Transmission configuration indicator state configuration for asymmetric multi-transmission reception point deployment

Abstract

A method, network node, and user equipment (UE) for transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state configuration for asymmetric multi-transmission reception point (MTRP) deployment are disclosed. According to one aspect, a method in a UE includes receiving a configuration of a plurality of transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states. The method includes applying a first number of the plurality of TCI states associated with uplink communications and applying a second number of the plurality of TCI states associated with downlink communications. The first number of applied TCI states can be different than the second number of applied TCI states. The method can also include transmitting and receiving signals using UL and DL communication characteristics associated with the respective applied TCI states.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to wireless communications, and in particular, to Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state configuration for asymmetric multiple transmit receiver point (MTRP) deployments. Background Technology

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has developed and is developing standards for fourth-generation (4G) (also known as Long Term Evolution (LTE)) and fifth-generation (5G) (also known as New Radio (NR)) wireless communication systems. Among other features, these systems provide broadband communication such as between network nodes (base stations) and mobile user equipment (UEs), as well as communication between network nodes and between WDs. 3GPP is also developing standards for sixth-generation (6G) wireless communication networks.

[0003] NR

[0004] Data scheduling in NR is typically done on a per-slot basis. Figure 1 The example shown is a 14-symbol time slot, where the first two symbols contain the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), and the remaining symbols contain the Physical Shared Data Channel, PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel), or PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel).

[0005] Downlink transmissions can be dynamically scheduled on a time-slot basis. Scheduling information such as resource allocation and modulation order is included in the downlink control information (DCI) carried by the PDCCH. Downlink (DL) user data is carried in the PDSCH.

[0006] Uplink data transmission can also be dynamically scheduled using the DCI carried in the PDCCH. The UE first decodes the uplink license in the DCI, and then, based at least in part on the scheduling information in the uplink (UL) license, transmits data in the PUSCH.

[0007] In addition to dynamic scheduling of PUSCH, NR also supports semi-persistent transmission of periodic PUSCH using configured licenses (CG). In CG type 1, periodicity and slot offset are configured by Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. In CG type 2, PUSCH transmission can be dynamically activated or deactivated by DCI.

[0008] For channel estimation purposes, it also supports the Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) in DL and the Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) in UL.

[0009] Synchronization signals (SS), including the primary SS (PSS) and secondary SS (SSS), are used in NR to allow the UE to obtain DL synchronization with the cell and the physical cell ID (PCI) associated with the cell. The PSS and SSS are transmitted together with the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) and are simply referred to as the SS / PBCH block or SSB. The PBCH is used to transmit information within the cell, including the Primary Information Block (MIB), for the UE to obtain system information from other System Information Blocks (SIBs).

[0010] Uplink power control in NR

[0011] A gNB (network node) can consist of a single Transmitter Receiver Point (TRP) or multiple TRPs. In the case of multiple TRPs, the UE can be scheduled using downlink transmissions from one or more TRPs and uplink data transmissions to one or more TRPs, one TRP at a time or simultaneously.

[0012] Uplink power control in NR consists of two parts: open-loop power control and closed-loop power control. Open-loop power control is used to set the uplink transmit power based on factors such as path loss estimation between the UE and the TRP in the serving cell, target receive power, channel / signal bandwidth, modulation and coding scheme (MCS), fractional power control factor (also known as fractional path loss compensation factor), etc.

[0013] Closed-loop power control is based on power adjustments signaled in power control commands received from network nodes. Power control commands are typically determined based on the difference between the actual received power and the desired received power at the network node. Up to two closed power control loops can be configured in the NR for each UL channel or signal. Cumulative or non-cumulative closed-loop power adjustment is supported in the NR. The closed-loop adjustment at a given time is also referred to as the power control adjustment state.

[0014] A DL reference signal (RS) is transmitted from each TRP, which the UE can use to estimate the path loss between the UE and the TRP. Each DL RS has an associated index for identification. For UL transmissions, power control can be performed individually for each TRP.

[0015] For a UL channel or signal (e.g., PUSCH, Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), or SRS) to be transmitted in the uplink (UL) associated with a path loss RS having index k, the transmission timing i and closed-loop index within the time slot of the bandwidth portion (BWP) of the carrier frequency of the serving cell are determined. The transmit power in the signal can be expressed as:

[0016]

[0017] in, It is the maximum output power of the UE for the carrier frequency f of the serving cell c during the transmission timing i for the UL channel or signal.

[0018] It is the open-loop transmit power. It is a closed-loop power regulation. It is given by the following formula:

[0019]

[0020] in, It is the nominal target received power for UL channels or signals, and includes a cell-specific portion. and UE-specific parts , It is a power adjustment at transmission time i related to the bandwidth or number of resource blocks (RBs) occupied by the channel or signal. It is a path loss (PL) estimate based on the downlink reference signal (RS) with index k. It is the fractional path loss compensation factor, and It is the power offset determined by the modulation and code rate of the UL channel or signal.

[0021] It is given by the following formula:

[0022]

[0023] in, It is indicated in the transmit power control (TPC) command in the DCI associated with the UL channel or signal at transmission time i and is configured with a closed-loop index. The power adjustment value; Since it was used for transmission timing The sum of the power adjustment values ​​indicated in the TPC command for the channel or signal received by the UE since the TPC command.

[0024] Note the power control parameters , , , , , Typically, it is configured individually for each UL channel or signal (e.g., PUSCH, PUCCH, and SRS), and can be different for different UL channels or signals.

[0025] UE panel

[0026] For a UE, signals can arrive and be emitted from all different directions. Therefore, it is beneficial to have an antenna implementation at the UE that can generate near-omnidirectional coverage in addition to producing a high-gain narrow beam. One way to increase omnidirectional coverage at the UE is to install multiple panels and point them in different directions, which is typically used in commercial UEs. However, to reduce cost and energy consumption, these UEs could transmit from only one UE panel at any given time. Figure 2 An example of a real-world UE with two baseband chains (one for each polarization) is shown, which are used to switch between three different dual-polarization panels.

[0027] SRS

[0028] In NR, SRS is used to provide Channel State Information (CSI) to network nodes in UL. The use of SRS includes, for example, deriving appropriate transmit / receive beams and / or performing link adaptation (i.e., setting the transmission rank and MCS), as well as selecting DL (e.g., for PDSCH transmissions) and UL (e.g., for PUSCH transmissions) MIMO precoding.

[0029] In LTE and NR, SRS is configured via RRC, where the configuration can be updated via Media Access Control-Control Element (MAC-CE) signaling (to reduce latency). Configuration includes, for example, SRS resource allocation (physical mapping and the sequence to be used) and temporal behavior (aperiodic, semi-persistent, or periodic). For aperiodic SRS transmissions, RRC configuration does not activate SRS transmissions from the UE; instead, a dynamic activation trigger is sent from the network node in the DL via the DCI in the PDCCH. This dynamic activation trigger instructs the UE to transmit SRS once at a predetermined time.

[0030] When configuring SRS transport, network nodes configure SRS resource sets and SRS resource collections through the SRS-Config information element (IE), where each SRS resource set contains one or more SRS resources.

[0031] QCL and TCI status

[0032] In NR, several signals can be transmitted from different antenna ports of the same base station. These signals can have the same large-scale characteristics, such as Doppler frequency shift / spread, average delay spread, or average delay. These antenna ports are called quasi-co-located (QCL).

[0033] If the UE knows that the two antenna ports are QCL with respect to a certain parameter (e.g., Doppler spread), the UE can estimate the parameter based on one antenna port and apply that estimate to receive signals on the other antenna port.

[0034] For example, a QCL relationship may exist between the CSI-RS used for tracking RS (TRS) and the PDSCH demodulation reference signal (DMRS). When the UE receives the PDSCH DMRS, it can use measurements already performed on the TRS to assist in DMRS reception.

[0035] Information regarding what assumptions can be made about QCL is signaled from the network to the UE. In NR, four types of QCL relationships are defined between the transmitted source RS and the transmitted target reference signal (RS):

[0036] Type A: {Doppler frequency shift, Doppler spread, average delay, delay spread};

[0037] Type B: {Doppler frequency shift, Doppler spread};

[0038] Type C: {Average Delay, Doppler Shift}; and

[0039] Type D: {Space Rx parameter}.

[0040] QCL Type D was introduced to facilitate beam management using analog beamforming and is referred to as spatial QCL. Currently, there is no strict definition of spatial QCL; however, it is understood that if two transmitting antenna ports are in spatial QCL, the UE can use the same receive (RX) beam to receive them. This is helpful for UEs using analog beamforming to receive signals, as the UE needs to adjust its RX beam in a certain direction before receiving a signal. If the UE knows that the signal is in spatial QCL with some other signal it has previously received, it can safely use the same RX beam to also receive that signal. Note that this discussion focuses primarily on QCL Type D for beam management; however, it is also necessary to communicate the Type A QCL relationships for RS to the UE so that it can estimate all relevant large-scale parameters.

[0041] To introduce dynamism in beam and transmit / receive point (TRP) selection, the UE can be configured with up to 128 TCI (Transmission Configuration Indicator) states via RRC signaling. The TCI state information elements are shown below:

[0042]

[0043] Network nodes can use DCI format 1_1 or 1_2 to indicate to the UE that it should use an active TCI state for subsequent PDSCH reception. The field used in DCI is Transmission configuration indication, which is 3 bits if tci-PresentInDCI is enabled by the higher layer or tci-PresentForDCI-Format1-2-r16 exists for DCI format 1_1 and DCI 1_2 respectively.

