Timing Advance and Extension of Channel State Information

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication technologies, network topologies, and implementations of communication devices, and more particularly, to a multi-transmit receive point (multi-TRP) uplink (UL) transmission scheme. The multi-TRP UL transmission scheme relates to timing advance (TA) association for multi-TRP operation, extension of channel state information (CSI), and extension of codebook structure. To extend the performance of the Rel-16 codebook, a new codebook structure is constructed by extending the Rel-16 codebook in the time dimension (TD) using mutually orthogonal discrete Fourier transform (DFT) bases while preserving the Rel-16 codebook structure in the spatial dimension (SD) and the frequency dimension (FD).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] [Cross - Reference to Related Applications] This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 336,991, filed on April 29, 2022, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 485,804, filed on February 17, 2023, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] [Technical Field] This disclosure generally relates to wireless communication technologies, network topologies, and implementations of communication devices, and more particularly, to multi - transmission reception point (TRP) uplink (UL) transmission schemes, extensions of channel state information (CSI), and extensions of codebook structures.

Background Art

[0003] The fifth - generation (5G) wireless network supports multi - transmission reception point (multi - TRP) operation to provide improved reliability, coverage, and capacity performance. In multi - TRP operation, the serving cell schedules user equipment (UE) from two transmit / receive points (TRP), and can provide better coverage, reliability, and / or data rate for the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0004] Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To facilitate this description, like reference numerals indicate like structural elements. The embodiments are shown by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0005] The present disclosure describes techniques and methods for the association of timing advance (TA) for multi-TRP (mTRP) operation and the extension of channel state information (CSI). To extend the performance of the Rel-16 codebook, a new codebook structure is constructed by extending the Rel-16 codebook in the time dimension (TD) using mutually orthogonal Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) bases while preserving the Rel-16 codebook structure in the spatial dimension (SD) and the frequency dimension (FD).

[0006] 1. Aspects of Multi-TRP, Timing Advance (TA), and Channel State Information (CSI) Release (Rel-) 17 new radio (NR) supports the repetition / transmission of the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) and the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) of mTRP, which means that the same uplink (UL) data or control information can be transmitted to multiple TRPs as multiple repetitions / transmissions in multiple time slots or sub-slots. However, in each time slot or sub-slot, only one UL transmission opportunity towards a specific TRP can exist. To more efficiently utilize multiple TRPs, the Rel-18 5G / NR system supports a simultaneous mTRP transmission scheme in the UL. In particular, to increase the overall capacity and also to increase the robustness of the transmission against potential interference of the channel, the UE 102 may transmit signals targeting two or more TRPs 108 simultaneously as shown in FIG. 1.

[0007] FIG. 1 shows an example of mTRP operation 100. In mTRP operation, the serving cell schedules UE 102 from two or more TRPs (e.g., TRP 108-1 and TRP 108-2 in FIG. 1), and can provide better coverage, reliability, and / or data rate for PDSCH, PDCCH, PUSCH, and PUCCH. In the example of FIG. 1, UE 102 transmits a first beam 106-1 to (or towards) the first TRP 108-1 and a second beam 106-2 to (or towards) the second TRP 108-2. Further, the first beam 106-1 (within band 1) includes a first PUSCH repetition (rep1) to TRP 108-1, and the second beam 106-2 (within band 2) includes a second PUSCH repetition (rep2) to TRP 108-2. Here, UE 102 may be the same as or similar to UE 702, UE 802, hardware resource 900, and / or any other UE discussed herein, and TRP 108 may be the same as or similar to RAN 704, AP 706, AN 708, AN 804, hardware resource 900, and / or any other AN / NAN discussed herein.

[0008] For the PUSCH repetition / transmission of mTRP, according to the indication in a semi-statically configured grant provided via a single downlink control information (DCI) or radio resource control (RRC) signaling, the UE 102 performs PUSCH transmissions of the same content towards two or more TRPs 108, and the corresponding beam directions 106 are associated with different spatial relationships. For the PUCCH repetition of mTRP, the UE 102 performs PUCCH transmissions of the same content towards two or more TRPs 108, and the corresponding beam directions 106 are associated with different spatial relationships. For the inter-cell multi-TRP operation, for the PDSCH transmission of mDCI, the transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state can be associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB) having a physical cell identifier (PCI) different from the PCI of the serving cell. The activated TCI state can be associated with at most one PCI different from the PCI of the serving cell at a time.

[0009] To support the simultaneous mTRP transmission mode in UL, different transmission modes can be considered. For example, the mTRP transmission can be scheduled by either a single DCI (sDCI) or multiple DCIs (mDCI), the mTRP transmission opportunities can be multiplexed in the time domain (TD), frequency domain (FD), and spatial domain (SD), and the resource allocation for the mTRP transmission can be different, etc.

[0010] In NR, the timing advance (referred to as "TA" or "T" ADV") is a parameter or command transmitted by a base station (BS) (e.g., TRP108, RAN704, AP706, AN708, AN804, hardware resource 900, etc.) to UE102 to adjust the UL (e.g., PUSCH, PUCCH, sounding reference signal (SRS), etc.) transmission timing. UE102 uses TA to adjust its UL frame timing with respect to the DL frame timing.

[0011] Figure 2 shows an exemplary UL-DL timing relationship 200, where the parameter T TA represents the TA between DL frame i and UL frame i. The UL frame i for transmission from UE102 starts T TA before the start of the corresponding DL frame i at UE102. The parameter T TA can be calculated according to the following formula.

[0012] T TA =(N TA +N TA,offset +N TA,adj common +N TA,adj UE )T c In the above formula, N TA is the TA between DL and UL excluding msgA transmission on PUSCH, and N TA = 0 is used (see, for example, [TS38213] §4.2). N TA,offset is a fixed offset used to calculate the TA (see, for example, [TS38213] §4.2). N TA,adj common is derived from the upper layer parameters TACommon, TACommonDrift, and TACommonDriftVariation if configured, otherwise, N TA,adj common = 0 is the network controlled timing correction (see, for example, [TS38213] §4.2). N TA,adj UEis the UE-derived timing correction calculated by UE102 based on the UE position and upper layer parameters related to serving-satellite-ephemeris when configured, and N TA,adj UE =0 (see, for example, [TS38213] §4.2). T c is the basic time unit of NR (see, for example, [TS38211] §4.1).

[0013] The BS determines the desired TA setting and provides the TA to UE102. UE102 uses the provided TA to determine its UL transmission timing relative to the observed DL reception timing of UE102 (e.g., T TA ). For example, the BS measures the time difference between the reception of UL transmissions (e.g., PUSCH, PUCCH, SRS, etc.) and the local subframe timing, and as a result, the BS knows whether the UL transmission arrives at the BS too early or too late. Then, the BS calculates or determines the TA, generates a TA command (TAC), and transmits the TA / TAC to UE120. UE102 adjusts its next / scheduled UL transmission according to the TAC value to align the UL transmission with the subframe timing of the BS. For example, UE102 transmits earlier if the TAC value is positive, and UE102 transmits later if the TAC value is negative.

[0014] The BS is responsible for maintaining the TA to keep layer 1 (L1) synchronized. Serving cells having UL with the same TA applied and using the same timing reference cell are grouped into a TA group (TAG). A TAG is a group of serving cells configured by the RRC that use the same timing reference cell and the same TA value for the configured UL cells. According to various embodiments, a serving cell or TAG can use at least two different TA values as described below.

[0015] Each TAG includes at least one serving cell having a configured UL, and the mapping of each serving cell to a TAG is configured by RRC. For example, the RRC message can include a serving cell configuration (e.g., ServingCellConfig information element (IE)) used to configure (e.g., add or modify) UE102 in a serving cell. The configured serving cell can be a special cell (SpCell) or a secondary cell (SCell) of a master cell group (MCG) or a secondary cell group (SCG). The ServingCellConfig IE includes a "tag-Id" field that contains the TAG ID to which the serving cell belongs, as described herein and / or as specified in [TS38321]. The RRC entity / layer also configures the following parameters for maintaining UL timing alignment, namely, the timeAlignmentTimer (per TAG) that controls the length of time that the MAC entity considers when the serving cells belonging to the associated TAG are UL time-aligned, the inactivePosSRS-TimeAlignmentTimer that controls the length of time that the MAC entity considers when positioning SRS transmission in RRC_INACTIVE is UL time-aligned (see, e.g., section 5.26 of [TS38321]), and / or the cg-SDT-TimeAlignmentTimer that controls the length of time that the MAC entity considers when configured grant-based small data transmission (CG-SDT) is UL time-aligned. For the primary TAG (PTAG), UE102 uses the primary cell (PCell) as the timing reference, except for shared spectrum channel access where an SCell can also be used in certain cases (see, e.g., [TS38133] §7.1).For the secondary TAG (STAG), UE102 may use any of the activated SCell of this TAG as the timing reference cell, but should not change it unless necessary.

[0016] Furthermore or alternatively, UE102 can be provided with the value N of the TA offset of the serving cell according to the parameter n-TimingAdvanceOffset for the serving cell. TA,offset If the n-TimingAdvanceOffset parameter for the serving cell is not provided to UE102, UE102 determines the default value N of the TA offset for the serving cell as described in [TS38133]. TA,offset If UE102 is composed of two UL carriers for the serving cell, the same TA offset value N TA,offset is applied to both carriers. When receiving the TAC for the TAG, UE102 adjusts the UL timing for UL transmissions (e.g., PUSCH, SRS, PUCCH, etc.) on all serving cells within the TAG based on the value N TA,offset which UE102 assumes to be the same for all serving cells within the TAG, and based on the received TAC. Here, the UL timing of the UL transmission is the same for all serving cells within the TAG. 2 μ ·For a 15 kHz subcarrier spacing (SCS), the TAC for the TAG indicates the change in UL timing relative to the current UL timing of the TAG that is a multiple of 16·64·T c / 2 μ . The start timing of the random access (RA) preamble is described in [TS38211].

[0017] TA updates are signaled by the BS to UE102 via a TAC medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), an absolute TAC (aTAC) MAC CE, or a random access response (RAR). FIG. 2 also shows an exemplary TAC MAC CE210, which is identified by a MAC subheader having a logical channel ID (LCID) as specified in Table 6.2.1-1 of [TS38321] (e.g., the LCID of TAC MAC CE210 has a code point / index value of "61"). The TAC MAC CE210 has a fixed size and contains a single octet. The TAC MAC CE210 includes a 2-bit TAG identity (TAG ID) field indicating the TAG identity / identifier (TAG-Id) of the addressed TAG. In some examples, the TAG containing the SpCell has a TAG-Id of 0. The TAC MAC CE210 also includes a 6-bit TAC field that contains or indicates an index value T A (e.g., 0, 1, 2...63), which is used to control the amount of timing adjustment that the MAC entity must apply (see, e.g., [TS38213]). For the TAC MAC CE210, the TAC for the TAG (the "T A ") indicates the adjustment of the current N A value (the "N TA ") to a new N TA_old value (the "N TA "), and for a 2μ·15kHz SCS, N TA_new " is given by N TA_new = N TA_old + T A - 31)·16·64 / 2 μ .

[0018] Figure 2 also shows an exemplary aTAC MAC CE215 and an exemplary RAR MAC CE220. The aTAC MAC CE215 is identified by a MAC sub-header with an extended LCID (eLCID), as specified in Table 6.2.1-1b of [TS38321] (e.g., a code point value of "252" and an index value of "316"). The aTAC MAC CE215 has a fixed size and contains 2 octets. The aTAC MAC CE215 includes a set of reserved fields (R), each 1 bit and set to 0. The aTAC MAC CE215 also includes a 12-bit TAC field that includes or indicates A index value T, which is used to control the amount of timing adjustment that the MAC entity must apply (see, e.g., [TS38213]). In some implementations, the aTAC MAC CE215 can include a 2-bit TAG ID field instead of two of the reserved bits, or the 2-bit TAG ID field can be part of the 12-bit TAC field.

[0019] The RAR MAC CE220 (also referred to as "MAC RAR220") is identified by a MAC sub-header with a 6-bit RA preamble identifier (RAPID) field (e.g., the RAPID field includes or identifies the transmitted RA preamble and / or preamble index (see, e.g., [TS38321] §5.1.3)). The MAC RAR220 has a fixed size and contains 7 octets. The MAC RAR220 includes a 1-bit reserved field (R) set to 0. The MAC RAR220 also includes index value T, which is used to control the amount of timing adjustment that the MAC entity must apply. AA 12-bit TAC field (see, e.g., [TS38213]) that includes or indicates, a 27-bit UL grant field that includes or indicates resources to be used on the uplink in [TS38213], and a 16-bit temporary C-RNTI field that includes or indicates a temporary identity used by the MAC entity during the RA procedure. In some examples, the MAC RAR 220 is transmitted in Msg2 during a Type-1 L1 RA procedure, or the MAC RAR 220 is transmitted in MsgA or MsgB during a Type-2 L1 RA procedure (see, e.g., [TS38213] and [TS38300]). In some implementations, the MAC RAR 220 can include a 2-bit TAG ID field instead of two of the reserved bits, or the 2-bit TAG ID field can be part of the 12-bit TAC field. The MAC payload for the MsgB message (also called fallbackRAR) can include a payload that is the same as or similar to the MAC RAR 220. Further alternatively, the same or a similar TAC field can also be included in the successRAR MAC PDU. For the RAR MAC CE 220 or aTAC MAC CE 215, the TAC for the TAG (the "T A ") indicates N A with an index value of T TA = 0, 1, 2,..., 3846, where the amount of time adjustment for a TAG with a 2 μ ·15 kHz SCS is N TA = T A ·16·64 / 2 μ . N TA is defined in [TS38211] and is related to the SCS of the first UL transmission from the UE after reception of the RAR MAC CE 220 or aTAC MAC CE 215.

[0020] Furthermore, the TAC starts or resumes one or more TAG-specific timers, which indicate whether L1 can be synchronized. When the timer is running, L1 is considered to be synchronized, and otherwise, L1 is considered to be asynchronous, in which case UL transmission can only be performed through MSG1 (e.g., preamble transmission of a 4-step RA type RA procedure) and / or MSGA (e.g., preamble and payload transmission of a 2-step RA type RA procedure). In one example, when the TAC MAC CE is received by UE102, N TAIf maintained with the indicated TAG, the MAC entity of UE102 applies the TAC to the indicated TAG, starts or resumes the inactivePosSRS-TimeAlignmentTimer related to the indicated TAG if there is an ongoing positioning SRS transmission in RRC_INACTIVE, starts or resumes the cg-SDT-TimeAlignmentTimer related to the indicated TAG if the CG-SDT procedure is triggered, and otherwise, the MAC entity starts or resumes the timeAlignmentTimer related to the indicated TAG (see, for example, [TS38321] §5.2). In other examples, if a TAC is received in a RAR message for the serving cell belonging to the TAG or in MsgB for the SpCell, and the RA preamble is not selected by the MAC entity among the contention-based RA preambles, the MAC entity of UE102 applies the TAC to this TAG and starts or resumes the timeAlignmentTimer associated with this TAG. Otherwise, if the timeAlignmentTimer associated with this TAG is not operating, the MAC entity of UT102 applies the TAC to this TAG, starts the timeAlignmentTimer associated with this TAG, and stops the timeAlignmentTimer associated with this TAG when it is considered that contention resolution has not been successful as described in [TS38321] §5.1.5, or when it is considered that contention resolution has been successful for the SI request after transmitting the HARQ feedback for the MAC PDU containing the UE contention resolution identity MAC CE, as described in [TS38321] §5.1.5. When it is considered that contention resolution has not been successful as described in [TS38321] §5.1.5, and also when the CG-SDT procedure triggered as in [TS38321] §5.27 is in progress, the MAC entity of UE102 is N TASet the value to the value before applying the received TAC. When it is considered that the contention resolution for the RA procedure has succeeded while the CG-SDT procedure is in progress, the MAC entity of UE102 stops the timeAlignmentTimer associated with this TAG and starts or resumes the cg-SDT-TimeAlignmentTimer associated with this TAG. When it is considered that the contention resolution for the RA procedure has succeeded while the SRS transmission in RRC_INACTIVE is in progress, the MAC entity of UE102 starts or resumes the inactivePosSRS-TimeAlignmentTimer associated with this TAG. Otherwise, the MAC entity of UE102 ignores the received TAC.

[0021] 3GPP (registered trademark) Rel-16 includes TAs for single-TRP. For example, a serving cell is associated with one UL timing, and multiple serving cells within the same TAG are associated with the same UL timing. However, since transmissions to different TRPs may have different TAs, the TA for single-TRP does not function well for mTRP-based transmissions. In Rel-18, mTRP operation including simultaneous multi-panel transmission is supported, which requires associating a serving cell with two UL timings (two TA fields). Furthermore, a serving cell may transition from single-TRP operation to mDCI mTRP operation and vice versa, and the TA-related issues should be specified.

[0022] 1.1. Extension of TA As described above, two TAs can be calculated to support mTRP operation including simultaneous multi-panel transmission. In order to properly apply the TA value to UL transmission, UE102 needs to associate the UL transmission with a TA value field (e.g., the TAC field in MAC CE210, 215, or 220). Note that since DL and UL transmissions do not need to be associated with the same TRP108 (or TCI state), it may not be sufficient to reuse the parameter CORESETPoolIndex. In that sense, it is not necessary to limit such operation to mDCI mTRP only.

[0023] In the case of in-cell mDCI mTRP operation, each of the TRP108s may benefit from estimating the TA from the PRACH transmission, and the TRP identifier (TRP-Id, TRP identifier) is associated with the TA value included in the RAR and / or MAC CE. Thus, in some embodiments, the serving cell is associated with at least two TA fields, and the activation / deactivation of the TA fields is per serving cell. Further or alternatively, a unified TCI state and UL-TCI state are associated with the TRP-Id, and the TRP-Id is associated with the TA.

[0024] The TRP-Id is an identifier or identity of TRP108 within a RAN node or cell, and may be represented as an integer, a string, etc. Further or alternatively, the TRP-Id may be based on one or more of any other identifier and / or network address such as a cell identity (e.g., NR cell identity), PCI, NCGI, NG-RAN CGI, ARFCN, DL-PRS-ID, PLMN identity, cell part ID, NRPPa transaction ID, and / or any of those discussed herein. In some embodiments, the TRP-Id may be provided in a suitable configuration and / or information element (IE), such as, for example, an AreaID-CellList IE, a DL-PRS-ID-Info IE, an ARFCN-ValueNR IE, an NCGI IE, an NR-PhysCellId IE, a TRP information IE, a TRP ID IE (see, e.g., [TS38455] §9.2.24), an NRPPa transaction ID IE, and / or any other suitable configuration / IE as discussed herein (e.g., 3GPP TS 37.355 v17.4.0 (2023-03-31) (“[TS37355]”), 3GPP TS 38.305 v17.4.0 (2023-03-28), and 3GPP TS 38.455 v17.4.0 (2023-04-03) (“[TS38455]”)). These configurations / IEs may be included in a suitable RRC message, a non-access stratum (NAS) message, a system information (SI) broadcast, an LTE positioning protocol (LPP) message, an NR positioning protocol (NRPP) message, etc.

[0025] In various embodiments, the TAG-Id is indicated to or provided to UE102 using a configuration and / or IE by any combination of the following examples.

[0026] In the first example, the TAG and / or TA is associated with an SRS resource (SRS-Resource) and / or an SRS resource ID (SRS-ResourceId). In this example, a network (NW, network) (e.g., a BS, a RAN node, or other network element) uses one or more SRS resource indicator (SRI) fields in DCI (e.g., DCI format 0_1, 0_2, etc.) to indicate the TAG-Id to UE102. If the SRI field does not exist, a default TAG is assumed by UE102.

[0027] In the second example, the TAG and / or TA is associated with an SRS resource set (SRS-ResourceSet) and / or an SRS resource set ID (srs-ResourceSetId). In this example, the NW (e.g., a BS, a RAN node, or other network element) uses an SRS resource set indicator field in DCI (e.g., DCI format 0_1, 0_2, etc.) to indicate the TAG-Id to UE102. If the SRS resource set indicator field does not exist, a default TAG may be assumed by UE102. Further or alternatively, the TAG / TA is associated with an SRS resource set / SRS resource set ID associated with a "codebook" or "non-codebook" type.

[0028] In the third example, the TAG and / or TA is associated with the SRS-SpatialRelationInfo field / IE within the SRS configuration (SRS-Config), the SRS-SpatialRelationInfo is applicable to FR1, and UE102 ignores the referenceSignal IE as shown in Table 1.1-1. The SRS configuration (SRS-Config) IE is used to configure the transmission of the sounding reference signal (SRS). The configuration defines a list of SRS-Resources, a list of SRS-PosResources, a list of SRS-PosResourceSets, and a list of SRS-ResourceSets. Each resource set defines a set of SRS-Resources or SRS PosResources. The network uses the configured aperiodicSRS-ResourceTrigger (L1 DCI) to trigger the transmission of a set of SRS-Resources or SRS-PosResources. In this example, the parameter "tag-Id" is the TAG ID associated with this SRS-SpatialRelationInfo.

[0029]

Table 1

[0030]

Table 2

[0031] In the sixth example, in FR1, the TAG and / or TA is associated with PUCCH power control information such as the PowerControlSetInfo IE within the PUCCH-PowerControl configuration (see, e.g., Table 1.1-3). The PUCCH-PowerControl configuration / IE is used to configure UE-specific parameters for PUCCH power control. In this example, the parameter "tag-Id" is the TAG ID associated with this SRI-PUSCH-PowerControl.

[0032]

Table 3

[0033]

Table 4

[0034] Mathematically, the Rel-16 codebook can be expressed as follows.

[0035]

Number

[0036]

Number

[0037] CSI-RS is transmitted from the base station to UE102 for channel estimation. Rel-18 aims to extend CSI processing under scenarios where UE102 has high or medium mobility.

[0038] In some embodiments, CSI prediction can be applied on the UE102 side. As shown in FIG. 3, the UE102 measures CSI-RS instances within a time window at time t 1 and determines predicted Doppler domain compressed CSI associated with the reference resource at time t 3 and reports it at time t 2 . The specific prediction algorithm (or prediction service) used may be based on the UE implementation. As an example, the prediction algorithm (or prediction service) can include one or more machine learning (ML) models / algorithms such as a neural network, including any of those discussed herein. The UE102 has access to unquantized instantaneous channel information that may be more suitable for prediction. At the same time, the complexity of the UE should be considered, and in some cases, new RAN4 work may also be required to establish prediction CSI tests to ensure performance requirements.

[0039] Furthermore or alternatively, CSI prediction can be applied on the RAN node (e.g., gNB716, TRP108, etc.) side. As shown in FIG. 4, the UE102 measures in the time window of the CSI-RS instance at time t 1 and determines the Doppler domain compressed CSI associated with the reference resource at time t 2 and reports it at time t 3 . Performing CSI prediction based on the received compressed information from the UE102 depends on the implementation of the RAN node (e.g., gNB716, TRP108, etc.).

[0040] Furthermore or alternatively, the sampling period and measurement time window for CSI processing should be optimized. As shown in FIG. 5, the UE102 measures the CSI-RS transmitted in the colored blocks. In FIG. 5, Δt is the time gap (sampling period) between adjacent measurements, and T is the measurement time window. f maxAssuming that it is the maximum Doppler frequency intended to be processed, if the CSI-RS period is 1 / (2·f max )≦Δt≦1 / (f max ), the aliasing effect of the spurious Doppler component occurs. If the CSI-RS period is 1 / (f max )≦Δt, the effect of mobility is not fully captured. Therefore, to meet the Nyquist criterion, the sampling period and the maximum Doppler frequency should satisfy this relationship Δt≦1 / (2·f max ). Furthermore, the frequency (Doppler) resolution increases with T, and the prediction error depends on the measurement time T.

[0041] 1.3. Extended Codebook Structure In some embodiments, the new codebook structure can be constructed by using DFT bases that are orthogonal to each other to expand in the time dimension (TD, time dimention) while preserving the Rel16 codebook structure in the spatial dimension and the frequency dimension (SD and FD). FIG. 6 shows an exemplary codebook structure, where N 1 , N 2 , N 3 and N 4 are the numbers of azimuth, elevation, frequency, and time units (dimensions).

[0042] Following the same notation as the Rel-16 codebook, when this is expanded to time domain compression, an example of the codebook structure can be given as follows.

