Method and apparatus for beam information reporting - Patents.com

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method, an apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium for beam information reporting. In the exemplary embodiment, a device obtains beam information by measurement. Furthermore, the device transmits a power headroom report (PHR) to a network node. The PHR includes a bitmap indicating whether beam information for multiple serving cells exists.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of communications, and more particularly to a method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium for beam information reporting. [Background technology]

[0002] To help the evolved NodeB (eNodeB) schedule transmission resources to different user devices in an appropriate manner, it is important for the user devices to report available power headroom to the eNodeB. This mechanism may be referred to as power headroom reporting (PHR). The eNodeB can use the power headroom reporting to determine the transmission resources used by the user device. The PHR helps to prevent allocating unnecessary transmission resources to the user device, preventing resource waste due to the allocation. In this disclosure, the user device is also referred to as user equipment (UE).

[0003] The PHR may include power headroom (PH) information and maximum permission exposure (MPE) information for the serving beam of the serving cell. However, if the quality of the serving beam is not good enough, it is necessary to report beam information for one or more additional beams of multiple serving cells to improve the transmission efficiency.

[0004] For fifth generation (5G) or beyond technology standards for broadband cellular networks, one user device can support connection to multiple serving cells, and each cell can support multiple beams. To improve the quality of communication, the user device needs to measure a reference signal (RS) and report the measured RS to the serving cell. However, how to efficiently report beam information for each serving cell is an open problem to be addressed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Generally, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium for beam information reporting.

[0006] In a first aspect, a method is provided, in which a user device acquires beam information by measurement. Further, the user device transmits a power headroom report (PHR) to a network node. The PHR includes a bitmap indicating whether beam information for multiple serving cells exists.

[0007] In some exemplary embodiments, if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the multiple serving cells, the PHR further includes first beam information for the first serving cell, where the first beam information includes an extension (E: extension) bit indicating whether second beam information exists for the serving cell.

[0008] In some example embodiments, if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the multiple serving cells, the beam information of the first serving cell further includes a bit indicating whether and / or how much power management maximum power reduction (P-MPR) is required by the user device when using the beam of the first serving cell.

[0009] In some exemplary embodiments, a user device may receive a beam information reporting configuration from a network node, the configuration including a maximum number of beams to be reported.

[0010] In some exemplary embodiments, the user device may trigger the transmission of a PHR when the maximum permissible exposure (MPE) of the beam is below a threshold amount or better than the MPE of the serving beam and / or the quality of the beam is above a threshold quality or better than the quality of the serving beam.

[0011] In some example embodiments, the user device may use a logical channel identity (LCID) to transmit the PHR if beam information for at least one of the multiple serving cells exists. In a second aspect, a method is provided. In the method, a network node receives a power headroom report (PHR) from a user device. The PHR includes a bitmap indicating whether beam information for the multiple serving cells exists. Furthermore, the network node obtains the beam information for the multiple serving cells based on the PHR.

[0012] In some exemplary embodiments, if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the multiple serving cells, the PHR further includes first beam information for the first serving cell, where the first beam information includes an extension (E) bit indicating whether second beam information exists for the serving cell.

[0013] In some exemplary embodiments, if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the multiple serving cells, the beam information of the first serving cell further includes a bit indicating whether and / or how much power management maximum power reduction value (P-MPR) is required by the user device when using the beam of the first serving cell.

[0014] In some exemplary embodiments, the network node may transmit a beam information reporting configuration to the user device, the configuration including a maximum number of beams to be reported.

[0015] In some exemplary embodiments, the network node may send a configuration to the user device regarding conditions for triggering transmission of a PHR when the maximum permissible exposure (MPE) of the beam is below a threshold amount or better than the MPE of the serving beam and / or the quality of the beam is above a threshold quality or better than the quality of the serving beam.

[0016] In some exemplary embodiments, the network node may send a configuration to the user device for using a logical channel identification (LCID) to send a PHR if beam information for at least one of the multiple serving cells exists. In a third aspect, an apparatus is provided that includes a transceiver and at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to obtain the beam information by measurement. Further, the transceiver is configured to send a power headroom report (PHR) to the network node. The PHR includes a bitmap indicating whether beam information for the multiple serving cells exists.

[0017] In a fourth aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising a transceiver and at least one processor. The transceiver is configured to receive a power headroom report (PHR) from a user device. The PHR includes a bitmap indicating whether beam information for multiple serving cells exists. Further, the at least one processor is configured to obtain the beam information for the multiple serving cells based on the PHR.

[0018] In a fifth aspect, there is provided a computer readable storage medium containing program instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a processor of a device, cause the device to perform a method according to the first or second aspects.

[0019] In this way, flexible and efficient beam information reporting is realized by adding a bitmap to the PHR to indicate whether beam information for multiple serving cells exists, thus preventing unnecessary signaling overhead and power consumption.

[0020] It should be understood that the "Summary" section is not intended to identify key or essential features of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description.

[0021] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary environment in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 illustrates a signaling flow between devices, in accordance with some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 illustrates an example structure of a PHR including beam information, in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates an example process for beam information reporting in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of an example method in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method according to some other example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for practicing exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers represent the same or similar elements.