[0044] Unified TCI Status

[0045] In 3GPP Technical Release 17 (3GPP Rel-17), a new unified TCI state framework was defined, which aims to simplify the indication of UE transmit / receive spatial filters (and other QCL features) by allowing a single TCI state indication to be used for QCL features of multiple different DL and / or UL signals / channels.

[0046] The unified TCI state framework of 3GPP Rel-17 can be configured by RRC in one of two operating modes: "Joint DL / UL TCI" or "Individual DL / UL TCI". For "Joint DL / UL TCI" operation, a common joint TCI state is used for both DL signal / channel and UL signal / channel. For "Individual DL / UL TCI" operation, a common DL-only TCI state is used for DL ​​channel / signal, and a common UL-only TCI state is used for UL signal / channel.

[0047]

[0048] The “joint DL / UL TCI” operation is expected to be the most common use case (see [link]). Figure 3 (Example), however, “separate DL / UL TCI” operation can be useful in specific scenarios where the optimal DL beam differs from the optimal UL beam. For “separate DL / UL TCI” operation, each TCI code point can activate up to two TCI states, one for the DL signal / channel (DL TCI state only) and one for the UL signal / channel (UL TCI state only). Figure 4The diagram illustrates a possible example of what this might look like. With TCI code point "0", the UE should apply "DL TCI State 3 only" as the common QCL source for DL ​​signals / channels and not update the QCL source for UL signals / channels. With TCI code point "7", the UE should apply "UL TCI State 57 only" as the QCL source for UL signals / channels and not update the QCL source for DL ​​signals / channels. With TCI code point "2", the UE should apply "DL TCI State 9 only" as the QCL source for DL ​​signals / channels and "UL TCI State 1 only" as the QCL source for UL signals / channels.

[0049] Existing DCI formats 1_1 and 1_2 in NR are reused (as in the 3GPP Rel-15 / 16 beam management framework) for beam indication, in both cases with and without DL allocation.

[0050] UL nodes only

[0051] Demand for capacity and user throughput is expected to increase in the future. UL is also expected to become a limiting factor, partly due to the natural imbalance in spectrum efficiency between UL and DL (which may stem from different numbers of antennas, different power levels, etc., and partly due to the increase in UL-intensive services such as gaming, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, etc.).

[0052] A potential remedy for this is to make the network denser in the UL than in the DL. This can be accomplished, for example, by providing radio nodes that only receive in the UL (and therefore do not perform any DL transmissions). Such transmission nodes may be referred to herein as “UL-only nodes / TRPs”. By using such UL-only nodes, the UL can be enhanced without enhancing the DL. While there is no direct improvement in downlink performance compared to a normal DL+UL node, the benefits of UL-only nodes include lower complexity, lower weight, smaller size, ease of deployment, and avoidance of the need for permitting the deployment of radio transmitters. First steps toward better support for UL-only nodes have already been included in the NRMIMO 3GPP Rel-19 Work Item Description (WID), where power control for FR1 and FR2 will be enhanced to better support UL-only nodes.

[0053] The following objectives are included in 3GPP Rel-19 MIMO WID:

[0054] Enhancements are specified for asymmetric DL sTRP / UL mTRP deployment scenarios, assuming in-band DU non-co-located mTRP scenarios, without changing existing cell definitions or defining new cells (e.g., UL cells only), assuming the 3GPP Rel-17 / 18 unified TCI framework, and fully reusing traditional QCL / UL spatial relationship rules, targeting FR1 and FR2; and two closed-loop PC adjustment states for SRS, both separate from PUSCH; and path loss offset configuration for path loss calculation to (one or more) UL TRPs when the path loss RS comes from the DL sTRP.

[0055] At the RAN1#116 meeting, the following agreement was reached regarding the association between the TCI status and the path loss offset used for path loss calculation to the UL TRP:

[0056] protocol

[0057] For asymmetric DL sTRP / UL mTRP deployment scenarios, it is supported to associate UL TCI status with path loss (PL) offset:

[0058] • When the UL TCI state associated with the PL offset is applied to PUSCH / PUCH / SRS transmission, the UE calculates the transmit (TX) power of PUSCH / PUCH / SRS based on the DLPL RS and the PL offset associated with that UL TCI state:

[0059] ○ By replacing the traditional PL with the UL PL derived from DL PL RS and PL offset, the traditional uplink power control formula is reused;

[0060] ○ Further research needed (FFS): The UE can update the UL PL by using the new UL PL = current UL PL + update increment indicated by the network (NW);

[0061] • Note: It is not intended to increase the number of PLs maintained per cell; and

[0062] •FFS: Whether it supports associating the joint TCI state (if supported) with the PL offset.

[0063] Further research includes whether / how to apply the PL offset to the PDCCH command physical random access channel (PRACH) transmission:

[0064] • FFS: How to determine the TX beam of the PRACH toward the UL TRP;

[0065] • Note: This does not imply support for 2 TA for single-DCI based systems.

[0066] protocol

[0067] For asymmetric DL sTRP / UL mTRP deployment scenarios, the individual DL / UL TCI state modes of the 3GPP Rel-17 / 18 unified TCI framework can be configured for both FR1 and FR2. The joint TCI state mode can be configured for at least FR1.

[0068] In this disclosure, the terms “UL node only”, “UL TRP only” and “UL RP only” are used interchangeably.

[0069] In existing NR multi-TRP operations, it is assumed that each node can be used for both DL transmission and UL reception. For NR3GPP Rel-19, the idea of ​​deploying UL-only nodes in a cell has been considered. UL-only nodes can be useful in the following scenarios:

[0070] • Only UL nodes are deployed at the cell edge to provide better UL coverage for cell edge UEs;

[0071] • Only UL nodes are deployed in the Time Division Duplex (TDD) band, where a dominant UL allocation exists; and

[0072] Due to regulatory issues, only UL nodes are deployed in frequency bands that can only be used for UL transmissions.

[0073] UL-only nodes only receive and do not transmit any DL signals. However, one issue regarding enabling UL-only node operation is the UL power control used for UL transmissions to these nodes. In NR, UL power control is based on DL path loss (e.g., based on path loss calculated at the UE from the DL path loss reference signal (PL-RS)). In cases where no DL RS (e.g., DL PL-RS) is available from the UL-only node, path loss cannot be estimated in the current framework to determine UL power control for the UL-only node. At the RAN1116 meeting, it was considered that path loss offset is associated with the UL TCI state, and for asymmetric DL sTRP UL mTRP scenarios, both "separate DL / UL TCI" and "joint DL / UL TCI" are supported (at least for FR1).

[0074] Traditional (normal) TRPs provide both DL (Deep Node) and UL (Ultra-Low Node) services. Therefore, in traditional NR, for both "individual DL / UL TCI" and "joint DL / UL TCI," each UE can be indicated with just as many TCI states for DL ​​as for UL. For single TRP operations, one joint TCI state or one DL TCI state and one UL TCI state can be indicated, and for multi-TRP operations, two joint TCI states, or two DL TCI states and two UL TCI states can be indicated. However, for UL-only node deployments that may operate in both single-TRP DL and multi-TRP UL communications, it might be desirable to indicate a single TCI state for DL ​​and two TCI states for UL. However, this is not possible with the traditional NR unified TCI state framework. Summary of the Invention

[0075] Some embodiments advantageously provide methods, network nodes, and user equipment for configuring the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status for asymmetric multiple transmit receiver point (MTRP) deployments.

[0076] Some embodiments include methods to support uplink-only node deployment for use with an NR unified TCI state framework (or a similar new TCI state framework in 6G), wherein the UE is instructed to a joint TCI state to perform DL and UL communication with the anchor TRP, and the UE is instructed to a UL TCI state to perform UL communication with the UL-only node.

[0077] The methods described in this paper enable networks to reduce signaling overhead and allow for efficient configuration and indication of TCI status in asymmetric DL sTRP and UL mTRP scenarios. Some methods are advantageous for other operations where the number of TRPs with DL communication differs from the number of TRPs with UL communication, or for operations where there are one or more UL-only TRPs or one or more DL-only TRPs or both.

[0078] Some implementations enable D-MIMO communication in 6G, where different sets of TRPs can be used for DL ​​compared to UL, which enables more flexible D-MIMO communication.

[0079] According to one aspect, a method in a network node includes: configuring a UE with a plurality of Transport Configuration Indicator (TCI) states, a first number of TCI states to be applied to UL communications, and a second number of TCI states to be applied to DL communications, the first number and the second number being indicated by a plurality of code points.

[0080] In some embodiments, a first number of TCI states is not equal to a second number of TCI states. In some embodiments, the method includes activating multiple TCI states via a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) message. In some embodiments, the MAC CE associates the activated TCI states with code points in the TCI indicator bit field of the downlink control information (DCI). In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration is indicated by Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration configures the UE to assume the same quasi-co-addressable (QCL) characteristics for two joint TCI states. In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration configures the UE to apply a joint TCI state for UL and DL communications, and at least one of the following: applying a UL TCI state for UL communications and applying a DL TCI state for DL ​​communications. In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration configures the UE with a list of joint TCI states, UL TCI states, and DL TCI states. In some embodiments, the method includes receiving a path loss offset from a network node and determining a path loss based at least in part on the path loss offset. In some embodiments, the path loss offset is determined by the Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) for power control of UL communications to activate and deactivate one of them.

