Determining serving cell reference for event-triggered reporting

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) receives an event-triggered reporting configuration for Layer 1 (L1) reporting from a serving cell. The UE determines a service cell reference resource for the event triggered L1

Description

FIELD

[0001] Various example embodiments relate generally to wireless networking and, more particularly, to determining a serving cell reference for event-triggered reporting configuration for beam management and lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM) reporting. BACKGROUND

[0002] Wireless networking provides significant advantages for user mobility. A user’s ability to remain connected while on the move provides advantages not only for the user, but also provides greater efficiency and productivity for society as a whole. As user expectations for connection reliability, data speed, and device battery life become more demanding, technology for wireless networking must also keep pace with such expectations. Accordingly, there is continuing interest in improving wireless networking technology. SUMMARY

[0003] In accordance with aspects of the disclosure, a method is presented. The method includes receiving, by a user equipment (UE) from a serving cell, an event-triggered reporting configuration for Layer 1 reporting; determining, by the UE based on transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state activation status for the UE in the serving cell, a serving cell reference resource for the event-triggered Layer 1 reporting; measuring, by the UE, a reference signal from the serving cell reference resource; and transmitting, by the UE, an event-triggered Layer 1 measurement report to the serving cell based on the measurement indicating that a reporting criteria for the event-triggered Layer 1 reporting on a current bandwidth part (BWP) has been met.

[0004] In an aspect of the method, the UE may determine the TCI state activation based on whether or not the UE has received a TCI state activation command for at least one control resource set (CORESET) on the BWP.

[0005] In an aspect of the method, the determining of the serving cell reference resource based on the TCI State and / or the activation status of the TCI state may be applicable also to event-triggered reporting in UE-initiated beam management. The UE may determine the serving cell reference resource according to the principles described herein but, instead of using the serving cell reference resource for the LTM event-triggered reporting, the reference resource may be used for the UE-initiated beam management where the UE measures a signal from the reference resource and reports the measurements to the serving cell for the purpose of beam detection and / or beam reconfiguration.

[0006] In an aspect of the method, the serving cell reference resource may be, in a case where the UE has received the TCI state activation command, different than in a case where the UE has not received the TCI state activation command from the serving cell.

[0007] In an aspect of the method, the UE may determine the activation status based on whether or not the UE has received a TCI state activation command for more than one CORESET on the BWP.

[0008] In an aspect of the method, the UE may determine the activation status based on whether or not the UE has received a TCI state activation command for at least one TCI state activation command for a data channel on the BWP.

[0009] In an aspect of the method, the serving cell reference resource may be different in a plurality of the following cases or in all of the following cases: the TCI state activation command has not been received from the serving cell; the TCI state activation command has been received for a CORESET on the BWP; or the TCI state activation command has been received for a data channel on the BWP.

[0010] In an aspect of the method, the reference signal (RS) may include at least one of: a quasi-colocation (QCL) info RS of TCI state (SSB / channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS)); a QCL info RS of TCI state (SSB / CSI-RS) that provides a QCL type D; a QCL source RS (SSB / CSI-RS) of a QCL info RS of the TCI state; a synchronization signal block (SSB) that is associated with the TCI State; SSB that is associated with the TCI State configured as any resource in the TCI State; tracking reference signal (TRS); or the QCL source RS of the TRS.

[0011] In an aspect of the method, the TCI state may be indicated by at least one of a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) activation command for the CORESET or the TCI state activated for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmitted over the CORESET associated with a monitored search space with a lowest controlResourceSetld, at least one of: the CORESETs associated with Common Search Space (CSS); the CORESETs associated with UE specific search space (USS); the CORESETs associated with CSS and USS; or in a most recent slot in which one or more CORESETs within an active BWP of the serving cell are monitored by the UE.

[0012] In an aspect of the method, the TCI state may be indicated by a MAC CE activation command for the CORESET which is configured not to apply an indicated TCI State.

[0013] In an aspect of the method, the TCI state may be activated for a PDCCH transmitted over a CORESET with an index of zero.

[0014] In an aspect of the method, the TCI state may be activated for a PDCCH transmitted over the CORESET associated with a CSS.

[0015] In an aspect of the method, the TCI state may be activated for a PDCCH transmitted over the CORESET associated with a CORESET Pool Index of 0 or 1.

[0016] In an aspect of the method, when a PDCCH reception by the UE includes two PDCCH candidates from two respective search space sets, the TCI state is activated for the PDCCH transmitted that ends at least one of later in time or earlier in time.

[0017] In an aspect of the method, an activated TCI state may be applied for a most recent physical data shared channel (PDSCH) reception.

[0018] In an aspect of the method, in a case of multiple transmission and reception point (mTRP) PDSCH transmissions, the activated TCI state applied for a most recent PDSCH reception may be: at least one of a first PDSCH TCI state or a second PDSCH TCI state; a PDSCH TCI state of a plurality of PDSCH TCI states with a highest quality reference signal; or a PDSCH TCI state of the plurality of PDSCH TCI states is indicated to the UE as a part of the event-triggered reporting configuration.

[0019] In an aspect of the method, the method may further include determining, across a plurality of activated TCI states, a highest quality reference signal.

[0020] In an aspect of the method, the UE identifies the serving cell reference signal is identified in a most recent random-access procedure that is not initiated by a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) order.

[0021] In an aspect of the method, the method may further include determining a reference resource based on at least one of: a synchronization signal (SS) / physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block the UE identified during a most recent random access procedure not initiated by a PDCCH order that triggers a contention-free random access procedure; a SS / PBCH block identified by the UE during an initial access procedure; a SS / PBCH block identified by the UE during a most recent contention based random access procedure; or a SS / PBCH block identified by the UE for as most recent configured grant physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission.

