User equipment and scheduling device

Abstract

To provide user equipment (UE) capable of distributing and indicating multiple non-overlapping frequency regions by using single downlink control information (DCI) based scheduling for associating the indicated TCI (Transmission Configuration Indication) state with that frequency domain, and a method of a scheduling node.SOLUTION: The DCI carries a TCI indicator specifying that two or more TCI states are set and a frequency domain resource allocation indicating the frequency domain resources allocated for the two or more TCI states. One or more frequency regions are determined for each TCI state of the two or more TCI states. Each region has an integer multiple of a precoding resource block group (PRG), the integer is greater than or equal to 1, and the regions of different TCI states do not overlap. Data is received or transmitted to each TCI state on the frequency domain resources to be determined.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to transmitting and receiving signals in a communication system, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for such transmission and reception. [Background technology]

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is working on technical specifications for the next generation of cellular technology, also called the 5th generation, including the New Radio (NR) radio access technology (RAT) operating in the frequency range up to 100 GHz. NR is the successor to the technologies represented by LTE (Long Term Evolution) and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A).

[0003] For systems such as LTE, LTE-A, and NR, further improvements and options may be made to facilitate efficient operation of the communication system as well as particular devices related to the system. Summary of the Invention

[0004] One non-limiting and illustrative embodiment facilitates efficient utilization of resources including efficient signaling of frequency domain resources for multiple transmission / reception points (TRPs), i.e., multiple Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) states.

[0005] In an embodiment, the technology disclosed herein features a user equipment (UE) comprising: a transceiver configured to receive downlink control information (DCI) signaling during operation; and a processor configured to obtain from the DCI signaling during operation a TCI indicator specifying that two or more Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) states are set and a frequency domain resource allocation indicating frequency domain resources to be allocated for the two or more TCI states, and to determine, for each TCI state of the two or more TCI states, one or more regions in the frequency domain, each region having an integer multiple of a Precoding Resource Block Group (PRG), the integer being equal to or greater than one, and the regions of different TCI states not overlapping, wherein the transceiver is configured to receive or transmit data on frequency domain resources in the determined frequency domain regions for each TCI state during operation.

[0006] It should be noted that the general or specific embodiments may be realized as a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, a storage medium, or any combination thereof.

[0007] Further benefits and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent from the specification and drawings, in which the benefits and / or advantages may be obtained individually from various embodiments and features of the specification and drawings, which need not all be provided in order to obtain one or more of such benefits and / or advantages. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] In the following, exemplary embodiments are explained in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example architecture of a 3GPP NR system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example user and control plane architecture for LTE eNB, gNB, and UE. [Diagram 3]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the division of functions between NG-RAN and 5GC. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram for an RRC connection setup / reconfiguration procedure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing usage scenarios of eMBB (enhanced Mobile Broadband), mMTC (massive Machine Type Communications), and URLLC (Ultra Reliable and Low Latency Communications). [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example 5G system architecture. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a user equipment (UE) and a scheduling device (base station) communicating over a wireless channel. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a user equipment (UE). [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a network node. [Figure 10] 1 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method performed in a UE. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method for communication performed on the UE side and the network side. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first exemplary mapping of regions to precoding resource groups; [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second exemplary mapping of regions to precoding resource groups. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a third exemplary mapping of regions to precoding resource groups; [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a fourth exemplary mapping of regions to precoding resource groups. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a fifth exemplary mapping of regions to precoding resource groups. [Figure 17]FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a sixth exemplary mapping of regions to precoding resource groups. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] 5G NR system architecture and protocol stack 3GPP has been working on the next release of the fifth generation of cellular technology, simply called 5G, including the development of New Radio Access Technology (NR) that will operate in frequencies up to the 100GHz range. The first version of the 5G standard was completed at the end of 2017, allowing progress on trials and commercialization of smartphones compliant with the 5G NR standard.

[0010] In particular, the overall system architecture assumes a Next Generation-Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) including gNBs, providing NG radio access user plane (SDAP / PDCP / RLC / MAC / PHY) and control plane (Radio Resource Control, RRC) protocol termination for UEs. The gNBs are interconnected with each other by an Xn interface. The gNBs are also connected to a Next Generation Core (NGC) by a Next Generation (NG) interface, more specifically to an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) (e.g., a specific core entity that runs the AMF) by an NG-C interface, and to a User Plane Function (UPF) (e.g., a specific core entity that runs the UPF) by an NG-U interface. The NG-RAN architecture is shown in Figure 1 (see, e.g., 3GPP TS 38.300 v15.6.0, section 4).

[0011] Various different deployment scenarios can be supported (see, for example, 3GPP TR 38.801 v14.0.0, etc.). For example, a decentralized deployment scenario (see, for example, section 5.2 of TR 38.801, where a centralized deployment is shown in section 5.4) is presented therein, in which base stations supporting 5G NR can be deployed. FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary decentralized deployment scenario (see, for example, Figure 5.2-1 of TR 38.801), while further illustrating an LTE eNB and a user equipment (UE) connected to both the gNB and the LTE eNB. The new eNB for NR 5G can be exemplarily referred to as a gNB. The eLTE eNB is an evolution of the eNB that supports connectivity with the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and the Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0012] The user plane protocol stack for NR (see, for example, 3GPP TS 38.300, section 4.4.1) includes the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP, see section 6.4 of TS 38.300), Radio Link Control (RLC, see section 6.3 of TS 38.300), and Medium Access Control (MAC, see section 6.2 of TS 38.300) sublayers, which are terminated at the gNB on the network side. In addition, a new Access Stratum (AS) sublayer (Service Data Adaptation Protocol, SDAP) is introduced on top of PDCP (see, for example, sub-clause 6.5 of 3GPP TS 38.300). A control plane protocol stack is also defined for NR (see, for example, TS 38.300, section 4.4.2). An overview of layer 2 functions is given in sub-clause 6 of TS 38.300. The functions of the PDCP, RLC and MAC sublayers are listed in sections 6.4, 6.3 and 6.2 of TS 38.300 respectively. The functions of the RRC layer are listed in sub-clause 7 of TS 38.300.

[0013] For example, the MAC layer handles logical channel multiplexing, and scheduling and scheduling related functions, including handling of different numerologies.

[0014] The physical layer (PHY) is responsible for, for example, coding, PHY HARQ processing, modulation, multi-antenna processing, and mapping of signals to appropriate physical time-frequency resources. It also handles the mapping of transport channels to physical channels. The physical layer provides services to the MAC layer in the form of transport channels. A physical channel corresponds to a set of time-frequency resources used for the transmission of a particular transport channel, and each transport channel is mapped to a corresponding physical channel. For example, one physical channel is the PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel) used for random access.

[0015] Use cases / deployment scenarios for NR may include enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC), and massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC), which have diverse requirements in terms of data rates, latency, and coverage. For example, eMBB is expected to support peak data rates (20 Gbps in downlink and 10 Gbps in uplink) and user-experienced data rates on the order of three times those offered by IMT-Advanced. On the other hand, in the case of URLLC, tighter requirements include ultra-low latency (0.5 ms for user plane latency for UL and DL, respectively) and high reliability (1-10 ms latency within 1 ms). -5 Finally, mMTC is preferably imposed on networks with high connection density (1,000,000 devices / km in urban environments). 2 ), large coverage in harsh environments, and extremely long battery life (15 years) for low-cost devices.

[0016] Thus, OFDM numerology (e.g., subcarrier spacing, OFDM symbol duration, cyclic prefix (CP) duration, number of symbols per scheduling interval, etc.) suitable for one use case may not work well for another use case. For example, low latency services may preferably require a shorter symbol duration (and larger subcarrier spacing) and / or fewer symbols per scheduling interval (a.k.a., TTI) than mMTC services. Furthermore, deployment scenarios with large channel delay spreads may preferably require a longer CP duration than scenarios with short delay spreads. Subcarrier spacing should be optimized accordingly to maintain similar CP overhead. NR may support multiple values ​​of subcarrier spacing. Correspondingly, subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, etc. are currently being considered. The symbol duration Tu and subcarrier spacing Δf are directly related through the formula Δf=1 / Tu. Similar to LTE systems, the term "resource element" can be used to denote the smallest resource unit consisting of one subcarrier for the length of one OFDM / SC-FDMA symbol.

[0017] In the new radio system 5G-NR for each numerology and carrier, a resource grid of subcarriers and OFDM symbols is defined for each uplink and downlink. Each element in the resource grid is called a resource element and is specified based on a frequency index in the frequency domain and a symbol position in the time domain (see 3GPP TS 38.211 v15.6.0).

[0018] 5G NR Functional Split Between NG-RAN and 5GC

[0019] Figure 3 shows the functional division between NG-RAN and 5GC. The NG-RAN logical node is gNB or ng-eNB. The 5GC has logical nodes AMF, UPF and SMF.