[0081] According to another aspect, a network node is provided, configured to communicate with an uplink-only network node and with a user equipment (UE). The network node includes processing circuitry configured to configure the UE with a plurality of Transport Configuration Indicator (TCI) states, a first number of TCI states to be applied to UL communication, and a second number of TCI states to be applied to DL communication, the first and second numbers being indicated by a plurality of code points.

[0082] According to this aspect, in some embodiments, the first number of TCI states is not equal to the second number of TCI states. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry is configured to activate multiple TCI states via a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) message. In some embodiments, the MAC CE associates the activated TCI states with code points in the TCI indicator bit field of the Downlink Control Information (DCI). In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration is received via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration configures the UE to assume the same quasi-co-addressable (QCL) characteristics for two joint TCI states. In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration configures the UE to apply a joint TCI state for UL and DL communications, and at least one of the following: applying a UL TCI state for UL communications and applying a DL TCI state for DL ​​communications. In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration configures the UE with a list of joint TCI states, UL TCI states, and DL TCI states. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry is configured to receive path loss offsets from network nodes and determine path loss based at least in part on the path loss offsets. In some embodiments, the path loss offset is determined by the Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) for power control of UL communications to activate or deactivate one of them.

[0083] According to another aspect, a method in a UE includes receiving from a network node a TCI state configuration for a plurality of Transport Configuration Indicator (TCI) states. The method includes applying a first number of TCI states from the plurality of TCI states to UL communication, and applying a second number of TCI states from the plurality of TCI states to DL communication.

[0084] In some embodiments, a first number of TCI states is not equal to a second number of TCI states. In some embodiments, the method includes receiving a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) message activating multiple TCI states. In some embodiments, the MAC CE associates the activated TCI states with code points in the TCI indicator bit field of a Downlink Control Information (DCI). In some embodiments, the first and second number of TCI states applied are the indicated TCI states. In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration indicates two joint TCI states. In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration configures the UE to ignore at least one TCI state characteristic of at least one joint TCI state. In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration configures the UE to ignore the quasi-co-address (QCL) characteristic for DL ​​communication of the joint TCI state. In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration configures the UE to apply one DL TCI state for DL ​​communication and two UL TCI states for UL communication. In some embodiments, the method includes receiving a path loss offset from a network node and determining a path loss based at least in part on the path loss offset.

[0085] According to yet another aspect, a user equipment (UE) is provided, configured to communicate with a network node and with an uplink-only network node. The UE includes processing circuitry configured to receive from the network node a TCI state configuration for a plurality of Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) states. The processing circuitry is configured to apply a first number of TCI states from the plurality of TCI states to UL communication, and to apply a second number of TCI states from the plurality of TCI states to DL communication.

[0086] According to this aspect, in some embodiments, the first number of TCI states is not equal to the second number of TCI states. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry is configured to receive a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) message activating multiple TCI states. In some embodiments, the MAC CE associates the activated TCI states with code points in the TCI indicator bit field of the Downlink Control Information (DCI). In some embodiments, the applied first and second number of TCI states are the indicated TCI states. In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration indicates at least one joint TCI state. In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration configures the UE to ignore at least one TCI state characteristic of at least one joint TCI state. In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration configures the UE to ignore the quasi-co-addressable (QCL) characteristic of the joint TCI state for either UL communication or DL ​​communication. In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration configures the UE to apply one DL TCI state for DL ​​communication and two UL TCI states for UL communication. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry is configured to receive path loss offsets from network nodes and determine path loss based at least in part on the path loss offsets. Attached Figure Description

[0087] A more complete understanding of this embodiment and its accompanying advantages and features will be more readily obtained by referring to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0088] Figure 1 It is an NR time-domain structure;

[0089] Figure 2 A UE with three panels is shown;

[0090] Figure 3 This is an example of the TCI state used for the activation of the joint TCI state and its mapping to TCI field code points;

[0091] Figure 4 This is an example of an active TCI state for a single DL / UL TCI state and its mapping to TCI field code points;

[0092] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example network architecture of a communication system based on the principles disclosed herein;

[0093] Figure 6 This is a block diagram of a network node that communicates with a user equipment via a wireless connection according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0094] Figure 7This is a flowchart of an example process for configuring the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status in a network node for asymmetric multiple transmit receiver point (MTRP) deployment;

[0095] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of an example process for configuring the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status in a user equipment for an asymmetric multiple transmit receiver point (MTRP) deployment;

[0096] Figure 9 This is a flowchart of an example process for configuring the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status in a network node for asymmetric multiple transmit receiver point (MTRP) deployment;

[0097] Figure 10 This is a flowchart of an example process for configuring the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status in a user equipment for an asymmetric multiple transmit receiver point (MTRP) deployment;

[0098] Figure 11 This is an example of TCI state activation / deactivation of MAC CE;

[0099] Figure 12 This is another example of TCI state activation / deactivation of MAC CE;

[0100] Figure 13 This is an example of a traditional MAC CE used for unified TCI state activation / deactivation;

[0101] Figure 14 This is an example of a traditional MAC CE used to enhance TCI state activation / deactivation;

[0102] Figure 15 This is another example of a traditional MAC CE used to enhance TCI state activation / deactivation;

[0103] Figure 16 This is a flowchart of an example process for configuring and applying different TCI states;

[0104] Figure 17 This is an example signaling diagram for deployments with UL-only mode; and

[0105] Figure 18 Is with Figure 15 The signaling diagram illustrates the deployment. Detailed Implementation

[0106] Before describing the exemplary embodiments in detail, it should be noted that the embodiments primarily concern a combination of apparatus components and processing steps relating to the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state configuration for asymmetric multiple transmit receiver points (MTRP) deployments. Therefore, components are indicated where appropriate by conventional symbols in the accompanying drawings, and only those specific details relevant to understanding the embodiments are shown so as not to obscure this disclosure by details that would be obvious to those skilled in the art who benefit from the description herein.

[0107] As used herein, relational terms such as “first” and “second,” “top” and “bottom,” etc., may be used only to distinguish one entity or element from another entity or element, without necessarily requiring or implying any physical or logical relationship or order between such entities or elements. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the concepts described herein. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to also include the plural forms. It should be further understood that, when used herein, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” and / or “including” specify the presence of the stated feature, integer, step, operation, element, and / or component, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0108] In the embodiments described herein, connection terms such as "communicating with" can be used to indicate electrical or data communication, which can be achieved, for example, through physical contact, induction, electromagnetic radiation, radio signals, infrared signals, or optical signals. Those skilled in the art will understand that multiple components can interact, and modifications and variations in implementing electrical and data communication are possible.

[0109] In some embodiments described herein, the terms “coupled,” “connected,” etc., may be used herein to indicate a connection, although not necessarily a direct one, and may include wired and / or wireless connections.

[0110] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the concepts described herein. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to also include the plural forms. It should be further understood that, when used herein, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” and / or “including” specify the presence of the stated feature, integer, step, operation, element, and / or component, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0111] As used herein, the term "network node" can refer to any type of network node included in a radio network, which may further include base stations (BS), radio base stations, base transceiver stations (BTS), base station controllers (BSC), radio network controllers (RNC), g node Bs (gNB), evolved Node Bs (eNB or eNodeB), node Bs, multi-standard radio (MSR) radio nodes (such as MSR BS), multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCE), relay nodes, donor nodes of control relays, radio access points (AP), transmission points, transmission nodes, remote radio units (RRU), remote radio heads (RRH), core network nodes (e.g., mobility management entities (MME), ad hoc network (SON) nodes, coordination nodes, location nodes, MDT nodes, etc.), external nodes (e.g., third-party nodes, nodes outside the current network), nodes in distributed antenna systems (DAS), spectrum access systems (SAS) nodes, element management systems (EMS), etc. Network nodes may also include test equipment. The term "radio node" as used herein may also be used to refer to user equipment (UE), such as radio equipment (WD) or radio network nodes.

[0112] In some embodiments, the non-limiting terms “wireless device (WD)” or “user equipment (UE)” are used interchangeably. A UE as used herein can be any type of user equipment, such as a wireless device (WD), capable of communicating with a network node or another UE via radio signals. A UE can also be a radio communication device, a target device, a device-to-device (D2D) UE, a machine-type UE or a UE capable of machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, a low-cost and / or low-complexity UE, a sensor equipped with a UE, a tablet computer, a mobile terminal, a smartphone, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop mounted device (LME), a USB dongle, a customer premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, or a narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) device, etc.

[0113] In some embodiments, the generic term "radio network node" is also used. It can be any kind of radio network node, including any of the following: base station, radio base station, base transceiver station, base station controller, network controller, RNC, evolved Node B (eNB), Node B, gNB, multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), relay node, access point, radio access point, remote radio unit (RRU), and remote radio head (RRH).

[0114] Note that although terms from a particular wireless system, such as, for example, 3GPP LTE and / or New Radio (NR), may be used in this disclosure, this should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure to the aforementioned systems. Other wireless systems, including but not limited to Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Global Microwave Access Interoperability (WiMax), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), may also benefit from utilizing the ideas covered within this disclosure.

[0115] It should be noted further that the functions described herein as being performed by user equipment or network nodes can be distributed across multiple user equipment and / or network nodes. In other words, the functions of the network nodes and wireless devices described herein are not expected to be limited to the performance of a single physical device and can actually be distributed among several physical devices.