[0022] In an aspect of the present disclosure, the Layer 1 event-triggered reporting may include at least one of lower layer triggered mobility reporting and UE-initiated beam management reporting

[0023] In an aspect of the present disclosure, a UE includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the UE at least to perform any of the foregoing methods.

[0024] In an aspect of the present disclosure, a processor-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus, cause the apparatus at least to perform any of the foregoing methods.

[0025] According to some aspects, there is provided the subject matter of the independent claims. Some further aspects are defined in the dependent claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example embodiment of wireless networking between a network system and a user equipment (UE), according to one illustrated aspect of the disclosure;

[0028] FIG. 2 is a diagram of example components of a network system, according to one illustrated aspect of the disclosure;

[0029] FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example embodiment of signals and operations among a UE, a serving cell (PCI1), and a candidate cell (PCI2), according to one illustrated aspect of the disclosure; and

[0030] FIG. 4 is a diagram of an example block diagram of a wireless station or node (e.g., network node (such as gNodeB (gNB)), user node or UE, relay node, or other node), according to one illustrated aspect of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of disclosed aspects. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that aspects may be practiced without one or more of these specific details or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures associated with transmitters, receivers, or transceivers have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the aspects.

[0032] Reference throughout this specification to “one aspect” or “an aspect” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the aspect is included in at least one aspect. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one aspect” or “in an aspect” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same aspect. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner m one or more aspects.

[0033] Embodiments described in the present disclosure may be implemented in wireless networking apparatuses, such as, without limitation, apparatuses utilizing Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM, 2G), GSM EDGE radio access Network (GERAN), General Packet Radio Service (GRPS), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS, 3G) based on basic wideband-code division multiple access (W-CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, enhanced LTE (eLTE), 5G New Radio (5G NR), 5G Advance, 6G (and beyond) and 802.1 lax (Wi-Fi 6), among other wireless networking systems. The term ‘eLTE’ here denotes the LTE evolution that connects to a 5G core. LTE is also known as evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access (EUTRA) or as evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN).

[0034] The present disclosure may use the term “serving network device” to refer to a network node or network device (or a portion thereof) that services a LIE. As used herein, the terms “transmit to,” “receive from,” and “cooperate with,” (and their variations) include communications that may or may not involve communications through one or more intermediate devices or nodes. The term “acquire” (and its variations) includes acquiring in the first instance or reacquiring after the first instance. The term “connection” may mean a physical connection or a logical connection.

[0035] The present disclosure uses 5G NR as an example of a wireless network and may use smartphones and / or extended reality headsets as an example of user equipments (UEs). It is intended and shall be understood that such examples are merely illustrative, and the present disclosure is applicable to other wireless networks and user equipment.

[0036] FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting an example of wireless networking between a network system 100 and a user equipment (UE) 150. The network system 100 may include one or more network nodes 120, one or more servers 110, and / or one or more network equipment 130 (e.g., test equipment). The network nodes 120 will be described in more detail below. As used herein, the term “network apparatus” may refer to any component of the network system 100, such as the server 110, the network node 120, the network equipment 130, any component(s) of the foregoing, and / or any other component(s) of the network system 100. Examples of network apparatuses include, without limitation, apparatuses implementing aspects of 5G NR, among others. The present disclosure describes embodiments related to 5G NR and embodiments that involve aspects defined by 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). However, it is contemplated that embodiments relating to other wireless networking technologies are encompassed within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0037] The following description provides further details of examples of network nodes. In a 5G NR network, a gNodeB (also known as gNB) may include, e.g., a node that provides new radio (NR) user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE and that is connected via a NG interface to the 5G core (5GC), e.g., according to 3GPP TS 38.300 V16.6.0 (2021-06) section 3.2, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

[0038] A gNB supports various protocol layers, e.g., Layer 1 (LI) - physical layer, Layer 2 (L2), and Layer 3 (L3).

[0039] The layer 2 (L2) of NR is split into the following sublayers: Media Access Control (MAC), Radio Link Control (RLC), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) and Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), where, e.g.: o The physical layer offers to the MAC sublayer transport channels; o The MAC sublayer offers to the RLC sublayer logical channels; o The RLC sublayer offers to the PDCP sublayer RLC channels; o The PDCP sublayer offers to the SDAP sublayer radio bearers; o The SDAP sublayer offers to 5GC quality of service (QoS) flows; o Control channels include broadcast control channel (BCCH) and physical control channel (PCCH).

[0040] Layer 3 (L3) includes, e.g., radio resource control (RRC), e.g., according to 3GPP TS 38.300 V16.6.0 (2021-06) section 6, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

[0041] A gNB central unit (gNB-CU) includes, e.g., a logical node hosting, e.g., radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) protocols of the gNB or RRC and PDCP protocols of the en-gNB, that controls the operation of one or more gNB distributed units (gNB-DUs). The gNB-CU terminates the Fl interface connected with the gNB-DU. A gNB-CU may also be referred to herein as a CU, a central unit, a centralized unit, or a control unit.

[0042] A gNB Distributed Unit (gNB-DU) includes, e.g., a logical node hosting, e.g., radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layers of the gNB or en-gNB, and its operation is partly controlled by the gNB-CU. One gNB-DU supports one or multiple cells. One cell is supported by only one gNB-DU. The gNB-DU terminates the Fl interface connected with the gNB-CU. A gNB-DU may also be referred to herein as DU or a distributed unit.

[0043] As used herein, the term “network node” may refer to any of a gNB, a gNB-CU, or a gNB-DU, or any combination of them. A RAN (radio access network) node or network node such as, e.g., a gNB, gNB-CU, or gNB-DU, or parts thereof, may be implemented using, e.g., an apparatus with at least one processor and / or at least one memory with processor-readable instructions (“program”) configured to support and / or provision and / or process CU and / or DU related functionality and / or features, and / or at least one protocol (sub-)layer of a RAN (radio access network), e.g., layer 2 and / or layer 3. Different functional splits between the central and distributed units are possible. An example of such an apparatus and components will be described in connection with FIG. 5 below.