[0024] In the following, the principles of the present disclosure will be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these exemplary embodiments are described merely for illustrative purposes, without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure, and are useful for those skilled in the art to understand and practice the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein may be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0025] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and / or scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0026] As used herein, the term "beam" may refer to a communication resource. Different beams may be considered as different resources. A beam may be represented as a spatial filter. A technique for forming a beam may be a beamforming technique or another technique. The beamforming technique may be, in particular, a digital beamforming technique, an analog beamforming technique, or a hybrid digital / analog beamforming technique. A communication device (including a terminal device and a network device) may communicate with another communication device via one or more beams. A beam may include one or more antenna ports and may be configured for a data channel, a control channel, etc. One or more antenna ports forming a beam may be considered as an antenna port set. A beam may be configured using a set of resources or a set of resources for measurement. For example, a CSI resource configuration may include a CSI-ResourceConfigId and a CSI-RS resource set.

[0027] As used herein, the term "network device" or "network node" refers to a device through which a service can be provided to a terminal device in a communication network. As an example, a network device may include a base station. As used herein, the term "base station" (BS) refers to a network device through which a service can be provided to a terminal device in a communication network. A base station may include any suitable device through which a terminal device or UE can access a communication network. Examples of base stations include a repeater, an access point (AP), a transmission point (TRP), a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a New Radio (NR) Node B (gNB), a Remote Radio Module (RRU), a radio header (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a low power node such as a femto, a pico, and the like.

[0028] As used herein, the terms "terminal device," "user device," or "user equipment" (UE) refer to any terminal device capable of wireless communication with each other or with a base station. The communication may include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic, radio, infrared, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information over the air. In some exemplary embodiments, the UE may be configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, the UE may transmit information to a base station on a predefined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to a request from the network side.

[0029] Examples of user devices include, but are not limited to, smartphones, wireless-enabled tablet computers, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE), sensors, measurement devices, personal wearables such as watches, and / or vehicles capable of communication. For purposes of explanation, some example embodiments are described with reference to a UE as an example of a terminal device, and the terms "terminal device" and "user equipment" (UE) may be used interchangeably in the context of this disclosure.

[0030] As used herein, the term "circuit" means (a) a hardware-only circuit implementation (e.g., an implementation in analog and / or digital circuitry only); (b) (where applicable) (i) combinations of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware, and (ii) combinations of hardware circuitry and software, such as any portion of a hardware processor (including a digital signal processor), software, and memory, that includes software, which in combination cause a device, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions; (c) may refer to one or more or all of hardware circuitry and / or processors, such as a microprocessor or part of a microprocessor, that requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but where the software is not required for operation, the software may not be present.

[0031] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including its use in any claims. As a further example, the term circuitry, as used in this application, also covers merely a hardware circuit or processor (or processors), or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor, as well as its (or their) associated software and / or firmware implementations. The term circuitry, for example, also covers baseband or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices, or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular base stations, or other computing stations or base stations, if applicable to certain claim elements.

[0032] As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term "comprises" and variations thereof should be read as open-ended terms meaning "including, but not limited to." The term "based on" should be read as "based at least in part on." The terms "one embodiment" and "embodiment" should be read as "at least one embodiment." The term "another embodiment" should be read as "at least one other embodiment." Other definitions may be included below, either explicitly or implicitly.

[0033] As used herein, terms such as "first", "second" and the like may be used to describe various elements herein, and the elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element can be called a second element, and similarly, a second element can be called a first element, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the indicated terms.

[0034] Further extensions to MIMO for NR are being discussed in the third generation partnership project (3GPP) radio access network (RAN) #86. RAN1 has agreed to extend MPE reporting with up to four P-MPR values, each corresponding to a specific candidate beam, identified by either the SSBRI or CRI.

[0035] In 3GPP Release 16 (Rel-16), it has been agreed that MPE reporting will be included as part of the PHR media access control (MAC) control element (CE). The trigger for MPE reporting may be specified as part of the PHR procedure.

[0036] In addition, it is discussed that in 3GPP Release 17 (Rel-17), MPE reporting will be extended from Rel-16 to add MPE reporting to the PHR MAC CE. It is further discussed that a UE that supports Rel-17 MPE reporting should also support Rel-16 MPE reporting, and that if a Rel-17 MPE configuration is provided, the UE should always use the Rel-17 P-MPR reporting format.

[0037] Furthermore, there is some discussion regarding the contents of the PHR. It has been discussed that the UE can be configured with an "MPE resource pool" (e.g., a list of SSB / CSI-RS resources used for MPE / P-MPR reporting) and that the network device can indicate how to report the P-MPR in the PHR for UEs that use many additional beams, both of which require the P bit and the MPE field. For beam identification, the UE needs to indicate the "MPE resource" index (i.e., the index of the SSB / CSI-RS resource used for MPE / P-MPR reporting) in the MAC CE, and for P-MPR, the P CMAX,f,cHowever, assuming that all of these beams are "virtual", it does not seem necessary to include the V bit in any of the beams.

[0038] In 3GPP Rel-17, it is discussed that the PHR MAC CE should indicate 0 to 4 instances of "beam information", and each "beam information" is a P bit, a 2-bit MPE field, a beam identification information field, and a P CMAX,f,c The beam information in this disclosure includes a CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI) or a synchronization signal (SS) / physical broadcast channel (PBCH) resource block indicator (SSBRI). For the "beam identification field", 6 bits for signaling CRI / SSBRI (e.g., beam index) are initially reserved to fit the existing maximum values ​​for SSB and CSI-RS. The CRI / SSBRI reporting field indicates the resource index configured in RRC of the MPE resource pool. It is also argued that the same changes need to be performed for all three different PHR formats: single entry PHR, multi-entry PHR with up to 8 cells, and multi-entry PHR with up to 32 cells.