[0116] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) shall have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. It will also be understood that terms used herein shall be interpreted as having the same meaning as they have in the context of this specification and the relevant field and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense, unless expressly defined herein.

[0117] Some embodiments are designed for Transport Configuration Indicator (TCI) status configuration for asymmetric multiple transport receiver point (MTRP) deployments.

[0118] Returning to the accompanying drawings, the same elements are indicated by the same reference numerals, in Figure 5The diagram illustrates a communication system 10 according to an embodiment, such as a 3GPP-type cellular network that can support standards such as LTE and / or NR (5G), comprising an access network 12 such as a radio access network and a core network 14. The access network 12 includes multiple network nodes 16a, 16b, 16c (collectively referred to as network nodes 16), such as NBs, eNBs, gNBs, or other types of radio access points, each defining a corresponding coverage area 18a, 18b, 18c (collectively referred to as coverage area 18). Each network node 16a, 16b, 16c can be connected to the core network 14 via a wired or wireless connection 20. A first user equipment (UE) 22a located in coverage area 18a is configured to be wirelessly connected to or paged by the corresponding network node 16a. A second UE 22b in coverage area 18b can be wirelessly connected to the corresponding network node 16b. Although multiple UEs 22a, 22b (collectively referred to as User Equipment 22) are shown in this example, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to situations where only one UE is in the coverage area or where only one UE is connected to the corresponding network node 16. Note that although only two UEs 22 and three network nodes 16 are shown for convenience, the communication system may include more UEs 22 and network nodes 16.

[0119] Furthermore, it should be anticipated that UE 22 can perform simultaneous communication and / or be configured to communicate individually with more than one network node 16 and more than one type of network node 16. For example, UE 22 can have dual connectivity with LTE-enabled network node 16 and the same or different network nodes 16 that support NR. As an example, UE 22 can communicate with an eNB for LTE / E-UTRAN and a gNB for NR / NG-RAN.

[0120] Network node 16 (eNB or gNB) is configured to include configuration unit 24, which can be configured to configure a plurality of Transport Configuration Indicator (TCI) states for the UE, a first number of TCI states to be applied to uplink UL communication, and a second number of TCI states to be applied to downlink DL communication, the first and second numbers being indicated by a plurality of code points. User equipment 22 is configured to include TCI unit 26, which is configured to apply a first number of TCI states associated with uplink UL communication and a second number of TCI states associated with downlink DL communication, the first and second numbers being indicated by a plurality of code points.

[0121] Now refer to Figure 6 An example implementation of the UE 22 and network node 16 discussed in the preceding paragraphs, according to an embodiment, is described.

[0122] The communication system 10 includes a network node 16, which is provided within the communication system 10 and includes hardware 28 enabling it to communicate with the UE 22. The hardware 28 may include a radio interface 30 for establishing and maintaining at least a wireless connection 32 with the UE 22 located within a coverage area 18 served by the network node 16. The radio interface 30 may be configured as or may include, for example, one or more RF transmitters, one or more RF receivers, and / or one or more RF transceivers. The radio interface 30 includes an array of antennas 34 to radiate and receive signals carrying electromagnetic waves(s).

[0123] In the illustrated embodiment, the hardware 28 of network node 16 also includes processing circuitry 36. Processing circuitry 36 may include processor 38 and memory 40. Specifically, in addition to or replacing processors (such as central processing units) and memory, processing circuitry 36 may include integrated circuits for processing and / or control, such as one or more processors and / or processor cores and / or FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays) and / or ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits), adapted to execute instructions. Processor 38 may be configured to access memory 40 (e.g., write to and / or read from memory 40), and memory 40 may include any type of volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as cache and / or buffer memory and / or RAM (Random Access Memory) and / or ROM (Read-Only Memory) and / or optical memory and / or EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory).

[0124] Therefore, network node 16 also has software 42 stored internally, for example in memory 40, or stored in external memory (e.g., a database, storage array, network storage device, etc.) accessible to network node 16 via an external connection. Software 42 can be executed by processing circuitry 36. Processing circuitry 36 can be configured to control any methods and / or processes described herein and / or cause such methods and / or processes to be executed, for example, by network node 16. Processor 38 corresponds to one or more processors 38 for performing the functions of network node 16 described herein. Memory 40 is configured to store data, programming software code, and / or other information described herein. In some embodiments, software 42 may include instructions that, when executed by processor 38 and / or processing circuitry 36, cause processor 38 and / or processing circuitry 36 to perform the processes described herein with respect to network node 16. For example, the processing circuitry 36 of network node 16 may include a configuration unit 24, which may be configured to configure a plurality of Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) states for the UE, a first number of TCI states to be applied to uplink UL communication and a second number of TCI states to be applied to downlink DL communication, the first number and the second number being indicated by a plurality of code points.

[0125] The communication system 10 also includes the previously mentioned UE 22. UE 22 may have hardware 44, which may include a radio interface 46 configured to establish and maintain a wireless connection 32 with a network node 16 in the coverage area 18 where the UE 22 is currently located. The radio interface 46 may be configured as or may include, for example, one or more RF transmitters, one or more RF receivers, and / or one or more RF transceivers. The radio interface 46 includes an array of antennas 48 to radiate and receive signals carrying electromagnetic waves(s).

[0126] The hardware 44 of UE 22 also includes processing circuitry 50. Processing circuitry 50 may include processor 52 and memory 54. Specifically, in addition to or replacing processors (such as central processing units) and memory, processing circuitry 50 may include integrated circuits for processing and / or control, such as one or more processors and / or processor cores and / or FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays) and / or ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits), adapted to execute instructions. Processor 52 may be configured to access memory 54 (e.g., write to memory 54 and / or read from memory 40), and memory 54 may include any type of volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as cache and / or buffer memory and / or RAM (Random Access Memory) and / or ROM (Read-Only Memory) and / or optical memory and / or EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory).

[0127] Therefore, UE 22 may also include software 56, which is stored, for example, in memory 54 at UE 22, or in external memory accessible to UE 22 (e.g., a database, storage array, network storage device, etc.). Software 56 may be executed by processing circuitry 50. Software 56 may include client application 58. Client application 58 may be operable to provide services to human or non-human users via UE 22.

[0128] Processing circuitry 50 may be configured to control any methods and / or processes described herein and / or cause such methods and / or processes to be performed, for example, by UE 22. Processor 52 corresponds to one or more processors 52 for performing the functions of UE 22 described herein. UE 22 includes memory 54 configured to store data, programming software code, and / or other information described herein. In some embodiments, software 56 and / or client application 58 may include instructions that, when executed by processor 52 and / or processing circuitry 50, cause processor 52 and / or processing circuitry 50 to perform the processes described herein with respect to UE 22. For example, processing circuitry 50 of user equipment 22 may include TCI unit 26 configured to apply a first number of TCI states associated with uplink UL communication and a second number of TCI states associated with downlink DL communication, the first and second numbers being indicated by a plurality of code points.

[0129] In some embodiments, the internal operations of network node 16 and UE 22 can be as follows: Figure 6 As shown, and independently, the surrounding network topology can be Figure 5 The topology.

[0130] The wireless connection 32 between UE 22 and network node 16 is based on the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. More precisely, the teachings of some of these embodiments can improve data rates, latency, and / or power consumption, thereby providing benefits such as reduced user wait times, relaxed file size limits, better responsiveness, and extended battery life. In some embodiments, measurement procedures may be provided for the purpose of monitoring the improved data rates, latency, and other factors of one or more embodiments.

[0131] Although Figure 5 and Figure 6 Various "units," such as configuration unit 24 and TCI unit 26, are shown within the respective processors; however, it should be contemplated that these units can be implemented such that a portion of the unit is stored in a corresponding memory within the processing circuitry. In other words, these units can be implemented within the processing circuitry in hardware or a combination of hardware and software.

[0132] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of an example process for configuring Transport Configuration Indicator (TCI) states in network node 16 for asymmetric multiple transmit receiver point (MTRP) deployment. One or more blocks described herein can be executed by one or more elements of network node 16, such as processing circuitry 36 (including configuration unit 24), processor 38, and / or radio interface 30. Network node 16 is configured, for example via processing circuitry 36 and / or processor 38 and / or radio interface 30, to configure a plurality of Transport Configuration Indicator (TCI) states, a first number of TCI states associated with uplink UL communication, and a second number of TCI states associated with downlink DL communication, for the UE via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, wherein the first number of TCI states differs from the second number of TCI states (block S10). The process includes activating at least one TCI state from the first number of TCI states and / or at least one TCI state from the second number of TCI states via Media Access Control (MAC) control element CE (block S12).

[0133] In some embodiments, the process includes indicating a joint TCI state associated with a downlink DL reference signal RS. In some embodiments, the process includes triggering a transmission of the UE to a first SRS set to determine an uplink UL beampup link between the UE and an uplink-only transmit receive point TRP. In some embodiments, the process includes determining a TCI state for DL ​​single TRP and UL multi-TRP. In some embodiments, the process includes determining a path loss offset based at least in part on the difference in reference signal received power RSRP for different SRS resource sets.

