lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM); outputting signaling to configure the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to a target cell before handing it over to the target cell from the set of candidate cells; and outputting an LTM command instructing the user equipment to hand over to the target cell from the network entity.

[0279] Clause 42: The method according to Clause 41, wherein the LTM command for handover is transmitted via LTM Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) or Physical (PHY) layer signaling.

[0280] Clause 43: The method according to any combination of Clauses 41 to 42, wherein the signaling configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell prior to handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to report one or more predicted beams associated with the target cell, wherein the one or more predicted beams are associated with different time beams associated with one or more later timings.

[0281] Clause 44: The method described in Clause 43, wherein the different time beams are associated with multiple later timings.

[0282] Clause 45: The method according to any combination of Clauses 41 to 44, wherein the signaling configuring the User Equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the User Equipment to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell in RACH message A (MsgA) during a two-step random access channel (RACH) procedure, wherein the RACH MsgA includes RACH preamble transmission and Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission.

[0283] Clause 46: The method according to any combination of Clauses 41 to 45, wherein the signaling configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell includes radio resource control (RRC) signaling that semi-statically configures the user equipment to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

[0284] Clause 47: The method according to any combination of Clauses 41 to 46, wherein the signaling configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover includes dynamic signaling configuring the user equipment to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

[0285] Clause 48: The method according to any combination of Clauses 41 to 47, wherein the signaling configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to select a random access channel (RACH) timing or paging timing (PO) associated with the target cell to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

[0286] Clause 49: The method according to Clause 48, wherein the signaling configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment with a cell identifier (ID) associated with the RACH timing or the PO.

[0287] Clause 50: The method according to any combination of Clauses 48 to 49, wherein the signaling configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to at least one of the following: a random access preamble associated with the RACH timing or the PO, a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) sequence, or a combination thereof.

[0288] Clause 51: The method according to any combination of Clauses 48 to 50, wherein the signaling configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to select between a RACH timing or a PO associated with a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) having the highest signal quality measurement to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

[0289] Clause 52: The method according to any combination of Clauses 48 to 51, wherein the signaling configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to select between a RACH timing or PO associated with contention-based random access (CBRA) or contention-free random access (CFRA) to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

[0290] Clause 53: The method according to any combination of Clauses 48 to 52, wherein the signaling configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to retransmit the report of the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell if no response to the report is received from the target cell.

[0291] Clause 54: The method according to any combination of Clauses 48 to 53, wherein the signaling configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to avoid retransmitting the report of the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell if no response to the report is received from the target cell.

[0292] Clause 55: The method according to any combination of Clauses 41 to 54, wherein the signaling configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to have the one or more beams to be reported.

[0293] Clause 56: The method according to Clause 55, wherein the signaling configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to report beams associated with a specified number of highest signal quality measurements.

[0294] Clause 57: The method according to any combination of Clauses 55 to 56, wherein the signaling configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to report one or more second beams occurring at one or more specified time offsets from the measurement of one or more first beams.

[0295] Clause 58: The method according to Clause 57, wherein the signaling that configures the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover configures the user equipment to perform the measurement or prediction of the one or more beams at a specified time offset from the time the LTM command for handover is received.

[0296] Clause 59: The method according to any combination of Clauses 41 to 58, wherein the signaling configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to measure one or more resources or virtual resources for predicting the one or more beams.

[0297] Clause 60: The method according to any combination of Clauses 41 to 59, wherein the signaling configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell in response to receiving the LTM command for handover.

[0298] Clause 61: The method according to any combination of Clauses 41 to 60, wherein the signaling configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell in response to receiving a message received from the network entity after receiving the LTM command for handover.

[0299] Clause 62: The method according to Clause 61, wherein the message includes a downlink control information (DCI) message or a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) message.

[0300] Clause 63: The method according to any combination of Clauses 41 to 62, wherein the signaling configuring the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the user equipment to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell after a delay following receipt of a message triggering the report.

[0301] Clause 64: The method according to Clause 63, wherein the delay is based on the expected delay associated with the notification of the handover transmitted by the network entity to the target and the delay associated with the timing of reporting one or more beam prediction results and the timing associated with the predicted beam.

[0302] Clause 65: The method according to any combination of Clauses 41 to 64, the method further comprising: outputting a message to the user equipment after the LTM command, wherein the signaling further configures the user equipment to report one or more second beam prediction results to the target cell in response to receiving the message before handover to the target cell.

[0303] Clause 66: The method according to any combination of Clauses 41 to 65, the method further comprising: obtaining a report of the one or more beam prediction results from the user equipment.

[0304] Clause 67: The method according to Clause 66, wherein the signaling further configures the user equipment to report the one or more beam prediction results to the network entity in response to the LTM command for handover to the target cell.