[0044] The gNB-CU and gNB-DU parts may, e.g., be co-located or physically separated. The gNB-DU may even be split further, e.g., into two parts, e.g., one including processing equipment and one including an antenna. A central unit (CU) may also be called baseband unit / radio equipment controller / cloud-RAN / virtual-RAN (BBU / REC / C-RAN / V-RAN), open-RAN (O-RAN), or part thereof. A distributed unit (DU) may also be called remote radio head / remote radio unit / radio equipment / radio unit (RRH / RRU / RE / RU), or part thereof. Hereinafter, in various example embodiments of the present disclosure, a network node, which supports at least one of central unit functionality or a layer 3 protocol of a radio access network, may be, e.g., a gNB-CU. Similarly, a network node, which supports at least one of distributed unit functionality or a layer 2 protocol of the radio access network, may be, e.g., a gNB-DU.

[0045] A gNB-CU may support one or multiple gNB-DUs A gNB-DU may support one or multiple cells and, thus, could support a serving cell for a user equipment (UE) or support a candidate cell for handover, dual connectivity, and / or carrier aggregation, among other procedures.

[0046] The user equipment (UE) 150 may be or include a wireless or mobile device, an apparatus with a radio interface to interact with a RAN (radio access network), a smartphone, an m-vehicle apparatus, an loT device, or a machine-to-machme (M2M) device, among other types of user equipment. Such UE 150 may include: at least one processor; and at least one memory including program code; where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform certain operations, such as, e.g., RRC connection to the RAN. An example of components of a UE will be described in connection with FIG. 4. In embodiments, the UE 1 50 may be configured to generate a message (e.g., including a cell ID) to be transmitted via radio towards a RAN (e.g., to reach and communicate with a serving cell). In embodiments, the UE 150 may generate and transmit and receive RRC messages containing one or more RRC PDUs (packet data units). Persons skilled in the art will understand RRC protocol as well as other procedures a UE may perform.

[0047] With continuing reference to FIG. 1, in the example of a 5G NR network, the network system 100 provides one or more cells, which define a coverage area of the network system 100. As described above, the network system 100 may include a gNB of a 5G NR network or may include any other apparatus configured to control radio communication and manage radio resources within a cell. As used herein, the term “resource” may refer to radio resources, such as a resource block (RB), a physical resource block (PRB), a radio frame, a subframe, a time slot, a sub-band, a frequency region, a sub-carrier, a beam, etc. In embodiments, the network node 120 may be called a base station.

[0048] FIG. 1 provides an example and is merely illustrative of a network system 100 and a UE 150. Persons skilled in the art will understand that the network system 100 includes components not illustrated in FIG. 1 and will understand that other user equipment may be in communication with the network system 100.

[0049] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of example components of the network system 100 of FIG. 1. A 5G NR network may be described as an example of the network system 100, and it is intended that aspects of the following description shall be applicable to other types of network systems, as well. The network system may operate in accordance with the signals and connections shown in FIG. 1 such that the UE 150 is in communication with the network system 100 through the radio access network 225. Additionally, the network system may be divided into user plane components and functions and control plane components and functions, as shown and described herein. Unless indicated otherwise, the terms “component,” “function,” and “service” may be used interchangeably herein, and they may refer to and be implemented by instructions executed by one or more processors.

[0050] Example functions of the components are described below. The example functions are merely illustrative, and it shall be understood that additional operations and functions may be performed by the components described herein. Additionally, the connections between components may be virtual connections over service-based interfaces such that any component may communicate with any other component. In this manner, any component may act as a sendee “producer,” for any other component that is a service “consumer,” to provide services for network functions.

[0051] For example, a core network 210 is described in the control plane of the network system. The core network 210 may include an authentication server function (AUSF) 211, an access and mobility function (AMF) 212, and a session management function (SMF) 213. The core network 210 may also include a network slice selection function (NSSF) 214, a network exposure function (NEF) 215, a network repository function (NRF) 216, and a unified data management function (UDM) 217, which may include a uniform data repository (UDR) 224.

[0052] Additional components and functions of the core network 210 may include an application function 218, policy control function (PCF) 219, network data analytics function (NWDAF) 220, analytics data repository function (ADRF) 221, management data analytics function (MD AF) 222, and operations and management function (0AM) 223.

[0053] The user plane includes the UE 150, a radio access network (RAN) 225, a user plane function (UPF) 226, and a data network (DN) 227. The RAN 225 may include one or more components described in connection with FIG. 1, such as one or more network nodes. However, the RAN 225 may not be limited to such components. The UPF 226 provides connection for data being transmitted over the RAN 225. The DN 226 identifies services from service providers, Internet access, and third-party services, for example.

[0054] The AMF 212 processes connection and mobility tasks. The AUSF 211 receives authentication requests from the AMF 212 and interacts with UDM 217 to authenticate and validate network responses to determine successful authentication. The SMF 213 conducts packet data unit (PDU) session management and manages session context with the UPF 226.

[0055] The NSSF 214 may select a network slicing instance (NSI) and determine the allowed network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI). This selection and determination are utilized to set the AMF 212 to provide service to the UE 150. The NEF 215 secures access to network services for third parties to create specialized network services. The NRF 216 acts as a repository to store network functions to allow the functions to register with and discover each other.

[0056] The UDM 217 generates authentication vectors for use by the AUSF 211 and ADM 212 and provides user identification handling. The UDM 217 may be connected to the UDR 224 which stores data associated with authentication, applications, or the like. The AF 218 provides application services to a user (e.g., streaming services, etc.). ThePCF 219 provides policy control functionality. For example, the PCF 219 may assist in network slicing and mobility management, as well as provide quality of service (QoS) and charging functionality.