[0134] Figure 8This is a flowchart of an example process in user equipment 22 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. One or more blocks described herein may be executed by one or more elements of user equipment 22, such as one or more of processing circuitry 50 (including TCI unit 26), processor 52, and / or radio interface 46. For example, via processing circuitry 50 and / or processor 52 and / or radio interface 46, user equipment 22 is configured to receive a plurality of Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) states (block S14). The process includes: applying a first number of TCI states associated with uplink UL communication and a second number of TCI states associated with downlink DL communication, the first number of applied TCI states being different from the second number of applied TCI states (block S16). The process also includes: transmitting and receiving signals using UL and DL communication characteristics associated with the respective applied TCI states (block S18).

[0135] In some embodiments, a first number of TCI states and / or a second number of TCI states are activated by a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE). In some embodiments, the MAC CE associates the activated TCI states with code points in the TCI indicator bit field of the downlink control information (DCI). In some embodiments, the MAC CE indicates the path loss offset associated with the activated TCI states for calculating the output power of UL transmissions. In some embodiments, the MAC CE indicates activation or deactivation of the path loss offset for calculating the output power. In some embodiments, the process includes applying the activated TCI states associated with code points in the TCI indicator bit field. In some embodiments, the process includes receiving TCI configuration via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. In some embodiments, the process includes receiving a list of joint TCI states, a list of UL TCI states, and / or a list of DL TCI states. In some embodiments, the number of configured joint TCI states differs from the number of UL TCI states. In some embodiments, a first number of TCI states associated with UL communication is greater than a second number of TCI states associated with DL communication.

[0136] Figure 9This is a flowchart of an example process for configuring Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) states in network node 16 for asymmetric multiple transmit receiver point (MTRP) deployment. One or more blocks described herein can be executed by one or more elements of network node 16, such as processing circuitry 36 (including configuration unit 24), processor 38, and / or radio interface 30. Network node 16 is configured to configure multiple Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) states for the UE, a first number of TCI states to be applied to UL communications, and a second number of TCI states to be applied to DL communications, indicated by multiple code points (block S20).

[0137] In some embodiments, a first number of TCI states is not equal to a second number of TCI states. In some embodiments, the method includes activating multiple TCI states via a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) message. In some embodiments, the MAC CE associates the activated TCI states with code points in the TCI indicator bit field of the downlink control information (DCI). In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration is indicated by Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration configures the UE to assume the same quasi-co-addressable (QCL) characteristics for two joint TCI states. In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration configures the UE to apply a joint TCI state for UL communication and DL communication, and at least one of the following: applying a UL TCI state for UL communication and applying a DL TCI state for DL ​​communication. In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration configures the UE with a list of joint TCI states, UL TCI states, and DL TCI states. In some embodiments, the method includes receiving a path loss offset from a network node and determining a path loss based at least in part on the path loss offset. In some embodiments, the path loss offset is determined by the Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) for power control of UL communication to activate and deactivate one of them.

[0138] Figure 10This is a flowchart of an example process in user equipment 22 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. One or more blocks described herein may be executed by one or more elements of user equipment 22, such as one or more of processing circuitry 50 (including TCI unit 26), processor 52, and / or radio interface 46. For example, via processing circuitry 50 and / or processor 52 and / or radio interface 46, user equipment 22 is configured to receive TCI state configuration from a network node for a plurality of Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) states (block S22). This process includes: applying a first number of TCI states from the plurality of TCI states to UL communications, and applying a second number of TCI states from the plurality of TCI states to DL communications (block S24).

[0139] In some embodiments, a first number of TCI states is not equal to a second number of TCI states. In some embodiments, the method includes receiving a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) message activating multiple TCI states. In some embodiments, the MAC CE associates the activated TCI states with code points in the TCI indicator bit field of a Downlink Control Information (DCI). In some embodiments, the applied first and second number of TCI states are the indicated TCI states. In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration indicates two joint TCI states. In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration configures the UE to ignore at least one TCI state characteristic of at least one joint TCI state. In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration configures the UE to ignore the quasi-co-address (QCL) characteristic for DL ​​communication of the joint TCI state. In some embodiments, the TCI state configuration configures the UE to apply one DL TCI state for DL ​​communication and two UL TCI states for UL communication. In some embodiments, the method includes receiving a path loss offset from a network node and determining a path loss based at least in part on the path loss offset.

[0140] The general process flow of the arrangements of this disclosure has been described and examples of hardware and software arrangements for implementing the processes and functions of this disclosure have been provided. The following sections provide details and examples of the arrangement of the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status configuration for asymmetric multiple transmission receiver point (MTRP) deployment.

[0141] RRC Configuration

[0142] In some embodiments, the UE is configured by a higher layer to operate on a TCI state basis that allows the number of TCI states applied for DL ​​communication to differ from the number of TCI states applied for UL communication. In some embodiments, the different configurations may be one or more of the following:

[0143] • Alternative 1 for “Application of Multiple Joint TCI States” is “multiple Joint-Ignore”, in which the UE ignores one or more DL and / or UL communication features of one or more applied joint TCI states (e.g., the UE may be instructed to have two joint TCIs, but when this operating mode is configured, the UE can ignore, for example, the DL QCL feature of one joint TCI state, instead assuming that one joint TCI state is a UL TCI state):

[0144] i. In some embodiments, explicit indications (e.g., pointers to one or more joint TCI states) or implicit indications are used to indicate which joint TCI state's DL and / or UL communication characteristics the UE should ignore. In some embodiments, for the implicit indication, if the UE has two applied joint TCI states, the UE may ignore the DL communication characteristics of the second applied joint TCI state (and therefore assume the second joint TCI state is a UL TCI state). In some embodiments, the UE may apply the DL QCL characteristics of the first joint TCI state. In some embodiments, PL-RS and path loss offset are not considered DL communication characteristics and may not be ignored.

[0145] • Alternative 2, “Multiple Joint-merge,” refers to two or more joint TCI state configurations that are expected to be identical in one or more DL or UL communication characteristics, such as DL-related QCL information or UL-related path loss configuration. For example, a UE may be indicated to have two joint TCI states; however, the network can ensure that the QCL information configuration for these two joint TCI states is identical.

[0146] i. In some embodiments, explicit indications (e.g., pointers to one or more joint TCI states) or implicit indications may be used to indicate which joint TCI states' DL and / or UL communication features the UE should merge. In some embodiments, for the implicit indication, if the UE has two applied joint TCI states, the UE may merge the DL communication features of the first and second applied joint TCI states. In some embodiments, PL-RS and path loss offset are not considered DL communication features and may not be ignored;

[0147] • Application of hybrid joint-UL TCI states, in which the UE can apply one (or more) joint TCI states for DL ​​and UL communication and one (or more) UL TCI states for UL communication;

[0148] • Application of hybrid joint-DL TCI states, in which the UE can apply one (or more) joint TCI states for DL ​​and UL communication and one (or more) DL TCI states for DL ​​communication;

[0149] • Application of "Hybrid Joint-DL-UL TCI States", whereby the UE can apply one (or more) joint TCI states for DL ​​and UL communication, one (or more) DL TCI states for DL ​​communication, and one (or more) UL TCI states for UL communication; and / or

[0150] • “Application of odd TCI states for individual TCI states”, where the UE can apply a single DL TCI state and two UL TCI states.

[0151] In some embodiments used for NR, the traditional parameter “unifiedTCI-stateType-r17”, as specified in 3GPP Technical Standard (TS) 38.331 Release 18.0.0, is extended to include additional options indicating one of the TCI state mode operations as described above. An illustrative example is as follows:

[0152]

[0153] In some embodiments, new parameters are introduced, for example, in the servingCellConfig information element (IE) as specified in 3GPP TS 38.331 version 18.0.0. For example:

[0154]

[0155] In example and alternative embodiments of "multiple Joint-Ignore" in "Application of Multiple Joint TCI States," a new parameter is introduced, for instance, in the PUSCH-Config IE as specified in 3GPP TS 38.311 Release 18.0.0, to indicate whether DL communication features associated with the configuration of the joint TCI state can be ignored. The UE can ignore some QCL types and DL RS (e.g., CSI-RS or SSB) associated with the joint TCI state and can apply only UL-related information, such as PL-RS and / or PL-RS offsets for UL power control. For example:

[0156]

[0157] In some embodiments, the method "Application of Multiple Joint TCI States" alternative 2 "multiple Joint-Merge" can be configured. The configuration of DL-related features in the TCI-State IE is expected to be identical for one or more of the following parameters:

[0158] ·cellID;

[0159] ·bwp-Id;

[0160] ·referenceSignal: NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceID or SSB-Index;

[0161] ·qcl-Type;

[0162] Additional PCIIndex;

[0163] • QCL-Info for qcl-Type1; and / or

[0164] • QCL-Info for qcl-Type2;

[0165] The configuration of UL-related features in TCI-State IE is expected to be the same for one or more of the following parameters:

[0166] ·cellID;

[0167] ·bwp-Id;

[0168] ·tag-Id-ptr-r18;

[0169] ·PathlossReferenceRS-Id;

[0170] • Uplink-powerControlID; and / or

[0171] ·PathlossOffset.

[0172] The parameters listed above are used in TCI-State IE as shown below from 3GPP TS 38.331 version 18.0.0.

[0173] TCI-State Information Element

[0174]

[0175] For 6G, new RRC parameters can be defined to support one or more of the configurations mentioned for TCI state mode operation.

[0176] MAC-CE activation

[0177] In some embodiments, when the unified TCI state type is configured as one of the TCI state operation modes mentioned above, a new MAC CE message is used to activate / deactivate the TCI state.