[0043]

Number

[0044] 1.4. Physical Uplink Shared Channel Modes In addition to the information discussed in [TS38213] and [TS38214], and / or as modified according to the examples discussed in this specification, PUSCH transmission can be dynamically scheduled by an uplink (UL) grant in downlink control information (DCI, e.g., DCI formats 0_0, 0_1, 0_2, etc.), or the transmission can correspond to configured grant type 1 or type 2. The configured grant type 1 PUSCH transmission is semi-statically configured to operate upon receiving the upper layer parameters of configuredGrantConfig including rrc-ConfiguredUplinkGrant without detecting the UL grant in DCI. The configured grant type 2 PUSCH transmission is semi-persistently scheduled by the UL grant in the valid activation DCI according to Section 10.2 of [TS38213] after receiving the upper layer parameter configuredGrantConfig that does not include rrc-ConfiguredUplinkGrant. If configuredGrantConfigToAddModList is configured, more than one configured grant configuration of configured grant type 1 and / or configured grant type 2 may be simultaneously active on the active BWP of the serving cell.

[0045] For PUSCH transmission on the active UL BWPb of carrier f of serving cell c, as described in Section 12 of [TS38213], UE102 first uses the parameters defined in Section 7.1.1 of [TS38213] to obtain the linear value of the transmission power P PUSCH,b,f,c

[0046] ​ [Number] Calculate. For PUSCH transmissions scheduled by DCI formats other than DCI format 0_0 or configured by ConfiguredGrantConfig or semiPersistentOnPUSCH, if the txConfig in PUSCH-Config is set to "codebook" and ul-FullPowerTransmission in PUSCH-Config is provided, UE 102 is determined by s

[0047] [Number] Scale, where (i) if ul-FullPowerTransmission in PUSCH-Config is set to fullpowerMode1 and each SRS resource in the SRS-ResourceSet with the usage set to "codebook" has more than one SRS port, s is the ratio of the number of antenna ports with non-zero PUSCH transmission power to the maximum number of SRS ports supported by UE102 within one SRS resource. (ii) If ul-FullPowerTransmission in PUSCH-Config is set to fullpowerMode2, (iii) s = 1 for all power TPMI reported by UE102 (see, for example, 3GPP TS 38.306 v17.4.0 (2023-03-30)), and s is the ratio of the number of antenna ports with non-zero PUSCH transmission power to the number of SRS ports for the remaining TPMI, where the number of SRS ports is indicated by the SRI field in the DCI format scheduling PUSCH transmission or is related to the SRS resource indicated by a type 1 configured grant if more than one SRS resource is configured in the SRS-ResourceSet with the usage set to "codebook", or the number of SRS ports is related to the SRS resource if only one SRS resource with the usage set to "codebook" is configured in the SRS-ResourceSet. (iv) When more than one SRS resource is provided in the SRS-ResourceSet with the usage set to "codebook", if the SRS resource with a single port is indicated by the SRI field in the DCI format scheduling PUSCH transmission or by a type 1 configured grant, or if only one SRS resource with a single port is provided in the SRS-ResourceSet with the usage set to "codebook", s = 1.(v) If ul-FullPowerTransmission in PUSCH-Config is set to fullpower, s = 1. (vi) Otherwise, if each SRS resource in an SRS-ResourceSet with the "codebook" configured usage has more than one SRS port, UE102 scales a linear value by the ratio of the number of antenna ports with non-zero PUSCH transmission power to the maximum number of SRS ports supported by UE102 within one SRS resource. UE102 evenly divides the power among the antenna ports through which UE102 transmits PUSCH with non-zero power.

[0048] 1.4.1. Transmission Modes In the 3GPP system, two transmission modes are supported for PUSCH transmission, including codebook-based transmission and non-codebook-based transmission. For codebook-based transmission, a radio access network (RAN) node provides a user equipment (UE) with a transmit precoding matrix indication (TPMI) within downlink control information (DCI). UE102 uses the TPMI to select a PUSCH transmission precoder from the codebook. For non-codebook-based transmission, UE102 determines its PUSCH precoder based on the broadband sounding reference signal (SRS) resource indicator (SRI) field from DCI.

[0049] When the upper layer parameter txConfig in pusch-Config is set to "codebook", the UE 102 is configured with codebook-based transmission. When the upper layer parameter txConfig is set to "nonCodebook", the UE 102 is configured with non-codebook-based transmission. If the upper layer parameter txConfig is not configured, the UE 102 is not expected to be scheduled by DCI format 0_1 or 0_2. When the PUSCH is scheduled by DCI format 0_0, the PUSCH transmission is based on a single antenna port. Except when the upper layer parameter enableDefaultBeamPL-ForPUSCH0-0 is set to "enabled", the UE 702 does not assume a PUSCH scheduled by DCI format 0_0 in a bandwidth part (BWP) without a configured PUCCH resource having PUCCH-SpatialRelationInfo in frequency range 2 in RRC connected mode.

[0050] For codebook-based transmission, the PUSCH can be scheduled by DCI format 0_0, DCI format 0_1, DCI format 0_2, or can be configured semi-statically to operate according to Section 6.1.2.3 of [TS38214]. When this PUSCH is scheduled by DCI format 0_1, DCI format 0_2, or is configured semi-statically to operate according to Section 6.1.2.3 of [TS38214], the UE102 determines its PUSCH transmission precoder based on the SRI, TPMI, and transmission rank, where the SRI, TPMI, and transmission rank are given by the DCI fields of one or two SRS resource indicators, one or two precoding information, and the number of layers in Sections 7.3.1.1.2 and 7.3.1.1.3 of [TS38212] for DCI formats 0_1 and 0_2, or are given by srs-ResourceIndicator and precodingAndNumberOfLayers according to Section 6.1.2.3 of [TS38214], or are given by srs-ResourceIndicator, srs-ResourceIndicator2, precodingAndNumberOfLayers, and precodingAndNumberOfLayers2 according to Section 6.1.2.3 of [TS382149]. The SRS-ResourceSet applicable to the PUSCH scheduled by DCI format 0_1 and DCI format 0_2 is defined by the entries of the upper layer parameter srs-ResourceSetToAddModList and srs-ResourceSetToAddModListDCI-0-2 in SRS-config, respectively.Only one or two SRS resource sets can be configured in srs-ResourceSetToAddModList that has the upper layer parameter usage in the SRS-ResourceSet set to "codebook", and only one or two SRS resource sets can be configured in srs-ResourceSetToAddModListDCI-0-2 that has the upper layer parameter usage in the SRS-ResourceSet set to "codebook".

[0051] When only one SRS resource set is configured in srs-ResourceSetToAddModList or srs-ResourceSetToAddModListDCI-0-2 with the higher layer parameter usage of the SRS-ResourceSet set to "codebook", the SRI and TPMI are given by the DCI field of one SRS resource indicator, one precoding information, and the number of layers in Sections 7.3.1.1.2 and 7.3.1.1.3 of [TS38212] for DCI formats 0_1 and 0_2, or are given by srs-ResourceIndicator and precodingAndNumberOfLayers according to Section 6.1.2.3 of [TS38214]. The TPMI should be applied across layers {0...v-1} when multiple SRS resources are configured and is used to indicate the precoder corresponding to the SRS resource selected by the SRI, or, when a single SRS resource is configured, the TPMI should be applied across layers {0...v-1} and is used to indicate the precoder corresponding to the SRS resource. The transmission precoder is selected from the uplink codebook with the number of antenna ports equal to the higher layer parameter nrofSRS-Ports in the SRS-Config, as defined in Section 6.3.1.5 of [TS38211]. When UE102 is configured with the higher layer parameter txConfig set to "codebook", UE102 is composed of at least one SRS resource. The indicated SRI in slot n is associated with the most recent transmission of the SRS resource identified by the SRI, and the SRS resource is before the PDCCH carrying the SRI.

[0052] When two SRS resource sets are configured in srs-ResourceSetToAddModList or srs-ResourceSetToAddModListDCI-0-2 that have the upper layer parameter usage in the SRS-ResourceSet set to "codebook", one or two SRIs and one or two TPMIs are given by the DCI fields of the two SRS resource indicators, the two precoding information, and the number of layers in Sections 7.3.1.1.2 and 7.3.1.1.3 of [TS38212] for DCI formats 0_1 and 0_2. UE102 applies the indicated SRI and TPMI to one or more PUSCH repetitions according to the associated SRS resource set of the PUSCH repetition in accordance with Section 6.1.2.1 of [TS38214]. For each TPMI, when multiple SRS resources are configured for the applicable SRS resource set based on the indicated code point of the SRS resource set indicator, it is used to indicate the precoder to be applied across layers {0…v-1} and corresponding to the SRS resource selected by the corresponding SRI, or when a single SRS resource is configured for the applicable SRS resource set, the TPMI is used to indicate the precoder to be applied across layers {0...v-1} and corresponding to the SRS resource. For one or two TPMIs, the transmission precoder is selected from the uplink codebook having the number of antenna ports equal to the upper layer parameter nrofSRS-Ports in SRS-Config for the indicated SRI as defined in Section 6.3.1.5 of [TS38211]. When two SRIs are indicated, UE102 assumes that the nrofSRS-Ports for the two indicated SRS resources are the same. When UE702 is configured with the upper layer parameter txConfig set to "codebook", UE102 is composed of at least one SRS resource.Each of the one or two SRIs indicated within slot n is associated with the most recent transmission of the SRS resources of the associated SRS resource set identified by the SRI, and the SRS resources precede the PDCCH that carries the SRI. When two SRS resource sets are configured in srs-ResourceSetToAddModList or srs-ResourceSetToAddModListDCI-0-2 having the upper layer parameter usage in the SRS-ResourceSet configured as "codebook", UE102 is not assumed to be composed of a different number of SRS resources within the two SRS resource sets.

[0053] When PDCCH reception includes two PDCCH candidates from two respective search space sets, for the purpose of determining the most recent transmission of the SRS resources identified by the SRI, as described in section 10.1 of [TS38213], the PDCCH candidate that starts earlier in time is used.

[0054] For codebook-based transmission, UE102 determines its codebook subset based on the TPMI and the reception of the higher layer parameter codebookSubset in pusch-Config for the PUSCH associated with DCI format 0_1 and codebookSubsetDCI-0-2 in pusch-Config for the PUSCH associated with DCI format 0_2. This may be configured with "fullyAndPartialAndNonCoherent" or "partialAndNonCoherent" or "nonCoherent" depending on the capabilities of UE102. When the higher layer parameter ul-FullPowerTransmission is set to "fullpowerMode2", the higher layer parameter codebookSubset or the higher layer parameter codebookSubsetDCI-0-2 is set to "partialAndNonCoherent", and the SRS-resourceSet with usage set to "codebook" includes at least one SRS resource with 4 ports and one SRS resource with 2 ports, the codebookSubset associated with the 2-port SRS resource is "nonCoherent". The maximum transmission rank may be composed of the higher layer parameter maxRank in pusch-Config for the PUSCH scheduled with DCI format 0_1 and maxRankDCI-0-2 for the PUSCH scheduled with DCI format 0_2.

[0055] UE102, which reports the UE capability of "partialAndNonCoherent" transmission, does not assume that it is configured by either a codebookSubset with "fullyAndPartialAndNonCoherent" or codebookSubsetDCI-0-2. UE102, which reports the UE capability of "nonCoherent" transmission, does not assume that it is configured by either a codebookSubset with "fullyAndPartialAndNonCoherent" or "partialAndNonCoherent" or codebookSubsetDCI-0-2. When the upper layer parameter nrofSRS-Ports in the SRS-ResourceSet with the usage set to "codebook" indicates that the maximum number of configured SRS antenna ports in the SRS-ResourceSet is 2, UE102 does not assume that it is configured by the upper layer parameter codeboockSubset set to "partialAndNonCoherent" or the upper layer parameter codebookSubsetDCI-0-2.

[0056] For codebook-based transmission, only one SRS resource can be indicated based on the SRI from within the SRS resource set. Except when the upper layer parameter ul-FullPowerTransmission is set to "fullpowerMode2", the maximum number of configured SRS resources for codebook-based transmission is 2. When an aperiodic SRS is configured for UE102, the SRS request field in the DCI triggers the transmission of the aperiodic SRS resource.

[0057] UE102 does not assume that the upper layer parameter ul-FullPowerTransmission is set to "fullpowerMode1" and is configured by codebookSubset or codebookSubsetDCI-0-2 with "fullyAndPartialAndNonCoherent" at the same time.

[0058] UE102 transmits the PUSCH using the same antenna port as the SRS port within the SRS resource indicated by DCI format 0_1 or 0_2 or by configuredGrantConfig according to Section 6.1.2.3 of [TS38214].

[0059] The DM-RS antenna port in Section 6.4.1.1.3 of [TS38211]

[0060]

Number

[0061] Except when the upper layer parameter ul-FullPowerTransmission is set to "fullpowerMode2", when multiple SRS resources are configured by an SRS-ResourceSet with the usage set to "codebook", UE102 assumes that the upper layer parameter nrofSRS-Ports in the SRS-Resource within the SRS-ResourceSet is configured with the same value for all these SRS resources.

[0062] When the upper layer parameter ul-FullPowerTransmission is set to "fullpowerMode2", UE102 can be composed of one SRS resource or multiple SRS resources using the same or different numbers of SRS ports within the SRS resource set having the usage set in "codebook". When the upper layer parameter ul-FullPowerTransmission is set to "fullpowerMode2" and multiple SRS resources are configured within the SRS resource set, for all SRS resources within the SRS resource set having the usage set in "codebook", up to two different spatial relationships can be configured. According to the capabilities of UE102, up to two or four SRS resources are supported in the SRS resource set having the usage set in "codebook".

[0063] For non-codebook-based transmission, PUSCH can be scheduled by DCI format 0_0, DCI format 0_1, DCI format 0_2, or can be semi-statically configured to operate according to [TS38214] §6.1.2.3. When this PUSCH is scheduled by DCI format 0_1, DCI format 0_2, or is semi-statically configured to operate according to [TS38214] §6.1.2.3, UE102 can determine its PUSCH precoder and transmission rank based on the SRI when multiple SRS resources are configured. The SRI is given by one or two SRS resource indicators in the DCI according to Sections 7.3.1.1.2 and 7.3.1.1.3 of [TS38212], or the SRI is given by srs-ResourceIndicator according to [TS38214] §6.1.2.3, or the SRI is given by srs-ResourceIndicato and srs-ResourceIndicator2 according to [TS38214] §6.1.2.3. The SRS-ResourceSet applicable to the PUSCH scheduled by DCI format 0_1 and DCI format 0_2 is defined by the entries of the upper layer parameters srs-ResourceSetToAddModList and srs-ResourceSetToAddModListDCI-0-2 in SRS-config, respectively. UE102 is assumed to use one or more SRS resources for SRS transmission. In the SRS resource set, the maximum number of SRS resources that can be configured for UE102 for simultaneous transmission in the same symbol and the maximum number of SRS resources are UE capabilities. The SRS resources transmitted simultaneously occupy the same RB. Only one SRS port is configured for each SRS resource.Only one or two SRS resource sets can be configured in srs-ResourceSetToAddModList that has the upper layer parameter usage in the SRS-ResourceSet configured with "nonCodebook", and only one or two SRS resource sets can be configured in srs-ResourceSetToAddModListDCI-0-2 that has the upper layer parameter usage in the SRS-ResourceSet configured with "nonCodebook". When two SRS resource sets are configured in srs-ResourceSetToAddModList or srs-ResourceSetToAddModListDCI-0-2 that has the upper layer parameter usage in the SRS-ResourceSet configured with "nonCodebook", the SRI is given by the DCI fields of the two SRS resource indicators in [TS38212] §7.3.1.1.2, §7.3.1.1.3 for DCI formats 0_1 and 0_2. UE102 applies the indicated SRI to one or more PUSCH repetitions according to the relevant SRS resource set of the PUSCH repetition in accordance with [TS38214] §6.1.2.1. The maximum number of SRS resources per SRS resource set that can be configured for non-codebook-based uplink transmission is 4. Each of the indicated SRIs within slot n is associated with the most recent transmission of the SRS resources of the associated SRS resource set identified by the SRI, and the SRS transmission is before the PDCCH carrying the SRI. When two SRS resource sets are configured in srs-ResourceSetToAddModList or srs-ResourceSetToAddModListDCI-0-2 that has the upper layer parameter usage in the SRS-ResourceSet configured with "nonCodebook", UE102 is not assumed to be configured with different numbers of SRS resources in the two SRS resource sets.

[0064] When PDCCH reception includes two PDCCH candidates from two respective search space sets, for the purpose of determining the most recent transmission of the SRS resource identified by the SRI, as described in [TS38213] §10.1, the earlier starting PDCCH candidate in time is used.

[0065] For non-codebook-based transmission, UE102 can calculate the precoder used for SRS transmission based on the measurement of the associated NZP CSI-RS resource. UE102, if configured, can consist of only one NZP CSI-RS resource for each SRS resource set with the upper layer parameter usage in the SRS-ResourceSet set to "nonCodebook".

[0066] When an aperiodic SRS resource set is configured, the associated NZP-CSI-RS is indicated via the SRS request fields within DCI formats 0_1 and 1_1, and DCI formats 0_2 (when the SRS request field is present) and 1_2 (when the SRS request field is present). AperiodicSRS-ResourceTrigger and AperiodicSRS-ResourceTriggerList (indicating the association between the aperiodic SRS trigger state and the SRS resource set), the triggered SRS resource srs-ResourceSetId, and csi-RS (indicating the associated NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceId) are the upper layers configured in the SRS-ResourceSet. The SRS-ResourceSet associated with the SRS request by DCI formats 0_1 and 1_1 is defined by an entry in the upper layer parameter srs-ResourceSetToAddModList, and the SRS-ResourceSet associated with the SRS request by DCI formats 0_2 and 1_2 is defined by an entry in the upper layer parameter srs-ResourceSetToAddModListDCI-0-2. If the gap from the last symbol of the reception of the aperiodic NZP-CSI-RS resource to the first symbol of the aperiodic SRS transmission is less than 42·2 max(0,μ-3) the UE102 is not assumed to update the SRS precoding information. Here, the SCS configuration μ is the minimum SCS configuration between the NZP-CSI-RS resource and the SRS transmission.

[0067] If UE102 is composed of an aperiodic SRS associated with an aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource, when the value of the SRS request field is not "00" as in Table 7.3.1.1.2-24 of [TS38212], and the scheduling DCI is not used for cross-carrier or cross-bandwidth part scheduling, the existence of the associated CSI-RS is indicated by the SRS request field. UE102 is configured with minimumSchedulingOffsetK0 in the active DL BWP, and the currently applicable minimum scheduling offset limit K 0,min is greater than 0, the UE does not assume to receive a scheduling DCI with an SRS request field value other than "00". The CSI-RS is arranged in the same slot as the SRS request field. If UE102 is composed of an aperiodic SRS associated with an aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource, any of the TCI states configured in the scheduled CC should not be configured with a qcl-Type set to "typeD".

[0068] When a periodic or semi-persistent SRS resource set is configured, the NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceId for measurement is indicated via the upper layer parameter associatedCSI-RS within the SRS-ResourceSet.

[0069] UE102 performs a one-to-one mapping from the indicated SRI to the indicated DM-RS ports and their corresponding PUSCH layers {0...v-1} given by DCI format 0_1 or 0_2 or in ascending order by configuredGrantConfig according to [TS38214] §6.1.2.3.

[0070] UE102 transmits the PUSCH using the same antenna port as the SRS port within the SRS resource indicated by the SRI given by DCI format 0_1 or 0_2 or by configuredGrantConfig according to [TS38214] §6.1.2.3, and the SRS port of the (i + 1)-th SRS resource within the SRS resource set is indexed as p i = 1000 + i.

[0071] The DM-RS antenna port in [TS38211] §6.4.1.1.3

[0072]

Number

[0073] For non-codebook-based transmission, UE102 does not assume being configured by both the spatialRelationInfo for the SRS resource and the associated CSI-RS within the SRS-ResourceSet for the SRS resource set. For non-codebook-based transmission, when at least one SRS resource is configured in an SRS-ResourceSet having a usage set to "nonCodebook", UE102 can be scheduled with DCI format 0_1 or 0_2.

[0074] 1.5. UE Procedures for Reporting Channel State Information (CSI) 1.5.1. CSI Framework The procedures for aperiodic CSI reporting described in this specification and / or [TS38214] assume that the CSI report is triggered by DCI format 0_1, but these are equally applicable to CSI reports triggered by DCI format 0_2 and / or other DCI formats by applying the higher layer parameter reportTriggerSizeDCI-0-2 instead of reportTriggerSize. The time and frequency resources available for UE102 to report CSI are controlled by a RAN node (e.g., gNB716, etc.). CSI may include a Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), a Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI), a CSI-RS Resource Indicator (CRI), an SS / PBCH Block Resource Indicator (SSBRI), a Layer Indicator (LI), a Rank Indicator (RI), L1-RSRP, L1-SINR, and / or a CapabilityIndex. For CQI, PMI, CRI, SSBRI, LI, RI, L1-RSRP, L1-SINR, and / or CapabilityIndex, UE102 is configured by a higher layer using N≥1 CSI-ReportConfig report settings, M≥1 CSI-ResourceConfig resource settings, and one or two lists of trigger states (given by the higher layer parameters CSI-AperiodicTriggerStateList and CSI-SemiPersistentOnPUSCH-TriggerStateList). Each trigger state in the CSI-AperiodicTriggerStateList includes a list of associated CSI-ReportConfigs indicating a resource set ID for the channel and optionally for interference.Each trigger state in the CSI-SemiPersistentOnPUSCH-TriggerStateList includes one associated CSI-ReportConfig. Further aspects of CQI, PMI, CSI-RS, CSI-IM and CSI reference resources are discussed in [TS38214].

[0075] Each reporting configuration CSI-ReportConfig is associated with a single downlink bandwidth part (BWP) indicated by the higher layer parameter BWP-Id provided in the associated CSI-ResourceConfig for channel measurement, and includes parameters for one CSI reporting bandwidth, i.e., codebook configuration including codebook subset restriction, time domain behavior, frequency granularity for CQI and PMI, measurement restriction configuration, and CSI-related quantities to be reported by the UE102 such as layer indicator (LI), L1-RSRP, L1-SINR, CRI, and SSB resource indicator (SSBRI), and CapabilityIndex. The time domain behavior of CSI-ReportConfig is indicated by the higher layer parameter reportConfigType and can be set to "aperiodic", "semiPersistentOnPUCCH", "semiPersistentOnPUSCH", or "periodic". For "periodic" and "semiPersistentOnPUCCH" / "semiPersistentOnPUSCH" CSI reporting, the configured period and slot offset are applied in the numerology of the UL BWP configured for the CSI report to be transmitted. The higher layer parameter reportQuantity indicates the CSI-related quantity, L1-RSRP-related quantity, L1-SINR-related quantity, or CapabilityIndex-related quantity to be reported. reportFreqConfiguration indicates the reporting granularity in the frequency domain including the CSI reporting bandwidth, and whether the PMI / CQI reporting is wideband or sub-band. The timeRestrictionForChannelMeasurements parameter within CSI-ReportConfig can be configured to enable time domain restrictions for channel measurement, and timeRestrictionForInterferenceMeasurements can be configured to enable time domain restrictions for interference measurement.The CSI-ReportConfig may also include a CodebookConfig, which contains configuration parameters for type I, type II, extended type II CSI, or further extended type II port selection, including codebook subset restrictions if applicable, and the configuration of group-based reporting. UE102 is not assumed to be configured with CSI report settings associated with the inactive DL BWP when the reportConfigType is set to "aperiodic".

[0076] Each CSI resource configuration CSI-ResourceConfig includes the configuration of a list of S ≥ 1 CSI resource sets (given by the upper layer parameter csi-RS-ResourceSetList), where the list is composed of references to either or both of the NZP CSI-RS resource set and the SS / PBCH block set, or the list is composed of references to the CSI-IM resource set. Each CSI resource configuration is located in the DL BWP identified by the upper layer parameter BWP-id, and all CSI resource configurations linked to the CSI report configuration have the same DL BWP.

[0077] The time-domain behavior of the CSI-RS resources within the CSI resource configuration is indicated by the higher-layer parameter resourceType and can be configured as aperiodic, periodic, or semi-persistent. For periodic and semi-persistent CSI resource configurations, when UE102 is configured with groupBasedBeamReporting-r17, the number of CSI resource sets configured is S = 2; otherwise, the number of CSI-RS resource sets configured is restricted to S = 1. For periodic and semi-persistent CSI resource configurations, the configured period and slot offset are given in the numerology of the associated DL BWP as provided by BWP-id. When UE102 is configured with multiple CSI-ResourceConfigs that include the same NZP CSI-RS resource ID, the same time-domain behavior is configured for the CSI-ResourceConfigs. When UE102 is configured with multiple CSI-ResourceConfigs that include the same CSI-IM resource ID, the same time-domain behavior is configured for the CSI-ResourceConfigs. All CSI resource configurations linked to a CSI reporting configuration have the same time-domain behavior.