[0020] In particular, the gNB and ng-eNB provide the following main functions: Radio resource management functions, such as radio bearer control, radio admission control, connection mobility control, dynamic resource allocation (scheduling) to UEs in both uplink and downlink - IP header compression, encryption and integrity protection of data - Selection of AMF at UE attachment when routing to AMF cannot be determined from information provided by the UE - Routing user plane data to the UPF -Routing of control plane information to AMF -Connection setup and release - Scheduling and sending paging messages Scheduling and transmission of system broadcast information (originating from AMF or OAM) - Measurement and measurement report configuration for mobility and scheduling -Transport level packet marking in the uplink -Session management -Network slicing support - QoS flow management and mapping to data radio bearers - Support for UEs in RRC_INACTIVE state -NAS message delivery function -Radio Access Network Sharing -Dual Connectivity - Close cooperation between NR and E-UTRA

[0021] AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) provides the following main functions: - Termination of NAS (Non-Access Stratum) signaling -NAS signaling security -AS (Access Stratum) security control -Core Network (CN) inter-node signaling for mobility between 3GPP access networks Reachability of idle mode UEs (including control and execution of paging retransmissions) -Registration area management - Support for intra-system and inter-system mobility -Access authentication -Access authentication including roaming rights checks -Mobility management controls (subscriptions and policies) -Network slicing support -SMF (Session Management Function) selection In addition, the UPF (User Plane Function) provides the following main functions: -Anchor points for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable) -External PDU session points for interconnection with data networks -Packet routing and forwarding -User plane part of packet inspection and policy rule enforcement -Traffic usage report - An uplink classifier to support routing of traffic flows to the data network - Branching points to support multi-homed PDU sessions - User plane QoS handling, including packet filtering, gating, and UL / DL rate enforcement -Uplink traffic validation (SDF to QoS flow mapping) -Downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering Finally, the SMF (Session Management Function) provides the following main functions: -Session management -UE IP address allocation and management -UP function selection and control - Traffic steering configuration in the User Plane Function (UPF) to route traffic to the correct destination -Policy enforcement and QoS control -Downlink data notification

[0022] RRC connection establishment and re-establishment procedures

[0023] Figure 4 shows some interactions between the UE, gNB and AMF (5GC entities) in the context of the UE's transition from RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED for the NAS part (see TS 38.300 v15.6.0).

[0024] RRC is a higher layer signaling (protocol) used for the configuration of the UE and the gNB. In particular, the transition involves the AMF preparing UE context data (including, for example, PDU session context, security keys, UE radio capabilities, UE security capabilities, etc.) and sending it to the gNB via an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST. The gNB then activates AS security with the UE, which is performed by the gNB sending a SecurityModeCommand message to the UE and the UE responding with a SecurityModeComplete message to the gNB. The gNB then performs a reconfiguration to configure signaling radio bearer 2 (SRB2) and data radio bearer (DRB) by sending an RRCReconfiguration message to the UE and the gNB receiving an RRCReconfigurationComplete from the UE in response. For a signaling-only connection, the steps related to RRCReconfiguration are omitted since SRB2 and DRB are not configured. Finally, the gNB informs the AMF that the configuration procedure is complete via an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE.

[0025] Thus, in the present disclosure, a 5th Generation Core (5GC) entity (e.g., AMF, SMF, etc.) is provided, which has a control circuit for establishing a Next Generation (NG) connection with a gNodeB (or gNB) during operation, and a transmitter for transmitting an initial context setup message to the gNodeB via the NG connection, which causes a signaling radio bearer configuration between the gNodeB and a user equipment (UE) during operation. In particular, the gNodeB transmits Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling including a resource allocation configuration information element to the UE via the signaling radio bearer. The UE then performs uplink transmission or downlink reception based on the resource allocation configuration.

[0026] IMT usage scenarios after 2020

[0027] Figure 5 shows some use cases for 5G NR. Three use cases are considered in 3GPP NR (3rd Generation Partnership Project New Radio) that are expected to support a wide range of services and applications by IMT-2020. Phase 1 specifications for eMBB have been finalized. In addition to further extending support for eMBB, current and future work involves standardization of URLLC and mMTC. Figure 5 shows some concrete examples of the envisioned ideal scenarios for IMT beyond 2020.

[0028] URLLC use cases have stringent requirements for capabilities such as throughput, latency and availability, and are envisioned as one of the enablers for future vertical applications such as wireless control of industrial manufacturing and production processes, remote medical surgery, power distribution automation in smart grids, and transportation safety. URLLC's ultra-high reliability is supported by identifying technologies to meet the requirements set by TR 38.913. For NR URLLC in Release 15, key requirements include a target user plane latency of 0.5 ms for UL (uplink) and 0.5 ms for DL ​​(downlink). The overall URLLC requirement for a single transmission of a packet is a Block Error Rate (BLER) of 1E-5 for a packet size of 32 bytes with a user plane latency of 1 ms.

[0029] From the RAN1 perspective, reliability can be improved in several possible ways. Current scope to improve reliability relates to defining separate CQI tables for URLLC, more compact DCI formats, PDCCH repetition, etc. However, the scope can be broadened to achieve ultra-reliability as NR becomes more stable and developed (a key requirement for NR URLLC). Specific use cases for NR URLLC in Rel.15 include AR / VR (Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality), e-health, e-safety, and mission-critical applications.

[0030] Furthermore, technology enhancements targeted by NR URLLC target delay improvement and reliability improvement. Technology enhancements for delay improvement include configurable numerology, non-slot-based scheduling with flexible mapping, grant-free (configured grant) uplink, slot-level repetition of data channel, and downlink preemption. Preemption means that a transmission for which resources have already been allocated is aborted and the already allocated resources are used for another transmission that is requested later but has lower latency / higher priority requirements. Thus, an already granted transmission is preempted by a later transmission. Preemption is applicable regardless of the specific service type. For example, a transmission of service type A (URLLC) may be preempted by a transmission of service type B (eMBB, etc.). Technology enhancements for reliability improvement include dedicated CQI / MCS (Channel Quality Information / Modulation and Coding Scheme) tables for a target BLER of 1E-5.

[0031] The mMTC use case is characterized by a very large number of connected devices transmitting relatively small amounts of data that are typically latency sensitive. The devices are required to be low cost and have extremely long battery life. From an NR perspective, utilizing very narrow bandwidth portions is one possible solution to have power savings from the UE perspective and enable long battery life.

[0032] As mentioned above, it is expected that the reliability range in NR will be wider. One key requirement for all cases, especially URLLC and mMTC, is high or ultra-high reliability. Several mechanisms can be considered to improve reliability from a radio perspective and a network perspective. In general, there are several key areas that may help to improve reliability. Among these areas are compact control channel information, repetition of data / control channels, diversity with respect to frequency, time and / or space domains. These areas are generally applicable to reliability, regardless of the specific communication scenario.

[0033] For NR URLLC, further use cases with more stringent requirements have been identified, such as factory automation, transportation industry, and power distribution, including power distribution. The more stringent requirements include higher reliability (10 -6 These include: higher availability, packet sizes up to 256 bytes, and time synchronization up to the order of a few microseconds, which can be on the order of 1 or a few microseconds depending on the frequency range and short delays on the order of 0.5-1 ms, with a target user plane delay of 0.5 ms depending on the use case in particular.

[0034] Furthermore, for NR URLLC, several technology enhancements from a RAN1 perspective are identified. Among these are PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) enhancements related to compact DCI, PDCCH repetition, and increased PDCCH monitoring. Also, UCI (Uplink Control Information) enhancements are related to enhanced HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) and CSI feedback enhancements. Also, PUSCH enhancements related to minislot level hopping and retransmission / repetition enhancements are identified. The term "minislot" refers to a transmission time interval (TTI) that contains fewer symbols than a slot (a slot consisting of 14 or 12 symbols).

[0035] In slot-based scheduling or allocation, a slot corresponds to the timing granularity (TTI: transmission time interval) for the scheduling allocation. In general, the TTI determines the timing granularity for the scheduling allocation. One TTI is the time interval in which a given signal is mapped to the physical layer. For example, conventionally, the TTI length is variable from 14 symbols (slot-based scheduling) to 2 symbols (non-slot-based scheduling). Downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions are specified to be organized into frames (10 ms duration) consisting of 10 subframes (1 ms duration). In slot-based transmission, the subframes are further divided into slots, the number of slots being dictated by the numerology / subcarrier spacing. The specified values ​​range between 10 slots per frame (1 slot per subframe) for a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz and 80 slots per frame (8 slots per subframe) for a subcarrier spacing of 120 kHz. The number of OFDM symbols per slot is 14 for normal cyclic prefix and 12 for extended cyclic prefix (see sections 4.1 (general frame structure), 4.2 (Numerologies), 4.3.1 (frames and subframes) and 4.3.2 (slots) of 3GPP TS 38.211 V15.3.0, Physical channels and modulation, 2018-09). However, the allocation of time resources for transmission may also be non-slot based. In particular, the TTI in a non-slot based allocation may correspond to a mini-slot instead of a slot. That is, one or more mini-slots may be allocated to a requested transmission of data / control signaling. In a non-slot based allocation, the minimum length of a TTI may be, for example, one or two OFDM symbols.

[0036] [QoS Control] The 5G Quality of Service (QoS) model is based on QoS flows and supports both QoS flows that require a guaranteed flow bit rate (GBR QoS flows) and QoS flows that do not require a guaranteed flow bit rate (non-GBR QoS flows). Thus, at the NAS level, QoS flows are the finest granularity of QoS differentiation in a PDU session. QoS flows are identified within a PDU session by a QoS Flow Identifier (QFI) that is carried in the encapsulation header over the NG-U interface.

[0037] For each UE, the 5GC establishes one or more PDU sessions. For each UE, the NG-RAN establishes at least one Data Radio Bearer (DRB) together with the PDU session, and additional DRBs for the QoS flows of the PDU session can be configured later (when it is up to the NG-RAN), e.g. as described above with reference to FIG. 4. The NG-RAN maps packets belonging to different PDU sessions to different DRBs. NAS-level packet filters in the UE and the 5GC associate UL and DL packets with QoS flows, and AS-level mapping rules in the UE and the NG-RAN associate UL and DL QoS flows with DRBs.

[0038] FIG. 6 shows the non-roaming reference architecture of 5G NR (see TS 23.501 v16.1.1, section 4.23). Application functions (AFs), such as external application servers providing 5G services as exemplarily described in FIG. 5, interact with the 3GPP core network to provide services, such as to support application influence on traffic routing, access to the Network Exposure Function (NEF), or interaction with policy control such as QoS control (see Policy Control Function (PCF)). Based on the operator's deployment, application functions that are considered trusted by the operator may be allowed to interact directly with the relevant network functions. Application functions that are not allowed by the operator to directly access network functions utilize an external exposure framework via the NEF to interact with the relevant network functions.