[0178] Figure 11 A schematic example is given where a UE can be simultaneously activated / deactivated for one or more combined TCI states when one or more UL TCI states are applied (i.e., configured with "mixed combined-UL TCI state application"). In some embodiments, the field Pi (i=1,…8) can be used with a value of "0" or "1" to indicate whether the i-th TCI field code point in the DCI is associated with both "combined TCI state and UL TCI state" or only one of "combined TCI state" or "UL TCI state", depending on the list of TCI states configured in the RRC:

[0179] "Pi: This field indicates whether each TCI code point has multiple TCI states or a single TCI state. If P..." i If the field is set to 1, it indicates that the i-th TCI code point includes both the joint TCI state and the UL TCI state. If P i When the field is set to 0, it indicates that the i-th TCI code point includes only DL / joint TCI states or UL TCI states. The code point to which a TCI state is mapped can be determined by its sequential position in all TCI state ID fields;

[0180] In some embodiments, MAC CE is used to activate / deactivate the TCI state and to activate / deactivate the path loss offset associated with the activated TCI state, see [link to documentation]. Figure 12 Illustrative example in the text.

[0181] In some embodiments, when the unified TCI state type is configured as “Hybrid Union-UL TCI State Application”, the traditional MAC CE message is “reused” to activate / deactivate the TCI state. Figure 13 An example is shown where, for the “Application of Hybrid Union-UL TCI State” configuration, the traditional “Unified TCI State Activation / Deactivation MAC CE” as specified in Section 6.1.3.47 of 3GPP TS 38.321 Release 18.0.0 can be reused to activate / deactivate the TCI state:

[0182] "Pi: This field indicates whether each TCI code point has multiple TCI states or a single TCI state. If the Pi field is set to 1, it indicates that the i-th TCI code point includes both the DL combined TCI state and the UL TCI state. If the Pi field is set to 0, it indicates that the i-th TCI code point includes only the DL / combined TCI state or the UL TCI state. The code point to which a TCI state is mapped is determined by its sequential position in all TCI state ID fields."

[0183] Figure 14 Another example is given where, for operations in asymmetric DL sTRP UL mTRP deployments, the traditional "Enhanced TCI State Activation / Deactivation MAC CE for Individual TCI States" can be reused to activate / deactivate TCI states. For example, when the unified TCI state type is configured as "Application of Hybrid Federation-UL TCI States", field F i,j Provides the association with the j-th joint TCI state:

[0184] - F i,j This field indicates the existence of the j-th DL-joint TCI state associated with the TCI state ID field of code point i in the DCI Transmission Configuration Indication field, where j=1,2. If F i,j If the field is set to 1, it indicates that the j-th DL-joint TCI state for code point i exists. If F i,j If the field is set to 0, it indicates that the j-th DL-joint TCI state for code point i does not exist.

[0185] Figure 15 This is another example of an enhancement to the traditional "Enhanced TCI State Activation / Deactivation MAC CE for Individual TCI States," where a "Hybrid Joint-UL TCI State Application" mode is configured. In this example, the activation / deactivation of the TCI state and the activation / deactivation of the path loss offset are signaled using a single MAC CE message.

[0186] Default beam behavior

[0187] In some embodiments, the rules regarding the default beaming behavior for the UE in legacy NR are updated to support hybrid joint / UL TCI state operation. The following is an example of the modification to the specification text in 3GPP TS 38.214:

[0188] "After the UE receives the initial high-level configuration of a dl-OrJointTCI-StateList with more than one TCI-State or an ul-TCI-StateList with more than one TCI-UL-State, or is configured with 'mixed-separate-joint' TCI states and an initial high-level configuration of a dl-OrJointTCI-StateList with one (or more) TCI states and an ul-TCI-StateList with one (or more) TCI states, and before applying the indicated TCI state from the configured TCI states:"

[0189] - The UE assumes that the UL TX spatial filters (if applicable) used for PUSCH and PUCCH based on dynamic grant and configuration grant, and for SRS using the indicated TCI state, are the same as those used for PUSCH transmissions or MsgA PUSCH transmissions scheduled by RAR UL grant during the initial access procedure.

[0190] Further description and detailed embodiments of the method

[0191] Figure 16 This is a flowchart of the solution disclosed from the UE's perspective. In summary, Figure 16 The example method described includes the following steps at the UE:

[0192] In step S26, the UE receives higher-layer configuration regarding the unified TCI state, which may include unequal numbers of DLTCI and UL TCI. Additionally, the UE receives higher-layer configuration related to, for example, the path loss reference signal (PLRS) and the default path loss offset.

[0193] In step S28, the UE receives a dynamic message to activate or deactivate one or more UL / DL TCI states.

[0194] In step S30, the UE receives a dynamic message indicating the spatial filter and associated transmit power settings, including information about path loss offset.

[0195] In step S32, the UE sends a UL signal to the UL-only TRP based on the determination in step S26.

[0196] Figure 17 Examples of TCI state configuration and signaling scenarios for illustratively simplified asymmetric single-DL TRP and multi-UL TRP deployments are depicted. See also Figure 14 Example deployment in [the document / reference]. Figure 18In this model, the anchor node has two SSBs, and the UE has two panels, each equipped with two beams (note that for simplicity, the number of beams used at the TRP and UE is relatively small). Further assuming the UE supports UL multi-TRP operation (e.g., using repeating or STxMP), and the UE is configured with the following SRS resource set:

[0197] • SRS resource set 1 with "beam management" is configured with 2 SRS resources:

[0198] ○ SRS Resource 1 and SRS Resource 2;

[0199] • SRS resource set 2 with the setting = "codebook-based" is configured with:

[0200] ○ A two-port SRS resource; and / or

[0201] ○ Configured to comply with the first indicated UL TCI status;

[0202] • SRS resource set 3 with the setting = "codebook-based" is configured with:

[0203] ○ A two-port SRS resource; and / or

[0204] ○ Configured to comply with the UL TCI status indicated in the second statement.

[0205] Figure 17 and Figure 18 The example in the example assumes that the anchor TRP is configured with 2 SSBs. Extending to more than 2 SSBs is straightforward.

[0206] Figure 17 The flowchart in the document includes the following steps. The following description is an example based on a DL sTRP UL mTRP scenario. Some embodiments are also applicable to extensions to asymmetric UL mTRP scenarios.

[0207] exist Step S34 In this process, the UE is configured with TCI state and SRS resource set by RRC.

[0208] In some embodiments, the UE can be configured with separate UL-TCI-stateList and dl-JointTCI-stateList for operation in asymmetric DL sTRP UL mTRP deployments. For example, dl-Joint-TCI-stateList may include N joint TCI states used by the anchor TRP, and UL-TCI-stateList may contain M UL TCI states used only by the UL TRP. The number of joint TCI states may differ from the number of UL TCI states.

[0209] In some embodiments, the UE may be configured with a single hybrid-separate-joint TCI state list, which includes all TCI states used by the anchor TRP and the UL-only TRP.

[0210] In some embodiments, the hybrid-separate-joint TCI status list is based on bandwidth portion (BWP).

[0211] In some embodiments, the path loss reference signal and path loss offset are associated only with the UL TCI state, as shown in the following example.

[0212] TCI-UL-State Information Element

[0213]

[0214] In some embodiments, the path loss offset is always associated with the path loss reference signal and is configured together with the PL RS.

[0215] exist Step S36 In this context, the network, for example, indicates the joint TCI state 1 associated with the first DL RS (i.e., SSB1) via network node 16.

[0216] In some embodiments, asymmetric DL sTRP UL mTRP is based on a single DCI solution.

[0217] In some embodiments, asymmetric DL sTRP UL mTRP is based on a multi-DCI solution.

[0218] exist Step S38 In this process, the network, for example, triggers the transmission of SRS set 1 via network node 16 to determine the appropriate UL beam pair link between the UE and only UL TRP.

[0219] exist Step S40 In this process, the network, for example, triggers the transmission of SRS set 2 via network node 16 to determine the appropriate UL CQI / PMI, etc., for UL transmission of the UL beampup link between the UE and the anchor TRP.

[0220] exist Step S42 In this context, based on the measurement of the received SRS and the difference between the received SRS and RSRP, the network, for example via network node 16, determines and indicates the appropriate TCI status to the DL single TRP and UL multiple TRP. For example, consider... Figure 18 In the example above, network node 16 can be configured as follows:

[0221] • Joint TCI state 1 using SSB1 as the QCL reference; and / or

[0222] • Use SRS resource 2 as a QCL reference and be indicated, for example, “path loss offset = 10dB” (this may depend, for example, on the path loss offset estimated based on the SRS received in step 3) UL-TCI state 4.

[0223] exist Step S44 In this context, the network, for example, triggers the transmission of SRS set 2 to anchor TRP via network node 16.

[0224] exist Step S46 In this context, the network, for example, triggers the transmission of SRS set 3 to UL TRP only via network node 16.

[0225] exist Step S44 and Step S46 In this process, the network, for example via network node 16, will derive a new path loss offset based on the difference in RSRP used for SRS resource set 2 and SRS resource set 3.