[0039] Additionally, there is some discussion on PHR reporting for multiple Transmission Reception Points (mTRPs). In RAN1, it was agreed to indicate PHR for TRP1 and TRP2 when mTRP is configured. In Rel-17, it is recommended that the UE should replicate the existing PH reporting for each serving cell that uses mTRP, i.e., for each of TRP1 and TRP2, the fields P, PH (MPE or R), and P CMAX,f,cIn this case, the addition of mTRP based reporting adds a fixed 2 octets of overhead to the PHR for each serving cell that uses mTRP. Combining with MPE reporting can be performed without significant increase in complexity.

[0040] However, if the quality of the serving beam is not good enough, it is necessary to report additional beam information for one or more further beams of the serving cell to improve the transmission efficiency. Moreover, encoding additional beam information for each consecutive serving cell and indicating for each beam whether the beam is reported or not significantly increases the overhead when the UE decides not to report PH for a different beam of the cell, i.e., when the serving beam is good enough or there is no beam with better quality to report. In addition, until now, there has been no effective way to report additional beam information for multiple serving cells.

[0041] An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a scheme for beam information reporting. A device such as a UE uses this scheme to obtain beam information by measurement. In addition, the device transmits a power headroom report (PHR) to another device such as a network node. The PHR includes a bitmap indicating whether beam information for multiple serving cells exists.

[0042] The scheme facilitates flexible and efficient beam information reporting by adding a bitmap to the PHR to indicate whether beam information for multiple serving cells exists, thus preventing unnecessary signaling overhead and power consumption.

[0043] FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment 100 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0044] An environment 100, which may be part of a communication network, includes two devices 110 and 120 that communicate with each other or through each other with other devices.

[0045] Devices 110 and 120 may be implemented by any suitable device in a communication network. In some exemplary embodiments, device 110 may be implemented by a terminal device and device 120 may be implemented by a network device, or vice versa. In some other exemplary embodiments, devices 110 and 120 may both be implemented by a terminal device or a network device. For illustrative purposes only, in this example, a user device is chosen as an example of device 110, and a network node is chosen as an example of device 120.

[0046] It should be understood that two devices are shown in environment 100 for illustrative purposes only, without implying any limitation to the scope of the disclosure. In some exemplary embodiments, environment 100 may include additional devices for communicating with device 110 and device 120.

[0047] Communications within environment 100 may be in accordance with any suitable communications standard or protocol already in existence or developed in the future, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), long term evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTA-A), fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) standards, including, for example, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), time division multiplexing (TDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), Bluetooth, ZigBee, and machine type communication (MTC) standards. Any suitable communications technology may be employed, including mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC), carrier aggregation (CA), dual connection (DC), and new radio unlicensed (NR-U) technologies.

[0048] 2 illustrates a signaling flow 200 between device 110 and device 120, in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For purposes of explanation, signaling flow 200 is described with reference to FIG.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 2, the device 110 acquires beam information by measurement (205). For example, the beam information may include a beam identifier, an MPE, and a P_CMAX, a power headroom (PH), which are described in detail with reference to FIG. 3. For example, the device 110 may acquire beam information for multiple serving cells. The beam information of one serving cell of the multiple serving cells may include beam information for one or more additional beams of the serving cell, excluding the serving beam.

[0050] The device 110 (205) may obtain beam information by measuring the beams of each serving cell and select one or more beams according to a predefined criterion, such as exceeding some threshold or the best N beams (N is an integer).

[0051] It should be noted that the serving cell in this disclosure may include a primary cell (PCell), and / or a serving cell of a master cell group (MCG) other than a PCell, a secondary primary cell (SpCell), and / or a serving cell of a secondary cell group (SCG) other than a PSCell.

[0052] The device 110 may then determine how to include beam information for multiple serving cells in the PHR.

[0053] In some example embodiments, for a multiple entry PHR MAC CE format, a bitmap (also referred to as a Bi bitmap) may be included in the PHR to indicate whether beam information exists for multiple serving cells. For example, a Bi bitmap following an existing Ci bitmap may be included to indicate whether beam information is reported for one or more additional beams of a serving cell of the multiple serving cells.

[0054] A bit in the bitmap (also referred to as Bi bit) may be used to indicate whether beam information exists for one serving cell among multiple serving cells. As an example, if Bi=0, no additional beam information may be reported, and if Bi=1, at least one beam information for the serving cell may exist.

[0055] In some exemplary embodiments, the presence of the Bi bitmap in the PHR may be determined in multiple ways. For example, the R bit in the Ci bitmap may be used to indicate whether the Bi bitmap follows. In this way, the Bi bitmap may not be required to be signaled if no beam information is reported for any serving cell. The conventional LCID of the PHR may be used for the new PHR format.

[0056] Alternatively, the R bit may remain unused but reserved, in which case the logical channel identification (LCID) may be used to indicate whether beam information for multiple serving cells is present.