[0039] Figure 6 further shows the functional units of the 5G architecture, namely, Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), Network Repository Function (NRF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF) and Data Network (DN) such as operator services, Internet access or third party services.

[0040] A terminal, user terminal or user device is referred to as user equipment (UE) in LTE and NR. It may be a mobile device or communication device such as a wireless phone, a smartphone, a tablet computer or a Universal Serial Bus (USB) stick with user equipment functionality. However, the term mobile device is not limited to this and in general a relay may also have the functionality of such a mobile device and a mobile device may act as a relay.

[0041] A base station is a network node that forms part of a network for providing services to terminals, for example. A base station is a network node or scheduling device that provides radio connectivity to terminals. The communication between terminals and base stations is typically standardized. In LTE and NR, the radio interface protocol stack includes a physical layer, a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer and higher layers. In the control plane, a higher layer protocol, the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol, is provided. Through the RRC, the base station can control the configuration of the terminals, and the terminals may communicate with the base station to perform control tasks such as connection and bearer establishment, modification, measurements and other functions. The term used in LTE is eNB (or eNodeB), while the term currently used for 5G NR is gNB.

[0042] A service for the transfer of data offered by a layer to a higher layer is usually called a channel. For example, LTE and NR distinguish between logical channels offered by the MAC layer for higher layers, transport channels offered by the physical layer to the MAC layer, and physical channels that define a mapping on physical resources.

[0043] Logical channels are the various data transfer services offered by the MAC. Each logical channel type is defined by what type of data is transferred. Logical channels are classified into two groups: control channels and traffic channels. Control channels are used to transfer only control plane information. Traffic channels are used to transfer only user plane information.

[0044] Logical channels are mapped to transport channels by the MAC layer, for example logical traffic channels and some logical control channels may be mapped in the downlink to a transport channel referred to as the Downlink Shared Channel, DL-SCH, and in the uplink to a transport channel referred to as the Uplink Shared Channel, UL-SCH.

[0045] Downlink control channel monitoring, PDCCH, DCI Many of the functions operated by a UE include monitoring a downlink control channel (eg, PDCCH, see 3GPP TS 38.300 v15.6.0, section 5.2.3) to receive, for example, specific control information or data intended for the UE.

[0046] As mentioned above, PDCCH monitoring is performed by the UE to identify and receive information destined for the UE, such as user traffic (eg, DCI on the PDCCH and user data on the PDSCH signaled by the PDCCH) as well as control information.

[0047] The control information in the downlink (which can be called downlink control information DCI) has the same purpose in 5G NR as DCI in LTE, i.e. it is a special set of control information that schedules, for example, a downlink data channel (e.g., PDSCH) or an uplink data channel (e.g., PUSCH). In 5G NR, there are several different DCI formats already defined (see TS 38.212 v15.6.0 section 7.3.1).

[0048] The PDCCH monitoring for each of these functions serves a specific purpose and is therefore initiated to completion. PDCCH monitoring is typically controlled at least based on a timer operated by the UE. The timer has the purpose of controlling the PDCCH monitoring, e.g., limiting the maximum time that the UE monitors the PDCCH. For example, the UE does not need to monitor the PDCCH indefinitely and may stop monitoring after a certain time so that power can be saved.

[0049] As mentioned above, one of the purposes of the DCI of the PDCCH is dynamic scheduling of resources in the downlink, uplink or sidelink. In particular, several formats of the DCI are provided to carry notification of resources allocated for a data channel for a particular user (resource allocation RA). The resource allocation may include specification of resources in the frequency domain and / or the time domain.

[0050] Resource Allocation In Release 15 of NR, two types of frequency domain resource allocation schemes, Type 0 and Type 1, are utilized, both of which signal allocations over the active bandwidth portion (BWP).

[0051] Type 0 is a bitmap-based allocation scheme. The most flexible way to indicate the set of allocated resource blocks is to include a bitmap with a size equal to the number of resource blocks in the BWP. A resource block corresponds to the smallest allocation unit for the transmission of data and is defined by the number of subcarriers in frequency. (NR physical resource blocks are one-dimensional measures that span only the frequency domain, while LTE uses two-dimensional resource blocks with 12 subcarriers in frequency and one slot in time.) This allows any combination of resource blocks to be scheduled for transmission, but unfortunately results in very large bitmaps for larger bandwidths. Therefore, the bitmap in the Type 0 resource allocation scheme is used to refer to groups of contiguous resource blocks, called RBGs, rather than individual resource blocks. The size of the RBG depends on the size of the active BWP. For example, two different configurations are possible for each size of BWP specified by 3GPP TS 38.214 V15.4.0 and summarized in Table 1. [Table 1]

[0052] As can be seen from Table 1, for example, an RBG allocated according to type 0 with a BWP bandwidth size corresponding to a number of RBs between 1 and 36 includes 2 RBs when applying setting 1. Thus, for example, an RBG allocated according to type 0 with a BWP size corresponding to a number of RBs between 73 and 144 includes 16 RBs when applying setting 2. That is, the number of RBs in an RBG depends on the bandwidth of the active BWP.

[0053] The Type 1 resource allocation scheme does not rely on a bitmap. Instead, it utilizes a Resource Indication Value (RIV) that encodes the resource allocation as the start position and length of the allocation in terms of number of resource blocks. It therefore supports frequency contiguous allocation as well as arbitrary allocation of resource blocks, thereby reducing the number of bits required to signal the resource block allocation.

[0054] Both resource allocation types refer to virtual resource blocks (VRBs). For Type 0, an interleaved mapping from virtual resource blocks to physical resource blocks is used, which means that the virtual resource blocks are directly mapped to the corresponding physical resource blocks. On the other hand, for Type 1 resource allocation scheme, a non-interleaved mapping for the UL is supported. For DL, both interleaved and non-interleaved mappings are supported for Type 1 resource allocation scheme, with the interleave size being the bandwidth of the active BWP.

[0055] In the time domain, for example, as specified in Release 15 (NR), the scheduling timing (e.g., for the scheduling of resources as described above) may be signaled in the DCI by using a time domain resource allocation (TDRA) table. In particular, the UE may be signaled the allocated resources in the time domain by signaling one entry (row) of the TDRA table in the DCI, for example, by signaling the entry (row) index. The term table is used here as a logical term, since the TDRA entries are summarized as a table in the standard specifications for NR.

[0056] Repetition on PDSCH and PUSCH Transmissions in NR may include spontaneous repetition of data (i.e., without being triggered by (H)ARQ). In such cases, the same data (e.g., a transport block) is transmitted N times, where N is an integer greater than 1. The number of repetitions may be configurable.

[0057] Multiple transmit / receive points TRP The physical layer in NR may provide for multi-antenna operation, such as multiple input multiple output (MIMO), which may include the use of multiple transmit / receive points (multi-TRPs). For example, a user equipment may receive data from multiple TRPs (transmit / receive points), which may be controlled by the same or different network nodes. The terms multi-point transmission or coordinated multi-point transmission (CoMP) may also be used for multi-TRP communication or transmission.

[0058] The techniques described in this disclosure are not limited to a particular arrangement of TRPs or a particular relationship between TRPs and gNBs. Thus, for example, multi-TRP operation may be performed by a gNB having different antenna panels or radio heads corresponding to the TRPs and different radio frequency units operating with the respective antennas.

[0059] Furthermore, in multi-TRP, several options are possible regarding the location relationship between the TRPs, and the distance between two TRPs may vary. For example, the TRPs may be close together so that the UE receives signals from these TRPs from a similar angle. However, the TRPs may also be located at a significant distance from each other, for example, at remote locations of a network cell. A UE served by two TRPs may transmit and receive signaling to and from each TRP on uncorrelated channels. Thus, the channel diversity gain may be optimally utilized.

[0060] For example, multi-TRPs may be classified into two high-level categories, i.e., the distinction between the categories may be made with respect to the backhaul type of the backhaul link between two given TRPs.

[0061] On the other hand, an ideal backhaul is a very high throughput and very low latency backhaul, e.g. a dedicated point-to-point connection using optical fiber. An ideal backhaul is assumed to enable communication between TRPs with approximately or near 0 ms latency (e.g. for LTE-A, technical report 3GPP TR 36.932 V15.0.0 (2018-06) mentions a one-way latency of less than 2.5 μs in section 6.1.3, but does not include the propagation delay in the fiber / cable).

[0062] On the other hand, a non-ideal backhaul is a backhaul such as DSL, microwave, relay, or other backhaul, which may include a finite (one-way) delay, for example in the range of 2 ms or 5 ms, for communication between two given TRPs.

[0063] Apart from the classification into ideal and non-ideal backhaul, a further classification in multi-TRP MIMO technologies may be made with regard to how the (central) baseband unit is shared between the TRPs.

[0064] For example, there may be different RF (Radio Frequency) units for each of two given TRPs, while the TRPs share the same baseband unit. In this case, the links between the RF units and the baseband units may be ideal or non-ideal. Alternatively, there may be both a different (central) baseband unit and a different RF unit for each TRP. In this case, the links between the different baseband units as well as the respective links between the baseband units and the RF units may be ideal or non-ideal.

[0065] The present disclosure may facilitate multi-TRP operation and provides an approach that may particularly facilitate scheduling of frequency domain resources for multi-TRP operation. The disclosed techniques may, for example, facilitate URLLC use cases, but may also or alternatively facilitate eMBB and mMTC use cases. The present disclosure is applicable to scenarios involving one or both of ideal and non-ideal backhaul.

[0066] As described above, multiple widely separated TRPs may enable providing spatial diversity gains, the exploitation of which may facilitate transmission and reception, particularly in the high frequency range, where interruptions to either the link or the wireless communication channel between the TRP and the UE are particularly possible.

[0067] Recently, it has been discussed to schedule the same transport block (TB) from two TRPs on their respective non-overlapping frequency domains and on the same time symbols using a single DCI-based scheduling from one of the two TRPs. A transport block refers to a data unit passed to the physical layer for transmission.