[0226] Some embodiments may include one or more of the following:

[0227] 1. A method for determining DL and UL communication characteristics (e.g., QCL-related information, spatial filtering, and / or power control-related information) in a wireless device or UE, the method comprising:

[0228] a. Receive a configuration for a set of TCI states:

[0229] b. Apply a number of TCI states (where each TCI state may be associated with DL communication (e.g., DLTCI state), with UL communication (e.g., UL TCI state), or with both DL and UL communication (e.g., joint TCI state)), and wherein the number of TCI states associated with UL communication applied may differ from the number of TCI states associated with DL communication applied.

[0230] c. Use the DL and UL communication characteristics associated with the applied TCI state to send and receive signals / channels.

[0231] 2. Example 1, wherein the UE receives a MAC CE message activating the TCI state.

[0232] 3. Example 2, where the UE applies the TCI state activated in MAC-CE.

[0233] 4. Example 2, wherein the MAC-CE associates the activated TCI state with the code point of the TCI indicator bit field in the DCI.

[0234] 5. Example 4, wherein the UE applies an active TCI state associated with the code point indicated by the TCI indicator bit field in the DCI.

[0235] 6. At least one of the above examples, wherein the UE can be configured by RRC with one or more of the following TCI configurations:

[0236] a. Application of multiple joint TCI states:

[0237] i. Alternative 1, "multiple Joint-Ignore," wherein the UE ignores one or more DL and / or UL communication features of multiple applied joint TCI states (e.g., the UE may indicate two joint TCI states, but when this operating mode is configured, the UE ignores, for example, the DL QCL feature of one joint TCI state, and instead assumes that one joint TCI state is an ULTCI state); and

[0238] ii. Alternative 2, “multiple Joint-merge”, wherein two or more joint TCI state configurations are expected to be identical in one or more DL or UL communication features, such as DL-related QCL information or UL-related path loss configuration. (For example, the UE may indicate two joint TCI states, but the network ensures that the QCL information configurations for the two joint TCI states are identical).

[0239] b. “Application of Hybrid Joint-UL TCI State”, in which the UE can apply a joint TCI state for DL ​​and UL communication, and a UL TCI state for UL communication.

[0240] c. “Application of odd TCI states for individual TCI states”, whereby the UE can apply a single DL TCI state and two UL TCI states.

[0241] d. “Application of Hybrid Joint-DL-UL TCI State”, wherein the UE may apply one (or more) joint TCI states for DL ​​and UL communication, one (or more) DL TCI states for DL ​​communication, and one (or more) UL TCI states for UL communication.

[0242] 7. Example 1a, wherein the UE may be configured with a single list of TCI states, which includes a combined TCI state, and / or a UL TCI state, and / or a DL TCI state.

[0243] 8. Example 1a, wherein the UE may be configured with a list of joint TCI states (e.g., for DL / UL communication with anchor TRP) and another list of UL TCI states (e.g., for communication with UL-only TRP), or a list of DL TCI states (e.g., for communication with DL-only TRP).

[0244] 9. Example 1a, wherein the number of configured joint TCI states may differ from the number of UL TCI states.

[0245] 10. Example 1b, and the number of TCI states applied in relation to UL communication is greater than the number of TCI states applied in relation to DL communication.

[0246] 11. Example 2, where the MAC-CE that activates the TCI state is the new MAC-CE (in NR or 6G).

[0247] 12. Example 2, where the MAC-CE that activates the TCI state is a reuse of the traditional NR MAC-CE (by reusing one or more fields in the MAC-CE).

[0248] 13. Example 12, where the traditional MAC-CE is as specified in Section 6.1.3.47 of TS 38.321 version 18.0.0 as “Unified TCI State Activation / Deactivation MAC CE”.

[0249] 14. Example 13, wherein when the UE is configured by RRC with “Hybrid Joint-UL TCI State Application”, the “Unified TCI State Activation / Deactivation MAC CE” as specified in Section 6.1.3.47 of TS 38.321 version 18.0.0 can be used to indicate the joint TCI state and the UL TCI state.

[0250] 15. Example 2, wherein MAC-CE indicates the path loss offset for calculating the output power of the UL transmission, associated with the TCI state activated by MAC-CE.

[0251] 16. Example 2, wherein MAC-CE indicates the activation / deactivation of the path loss offset for calculating the output power of the UL transmission associated with the TCI state activated by MAC-CE.

[0252] Some example embodiments may include one or more of the following:

[0253] Example A1. A network node configured to communicate with a user equipment (UE), the network node being configured to and / or include a radio interface and / or include processing circuitry, the processing circuitry being configured to:

[0254] The UE is configured with multiple Transport Configuration Indicator (TCI) states via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, including a first number of TCI states associated with uplink UL communication and a second number of TCI states associated with downlink DL communication, wherein the first number of TCI states differs from the second number of TCI states; and

[0255] At least one TCI state from the first number of TCI states and / or at least one TCI state from the second number of TCI states are activated via the Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0256] Example A2. A network node according to Example A1, wherein the network node, radio interface and / or processing circuitry are configured to indicate a joint TCI state associated with the downlink DL reference signal RS.

[0257] Example A3. A network node according to any one of Examples A1 and A2, wherein the network node, radio interface and / or processing circuitry are configured to trigger the UE to transmit to a first SRS set to determine an uplink UL beampup link between the UE and the uplink-only transmit-receive point TRP.

[0258] Example A4. A network node according to Example A3, wherein the network node, radio interface and / or processing circuitry are configured to determine the TCI state for DL ​​single TRP and UL multiple TRP.

[0259] Example A5. A network node according to any one of Examples A3 and A4, wherein the network node, radio interface and / or processing circuitry are configured to determine path loss offset based at least in part on the difference in Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) for different SRS resource sets.

[0260] Example B1. A method implemented in a network node configured to communicate with a user equipment, the method comprising:

[0261] The UE is configured with multiple Transport Configuration Indicator (TCI) states via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, including a first number of TCI states associated with uplink UL communication and a second number of TCI states associated with downlink DL communication, wherein the first number of TCI states differs from the second number of TCI states; and

[0262] At least one TCI state from the first number of TCI states and / or at least one TCI state from the second number of TCI states are activated via the Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0263] Example B2. The method according to Example B1 further includes: indicating the joint TCI state associated with the downlink DL reference signal RS.

[0264] Example B3. The method according to any one of Examples B1 and B2 further includes: triggering the UE to transmit to the first SRS set to determine the uplink UL beampup link between the UE and the uplink-only transmission receiver point TRP.

[0265] Example B4. The method according to Example B3 further includes: determining the TCI state for DL ​​single TRP and UL multiple TRP.

[0266] Example B5. The method according to any one of Examples B3 and B4 further includes: determining the path loss offset based at least in part on the difference in Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) for different SRS resource sets.

[0267] Example C1. A user equipment (UE) configured to communicate with a network node, the UE being configured to and / or include a radio interface and / or processing circuitry, the processing circuitry being configured to:

[0268] Receive configurations for multiple Transport Configuration Indicator (TCI) states;

[0269] The first number of TCI states associated with uplink UL communication and the second number of TCI states associated with downlink DL communication are applied, wherein the first number of applied TCI states differs from the second number of applied TCI states; and

[0270] Signals are transmitted and received using UL and DL communication features associated with the corresponding applied TCI state.

[0271] Example C2. The UE according to Example C1, wherein the first number of TCI states and / or the second number of TCI states are activated by the Media Access Control (MAC) control element CE.

[0272] Example C3. The UE according to Example C2, wherein the MAC CE associates the activated TCI state with the code point of the TCI indicator bit field in the downlink control information (DCI).

[0273] Example C4. A UE according to any one of Examples C2 and C3, wherein the MAC CE indicates the path loss offset for calculating the output power of UL transmission associated with the activated TCI state.

[0274] Example C5. The UE according to Example C4, wherein the MAC CE indicates activation or deactivation of the path loss offset used to calculate the output power.

[0275] Example C6. The UE according to any one of Examples C1 to C5, wherein the UE, radio interface and / or processing circuitry are configured to apply an active TCI state associated with the code point of the TCI indicator bit field.

[0276] Example C7. A UE according to any one of Examples C1 to C6, wherein the UE, radio interface and / or processing circuitry are configured to receive TCI configuration via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

[0277] Example C8. A UE according to any one of Examples C1 to C7, wherein the UE, radio interface and / or processing circuitry are configured to receive a list of joint TCI states, a list of UL TCI states and / or a list of DL TCI states.

[0278] Example C9. The UE according to Example C8, wherein the number of configured joint TCI states is different from the number of ULTCI states.

[0279] Example C10. A UE according to any one of Examples C1 to C9, wherein a first number of TCI states associated with UL communication is greater than a second number of TCI states associated with DL communication.

[0280] Example D1. A method implemented in a user equipment (UE) configured to communicate with a network node, the method comprising:

[0281] Receive configurations for multiple Transport Configuration Indicator (TCI) states;

[0282] The first number of TCI states associated with uplink UL communication and the second number of TCI states associated with downlink DL communication are applied, wherein the first number of applied TCI states differs from the second number of applied TCI states; and

[0283] Signals are transmitted and received using UL and DL communication features associated with the corresponding applied TCI state.

[0284] Example D2. The method according to Example D1, wherein the first number of TCI states and / or the second number of TCI states are activated by a Media Access Control (MAC) control element CE.

[0285] Example D3. According to the method described in Example D2, wherein the MAC CE associates the activated TCI state with the code point of the TCI indicator bit field in the downlink control information (DCI).

[0286] Example D4. The method according to any one of Examples D2 and D3, wherein the MAC CE indicates the path loss offset for calculating the output power of the UL transmission associated with the activated TCI state.