[0057] For example, the device 120 may send a configuration to the device 110 to use the LCID to send the PHR when there is beam information for at least one of the multiple serving cells. Thus, the device 110 may receive the configuration from the device 120 and then use the LCID to send the PHR when there is beam information for at least one of the multiple serving cells. Alternatively, when additional beam information reporting for at least one serving cell is configured, a format for reporting the additional beam with a different LCID from the conventional LCID is always used for the PHR. Alternatively, a PHR format including both LCIDs can be used, and which LCID should be used depends on whether there is beam information reported for at least one serving cell. In some examples, the above LCID may refer to an eLCID.

[0058] Alternatively, the R bit may be used to indicate beam information for the primary cell (PCell). In this case, the Bi bitmap may always be included in the PHR. Alternatively, a different LCID may be used to indicate whether the Bi bitmap is included as described above.

[0059] In some exemplary embodiments, the size of the beam information bitmap may be determined in a number of ways. For example, the beam information bitmap may have a fixed size. For example, if there are eight serving cells, the beam information bitmap may have one octet. For example, if there are 32 serving cells, the beam information bitmap may have four octets.

[0060] In some exemplary embodiments, one bit in the Bi bitmap is reserved and the beam information of C0 (Ci for i=0) is always present in the PHR report.

[0061] Alternatively, the beam information bitmap may indicate only cells for which beam information reporting is configured by device 210. In this case, if seven or fewer serving cells are configured to report additional beam information, the beam information bitmap may have one octet. For example, if up to 32 serving cells are configured to report additional beam information, the beam information bitmap may have four octets.

[0062] Alternatively, the size of the beam information bitmap may be determined based on the highest serving cell index configured using the additional beam information. If the highest serving cell index is less than 8, the beam information bitmap may have 1 octet. Otherwise, the bitmap may have 4 octets.

[0063] Alternatively, the size of the beam information bitmap may be determined based on the number of activated serving cells. In this case, the size of the beam information bitmap may be determined based on the number of serving cells indicated to be reported by the Ci bitmap. That is, the size of the beam information bitmap may be determined based on the number of serving cells for which PH is configured to be reported.

[0064] Alternatively, the size of the beam information bitmap may be determined based on a combination of the above determination techniques.

[0065] In some example embodiments, if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for one serving cell (also referred to as a first serving cell) of the multiple serving cells, the PHR may further include beam information (also referred to as first beam information) of the serving cell. In this case, an additional bit (also referred to as an extension (E) bit) in the first beam information for the serving cell may be used to indicate whether further beam information (also referred to as second beam information) for the serving cell exists. In this case, the E bit in the first beam information may be used to indicate whether the first beam information for the current beam being reported is followed by the second beam information for another beam. Thus, the device 120 may be able to distinguish the location of the boundary of the beam information of the serving cell. That is, the device 120 may be able to determine the end of the beam information of the serving cell.

[0066] In some exemplary embodiments, device 120 may transmit a beam information reporting configuration to device 110. For example, the configuration may include a maximum number of beams to be reported. Thus, device 110 may receive a beam information reporting configuration from device 120. As an example, the maximum number of additional beams to be reported may be four. In this case, the number of beams to be reported for each of the multiple serving cells may be configured by device 120, respectively. That is, the number of beams of a serving cell to be reported may be different or the same as another serving cell. In some exemplary embodiments, the configuration may include one or more thresholds for triggering the reporting of beam information.

[0067] In some example embodiments, if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the multiple serving cells, the beam information of the first serving cell may further include a bit to indicate whether and / or how much P-MPR is required by the user device when using the beam of the first serving cell. For example, the beam information of the first serving cell may include a "MPE or R" field to indicate the MPE of the beam of the first serving cell. For example, the beam information of the first serving cell may further include a "P_CMAX" field.

[0068] In some exemplary embodiments, the Bi bitmap may not be included in the PHR. If the Bi bitmap may not be included in the PHR, one specific beam identity value in one octet may be reserved to indicate whether any other additional beam information is included. In this case, for example, one specific beam identity value may be used to indicate that no additional beam information regarding the serving cell is included in the PHR.

[0069] In some exemplary embodiments, for each serving cell for which the Bi bitmap indicates that one or more beam information octets are to be reported, an octet of the PH of the serving cell may precede the one or more beam information octets.

[0070] In some example embodiments, if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the multiple serving cells, the beam information of the first serving cell may further include a field to indicate the PH of the beam of the first serving cell. For example, the PH of the beam information of the first serving cell may be encoded in a separate byte reported for the beam or may be encoded in place of the "P_CMAX" field. For example, if power backoff is not required, the PH may be reported in place of the "P_CMAX" field.

[0071] 2, device 110 transmits 210 a power headroom report (PHR) to device 120. For example, the PHR includes a bitmap indicating whether beam information for multiple serving cells is present.

[0072] In some exemplary embodiments, device 120 may transmit to device 110 configurations regarding conditions for triggering transmission of a PHR when the MPE of the beam is below a threshold amount or better than the MPE of the serving beam and / or the quality of the beam is above a threshold quality or better than the quality of the serving beam. In response, device 110 may trigger transmission of a PHR.

[0073] In some exemplary embodiments, device 110 may trigger transmission of the PHR if the MPE of the beam is below a threshold amount or better than the MPE of the serving beam. Alternatively, device 110 may trigger transmission of the PHR if the quality of the beam is above a threshold quality or better than the quality of the serving beam.