[0068] It should be understood that each TRP transmission (i.e., transmission from one TRP) on a corresponding non-overlapping frequency region can be associated with a different TCI state. In particular, each TRP can be associated with a different TCI state. Thus, the terms "TCI state" and "TRP" can be used interchangeably, e.g., TCI state 1 refers to TRP 1, TCI state 2 refers to TRP 2, and so on.

[0069] It is considered to support different MCS for transmission of the same TB from different TRPs, which can depend on the respective channel conditions from each TRP to the UE. If different MCSs are used, different sizes of frequency domains from the two TRPs can be effective. Ideal backhaul may be considered between multiple TRPs. However, these are merely some optional deployment scenarios, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0070] For example, to schedule the same TBs of PDSCH and multiplex them to two non-overlapping frequency regions belonging to different TRPs by a single DCI from one of the TRPs, the following problems are recognized by the inventors and addressed by the present disclosure: The first problem is how to distribute and indicate multiple non-overlapping frequency regions using a single DCI based scheduling. The second problem is how to associate the distributed non-overlapping frequency regions with indicated TCI states. Furthermore, several other optimizations and improvements may be provided to improve the efficiency and / or scalability of resource signaling.

[0071] To address some of the issues discussed above, according to an embodiment, physical resource blocks in the frequency domain are allocated into regions, each region being defined as a number of Precoding Resource Block Groups (PRGs), each region being associated with a transmission corresponding to a different specific TCI state.

[0072] Here, each TCI state (TRP) is associated with one or more regions. Each region is associated with only one TCI state and these regions do not overlap. A precoding resource block group is a group of (physical) resource blocks that share the same precoding. For example, a precoding resource block group applies the same precoding matrix.

[0073] One advantage of defining regions in multiple PRGs and allocating them to different TRPs is that it allows separate precoding for each TRP transmission. Such an approach is applicable to both resource allocation types 0 and 1 without affecting their respective schemes.

[0074] In this example, it is mentioned that the same TB is transmitted via multiple TRPs (with multiple TCI states). However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and in general, the solution is applicable to the transmission of different TBs via different respective TCI states. Furthermore, in the following, for simplicity, an example with two TRPs is given. However, the solution considered here is applicable to three or more TRPs.

[0075] The present disclosure provides exemplary embodiments including devices and methods. For example, FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary user equipment (UE) 760 having a transceiver 770 that receives downlink control information (DCI) over a channel 750 (indicated by a dashed line) during operation. The UE (corresponding to a terminal or generally a scheduled device) 760 also includes a circuit 780. The circuit is a processing circuit (processor) and may be implemented on one or more chips and further electronic elements. The term "processor" should be understood functionally and may include one or more general-purpose processors, digital signal processors, programmable hardware and / or dedicated hardware. The circuit (processor) 780 obtains from DCI signaling during operation a Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) specifying that two or more TCI states are configured and a frequency domain resource allocation indicating frequency domain resources assigned to the two or more TCI states.

[0076] For example, the transceiver 770 blindly decodes the PDCCH to determine whether there is a DCI destined for the UE 760. If there is a DCI for the UE, the processor 780 parses (extracts) various signaling parameters from the DCI according to the syntax and semantics of the DCI known in the UE as well as in the scheduling device 710 that generated the DCI. The syntax and semantics may be specified by a standard such as NR or other standards. Also, the syntax and semantics of the DCI may be fully or partially configurable by higher layer signaling. In general, the DCI includes one or more bit fields, and each bit field may include one or more bits. Typically, the number of bits per field is statically (by the standard or by the network operator) or semi-statically (by higher layer signaling such as RRC). A one-bit field may indicate one transmission parameter or several transmission parameters that are jointly coded.

[0077] For example, the above-mentioned TCI indicator may be one separate bit (one-bit field having a length of one bit) indicating whether one or two TCI states should be applied, in other words whether one or two TRPs should be used for scheduled transmission (uplink) or reception (downlink). However, this exemplary implementation is only suitable if at most two TRPs are used simultaneously. The present disclosure is not limited to such an implementation. In other exemplary implementations, the TCI indicator may be carried by a separate DCI field dedicated to the TCI indicator having two or more bits. In particular, such a TCI indicator may signal how many TCI states (TRPs) should be active for scheduled transmission or reception.

[0078] Here, it is assumed that the network provides one or more TRPs, and thus the TCI indicator specifies how many TRPs should be active for transmission or reception by the UE 760. The different TRPs may be located in the same or different base stations. Even though it is easier to implement more TRPs on the network side, which typically has more power in its location, especially when the network side is one or more base stations or network nodes, in some scenarios the terminal (UE) may also benefit from using more than one TRP. In such cases, the embodiments and examples shown here are also applicable. For example, the DCI may indicate the number of TRPs to be used by the UE 760 in addition to or instead of indicating how many TRPs should be used by the scheduling device 710. The term "scheduling device" in this disclosure is used interchangeably with the term base station and refers to a network node with a scheduling function that serves the UE as an access point to the network. It should be noted that one scheduling device, such as a base station, schedules multiple active TRPs, regardless of whether the TRPs are actually located / terminated in the scheduling device or not.

[0079] In general, the TCI indicator does not have to be indicated as a separate bit field. It may be signaled together with one or more other parameters. In other words, one or more of the code points of such a combined bit field may indicate that one TRP is being used, while one or more other code points may indicate that two TRPs are being used. Similarly, any number of TRPs may be signaled by one or more code points of a combined bit field carrying such a TCI indicator.

[0080] As mentioned above, the present disclosure provides specific frequency domain resource allocation and signaling for the case where the TCI indicator specifies that more than one TCI state is configured. The DCI further carries a frequency domain resource allocation indicating the frequency domain resources allocated to the more than one TCI state. The frequency domain resource allocation may be provided in a separate (dedicated) DCI bit field or may be coded together with the TCI indicator and / or one or more other transmission parameters.

[0081] In general, joint coding may provide a higher efficiency in the utilization of the bits available in the DCI. To provide fast scheduling, the number of parameters and the length of the DCI may be kept as low as possible. On the other hand, coding in separate fields may provide backward compatibility in some cases. Joint coding may be realized, for example, by signaling, in an associative bit field, for each index, an index into a table that contains a particular combination of parameter values ​​corresponding to a column of the table. Examples of such tables are, for example, the TDRA table or the MCS table mentioned above.

[0082] The circuit 780 further determines, for each TCI state of the two or more TCI states, one or more regions in the frequency domain, where each region has an integer multiple of precoding resource block groups (PRGs), where the integer is equal to or greater than one. In other words, each region may be composed of one or more PRGs. The determination may be performed according to a signaled frequency domain resource allocation, e.g., the regions of the two or more TCI states are located within frequency domain resources specified by the frequency domain resource allocation.

[0083] As described above, the regions of different TCI states do not overlap, in other words, the regions are frequency division multiplexed (FDM). In some embodiments, none of the regions overlap (belong to different TCI states).

[0084] The circuitry 780 may implement more functions than the above-mentioned determination of frequency domain resources for transmission / reception employing multiple TRPs. Thus, the circuitry 780 may be considered to include a frequency resource determination circuitry 785 configured to perform frequency domain resource determination. Such configuration may be provided by a hardware configuration and / or software.

[0085] 8 shows a functional configuration of the frequency resource determination circuit 785. In particular, the frequency resource determination circuit 785 includes a PDCCH processing circuit 870 that extracts a TCI indicator and a frequency domain allocation from the DCI. The frequency resource determination circuit 785 further includes a frequency resource control circuit 880 that determines a domain based on the allocation when the TCI indicator indicates two or more TCI states, and determines an allocation of the frequency resources allocated to each TCI state based on the domain. The processing circuit may then control the transceiver 770 to receive or transmit data on the determined resources.

[0086] Following the determination of the region, the transceiver 770 receives data on frequency domain resources in the determined region of the frequency domain for each TCI state during operation. This applies to the downlink case where the DCI scheduled downlink resources for the UE to receive data. In the uplink case, the transceiver 770 transmits data on frequency domain resources in the determined region of the frequency domain for each TCI state during operation. A single UE may have a receiver and a transmitter that transmits and receives data to and from multiple TRPs depending on whether the received DCI is a downlink scheduling DCI or an uplink scheduling DCI.

[0087] Corresponding to the UE 760, FIG. 7 shows a scheduling node 710. The scheduling device may be any network access node, such as a base station or a gNB in ​​the case of 5G-NR. According to an embodiment, the scheduling device 710 comprises a transceiver 720 that transmits downlink control information (DCI) signaling during operation. The transceiver 720 may have two or more antennas (e.g., antenna panels) to provide one or more TRPs. However, the TRPs may also be provided by multiple different network nodes. As mentioned above, the UE 760 may also provide multiple TRPs, and the transceiver 770 of the UE 760 may also include multiple antennas (antenna panels). The DCI may correspond in syntax and semantics to the DCIs described above to enable communication between the scheduling device 710 and the UE 760.

[0088] The scheduling device 710 further comprises a processor 730 for providing DCI signaling including a TCI indicator specifying that two or more TCI states are set during operation, and a frequency domain resource allocation indicating frequency domain resources assigned to the two or more TCI states. The above-mentioned signaling possibilities apply for both the TCI indicator and the frequency domain resource allocation. The processor 730 further determines, for each TCI state of the two or more TCI states, one or more regions in the frequency domain, each region having an integer multiple of a precoding resource block group (PRG), the integer being equal to or greater than one, and the regions of different TCI states do not overlap. Thus, the transceiver 720 transmits (in the case of downlink) or receives (in the case of uplink) data on the frequency domain resources in the determined frequency domain regions for each TCI state during operation. Similar to the processor 780 in the UE, the processor 730 may also perform various different tasks. Here, the frequency resource allocation circuit 735 represents the functional portion of the processor 730 that performs the frequency domain allocation tasks discussed above, including determining resources and providing corresponding signaling to the UE 760.