[0078] UE102 can be configured via higher-layer signaling for one or more CSI resource configurations for channel and interference measurements, which include CSI-Interference Measurement (CSI-IM) resources for interference measurements as described in Section 5.2.2.4 of [TS38214], non-zero power (NZP) CSI-RS resources for interference measurements as described in Section 5.2.2.3.1 of [TS38214], and NZP CSI-RS resources for channel measurements as described in Section 5.2.2.3.1 of [TS38214].

[0079] UE102 calculates the CSI parameters (when reported) assuming the following dependencies among the CSI parameters (when reported). The LI is calculated conditional on the reported CQI, PMI, RI, and CRI. The CQI is calculated conditional on the reported PMI, RI, and CRI. The PMI is calculated conditional on the reported RI and CRI. The RI is calculated conditional on the reported CRI. The reporting configuration for CSI can be aperiodic (e.g., using PUSCH), periodic (e.g., using PUCCH), or semi-persistent (e.g., using PUCCH and DCI-activated PUSCH). The CSI-RS resources can be periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic. In one example, UE102 supports the combination of the CSI reporting configuration and the CSI-RS resource configuration, and how the CSI reporting is triggered for each CSI-RS resource configuration, as shown in Table 5.2.1.4-1 of [TS38214].

[0080] Periodic CSI-RS is configured by the upper layer. When the CSI-RS configuration is periodic CSI-RS, there is no dynamic trigger / activation for periodic CSI reporting. For semi-persistent CSI reporting, UE102 receives an activation command as described in section 6.1.3.16 of [TS38321] to report on PUCCH, and UE102 receives a trigger on DCI to report on PUCCH. Semi-persistent CSI-RS is activated and deactivated as described in section 5.2.1.5.2 of [TS38214]. When the CSI-RS configuration is semi-persistent CSI-RS, periodic CSI reporting is not supported. For semi-persistent CSI reporting, UE102 receives an activation command as described in section 6.1.3.16 of [TS38214] to report on PUSCH, and UE102 receives a trigger on DCI to report on PUCCH. Aperiodic CSI-RS is configured and triggered / activated as described in section 5.2.1.5.1 of [TS38214]. When the CSI-RS configuration is aperiodic CSI-RS, periodic CSI reporting and semi-persistent CSI reporting are not supported. Aperiodic CSI reporting (per I-RS configuration type) is triggered by DCI. Further, a sub-selection indication as described in section 6.1.3.13 of [TS38321] is possible as defined in section 5.2.1.5.1 of [TS38214]. Further aspects of the reporting configuration, resource setting configuration, L1-RSRP reporting configuration, L1-SINR reporting configuration, and CSI reporting and trigger / activation of CSI-RS are discussed in [TS38214].

[0081] 1.5.2. CSI Reporting Using PUSCH When UE102 successfully decodes DCI format 0_1 or DCI format 0_2 that triggers the aperiodic CSI trigger state, UE102 performs aperiodic CSI reporting using PUSCH on serving cell c.

[0082] When DCI format 0_1 schedules two PUSCH allocations, the aperiodic CSI report is carried on the second scheduled PUSCH. When DCI format 0_1 schedules more than two PUSCH allocations, the aperiodic CSI report is carried on the second last scheduled PUSCH.

[0083] The aperiodic CSI report carried on the PUSCH supports wideband and subband frequency granularity. The aperiodic CSI report carried on the PUSCH supports type I, type II, extended type II, and further extended type II port selection CSI.

[0084] When UE102 successfully decodes DCI format 0_1 or DCI format 0_2 that activates the semi-persistent CSI trigger state, it performs a semi-persistent CSI report on the PUSCH. DCI format 0_1 and DCI format 0_2 include a CSI request field indicating the semi-persistent CSI trigger state for activation or deactivation. The semi-persistent CSI report on the PUSCH supports type I, type II with wideband and subband frequency granularity, extended type II, and further extended type II port selection CSI. The PUSCH resource and MCS shall be semi-permanently allocated by the uplink DCI.

[0085] The CSI report on the PUSCH can be multiplexed with the uplink data on the PUSCH, except that it is not assumed that the semi-persistent CSI report on the PUSCH activated by the DCI format is multiplexed with the uplink data on the PUSCH. The CSI report on the PUSCH can also be performed without multiplexing with the uplink data from the UE.

[0086] Type I CSI feedback is supported for CSI reporting on PUSCH. Type I wideband and subband CSI are supported for CSI reporting on PUSCH. Type II CSI is supported for CSI reporting on PUSCH.

[0087] For type I, type II, extended type II, and further extended type II port selection CSI feedback on PUSCH, the CSI report contains two parts. Part 1 has a fixed payload size and is used to identify the number of information bits in Part 2. Part 1 is transmitted in its entirety before Part 2.

[0088] For type I CSI feedback, Part 1 includes RI (if reported), CRI (if reported), and CQI for the first codeword (if reported). Part 2 includes PMI (if reported), LI (if reported), and when RI is greater than 4, CQI for the second codeword (if reported). For a CSI-ReportConfig configured with a codebookType set to "typeI-SinglePanel", and the corresponding CSI-RS resource set for channel measurement composed of two resource groups and N resource pairs, Part 1 includes RI, CRI, and CQI for the first codeword, and is zero-padded to the fixed payload size if necessary. Part 2 includes CQI (if reported), LI (if reported), and PMI for the second codeword when RI is greater than 4.

[0089] For Type II CSI feedback, Part 1 includes an indication of RI (if reported), CQI, and the number of non-zero broadband amplitude coefficients per layer for Type II CSI (see, e.g., section 5.2.2.2.3 of [TS38214]). The fields of Part 1, namely, RI (if reported), CQI, and the indication of the number of non-zero broadband amplitude coefficients per layer, are coded separately. Part 2 includes the PMI and LI (if reported) of Type II CSI. i 1,4,l 、i 2,1,l (if reported) and i 2,2,l (if reported) are reported in ascending order of these indices, where i = 0, 1,..., 2L - 1, and the element with the lowest index is mapped to the most significant bit and the element with the highest index is mapped to the least significant bit. Parts 1 and 2 are coded separately.

[0090] For extended Type II CSI feedback (see, e.g., section 5.2.2.2.5 of [TS38214]) and further extended Type II port selection CSI feedback (see, e.g., section 5.2.2.2.7 of [TS38214]), Part 1 includes an indication of RI (if reported), CQI, and the total number of non-zero amplitude coefficients across the layers. The fields of Part 1, namely, RI (if reported), CQI, and the indication of the total number of non-zero amplitude coefficients across the layers, are coded separately. Part 2 includes the PMI of extended Type II or further extended Type II port selection CSI. Parts 1 and 2 are coded separately.

[0091] Type II CSI reports carried on PUSCH shall be calculated independently of any Type II CSI reports carried on PUCCH format 3 or 4 (see, e.g., sections 5.2.4 and 5.2.2 of [TS38214]).

[0092] When the higher layer parameter reportQuantity is configured with one of the values ​​"cri-RSRP", "ssb-Index-RSRP", "cri-SINR" or "ssb-Index-SINR", or "cri-RSRPIndex", "ssb-Index-RSRP-Index", "cri-SINR-Index", "ssb-Index-SINR-Index", the CSI feedback contains a single part.

[0093] For both Type I and Type II reporting configured for PUCCH but transmitted on PUSCH, the payload determination for CSI Part 1 and CSI Part 2 follows that of the PUCCH, as described in Section 5.2.4 of [TS38214].

[0094] When the CSI report on the PUSCH includes two parts, the UE 102 may omit some of the CSI in Part 2. The omission of the CSI in Part 2 follows the priority order shown in Table 1.5.2-1. Rep is the number of CSI reports configured to be carried on the PUSCH. Priority 0 is the highest priority, Priority 2N Rep is the lowest priority, and CSI report n is N Rep The nth smallest Pri among the CSI reports i,CSI corresponds to a CSI report with values ​​(y,k,c,s). The subbands of a given CSI report n, as indicated by higher layer parameter csi-ReportingBand with value "1", are numbered consecutively in ascending order, starting with subband 0, which is the lowest subband of csi-ReportingBand with a value set to "1". When omitting Part 2 CSI information for a particular priority level, the UE 102 omits all of the information at that priority level.

[0095] For an extended type II report for a given CSI report n, index i indexed by l, i, and f 2,4,l , i 2,5,l and i1,7,l Each reported element is associated with a priority value Pri(l,i,f)=2·L·υ·π(f)+υ·i+l, where π(f)=min(2·n 3,l (f) ),2·(N 3 -n 3,l (f) ),l = 1, 2, …, υ, i = 0, 1, …, 2L-1 and f = 0, 1, …, M υ -1, and n 3,l (f) is defined in section 5.2.2.2.5 of [TS38214]. The element with the highest priority has the lowest associated value Pri(l,i,f). The omission of part 2 CSI follows the priority order shown in Table 1.5.2-1. Here, group 0 includes i 1,1 (if reported), i 1,2 (if reported) and i 1,8,l (l = 1, …, υ). Group 1 includes i 1,5 (if reported), i 1,6,l (if reported), i 1,7,l i 2,3,l 's

[0096]

Number

[0097]

Number

[0098]

Number

[0099]

Number

[0100] [Number] The element with the lowest priority, i 2,5,l of

[0101] [Number] includes the element with the lowest priority (l = 1,..., υ).

[0102] For the additional extended type II port selection report for a given CSI report n, the index i indexed by l, i, and f 2,4,l , i 2,5,l and i 1,7,l Each reported element of has a priority value Pri(l, i, f) = K 1 ·υ·f + υ·i + l, where l = 1, 2,..., v, i = 0, 1,..., K 1 -1 and f = 0,..., M - 1. The element with the highest priority has the lowest associated value Pri(l, i, f). The omission of part 2 of CSI follows the priority order shown in Table 1.5.2-1. Here, group 0 includes i 1,2 (when reported), i 1,8,l (l = 1,..., υ) and i 1,6 (when reported). Group 1 includes i 1,7,l (when reported), i 2,3,l of

[0103] [Number] The element with the highest priority, i ,4,l of

[0104] [Number] The element with the highest priority, i 2,5,l of

[0105]

Number

[0106]

Number

[0107]

Number

[0108]

Number

[0109]

Table 5

[0110]

Number

[0111]

Number

[0112] The CSI in Part 2 starts from the lowest priority level and is omitted level by level until the lowest priority level that causes the following is reached.

[0113] [Number] is

[0114] [Number] When UE102 is scheduled to transmit a transport block on PUSCH using the iterative type B multiplexed with CSI reports, the CSI in Part 2 is

[0115] only omitted when is greater than, where the parameters O

[0116] [Number] is

[0117] [Number] Here, the parameters O CSI-2 , L CSI-2 , β offset PUSCH , N symbol,nominal PUSCH , N symbol,actual PUSCH , M sc,nominal UCI (l), M sc,actual UCI (l), C UL-SCH , K r , Q’ ACK / CG-UCI , Q’ CSI-l and α are defined in Section 6.3.2.4 of [TS38212].

[0118] The CSI in Part 2 starts from the lowest priority level and

[0119] [Number] is

[0120] [Number] omitted level by level until the lowest priority level that causes the following is reached.

[0121] When the CSI in Part 2 is transmitted on the PUSCH without a transport block, the lower priority bits are omitted up to the CSI code rate in Part 2, which is given by O CSI-2 +L CSI-2 ) / (N L ·Q’ CSI,2 ·Q m ), where O CSI-2 , L CSI-2 , N L , Q’ CSI,2 , Q m are given in section 6.3.2.4 of [5,38.212]. Before HARQ-ACK puncturing, if present, the CSI in Part 2 falls below a threshold code rate c T lower than 1, where

[0122] [Number] and β offset CSI-part2 is the CSI offset value from Table 9.3-2 of [TS38213] and R is the coded rate signaled in the DCI.

[0123] When UE102 is in an active semi-persistent CSI reporting configuration on PUSCH, the CSI report is deactivated when either the downlink BWP or the uplink BWP is changed. Another activation command is required to enable the semi-persistent CSI report.

[0124] 1.5.3. CSI Reporting Using PUCCH UE102 is semi-statically configured by a higher layer to perform periodic CSI reporting on PUCCH. UE102 can be configured by a higher layer for multiple periodic CSI reports corresponding to CSI report settings configured by multiple higher layers, and the associated CSI resource settings are configured by the higher layer. Periodic CSI reporting on PUCCH formats 2, 3, and 4 supports type I CSI with wideband granularity.

[0125] When UE102 transmits a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK in slot n corresponding to a PDSCH carrying the activation command described in section 6.1.3.16 of [TS38321], semi-persistent CSI reporting is performed on the PUCCH starting from the first slot after slot n + 3N slot subframe,μ where μ is the SCS configuration for the PUCCH. The activation command includes one or more report settings for which the associated CSI resource settings are configured. Semi-persistent CSI reporting on PUCCH supports type I CSI. Semi-persistent CSI reporting on PUCCH format 2 supports type I CSI with wideband frequency granularity. Semi-persistent CSI reporting on PUCCH format 3 or 4 supports type I CSI with wideband and sub-band frequency granularity and type II CSI part 1.

[0126] When the PUCCH carries type I CSI with wideband frequency granularity, the CSI payload carried by PUCCH format 2 and PUCCH format 3 or 4 is the same and is the same regardless of RI (if reported) and CRI (if reported). The CSI-ReportConfig with codebookType set to "typeI-SinglePanel" and the corresponding CSI-RS resource set for channel measurement composed of two resource groups and N resource pairs can be configured with wideband frequency granularity only when the csi-ReportMode is set to "Mode1" and numberOfSingleTRP-CSI-Mode1 is set to X = 0. For type I CSI subband reporting on PUCCH format 3 or 4, the payload is split into two parts. The first part includes RI (if reported), CRI (if reported), and CQI of the first codeword. The second part includes PMI (if reported), LI (if reported), and CQI for the second codeword (if reported) when RI > 4. For the CSI-ReportConfig configured with subband reporting, codebookType set to "typeI-SinglePanel", and the corresponding CSI-RS resource set for channel measurement composed of two resource groups and N resource pairs, part 1 includes RI, CRI, and CQI for the first codeword and is zero-padded to the fixed payload size (if necessary). Part 2 includes CQI, LI (if reported), and PMI of the second codeword (if reported) when RI is greater than 4.

[0127] Semi-persistent reporting carried on PUCCH format 3 or 4 supports type II CSI feedback, but only supports part 1 of type II CSI feedback (see Sections 5.2.2 and 5.2.3). Supporting type II CSI reporting on PUCCH format 3 or 4 is the UE capability type2-SP-CSI-Feedback-LongPUCCH. The type II CSI reporting (only part 1) carried on PUCCH format 3 or 4 shall be calculated independently of any type II CSI reporting carried on PUSCH (see Section 5.2.3).

[0128] When UE102 is configured with CSI reporting on PUCCH format 2, 3, or 4, each PUCCH resource is configured for each candidate UL BWP.

[0129] When UE102 is in an active semi-persistent CSI reporting configuration on PUCCH and has not received a deactivation command, the CSI report is made when the BWP for which the report is configured is the active BWP, and otherwise the CSI report is interrupted.

[0130] UE102 is not expected to report CSI with a total number of UCI bits and CRC bits greater than 115 bits when configured with PUCCH format 4. For CSI reports transmitted on PUCCH, if all CSI reports contain one part, UE102 may omit part of the CSI report. The omission of CSI follows the priority determined from the Pri i,CSI (y,k,c,s) values. The CSI report is omitted starting from the lowest priority level until the CSI report code rate is less than or equal to that configured by the upper layer parameter maxCodeRate.

[0131] If any of the CSI reports contains two parts, UE102 may omit a part of the CSI in Part 2. The omission of the CSI in Part 2 follows the priority shown in Table 1.5.2-1. The CSI in Part 2 is omitted starting from the lowest priority level until the CSI code rate in Part 2 becomes less than or equal to that configured by the upper layer parameter maxCodeRate.

[0132] 1.5.4. UE CSI Calculation Time When the CSI request field on (or within) the DCI triggers a CSI report on the PUSCH, UE102 shall, if (i) the first uplink symbol for carrying the corresponding CSI report including the effect of the timing advance does not start earlier than symbol Z ref and (ii) the first uplink symbol for carrying the nth CSI report including the effect of the timing advance does not start earlier than symbol Z’ ref( (n), provide a valid CSI report for the nth triggered report, where Z ref is defined as the uplink symbol whose CP starts after T proc,CSI =(Z)(2048 + 144)·κ2 -μ ·T c +T switch and which is the next uplink symbol after the end of the last symbol of the PDCCH that triggers the CSI report, and Z’ ref (n) is defined as the uplink symbol whose CP starts after T’ proc,CSI =(Z’)(2048 + 144)·κ2 -μ ·T c and which is the next uplink symbol after the end of the last symbol of the latest of the aperiodic CSI-RS resource for channel measurement, the aperiodic CSI-IM for interference measurement, and the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS for interference measurement when the aperiodic CSI-RS is used for channel measurement for the nth triggered CSI report, and T switch is defined in Section 6.4 of [TS38124] and is applicable only when Z 1 in Table 1.5.4-1 is applicable.

[0133] If the PUSCH indicated by the DCI overlaps with another PUCCH or PUSCH, the CSI report, if applicable, is multiplexed according to the procedures in Section 9.2.5 of [TS38213] and Section 5.2.5 of [TS38214]; otherwise, the CSI report is transmitted on the PUSCH indicated by the DCI.

[0134] When the CSI request field on the DCI triggers a CSI report on the PUSCH, if the first uplink symbol for carrying the corresponding CSI report including the effect of the timing advance starts earlier than symbol Z ref UE102 may ignore the scheduling DCI if the HARQ-ACK or transport block is not multiplexed on the PUSCH.

[0135] When the CSI request field on the DCI triggers a CSI report on the PUSCH, if the first uplink symbol for carrying the nth CSI report including the effect of the timing advance starts earlier than symbol Z’ ref (n), UE102 may ignore the scheduling DCI if the number of triggered reports is 1 and the HARQ-ACK or transport block is not multiplexed on the PUSCH; otherwise, UE102 is not required to update the CSI for the nth triggered CSI report.

[0136] When the PDCCH reception includes two PDCCH candidates from two respective search space sets, the PDCCH candidate that ends later in time is used for the purpose of determining the last symbol of the PDCCH that triggers the CSI report, as described in 10.1 of [TS38213].

[0137] Z, Z’ and μ are defined as follows.

[0138]

Number

[0139]

Number

[0140]

Table 6

[0141]

Table 7

[0142] Network 700 includes UE 702. UE 702 is any mobile or non-mobile computing device designed to communicate with RAN 704 via a wireless connection. UE 702 is communicatively coupled to RAN 704 by a Uu interface that can be applicable to both the LTE system and the NR system. Examples of UE 702 include smartphones, tablet computers, wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, fitness trackers, smart glasses, smart clothing / fabric, head-mounted displays, smart shows, etc.), desktop computers, workstations, laptop computers, in-vehicle infotainment systems, in-vehicle entertainment systems, instrument clusters, head-up display (HUD) devices, on-board diagnostic devices, dash-top mobile devices, mobile data terminals, electronic engine management systems, electronic / engine control units, electronic / engine control modules, embedded systems, sensors, microcontrollers, control modules, engine management systems, networked appliances, machine type communication devices, machine-to-machine (M2M), device-to-device (D2D), machine type communication (MTC) devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, smart appliances, flying drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), ground drones or autonomous vehicles, robots, electronic signage, single-board computers (SBCs) (e.g., Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Intel Edison, etc.), plug computers, and / or any type of computing device such as any of those discussed herein, but not limited thereto.UE 702 may be the same as or similar to any of the other UEs discussed herein, such as, for example, UE 102, UE 802, hardware resource 900, and / or any other UE discussed herein.

[0143] Network 700 may include a set of UEs 702 that are directly coupled to each other via any other suitable interface, such as, for example, a device-to-device (D2D), proximity service (ProSe), PC5, and / or sidelink (SL) interface, and / or any of those discussed herein. These UEs 702 may be, but are not limited to, M2M, D2D, MTC, and / or IoT devices, and / or V2X systems that communicate using physical sidelink channels such as, but not limited to, PSBCH, PSDCH, PSSCH, PSCCH, PSFCH, etc. UE 702 may perform blind decoding attempts of SL channels / links according to various examples herein.

[0144] In some examples, UE 702 may further communicate with AP 706 via a wireless (OTA, over-the-air) connection. AP 706 manages a WLAN connection that may function to offload some / all of the network traffic from RAN 704. The connection between UE 702 and AP 706 may conform to any IEEE 802.11 protocol. Further, UE 702, RAN 704, and AP 706 may utilize cellular-WLAN aggregation / integration (e.g., LWA / LWIP). Cellular-WLAN aggregation may include UE 702 configured by RAN 704 to utilize both cellular radio resources and WLAN resources.

[0145] RAN 704 includes one or more access network nodes (ANs) 708. The AN 708 terminates the air interface for the UE 702 by providing an access layer protocol that includes the RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC, and PHY / L1 protocols. In this way, the AN 708 enables a data / voice connection between the CN 720 and the UE 702. The AN 708 may be a macrocell base station, or a femtocell, picocell, or other similar cell with a smaller coverage area, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to a macrocell, or a low-power base station for providing some combination thereof. In these implementations, the AN 708 may be referred to as a BS, gNB, RAN node, eNB, ng-eNB, NodeB, RSU, TRP (or TRxP), etc.

[0146] One exemplary implementation is the "CU / DU split" architecture where AN708 is implemented as a gNB - Central Unit (CU) communicatively coupled to one or more gNB Distributed Units (DUs), and each DU may be communicatively coupled to one or more Radio Units (RUs) (also referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs), Remote Radio Units (RRUs), etc.). In some implementations, one or more RUs may be individual Remote Sub - Units (RSUs). In some implementations, the CU / DU split may include an ng - eNB - CU and one or more ng - eNB - DUs instead of or in addition to gNB - CU and gNB - DU, respectively. AN708 implemented as AN7CU may be implemented in an individual device or as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network including, for example, a virtual Base Band Unit (BBU), or BBU pool, cloud RAN (CRAN), Radio Equipment Controller (REC), Radio Cloud Center (RCC), centralized RAN (C - RAN), virtualized RAN (vRAN), etc. (where these terms may denote different implementation concepts). Any other type of architecture, arrangement, and / or configuration may be used.

[0147] The sets of AN708s are coupled to each other via respective X2 interfaces when RAN704 is LTE RAN or an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) 710, or are coupled to each other via respective Xn interfaces when RAN704 is NG-RAN714. In some examples, the X2 / Xn interfaces, which may be separated into control / user plane interfaces, may enable the ANs to communicate information related to handover, data / context transfer, mobility, load management, interference coordination, etc.

[0148] Each AN of RAN704 may manage one or more cells, cell groups, component carriers, etc., to provide an air interface for the UE702 to access the network. The UE702 may be simultaneously connected to a set of cells provided by the same AN708 or different AN708s of RAN704. For example, the UE702 and RAN704 may use carrier aggregation to enable the UE702 to connect to a set of component carriers corresponding to Pcell or Scell respectively. In a dual connectivity scenario, the first AN708 may be a master node providing MCG, and the second AN708 may be a secondary node providing SCG. The first AN708 / second AN708 may be any combination of eNB, gNB, ng-eNB, etc.

[0149] RAN704 may provide an air interface on licensed spectrum or unlicensed spectrum. To operate within unlicensed spectrum, the nodes may use LAA, eLAA, and / or feLAA mechanisms based on CA technology with PCell / Scell. Before accessing unlicensed spectrum, the nodes may perform media / carrier sensing operations based on, for example, the listen-before-talk (LBT) protocol.