[0305] Clause 68: The method according to any combination of Clauses 41 to 67, wherein the signaling configuring the User Equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handover to the target cell configures the User Equipment to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell in RACH message 3 (Msg3) during a four-step random access channel (RACH) procedure, wherein the RACH Msg3 includes Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission.

[0306] Clause 69: An apparatus comprising: a memory including executable instructions; and a processor configured to execute the executable instructions and cause the apparatus to perform the method according to any combination of Clauses 1 to 32.

[0307] Clause 70: An apparatus comprising components for performing the method described in any combination of Clauses 1 to 32.

[0308] Clause 71: A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a device, cause the device to perform any combination of methods according to Clauses 1 to 32.

[0309] Clause 72: A computer program product embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising code for performing the methods described in any combination of Clauses 1 to 32.

[0310] Clause 73: An apparatus comprising: a memory including executable instructions; and a processor configured to execute the executable instructions and cause the apparatus to perform any combination of the methods described in accordance with Clauses 33 to 68.

[0311] Clause 74: An apparatus comprising components for performing the method described in any combination of Clauses 33 to 68.

[0312] Clause 75: A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a device, cause the device to perform any combination of methods according to Clauses 33 to 68.

[0313] Clause 76: A computer program product embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, the computer program product including code for performing the methods described in any combination of Clauses 33 to 68.

[0314] ​

[0315] The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. The examples discussed herein do not limit the scope, applicability, or aspects set forth in the claims. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. For example, the function and arrangement of the elements discussed may be changed without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Various processes or components may be omitted, substituted, or added as appropriate in various examples. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various actions may be added, omitted, or combined. Furthermore, features described with respect to some examples may be combined in some other examples. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein may be used to implement an apparatus or practice. Moreover, the scope of this disclosure is intended to cover such apparatuses or methods practiced using other structures, functionalities, or structures and functionalities that complement or replace the various aspects of this disclosure set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the disclosure herein may be embodied by one or more elements of the claims.

[0316] The various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in this disclosure can be implemented or executed using a general-purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), ASIC, field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device (PLD), discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. While the general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, in alternative embodiments, the processor may be any commercially available processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors working in conjunction with a DSP core, a system-on-a-chip (SoC), or any other such configuration.

[0317] As used herein, "processor," "at least one processor," or "one or more processors" generally refers to a single processor configured to perform one or more operations, or multiple processors configured to collectively perform one or more operations. In the case of multiple processors, the execution of one or more operations may be divided among different processors, but one processor may perform multiple operations, and multiple processors may collectively perform a single operation. Similarly, "memory," "at least one memory," or "one or more memory" generally refers to a single memory configured to store data and / or instructions, or multiple memories configured to collectively store data and / or instructions.

[0318] As used in this article, the phrase “at least one of the items” refers to any combination of these items, including a single member. As an example, “at least one of a, b, or c” is intended to cover: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc, as well as any combination with multiple identical elements (e.g., aa, aaa, aab, aac, abb, acc, bb, bbb, bbb, cc, and ccc, or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

[0319] As used herein, the term "determine" encompasses a wide variety of actions. For example, "determine" can include calculation, operation, processing, deduction, investigation, lookup (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), assertion, etc. Additionally, "determine" can include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), etc. Furthermore, "determine" can include parsing, selecting, picking, building, etc.

[0320] The methods disclosed herein include one or more actions for implementing the methods. These actions may be interchanged without departing from the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of actions is specified, the order and / or use of a particular action may be modified without departing from the scope of the claims. Furthermore, the various operations of the methods described above may be performed by any suitable component capable of performing the corresponding function. This component may include various hardware and / or software components and / or modules, including but not limited to circuits, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or processors.

[0321] The following claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but should be given the full scope consistent with the language of the claims. Within the claims, unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to the singular form of an element is not intended to mean “one and only one,” but rather “one or more.” Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. No element of any claim shall be interpreted in accordance with 35 USC §112(f) unless that element is explicitly stated using the phrase “for a component of.” All structural and functional equivalents of the elements throughout the various aspects described herein that are known to a person of ordinary skill in the art, or will be known later, are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be covered by the claims. Furthermore, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be offered to the public, whether or not such disclosure is explicitly stated in the claims.

Claims

1. A user equipment for wireless communication, the user equipment comprising: One or more memories, wherein the one or more memories store computer-executable code individually or collectively; and One or more processors, individually or collectively configured to execute the computer-executable code and equip the user: Receive signaling to configure the user equipment using a set of candidate cells, wherein the user equipment supports lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM) for handover between the candidate cells; Receive an LTM command for transferring from the source cell to the target cell from the set of candidate cells; as well as Before handing over to the target cell, report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

2. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the LTM command for handover is transmitted via LTM Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) or Physical (PHY) layer signaling.