[0089] The scheduling device may further include, as part of the circuitry 730, an allocation circuit for performing scheduling of one or more UEs, which results in an allocation of frequency domain resources and a TCI indicator and corresponding DCI signaling indicating the allocation, and which controls the transceiver 720 to transmit or receive data on the scheduled resources for the one or more UEs.

[0090] An exemplary functional configuration of the frequency resource allocation circuit 735 is shown in Figure 9. In particular, the frequency resource allocation circuit 735 may include a scheduling circuit 920 and a PDCCH generation circuit 930. The scheduling circuit 920 performs scheduling, such as collecting measurement results from one or more of the UEs and allocating resources to each UE in the frequency domain (and possibly in the TRP with the time domain) based on the request from the UE and / or based on the availability of resources thereto. Then, the PDCCH generation circuit 930 generates DCI including a TCI indicator and a resource allocation according to the scheduling results of each of the one or more UEs.

[0091] As can be seen from FIG. 7, the UE 760 and the scheduling node 710 can form a communication system, i.e. can communicate over a channel 750.

[0092] In the following, various embodiments for the regions are described. In particular, one or more of the following settings may be considered for defining the regions: a) Number of regions: The number of regions within the allocated frequency resources b) Allocation of regions: Allocation of regions to physical layer resources (grids), e.g., on precoding resource block groups c) Region size: the size of the region for multiple PRGs; and d) Region Association: Assignment of each region to one TRP (TCI state)

[0093] The above four settings a)-d) can be set and / or signaled in different ways.

[0094] Note that a region may be configured and utilized only when more than one TCI state is indicated by the codepoint of the bit field for TCI indication, however, the present disclosure is not limited thereto and the resource allocation concept may also be adopted for the single TRP case.

[0095] In NR Rel.16, it has been agreed to use code points in the TCI bit field to indicate two TCI states (instead of the one TCI state in Rel.15), which essentially means that two TRP transmissions are possible.

[0096] A. Determining the number of regions According to a first example, the processor 770 (and also the corresponding processor 730) determines the number (amount) of regions according to the maximum number of TCI states that are set as semi-statically as possible as indicated by one TCI in the DCI during operation.

[0097] In other words, the UE semi-statically determines the number of regions based on the maximum number of TCI states that are semi-statically set as indicated by one index in the TCI signaling.

[0098] In particular, the base station 710 may semi-statically configure an RRC message indicating the number of TCI states dynamically configurable by the DCI by transmitting an RRC message to the UE 760. For example, the RRC message may indicate that the maximum number of TCI states is 1. In such a case, the DCI includes frequency resources for only a single TCI state (single TRP). For example, the RRC message may indicate that the maximum number of TCI states is 2. In such a case, the TCI indicator may indicate either one or two TCI states that apply for transmission / reception of data scheduled in the same DCI. For example, the RRC message may indicate that the maximum number of TCI states is 3 or more. In such a case, the DCI may dynamically indicate any number 1, 2, 3, ... up to the maximum number of RRC-configured TCI states.

[0099] The resource allocation conveyed in the DCI is then interpreted as covering frequency resources for the indicated number of TCI states according to the TCI indicator. For example, if the maximum number of TCI states is 1, the entire allocated resources indicated by the frequency resource allocation belong to transmission / reception with one TCI state. If the maximum number of TCI states is 2, there are at least two different regions. In general, there are two super-regions for each two TCI states. Each super-region may include multiple regions and may be contiguous or discontinuous in the frequency domain, as described below.

[0100] Determining the number of regions semi-statically may achieve lower complexity since it does not need to be determined dynamically.

[0101] However, according to a second example, the processor 770 determines the number of regions according to the maximum number of TCI states indicated by the TCI indicator during operation. Correspondingly, the processor 730 of the base station determines the number of regions according to the maximum number of TCI states indicated by the TCI index. The determination of the regions, their number, size, location with respect to physical resources and their allocation to each TCI state may be determined by the scheduling circuit 920 based on the quality / characteristics of the channel 750, the UE capabilities, the available resources in the cell served by the base station 710, etc.

[0102] In other words, the UE dynamically determines the number of regions based on the maximum number of TCI states dynamically indicated by the TCI codepoints in the DCI. In this example, the determination of the number of super regions is performed dynamically. Thus, resources can be more efficiently utilized. For example, when the maximum number of TRPs indicated by the RRC is 2, but the current DCI indicates by the TCI indicator that only a single TCI state should be used for transmission / reception of data scheduled by the same DCI, the number of regions is determined for a number of TCIs equal to 1. In fact, in this case, the regions do not need to be determined.

[0103] For example, when the maximum number of TRPs indicated by the RRC is 3, but the current DCI indicates via the TCI indicator that only two TCI states should be used for transmission / reception of data scheduled by the same DCI, the number of regions is determined for a number of TCIs equal to 2.

[0104] Note that the maximum number of TCIs does not need to be signaled / evaluated for this example. In particular, in this example, the number of regions is determined based on dynamic scheduling.

[0105] B. Area mapping on PRG For example, the processor may semi-statically allocate regions to each integer multiple of the PRGs without considering dynamic resource allocation based on the DCI during operation. For example, the allocation may be performed by starting from the beginning of the frequency resources indicated by the frequency domain allocation in the DCI and associating each PRG with one particular TCI state according to a predefined pattern. There may be different patterns, as described in more detail below. For example, there may be an alternating pattern in which the PRGs are alternately assigned to multiple TCI states.

[0106] In other words, the UE allocates regions on a common physical resource block (PRB) in multiple PRGs semi-statically before performing resource allocation, and thus the dynamic allocation may only refer to regions (according to the semi-static allocation) that belong to the dynamically scheduled TCI state.

[0107] Combining this embodiment with the semi-static determination of the number of regions described above may provide a simple and efficient implementation of the UE.

[0108] In another example, the processor assigns regions to each integer multiple of the PRG during operation according to a frequency domain resource allocation, where the assignment may facilitate more efficient resource utilization since only these regions are mapped to resources that are currently actually scheduled. This embodiment in combination with the dynamic determination of the number of regions described above may provide efficient resource utilization.

[0109] In other words, in this example, the UE dynamically allocates regions on the allocated physical resource blocks (PRBs) in multiple precoding resource block groups (PRGs) after performing resource allocation.

[0110] C. Region-associated patterns In a first example, the processor associates regions with two or more TCI states according to a pattern that is preset during operation, which may be static (set by an operator or the like in a standard), semi-static (e.g., by RRC signaling) or dynamically preset by a code point of a bit field in the DCI.

[0111] The pre-set pattern may correspond to a round robin by alternating the TCI states after each integer number M of consecutive regions, where M is equal to or greater than 1. Round robin refers to an approach in which a pre-defined order of TCI states is mapped to the PRG periodically. A simple yet efficient method of mapping may be M=1. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto and M may be greater than 1. In practice, M1 and M2 may be defined for each of two TCI states, where M1 is different from M2. A number of regions Mx may be defined for each of the x TCI states.

[0112] In other words, in this example, the UE associates each determined region with the indicated TCI state in a configurable pattern (static, semi-static or dynamic), for example by round robin across the entire frequency region in a non-contiguous manner.

[0113] On the base station side, the processor 730 needs to map the regions to resources in the same way so that the processor 730 maps the data to resources in the correct way when transmitting or receiving the data.

[0114] According to a second example, the processor 780 (together with the processor 730) sequentially associates successive regions to each of two or more TCI states during operation. In other words, the UE (and the base station) first associates each determined region successively to the indicated TCI state, and then continues with the next remaining regions. This can be seen as associating with each configured TCI state an entire super-region (a super-region including all regions related to one TCI state) that is successively mapped onto the frequency resources allocated by the frequency domain allocation received in the DCI. One advantage of this approach may be a reduction in multiplexing complexity.

[0115] According to a third example, the processor 770 (and correspondingly the processor 730) during operation associates a first portion of the contiguous region with two or more TCI states according to a round robin (as in the first example) and associates a second portion of the contiguous region with one of the TCI states. In other words, the UE 760 (and correspondingly the base station 710) associates each determined region with the indicated TCI state in two steps, where one step includes association in a non-contiguous round robin manner and the other step includes association of one super-region (the remaining region of one TCT state) with the remaining PRG. This approach may be particularly advantageous for cases where different MCSs and / or different TBs are mapped to different TCI states.

[0116] According to a fourth example, the preconfigured pattern is received as a bitmap in semi-static or dynamic signaling, where each bit of the bitmap represents a region, where a first value of the bit indicates a first TCI state and a second value of the bit indicates a second TCI state. In other words, the UE dynamically associates each determined region with the indicated TCI state based on the bitmap's indication for each region, where "0" means not associated and "1" means associated. It should be noted that this pattern signaling is merely exemplary. The bitmap may be provided with each bit representing a PRG (corresponding to the case where the region size is 1 PRG). In general, this fourth example provides the highest flexibility on the one hand, but requires some additional resources for signaling the bitmap.

[0117] There may be mixed solutions to provide a trade-off between flexibility and signaling effort. For example, bitmaps are associated with respective indices that are stick defined and semi-statically signaled from the base station to the UE. Note that such indexing of different schemes is not limited to bitmap representation. For example, two patterns such as a round robin pattern (see first example above) and a sequential pattern (see second example above) may both be statically defined (by the standard or the operator) as configurable and associated with each index (e.g., 0 and 1). The base station then indicates the configured scheme by configuring the region and signaling its index, e.g., in an RRC message. To further increase flexibility, in some embodiments, the index may be signaled in the DCI.