[0150] Additionally or alternatively, each UE 702 provides wireless information to one or more ANs 708 and / or one or more edge computing nodes (e.g., edge servers / hosts, etc.). The wireless information may be in the form of one or more measurement reports and / or may include, for example, signal strength measurements, signal quality measurements, etc. Each measurement report is tagged with a timestamp and the location of the measurement (e.g., the current location of the UE 702). By way of example, the measurements collected by the UE 702 and / or the measurements included in the measurement reports are as follows, namely, bandwidth (BW), network or cell load, latency, jitter, round trip time (RTT), number of interruptions, out-of-order delivery of data packets, transmit power, bit error rate, bit error ratio (BER), block error rate (BLER), packet error ratio (PER), packet loss rate, packet reception rate (PRR), data rate, peak data rate, end-to-end (e2e) delay, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), signal-to-noise and interference ratio (SINR), signal-plus-noise-plus-distortion to noise-plus-distortion (SINAD) ratio, carrier-to-interference plus noise ratio (CINR), additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN), energy per bit to noise power density ratio (Eb / N0), energy per chip to interference power density ratio (Ec / I0), energy per chip to noise power density ratio (Ec / N0,energy per chip to noise power density ratio), peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR), reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received path power (RSRPP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), reference signal time difference (RSTD), Real-Time Kinematic (RTK), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), received channel power indicator (RCPI), received signal to noise indicator (RSNI), received signal code power (RSCP), average noise plus interference (ANPI), GNSS timing of the self-frame for E-UTRAN or 5G / NR UE positioning (e.g., the timing between the AP or RAN node reference time and the GNSS-specific reference time of a given GNSS), GNSS code measurement values (e.g., the GNSS code phase (integer part and fractional part) of the spreading code of the i-th GNSS satellite signal), GNSS carrier phase measurement values (e.g., the number of carrier phase cycles (integer part and fractional part) of the i-th GNSS satellite signal measured after locking onto the signal, also called accumulated delta range (ADR)), channel interference measurement values, thermal noise power measurement values, received interference power measurement values, power histogram measurement values, channel load measurement values, STA statistics, relative time difference (RTD), Rx time delay, Rx timing error, Rx time delay, Rx timing error, ADR, time difference of arrival (TDOA,Time Difference of Arrival), Observed TDOA (OTDOA), Relative TOA (RTOA), Angle-of-Arrival (AoA), Azimuth-AoA (A-AoA), Zenith-AoA (Z-AoA), Angle-of-Departure (AoD), Time-of-Arrival (ToF), and / or one or more of other similar measurements may be included. RSRP, RSSI, and / or RSRQ measurements are the RSRP, RSSI, and / or RSRQ measurements of cell-specific reference signals, channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), and / or synchronization signals (SS) or SS blocks for 3GPP networks (e.g., LTE or 5G / NR), and various beacons, fast initial link setup (FILS, for WLAN / WiFi (e.g., [IEEE80211]) networksIt may include the RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, RCPI, RSNI, and / or ANPI measurement values of the discovery frame or the probe response frame. Other measurement values such as those discussed in 3GPP TS 36.214 v17.0.0 (2022-03-31) ("[TS36214]"), 3GPP TS 38.215 v17.3.0 (2023-03-30) ("[TS38215]"), 3GPP TS 38.314 v17.2.0 (2023-01-13) ("[TS38314]"), [TS37355], IEEE Standard for Information Technology - Telecommunications and Information Exchange between Systems - Local and Metropolitan Area Networks - Specific Requirements - Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications, IEEE Std 802.11-2020, pp.1-4379 (26 Feb.2021) ("[IEEE80211]") may be further or alternatively used. Further or alternatively, any of the above measurement values (or combinations of measurement values) may be collected by one or more AN708s and provided to the edge computing node.,

[0151] Further or alternatively, the measurement values are the following measurement values, namely, measurement values related to a data radio bearer (DRB) (e.g., the number of DRBs for which a setting was attempted, the number of DRBs for which the setting was successful, the number of active DRBs released, the in-session activity time of a DRB, the number of DRBs for which a resume was attempted, the number of DRBs for which the resume was successful, etc.), measurement values related to RRC (e.g., the average number of RRC connections, the maximum number of RRC connections, the average number of stored inactive RRC connections, the maximum number of stored inactive RRC connections, the attempted RRC connection establishments, the number of successful RRC connection establishments and / or the number of failed RRC connection establishments, etc.), measurement values related to a UE context (UECNTX), measurement values related to radio resource utilization (RRU) (e.g., the total DL PRB utilization rate, the total UL PRB utilization rate, the distribution of the total DL PRB utilization rate, the distribution of the total UL PRB utilization rate, the DL PRBs used for data traffic, the UL PRBs used for data traffic, the total available DL PRBs, the total available UL PRBs, etc.), measurement values related to registration management (RM), measurement values related to session management (SM) (the number of PDU sessions for which a setting was requested, the number of PDU sessions for which the setting was successful, the number of PDU sessions for which the setting failed, etc.), measurement values related to GTP management (GTP), measurement values related to IP management (IP), measurement values related to policy association (PA), measurement values related to mobility management (MM,Measurements related to Mobility Management (e.g., for inter-RAT, intra-RAT and / or intra-frequency / inter-frequency handovers and / or conditional handovers, the number of requested handover preparations, the number of successful handover preparations and / or the number of failed handover preparations, the number of requested handover resource allocations, the number of successful handover resource allocations and / or the number of failed handover resource allocations, the number of requested handover executions, the number of successful handover executions and / or the number of failed handover executions, the average and / or maximum time of requested handover executions, the number of successful handover executions and / or the number of failed handover executions per beam pair, etc.), measurements related to virtualized resources (VR), measurements related to carriers (CARR), measurements related to QoS flows (QF) (e.g., the number of released active QoS flows, the number of QoS flows for which release was attempted, the in-session activity time of QoS flows, the in-session activity time of the UE 702, the number of QoS flows for which setting was attempted, the number of QoS flows successfully established, the number of QoS flows for which setting failed, the number of initial QoS flows for which setting was attempted, the number of initial QoS flows successfully established, the number of initial QoS flows for which setting failed, the number of QoS flows for which modification was attempted, the number of QoS flows successfully modified, the number of QoS flows for which modification failed, etc.), measurements related to application triggering (AT), measurements related to short message service (SMS), measurements related to power, energy and environment (PEE), measurements related to NF services (NFS), measurements related to packet flow descriptions (PFD), measurements related to random access channels (RACH), measurements related to measurement reports (MR), layer 1 measurements (L1M,Measurement values related to Layer 1 Measurement, measurement values related to Network Slice Selection (NSS), measurement values related to Paging (PAG), measurement values related to Non-IP Data Delivery (NIDD), measurement values related to external parameter provisioning (EPP), measurement values related to traffic influence (TI), measurement values related to Connection Establishment (CE), measurement values related to Service Parameter Provisioning (SPP), measurement values related to Background Data Transfer Policy (BDTP), measurement values related to Data Management (DM), and / or one or more of any other performance measurement values such as those discussed in 3GPP TS 28.552 v18.2.0 (2023-03-30) (“TS28552”), 3GPP TS 32.425 v17.1.0 (2021-06-24) (“[TS32425]”), etc. can be included.,

[0152] Wireless information may be reported in response to a trigger event and / or periodically. Further or alternatively, each individual UE 702 may report wireless information at either a low period or a high period depending on the data transfer to be performed, and / or report other information regarding the data transfer. Further or alternatively, the edge computing node may request measurements from the AN 708 at a low period or a high period, or the AN 708 may provide measurements to the edge computing node at a low period or a high period. Further or alternatively, the edge computing node may obtain other relevant data such as key performance indicators (KPIs) from other edge computing nodes, core network functions (NFs), application functions (AFs), and / or other UEs 702, either with or separate from the measurement reports.

[0153] Further or alternatively, the RAN node 708 may also perform or collect various measurements, such as any of those discussed herein. Examples of measurements performed / collected by the RAN node 708 are the secondary synchronization signal (SSS) transmission power (e.g., the linear average over the power contribution of the resource elements carrying the secondary synchronization signal within the secondary synchronization signal bandwidth [in units of W]), the UL relative time of arrival (TUL-RTOA) (e.g., T 0 +t SRS , where T 0 is the nominal start time of SFN0 provided by the SFN initialization time [15, TS 38.455], and t SRS =(10n f +n sf )×10 -3 , and n f and n sfg is the system frame number and the sub-frame number of the SRS respectively), the NB Rx-Tx time difference (e.g., T gNB-RX -T gNB-TX is defined as, where T gNB-RX is the TRP reception timing of the uplink sub-frame #i including the SRS associated with the UE, and is defined by the first detected path in time. T gNB-TX is the TRP transmission timing of the downlink sub-frame #j that is closest in time to the sub-frame #i received from the UE), the UL Angle of Arrival (UL AoA) (e.g., the estimated azimuth angle (A-AoA) and vertical angle (Z-AoA) of the UE 702 with respect to the reference direction), the UL SRS reference signal received power (UL SRS-RSRP) (e.g., the linear average of the power contribution of the resource elements carrying the sounding reference signal (SRS) [in the unit of [W]]), the UL SRS reference signal received path power (UL SRS-RSRPP) (e.g., the power of the linear average of the channel response at the i-th path delay of the resource elements carrying the received UL SRS signal configured for measurement, and the UL SRS-RSRPP of the first path delay is the power contribution corresponding to the path first detected in time), the timing advance (referred to as "TA" or "T ADV ") (e.g., the time difference T ADV =(T gNB-RX -T gNB-TX ), where T gNB-RX is the TRP reception (Rx) timing of the UL sub-frame #i including the PRACH transmitted from the UE 702, and is defined by the first detected path in time. T gNB-TX is the TRP transmission (Tx) timing of the downlink sub-frame #j that is closest in time to the sub-frame #i received from the UE 702). The detected PRACH is used to determine the start of one sub-frame including that PRACH. T gNB-RXThe reference points for are the Rx antenna connector of a type 1-C base station, the Rx antenna of a type 1-O or 2-O base station (i.e., the center position of the radiation area of the Rx antenna), and the Rx transceiver array boundary connector of a type 1-H base station (see, for example, 3GPP TS 38.104). T gNB-TX The reference points for are the Tx antenna connector for a type 1-C base station, the Tx antenna for a type 1-O or 2-O base station (i.e., the center position of the radiation area of the Tx antenna), the Tx transceiver array boundary connector for a type 1-H base station, and / or the UE-gNB RTT (e.g., the sum of the TA values of the UE (see, for example, [TS38211] §4.3.1) and kmac, in some examples, the UE-gNB RTT is used for non-terrestrial networks).

[0154] Furthermore or alternatively, if there are contradictions in the observed data from one or more UEs, one or more RAN nodes, and / or core network NFs (e.g., missing reports, incorrect data, etc.), simple imputation may be performed to supplement the obtained observed data, such as replacing values from previous reports and / or historical data, applying an extrapolation filter, etc. Furthermore or alternatively, the acceptable boundaries of the observed data may be predetermined or configured. For example, CQI and MCS measurement values may be configured to be only within the range defined by the appropriate 3GPP standard. If the reported data values do not make sense (e.g., the value exceeds the tolerance range / boundary, etc.), such values may be dropped for the current learning / training episode or epoch. For example, a packet delivery delay limit may be defined or configured, and packets determined to be received after the packet delivery delay limit may be dropped.

[0155] UE702 can also perform reference signal (RS) measurement and reporting procedures to provide the network with information regarding one or more wireless channels and / or generally the quality of the communication medium, and this information can be used to optimize various aspects of the communication system. As an example, the measurement and reporting procedures performed by UE702 can include 3GPP TS 38.211 v17.4.0 (2023-01-04) (“[TS38211]”), 3GPP TS 38.212 v17.5.0 (2023-03-30) (“[TS38212]”), 3GPP TS 38.213 v17.5.0 (2023-03-30) (“[TS38213]”), 3GPP TS 38.214 v17.5.0 (2023-03-30) (“[TS38214]”), [TS38215], 3GPP TS 38.101-1 v18.1.0 (2023-04-07) (“[TS38101-1]”), 3GPP TS 38.104 v18.1.0 (2023-04-07) (“[TS38104]”), 3GPP TS 38.133 v18.1.0 (2023-04-07) (“[TS38133]”), [TS38331], etc. Physical signals and / or reference signals can include demodulation reference signal (DM-RS), phase-tracking reference signal (PT-RS), positioning reference signal (PRS), channel-state information reference signal (CSI-RS), synchronization signal block (SSB), primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0156] In any of the examples discussed in this specification, any suitable data collection and / or measurement mechanism may be used to collect the observed data. For example, data marking (e.g., sequencing numbering, etc.), packet tracing, signal measurement, data sampling, and / or timestamping techniques may be used to determine any of the above metrics / observations. The data collection may be based on the occurrence of an event that triggers the data collection. Additionally or alternatively, the data collection may be performed at the start or end of an event. The data collection may be continuous, discontinuous, and / or may have start and stop times. The data collection technology / mechanism may be specific to the HW configuration / implementation or not HW specific, or may be based on various software parameters (e.g., OS type and version, etc.). Various configurations may be used to define any of the above data collection parameters. Such configurations may be defined by appropriate specifications / standards such as those of 3GPP (e.g., [SA6Edge]), ETSI (e.g., [MEC]), O-RAN (e.g., [O-RAN]), Intel® Smart Edge Open (formerly OpenNESS) (e.g., [ISEO]), IETF (e.g., MAMS [RFC8743]), IEEE / WiFi (e.g., [IEEE80211], [WiMAX], [IEEE16090], etc.), and / or any other similar standards such as those discussed in this specification.

[0157] In a V2X scenario, UE702 or AN708 may be or operate as a roadside unit (RSU), and the RSU may represent any transport infrastructure entity used for V2X communication. The RSU may be implemented within or by a suitable AN or a stationary (or relatively stationary) UE. The RSU implemented within or by a UE may be referred to as a "UE-type RSU", the eNB may be referred to as an "eNB-type RSU", the gNB may be referred to as a "gNB-type RSU", and so on for the following. In one example, the RSU is a computing device coupled with a radio frequency circuit located roadside that provides connection support to passing vehicle UEs. The RSU may also include an internal data storage circuit that stores intersection map geometry, traffic statistics, media, and applications / software for sensing and controlling traffic of ongoing vehicles and pedestrians. The RSU may provide very low latency communication required for high-speed events such as collision avoidance, traffic warnings, etc. Further or alternatively, the RSU may provide other cellular / WLAN communication services. The components of the RSU may be packaged within a weather-resistant enclosure suitable for outdoor installation and may include a network interface controller for providing a wired connection (e.g., Ethernet (R)) to a traffic signal controller or a backhaul network. Further, one or more V2X RATs may be used, which enables V2X nodes to communicate directly with each other with infrastructure devices (e.g., AN708) and / or other devices / nodes. In some implementations, at least two separate V2X RATs may be used, including a WLAN V2X (W-V2X) RAT based on IEEE V2X technology (e.g., DSRC for the US and ITS-G5 for Europe) and a cellular V2X (C-V2X) RAT based on 3GPP V2X technology (e.g., LTE V2X, 5G / NR V2X, and beyond). In one example, the C-V2X RAT may utilize a C-V2X air interface, and the WLAN V2X RAT may utilize a W-V2X air interface.

[0158] The W-V2X RAT includes, for example, IEEE Guide for Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE) Architecture, IEEE STANDARDS ASSOCIATION, IEEE 1609.0-2019 (10 Apr. 2019) (“[IEEE16090]”), V2X Communications Message Set Dictionary, SAE INT’L (23 Jul. 2020) (“[J2735_202007]”), Intelligent Transport Systems in the 5 GHz frequency band (ITS-G5) (which is the L1 and layer 2 (L2) part of WAVE, DSRC, and ITS-G5) and / or IEEE Standard for Air Interface for Broadband Wireless Access Systems, IEEE Std 802.16-2017, pp. 1-2726 (02 Mar. 2018) (“[WiMAX]”). The term “DSRC” refers to vehicle communication in the 5.9 GHz frequency band commonly used in the United States, and “ITS-G5” refers to vehicle communication in the 5.9 GHz frequency band in Europe. Since any number of different RATs can be applicable in any geographical or political region, the terms “DSRC” (which is used in the United States, among other regions) and “ITS-G5” (which is used in Europe, among other regions) may be used interchangeably throughout this disclosure. The access layer of the ITS-G5 interface is outlined in ETSI EN 302 663 V1.3.1 (2020-01) (hereinafter, “EN302663”), which describes the access layer of the ITS-S reference architecture. The ITS-G5 access layer includes Decentralized Congestion Control (DCC) discussed in [IEEE80211] and ETSI TS 102 687 V1.2.1 (2018-04) (“[TS102687]”).The access layer for 3GPP LTE-V2X-based interfaces is outlined, among others, in ETSI EN 303 613 V1.1.1 (2020-01), 3GPP TS 23.285 v16.2.0 (2019-12), and 3GPP 5G / NR-V2X is outlined, among others, in 3GPP TR 23.786 v16.1.0 (2019-06) and 3GPP TS 23.287 v18.0.0 (2023-03-31) ( "[TS23287]" ).

[0159] In an example where RAN 704 is an E-UTRAN 710 having one or more eNBs 712, the E-UTRAN 710 provides an LTE air interface (Uu) having parameters and characteristics as discussed in at least 3GPP TS 36.300 v17.2.0 (2022-09-30) ( "[TS36300]"). In an example where RAN 704 is a next-generation (NG) -RAN having a set of gNBs 716, each gNB 716 uses a 5G-NR air interface (which may also be referred to as the Uu interface) having parameters and characteristics as discussed in [TS38300] among many other 3GPP standards to connect to a 5G-capable UE 702. When the NG-RAN 714 includes a set of ng-eNBs 718, one or more ng-eNBs 718 connect to the UE 702 via a 5G Uu and / or an LTE Uu interface. The gNBs 716 and ng-eNBs 718 connect to the 5GC 740 through their respective NG interfaces, including the N2 interface, the N3 interface, and / or other interfaces. The gNBs 716 and ng-eNBs 718 are connected to each other on the Xn interface. Further, individual gNBs 716 are connected to each other via their respective Xn interfaces, and individual ng-eNBs 718 are connected to each other via their respective Xn interfaces. In some examples, the NG interface may be split into two parts, namely, an NG user plane (NG-U) interface (e.g., the N3 interface) that carries traffic data between the nodes of the NG-RAN 714 and the UPF 748, and an NG control plane (NG-C) interface (e.g., the N2 interface) that is a signaling interface between the nodes of the NG-RAN 714 and the AMF 744. In some examples, individual gNBs 716 and / or individual ng-eNBs 718 may serve several TRPs (e.g., remote units, remote radio heads, UL-SRS dedicated RPs, DL-PRS dedicated TPs, etc.).

[0160] NG-RAN714 may provide a 5G-NR air interface (which may also be referred to as the Uu interface) with the following characteristics, namely, variable SCS, CP-OFDM for DL, CP-OFDM and DFT-s-OFDM for UL, polar, iterative, simplex and Reed-Muller code for control, and LDPC for data. The 5G-NR air interface may rely on CSI-RS, PDSCH / PDCCH DMRS, similar to the LTE air interface. The 5G-NR air interface may not use CRS, but may use PBCH DMRS for PBCH demodulation, PTRS for phase tracking of PDSCH, and may use a tracking reference signal for time tracking. The 5G-NR air interface may operate in the FR1 band including the sub-6 GHz band or the FR2 band including the band from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. The 5G-NR air interface may include an SSB which is an area of the downlink resource grid including PSS / SSS / PBCH.

[0161] The 5G-NR air interface may utilize BWPs for various purposes. For example, a BWP can be used for dynamic adaptation of SCS. For example, UE702 can be composed of multiple BWPs, and each BWP configuration has a different SCS. When a BWP change is indicated to UE702, the SCS of the transmission is changed accordingly. Another example of a use case of BWP is related to power saving. In particular, multiple BWPs can be configured for UE702 with different amounts of frequency resources (e.g., PRBs) to support data transmission under different traffic load scenarios. A BWP containing a smaller number of PRBs can be used for data transmission with a low traffic load while enabling power saving in UE702 and in some cases in gNB716. A BWP containing a larger number of PRBs can be used for scenarios with a higher traffic load.

[0162] In some implementations, an individual gNB 716 can include a set of gNB-CU and gNB-DU. Further or alternatively, gNB 716 can include one or more RUs. In these implementations, the gNB-CU may be connected to each gNB-DU via respective F1 interfaces. In the case of network sharing with multiple cell ID broadcasts, each cell identity associated with a subset of the PLMN corresponds to a gNB-DU and the gNB-CU to which it is connected, and shares the same physical layer cell resources. For elasticity, the gNB-DU may be connected to multiple gNB-CUs by appropriate implementations. Further, the gNB-CU can be separated into a gNB-CU control plane (gNB-CU-CP) function and a gNB-CU user plane (gNB-CU-UP) function. The gNB-CU-CP is connected to the gNB-DU through the F1 control plane interface (F1-C), the gNB-CU-UP is connected to the gNB-DU through the F1 user plane interface (F1-U), and the gNB-CU-UP is connected to the gNB-CU-CP through the E1 interface. In some implementations, one gNB-DU is connected to only one gNB-CU-CP, and one gNB-CU-UP is connected to only one gNB-CU-CP. For elasticity, the gNB-DU and / or gNB-CU-UP may be connected to multiple gNB-CU-CPs by appropriate implementations. One gNB-DU can be connected to multiple gNB-CU-UPs under the control of the same gNB-CU-CP, and one gNB-CU-UP can be connected to multiple DUs under the control of the same gNB-CU-CP. Data transfer between gNB-CU-UPs during gNB-CU-CP-internal handover within the gNB may be supported by Xn-U.

[0163] Similarly, each ng-eNB 718 can include a set of ng-eNB-CU and ng-eNB-DU. In these implementations, the ng-eNB-CU and each ng-eNB-DU are connected to each other through their respective W1 interfaces. The ng-eNB can include an ng-eNB-CU-CP, one or more ng-eNB-CU-UPs, and one or more ng-eNB-DUs. The ng-eNB-CU-CP and the ng-eNB-CU-UP are connected via an E1 interface. The ng-eNB-DU is connected to the ng-eNB-CU-CP via a W1-C interface and to the ng-eNB-CU-UP via a W1-U interface. The general principles described herein with respect to the gNB mode apply to the ng-eNB mode and the corresponding E1 and W1 interfaces as well, unless explicitly specified otherwise.

[0164] The node hosting the user plane part of the PDCP protocol layer (e.g., for gNB-CU, gNB-CU-UP, and depending on bearer splitting for EN-DC, MeNB, or SgNB) performs user inactivity monitoring and further notifies its inactivity or (re)activation to the node having a control plane connection towards the core network (e.g., over E1, X2, etc.). The node hosting the RLC protocol layer (e.g., gNB-DU) may perform user inactivity monitoring and further notify its inactivity or (re)activation to the node hosting the control plane (e.g., gNB-CU or gNB-CU-CP).

[0165] In these implementations, the NG-RAN 714 is stratified into a Radio Network Layer (RNL) and a Transport Network Layer (TNL). The NG-RAN 714 architecture (e.g., NG-RAN logical nodes and the interfaces between them) is part of the RNL. For each NG-RAN interface (e.g., NG, Xn, F1, etc.), the relevant TNL protocols and functions are specified. The TNL provides services for user plane transport and / or signaling transport. In an NG-Flex configuration, each NG-RAN node is connected to all of the AMFs 744 in the AMF set within the AMF area that supports at least one slice also supported by the NG-RAN node. The AMF set and the AMF area are defined in [TS23501].

[0166] The RAN 704 is communicatively coupled to a CN 720 that includes network elements and / or network functions (NFs) for providing various functions to support data and telecommunications services to customers / subscribers (e.g., UE 702). The components of the CN 720 may be implemented within one physical node or separate physical nodes. In some examples, NFV may be utilized to virtualize some or all of the functions provided by the network elements of the CN 720 onto physical computing / memory resources within servers, switches, etc. The logical instantiation of the CN 720 may be referred to as a network slice, and a partial logical instantiation of the CN 720 may be referred to as a network sub-slice.

[0167] CN720 may be an LTE CN722 (also referred to as an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) 722). As shown in the figure, the EPC 722 may include an MME 724, an SGW 726, an SGSN 728, an HSS 730, a PGW 732, and a PCRF 734 that are coupled to each other on an interface (or "reference point"). The NFs in the EPC 722 are briefly introduced as follows. The MME 724 implements a mobility management function to track the current location of the UE 702 in order to facilitate paging, bearer activation / deactivation, handover, gateway selection, authentication, etc. The SGW 726 terminates the S1 interface to the RAN 710 and routes data packets between the RAN 710 and the EPC 722. The SGW 726 may be a local mobility anchor point for handover between RAN nodes and may also provide an anchor for mobility between 3GPPs. Other roles may include lawful intercept, charging, and any policy enforcement. The SGSN 728 tracks the location of the UE 702 and performs security functions and access control. The SGSN 728 may also perform EPC node - to - node signaling for mobility between different RAT networks, PDN and S - GW selection specified by the MME 724, selection of the MME 724 for handover, etc. The S3 reference point between the MME 724 and the SGSN 728 enables the exchange of user and bearer information for mobility between 3GPP access networks in the idle / active state. The HSS 730 includes a database for network users that contains subscription - related information to support the processing of communication sessions by network entities. The HSS 730 can provide support for routing / roaming, authentication, authorization, naming / addressing resolution, location dependency, etc. The S6a reference point between the HSS 730 and the MME 724 may enable the transfer of subscription data and authentication data to authenticate / authorize user access to the EPC 720.The PGW 732 may terminate the SGI interface to a data network (DN) 736 which may include an application (app) / content server 738. The PGW 732 routes data packets between the EPC 722 and the data network 736. The PGW 732 is communicatively coupled to the SGW 726 by the S5 reference point to facilitate user plane tunneling and tunnel management. The PGW 732 may further include a node (e.g., PCEF) for policy enforcement and charging data collection. Further, the SGi reference point may communicatively couple the PGW 732 to the same or a different data network 736. The PGW 732 may be communicatively coupled to the PCRF 734 via the Gx reference point. The PCRF 734 is a policy and charging control element of the EPC 722. The PCRF 734 may be communicatively coupled to the application / content server 738 to determine appropriate QoS and charging parameters for a service flow. The PCRF 732 may also provision relevant rules to the PCEF (via the Gx reference point) using appropriate TFTs and QCIs.