[0287] Example D5. The method according to Example D4, wherein the MAC CE indicates activation or deactivation of the path loss offset used to calculate the output power.

[0288] Example D6. The method according to any one of Examples D1 to D5 further includes: applying an active TCI state associated with the code point of the TCI indicator bit field.

[0289] Example D7. The method according to any one of Examples D1 to D6 further includes: receiving TCI configuration via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

[0290] Example D8. The method according to any one of Examples D1 to D7 further includes: receiving a list of joint TCI states, a list of UL TCI states, and / or a list of DL TCI states.

[0291] Example D9. The method according to Example D8, wherein the number of configured joint TCI states is different from the number of UL TCI states.

[0292] Example D10. The method according to any one of Examples D1 to D9, wherein a first number of TCI states associated with UL communication is greater than a second number of TCI states associated with DL communication.

[0293] As those skilled in the art will understand, the concepts described herein can be embodied in methods of storing executable computer programs, data processing systems, computer program products, and / or computer storage media. Therefore, the concepts described herein can take the form of entirely hardware embodiments, entirely software embodiments, or embodiments combining software and hardware aspects, all of which are generally referred to herein as “circuit” or “module.” Any process, step, action, and / or function described herein can be performed by and / or associated with a corresponding module, which can be implemented in software and / or firmware and / or hardware. Furthermore, this disclosure can take the form of a computer program product on a tangible computer-readable storage medium having computer program code embodied therein that is executable by a computer. Any suitable tangible computer-readable medium can be utilized, including hard disks, CD-ROMs, electronic storage devices, optical storage devices, or magnetic storage devices.

[0294] Some embodiments are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, systems, and computer program products. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer (thus creating a special-purpose computer), a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions / actions specified in the blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams.

[0295] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or storage medium that can instruct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to operate in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the functions / actions specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram boxes.

[0296] Computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, provide steps for implementing the functions / actions specified in the flowchart and / or (one or more) block diagram boxes.

[0297] It should be understood that the functions / actions described in the boxes may not occur in the order shown in the operation diagram. For example, two boxes shown consecutively may be executed substantially concurrently, or the boxes may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions / actions involved. Although some diagrams include arrows on the communication path showing the main direction of communication, it should be understood that communication may occur in the opposite direction to the arrows depicted.

[0298] Computer program code used to perform the operations of the concepts described herein can be written in an object-oriented programming language, such as Python, Java®, or C++. However, computer program code used to perform the operations of this disclosure can also be written in a conventional procedural programming language, such as the "C" programming language. The program code can be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer. In the latter scenario, the remote computer can be connected to the user's computer via a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or it can be connected to an external computer (e.g., via the internet through an internet service provider).

[0299] This document discloses numerous different embodiments in conjunction with the foregoing description and accompanying drawings. It should be understood that it would be undue repetition and obfuscation to literally describe and illustrate every combination and sub-combination of these embodiments. Therefore, all embodiments can be combined in any manner and / or combination, and this specification, including the accompanying drawings, should be construed as constituting a complete written description of all combinations and sub-combinations of the embodiments described herein, as well as the ways and processes of making and using them, and should support the claims for any such combinations or sub-combinations.

[0300] Those skilled in the art will understand that the embodiments described herein are not limited to those specifically shown and described above. Furthermore, unless otherwise stated above, it should be noted that all drawings are not to scale. Various modifications and variations are possible in accordance with the foregoing teachings without departing from the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A method in a user equipment (UE) (22) configured to communicate with a network node (16) and with an uplink-only node, the method comprising: Receive (S22) TCI state configuration for multiple Transmission Configuration Indicators (TCI) states from the network node (16); as well as A first number of TCI states from the plurality of TCI states are applied (S24) to UL communication, and a second number of TCI states from the plurality of TCI states are applied to DL communication.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The first number of TCI states is not equal to the second number of TCI states.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1 and 2, further comprising: Receive Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) message that activates the multiple TCI states.

4. The method according to claim 4, wherein, The MAC CE associates the activated TCI state with the code point of the TCI indicator bit field in the downlink control information (DCI).

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The first number of TCI states and the second number of TCI states applied are the indicated TCI states.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The TCI state configuration indicates two joint TCI states.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The TCI state configuration configures the UE (22) to ignore at least one TCI state feature of at least one joint TCI state.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, The TCI state configuration configures the UE (22) to ignore the quasi-co-address QCL feature for DL ​​communication in the joint TCI state.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, The TCI state configuration configures the UE (22) to apply one DL TCI state for DL ​​communication and two UL TCI states for UL communication.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising: Receive path loss offset from the network node (16), and determine path loss based at least in part on the path loss offset.

11. A user equipment (UE) (22) configured to communicate with a network node (16) and with an uplink-only network node (16), the UE (22) including processing circuitry (50) configured to: Receive TCI state configuration for multiple Transport Configuration Indicator (TCI) states from the network node (16); and A first number of TCI states from the plurality of TCI states are applied to UL communication, and a second number of TCI states from the plurality of TCI states are applied to DL communication.

12. The UE (22) according to claim 11, wherein, The first number of TCI states is not equal to the second number of TCI states.

13. The UE (22) according to any one of claims 11 and 12, wherein, The processing circuit (50) is configured to receive Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) messages that activate the plurality of TCI states.

14. The UE (22) according to claim 13, wherein, The MAC CE associates the activated TCI state with the code point of the TCI indicator bit field in the downlink control information (DCI).

15. The UE (22) according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein, The first number of TCI states and the second number of TCI states applied are the indicated TCI states.

16. The UE (22) according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein, The TCI state configuration indicates at least one joint TCI state.

17. The UE (22) according to any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein, The TCI state configuration configures the UE (22) to ignore at least one TCI state feature of at least one joint TCI state.

18. The UE (22) according to any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein, The TCI state configuration configures the UE (22) to ignore the quasi-co-address QCL feature of the joint TCI state for one of the UL and DL communications.

19. The UE (22) according to any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein, The TCI state configuration configures the UE (22) to apply one DL TCI state for DL ​​communication and two UL TCI states for UL communication.

20. The UE (22) according to any one of claims 11 to 19, wherein, The processing circuit (50) is configured to receive path loss offsets from the network node (16) and determine path loss based at least in part on the path loss offsets.

21. A method in a network node (16) configured to communicate with an uplink-only network node (16) and with a user equipment (UE) (22), the method comprising: The UE (22) is configured with (S22) a plurality of Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) states, a first number of TCI states to be applied to UL communication, and a second number of TCI states to be applied to DL communication, the first number and the second number being indicated by a plurality of code points.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein, The first number of TCI states is not equal to the second number of TCI states.

23. The method according to any one of claims 21 and 22, further comprising: The multiple TCI states are activated via Media Access Control (MAC) control element CE messages.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein, The MAC CE associates the activated TCI state with the code point of the TCI indicator bit field in the downlink control information (DCI).

25. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 24, wherein, The TCI status configuration is indicated by Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

26. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 25, wherein, The TCI state configuration configures the UE (22) to assume the same quasi-co-address QCL characteristics for the two joint TCI states.

27. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 26, wherein, The TCI state configuration configures the UE (22) to apply a joint TCI state for UL and DL communication, and at least one of the following: applying a UL TCI state for UL communication, and applying a DL TCI state for DL ​​communication.

28. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 27, wherein, The TCI state configuration configures the UE (22) with a list of combined TCI state, UL TCI state and DL TCI state.

29. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 29, further comprising: Receive path loss offset from the network node (16), and determine path loss based at least in part on the path loss offset.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein, The path loss offset is determined by the Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) for power control of UL communications to activate or deactivate one of them.

31. A network node (16) configured to communicate with an uplink-only network node (16) and with a user equipment (UE) (22), the network node (16) including processing circuitry (36) configured to: The UE (22) is configured with a plurality of Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) states, a first number of TCI states to be applied to UL communication, and a second number of TCI states to be applied to DL communication, the first number and the second number being indicated by a plurality of code points.

32. The network node (16) according to claim 31, wherein, The first number of TCI states is not equal to the second number of TCI states.

33. The network node (16) according to any one of claims 31 and 32, wherein, The processing circuit (36) is also configured to activate the plurality of TCI states via a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) message.

34. The network node (16) according to claim 33, wherein, The MAC CE associates the activated TCI state with the code point of the TCI indicator bit field in the downlink control information (DCI).

35. The network node (16) according to any one of claims 31 to 34, wherein, The TCI status configuration is received via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

36. The network node (16) according to any one of claims 31 to 35, wherein, The TCI state configuration configures the UE (22) to assume the same quasi-co-address QCL characteristics for the two joint TCI states.

37. The network node (16) according to any one of claims 31 to 36, wherein, The TCI state configuration configures the UE (22) to apply a joint TCI state for UL and DL communication, and at least one of the following: applying a UL TCI state for UL communication, and applying a DL TCI state for DL ​​communication.

38. The network node (16) according to any one of claims 31 to 37, wherein, The TCI state configuration configures the UE (22) with a list of combined TCI state, UL TCI state and DL TCI state.

39. The network node (16) according to any one of claims 31 to 38, wherein, The processing circuit (36) is configured to receive path loss offsets from the network node (16) and determine path loss based at least in part on the path loss offsets.

40. The network node (16) according to claim 39, wherein, The path loss offset is determined by the Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) for power control of UL communications to activate or deactivate one of them.

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