3. The user equipment according to claim 1, further comprising: At a first opportune moment, measure one or more resources or virtual resources associated with the first or more beams of the source cell; as well as Based on the measurement, a second or more beams associated with the target cell are predicted, wherein the second or more beams are associated with time beams that are different from the first or more beams and are associated with one or more later timings.

4. The user equipment of claim 3, wherein the second or more beams are associated with a plurality of later timings.

5. The user equipment of claim 3, wherein the measurement includes a Layer 1 reference signal, the Layer 1 reference signal including at least one of the following: received power (L1-RSRP) measurement of the one or more resources, L1 signal and interference plus noise ratio (SINR) or a combination thereof.

6. The user equipment of claim 3, wherein predicting the second or more beams based on the measurement comprises: The measurement is then input into a machine learning (ML) model; as well as Output the second or one beam from the ML model.

7. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein reporting the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell comprises reporting the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell in a RACH message A (MsgA) during a two-step random access channel (RACH) procedure, wherein the RACH MsgA comprises RACH preamble transmission and Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission.

8. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

9. The user equipment of claim 8, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to include hard-coding the user equipment to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

10. The user equipment of claim 8, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to include receiving radio resource control (RRC) signaling that semi-statically configures the user equipment to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

11. The user equipment of claim 8, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to receive, in the LTM command for handover, an indication to dynamically configure the user equipment to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

12. The user equipment of claim 8, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to select a random access channel (RACH) timing or paging timing (PO) associated with the target cell to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

13. The user equipment of claim 12, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured with a cell identifier (ID) associated with the RACH timing or the PO.

14. The user equipment of claim 12, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured with at least one of the following: a random access preamble, a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) sequence, or a combination thereof associated with the RACH timing or the PO.

15. The user equipment of claim 12, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to select, among a RACH timing or PO associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB) having the highest signal quality measurement, to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

16. The user equipment of claim 12, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to select among a RACH timing or PO associated with contention-based random access (CBRA) or contention-free random access (CFRA) to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

17. The user equipment of claim 12, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to retransmit the report of the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell when no response to the report is received from the target cell.

18. The user equipment of claim 8, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to report beams associated with a specified number of highest signal quality measurements.

19. The user equipment of claim 8, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to report one or more second beams occurring at one or more specified time offsets from the measurement of one or more first beams.

20. The user equipment of claim 8, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to perform measurement or prediction of the one or more beams at a specified time offset from the receipt of the LTM command for handover.

21. The user equipment of claim 8, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured with one or more resources or virtual resources to be measured for predicting the one or more beams.

22. The user equipment of claim 8, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell in response to receiving the LTM command for handover.

23. The user equipment of claim 8, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to report the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell in response to receiving a message received from the source cell after the LTM command for handover.

24. The user equipment of claim 8, wherein reporting the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell includes reporting the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell after a delay following receiving a message that triggers the reporting.

25. The user equipment of claim 8, wherein the user equipment is configured or pre-configured to report one or more beam prediction results to the source cell in response to receiving the LTM command for handover to the target cell.

26. The user equipment according to claim 1, further comprising: Messages are received from the source cell after the one or more beams are reported; as well as Before handing over to the target cell, in response to receiving the message, one or more second beam prediction results are reported to the target cell.

27. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein reporting the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell comprises reporting the one or more beam prediction results to the target cell in RACH message 3 (Msg3) during a four-step random access channel (RACH) procedure, wherein the RACH Msg3 comprises Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission.

28. A method for wireless communication by a user equipment, the method comprising: Receive signaling to configure the user equipment using a set of candidate cells, wherein the user equipment supports lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM) for handover between the candidate cells; Receive an LTM command for transferring from the source cell to the target cell from the set of candidate cells; as well as Before handing over to the target cell, report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell.

29. A network entity, the network entity comprising: One or more memories, wherein the one or more memories store computer-executable code individually or collectively; and One or more processors, individually or collectively configured to execute the computer-executable code and equip the user: Reports of one or more beam prediction results obtained from user equipment; as well as The user equipment receives a notification of a lower-layer-triggered mobility (LTM) handover from the source cell to the network entity.

30. A network entity, the network entity comprising: One or more memories, wherein the one or more memories store computer-executable code individually or collectively; and One or more processors, individually or collectively configured to execute the computer-executable code and enable the network entity to: The output utilizes a set of candidate cells associated with lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM) to configure the signaling of the user equipment; The output is a signaling configuration that configures the user equipment to report one or more beam prediction results to the target cell before handing it over to the target cell from the set of candidate cells; as well as Output an LTM command instructing the user equipment to be transferred from the network entity to the target cell.

Images