[0168] CN720 may be a 5GC740 including an Authentication Server Function (AUSF) 724, an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 744, a Session Management Function (SMF) 746, a User Plane Function (UPF) 748, a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) 750, a Network Exposure Function (NEF) 752, a Network Repository Function (NRF) 754, a Policy Control Function (PCF) 756, a Unified Data Management (UDM) 758, a Unified Data Repository (UDR) 759, and a Unified Data Repository (AF) 760, which are coupled to each other on various interfaces as shown in the figure. The NFs 740 within the 5GC are briefly introduced as follows.

[0169] The AUSF 742 stores data for authenticating the UE 702 and processes functions related to authentication. The AUSF 742 may facilitate a common authentication framework for various access types.

[0170] The AMF 744 may also enable other functions of the 5GC 740 to communicate with the UE 702 and the RAN 704 and to subscribe to notifications regarding mobility events related to the UE 702. The AMF 744 also serves the roles of registration management (e.g., for registering the UE 702), connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception of AMF-related events, as well as access authentication and authorization. The AMF 744 provides transport for SM messages between the UE 702 and the SMF 746 and functions as a transparent proxy for routing SM messages. The AMF 744 also provides transport for SMS messages between the UE 702 and the SMSF. The AMF 744 interacts with the AUSF 742 and the UE 702 to perform various security anchor and context management functions. Further, the AMF 744 is an end-point of the RAN CP interface including the N2 reference point between the RAN 704 and the AMF 744. The AMF 744 is also an end-point of the NAS (N1) signaling and performs NAS encryption and integrity protection.

[0171] AMF744 also supports NAS signaling with UE702 on the N3IWF interface. The N3IWF provides access to untrusted entities. The N3IWF may be the termination point of the N2 interface between the (R)AN704 and the AMF744 for the control plane, or the termination point of the N3 reference point between the (R)AN704 and the AMF744 for the user plane. Thus, the AMF744 processes N2 signaling from the SMF746, and the AMF744 encapsulates / decapsulates packets for IPSec and N3 tunneling for PDU sessions and QoS, marks N3 user plane packets on the uplink, and enforces QoS corresponding to N3 packet marking taking into account the QoS requirements associated with such marking received on N2. The N3IWF also relays UL and DL control plane NAS signaling between the UE702 and the AMF744 via the N1 reference point between the UE702 and the UPF748, and may relay uplink and downlink user plane packets between the UE702 and the UPF748. The N3IWF also provides a mechanism for establishing an IPsec tunnel with the UE702. The AMF744 may expose a Namf service-based interface, which may be the termination point for the N14 reference point between two AMFs, and the N17 reference point 744 between the AMF744 and the 5G-EIR (not shown in Figure 7).

[0172] The SMF 746 serves to establish an SM session (e.g., between the UPF 748 and the AN 708), manage tunnels, allocate and manage UE IP addresses (including optional permissions), select and control the UP function, configure traffic steering in the UPF 748 to route traffic to the appropriate destination, terminate the interface towards the policy control function, enforce policies, perform charging and partial control of QoS, perform lawful interception (for SM events and the interface to the LI system), terminate the SM part of the NAS message, notify of downlink data, initiate AN-specific SM information sent to the AN 708 via the AM 744 on N2, and determine the SSC mode of the session. SM denotes the management of the PDU session, and the PDU session or "session" denotes a PDU connection service that provides or enables the exchange of PDUs between the UE 702 and the DN 736. The SMF 746 also has the following functions to support edge computing extensions, namely, selection of the EASDF 761 and provision of its address to the UE as a DNS server for the PDU session, use of the EASDF 761 as defined in [TS23548], and may include provision and update of ECS address configuration information to the UE to support the application layer architecture defined in [TS23558]. The discovery and selection procedures for the EASDF are discussed in [TS23501] §6.3.23.

[0173] The UPF 748 functions as an anchor point for in-RAT and inter-RAT mobility, an external PDU session point for the interconnection to the data network 736, and a branching point for supporting multi-home PDU sessions. The UPF 748 also performs packet routing and forwarding, performs packet inspection, enforces the user plane part of the policy rules, lawfully intercepts packets (UP collection), performs traffic usage reporting, performs QoS processing for the user plane (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement), performs uplink traffic verification (e.g., SDF-to-QoS flow mapping), performs transport level packet marking on the uplink and downlink, and performs downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering. The UPF 748 may include an uplink classifier that supports routing traffic flows to the data network.

[0174] The NSSF 750 selects a set of network slice instances that serve the UE 702. The NSSF 750 also determines the mapping to the permitted NSSAI and the subscribed S-NSSAI if necessary. The NSSF 750 also determines the set of AMFs to be used to serve the UE 702 or, based on the appropriate configuration, determines a list of candidate AMFs 744, possibly by querying the NRF 754. The selection of the set of network slice instances for the UE 702 may be triggered by the AMF 744 to which the UE 702 is registered by interacting with the NSSF 750, which may result in a change of the AMF 744. The NSSF 750 interacts with the AMF 744 via the N22 reference point and may communicate with another NSSF within the visited network via the N31 reference point (not shown).

[0175] NEF752 securely exposes services and capabilities provided by 3GPP NFs for third parties, internal exposure / re - exposure, AF760, edge computing or fog computing systems (edge computing nodes), etc. In such an example, NEF752 may authenticate, authorize or throttle the AF. NEF752 may also transform the information exchanged with AF760 and the information exchanged with internal network functions. For example, NEF752 may transform between an AF service identifier and internal 5GC information. NEF752 may also receive information from other NFs based on the exposed capabilities of other NFs. This information may be stored in NEF752 as structured data, or may be stored in a data storage NF using a standardized interface. The stored information can then be re - exposed by NEF752 to other NFs and AFs, or used for other purposes such as analysis.

[0176] NRF754 supports a service discovery function, receives NF discovery requests from NF instances, and provides information on the discovered NF instances to the NF instances. NRF754 also maintains information on available NF instances and the services they support. NRF754 also supports a service discovery function, and NRF754 receives NF discovery requests from NF instances or an SCP (not shown) and provides information on the discovered NF instances to the NF instances or the SCP.

[0177] PCF756 provides policy rules to control - plane functions to enforce policy rules and supports a unified policy framework for managing network behavior. PCF756 may also implement a front - end to access subscription information related to policy decisions in UDR759 of UDM758. In addition to functioning and communicating at the reference points as shown, PCF756 presents an Npcf service - based interface.

[0178] The UDM 758 processes subscription-related information to support the handling of communication sessions by network entities and stores the subscription data of the UE 702. For example, the subscription data may be communicated via the N8 reference point between the UDM 758 and the AMF 744. The UDM 758 may include two parts: an application front-end and a UDR. The UDR may store structured data for subscription data and policy data for the UDM 758 and the PCF 756, and / or public and application data for the NEF 752 (including PFDs for application detection, application request information for multiple UEs 702). The Nudr service-based interface is presented by the UDR to enable the UDM 758, the PCF 756, and the NEF 752 to access a specific set of stored data, read notifications of related data changes within the UDR, update (e.g., add, modify), delete, and subscribe. The UDM 758 may include a UDM-FE, which is responsible for processing credentials, location management, subscription management, etc. Several different front-ends may serve the same user in different transactions. The UDM-FE accesses the subscription information stored in the UDR and performs authentication credential processing, user identification processing, access authorization, registration / mobility management, and subscription management. In addition to communicating with other NFs on the reference points as shown, the UDM 758 may present a Nudm service-based interface.

[0179] The Edge Application Server Discovery Function (EASDF) 761 exposes a Neasdf service-based interface and is connected to the SMF 746 via the N88 interface. One or more EASDF instances may be deployed within a PLMN, and the interaction between the 5GC NF and the EASDF 761 takes place within the PLMN. The EASDF 761 includes one or more of the following functions, namely, registration with the NRF 754 for discovery and selection of the EASDF 761, processing of DNS messages according to instructions from the SMF 746, and / or termination of DNS security if used. Processing of DNS messages according to instructions from the SMF 746 includes one or more of the following functions, namely, receiving DNS message processing rules and / or BaselineDNSPattern from the SMF 746, exchanging DNS messages with / from the UE 702, forwarding DNS messages to the C-DNS or L-DNS for DNS queries, adding the EDNS client subnet (ECS) option to DNS queries for the FQDN, reporting information regarding the received DNS messages to the SMF 746, and / or buffering / dropping DNS messages from the UE 702 or DNS server. The EASDF has a direct user plane connection with the PSA UPF on N6 (e.g., without NAT) for the transmission of DNS signaling exchanged with the UE. The placement of NAT between the EASDF 761 and the PSA UPF 748 may or may not be supported. Further aspects of the EASDF 761 are discussed in [TS23548].

[0180] The AF760 provides the influence of the application in traffic routing, provides access to the NEF752, and interacts with the policy framework for policy control. The AF760 may influence the (re)-selection of the UPF748 and traffic routing. Based on the operator's deployment, when the AF760 is considered a trustworthy entity, the network operator may permit the AF760 to interact directly with the related NF. In some implementations, the AF760 is used in edge computing implementations.

[0181] The 5GC740 may enable edge computing by selecting an operator / third-party service to be geographically closer to the point where the UE702 attaches to the network. This may reduce latency and load in the network. In an edge computing implementation, the 5GC740 may select a UPF748 close to the UE702 and perform traffic steering from the UPF748 to the DN736 via the N6 interface. This may be based on UE subscription data, UE location, and information provided by the AF760, which enables the AF760 to influence the (re)-selection of the UPF and traffic routing.

[0182] A data network (DN) 736 may represent various network operator services, Internet access, or third-party services that can be provided by one or more servers, such as an application (app) / content server 738. The DN 736 may be, for example, an operator-external public, private PDN, or in-operator packet data network for the provision of IMS services. In this example, the app server 738 can be coupled to the IMS via an S-CSCF or an I-CSCF. In some implementations, the DN 736 may represent one or more local area DNs (LA DNs), where a local area DN is a DN 736 (or DN name (DNN)) that can be accessed by the UE 702 within one or more specific areas. Outside of these specific areas, the UE 702 cannot access the LADN / DN 736.

[0183] Additionally or alternatively, the DN 736 may be an edge DN 736, where an edge DN 736 is a (local) DN that supports an architecture for enabling edge applications. In these examples, the app server 738 may represent the physical hardware system / device that provides the app server functionality and / or the application software resident on an edge computing node that executes server functions within the cloud or otherwise. In some examples, the app / content server 738 provides an edge hosting environment that provides the support necessary for the execution of edge application servers.

[0184] In some examples, the 5GS can use one or more edge computing nodes to provide an interface and offload the processing of wireless communication traffic. In these examples, the edge computing nodes may be included in one or more RANs 710, 714, or may be collocated with one or more RANs 710, 714. For example, the edge computing node can provide a connection between the RAN 714 and the UPF 748 within the 5GC 740. The edge computing node can use one or more NFV instances instantiated on the virtualized infrastructure within the edge computing node to handle wireless connections with the RAN 710 and the UPF 748.

[0185] In some implementations, the edge computing node provides a distributed computing environment for application and service hosting and provides storage and processing resources so that data and / or content can be processed closer to the subscriber (e.g., the user of the UE 702) for faster response times. The edge computing node also supports a multi-tenant runtime and hosting environment for applications, including, among other things, virtual appliance applications, middleware applications, and infrastructure services that can be delivered as packaged virtual machine (VM) images, content delivery services including content caching, mobile big data analytics, and compute offloading. Compute offloading includes offloading compute tasks, workloads, applications, and / or services from the UE 702, CN 720, DN 736, and / or server 738 to the edge computing node or vice versa. For example, a device application or client application operating on the UE 702 may offload an application task or workload to one or more edge computing nodes. In another example, the edge computing node may offload an application task or workload to a set of UEs 702 (e.g., for distributed machine learning computations, etc.).

[0186] The edge computing node may include, or may be a part of, an edge system that uses one or more edge computing technologies (ECTs) (also referred to as "edge computing frameworks" and the like). The edge legacy node may also be referred to as an "edge host" or "edge server". The edge system includes a set of edge servers and an edge management system (not shown) necessary to execute edge computing applications within an operator network or a subset of an operator network. The edge server includes an edge platform and / or a virtualization infrastructure and is a physical computer system that can provide computing, storage, and network resources to edge computing applications. Each of the edge servers is located at the edge of the corresponding access network and is configured to provide computing resources and / or various services (e.g., offloading of computing tasks and / or workloads, cloud computing capabilities, IT services, and other similar resources and / or services as discussed herein) relatively close to the UE 702. The VI of the edge computing node provides a virtualization environment and virtualization resources for the edge host, and the edge computing application may operate as a VM and / or application container on the VI.

[0187] In one exemplary implementation, the ECT is an MEC framework as discussed in and / or operating in accordance with ETSI GR MEC 001 v3.1.1 (2022-01), ETSI GS MEC 003 v3.1.1 (2022-03), ETSI GS MEC 009 v3.1.1 (2021-06), ETSI GS MEC 010-1 v1.1.1 (2017-10), ETSI GS MEC 010-2 v2.2.1 (2022-02), ETSI GS MEC 011 v2.2.1 (2020-12), ETSI GS MEC 012 V2.2.1 (2022-02), ETSI GS MEC 013 V2.2.1 (2022-01), ETSI GS MEC 014 v2.1.1 (2021-03), ETSI GS MEC 015 v2.1.1 (2020-06), ETSI GS MEC 016 v2.2.1 (2020-04), ETSI GS MEC 021 v2.2.1 (2022-02), ETSI GR MEC 024 v2.1.1 (2019-11), ETSI GS MEC 028 V2.2.1 (2021-07), ETSI GS MEC 029 v2.2.1 (2022-01), ETSI MEC GS 030 v2.1.1 (2020-04), ETSI GR MEC 031 v2.1.1 (2020-10), U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 003,834, filed Apr. 1, 2020 (the “[US’834]”), and International Application No. PCT / US2020 / 066969, filed Dec. 23, 2020 (the “[PCT’696]”) (collectively referred to herein as the “[MEC]”), the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference.This exemplary implementation (and / or any other exemplary implementation discussed herein) may also include NFV and / or other similar virtualization technologies such as ETSI GR NFV 001 V1.3.1 (2021-03), ETSI GS NFV 002 V1.2.1 (2014-12), ETSI GR NFV 003 V1.6.1 (2021-03), ETSI GS NFV 006 V2.1.1 (2021-01), ETSI GS NFV-INF 001 V1.1.1 (2015-01), ETSI GS NFV-INF 003 V1.1.1 (2014-12), ETSI GS NFV-INF 004 V1.1.1 (2015-01), ETSI GS NFV-MAN 001 v1.1.1 (2014-12), and / or Israel et al., OSM Release FIVE Technical Overview, ETSI OPEN SOURCE MANO, OSM White Paper, 1st ed. (Jan. 2019), https: / / osm.etsi.org / images / OSM-Whitepaper-TechContent-ReleaseFIVE-FINAL.pdf (collectively referred to as "[ETSINFV]"), the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference.For example, other virtualization technologies and / or service orchestration and automation platforms such as the 3GPP service-based management architecture (SBMA) as discussed in, for example, E2E Network Slicing Architecture, GSMA, Official Doc. NG.127, v1.0 (03 Jun. 2021), https: / / www.gsma.com / newsroom / wp-content / uploads / / NG.127-v1.0-2.pdf, Open Network Automation Platform (ONAP) documentation, Release Istanbul, v9.0.1 (17 Feb. 2022), https: / / docs.onap.org / en / latest / index.html (referred to herein as "[ONAP]"), 3GPP TS 28.533 v17.1.0 (2021-12-23) (referred to herein as "[TS28533]") may be used, and all of the respective contents thereof are incorporated herein by reference.

[0188] In another exemplary implementation, the ECT is and / or operates according to the O-RAN framework. Typically, vendors and carriers of front-end and back-end devices work closely to ensure compatibility. The drawback of such a working model is that it becomes very difficult to achieve plug-and-play with other devices, which may hinder innovation. To address this and promote openness and interoperability at all levels, several key players interested in the wireless domain (e.g., carriers, device manufacturers, academic institutions, etc.) formed the Open RAN Alliance (the "O-RAN") in 2018. The O-RAN network architecture is a building block for designing a virtualized RAN on programmable hardware with radio access control provided by AI / ML. Various aspects of the O-RAN architecture are described in O-RAN Working Group 1 (Use Cases and Overall Architecture): O-RAN Architecture Description, O-RAN ALLIANCE WG1, O-RAN Architecture Description v08.00, Release R003 (Mar. 2023), O-RAN Operations and Maintenance Architecture Specification v04.00, O-RAN ALLIANCE WG1 (Feb. 2021), O-RAN Working Group 2 AI / ML workflow description and requirements v01.03 O-RAN ALLIANCE WG2 (Oct. 2021), O-RAN Working Group 2 (Non-RT RIC and A1 interface WG): R1 interface: General Aspects and Principles 4.0, v04.00, Release R003 (Mar. 2023), O-RAN Working Group 2 (Non-RT RIC and A1 interface WG) Non-RT RIC Architecture v02.01 (Oct. 2022), O-RAN Working Group 3 (Near-Real-time RAN Intelligent Controller and E2 Interface Working Group): Near-RT RIC Architecture, v04.00, Release R003 (Mar. 2023), O-RAN Working Group 4 (Open Fronthaul Interfaces WG) Control, User and Synchronization Plane Specification, v11.00, Release R003 (Mar. 2023), O-RAN Fronthaul Working Group 4 Cooperative Transport Interface Transport Control Plane Specification, v03.00 (Oct. 2022), O-RAN Fronthaul Working Group 4 Cooperative Transport Interface Transport Management Plane Specification, v11.00, Release R003 (Mar. 2023), O-RAN Open X-haul Transport Working Group Management interfaces for Transport Network Elements, v05.00, Release R003 (Mar. 2023), O-RAN Open Transport Working Group 9 Xhaul Packet Switched Architectures and Solutions, v03.00, Release R003 (Mar. 2023), O-RAN Open X-haul Transport Working Group Synchronization Architecture and Solution Specification, v03.00 (Oct. 2022), O-RAN Open Xhaul Transport WG9 WDM-based Fronthaul Transport, v03.00, Release R003 (Mar. 2023), O-RAN Operations and Maintenance Architecture, v08.00, Release R003 (Mar. 2023) (referred to as "[ORAN OAM-Arch]"), O-RAN Operations and Maintenance Interface Specification, v09.00, Release R003 (Mar. 2023) (collectively referred to as "[O-RAN]"), and all of the contents of each of these are incorporated herein by reference.

[0189] In another exemplary implementation, the ECT is the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) System Aspects Working Group 6 (SA6) Architecture for enabling Edge Applications (referred to as "3GPP Edge Computing") as discussed in 3GPP TS 23.558 v18.1.0 (2022-12-23) ("[TS23558]"), 3GPP TS 23.501 v18.0.0 (2022-12-21) ("[TS23501]"), 3GPP TS 23.502 v18.1.1 (2023-04-05) ("[TS23502]"), 3GPP TS 23.548 v18.1.0 (2023-04-06) ("[TS23548]"), 3GPP TS 28.538 v18.2.0 (2023-03-30) ("[TS28538]"), 3GPP TR 23.700-98 v18.0.0 (2022-12-23) ("[TR23700-98]"), 3GPP TS 23.222 v18.0.0 (2022-12-23) ("[TS23222]"), 3GPP TS 33.122 v18.0.0 (2022-12-16) ("[TS33122]"), 3GPP TS 29.222 v17.1.0 (2021-06-25) ("[TS29222]"), 3GPP TS 29.522 v18.0.0 (2022-12-16) ("[TS29522]"), 3GPP TS 29.122 v18.0.0 (2022-12-16) ("[TS29122]"), 3GPP TS 23.682 v17.3.0 (2022-06-15) ("[TS23682]"), 3GPP TS 23.434 v18.3.0 (2022-12-23) ("[TS23434]") and 3GPP TS 23.401 v18.0.0 (2022-12-21) (collectively referred to as "[SA6Edge]"), and / or operates in accordance with it, and all of the respective contents of these are incorporated herein by reference.

[0190] In another exemplary implementation, the ECT is the Intel® Smart Edge Open framework as discussed in and / or operating in accordance with the Intel® Smart Edge Open Developer Guide, version 21.09 (30 Sep. 2021) (the “[ISEO]”), available at https: / / smart-edge-open.github.io / , the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

[0191] In another exemplary implementation, the ECT operates according to a Multi-Access Management Service (MAMS) as discussed in Kanugovi et al., Multi-Access Management Services (MAMS), INTERNET ENGINEERING TASK FORCE (IETF), Request for Comments (RFC) 8743 (Mar. 2020) (“[RFC8743]”), Ford et al., TCP Extensions for Multipath Operation with Multiple Addresses, IETF RFC 8684 (Mar. 2020), De Coninck et al., Multipath Extensions for QUIC (MP-QUIC), IETF DRAFT-DECONINCK-QUIC-MULTIPATH-07, IETA, QUIC Working Group (03-May-2021), Zhu et al., User-Plane Protocols for Multiple Access Management Service, IETF DRAFT-ZHU-INTAREA-MAMS-USER-PROTOCOL-09, IETA, INTAREA (04-Mar-2020), and Zhu et al., Generic Multi-Access (GMA) Convergence Encapsulation Protocols, IETF RFC 9188 (Feb. 2022) (collectively referred to as “[MAMS]”), and all of the respective contents thereof are incorporated herein by reference.

[0192] The above examples of edge computing frameworks / ECTs and service deployments are merely exemplary examples of ECTs, and it should be understood that the present disclosure is applicable to various combinations and layouts of devices located at the edge of a network, including various edge computing networks / systems described herein, and to many other edge computing / networking technologies or additional edge computing / networking technologies. Further, the techniques disclosed herein may relate to other IoT edge network systems and configurations, and other intermediate processing entities and architectures may also be applicable to the present disclosure. Examples of such edge computing / networking technologies include [MEC], [O-RAN], [ISEO], [SA6Edge], content delivery networks (CDNs), mobility service provider (MSP) edge computing and / or mobility as a service (MaaS) provider systems (e.g., used in the AECC architecture), Nebula edge cloud systems, Fog computing systems, Cloudlet edge cloud systems, mobile cloud computing (MCC) systems, central office re-architected as a datacenter (CORD), mobile CORD (M-CORD) and / or converged multi-access and core (COMAC) systems, etc. Further, the techniques disclosed herein may relate to other IoT edge network systems and configurations, and other intermediate processing entities and architectures may also be used for the purposes of the present disclosure.

[0193] The interface of 5GC740 includes reference points and service-based interfaces. The reference points are between N1 (between UE702 and AMF744), N2 (between RAN714 and AMF744), N3 (between RAN714 and UPF748), N4 (between SMF746 and UPF), N5 (between PCF756 and AF760), N6 (between UPF748 and DN736), N7 (between SMF746 and PCF756), N8 (between UDM758 and AMF744), N9 (between two UPF748), N10 (between UDM758 and SMF746), N11 (between AMF744 and SMF746), N12 (between AUSF742 and AMF744), N13 (between AUSF742 and UDM758), N14 (between two AMF744, not shown), N15 (between PCF756 and AMF744 in a non-roaming scenario or between PCF756 in the visited network and AMF744 in a roaming scenario), N16 (between two SMF746, not shown), and N22 (between AMF744 and NSSF750). Other reference point expressions not shown in Figure 7 can also be used. The service-based expressions in Figure 7 represent NFs in the control plane that allow other permitted NFs to access these services. The service-based interface (SBI) includes Namf (SBI exposed by AMF744), Nsmf (SBI exposed by SMF746), Nnef (SBI exposed by NEF752), Npcf (SBI exposed by PCF756), Nudm (SBI exposed by UDM758), Naf (SBI exposed by AF760), Nnrf (SBI exposed by NRF754), Nnssf (SBI exposed by NSSF750), Nausf (SBI exposed by AUSF742). Other service-based interfaces not shown in Figure 7 (e.g., Nudr, N5g-eir, and Nudsf) can also be used. In some examples, NEF752 can provide an interface to the edge computing node 736x, which can be used to handle the wireless connection with RAN714.