[0118] Alternatively, multiple patterns may be signaled (preconfigured), e.g., in the form of a bitmap or by reference to a predefined indexing (e.g., in a standard) of the different patterns. Dynamic switching between such preconfigured patterns may be possible, e.g., by the DCI, as an index for each of the preconfigured patterns. Such an index is dynamically signaled in the DCI, e.g., as a field or a codepoint that is jointly coded with one or more other parameters.

[0119] D. Region Size According to a first example, the processor (770 and / or 730) configures the size of each region during operation as a fixed size common to all regions for all TCI states. In other words, the UE is statically configured with a common fixed value for each region. For example, each region may have the size of one PRG. However, the region size may also be fixedly configured for two or more PRGs. Static configuration means that the standard specifies the length of the region (in terms of number of PRGs) or the network operator specifies it. In general, static configuration means that reconfiguration is not possible for established data bearers.

[0120] According to a second example, the processor (770 and / or 730) sets the size of each region according to semi-static signaling received by the transceiver during operation and specifying a size common to all regions for all TCI states or specifying for each TCI state a size common to all regions for that TCI state.

[0121] In other words, the UE is semi-statically configured (by the base station) with a common fixed value for each region via RRC signaling. The first possibility, having one common size for all regions for all TCI states, saves signaling resources. The second possibility, configuring different region sizes for each different TCI state, offers more flexibility and is especially suitable for the case where different TCI states are configured with different MCS.

[0122] According to a third example, the processor, during operation, Obtaining absolute sizes for multiple PRGs from the DCI; Obtaining the ratio between the sizes of regions belonging to different TCI states from the DCI; obtaining a transport block size of each region belonging to different TCI states from the DCI, and determining a size of the region based on the transport block size; Dividing the total number of PRGs by the number of regions according to the resource allocation; The size of each region is determined from the DCI by one or more of the following:

[0123] For example, the UE dynamically determines the size of each region based on a dynamic indication via the DCI. Such indication may directly include the size (absolute size) or may indicate the size by an index associated with said size. For example, the region size may be part of a region configuration that further includes patterns, number of regions, etc. Such configuration may be listed in a table and associated with a respective index that may be indicated in the DCI. Any other signaling of the size within the DCI is possible.

[0124] The UE may be informed by an absolute size in terms of a multiple of the PRG, as described above with reference to semi-static signaling, or by any other indication of the size of each TCI state separately or in common for all TCI states.

[0125] For example, the UE may be indicated the ratio between the sizes for each region via DCI signaling. One of the regions may be signaled by an absolute size and the rest as a ratio or difference. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, there are further possibilities, and thus this disclosure is not limited by any of these examples.

[0126] In another example implementation, the UE determines the size of each region based on a TB size associated with each region, which is calculable based on a separate MCS indication for each TCI state. The TB size may be obtained from the MCS, and the modulation may also be considered for the determination. The MCS is typically indicated by an MCS index into an MCS table that includes a combination of modulation (order) and transport block size (corresponding to a coding rate).

[0127] According to another example implementation, the UE (and correspondingly the base station) determines the size of each region by simply dividing the total number of PRGs by the total number of regions. In this example, the region size is assumed to be the same for all TCI states. However, this determination may also be combined with signaling a ratio between the sizes of the regions related to the different TCI states to obtain a size, or the ratio may be defined / derived depending on the MCS.

[0128] It should be noted that although the determination and mapping of the above regions are different steps A-D, this is merely exemplary and in practice the mapping of TCI states may be described / specified directly on the PRG. For example, knowing the size of the region, such as M, a TCI state is assigned to each TCI state for M PRGs in a circular manner. Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to any particular way in which the mapping of transmissions associated with different TRPs to PRGs is performed (see, for example, the mappings in Figures 13-17) as long as the result is achieved.

[0129] FIG. 10 illustrates a method according to an embodiment. The method is to be performed in a UE and starts with receiving RRC signaling in step 1010 to configure the UE by FDM mechanism for multi-TRP reception and / or transmission of data. The RRC signaling may be received from the network and may include any parameters for configuring regions, such as their size, location, number, assignment to PRGs and TCI states, etc. For example, the base station may configure the UE in its cell via RRC. In step 1020, the UE receives a scheduling DCI and checks the codepoint of the corresponding bit field in the DCI for a TCI indicator. In particular, to receive the DCI, the UE may monitor a preconfigured CORESET (control resources) and perform blind decoding to determine whether a DCI addressed to the UE is present. If such a DCI is detected, the UE analyzes the parameters signaled in the DCI. According to the present disclosure, the parameters include a TCI indicator indicating at least whether one or more TCI states are configured. In some embodiments, the TCI indicator may also indicate the number of configured TCI states. After extracting the TCI indicator from the DCI, in step 1030 it is evaluated (determined) whether more than one TCI state is set (as indicated by the TCI indicator).

[0130] If there are two or more TCI states indicated in step 1030, steps 1040 to 1060 are performed. In particular, in step 1040, the UE: determines frequency resources for receiving data. This may be performed by extracting a frequency domain allocation from the DCI. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the resources may be semi-permanently and / or at least partially semi-statically defined by a previously received DCI. Then, in step 1050, the UE associates the determined frequency resources with multiple TRPs with a granularity of a multiple of the PRG, where the multiple may be one or more (integer multiple) times the PRG. Finally, in step 1060, the UE receives data transmissions from the multiple TRPs on the allocations and associated resources. In this example, it is assumed that the scheduling DCI was a DCI scheduling transmission in the downlink. However, as described above, the present disclosure is applicable to the uplink in addition to or instead of the downlink. It should be noted that the present disclosure may also be applicable to the sidelink.

[0131] If there is one or less TCI state indicated in step 1030, steps 1070 to 1090 are executed. In step 1070, the UE determines frequency resources for receiving data from one TRP. Following step 1070, in step 1080, the UE associates the transmission with the indicated single TCI state. Finally, in step 1090, the UE receives the data transmission from one TRP on the assigned resources.

[0132] FIG. 11 illustrates a method performed in both a UE and a base station that communicate with each other.

[0133] The method performed in the base station may include step S1110, in which the base station performs scheduling and allocates resources to the UE in two or more TCI states (TRP). According to the allocation, in step S1120, the base station generates a DCI to be carried on a PDCCH to provide in the DCI signaling a TCI indicator specifying that two or more TCI states are configured and a frequency domain resource allocation indicating frequency domain resources allocated to the two or more TCI states. To properly map the transmission of data onto the resources, the base station determines one or more regions in the frequency domain for each TCI state of the two or more TCI states, each region having an integer multiple of a precoding resource block group (PRG), the integer being equal to or greater than one, and the regions of different TCI states do not overlap. In step S1130, the base station transmits a PDCCH including the generated DCI. Finally, in step S1170, the base station transmits data on frequency domain resources in the determined frequency domain regions for each TCI state.

[0134] Correspondingly, the method performed in the UE includes a step S1140 of receiving downlink control information (DCI) signaling by a PDCCH. In step S1150, the UE obtains from the DCI signaling a TCI indicator specifying that two or more TCI states are configured and a frequency domain resource allocation indicating frequency domain resources allocated to the two or more TCI states. In step S1160, the UE determines one or more regions in the frequency domain for each TCI state of the two or more TCI states, each region having an integer multiple of a precoding resource block group (PRG), the integer being equal to or greater than one, and the regions of different TCI states do not overlap. Thus, in step S1180, the UE receives data on frequency domain resources in the determined frequency domain regions for each TCI state.

[0135] When referring to a frequency domain resource, this disclosure intends a frequency domain resource of one or more symbols (such as OFDM or DFT-S-OFDM depending on the uplink / downlink physical layer technology). Typically, the DCI conveys (or suggests the timing of) a particular time domain resource to which the scheduling conveyed in the DCI applies.

[0136] In the following, some specific examples are provided for illustration purposes to show some combinations of the above-mentioned region determining portions A to D. It should be noted that these examples do not limit the present invention.

[0137] Example 1 The UE (and base station) divides the PRB in the frequency domain into multiple regions of equal size, where the size of each region is statically configured to be equal to one PRG. The number of super-regions is equal to the number of configured TCI states. The semi-static association between regions and TCI states is performed in a round-robin manner, so that regions with the same index number (i.e., assigned to the same TCI state) are assigned non-contiguously in the frequency domain on the resources assigned by the frequency-domain resource allocation carried by the DCI.

[0138] One advantage of the first embodiment is that it does not require any additional signaling, but only relies on the new procedure being configured in the UE and being applied when two or more TCI states are indicated by the TCI indicator. Due to the non-contiguous allocation, the first embodiment can provide the greatest frequency diversity to the UE.

[0139] On the other hand, this embodiment also provides some limitations. The main use case of this embodiment is when the same MCS is used for transmissions from different TRPs and a PRG size of either 2 or 4 is indicated by the DCI. Semi-static association means that association with a TRP is possible even in unavailable areas, and the actual transmission is only on available areas, so the effective association sequence with the TRP may not be round-robin.

[0140] FIG. 12 shows a specific example of a region according to the first embodiment.

[0141] Two regions super-regions are defined, super-region 1 associated with TCI state 1 and super-region 2 associated with TCI state 2. Each super-region has one contiguous PRG, globally associated with each TCI state in a round-robin manner. Thus, the entire super-region is discontinuous. In this example, PRG5 in region is probably unavailable for allocation to any other UE. As can be seen from Fig. 12, the allocation between regions and TCI states is performed before the actual resource allocation, so PRG5 belongs to super-region 1 but cannot be allocated / used for TCI state 1. Both PRG4 and PRG6 belong to super-region 2 and therefore to TCI state 2.

[0142] Example 2 This embodiment is illustrated in Fig. 13. In particular, the UE (corresponding to the configuration provided and following the base station) divides the PRG in the frequency domain into multiple regions of equal size. The size of the region is statically configured to be equal to one PRG and common to all regions of all TCI states. The number (amount) of regions is equal to the number of indicated TCI states, i.e. the number of TCI states (e.g. in the code points of the corresponding bit fields) indicated by the DCI in the TCI indicator. The dynamic association between regions and TCI states is performed in a round-robin manner. Thus, the regions belonging to one TCI state are assigned non-contiguously in the frequency domain.