[0074] In some example embodiments, two TRPs (e.g., TRP0 and TRP1) may be configured for a serving cell, and two Bi bitmaps (referred to as the first Bi bitmap and the second Bi bitmap) may be used to indicate whether beam information exists for each of the two TRPs of the serving cell. In this case, the first Bi bitmap and the second Bi bitmap may indicate beam information reporting separately for each TRP.

[0075] In some example embodiments, for each serving cell, the device 120 may separately configure whether one or two TRPs are used. For example, for each TRP, the number of beams reported for different serving cells may be configured by the device 120, respectively.

[0076] For example, the second Bi bitmap may have the same size as the first Bi bitmap. The size of the Bi bitmap may be determined by the above-mentioned techniques. For the purpose of simplicity, details are omitted.

[0077] Alternatively, the second Bi bitmap may be restricted by serving cells configured using beam information reporting based on multiple TRPs and / or mTRPs, in which case the first Bi bitmap may be used only to indicate beam information for serving cells configured using mTRPs, while the second Bi bitmap may be used to indicate beam information for serving cells for which no mTRP is configured.

[0078] Alternatively, there may be only one Bi bitmap per serving cell, with the serving cell's bit set to 1 as long as beam information for at least one of the TRPs is indicated. If no beam information for the other TRP is reported, a reserved beam ID is used to indicate the absence of beam information for this TRP. If no beam information for both TRPs is reported, the serving cell's bit is set to 0.

[0079] Alternatively, the Bi bitmap is not used in the PHR to indicate beam information reporting. If the Bi bitmap is not included in the PHR, a specific beam ID may be reserved to indicate that no beam information is available for the serving cell.

[0080] In some exemplary embodiments, the new PHR format may be used only to report beam information for one of the two TRPs for each serving cell. In this case, the TRP may be encoded in the PHR as described above. That is, the first Bi bitmap may be determined as specified above. The device 110 may then also transmit another PHR identified by a different LCID that contains only the second Bi bitmap as specified above and beam information for each indicated serving cell.

[0081] In some example embodiments, for the single-entry PHR format, a separate LCID (or eLCID) may be used to indicate that a PHR containing beam information is being reported and that the beam information reporting follows the principles as described above. In this case, no bitmap is required. In this way, the R bit may be preserved for future use and the fixed size nature of the single-entry PHR format may be maintained.

[0082] FIG. 3 illustrates an example structure of a PHR including beam information, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0083] As shown in Figure 3, eight cells are configured. For example, the R bit in the Ci bitmap may be used to indicate whether a Bi bitmap follows. Alternatively, the LCID or eLCID may be used to indicate whether beam information for multiple serving cells exists.

[0084] The Bi bitmap is shown at 302. A bit in the Bi bitmap 302 indicates whether beam information is present for one serving cell of multiple serving cells. For example, the beam information includes a P field, an E field, a beam index field, an MPE field, and a P_CMAX field. The P field is used to indicate information associated with power backoff. The E field may be used to indicate the presence of further beam information octets. The beam index field is used to indicate the index of the beam. The MPE field is used to indicate the MPE of the beam. The P_CMAX field is used to indicate the configured maximum transmit power of the UE and is used in the calculation of the preceding PH field.

[0085] For example, beam information for a primary cell (also referred to as serving cell 0) is shown at 304. The information for the primary cell includes beam information for four beams of the primary cell. For example, an E1 bit in the beam information for a first beam of the primary cell may indicate the presence of beam information for a second beam. As an example, an E field in the beam information for a fourth beam may be reserved since a maximum of four beams are allowed to be configured. Similarly, beam information for another serving cell (also referred to as serving cell 1) is shown at 306.

[0086] 4 illustrates an example process 400 for beam information reporting in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes, the process 400 is described with reference to FIG. 1. For example, the device 110 is implemented by a UE 401 and the device 120 is implemented by a network device 403.

[0087] 4, at 404, the network device 403 may configure the UE 401 with beam information reporting. For example, the UE 401 may be configured to report beam information for up to four beams. As an example, the network device 403 may transmit a configuration regarding conditions for triggering transmission of a PHR when the MPE of the beam is below a threshold amount or better than the MPE of the serving beam and / or the quality of the beam is above a threshold quality or better than the quality of the serving beam.

[0088] At 406, the UE 401 may acquire beam information.

[0089] At 408, the UE 401 may trigger a PHR report based on the configuration for the condition. In some example embodiments, the UE 401 may trigger a PHR report if the MPE of the beam is below a threshold amount or better than the MPE of the serving beam and / or the quality of the beam is above a threshold quality or better than the quality of the serving beam.

[0090] At 410, the UE 401 may include the beam information in the PHR and set bits of the beam information accordingly, such as, for example, a Bi bitmap.

[0091] Next, at 412, the UE 401 transmits a PHR including the beam information to the network device 403.

[0092] The network device 403 receives the PHR including the beam information and acquires the beam information accordingly. The network device acquires the beam information according to 414 and 416, for example.

[0093] At 414, the network device 403 may check the PHR for the presence of beam information, for example based on the R bit or the LCID or eLCID.

[0094] At 416, the network device 403 may check how many beam information elements may be included in the PHR based on the bit indication, for example based on at least the Bi bitmap and the E bit.