[0194] Although not shown in FIG. 7, the system 700 may also include, for example, an Unstructured Data Storage Function (UDSF) as discussed in [TS23501], a Network Slice Admission Control Function (NSACF), a Network Slice-specific and SNPN Authentication and Authorization Function (NSSAAF), a UE radio Capability Management Function (UCMF), a 5G-Equipment Identity Register (5G-EIR), a Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF), a Charging Function (CHF), a Time Sensitive Networking AF (TSN AF), a Time Sensitive Communication and Time Synchronization Function (TSCTSF), a Data Collection Coordination Function (DCCF), an Analytics Data Repository Function (ADRF), a Messaging Framework Adaptor Function (MFAF), a Non-Seamless WLAN Offload Function (NSWOF), a Service Communication Proxy (SCP), a Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), a Non-3GPP Interworking Function (N3IWF,It may include non-illustrated NFs such as Non-3GPP InterWorking Function, Trusted Non-3GPP Gateway Function (TNGF), Wireline Access Gateway Function (W-AGF), and / or Trusted WLAN Interworking Function (TWIF).

[0195] FIG. 8 schematically shows a wireless network 800. The wireless network 800 includes a UE 802 that wirelessly communicates with an AN 804. The UE 802 is the same as or similar to any of the UEs discussed herein, such as, for example, UE 102, UE 702, the hardware resources 900, and / or any other UE discussed herein, and may be substantially interchangeable. The AN 804 is the same as or similar to any of the ANs (network access nodes (NANs)) discussed herein, such as, for example, TRP 108, AP 706, AN 708, RAN 704, the hardware resources 900, and / or any other AN / NAN discussed herein, and may be substantially interchangeable.

[0196] The UE 802 may be communicatively coupled to the AN 804 via a connection 806. The connection 806 is shown as an air interface to enable a communication coupling and can be compatible with a cellular communication protocol such as an LTE protocol or a 5G NR protocol operating at a mmWave or sub-6 GHz frequency.

[0197] UE802 includes a host platform 808 coupled to a modem platform 810. The host platform 808 includes application processing circuitry 812, which may be coupled to protocol processing circuitry 814 of the modem platform 810. The application processing circuitry 812 may execute various applications for the UE802 that source / sink application data. The application processing circuitry 812 may further implement one or more layer operations for transmitting application data to / receiving application data from a data network. These layer operations include transport (e.g., UDP) and Internet (e.g., IP) operations.

[0198] The protocol processing circuitry 814 may implement one or more layer operations to facilitate the transmission or reception of data on connection 806. The layer operations implemented by the protocol processing circuitry 814 include, for example, MAC, RLC, PDCP, RRC, and NAS operations.

[0199] The modem platform 810 may further include a digital baseband circuitry 816 that may implement one or more layer operations “below” the layer operations executed by the protocol processing circuitry 814 in a network protocol stack. These operations include, for example, PHY operations including one or more of HARQ-ACK functions, scrambling / descrambling, encoding / decoding, layer mapping / demapping, modulation symbol mapping, received symbol / bit metric determination, multi-antenna port precoding / decoding (including one or more of space-time coding, space-frequency coding, or space coding), reference signal generation / detection, preamble sequence generation and / or decoding, synchronization sequence generation / detection, control channel signal blind decoding, and other related functions.

[0200] The modem platform 810 may further include a transmission circuit 818, a reception circuit 820, an RF circuit 822, and an RF front end (RFFE) 824, which include or are connected to one or more antenna panels 826. Briefly speaking, the transmission circuit 818 includes a digital-to-analog converter, a mixer, an intermediate frequency (IF) component, etc., the reception circuit 820 includes an analog-to-digital converter, a mixer, an IF component, etc., the RF circuit 822 includes a low-noise amplifier, a power amplifier, a power tracking component, etc., and the RFFE 824 includes filters (e.g., surface / bulk acoustic wave filters), switches, antenna tuners, beamforming components (e.g., phased array antenna components), etc. The selection and arrangement of the components of the transmission circuit 818, the reception circuit 820, the RF circuit 822, the RFFE 824, and the antenna panel 826 (collectively referred to as "transmission / reception components" or "Tx / Rx components") may be specific to the details of a particular implementation, such as whether the communication is TDM or FDM, whether it is at a mmWave or sub-6 GHz frequency, etc. In some examples, the transmission / reception components may be arranged in multiple parallel transmission / reception chains, and may be arranged on the same or different chips / modules, etc.

[0201] In some examples, the protocol processing circuit 814 includes one or more instances of a control circuit (not shown) for providing control functions to the transmission / reception components. UE reception may be established by and through the antenna panel 826, the RFFE 824, the RF circuit 822, the reception circuit 820, the digital baseband circuit 816, and the protocol processing circuit 814. In some examples, the antenna panel 826 may receive the transmission from AN804 by a received beamforming signal received by a set of antennas / antenna elements of one or more antenna panels 826.

[0202] UE transmission may be established by and through protocol processing circuitry 814, digital baseband circuitry 816, transmission circuitry 818, RF circuitry 822, RFFE 824, and antenna panel 826. In some examples, the transmission components of UE 804 may apply a spatial filter to the data being transmitted to form a transmission beam radiated by the antenna elements of antenna panel 826. Similar to UE 802, AN 804 includes a host platform 828 coupled to a modem platform 830. Host platform 828 includes application processing circuitry 832 coupled to protocol processing circuitry 834 of modem platform 830. The modem platform may further include digital baseband circuitry 836, transmission circuitry 838, reception circuitry 840, RF circuitry 842, RFFE circuitry 844, and antenna panel 846. The components of AN 804 are similar to the components of UE 802 with the same name and may be substantially interchangeable. In addition to performing data transmission / reception as described above, the components of AN 808 may perform various logical functions, including, for example, RNC functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management, and data packet scheduling.

[0203] Examples of the antenna elements of antenna panel 826 and / or the antenna elements of antenna panel 846 include planar inverted-F antennas (PIFA), monopole antennas, dipole antennas, loop antennas, patch antennas, Yagi antennas, parabolic antennas, omnidirectional antennas, and the like.

[0204] FIG. 9 shows a component that can read instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and execute any one or more of the methods discussed herein. Specifically, FIG. 9 shows a schematic diagram of a hardware resource 900 that includes one or more processors (or processor cores) 910, one or more memory / storage devices 920, and one or more communication resources 930, each of which may be communicatively coupled via a bus 940 or other interface circuitry. In embodiments where node virtualization (e.g., NFV) is utilized, a hypervisor 902 may be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices / sub-slices for utilizing the hardware resource 900.

[0205] The processor 910 may include, for example, a processor 912 and a processor 914. The processor 910 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a DSP such as a baseband processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, a radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), other processors (including those discussed herein), or any suitable combination thereof.

[0206] The memory / storage device 920 may include a main memory, a disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage device 920 may include, but is not limited to, any type of volatile, non-volatile, and semi-volatile memory such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid state storage, etc.

[0207] The communication resource 930 may include an interconnect or network interface controller, component, or other suitable device for communicating with one or more peripheral devices 904 or one or more databases 906 or other network elements via the network 908. For example, the communication resource 930 may include wired communication components (e.g., for coupling via USB, Ethernet, etc.), cellular communication components, NFC components, Bluetooth® (or Bluetooth® low energy) components, Wi-Fi® components, and other communication components.

[0208] Command 950 may include other executable code for causing at least any one of software, program, application, applet, app, or processor 910 to execute any one or more of the methods discussed herein. Command 950 may be wholly or partially present in at least one of processor 910 (e.g., the cache memory of the processor), memory / storage device 920, or any suitable combination thereof. Further, any part of Command 950 may be transferred from any combination of peripheral device 904 or database 906 to hardware resource 900. Accordingly, the memory of processor 910, memory / storage device 920, peripheral device 904, and database 906 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0209] 3. Exemplary Implementations Further examples of the methods, devices, systems, and networks described herein as discussed herein include the following non-limiting exemplary implementations. Each of the following non-limiting examples may stand on its own or may be combined in any permutation or combination with any one or more of the other examples provided below or throughout the present disclosure.

[0210] Example 1 includes a method for associating timing advance (TA) for single TRP and multi-TRP operations, where two TAs are associated with two TRP-IDs.

[0211] Example 2 includes a method for CSI prediction, where precoder prediction can be performed on the UE side or the gNB side.

[0212] Example 3 includes a method for CSI measurement, where the CSI-RS sampling period and the maximum Doppler frequency satisfy the Nyquist criterion Δt ≦ 1 / (2·f max ).

[0213] Example 4 includes a method for codebook design, and the new codebook is designed based on the dimensions of space, frequency, and time.

[0214] Example 5 includes a method that includes the step of performing the method of any one or more of Examples 1 to 4 and / or some other examples in this specification.

[0215] Example 6 includes a method for operating a UE, and the method includes the step of receiving timing advance information for a serving cell, where the timing advance information includes respective timing advances for a plurality of TRPs associated with the serving cell, and the step of transmitting one or more uplink signals based on the timing advance information.

[0216] Example 7 includes the method of Example 6 and / or some other examples in this specification, and the timing advance is associated with each TRP ID of the plurality of TRPs.

[0217] Example 8 includes the method of Examples 6 to 7 and / or some other examples in this specification, and the step of transmitting one or more uplink signals includes the step of performing simultaneous multi-TRP transmission to two or more of the TRPs.

[0218] Example 9 includes a method that includes the step of performing the method of any one or more of Examples 1 to 8 and / or some other examples in this specification.

[0219] Example Z01 includes one or more computer-readable media including instructions, and the execution of the instructions by a processor circuit causes the processor circuit to perform the method of any one of Examples 1 to 9.

[0220] Example Z02 includes a computer program including the instructions of Example Z01.

[0221] Example Z03 includes an application programming interface that defines functions, methods, variables, data structures, and / or protocols for the computer program of Example Z02.

[0222] Example Z04 includes an API or specification that defines or involves the use of any one or a part of Examples 1 to 9, or defines functions, methods, variables, data structures, protocols, etc. related to any one or a part of Examples 1 to 9.

[0223] Example Z05 includes a device that includes a circuit in which the instructions of Example Z01 are loaded.

[0224] Example Z06 includes a device that includes a circuit operable to execute the instructions of Example Z01.

[0225] Example Z07 includes an integrated circuit that includes one or more of the processor circuits of Example Z01 and one or more computer-readable media of Example Z01.

[0226] Example Z08 includes a computing system that includes one or more computer-readable media and processor circuits of Example Z01.

[0227] Example Z09 includes a device that includes means for executing the instructions of Example Z01.

[0228] Example Z10 includes a signal generated as a result of executing the instructions of Example Z01.

[0229] Example Z11 includes a data unit generated as a result of executing the instructions of Example Z01.

[0230] Example Z12 includes data units of Example Z10 and / or some other examples in this specification. The data units are data grams, network packets, data frames, data segments, protocol data units (PDUs), service data units (SDUs), messages, or database objects.

[0231] Example Z13 includes a signal encoded with the data units of Example Z11 and / or Z12.

[0232] Example Z14 includes an electromagnetic signal that conveys the instructions of Example Z01.

[0233] Example Z15 includes an apparatus that includes means for performing the method of any one of Examples 1-9 and / or some other examples herein.

[0234] Example Z16 includes an edge computing node that performs a service as part of one or more edge applications instantiated on a virtualized infrastructure, where the service is related to any of Examples 1-9, a part thereof, and / or other examples herein.

[0235] 4. Terms For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions are applicable to the examples and embodiments discussed herein. As used herein, the singular forms are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising" specify the presence of the features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components recited, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. The phrase "A and / or B" means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase "A, B, and / or C" means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B, and C). The phrase "X" means one or more X's or a set of X's. The description may use phrases such as "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in one implementation," "in some implementations," "in some examples," etc., each of which may indicate one or more of the same or different embodiments, implementations, and / or examples. Further, the terms "comprising," "including," "having," etc., as used with respect to the present disclosure are synonymous.

[0236] The terms "master" and "slave", in at least some instances, denote a model of asymmetric communication or control in which one device, process, element, or entity (the "master") controls one or more other devices, processes, elements, or entities (the "slaves"). The terms "master" and "slave" are used in this disclosure solely for these technical meanings. The term "master" or "grand master" may be replaced with any of the following terms, namely, "main", "source", "primary", "initiator", "requesting side", "transmitter", "host", "maestro", "controller", "provider", "producer", "client", "source", "mix", "parent", "chief", "manager", "reference" (e.g., "reference clock", etc.). Further, the term "slave" may be replaced with any of the following terms, namely, "receiver", "secondary", "dependent", "replica", "target", "responding side", "device", "executing side", "agent", "standby", "consumer", "peripheral device", "follower", "server", "child", "helper", "worker", "node", etc.

[0237] The terms "coupled" and "communicatively coupled", along with their derivatives, are used herein. The term "coupled" may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other, may mean that two or more elements are in indirect contact with each other but still cooperate or interact with each other, and / or may mean that one or more other elements are coupled or connected between the elements said to be coupled to each other. The term "directly coupled" may mean that two or more elements are in direct contact with each other. The term "communicatively coupled" includes those through a wired or other interconnecting connection, through a wireless communication channel or link, etc., and may mean that two or more elements may be in contact with each other by means of communication means.

[0238] In at least some examples, the term "establish" or "establishing" relates to an (partial or complete) act, task, operation, etc. of actively or passively causing something to exist or preparing to cause something to exist (e.g., publishing a device identity or an entity identity). Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "establish" or "establishing" relates to an (partial or complete) act, task, operation, etc. of starting, beginning or warming up a communication, or starting, beginning or warming up a relationship between two entities or elements (e.g., establishing a session, establishing a session, etc.). Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "establish" or "establishing" indicates starting something with respect to a state of readiness for work. The term "established" in at least some examples indicates a state where it is operable or ready for use (e.g., complete establishment). Further, any definition of the term "establish" or "establishing" defined in any specification or standard can be used for the purposes of the present disclosure, and such a definition is not negated by any of the above definitions.

[0239] In at least some examples, the term "acquire" refers to an (partial or complete) act, task, operation, etc. of intercepting, moving, copying, acquiring or obtaining (e.g., from memory, interface or buffer) with respect to an original packet stream or a copy of a packet stream (e.g., a new instance). Other modes of acquisition or reception may involve instantiating, enabling or controlling the ability to acquire or receive a stream of packets (or the following parameters and templates or template values).

[0240] In at least some examples, the term "receiving" refers to any action (or set of actions) involved in receiving or obtaining an object, data, data unit, etc., and / or indicates the fact that an object, data, data unit, etc. has been received. In at least some examples, the term "receiving" refers to an object, data, data unit, etc. being pushed to a device, system, element, etc. (e.g., often referred to as a push model), being pulled by a device, system, element, etc. (e.g., often referred to as a pull model), etc.

[0241] In at least some examples, the term "element" refers to a unit that is indivisible at a given level of abstraction and has well-defined boundaries, and an element may be any type of entity that includes, for example, one or more devices, systems, controllers, network elements, modules, engines, components, etc., or combinations thereof. In at least some examples, the term "entity" refers to distinct elements of a component, architecture, platform, device, and / or system. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "entity" refers to information transferred as a payload.

[0242] In at least some examples, the term "measurement" refers to the observation and / or quantification of an attribute of an object, event, or phenomenon. Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "measurement" refers to a set of operations having the purpose of determining a measurement value or measurement result, and / or an actual instance or execution of an operation that yields a measurement value. Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "measurement" refers to data recorded during a test. In at least some examples, the term "metric" refers to a quantity generated in the evaluation of a measurement value. Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "metric" refers to data derived from a set of measurement values. Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "metric" refers to a set of events that are combined with one or more values or are grouped in some cases. Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "metric" refers to a combination of measurement values or a set of collected data points. Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "metric" refers to a standard definition of a quantity generated in the evaluation of the performance and / or reliability of a network, which has an intended usefulness and is carefully specified to convey the exact meaning of a measurement value.

[0243] In at least some examples, the term "signal" refers to an observable change in quality and / or quantity. Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "signal" refers to a function of conveying information about an object, event, or phenomenon. Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "signal" refers to any time-varying voltage, current, or electromagnetic wave that may or may not carry information. In at least some examples, the term "digital signal" refers to a signal constructed from a discrete set of waveforms of a physical quantity so as to represent a sequence of discrete values.

[0244] The terms "ego" (e.g., in an "ego device", etc.) and "target" (e.g., in a "data target", etc.) in at least some examples refer to entities, elements, devices, systems, etc. that are under consideration or being considered. The terms "vicinity" and "proximity" (e.g., in a "proximity device", etc.) in at least some examples refer to entities, elements, devices, systems, etc. other than the ego device or the target device.

[0245] The term "identifier" in at least some examples refers to a value or set of values that uniquely identifies an identity within a particular scope. Additionally or alternatively, the term "identifier" in at least some examples refers to a sequence of characters that identifies or indicates the identity of a unique object, element or entity, or a unique class of objects, elements or entities. Additionally or alternatively, the term "identifier" in at least some examples refers to a string of characters used to identify or indicate an application, program, session, object, element, entity, variable, set of data, etc. The "string of characters" referred to previously in at least some examples refers to one or more names, labels, words, numbers, characters, symbols and / or any combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the term "identifier" in at least some examples refers to a name, address, label, distinguishing index and / or attribute. Additionally or alternatively, the term "identifier" in at least some examples refers to an instance of identification. The term "persistent identifier" in at least some examples refers to an identifier that can be reused indefinitely by the same device or another device associated with the same person or group of persons. The term "identification" in at least some examples refers to the process of recognizing an identity as distinct from other identities within a particular scope or context, which may involve processing an identifier to reference the identity within an identity database. The terms "application identifier", "application ID", or "app ID" in at least some examples refer to an identifier that can be mapped to a particular application, application instance or application instance. In the context of 3GPP 5G / NR, the "application identifier" in at least some examples refers to an identifier that can be mapped to a particular application traffic detection rule.

[0246] In at least some instances, the term "circuit" refers to a circuit or a system of multiple circuits configured to perform a particular function in an electronic device. The circuit or system of circuits may be part of or include one or more hardware components such as a logic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or grouped), and / or a memory (shared, dedicated, or grouped), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic controller (PLC), a single-board computer (SBC), a system on chip (SoC), a system in package (SiP), a multi-chip package (MCP), a digital signal processor (DSP), etc. Further, the term "circuit" may also refer to a combination of one or more hardware elements and program code used to execute the functions of the program code. Some types of circuits may execute one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least some of the described functions. Such a combination of a hardware element and program code may be referred to as a particular type of circuit.

[0247] In at least some examples, the term "processor circuit" refers to, is part of, or includes a circuit that can sequentially and automatically perform a series of arithmetic or logical operations, or that can record, store, and / or transfer digital data. In at least some examples, the term "processor circuit" refers to one or more application processors, one or more baseband processors, a physical CPU, a single-core processor, a dual-core processor, a triple-core processor, a quad-core processor, and / or any other device capable of executing or operating computer-executable instructions such as program code, software modules, and / or functional processes. The terms "application circuit" and / or "baseband circuit" may be considered synonymous with, and may be referred to as, "processor circuit."

[0248] In at least some examples, the terms "memory" and / or "memory circuit" refer to one or more hardware devices for storing data, including random access memory (RAM), static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), conductive bridge random access memory (CB-RAM), spin transfer torque (STT)-MRAM, phase change RAM (PRAM), core memory, read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), flash memory, non-volatile RAM (NVRAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices, or other machine-readable media for storing data. The term "computer-readable medium" includes, but is not limited to, memory, portable or fixed storage devices, optical storage devices, and various other media capable of storing, containing, or transporting instructions or data.

[0249] In at least some examples, the term "interface circuit" refers to, is part of, or includes a circuit that enables the exchange of information between two or more components or devices. In at least some examples, the term "interface circuit" refers to one or more hardware interfaces, such as a bus, I / O interface, peripheral component interface, network interface card, and the like.

[0250] In at least some instances, the term "Infrastructure Processing Unit" or "IPU" refers to an advanced networking device with enhanced accelerators and network connections (e.g., Ethernet®, etc.) that uses tightly coupled dedicated programmable cores to accelerate and manage infrastructure functions. In some implementations, the IPU functions as a control point for the host to execute infrastructure applications, providing complete infrastructure offload and an additional layer of security. The IPU can offload the entire infrastructure stack from the host and control how the host connects to this infrastructure. This provides the service provider with an additional layer of security and control implemented in hardware by the IPU.

[0251] In at least some examples, the term "device" refers to a physical entity that is embedded within or attached to another nearby physical entity and has the ability to communicate digital information to or from that physical entity. In at least some examples, the term "controller" refers to an element or entity that has the ability to affect a physical entity, such as by changing its state or moving the physical entity. In at least some examples, the term "scheduler" refers to an entity or element that allocates resources (e.g., processor time, network links, memory space, etc.) for task execution. In at least some examples, the term "network scheduler" refers to a node, element, or entity that manages network packets within the transmit and / or receive queues of one or more protocol stacks of a network access circuit (e.g., a network interface controller (NIC), a baseband processor, etc.). In at least some examples, the term "network scheduler" can be used interchangeably with the terms "packet scheduler", "queuing discipline", or "qdisc" and / or "queuing algorithm".

[0252] In at least some examples, the term "terminal" refers to the point at which a conductor from a component, device, or network terminates. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "terminal" refers to an electrical connector that functions as an interface to a conductor and creates a point where an external circuit can be connected. In some examples, a terminal may include an electrical lead, an electrical connector, an electrical connector, a solder cup, or a bucket, etc.

[0253] In at least some examples, the terms "computing node" or "computing device" refer to a distinguishable entity that implements aspects of computing operations, whether as part of a larger system, a distributed set of systems, or a stand-alone device. In some examples, a computing node may be referred to as a "computing device", "computing system", etc., regardless of whether it is operating as a client, server, or intermediate entity. A particular implementation of a computing node may be incorporated into a server, base station, gateway, roadside unit, on-premises unit, user equipment, end-consumer device, appliance, etc. For the purposes of the present disclosure, the term "node" in at least some examples refers to and / or is interchangeable with terms such as "device", "component", "subsystem", etc.

[0254] In at least some examples, the term "computer system" refers to any type of interconnected electronic devices, computer devices, or components thereof. Further, in at least some examples, the terms "computer system" and / or "system" refer to various components of computers communicatively coupled to each other. Further, in at least some examples, the terms "computer system" and / or "system" refer to a plurality of computer devices and / or a plurality of computing systems communicatively coupled to each other and configured to share computing and / or networking resources.

[0255] In at least some examples, the term "server" refers to a computing device or system that includes processing hardware and / or a related storage medium such as a process space, a memory device or database, and in some examples, appropriate applications as known in the art. The terms "server system" and "server" may be used interchangeably herein, and in at least some examples, these terms refer to one or more computing systems that provide access to a pool of physical and / or virtual resources. The various servers discussed herein may include computer devices having rack computing architecture components, tower computing architecture components, blade computing architecture components, etc. A server may represent a cluster of servers, a server farm, a cloud computing service, or other grouping or pooling of servers that may be located in one or more data centers. A server may also be connected to or associated with one or more data storage devices (not shown). Further, a server includes an operating system (OS) that provides executable program instructions for the general management and operation of an individual server computer device, and a computer-readable medium that stores instructions that, when executed by a processor of the server, may enable the server to perform these intended functions. Appropriate implementations for the OS and general functionality of a server are known or commercially available and are readily implemented by one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0256] In at least some examples, the term "platform" refers to an environment in which instructions, program code, software elements, etc. can be executed or operate. Examples of such environments include architectures (e.g., motherboards, computing systems, etc.), one or more hardware elements (e.g., embedded systems, etc.), clusters of computing nodes, sets of distributed computing nodes or networks, operating systems, virtual machines (VMs), virtualization containers, software frameworks, client applications (e.g., web browsers, etc.) and related application programming interfaces, cloud computing services (e.g., platform as a service (PaaS)), or other underlying software that is executed with instructions, program code, software elements, etc.

[0257] In at least some examples, the term "architecture" refers to a computer architecture or a network architecture. In at least some examples, the term "computer architecture" refers to the physical and logical design or arrangement of software and / or hardware elements in a computing system or platform, including technical standards for the interaction between them. In at least some examples, the term "network architecture" refers to the physical and logical design or arrangement of software and / or hardware elements in a network, including communication protocols, interfaces, and media transmission.

[0258] In at least some examples, terms such as "appliance", "computer appliance", etc. refer to a computer device or system having program code (e.g., software or firmware) specifically designed to provide certain computing resources. In at least some examples, the term "virtual appliance" refers to a virtual machine image that virtualizes or emulates a computer appliance or is implemented by a device with a hypervisor dedicated to providing certain computing resources. In at least some examples, terms such as "security appliance", "firewall", etc. refer to a computer appliance designed to protect a computer network from unwanted traffic and / or malicious attacks. In at least some examples, the term "policy appliance" refers to technical controls and logging mechanisms for enforcing or adjusting policy rules (information usage rules) and ensuring accountability in an information system. In at least some examples, the term "gateway" refers to a network appliance that enables data to flow from one network to another, or a computing system or application configured to perform such a task. Examples of gateways include IP gateways, Internet-to-Orbit (I2O) gateways, IoT gateways, cloud storage gateways, etc.