[0143] Here, the association is performed in a dynamic manner, which means that only available resources are considered for creating regions and associating them with TCI states. This may provide the advantage of efficient resource utilization. One use case suitable for this embodiment would be when the same MCS is used for transmissions from different TRPs and a PRG size of, for example, 2 or 4 is indicated by the DCI.

[0144] As can be seen from Figure 13, two super regions are defined (shown in Figure 13 as Region 1 and Region 2), with the PRG shown as super region 1 associated with TCI state 1 and the PRG shown as super region 2 associated with TCI state 2. Each region in super region 1 and super region 2 has one contiguous PRG. The regions are globally associated with each TCI state in a round-robin fashion, and therefore the association of regions with TCI states is globally discontinuous. Region 1 corresponds to PRG 1, Region 2 corresponds to PRG 2, Region 3 corresponds to PRG 3, and so on.

[0145] Since the association is performed dynamically only for the allocated resources, ie those resources specified in the frequency domain allocation of the DCI, all associated regions are also allocated.

[0146] Example 3 Example 3 is shown in Figure 14. Thus, the UE (corresponding to the configuration adopted by the base station) divides the PRB in the frequency domain into multiple regions of equal size. The size of the regions is semi-statically configured by the RRC protocol. The number of super-regions is equal to the number of indicated TCI states, which is 2 in this example. The dynamic association between regions and TCI states is performed in a round-robin manner, with non-contiguous allocation of super-regions. The dynamic indication of the size of the regions can be signaled explicitly by a new bit field or can also be signaled implicitly together with the signaling of the nominal RBG size.

[0147] This is shown in Table 2 below, which is a modification of Table 1 above. The values ​​in brackets are thus exemplary region sizes related to RBG sizes. For example, for bandwidth portion sizes between 73 and 144, in setting 1, the size of the RBG is 8RB and the size of the region is 2PRG. Note that this table representation is only exemplary to show that there may be a relationship between the RBG size defined by the standard (or even configurable by semi-static signaling) and the region size. Such a relationship may be specified in a different way from and independently of this table. The effect of such an implicit relationship is a reduction in signaling overhead for the purpose of signaling the region size. [Table 2]

[0148] In Figure 14, two super regions are defined, where super region 1 is associated with TCI state 1 and super region 2 is associated with TCI state 2. Each region represents the size of two PRGs and these regions are associated with each TCI state in a round robin manner, resulting in a non-contiguous resource allocation for each TCI state. Figure 14 shows four Regions 1-4, of which Regions 1 and 3 form super region 1 and Regions 2 and 4 form super region 2. Super region 1 is associated with TCI state 1 and super region 2 is associated with TCI state 2.

[0149] This embodiment is relatively flexible since the size of the region is not fixed to 1 PRG. In this example, the size of the region is 2 PRG. However, as mentioned above, the size may generally be indicated depending on the desired frequency diversity. The indication may be provided for all regions. One use case in which this embodiment may provide an effective implementation is when the same MCS is used for transmissions from different TRPs, e.g. when a PRG size of either 2 or 4 is indicated by the DCI. To make this embodiment also suitable for different MCS for different TCI states, an indication of the region size may be provided per TCI state.

[0150] Example 4 In this embodiment, the number of regions (together with the number of super-regions in this case) is equal to the number of indicated TCI states. Thus, the UE divides the PRG in the frequency domain into multiple regions of equal size (or substantially equal size, in general, if the number of PRGs is not divisible by the number of TCI states). The dynamic association between regions and TCI states is performed in a round-robin manner. In this embodiment, each region is allocated consecutively, and the region size is calculated by dividing the total PRG by the number of regions. This embodiment may be particularly advantageous when the precoding granularity is wideband, so that consecutive allocation is more suitable.

[0151] Example 4 is shown in Figure 15. As can be seen, two regions are defined, Region 1 associated with TCI state 1 and Region 2 associated with TCI state 2. Each region is defined by dividing the total available PRG into two parts, with each part associated with a separate TCI state. Each super-region corresponds to a region and therefore only has a contiguous allocation of PRGs.

[0152] Example 5 According to embodiment 5, the UE divides the PRB in the frequency domain into multiple regions of different sizes, and the sizes of the regions are explicitly signaled to the UE either in terms of absolute values ​​or ratios of region sizes.

[0153] For example, if 2 and 4 are the explicit (absolute) sizes indicated for each region in TCI state 1 and TCI state 2, then Region 1 associated with TCI state 1 has two consecutive PRGs and Region 2 associated with TCI state 2 has four consecutive PRGs. If a ratio such as (1:2) is indicated, then Region 1 associated with TCI state 1 has one consecutive PRG and Region 2 associated with TCI state 2 has two consecutive PRGs. In this embodiment, the number of super regions is equal to the number of configured TCI states. The dynamic association between regions and TCI states is performed in a round-robin manner, which results in non-contiguous allocation of super regions. This embodiment provides the flexibility to support even the case of unequal sizes between different regions when different TBSs are transmitted from different TRPs.

[0154] Example 6 In this embodiment, the UE (and the corresponding base station) divides the PRB (especially the PRG) in the frequency domain into multiple regions of different sizes. In particular, the size of each region is calculated based on the indication of different MCS for different TRP. Suppose that the first TRP is set by MCS 1, the second TRP is set by MCS 2, and MCS 1 and MCS 2 are different from each other.

[0155] For example, if the values ​​of MCS 1 and MCS 2 are within a certain threshold, the region size ratio is calculated as (1:1), which is a threshold for the difference between MCS 1 and MCS 2. If MCS 1>MCS 2 (or vice versa) and the difference between them (MCS 1-MCS 2 and / or MCS 2-MCS 1, e.g., absolute difference) exceeds a certain threshold, the region size ratio is calculated as (1:2).

[0156] The number of super regions is equal to the number of configured TCI states. The association between regions and TCI states is performed in a round-robin manner. Thus, super regions are allocated non-contiguously.

[0157] This embodiment calculates the size ratio between different regions based on the specified MCS for different TRPs, so no explicit signaling is required, resulting in more efficient resource utilization.

[0158] Figure 16 shows an example of regions according to this embodiment. Two super regions are defined, where super region 1 is associated with TCI state 1 and super region 2 is associated with TCI state 2. The size ratio between Region 1 and Region 2 is indicated or determined as (2:1), which means that Region 1 (for super region 1) has two contiguous PRGs and Region 2 (for super region 2) has one contiguous PRG. The total resources associated with each TCI state are not equal in this embodiment.

[0159] Example 7 In this embodiment, the UE (also the base station) divides the PRB (and therefore also the PRG) in the frequency domain into multiple regions of equal size. The size of the region is statically configured to be equal to one PRG. The number of super regions is equal to the number of TCI states configured. The dynamic association between the region and the TCI state is performed in two steps when different TB sizes are transmitted from different TRPs. The association between the region and the TCI state is first performed in a round-robin manner until the smallest TB size associated with one of the TCI states is fully allocated. After the smallest TB size (here, one PRG) is fully allocated, the remaining regions are consecutively associated with the TCI states with the largest TB size. Also, in this case, the super regions are non-consecutively allocated. This embodiment is simpler because calculations are required for the calculation of the size ratio between different regions.

[0160] Figure 17 shows a concrete example of this embodiment. Two regions are defined, where Region 1 is associated with TCI state 1 and Region 2 is associated with TCI state 2. Regions 1 and 2 are defined in a round robin fashion (one PRG each) until the smaller TBS associated with Region 2 is assigned, after which all remaining (assigned) PRGs are successively assigned to Region 1 since they have larger TBS. The overall resources associated with each TCI state are not equal.

[0161] The present disclosure can be realized by software, hardware, or software interlocked with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of each embodiment above can be partially or entirely realized by an LSI (Large Scale Integration) such as an integrated circuit, and each process described in each embodiment can be partially or entirely controlled by the same LSI or a combination of LSIs. The LSI may be formed as an individual chip, or a single chip may be formed to include some or all of the functional blocks. The LSI may include data input / output coupled thereto. Here, the LSI may be called an IC, a system LSI, a super LSI, or an ultra LSI depending on the degree of integration. However, the technology for realizing an integrated circuit is not limited to an LSI, and may be realized using a dedicated circuit, a general-purpose processor, or a processor for a specific application. Furthermore, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) that can be programmed after the manufacture of an LSI or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connection and settings of circuit cells arranged inside the LSI may be used. The present disclosure can be realized as digital processing or analog processing. If future integrated circuit technologies replace LSI as a result of advances in semiconductor technology and other derived technologies, the functional blocks can be integrated using the future integrated circuit technologies. Biotechnology can also be applied.

[0162] The present disclosure may be implemented by any type of apparatus, device or system having communication capabilities, referred to as a communications apparatus.

[0163] Some non-limiting examples of such communications devices include telephones (e.g., mobile (cell) phones, smartphones), tablets, personal computers (PCs) (e.g., laptops, desktops, netbooks), cameras (e.g., digital still / video cameras), digital players (digital audio / video players), wearable devices (e.g., wearable cameras, smart watches, tracking devices), game consoles, digital book readers, telehealth / telemedicine (remote health and remote medical) devices, and vehicles (e.g., automobiles, airplanes, ships) that provide communications capabilities, and various combinations thereof.

[0164] The communications apparatus is not limited to being portable or mobile, but may include any type of apparatus, device or system that is non-portable or fixed, such as smart home devices (e.g., appliances, lighting, smart meters, control panels), vending machines, and any other "thing" in an "Internet of Things (IoT)" network.

[0165] Communications may include, for example, exchanging data via cellular systems, wireless LAN systems, satellite systems, and the like, as well as various combinations thereof.