[0057] The NWDAF 220 collects data (e.g., from the UE 150 and the network system) to perform network analytics and provide insight to functions that utilize the analytics in the providing of services. The ADRF 221 allows the storage, retrieval, and removal of data and analytics by consumers. The MDAF 222 provides additional data analytics services for network functions. The 0AM 223 provides provisioning and management processing functions to manage elements in or connected to the network (e.g., UE 150, network nodes, etc.).

[0058] FIG. 2 is merely an example of components of a network system, and variations are contemplated to be within the scope of the present disclosure. In embodiments, the network system may include other components not illustrated in FIG. 2. In embodiments, the network system may not include every component illustrated in FIG. 2. In embodiments, the components and connections may be implemented with different connections than those illustrated in FIG. 2. Such and other embodiments are contemplated to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0059] FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example embodiment of signals and operations among a UE, a serving cell (PCI!), and a candidate cell (PCI2), according to one illustrated aspect of the disclosure. In various embodiments, FIG. 3 shows an example method 300 of determining a serving cell reference for event-triggered reporting configuration for lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM) reporting, according to one illustrated aspect of the disclosure. In various embodiments, the components depicted in FIG. 3 may correspond to similar components described above in FIGS. 1 and 2. It will be understood that a described signal may have associated operations and a described operation may have associated signals.

[0060] The disclosed technology provides the benefit of reducing the signaling overhead of LTM measurement reporting and enables greater throughput on the target cell immediately after the cell switch. The method 300 enables event-triggered LI measurement reporting and CSI-RS measurements for LTM. Measurement-related enhancements are applicable to Intra-CU MCG / SCG LTM and Inter-CU MCG / SCG LTM. Method 300 specifies the necessary components to support event-triggered LI measurement reporting. Method 300 supports CSI-RS measurements for LTM procedures and enables CSI-RS-based beam management and / or other necessary physical layer operations on candidate cells before LTM.

[0061] The method 300 enables the UE-initiated / event-driven beam management by: specifying enhancement to facilitate UE-initiated / event-driven beam management for reducing overhead and / or latency, assuming the unified TCI while leveraging (as much as possible) legacy CSI measurement and reporting configuration frameworks, targeting FR2 and sTRP with intra-and inter-cell beam management; UL signaling content(s) (and procedure(s) as required) for UE-initiated / event-driven beam reporting facilitating fast beam switching; and UL signaling medium / container considering the UE-initiated / event-driven nature of the UL transmission, designed primarily for the purpose of beam reporting

[0062] Some embodiments use the same principle for determining a serving cell reference resource for the UE-initiated beam management, as described herein for the event-triggered LTM measurements. The two measurements are independent in the sense that the UE may use the principles for determining the serving cell reference resource for either or both of the event-triggered LTM measurements and the UE-initiated beam management.

[0063] The method 300 supports the following LTM events based on beam specific quality of serving cell and candidate cells as the LI LTM measurement events: Event LTM2, where the beam of the serving cell becomes worse than the absolute threshold; Event LTM3 where the beam of candidate cell becomes amount of offset better than beam of serving cell (e.g., a relative threshold); Event LTM4, where the beam of the candidate cell becomes better than the absolute threshold; and Event LTM5, where the beam of the serving cell becomes worse than the absolute threshold, and the beam of the candidate cell becomes better than another absolute threshold. The above events are based on the beam specific quality of a serving cell and candidate cell to trigger event and the event refers to a measurement event. When the reporting event criteria is fulfilled, the UE may be configured to indicate the event to the network and typically report measurements to the network on reference signal(s) (RS) that fulfilled the criteria. In event LTM3, which could be referred to as a relative threshold event, a beam of a serving cell is referred as the reference resource / beam. In event LTM4, which could be referred to as an absolute threshold event, the beam of a candidate cell may be any of the candidate cell RS that are configured for measurement.

[0064] The method 300 addresses scenarios where the serving cell is deployed using a RI 5 / 16 TCI state framework. In the RI 5 / 16 state transmission configuration indicator (TCI) framework, different DL channels (e.g., physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and physical data shared channel (PDSCH)) may be configured to follow different TCI states. As a consequence, different serving cell reference resources may be associated with the different TCI states. For example, in DL, separate MAC CEs are used to indicate the TCI states used for PDCCH and PDSCH. Method 300 addresses the technical problem of how to determine the serving cell reference resource (i.e., the beam of a serving cell) for the event-triggered reporting when the serving uses the RI 5 / 16 TCI state framework. Figure 3 illustrates several mutually alternative options of embodiments. The network and the UE may support all of the or a subset of them.

[0065] The method 300 is also applicable for UE initiated beam management. For example, on UE-initiated / event-triggered beam reporting, regarding trigger-event detection for beam reporting, at least support following Event (may be referred as event 2): Quality of at least one new beam, such as Ll-RSRP, becomes a threshold value better than the current beam. In some examples, the current beam may mean the serving cell reference resource or reference beam. In some examples, the new beam may refer to the set of (beam management) reference signals that are used for evaluating event triggered reporting criterion for UE initiated beam management (together with the serving cell reference resource). The serving cell reference resource (i.e. the current beam) for UE initiated beam management may be determined using the methods described herein. The serving cell reference resource may be determined based on the activated TCI state. A TCI State may be activated for at least one CORESET. TCI State may be activated for PDSCH reception.

[0066] At block 302, the UE is configured for a pool of transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states for one or more control resource sets (CORESET) and / or for physical data shared channel (PDSCH).

[0067] At block 304, the UE receives an event-triggered reporting configuration for lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM) from a serving cell (PCI1). For example, the event may include an LTM3 event with resource set ID 1 (candidate cell PCI2).