[0259] In at least some examples, the term "user equipment" or "UE" refers to a device having wireless communication capabilities and may describe a remote user of network resources within a communication network. The term "user equipment" or "UE" may be considered synonymous with and may be referred to as a client, mobile, mobile device, mobile terminal, user terminal, mobile unit, station, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, wireless device, reconfigurable wireless device, reconfigurable mobile device, etc. Further, the term "user equipment" or "UE" includes any type of wireless / wired device or any computing device that includes a wireless communication interface. Examples of UEs, client devices, etc. include desktop computers, workstations, laptop computers, mobile data terminals, smartphones, tablet computers, wearable devices, machine-to-machine (M2M) devices, machine-type communication (MTC) devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, embedded systems, sensors, autonomous vehicles, drones, robots, in-vehicle infotainment systems, instrument clusters, on-board diagnostic devices, dashboard mobile devices, electronic engine management systems, electronic / engine control units / modules, microcontrollers, control modules, server devices, network appliances, head-up display (HUD) devices, helmet-mounted display devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, mixed reality (MR) devices, and / or other similar systems or devices.In at least some examples, the term "station" or "STA" refers to a logical entity that is a single addressable instance of a medium access control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) interface to a wireless medium (WM). In at least some examples, the term "wireless medium" or "WM" refers to a medium used to implement the transfer of protocol data units (PDUs) between peer physical layer (PHY) entities of a wireless local area network (LAN).

[0260] In at least some examples, the term "network element" refers to physical or virtualized devices and / or infrastructure used to provide wired or wireless communication network services. The term "network element" may be considered synonymous with, and / or may be referred to as, networked computers, networking hardware, network equipment, network nodes, routers, switches, hubs, bridges, wireless network controllers, network access nodes (NANs), base stations, access points (APs), RAN devices, RAN nodes, gateways, servers, network appliances, network functions (NFs), virtualized NFs (VNFs), etc. In at least some examples, the term "network controller" refers to a functional block that centralizes some or all of the control and management functions of a network domain and can provide an abstract view of the network domain to other functional blocks via an interface. In at least some examples, the term "network access node" or "NAN" refers to a network element within a radio access network (RAN) that is responsible for transmitting and receiving wireless signals within one or more cells or coverage areas to or from a UE or station. A "network access node" or "NAN" can have an integrated antenna or may be connected to an antenna array by a feeder cable. Further or alternatively, a "network access node" or "NAN" includes dedicated digital signal processing, network function hardware, and / or computing hardware for operating as a computing node. In some examples, a "network access node" or "NAN" may be divided into multiple functional blocks that operate in software for flexibility, cost, and performance.In some examples, a "network access node" or "NAN" may be a base station (e.g., evolved node B (eNB) or next generation Node B (gNB)), an access point and / or a wireless network access point, a router, a switch, a hub, a wireless unit or remote radio head, a TRP, a gateway device (e.g., residential gateway, wireline 5G access network, wireline 5G cable access network, wireline BBF access network, etc.), a network appliance, and / or any other network access hardware. The term "access point" or "AP" in at least some examples refers to an entity that includes one station (STA) and provides access to a delivery service via a wireless medium (WM) for the associated STA. An AP includes an STA and a distribution system access function (DSAF).

[0261] In at least some examples, the term "cell" refers to a radio network object that can be uniquely identified by a UE from an identifier (e.g., cell ID) broadcast across a geographical area by a network access node (NAN). Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "cell" refers to the geographical area covered by a NAN. In at least some examples, the term "serving cell" refers to the primary cell (PCell) for a UE that is in a connected mode or state (e.g., RRC_CONNECTED) and is not configured with carrier aggregation (CA) and / or dual connectivity (DC). Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "serving cell" refers to a set of cells including zero or more special cells and one or more secondary cells for a UE that is in a connected mode or state (e.g., RRC_CONNECTED) and is configured with CA. In at least some examples, the term "primary cell" or "PCell" refers to a cell of a Master Cell Group (MCG) operating on a primary frequency, where the UE either performs an initial connection establishment procedure or starts a connection re-establishment procedure. In at least some examples, the term "secondary cell" or "SCell" refers to a cell that provides additional radio resources on top of a special cell (SpCell) for a UE configured with CA. In at least some examples, the term "special cell" or "SpCell" refers to either the PCell for non-DC operation or the PCell of the MCG or the PSCell of the SCG for DC operation. In at least some examples, the term "master cell group" or "MCG" refers to a group of serving cells associated with a "master node" that includes an SpCell (PCell) and optionally one or more SCell.In at least some examples, the term "secondary cell group" or "SCG" refers to a subset of serving cells that includes a primary SCell (PSCell, Primary SCell) for a UE configured with DC and zero or more optional SCells. The term "primary SCG cell" refers to the SCG cell on which the UE performs random access when executing a reconfiguration having a synchronization procedure for DC operation. In at least some examples, the term "handover" refers to the transfer of a user's connection from one radio channel to another radio channel, which can be the same cell or a different cell. Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "handover" refers to the process by which the radio access network changes the radio transmitter, radio access mode, and / or radio system used to provide a bearer service while maintaining a defined bearer service QoS.

[0262] In at least some examples, the term "master node" or "MN" refers to a NAN that provides a control plane connection to the core network. In at least some examples, the term "secondary node" or "SN" refers to a NAN that provides resources to the UE in addition to the resources provided by the MN, and / or a NAN that does not have a control plane connection to the core network. In at least some examples, the term "E-UTRAN Node B", "eNodeB" or "eNB" refers to a RAN node that provides E-UTRA user plane (e.g., PDCP, RLC, MAC, PHY) and control plane (e.g., RRC) protocol terminations towards the UE and is connected to the evolved packet core (EPC) via the S1 interface. Two or more eNBs are interconnected with each other (and / or with one or more en-gNBs) by the X2 interface. In at least some examples, the term "next-generation eNB" or "ng-eNB" refers to a RAN node that provides E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE and is connected to the 5GC via the NG interface. Two or more ng-eNBs are interconnected with each other (and / or with one or more gNBs) by the Xn interface. In at least some examples, the term "next-generation Node B", "gNodeB" or "gNB" refers to a RAN node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE and is connected to the 5GC via the NG interface. In some examples, two or more gNBs are interconnected with each other (and / or with one or more ng-eNBs) by the Xn interface. In at least some examples, the term "E-UTRA-NR gNB" or "en-gNB" refers to a RAN node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE and functions as a secondary node in an E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity (EN-DC) scenario (see, e.g., 3GPP TS 37.340 v17.0.0 (2022-04-15) ("[TS37340]")).Two or more en-gNBs are interconnected with each other (and / or with one or more eNBs) via the X2 interface. The term "next-generation RAN node" or "NG-RAN node" in at least some examples refers to either a gNB or an ng-eNB. The term "IAB node" in at least some examples refers to a RAN node that supports a new radio (NR) access link to a user equipment (UE) and an NR backhaul link to a parent node and child nodes. The term "IAB donor" in at least some examples refers to a RAN node (e.g., a gNB) that provides network access to a UE via a network of backhaul and access links. The term "central unit" or "CU" in at least some examples refers to a logical node that hosts the radio resource control (RRC), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and / or Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocol / layer of an NG-RAN node, or the RRC and PDCP protocols of an en-gNB that controls the operation of one or more DUs. The CU terminates the F1 interface connected to the DU and may be connected to multiple DUs. The term "distributed unit" or "DU" in at least some examples refers to a logical node that hosts the Backhaul Adaptation Protocol (BAP), F1 application protocol (F1AP), radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layers of an NG-RAN node or an en-gNB. Its operation is partially controlled by the CU. One DU supports one or more cells, and one cell is supported by only one DU. The DU terminates the F1 interface connected to the CU.In at least some examples, the term "radio unit" or "RU" refers to a logical node that hosts the PHY layer or lower PHY layer and radio frequency (RF) processing based on lower layer function splitting. In at least some examples, the term "split architecture" refers to an architecture in which the CU, DU, and / or RU are physically separated from each other. Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "split architecture" refers to a RAN architecture such as that discussed in 3GPP TS 38.401 v17.3.0 (2023-01-06) and / or 3GPP TS 38.410 v17.1.0 (2022-06-23), the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. In at least some examples, the term "integrated architecture" refers to an architecture in which the RU and DU are implemented on one platform, and / or an architecture in which the DU and CU are implemented on one platform.

[0263] In at least some examples, the terms "transmission and reception point" or "TRP" refer to a set of antennas (e.g., an antenna array having one or more antenna elements) that are geographically co-located and support transmission point (TP, transmission point) and / or reception point (RP, reception) functions. In at least some examples, the term "transmission point" or "TP" refers to a set of transmission antennas (e.g., an antenna array having one or more antenna elements) that are geographically co-located for an individual cell, a part of an individual cell, or one dedicated DL-PRS TP. In some examples, a TP can include antennas of a base station (eNB, gNB, ng-eNB, etc.), remote radio heads, remote antennas of a base station, antennas of a PRS dedicated TP, etc. In some examples, one cell can be formed by or can include one or more TPs. In some examples, each TP may correspond to one cell for homogeneous deployment. In at least some examples, the term "PRS dedicated TP" refers to a TP that transmits only PRS or DL-PRS (positioning) signals (e.g., for a PRS-based terrestrial beacon system (TBS, Terrestrial Beacon System)) and is not associated with a cell. In at least some examples, the term "reception point" or "RP" refers to a set of reception antennas (e.g., an antenna array having one or more antenna elements) that are geographically co-located for an individual cell, a part of an individual cell, or one dedicated UL-SRS RP. In some examples, an RP can include antennas of a base station (ng-eNB or gNB), remote radio heads, remote antennas of a base station, antennas of a UL-SRS dedicated RP, etc. In some examples, one cell can include one or more RPs. In some examples, each RP may correspond to one cell for homogeneous deployment. In at least some examples, the term "SRS dedicated RP" refers to an RP that receives only UL-SRS signals and is not associated with a cell.

[0264] In at least some examples, the term "residential gateway" or "RG" refers to a device that provides, for example, voice, data, broadcast video, video on demand to other devices within a customer premise. In at least some examples, the term "wireline 5G access network" or "W-5GAN" refers to a wireline AN that connects to a 5GC via N2 and N3 reference points. The W-5GAN can be either a W-5GBAN or a W-5GCAN. In at least some examples, the term "wireline 5G cable access network" or "W-5GCAN" refers to an access network defined by / at CableLabs. In at least some examples, the term "wireline BBF access network" or "W-5GBAN" refers to an access network defined by / at the Broadband Forum (BBF). In at least some examples, the term "wireline access gateway function" or "W-AGF" refers to a network function in a W-5GAN that provides a connection to a 3GPP 5G core network (5GC) to 5G-RG and / or FN-RG. In at least some examples, the term "5G-RG" refers to an RG connectable to a 5GC that acts as a user equipment with respect to the 5GC, which supports a security element and exchanges N1 signaling with the 5GC. The 5G-RG can be either a 5G-BRG or a 5G-CRG.

[0265] The term "SMTC" refers to an SSB-based measurement timing configuration configured by SSB-MeasurementTimingConfiguration. The term "SSB" refers to an SS / PBCH block.

[0266] The term "primary cell" refers to the MCG cell operating on the primary frequency on which the UE performs the initial connection establishment procedure or starts the connection re-establishment procedure. The term "primary SCG cell" refers to the SCG cell on which the UE performs random access when executing a reconfiguration having a synchronization procedure for DC operation. The term "secondary cell" refers to a cell that provides additional radio resources on a special cell for a UE configured with CA. The term "secondary cell group" refers to a subset of serving cells including the PSCell and zero or more secondary cells for a UE configured with DC. The term "serving cell" refers to the primary cell for a UE in RRC_CONNECTED and not configured with CA / DC, and only one serving cell consisting of the primary cell exists. The term "serving cell" or "serving cells" refers to a set of cells including the special cell and all secondary cells for a UE in the RRC_CONNECTED state configured with CA. The term "special cell" refers to the PCell of the MCG or the PSCell of the SCG for DC operation, and otherwise, the term "special cell" refers to the PCell.

[0267] In at least some examples, the term "edge computing" refers to the implementation or configuration of distributed computing elements that move processing activities and resources (e.g., computing, memory, acceleration, and / or network resources) towards the "edge" of the network in order to reduce latency and increase throughput for endpoint users (client devices, user equipment, etc.). Additionally or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "edge computing" refers to a set of services hosted relatively close to the client / UE access point of a connection to the network in order to achieve relatively efficient service delivery through reduced end-to-end latency and / or load on the transport network. In some examples, the implementation of edge computing involves providing services and / or resources in systems, functions, applications, and subsystems such as the cloud from one or more locations accessible via a wireless network. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "edge computing" refers to the concept described in [TS23501], which enables operators and third-party services to be hosted close to the access point of the connected UE in order to achieve efficient service delivery through reduced end-to-end latency and load on the transport network. The term "edge computing node" or "edge computing device" in at least some examples refers to a distinguishable entity that implements aspects of edge computing operation, whether it is part of a larger system, a distributed collection of systems, or a stand-alone device. In some examples, a computing node may be referred to as an "edge node", "edge device", "edge system", regardless of whether it is operating as a client, server, or intermediate entity.Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "edge computing node" refers to a computing-capable element in the form of a device, gateway, bridge, system or subsystem, component, whether operating in server, client, endpoint or peer mode, and whether located at the "edge" of the network or at a more connected location within the network, in its real-world implementation, logical implementation or virtualized implementation. However, reference to an "edge computing system" generally refers to a distributed architecture, organization or collection of multiple nodes and devices that are configured to achieve or provide some aspect of a service or resource in an edge computing setting. The term "edge computing platform" or "edge platform" in at least some examples refers to a set of functions used to instantiate, execute or operate edge applications on a particular edge computing node (such as a virtualized infrastructure, etc.), such that such edge applications can provide and / or consume edge services and / or enable one or more edge services to be provided in another way. The term "edge application" or "edge app" in at least some examples refers to an application that can be instantiated or executed on an edge computing node within an edge computing network, system or framework and that can potentially provide and / or consume edge computing services. The term "edge service" in at least some examples refers to a service provided via an edge computing node and / or an edge platform, either by the edge platform itself and / or an edge application.

[0268] In at least some instances, the terms "cloud computing" or "cloud" refer to a paradigm that enables network access to a scalable and flexible pool of shareable computing resources without active management by the user, using on-demand self-service provisioning and management. Cloud computing provides cloud computing services (or cloud services), and cloud computing services are one or more capabilities provided via cloud computing that are invoked using a defined interface (e.g., an API, etc.).

[0269] In at least some examples, the term "network function" or "NF" refers to a functional block within a network infrastructure that has one or more external interfaces and a defined functional behavior. In at least some examples, the term "network service" or "NS" refers to a composition or set of NFs and / or network services defined by the specification of their functions and behaviors. In at least some examples, the term "RAN function" or "RANF" refers to a functional block within a RAN architecture that has one or more external interfaces and a defined behavior related to the operation of the RAN or RAN nodes. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "RAN function" or "RANF" refers to a set of functions and / or NFs that are part of the RAN. In at least some examples, the term "application function" or "AF" refers to an element or entity that interacts with the 3GPP core network to provide services. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "application function" or "AF" refers to an edge computing node or ECT framework from the perspective of the 5G core network. In at least some examples, the term "management function" refers to a logical entity that acts as a service consumer and / or service producer. In at least some examples, the term "management service" refers to a set of management capabilities provided. In at least some examples, the term "network function virtualization" or "NFV" refers to the principle of separating network functions from the hardware on which they operate by using virtualization techniques and / or virtualization technologies. In at least some examples, the term "virtualized network function" or "VNF" refers to an implementation of an NF that can be deployed on a network function virtualization infrastructure (NFVI).In at least some examples, the term "Network Function Virtualization Infrastructure Manager" or "NFVI" refers to the entirety of all hardware and software components that make up the environment in which VNFs are deployed. In at least some examples, the term "Virtualization Infrastructure Manager" or "VIM" refers to the functional block that is normally responsible for controlling and managing NFVI compute, storage, and network resources within the infrastructure domain of one operator. In at least some examples, the term "virtualization container", "execution container", or "container" refers to a partition of a compute node that provides an isolated virtualized computing environment. In at least some examples, the term "OS container" refers to a virtualization container that utilizes the shared operating system (OS) kernel of its host, where the host providing the shared OS kernel can be a physical compute node or another virtualization container. Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "container" refers to a standard unit of software (or package) that includes code and its associated dependencies, and / or an abstraction in the application layer that packages code and dependencies together. Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "container" or "container image" refers to a lightweight, stand-alone executable software package that includes everything necessary to run an application, such as code, runtime environment, system tools, system libraries, and settings. In at least some examples, the term "virtual machine" or "VM" refers to a virtualized computing environment that operates in the same or a comparable manner to a physical computer and / or server. In at least some examples, the term "hypervisor" refers to the software element that partitions the underlying physical resources of a compute node, creates VMs, manages resources for the VMs, and isolates individual VMs from each other.

[0270] The term "data network" or "DN" in at least some examples refers to a network that hosts data-centric services such as, for example, operator services, the Internet, third-party services, or enterprise networks. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some examples, DN refers to a service network belonging to an operator or third party that is provided as a service to a client or user equipment (UE). DN is sometimes referred to as "packet data network" or "PDN". The term "local area data network" or "LADN" in at least some examples refers to a DN that is accessible only at a specific location by a UE, provides a connection to a specific DNN, and the availability of which is provided to the UE.

[0271] The term "Internet of Things" or "IoT" in at least some examples refers to a system of interconnected computing devices, machines, and digital machines that can transfer data with little or no human interaction, and may involve technologies such as real-time analytics, machine learning, and / or AI, embedded systems, wireless sensor networks, control systems, automation (e.g., smart home, smart building, and / or smart city technologies), etc. IoT devices are typically low-power devices without significant computing or memory capabilities.

[0272] In at least some examples, the term "protocol" refers to a predetermined procedure or method for performing one or more operations. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "protocol" refers to a common means (sometimes called an interface) for unrelated objects to communicate with each other. In at least some examples, the term "communication protocol" refers to a standardized set of rules or instructions implemented by a communication device and / or system to communicate with other devices and / or systems, including instructions for packetizing / depacketizing data, instructions for modulating / demodulating signals, implementation of a protocol stack, etc. In various implementations, "protocol" and / or "communication protocol" may be represented using a protocol stack, a finite state machine (FSM), and / or any other suitable data structure. In at least some examples, the term "standard protocol" refers to a protocol whose specifications are publicly available, known to the public, and controlled by a standards organization. In at least some examples, the term "protocol stack" or "network stack" refers to an implementation of a protocol suite or protocol family. In various implementations, a protocol stack includes a set of protocol layers, where the lowest-level protocol handles low-level interactions with hardware and / or a communication interface, and each higher layer adds additional capabilities. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "protocol" refers to a formal set of procedures adopted to ensure communication between two or more functions within the same layer of a functional hierarchy.

[0273] In at least some examples, the term "application layer" refers to an abstraction layer that specifies shared communication protocols and interfaces used by hosts within a communication network. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "application layer" refers to an abstraction layer that interacts with software applications implementing communication components and includes identifying communication counterparts, determining resource availability, and synchronizing communications. Examples of application layer protocols are HTTP, HTTPs, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), MQ Telemetry Transport (MQTT), Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS), Diameter protocol, Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP), RDMA over Converged Ethernet version 2 (RoCEv2), Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP), RTP Control Protocol (RTCP), Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), SBMV protocol, Skinny Client Control Protocol (SCCP), Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), Session Description Protocol (SDP,including the Session Description Protocol, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Simple Service Discovery Protocol (SSDP), Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), Internet SCSI (iSCSI), iSCSI Extensions for RDMA (iSER), Transport Layer Security (TLS), voice over IP (VoIP), Virtual Private Network (VPN), Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP), etc.

[0274] In at least some examples, the term "session layer" refers to an abstraction layer that controls interactions and / or connections between entities or elements, and may include establishing, managing, and terminating connections between entities or elements.

[0275] The term "transport layer" in at least some examples refers to a protocol layer that provides end-to-end (e2e) communication services such as connection-oriented communication, reliability, flow control, and multiplexing. Examples of transport layer protocols include the Datagram Congestion Control Protocol (DCCP), Fibre Channel Protocol (FBC), Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE), GPRS Tunneling (GTP), Micro Transport Protocol (μTP), Multipath TCP (MPTCP), MultiPath QUIC (MPQUIC), Multipath UDP (MPUDP), Quick UDP Internet Connections (QUIC), Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA), Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP), Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and the like.

[0276] In at least some examples, the term "network layer" refers to a protocol layer that includes means for transferring network packets from a source to a destination via one or more networks. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "network layer" refers to a protocol layer responsible for packet transfer and / or routing through intermediate nodes. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "network layer" or "internet layer" refers to a protocol layer that includes interworking methods, protocols, and specifications used to transfer network packets between networks. By way of example, network layer protocols include Internet Protocol (IP), IP security (IPsec), Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP), Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP), Open Shortest Path First protocol (OSPF), Routing Information Protocol (RIP), RDMA over Converged Ethernet version 2 (RoCEv2), Subnetwork Access Protocol (SNAP), and / or several other Internet or network protocol layers.

[0277] In at least some examples, the term "link layer" or "data link layer" refers to a protocol layer that transfers data between nodes on a network segment between physical layers. Examples of link layer protocols include logical link control (LLC), medium access control (MAC), Ethernet®, RDMA over Converged Ethernet version 1 (RoCEv1) on Converged Ethernet version 1, and the like.

[0278] In at least some examples, the term "radio resource control", "RRC layer" or "RRC" refers to a protocol layer or sublayer that performs system information handling, paging, establishment, maintenance and release of RRC connections, security functions, establishment, configuration, maintenance and release of signalling radio bearers (SRBs) and data radio bearers (DRBs), mobility functions / services, QoS management, and some sidelink-specific services and functions on the Uu interface (see, for example, 3GPP TS 36.331 v17.4.0 (2023-03-30) ("[TS36331]") and / or 3GPP TS 38.331 v17.4.0 (2023-03-30) ("[TS38331]")).

[0279] In at least some examples, the term "service data adaptation protocol", "SDAP layer" or "SDAP" refers to a protocol layer or sublayer that performs mapping between QoS flows and data radio bearers (DRBs) and marking of QoS flow IDs (QFIs) in both DL packets and UL packets (see, for example, 3GPP TS 37.324 v17.0.0 (2022-04-13) ("[TS37324]")).

[0280] In at least some examples, the terms "Packet Data Convergence Protocol", "PDCP layer", or "PDCP" refer to a protocol layer or sub-layer that performs the transfer of user plane data or control plane data, maintains PDCP sequence numbers (SNs), performs header compression and decompression using the Robust Header Compression (ROHC) protocol and / or the Ethernet Header Compression (EHC) protocol, performs encryption and decryption, performs integrity protection and integrity verification, performs timer-based SDU discard, performs routing for split bearers, performs duplication and duplication discard, performs reordering and in-sequence delivery, and / or performs out-of-sequence delivery (see, for example, 3GPP TS 36.323 v17.2.0 (2023-01-13) and / or 3GPP TS 38.323 v17.4.0 (2023-03-28) ("[TS38323]")).

[0281] In at least some examples, the terms "Radio Link Control layer", "RLC layer", or "RLC" refer to a protocol layer or sub-layer that performs the transfer of upper layer PDUs, sequence numbering independent of that in PDCP, error correction via ARQ, segmentation and / or reassembly of RLC SDUs, reassembly of SDUs, duplicate detection, RLC SDU discard, RLC re-establishment, and / or protocol error detection (see, for example, 3GPP TS 36.322 v17.0.0 (2022-04-15) and 3GPP TS 38.322 v17.2.0 (2023-01-13) ("[TS38322]")).

[0282] In at least some examples, the terms "Medium Access Control Protocol", "MAC Protocol", or "MAC" refer to a protocol that manages access to a transmission medium in a network to enable the exchange of data between stations in the network. Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the terms "Medium Access Control Layer", "MAC Layer", or "MAC" refer to a protocol layer or sublayer that performs functions to provide frame-based connectionless mode (e.g., datagram style) data transfer between stations or devices. Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the terms "Medium Access Control Layer", "MAC Layer", or "MAC" refer to a protocol layer or sublayer that performs mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing / demultiplexing of MAC SDUs belonging to one or different logical channels to / from transport blocks (TBs) delivered to / from the physical layer on the transport channel, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ (one HARQ entity per cell in the case of CA), priority handling between UEs by dynamic scheduling, priority handling between logical channels of one UE by logical channel prioritization, priority handling between overlapping resources of one UE, and / or padding (see, e.g., 3GPP TS 36.321 v17.3.0 (2023-01-13) and 3GPP TS 38.321 v17.4.0 (2023-03-29) ("[TS38321]")).