[0095] Then, at 418, the network device 403 may utilize the beam information to determine a beam for the UE 401.

[0096] All of the operations and features described above with reference to Figures 1-3 are equally applicable to and have similar effect on process 400. For purposes of simplicity, details have been omitted.

[0097] 5 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 500 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 500 may be implemented in a device 110 such as that shown in FIG 1. For purposes of explanation, the method 500 is described with reference to FIG 1.

[0098] In block 505, the device 110 obtains beam information through measurements. In block 510, the device 110 transmits a power headroom report (PHR) to the device 120. The PHR includes a bitmap indicating whether beam information for multiple serving cells exists.

[0099] In some exemplary embodiments, if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the multiple serving cells, the PHR further includes first beam information for the first serving cell, where the first beam information includes an extension (E) bit indicating whether second beam information exists for the serving cell.

[0100] In some exemplary embodiments, if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the multiple serving cells, the beam information of the first serving cell further includes a bit indicating whether and / or how much power management maximum power reduction value (P-MPR) is required by device 110 when using the beam of the first serving cell.

[0101] In some exemplary embodiments, device 110 may receive a beam information reporting configuration from device 120. The configuration includes a maximum number of beams to be reported.

[0102] In some exemplary embodiments, device 110 may trigger the transmission of a PHR when the maximum permissible exposure (MPE) of the beam is below a threshold amount or better than the MPE of the serving beam and / or the quality of the beam is above a threshold quality or better than the quality of the serving beam.

[0103] In some example embodiments, the device 110 may use a logical channel identification (LCID) to transmit the PHR if beam information for at least one of the multiple serving cells is present.

[0104] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that all of the acts and features described above with reference to FIGS. 1-4 are equally applicable to method 500 and have similar effect.

[0105] 6 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 600 according to some other example embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 600 may be implemented in a device 120 such as that shown in FIG 1. For purposes of explanation, the method 600 is described with reference to FIG 1.

[0106] In block 605, the device 120 receives a power headroom report (PHR) from the device 110. The PHR includes a bitmap indicating whether beam information for multiple serving cells exists. In block 610, the device 120 obtains beam information for multiple serving cells based on the PHR.

[0107] In some exemplary embodiments, if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the multiple serving cells, the PHR further includes first beam information for the first serving cell, where the first beam information includes an extension (E) bit indicating whether second beam information exists for the serving cell.

[0108] In some exemplary embodiments, if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the multiple serving cells, the beam information of the first serving cell further includes a bit indicating whether and / or how much power management maximum power reduction value (P-MPR) is required by device 110 when using the beam of the first serving cell.

[0109] In some example embodiments, the device 120 may send a beam information reporting configuration to the device 110. The configuration includes a maximum number of beams to be reported.

[0110] In some exemplary embodiments, device 120 may transmit to device 110 a configuration regarding conditions for triggering transmission of a PHR when the maximum permissible exposure (MPE) of the beam is below a threshold amount or better than the MPE of the serving beam and / or the quality of the beam is above a threshold quality or better than the quality of the serving beam.

[0111] In some exemplary embodiments, device 120 may send a configuration to device 110 to use a logical channel identification (LCID) to transmit a PHR when beam information for at least one of multiple serving cells is present.

[0112] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that all of the acts and features described above with reference to FIGS. 1-4 are equally applicable to method 600 and have similar effect.

[0113] 7 is a simplified block diagram of a device 700 suitable for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Device 700 may be implemented in or as part of device 110 or device 120 as shown in FIG.

[0114] As shown in the figure, the device 700 includes a processor 710, a communication module 730. The device 700 may further include a memory 720 coupled to the processor 710. The device 700 may further include a communication interface (not shown) coupled to the communication module 730. The memory 720 may store at least a program 740. The communication module 730 is for bidirectional communication, for example via multiple antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface required for communication. The communication module 730 may be, for example, a transceiver.

[0115] The program 740 is assumed to include program instructions that, when executed by an associated processor 710, cause the device 700 to operate according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure as described herein with reference to Figures 1-6. The exemplary embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 710 of the device 700, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 710 may be configured to implement various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0116] The memory 720 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as, by way of non-limiting example, non-transitory computer-readable storage media, semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. Although only one memory 720 is shown in the device 700, multiple physically distinct memory modules may be present in the device 700. The processor 710 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may include, by way of non-limiting example, one or more of general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and processors based on multi-core processor architectures. The device 700 may include multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips time-slaved to a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0117] When device 700 functions as device 110 or part of device 110, processor 710 and communication module 730 may cooperate to perform method 500 as described above with reference to Figures 1-4. When device 700 functions as device 120 or part of device 120, processor 710 and communication module 730 may cooperate to perform method 600 as described above with reference to Figures 1-4. All operations and features described above with reference to Figures 1-6 are equally applicable to device 700 and have similar effect. For purposes of simplicity, details are omitted.

[0118] In general, various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in, by way of non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or any combination thereof.

[0119] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as computer-executable instructions included in a program module, that execute on a real or virtual target processor in a device to execute the method 500 or 600 described above with reference to Figs. 1-4. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or divided among program modules as desired in various exemplary embodiments. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules may be executed in a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0120] Program codes for carrying out the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus such that, when executed by the processor or controller, the program codes cause the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be performed. The program codes may be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine and on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0121] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program code or associated data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations as described above. Examples of the carrier include a signal, a computer readable medium.