[0068] At block 306, the UE may determine that a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state activation command has not been received from the serving cell and evaluates the event. The evaluation may comprise determining a serving cell reference resource based on the fact that there is no active TCI state in the serving cell and measuring a reference signal from the serving cell reference resource. The event may be determined based on the measurement. The lack of an active TCI state may happen, for example, when the UE has accessed the cell and the cell has not (yet) provided the UE with an active TCI state. For example, the UE may use a synchronization signal (SS) / physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block that the UE identified during a most recent random-access procedure not initiated by a PDCCH order that triggers a contention-free randomaccess procedure. In various embodiments, the UE may use a SS / PBCH block the UE identified during the initial access procedure or a SS / PBCH block the UE identified for a most recent configured grant PUSCH transmission (e.g., PUSCH transmission m RRC INACTIVE state). In various embodiments, block 306 may be used to determine the serving cell reference resource for performing the measurements for the event detection before any TCI activation for any CORESET.

[0069] At block 308, the UE receives a TCI state activation command from the serving cell (PCH) for the CORESET of the serving cell (PCI1). In such a case, the embodiment of block 310 may be used for determining the serving cell reference resource.

[0070] At block 310, the UE determines that the TCI state activation command for PDCCH is received and evaluates the event. The UE may acquire the serving cell reference resource through decoding synchronization signals (PSS and SSS) and the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH). For example, the TCI state is indicated by a MAC control element (CE) activation command for the CORESET or the TCI state activated for the PDCCH is transmitted over the CORESET associated with a monitored search space with the lowest (or highest) controlResourceSetld in the latest slot in which one or more CORESETs within the active bandwidth part (BWP) of the serving cell are monitored by the UE. In various embodiments, the TCI state is indicated by a MAC CE activation command for the CORESET which is configured not to apply indicated (or unified) TCI State. For example, the TCI state may be activated for the PDCCH transmitted over the CORESET with an index of zero. For example, the TCI state may be activated for the PDCCH transmitted over the CORESET associated with a Common Search Space (CSS). For example, the TCI state may be activated for the PDCCH transmitted over the CORESET associated with CORESET Pool Index of 0 or 1. For example, the TCI state may be activated for the CORESET with a shortest search space periodicity (e.g., either Common Search Space (CSS) or UE specific search space (USS)). In various embodiments, when the PDCCH reception includes two PDCCH candidates from two respective search space sets, the TCI state may be activated for the PDCCH transmitted that ends later or earlier in time. The UE may then use reference signal resource(s) associated with the activated TCI state as the serving cell reference resource for the measurements and the eventbased LTM reporting. In the embodiments described above, the different options of the activated TCI state may lead to using different serving cell reference resources.

[0071] At block 312, the UE receives a TCI state activation command from the serving cell (PCH) for the CORESET of the serving cell (PCH).

[0072] At block 314, the UE receives a TCI state activation command from the serving cell (PCH) for the UE specific PDSCH.

[0073] At block 316, the UE determines the activation status based on whether or not the UE has received a TCI state activation command for more than one CORESET on the BWP. In such a case, the UE has to decide which active TCI state to follow in determining the serving cell reference resource. For example, the UE determines the serving cell reference resource based on TCI state applied or TCI states activated for PDSCH reception.

[0074] In various embodiments, an activated TCI state may be applied for a most recent physical data shared channel (PDSCH) reception and the UE may select the associated serving cell reference resource. In various embodiments, in a case of multiple transmission and reception point (mTRP) PDSCH transmissions (e g., two TCI states are used for PDSCH reception), there may be multiple activated TCI states the activated TCI state applied for a most recent PDSCH reception is at least one of a first PDSCH TCI state or a second PDSCH TCI state; a PDSCH TCI state of a plurality of PDSCH TCI states with a highest quality reference signal; or a PDSCH TCI state of the plurality of PDSCH TCI states is indicated to the UE as a part of the event triggered Layer 1 reporting configuration.

[0075] In various embodiments, the activated TCI state used for determining the serving cell reference resource may be the one used for most recent PDSCH reception (in case multiple PDSCH TCI states are activated for PDSCH reception, the TCI state used for the latest PDSCH reception).

[0076] For example, in case of mTRP PDSCH transmissions, the activated TCI state applied for a most recent PDSCH reception and thus used for determining the serving cell reference resource may be: option 1 - at least one of a first PDSCH TCI state or a second PDSCH TCI state (e.g., the first PDSCH TCI state is associated with the DCI scheduling the PDSCH on CORESET with CORESETpoolindex value of 0, e.g., the second PDSCH TCI state is associated with the DCI scheduling the PDSCH on CORESET with CORESETpoolindex value of 1); or option 2 - a PDSCH TCI state of a plurality of PDSCH TCI states with a highest quality reference signal (e.g., average / highest quality). In one example, which of the options (option 1, option 2, or both) to use may be configured by or indicated to the UE, for example, as a part of the event triggered Layer 1 reporting configuration.

[0077] In various embodiments, multiple and / or all activated TCI states applied for PDSCH reception (e.g., up to 8 TCI states can be activated for PDSCH reception) may include an average and / or highest quality reference signal determined across multiple activated TCI states. In the case of mTRP PDSCH transmission, one or more pairs of TCI states may be activated. For example, a first TCI state or a second TCI state of each pair may be considered for PDSCH reception. In another example, an average and / or highest quality reference signal across two TCI states for each pair may be considered for PDSCH reception and, hence, used for determining the serving cell reference resource. In various embodiments, any of the above options and or combinations of options and / or examples may be configured by or indicated to the UE, for example, as a part of the event-triggered reporting configuration.

[0078] At block 318, the UE determines that the condition for an LI event report is met based on one of blocks 306, 310, or 316. The determination may be based on measurements performed on a signal received in the serving cell reference resource determined according to any one of the options described above.

[0079] At block 320, the UE transmits an event-triggered Layer 1 measurement report to the serving cell (PCI1) based on the measurement, indicating that the reporting criteria for the event-triggered Layer 1 reporting on a current bandwidth part (BWP) has been met.