[0166] A communications apparatus may include devices such as a controller or a sensor coupled to the communications device to perform the communications functions described in this disclosure. For example, a communications apparatus may include a controller or a sensor that generates control or data signals used by the communications device to perform the communications functions of the communications apparatus.

[0167] The communications equipment may also include infrastructure facilities such as base stations, access points, and any other equipment, devices or systems that communicate with or control equipment such as those in the non-limiting examples above.

[0168] In summary, in a first embodiment, there is provided a user equipment (UE) comprising: a transceiver configured to receive downlink control information (DCI) signaling during operation; and a processor configured to obtain from the DCI signaling during operation a TCI indicator specifying that two or more Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) states are set and a frequency domain resource allocation indicating frequency domain resources to be allocated for the two or more TCI states, and to determine, for each TCI state of the two or more TCI states, one or more regions in the frequency domain, each region having an integer multiple of a Precoding Resource Block Group (PRG), the integer being equal to or greater than one, and the regions of different TCI states not overlapping; and wherein the transceiver configured to receive or transmit data on frequency domain resources in the determined frequency domain regions for each TCI state during operation.

[0169] In addition to the first embodiment, in a second embodiment, the processor determines the number of regions according to the maximum number of TCI states that are set as semi-statically as possible, indicated by one TCI in the DCI during operation.

[0170] In addition to the first embodiment, in a third embodiment, the processor determines the number of regions according to a maximum number of TCI states indicated by the TCI indicator during operation.

[0171] In addition to the first or second embodiment, in a fourth embodiment, the processor allocates the regions to each integer multiple of PRG in a semi-static manner without considering dynamic resource allocation based on DCI during operation.

[0172] In addition to the first or third embodiment, in a fifth embodiment, the processor allocates the domain to each integer multiple of PRG according to the frequency domain resource allocation during operation.

[0173] In addition to any of the first to fifth embodiments, in a sixth embodiment, the processor allocates the regions to the two or more TCI states according to a preset pattern during operation.

[0174] In addition to the sixth embodiment, in a seventh embodiment, the pre-configured pattern is received in semi-static or dynamic signaling as a bitmap with each bit of the bitmap representing an area, a first value of the bit indicating a first TCI state and a second value of the bit indicating a second TCI state.

[0175] In addition to the sixth embodiment, in an eighth embodiment, the pre-set pattern corresponds to a round robin by alternating the TCI state after every integer number M of consecutive regions, where M is not less than 1.

[0176] In addition to the eighth embodiment, according to a ninth embodiment, the processor during operation associates a first portion of the consecutive regions with the two or more TCI states according to the round robin and a second portion of the consecutive regions with one of the TCI states.

[0177] In addition to any of the first to sixth embodiments, in a tenth embodiment, the processor sequentially associates successive regions with each of the two or more TCI states during operation.

[0178] In addition to any of the first to ninth embodiments, in an eleventh embodiment, the processor sets, during operation, the size of each region (i) as a fixed size common to all regions in all TCI states, or (ii) according to semi-static signaling received by the transceiver and specifying, for each TCI state, a size common to all regions in all TCI states, or a size common to all regions in the TCI states.

[0179] In addition to any of the first to ninth embodiments, in a twelfth embodiment, during operation, the processor determines the size of each region from the DCI by one or more of: (i) obtaining from the DCI an absolute size in terms of multiples of the PRG; (ii) obtaining from the DCI a ratio between sizes of regions belonging to different TCI states; (iii) obtaining from the DCI a transport block size of each region belonging to different TCI states and determining the size of the region based on the transport block size; and (iv) dividing the total number of PRGs due to the resource allocation by the number of the regions.

[0180] According to a thirteenth embodiment, there is provided a scheduling node comprising: a transceiver configured to transmit downlink control information (DCI) signaling during operation; a processor configured to provide a TCI indicator specifying that two or more Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) states are set in the DCI signaling during operation; and a frequency domain resource allocation indicating frequency domain resources to be allocated for the two or more TCI states, and to determine, for each TCI state of the two or more TCI states, one or more regions in the frequency domain, each region having an integer multiple of a Precoding Resource Block Group (PRG), the integer being equal to or greater than one, and the regions of different TCI states not overlapping, wherein the transceiver configured to transmit or receive data on frequency domain resources in the determined regions in the frequency domain for each TCI state during operation.

[0181] According to a fourteenth embodiment, there is provided a method comprising the steps of receiving downlink control information (DCI) signaling; obtaining from the DCI signaling a TCI indicator specifying that two or more Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) states are set and a frequency domain resource allocation indicating frequency domain resources to be allocated for the two or more TCI states; determining, for each TCI state of the two or more TCI states, one or more regions in the frequency domain, each region having an integer multiple of a Precoding Resource Block Group (PRG), the integer being equal to or greater than one, and the regions of different TCI states not overlapping; and, for each TCI state, receiving or transmitting data on frequency domain resources in the determined regions in the frequency domain.

[0182] According to a fifteenth embodiment, there is provided a method comprising the steps of: transmitting downlink control information (DCI) signaling; providing in the DCI signaling a TCI indicator specifying that two or more Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) states are set and a frequency domain resource allocation indicating frequency domain resources to be allocated for the two or more TCI states; determining, for each TCI state of the two or more TCI states, one or more regions in the frequency domain, each region having an integer multiple of a Precoding Resource Block Group (PRG), the integer being equal to or greater than one, and the regions of different TCI states not overlapping; and transmitting or receiving, for each TCI state, data on frequency domain resources in the determined regions in the frequency domain.

[0183] It is noted that the second to twelfth embodiments are correspondingly applicable to the scheduling device of the thirteenth embodiment. Furthermore, the steps performed by the circuitry during operation correspond to the respective methods together with the transceiver steps referenced in the above UE and base station embodiments.

[0184] Additionally, a non-transitory medium is provided that stores program instructions that, when executed on a processing circuit, such as a general purpose processor, perform all of the steps of any of the method embodiments described above.

[0185] In summary, the present disclosure relates to a user equipment (UE) and a scheduling node as well as a corresponding method. In particular, downlink control information (DCI) signaling carries a TCI indicator specifying that two or more Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) states are configured, and a frequency domain resource allocation specifying frequency domain resources allocated for the two or more TCI states. For each TCI state of the two or more TCI states, one or more regions in the frequency domain are determined, each region having an integer multiple of a Precoding Resource Block Group (PRG), the integer being equal to or greater than one, and the regions of different TCI states do not overlap. Data is received or transmitted on the frequency domain resources in the determined frequency domain regions for each TCI state.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising: a transceiver configured to receive downlink control information (DCI) during operation; A processor that, during operation, obtains from the DCI a transmission configuration indication (TCI) indicator that specifies two or more TCI states; having Based on the precoding granularity, even-numbered precoding resource block groups (PRGs) in the frequency domain are assigned to a first TCI state, and odd-numbered PRGs are assigned to a second TCI state; Communications equipment.

2. The communications device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is operable to assign, during operation, for each TCI state of the two or more TCI states, an integer multiple of a PRG, the integer being equal to or greater than one.

3. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the number of the two or more TCI states is indicated by one code point of the TCI indicator, and the processor determines the number of frequency regions according to the number of the two or more TCI states during operation.

4. The communications device of claim 1 , wherein the processor assigns the precoding granularity by semi-static signaling or dynamic scheduling during operation.

5. The communications device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is operable to assign frequency ranges to the first TCI state and the second TCI state according to a preset pattern during operation.

6. The communication device of claim 5 , wherein the pre-configured pattern alternates TCI states after an integer number M of consecutive PRGs.

7. The communications device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is operable to associate contiguous frequency ranges with the first TCI state and the second TCI state.

8. The communications device of claim 1 , wherein the processor, during operation, sets a common size for a frequency region assigned to the first TCI state and a frequency region assigned to the second TCI state.

9. 2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein when the precoding granularity is wideband, a frequency region is allocated consecutively for each TCI state of the two or more TCI states, and the size of each frequency region is calculated by dividing the total frequency region by the number of the two or more TCI states.

10. a transceiver for transmitting downlink control information (DCI) during operation; a processor for providing, during operation, within the DCI, a transmission configuration indication (TCI) indicator that specifies two or more TCI states; having Based on a precoding granularity, even-numbered precoding resource block groups (PRGs) in the frequency domain are assigned to a first TCI state and odd-numbered PRGs are assigned to a second TCI state.

11. 1. A method for a communication device, comprising: receiving downlink control information (DCI); obtaining a transmission configuration indication (TCI) indicator from the DCI, the TCI indicator specifying two or more TCI states; having Based on a precoding granularity, even-numbered precoding resource block groups (PRGs) in the frequency domain are assigned to a first TCI state, and odd-numbered PRGs are assigned to a second TCI state.

12. A method of a scheduling node, comprising: transmitting downlink control information (DCI); providing, within the DCI, a transmission configuration indication (TCI) indicator specifying two or more TCI states; having Based on a precoding granularity, even-numbered precoding resource block groups (PRGs) in the frequency domain are assigned to a first TCI state, and odd-numbered PRGs are assigned to a second TCI state.

13. An integrated circuit for controlling processing of a communication device, the processing comprising: receiving downlink control information (DCI); obtaining a transmission configuration indication (TCI) indicator from the DCI, the TCI indicator specifying two or more TCI states; Including, The integrated circuit, wherein even-numbered precoding resource block groups (PRGs) in the frequency domain are assigned to a first TCI state and odd-numbered PRGs are assigned to a second TCI state based on a precoding granularity.

14. An integrated circuit for controlling a process of a scheduling node, the process comprising: transmitting downlink control information (DCI); providing, within the DCI, a transmission configuration indication (TCI) indicator specifying two or more TCI states; Including, The integrated circuit, wherein even-numbered precoding resource block groups (PRGs) in the frequency domain are assigned to a first TCI state and odd-numbered PRGs are assigned to a second TCI state based on a precoding granularity.

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