[0122] The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium include electrical connections including one or more wires, portable floppy disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD), optical storage device, electromagnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0123] Furthermore, although operations are shown in a particular order, it should not be understood that such operations need to be performed in the particular order shown, or in any sequential order, nor should all of the shown operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although the above description includes details of certain implementations, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to certain exemplary embodiments. Certain features described in the context of separate exemplary embodiments may be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, individual features described in the context of a single embodiment may be implemented in multiple exemplary embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[0124] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or method acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

[0125] Various exemplary embodiments of the present technology have been described. In addition to or as an alternative to the above, the following examples are described. Features described in any of the following examples may be utilized with any of the other examples described herein.

[0126] In some aspects, the method includes obtaining, by a user device, beam information through measurements, and transmitting, by the user device, a power headroom report (PHR) to a network node, the PHR including a bitmap indicating whether beam information for multiple serving cells exists.

[0127] In some exemplary embodiments, if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the multiple serving cells, the PHR further includes first beam information for the first serving cell, where the first beam information includes an extension (E) bit indicating whether second beam information exists for the serving cell.

[0128] In some exemplary embodiments, if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the multiple serving cells, the beam information of the first serving cell further includes a bit indicating whether and / or how much power management maximum power reduction value (P-MPR) is required by the user device when using the beam of the first serving cell.

[0129] In some exemplary embodiments, the method further includes receiving, by the user device, a beam information reporting configuration from the network node, the configuration including a maximum number of beams to be reported.

[0130] In some exemplary embodiments, transmitting the PHR to the network device includes causing the user device to transmit the PHR when the maximum permissible exposure (MPE) of the beam is below a threshold amount or better than the MPE of the serving beam and / or the quality of the beam is above a threshold quality or better than the quality of the serving beam.

[0131] In some example embodiments, the method further includes using a logical channel identification (LCID) by the user device to transmit the PHR when beam information for at least one of the multiple serving cells is present.

[0132] In some aspects, the method includes receiving, by a network node, a power headroom report (PHR) from a user device, the PHR including a bitmap indicating whether beam information for multiple serving cells exists, and obtaining beam information for the multiple serving cells based on the PHR.

[0133] In some exemplary embodiments, if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the multiple serving cells, the PHR further includes first beam information for the first serving cell, where the first beam information includes an extension (E) bit indicating whether second beam information exists for the serving cell.

[0134] In some exemplary embodiments, if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the multiple serving cells, the beam information of the first serving cell further includes a bit indicating whether and / or how much power management maximum power reduction value (P-MPR) is required by the user device when using the beam of the first serving cell.

[0135] In some exemplary embodiments, the method further includes transmitting, by the network node, a beam information reporting configuration to the user device, the configuration including a maximum number of beams to be reported.

[0136] In some exemplary embodiments, the method further includes transmitting, by the network node, a configuration to the user device regarding conditions for triggering transmission of a PHR when a maximum permissible exposure (MPE) of the beam is below a threshold amount or better than the MPE of the serving beam and / or the quality of the beam is above a threshold quality or better than the quality of the serving beam.

[0137] In some example embodiments, the method further includes transmitting, by the network node, a configuration to the user device for using a logical channel identification (LCID) to transmit the PHR when beam information for at least one of the multiple serving cells is present.

[0138] In some aspects, the apparatus comprises a transceiver and at least one processor, where the at least one processor is configured to obtain beam information by measurement, and where the transceiver is configured to transmit a power headroom report (PHR) to a network node, where the PHR includes a bitmap indicating whether beam information for multiple serving cells exists.

[0139] In some exemplary embodiments, if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the multiple serving cells, the PHR further includes first beam information for the first serving cell, where the first beam information includes an extension (E) bit indicating whether second beam information exists for the serving cell.

[0140] In some exemplary embodiments, if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the multiple serving cells, the beam information of the first serving cell further includes a bit indicating whether and / or how much power management maximum power reduction value (P-MPR) is required by the user device when using the beam of the first serving cell.

[0141] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus is further caused to receive a beam information reporting configuration from the network node, the configuration including a maximum number of beams to be reported.

[0142] In some exemplary embodiments, the at least one processor is configured to trigger transmission of the PHR when the maximum permissible exposure (MPE) of the beam is below a threshold amount or better than the MPE of the serving beam and / or the quality of the beam is above a threshold quality or better than the quality of the serving beam.

[0143] In some exemplary embodiments, the at least one processor is further configured to use a logical channel identification (LCID) to transmit the PHR if beam information for at least one of the multiple serving cells is present.

[0144] In some aspects, the apparatus comprises a transceiver and at least one processor, where the transceiver is configured to receive a power headroom report (PHR) from a user device, the PHR including a bitmap indicating whether beam information for multiple serving cells exists, and where the at least one processor is configured to obtain the beam information for the multiple serving cells based on the PHR.

[0145] In some exemplary embodiments, if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the multiple serving cells, the PHR further includes first beam information for the first serving cell, where the first beam information includes an extension (E) bit indicating whether second beam information exists for the serving cell.

[0146] In some exemplary embodiments, if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the multiple serving cells, the beam information of the first serving cell further includes a bit indicating whether and / or how much power management maximum power reduction value (P-MPR) is required by the user device when using the beam of the first serving cell.