[0080] In embodiments where the UE supports multiple of the options described above, the UE may perform a state transition between the supported options depending on the TCI state activation status currently in the UE. For example, if there is no active TCI state, the UE may follow option 1 in block 306. Upon receiving a TCI sate activation command for a PDCCH, the UE may switch to option 2 and follow the serving cell reference resource of the activated TCI states. In case multiple TCI states for a PDCCH have been activated, the UE may arbitrate between the activated TCI states for determining the serving cell reference resource for the measurements, as described above. Upon receiving a TCI state activation command also for a UE-specific PDSCH, the UE may switch to option 3 to select the serving cell reference resource amongst reference signal resources associated with one of the TCI states activated for the PDSCH. And in case multiple TCI states have been activated for the PDSCH, the UE may perform that arbitration in order to determine the TCI state and associated reference signal resource to use as the serving cell reference resource for the measurements.

[0081] In an embodiment, the UE supports option 1 and option 2. In an embodiment, the UE supports option 1 and option 3. In an embodiment, the UE supports option 2 and option 3. In an embodiment, the UE supports option 1 and option 2 and option 3.

[0082] The blocks / operations of FIG. 3 are merely illustrative, and variations are contemplated to be within the scope of the present disclosure. In embodiments, the operations may include other operations not illustrated in FIG. 3. In embodiments, the operations may not include every operation illustrated in FIG. 3. In embodiments, the operations may be implemented in a different order than that illustrated in FIG. 3. Such and other embodiments are contemplated to be within the scope of the present disclosure. Persons of skill in the art will appreciate that, although various example components are described as performing various functions, other components may perform those functions described in FIG. 3.

[0083] The following describes operations from the perspective of a UE. From such a perspective, a method may include receiving, by a user equipment (UE) from a serving call, an event-triggered reporting configuration for Layer 1 reporting, by the UE based on transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state activation status for the UE in the serving cell, a serving cell reference resource for event-triggered Layer 1 reporting; and measuring, by the UE, a reference signal from the serving cell reference resource; and transmitting, by the UE, an event-triggered Layer 1 measurement report to the serving cell based on the measurement indicating that a reporting criteria for the event triggered Layer 1 reporting on a current bandwidth part (BWP) has been met.

[0084] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a wireless station or node (e.g., UE, user device, AP, BS, eNB, gNB, RAN node, network node, TRP, or other node) 400, according to one illustrated aspect of the present disclosure. The wireless station 400 may include, for example, one or more (e.g., two as shown in FIG. 4) RF (radio frequency) or wireless transceivers 402A, 402B, where each wireless transceiver includes a transmitter to transmit signals and a receiver to receive signals. The wireless station also includes a processor or control unit / entity (controller) 404 to execute instructions or software and control transmission and receptions of signals, and a memory 406 to store data and / or instructions.

[0085] Processor 404 may also make decisions or determinations, generate frames, packets or messages for transmission, decode received frames or messages for further processing, and other tasks or functions described herein. Processor 404, which may be a baseband processor, for example, may generate messages, packets, frames, or other signals for transmission via wireless transceiver 402 (402A or 402B). Processor 404 may control transmission of signals or messages over a wireless network and may control the reception of signals or messages, etc., via a wireless network (e.g., after being down-converted by wireless transceiver 402, for example). Processor 404 may be programmable and capable of executing software or other instructions stored in memory or on other computer media to perform the various tasks and functions described above, such as one or more of the tasks or methods described above. Processor 404 may be (or may include), for example, hardware, programmable logic, a programmable processor that executes software or firmware, and / or any combination of these. Using other terminology, processor 404 and transceiver 402 together may be considered as a wireless transmitter / receiver system, for example.

[0086] In addition, referring to FIG. 4, a controller (or processor) 408 may execute software and instructions, and may provide overall control for the station 400, and may provide control for other systems not shown in FIG. 4, such as controlling input / output devices (e.g., display, keypad), and / or may execute software for one or more applications that may be provided on wireless station 400, such as, for example, an email program, audio / video applications, a word processor, a Voice over IP application, or other application or software.

[0087] In addition, a storage medium may be provided that includes stored instructions, which when executed by a controller or processor may result in the processor 404, or other controller or processor, performing one or more of the functions or tasks described above.

[0088] According to another example embodiment, RF or wireless transceiver(s) 402A / 402B may receive signals or data and / or transmit or send signals or data. Processor 404 (and possibly transceivers 402A / 402B) may control the RF or wireless transceiver 402A or 402B to receive, send, broadcast or transmit signals or data.

[0089] Example embodiments are provided or described for each of the example methods, including: An apparatus (e.g., 400, FIG. 4) including means (e.g., processor 404, RF transceivers 402A and / or 402B, and / or memory 406, in FIG. 4) for carrying out any of the methods; a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., memory 406, FIG. 4) comprising instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one processor (processor 404, FIG. 4), are configured to cause a computing system (e.g., 400, FIG. 4) to perform any of the example methods; and an apparatus (e.g., 400, FIG. 4) including at least one processor (e.g., processor 404, FIG. 4), and at least one memory (e.g., memory 406, FIG. 4) including computer program code, the at least one memory (406) and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor (404), cause the apparatus (e.g., 400) at least to perform any of the example methods.

[0090] Further embodiments of the present disclosure include the following examples.

[0091] Example 1.1 A user equipment (UE), comprising: means for receiving, by the UE from a serving cell, an event-triggered Layer 1 reporting configuration for Layer 1 reporting; means for determining, by the UE based on transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state activation status for the UE in the serving cell, a serving cell reference resource for event-triggered Layer 1 reporting; means for measuring, by the UE, a reference signal from the serving cell reference resource; and means for transmitting, by the UE, an event-triggered Layer 1 measurement report to the serving cell based on the measurement indicating that a reporting criteria for the event-triggered Layer 1 reporting on a current bandwidth part (BWP) has been met.

[0092] Example 1.2. The UE of example 1.1, wherein: the UE determines the TCI state activation based on whether or not the UE has received a TCI state activation command for at least one control resource set (CORESET) on the BWP.

[0093] Example 1.3. The UE of example 1.2, wherein the serving cell reference resource is in a case where the UE has received the TCI state activation command different than in a case where the UE has not received the TCI state activation command from the serving cell.

[0094] Example 1.4. The UE of any one of examples 1.1 to 1.3, wherein the UE determines the activation status based on whether or not the UE has received a TCI state activation command for more than one CORESET on the BWP.

[0095] Example 1.5. The UE of any of examples 1.1 to 1.4, wherein the UE determines the activation status based on whether or not the UE has received a TCI state activation command for at least one TCI state activation command for a data channel on the BWP.

[0096] Example 1.6. The UE of example 1.5 as dependent on examples 1.2 and 1.4, wherein the serving cell reference resource is different in a plurality of the following cases or in all of the following cases: the TCI state activation command has not been received from the serving cell; the TCI state activation command has been received for a CORESET on the BWP; or the TCI state activation command has been received for a data channel on the BWP.

[0097] Example 1.7. The UE of example 1.5, wherein the use of a TCI state for measurement for evaluating an event may refer to using the reference signal included or associated with the TCI state.

[0098] Example 1.8. The UE of example 1.5, wherein the reference signal (RS) includes at least one of: a quasi-colocation (QCL) info RS of TCI state (SSB / CSI-RS); a QCL info RS of TCI state (SSB / CSI-RS) that provides a QCL type D; a QCL source RS (SSB / CSI-RS) of a QCL info RS of the TCI state; a synchronization signal block (SSB) that is associated with the TCI State; SSB that is associated with the TCI State configured as any resource in the TCI State; tracking reference signal (TRS); or the QCL source RS of the TRS; or the at least one of the reference signal of the TRS.

[0099] Example 1.9. The UE of example 1.3, wherein the TCI state is indicated by at least one of a MAC control element (CE) activation command for the CORESET or the TCI state activated for a PDCCH transmitted over the CORESET associated with a monitored search space with a lowest (or highest) controlResourceSetld, at least one of: the CORESETs associated with CSS; the CORESETs associated with USS; the CORESETs associated with CSS and USS; or in a most recent slot in which one or more CORESETs within an active BWP of the serving cell are monitored by the UE.

[00100] Example 1.10. The UE of example 1.3, wherein the TCI state is indicated by a MAC CE activation command for the CORESET which is configured not to apply an indicated TCI State.

[00101] Example 1.11. The UE of example 1.3, wherein the TCI state is activated for a PDCCH transmitted over a CORESET with an index of zero.

[00102] Example 1.12. The UE of example 1.3, wherein the TCI state is activated for a PDCCH transmitted over the CORESET associated with a CSS.

[00103] Example 1.13. The UE of example 1.3, wherein the TCI state is activated for a PDCCH transmitted over the CORESET associated with a CORESET Pool Index of 0 or 1.

[00104] Example 1.14. The UE of example 1.3, wherein when a PDCCH reception by the UE includes two PDCCH candidates from two respective search space sets, the TCI state activated for the PDCCH transmitted that ends at least one of later in time or earlier in time.

[00105] Example 1.15. The UE of example 1.4, wherein an activated TCI state is applied for a most recent physical data shared channel (PDSCH) reception.

[00106] Example 1.16. The UE of example 1.15, wherein in a case of multiple transmission and reception point (mTRP) PDSCH transmissions, the activated TCI state applied for a most recent PDSCH reception is: at least one of a first PDSCH TCI state or a second PDSCH TCI state; a PDSCH TCI state of a plurality of PDSCH TCI states with a highest quality reference signal; or a PDSCH TCI state of the plurality of PDSCH TCI states is indicated to the UE as a part of the event-triggered reporting configuration.

[00107] Example 1.17. The UE of example 1.15, further comprising: means for determining, across a plurality of activated TCI states, a highest quality reference signal.

[00108] Example 1.18. The UE of example 1.1, wherein the UE identifies the serving cell reference signal is identified in a most recent random-access procedure that is not initiated by a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) order.

[00109] Example 1.19. The UE of example 1.1, further comprising: means for determining a reference resource based on at least one of: a synchronization signal (SS) / PBCH block the UE identified during a most recent randomaccess procedure not initiated by a PDCCH order that triggers a contention-free random-access procedure; a SS / PBCH block identified by the UE during an initial access procedure; a SS / PBCH block identified by the UE during a most recent contention based random access procedure; or a SS / PBCH block identified by the UE for as most recent configured grant physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission.

[00110] Example 1.20. The UE of any one of examples 1.1 to 1.19, wherein the Layer 1 event-triggered reporting comprises at least one of lower layer triggered mobility reporting and UE-initiated beam management reporting.

[00111] The embodiments and aspects disclosed herein are examples of the present disclosure and may be embodied in various forms. For instance, although certain embodiments herein are described as separate embodiments, each of the embodiments herein may be combined with one or more of the other embodiments herein. Specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present disclosure in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Like reference numerals may refer to similar or identical elements throughout the description of the figures.

[00112] The phrases “in an aspect,” “in aspects,” “in various aspects,” “in some aspects,” or “in other aspects” may each refer to one or more of the same or different aspects in accordance with this present disclosure. The phrase “a plurality of’ may refer to two or more.

[00113] In various embodiments, the terms “first message” and “second message,” as well as any subsequent messages may refer to any messages that are transmitted or received in an order and are not necessarily limited to any particular message.