[0147] In some exemplary embodiments, the transceiver is further configured to transmit a beam information reporting configuration to the user device, the configuration including a maximum number of beams to be reported.

[0148] In some exemplary embodiments, the at least one processor is further configured to transmit a configuration to the user device regarding conditions for triggering transmission of a PHR when a maximum permissible exposure (MPE) of the beam is below a threshold amount or better than the MPE of the serving beam and / or the quality of the beam is above a threshold quality or better than the quality of the serving beam.

[0149] In some exemplary embodiments, the transceiver is further configured to transmit, to the user device, a configuration for using a logical channel identification (LCID) to transmit the PHR when beam information for at least one of the multiple serving cells is present.

[0150] In some aspects, a computer-readable storage medium includes stored program instructions that, when executed by a processor of a device, cause the device to perform methods according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. 1. A method for beamforming information reporting, comprising: acquiring beam information by measurement by a user device; 2. A method comprising: transmitting, by a user device, a power headroom report (PHR) to a network node, the PHR including a bitmap indicating whether beam information for multiple serving cells is present.

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the plurality of serving cells, the PHR further includes first beam information for the first serving cell, the first beam information including an extension (E) bit indicating whether second beam information exists for the serving cell.

3. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the plurality of serving cells, the beam information of the first serving cell further includes a bit indicating whether and / or how much power management maximum power reduction value (P-MPR) is required by the user device when using the beam of the first serving cell.

4. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising receiving, by the user device, a configuration of the beam information report from the network node, the configuration including a maximum number of beams to be reported.

5. transmitting the PHR to the network device; by the user device The maximum permissible exposure (MPE) of the beam is less than a threshold amount or better than the MPE of the serving beam, and / or The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising triggering the transmission of the PHR if a quality of a beam is higher than a threshold quality or better than a quality of the serving beam.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising using a logical channel identification (LCID) to transmit the PHR if beam information for at least one of the plurality of serving cells is present by the user device.

7. 1. A method for beamforming information reporting, comprising: receiving, by a network node, a power headroom report (PHR) from a user device, the PHR including a bitmap indicating whether beam information for multiple serving cells is present; and obtaining beam information for the plurality of serving cells based on the PHR.

8. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the plurality of serving cells, the PHR further includes first beam information for the first serving cell, the first beam information including an extension (E) bit indicating whether second beam information exists for the serving cell.

9. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the plurality of serving cells, the beam information of the first serving cell further includes a bit indicating whether and / or how much power management maximum power reduction value (P-MPR) is required by the user device when using the beam of the first serving cell.

10. The method of any one of claims 7 to 9, further comprising transmitting, by the network node, a configuration of the beam information report to the user device, the configuration including a maximum number of beams to be reported.

11. by said network node The maximum permissible exposure (MPE) of the beam is less than a threshold amount or better than the MPE of the serving beam, and / or The method of any one of claims 7 to 10, further comprising transmitting to the user device a configuration regarding conditions for triggering transmission of the PHR when the quality of the beam is higher than a threshold quality or better than the quality of the serving beam.

12. The method of any one of claims 7 to 11, further comprising transmitting, by the network node, a configuration to the user device for using a logical channel identity (LCID) for transmitting the PHR when beam information for at least one of the plurality of serving cells is present.

13. An apparatus comprising a transceiver and at least one processor, the at least one processor comprising: configured to obtain beam information by measurement; The transceiver, 11. An apparatus configured to transmit a power headroom report (PHR) to a network node, the PHR including a bitmap indicating whether beam information for multiple serving cells is present.

14. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the plurality of serving cells, the PHR further includes first beam information for the first serving cell, the first beam information including an extension (E) bit indicating whether second beam information exists for the serving cell.

15. The at least one processor: The maximum permissible exposure (MPE) of the beam is less than a threshold amount or better than the MPE of the serving beam, and / or 15. The apparatus of claim 13 or 14, configured to trigger the transmission of the PHR if a quality of a beam is higher than a threshold quality or better than a quality of the serving beam.

16. The at least one processor: The apparatus of any one of claims 13 to 15, further configured to use a logical channel identification (LCID) for transmitting the PHR if beam information for at least one of the plurality of serving cells is present.

17. An apparatus comprising a transceiver and at least one processor, the transceiver comprising: The method is configured to receive a power headroom report (PHR) from a user device, the PHR including a bitmap indicating whether beam information for multiple serving cells is present; The at least one processor: An apparatus configured to obtain beam information for the plurality of serving cells based on the PHR.

18. 20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein if a bit in the bitmap indicates that beam information exists for a first serving cell of the plurality of serving cells, the PHR further includes first beam information for the first serving cell, the first beam information including an extension (E) bit indicating whether second beam information exists for the serving cell.

19. The transceiver, The maximum permissible exposure (MPE) of the beam is less than a threshold amount or better than the MPE of the serving beam, and / or 19. The apparatus of claim 17 or 18, further configured to transmit to the user device a configuration regarding conditions for triggering transmission of the PHR when a quality of a beam is higher than a threshold quality or better than a quality of the serving beam.

20. The transceiver, The apparatus of any one of claims 17 to 20, further configured to transmit to the user device a configuration for using a logical channel identification (LCID) to transmit the PHR when beam information for at least one of the plurality of serving cells is present.

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