[00114] The phrases “in an embodiment,” “in embodiments,” “m various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” or “in other embodiments” may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure. A phrase in the form “A or B” means “(A), (B), or (A and B).” A phrase in the form “at least one of A, B, or C” means “(A); (B); (C); (A and B); (A and C); (B and C); or (A, B, and C).”

[00115] Any of the herein described methods, programs, algorithms or codes may be converted to, or expressed in, a programming language or computer program. The terms “programming language” and “computer program,” as used herein, each include any language used to specify instructions to a computer, and include (but is not limited to) the following languages and their derivatives: Assembler, Basic, Batch files, BCPL, C, C+, C++, Delphi, Fortran, Java, JavaScript, machine code, operating system command languages, Pascal, Perl, PL1, Python, scripting languages, Visual Basic, metalanguages which themselves specify programs, and all first, second, third, fourth, fifth, or further generation computer languages. Also included are database and other data schemas, and any other meta-languages. No distinction is made between languages which are interpreted, compiled, or use both compiled and interpreted approaches. No distinction is made between compiled and source versions of a program. Thus, reference to a program, where the programming language could exist in more than one state (such as source, compiled, object, or linked) is a reference to any and all such states. Reference to a program may encompass the actual instructions and / or the intent of those instructions.

[00116] While aspects of the present disclosure have been shown in the drawings, it is not intended that the present disclosure be limited thereto, as it is intended that the present disclosure be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplifications of particular aspects. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:receiving, by a user equipment (UE) from a serving cell, an event-triggered reporting configuration for Layer 1 reporting;determining, by the UE based on transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state activation status for the UE in the serving cell, a serving cell reference resource for event-triggered Layer 1 reporting; andmeasuring, by the UE, a reference signal from the serving cell reference resource; andtransmitting, by the UE, an event-triggered Layer 1 measurement report to the serving cell based on the measurement indicating that a reporting criteria for the event-triggered Layer 1 reporting on a current bandwidth part (BWP) has been met.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE determines the TCI state activation based on whether or not the UE has received a TCI state activation command for at least one control resource set (CORESET) on the BWP.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the serving cell reference resource is, in a case where the UE has received the TCI state activation command, different than in a case where the UE has not received the TCI state activation command from the serving cell.

4. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the UE determines the activation status based on whether or not the UE has received a TCI state activation command for more than one CORESET on the BWP.

5. The method of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the UE determines the activation status based on whether or not the UE has received a TCI state activation command for at least one TCI state activation command for a data channel on the BWP.

6. The method of claim 5 as dependent on claims 2 and 4, wherein the serving cell reference resource is different in a plurality of the following cases or in all of the following cases:the TCI state activation command has not been received from the serving cell;the TCI state activation command has been received for a CORESET on the BWP; orthe TCI state activation command has been received for a data channel on the BWP.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the use of a TCI state for measurement for evaluating an event refers to using the reference signal included or associated with the TCI state.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the reference signal (RS) includes at least one of: a quasi-colocation (QCL) info RS of TCI state (SSB CSI-RS);a QCL info RS of TCI state (SSB / CSI-RS) that provides a QCL type D;a QCL source RS (SSB / CSI-RS) of a QCL info RS of the TCI state;a synchronization signal block (SSB) that is associated with the TCI State;SSB that is associated with the TCI State configured as any resource in the TCI State;tracking reference signal (TRS); orthe QCL source RS of the TRS.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the TCI state is indicated by at least one of a MAC control element (CE) activation command for the CORESET or the TCI state activated for a PDCCH transmitted over the CORESET associated with a monitored search space with a lowest controlResourceSetld, at least one of:the CORESETs associated with Common Search Space (CSS);the CORESETs associated with UE specific search space (USS);the CORESETs associated with CSS and USS; orin a most recent slot in which one or more CORESETs within an active BWP of the serving cell are monitored by the UE.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein the TCI state is indicated by a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) activation command for the CORESET which is configured not to apply an indicated TCI State.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein the TCI state is activated for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmitted over a CORESET with an index of zero.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein the TCI state is activated for a PDCCHtransmitted over the CORESET associated with a CSS.

13. The method of claim 3, wherein the TCI state is activated for a PDCCH transmittedover the CORESET associated with a CORESET Pool Index of 0 or 1.

14. The method of claim 3, wherein when a PDCCH reception by the UE includes two PDCCH candidates from two respective search space sets, the TCI state is activated for the PDCCH transmitted that ends at least one of later in time or earlier in time.

15. The method of claim 4, wherein an activated TCI state is applied for a most recent physical data shared channel (PDSCH) reception.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein in a case of multiple transmission and reception point (mTRP) PDSCH transmissions, the activated TCI state applied for a most recent PDSCH reception is:at least one of a first PDSCH TCI state or a second PDSCH TCI state;a PDSCH TCI state of a plurality of PDSCH TCI states with a highest quality reference signal; ora PDSCH TCI state of the plurality of PDSCH TCI states is indicated to the UE as a part of the event-triggered reporting configuration.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:determining, across a plurality of activated TCI states, a highest quality reference signal.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE identifies the serving cell reference signal is identified in a most recent random-access procedure that is not initiated by a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) order.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a reference resource based on at least one of:a synchronization signal (SS) / PBCH block the UE identified during a most recent random-access procedure not initiated by a PDCCH order that triggers a contention-free random-access procedure;a SS / PBCH block identified by the UE during an initial access procedure;a SS / PBCH block identified by the UE during a most recent contention based random access procedure; ora SS / PBCH block identified by the UE for as most recent configured grant physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission.

20. The method of any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the Layer 1 event-triggered reporting comprises at least one of lower layer triggered mobility reporting and UE-initiated beam management reporting.

21. A user equipment (UE), comprising:at least one processor; andat least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the UE at least to perform a method as in any one of claims 1 to 20.

22. A processor-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus, cause the apparatus at least to perform a method as in any one of claims 1 to 20.27

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