[0283] In at least some examples, the terms "Physical Layer", "PHY Layer", or "PHY" refer to a protocol layer or sublayer that includes the ability to transmit and receive modulated signals for communication in a communication network (see, e.g., 3GPP TS 36.201 v17.0.0 (2022-03-31) and 3GPP TS 38.201 v17.0.0 (2022-01-05) ("[TS38201]")).

[0284] In at least some examples, the term "access technology" refers to the technology used for the underlying physical connection to a communication network. In at least some examples, the term "radio access technology" or "RAT" refers to the technology used for the underlying physical connection to a radio-based communication network. In at least some examples, the term "wireless technology" refers to the technology for wireless transmission and / or reception of electromagnetic radiation for information transfer. In at least some examples, the term "RAT type" may identify the transmission technology and / or communication protocol used in an access network. Examples of access technologies include wireless access technology / RAT, wired, wired cable, wireline broadband forum (wireline-BBF), Ethernet (registered trademark) (e.g., IEEE Standard for Ethernet, IEEE Std 802.3-2018 (31 Aug. 2018)) (referred to as "[IEEE8023]")) and its variants, optical fiber networks (e.g., ITU-T G.651, ITU-T G.652, Optical Transport Network (OTN), Synchronous optical networking (SONET), and synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH), etc.), digital subscriber line (DSL) and its variants, Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) technology, hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) technology, etc. Examples of RAT (or RAT type) and / or communication protocols include Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) technology (e.g., Digital AMPS (D-AMPS), Total Access Communication System (TACS,Total Access Communication System) and its variants such as Extended TACS (ETACS), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) technology (e.g., Circuit Switched Data (CSD), High-Speed CSD (HSCSD), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), and Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE)), Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) technology (e.g., Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) and its variants (e.g., UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), Freedom of Multimedia Access (FOMA), Time Division-Code Division Multiple Access (TD-CDMA), Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), etc.), Generic Access Network (GAN) / Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and its variants (e.g., HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE) and its variants (e.g., LTE-Advanced (LTE-A,LTE-Advanced), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), LTE Extra, LTE-A Pro, LTE LAA, MuLTEfire, etc.), 5th generation (5G) or New Radio (NR), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), 3GPP Proximity Services (ProSe), etc.), ETSI RAT (e.g., High Performance Radio Metropolitan Area Network (HiperMAN), Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) (e.g., ITS-G5, ITS-G5B, ITS-G5C, etc.)), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) technology and / or WiFi (e.g., IEEE Standard for Local and Metropolitan Area Networks: Overview and Architecture, IEEE Std 802-2014, pp.1-74 (30 Jun. 2014) ("[IEEE802]"), IEEE Standard for Information Technology--Telecommunications and Information Exchange between Systems - Local and Metropolitan Area Networks--Specific Requirements - Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications, IEEE Std 802.11-2020, pp.1-4379 (26 Feb. 2021) ("[IEEE80211]"), IEEE802.15 technology (e.g., IEEE Standard for Low-Rate Wireless Networks, IEEE Std 802.15.4-2020,pp.1-800 (July 23, 2020) ("[IEEE802154]") and its variations (e.g., ZigBee, WirelessHART, MiWi, ISA100.11a, Thread, 6LoWPAN (IPv6 over Low power WPAN), etc.), IEEE Standard for Local and metropolitan area networks - Part 15.6: Wireless Body Area Networks, IEEE Std 802.15.6-2012, pp. 1-271 (Feb. 29, 2012), etc.), WLAN V2X RAT (e.g., IEEE Standard for Information technology--Local and metropolitan area networks--Specific requirements--Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications Amendment 6: Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments, IEEE Std 802.11p-2010, pp.1-51 (July 15, 2010) ("[IEEE80211p]") (currently part of [IEEE80211]), IEEE Guide for Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE) Architecture, IEEE STANDARDS ASSOCIATION, IEEE 1609.0-2019 (Apr. 10, 2019) ("[IEEE16090]"), IEEE802.11bd, DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications), etc.), WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) (e.g., IEEE Standard for Air Interface for Broadband Wireless Access Systems, IEEE Std 802.16-2017,pp. 1 - 2726 (March 2, 2018) (「[WiMAX]」)), MBWA (Mobile Broadband Wireless Access) / iBurst (e.g., IEEE 802.20 and its variants), WiGig (Wireless Gigabit Alliance) standards (e.g., IEEE 802.11ad, IEEE 802.11ay, etc.), iDEN (Integrated Digital Enhanced Network) and its variants (e.g., WiDEN (Wideband Integrated Digital Enhanced Network)), millimeter wave (mmWave) technology / standards (e.g., 10 - 300 GHz and wireless systems operating on top of 3GPP 5G), short - range and / or wireless personal area network (WPAN) technology / standards (e.g., IEEE 802.15 technology (e.g., as described above), Bluetooth (R) and its variants (e.g., Bluetooth 5.3, LBE (Bluetooth Low Energy), etc.), WiFi - direct, Miracast, ANT / ANT+, Z - Wave, Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), low power Wide Area Network (LPWAN), long - range Wide Area Network (LoRA or LoRaWAN), etc.), optical and / or visible light communication (VLC) technology / standards (e.g., IEEE Standard for Local and metropolitan area networks - Part 15.7: Short - Range Optical Wireless Communications, IEEE Std 802.15.7 - 2018,pp. 1 - 407 (Apr. 23, 2019), etc.), Sigfox, Mobitex, 3GPP2 technologies (e.g., cdmaOne (2G), CDMA2000 (Code Division Multiple Access 2000), and EVDO (Evolution - Data Optimized or Evolution - Data Only)), PTT (Push - to - talk), MTS (Mobile Telephone System) and its variants (e.g., IMTS (Improved MTS), AMTS (Advanced MTS), etc.), Personal Digital Cellular (PDC), Personal Handy - phone System (PHS), Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), DataTAC, DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) and its variants (e.g., DECT ULE (DECT Ultra Low Energy), DECT - 2020, DECT - 5G, etc.), UHF (Ultra High Frequency) communication, VHF (Very High Frequency) communication, and / or any other suitable RAT or protocol. In addition to the above RAT / standards, any number of satellite uplink technologies, including, for example, but not limited to, wireless that complies with standards issued by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) or ETSI, may be used for the purposes of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the examples provided herein are to be understood as applicable to a variety of other communication technologies, both existing and yet to be devised.,

[0285] In at least some examples, the term "channel" refers to either a tangible or intangible transmission medium used to communicate data or a data stream. The term "channel" may be synonymous and / or equivalent to any other similar terms that indicate a path or medium through which data is communicated, such as "communication channel", "data communication channel", "transmission channel", "data transmission channel", "access channel", "data access channel", "link", "data link", "carrier", "radio frequency carrier", and / or any other similar terms. Further, in at least some examples, the term "link" refers to a connection between two devices through a RAT for the purpose of transmitting and receiving information.

[0286] In at least some examples, the term "carrier" refers to a modulated waveform that carries one or more physical channels (e.g., 5G / NR, E-UTRA, UTRA, and / or GSM / EDGE physical channels). In at least some examples, the term "carrier frequency" refers to the center frequency of a cell.

[0287] In at least some examples, the term "bearer" refers to an information transmission path with defined capacity, delay, bit error rate, etc. In at least some examples, the term "radio bearer" refers to a service provided by layer 2 (L2) for the transfer of user data between a user equipment (UE) and a radio access network (RAN). In at least some examples, the term "radio access bearer" refers to a service provided by the access layer to the non-access layer for the transfer of user data between the UE and the CN.

[0288] In at least some examples, the terms "beamforming" and "beam steering" refer to a spatial filtering mechanism used at a transmitter (Tx) to improve the received signal power, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or some other signaling metric at an intended receiver (Rx). In at least some examples, the term "beamformer" refers to a station (STA) that transmits a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) using a beamforming steering matrix. In at least some examples, the term "beamforming steering matrix" refers to a matrix determined using knowledge of the channel between the Tx and the intended Rx that maps from the spatio-temporal stream to the transmit antennas for the purpose of improving the signal power, SNR, and / or some other signaling metric at the intended Rx.

[0289] In at least some examples, the term "subframe" refers to a time interval in which, in at least some examples, a signal is signaled. In some implementations, a subframe is equal to 1 millisecond (ms). In at least some examples, the term "timeslot" refers to, in at least some examples, an integer multiple of consecutive subframes. In at least some examples, the term "superframe" refers to, in at least some examples, a time interval that includes two timeslots.

[0290] In at least some examples, the term "channel coding" refers to a process and / or technique for adding redundancy to messages or packets in order to make them more robust against noise, channel interference, limited channel bandwidth, and / or other errors. For purposes of the present disclosure, the term "channel coding" can be used interchangeably with the terms "forward error correction" or "FEC", "error correction coding", "error correction code" or "ECC", and / or "network coding" or "NC". In at least some examples, the term "network coding" refers to a process and / or technique in which transmission data is encoded and decoded to improve network performance. In at least some examples, the term "code rate" refers to the ratio of a data stream or flow that is useful or not redundant (e.g., for a code rate of k / n, for every k bits of useful information, the (en)coder generates a total of n bits of data, of which n - k bits are redundant). In at least some examples, the term "systematic code" refers to any error correction code in which the input data is embedded in the encoded output. In at least some examples, the term "non-systematic code" refers to any error correction code in which the input data is not embedded in the encoded output. In at least some examples, the term "interleaving" refers to a process for rearranging code symbols so as to spread bursts of errors across multiple codewords that can be corrected by ECC. In at least some examples, the term "codeword" or "code word" refers to an element of a code or protocol that is assembled according to specific rules of the code or protocol.

[0291] In at least some examples, the term "network address" refers to an identifier for a node or host within a computer network, which may be a unique identifier across networks and / or unique to a locally administered portion of the network. Examples of identifiers and / or network addresses include application identifiers, Bluetooth hardware device addresses (BD_ADDR), cellular network addresses (e.g., Absolute Radio-Frequency Channel Number (ARFCN), Access Point Name (APN), AMF name and / or AMF identifier (ID), AF service identifier, Cell Global Identifier (CGI) (e.g., NCGI (NR CGI), CGI NG-RAN, CGI EUTRA, etc.), Closed Access Group Identifier (CAG-ID), Edge Application Server (EAS) ID, Data Network Access Identifier (DNAI), Data Network Name (DNN), Evolved Cell Global Identifier (ECGI), EPS Bearer Identity (EBI), Equipment Identity Register (EIR) and / or 5G-EIR, Extended Unique Identifier (EUI), Group ID for Network Selection (GIN), Generic Public Subscription Identifier (GPSI), Global Unique AMF Identifier (GUAMI,Globally Unique AMF Identifier), Globally Unique Temporary Identifier (GUTI), and / or 5G-GUTI, gNB Identifier (gNB ID), Global gNB ID, International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), IMEI Type Allocation Code (IMEA / TAC), International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), IMSI software version (IMSISV), permanent equipment identifier (PEI), Local Area Data Network (LADN) DNN, Local NG-RAN Node Identifier, Mobile Subscriber Identification Number (MSIN), Mobile Subscriber / Station ISDN Number (MSISDN), Network identifier (NID), Network Slice Instance (NSI) ID, Network Slice AS Group (NSAG), Permanent Equipment Identifier (PEI), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) Identity (ID), Physical Cell Identifier (PCI), QoS Flow ID (QFI), and / or 5G QoS Identifier (5QI), RAN ID, Routing Indicator, Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI,Radio Network Temporary Identifier) and their variants (e.g., any of those discussed in Section 8 of 3GPP TS 38.300 v17.4.0 (2023-03-28) ("[TS38300]")), SMS Function (SMSF) ID, Stand-alone Non-Public Network (SNPN) ID, Single Network Slice Selection Assistance information (S-NSSAI), Sidelink identification information (e.g., source layer 2 ID, destination layer 2 ID, PC5 link identifier, etc.), Subscription Concealed Identifier (SUCI), Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI), Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (TMSI) and its variants, Tracking Area Identity (TAI), UE access category and identity, and / or other cellular network-related identifiers), CAG-ID, driver's license number, Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) (e.g., Australian Product Number (APN), EPC, European Article Number (EAN), Universal Product Code (UPC), etc.), email address, Enterprise Application Server (EAS), endpoint, Electronic Product Code (EPC) address defined by the EPCglobal Tag Data Standard, Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN,Fully Qualified Domain Name), flow ID and / or flow hash, hash value, index, Internet Protocol (IP) address within an IP network (e.g., Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4), Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), etc.), Internet Packet Exchange (IPX) address, LAN ID, MAC address, Personal Area Network (PAN) ID, port number (e.g., TCP port number, UDP port number, etc.), Price Lookup Code (PLC), product key, QUIC connection ID, RFID tag, sequence number, Service Set Identifier (SSID) and its variations, screen name, serial number, Stock Keeping Unit (SKU), socket address, Social Security Number (SSN), telephone number (e.g., in a Public Switched Telephone Network (PTSN)), Unique Identifier (UID) (e.g., Global UID, Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) (e.g., as specified in ISO / IEC 11578:1996), etc.), Universal Resource Locator (URL) and / or Universal Resource Identifier (URI), username (e.g., ID for logging in to a service provider platform such as a social network and / or some other service), Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), Virtual LAN (VLAN,It can include a Virtual LAN) ID, X.21 address, X.25 address, Zigbee (registered trademark) ID, Zigbee (registered trademark) device network ID, and / or any other suitable network address and its components.,

[0292] In the context of a computer network, in at least some examples, the term "port" refers to a communication endpoint, a virtual data connection between two or more entities, and / or a virtual point where a network connection begins and ends. Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, a "port" is associated with a particular process or service. Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "port" refers to a specific interface of a designated device (apparatus) having an electromagnetic environment (e.g., any connection point on that device intended for connection of a cable to or from the device can be considered a port).

[0293] The term "delay" in at least some examples refers to the time interval between two events. Additionally or alternatively, the term "delay" in at least some examples refers to the time interval between the propagation of a signal and its reception. The term "delay limit" in at least some examples refers to a predetermined or configured amount of acceptable delay. The term "per-packet delay limit" in at least some examples refers to a predetermined or configured amount of acceptable packet delay within which packets that are not processed and / or transmitted are considered delivery failures and are discarded or dropped. The term "goodput" in at least some examples refers to the number of useful information bits delivered by a network to a specific destination per unit time. The term "jitter" in at least some examples refers to the deviation of an estimated periodic signal from a predetermined ("true") period with respect to a reference clock signal. The term "latency" in at least some examples refers to the amount of time required to transfer a first / initial data unit within a data burst from one point to another. Additionally or alternatively, the term "latency" in at least some examples refers to the delay experienced by a data unit (e.g., a frame) during its propagation between two points in a network, measured from the time when a known reference point within a frame passes through a first point to the time when a reference point within the data unit passes through a second point. The term "network delay" in at least some examples refers to the delay of a data unit (e.g., an IP packet within an IP network) within a network. The term "packet delay" in at least some examples refers to the time required to transfer any packet from one point to another. Additionally or alternatively, the term "packet delay" or "per-packet delay" in at least some examples refers to the difference between the packet reception time and the packet transmission time. Additionally or alternatively, "packet delay" or "per-packet delay" can be measured by subtracting the packet transmission time from the packet reception time when the transmitter and the receiver are at least somewhat synchronized.In at least some examples, the term "packet drop rate" refers to the percentage of packets not sent to a target due to high traffic load or traffic management, and should be considered part of the packet loss rate. In at least some examples, the term "packet loss rate" refers to the percentage of packets that could not be received by a target, including dropped packets, packets lost during transmission, and packets received in an incorrect format. In at least some examples, the term "performance indicator" refers to performance data aggregated across a group of network functions (NFs), and is derived from performance measurements collected in the NFs belonging to the group according to the aggregation method identified in the performance indicator definition. In at least some examples, the term "physical rate" or "PHY rate" refers to the speed at which one or more bits are actually transmitted over a transmission medium. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "physical rate" or "PHY rate" refers to the speed at which data can move across a wireless link between a transmitter and a receiver. In at least some examples, the term "processing delay" refers to the amount of time required to process a packet at a network node. In at least some examples, the term "propagation delay" refers to the amount of time required for a signal header to move from a transmitter to a receiver. In at least some examples, the term "queuing delay" refers to the amount of time a job waits in a queue until it can be executed. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "queuing delay" refers to the amount of time a packet waits in a queue until it can be processed and / or transmitted. In at least some examples, the term "throughput" or "network throughput" refers to the rate of production or the rate at which something is processed. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "throughput" or "network throughput" refers to the rate of successful message (data) delivery over a communication channel.In at least some examples, the term "transmission delay" refers to the amount of time required (or necessary) to push a packet (or all bits of a packet) onto a transmission medium.

[0294] In at least some examples, the term "application" or "app" refers to a computer program designed to perform specific tasks other than those related to the operation of the computer itself. Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "application" or "app" refers to a fully deployable package environment for achieving specific functions in an operating environment. In at least some examples, the term "process" refers to an instance of a computer program being executed by one or more threads. In some implementations, a process may be composed of multiple execution threads that execute instructions simultaneously. In at least some examples, the term "algorithm" refers to a clear specification of how to solve a problem or class of problems by performing calculations, input / output operations, data processing, automated inference tasks, and the like.

[0295] In at least some examples, the term "application programming interface" or "API" refers to a set of subroutine definitions, communication protocols, and tools for building software. Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "application programming interface" or "API" refers to a set of clearly defined ways of communicating between various components. In some examples, an API may be defined or used for web-based systems, operating systems, database systems, computer hardware, software libraries, and the like.

[0296] Terms such as "instantiate" and "instantiation" in at least some examples indicate the creation of an instance. An "instance" in at least some examples also indicates, for example, the specific occurrence of an object that may occur during the execution of program code.

[0297] The term "reference point" or "reference point" in at least some examples indicates a conceptual point in the coupling of two non-overlapping functional groups, elements or entities.

[0298] The term "use case" in at least some examples indicates a description of a system from the user's perspective. A use case sometimes treats the system as a black box, and the interaction with the system, including system responses, is perceived as coming from outside the system. Use cases typically avoid technical jargon and instead prefer the language of end users or domain experts.

[0299] The term "user" in at least some examples indicates an abstract representation of any entity that issues commands, requests, and / or data to a computing node or system and / or consumes or uses a service. Additionally or alternatively, the term "user" in at least some examples indicates an entity that is not part of the 3GPP system but uses 3GPP system services (e.g., a person who uses a 3GPP system mobile station as a mobile phone). The term "user profile" in at least some examples indicates a set of information for providing a consistent personalized service environment to a user regardless of the user's location or the terminal used (within the limits of the terminal and the serving network).

[0300] The terms "configuration", "policy", "rule set" and / or "operating parameter" in at least some examples indicate a machine-readable information object containing instructions, conditions, parameters and / or criteria related to a device, system or other element / entity.

[0301] In at least some examples, the term "datagram" refers to a basic transfer unit associated with a packet-switched network in at least some examples, and a datagram may be structured to have a header section and a payload section. In at least some examples, the term "datagram" may be synonymous with any of the following terms, namely, "data unit", "protocol data unit" or "PDU", "service data unit" or "SDU", "frame", "packet", "network packet", "segment", "block", "cell", "chunk", "type length value" or "TLV", etc., even if these may indicate different aspects. Examples of datagrams, network packets, etc. include Internet Protocol (IP) packets, Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) packets, UDP packets, TCP packets, SCTP packets, ICMP packets, Ethernet frames, RRC messages / packets, SDAP PDUs, SDAP SDUs, PDCP PDUs, PDCP SDUs, MAC PDUs, MAC SDUs, BAP PDUs. BAP SDUs, RLC PDUs, RLC SDUs, WiFi frames, as discussed in IEEE802 protocols / standards (e.g., [IEEE80211, etc.], include type length values (TLVs) and / or other similar data structures. In at least some examples, the term "packet" refers to an information unit identified by a label in layer 3 of the OSI reference model. In some examples, "packet" may also be referred to as "network protocol data unit" or "NPDU". In at least some examples, the term "protocol data unit" refers to a unit of data specified in the (N) protocol layer and includes (N) protocol control information and, optionally, (N) user data.

[0302] In at least some examples, the term "information element" or "IE" refers to a structural element that includes one or more fields. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "information element" or "IE" refers to a field or set of fields defined in a standard or specification used to carry data and / or protocol information. In at least some examples, the term "field" refers to the individual content of an information element, or a data element that contains the content. In at least some examples, the term "data frame", "data field" or "DF" refers to a data type that includes more than one data element in a predetermined order. In at least some examples, the term "data element" or "DE" refers to a data type that contains a single piece of data. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "data element" refers to the atomic state of a particular object that has at least one particular property at a particular point in time, and may include one or more of a data element name or identifier, a data element definition, one or more representation terms, enumerated values or codes (e.g., metadata), and / or a list of synonyms for the data element in another metadata registry. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some examples, "data element" refers to a data type that contains a single piece of data. A data element may store data, which may be referred to as the content of the data element (or "content item"). The content item may include text content, attributes, properties, and / or other elements referred to as "child elements". Additionally or alternatively, a data element may include zero or more properties and / or zero or more attributes, each of which may be defined as a database object (e.g., a field, a record, etc.), an object instance, and / or another data element. In at least some examples, an "attribute" refers to a markup structure that includes a name-value pair that exists within an opening tag or an empty element tag. An attribute contains data related to the element and / or controls the behavior of the element.The terms "type length value", "tag length value", or "TLV" in at least some examples refer to an encoding scheme used for information elements in a protocol, and TLV is, in some cases, used to encode additional or optional information elements in the protocol. In some examples, a TLV encoded data stream includes codes related to the type of the value, the length of the value, and the value itself. In some examples, the type within a TLV includes binary and / or alphanumeric codes indicating the kind of field that this part of the message represents, the length within the TLV includes the size of the value field (e.g., in bytes), and the value within the TLV includes a variable-sized sequence of bytes containing the data for this part of the message.

[0303] The term "reference" in at least some examples refers to data that can be used to locate other data and may be implemented in various ways (e.g., pointer, index, handle, key, identifier, hyperlink, etc.).

[0304] In at least some examples, the term "data set" or "dataset" refers to a collection of data, and a "data set" or "dataset" may be formed or arranged in any type of data structure. In some examples, one or more characteristics can define or affect the structure and / or characteristics of a data set, such as the number and type of attributes and / or variables and various statistical measures (e.g., standard deviation, kurtosis, etc.). In at least some examples, the term "data structure" refers to a data organization, management, and / or storage format. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "data structure" refers to a set of data values, the relationships between these data values, and / or functions, operations, tasks, etc. applicable to the data. Examples of data structures include primitives (e.g., boolean, character, floating point, fixed point, integer, reference or pointer, enumerated type, etc.), composites (e.g., array, record, string, union, tagged union, etc.), abstract data types (e.g., data container, list, tuple, associative array, map, dictionary, set (or dataset), multiset or bag, stack, queue, graph (e.g., tree, heap, etc.), etc.), routing tables, symbol tables, quad edge, blockchain, purely functional data structures (e.g., stack, queue, (multi)set, random access list, hash consing, zipper data structure, etc.).

[0305] In at least some examples, the term "Nyquist criterion" or "Nyquist frequency" refers to a characteristic of a sampler that converts a continuous function or signal into a discrete sequence. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "Nyquist criterion" or "Nyquist frequency" refers to a frequency (e.g., cycles per second) for a given sampling rate (e.g., samples per second) where the cycle length (or period) is twice the interval between samples.

[0306] In at least some instances, the terms "machine learning" or "ML" refer to the use of a computer system to optimize performance criteria using example (training) data and / or past experience. ML involves using algorithms to perform a particular task without using explicit instructions to perform the particular task, and / or relying on patterns, predictions, and / or inferences. ML constructs an ML model (also referred to as a "model") using statistics to make predictions or decisions based on sample data (e.g., training data).

[0307] In at least some instances, the terms "machine learning model" or "ML model" refer to an application, program, process, algorithm, and / or function that is capable of making predictions, inferences, or decisions based on an input data set and / or capable of detecting patterns based on the input data set. In some instances, a "machine learning model" or "ML model" is trained on training data to detect patterns and / or make predictions, inferences, and / or decisions. In some examples, a "machine learning model" or "ML model" is based on a mathematical and / or statistical model. For purposes of the present disclosure, terms such as "ML model," "AI model," "AI / ML model," etc. may be used interchangeably. In at least some instances, the term "mathematical model" refers to a system of assumptions, data, and inferences presented as a mathematical description of an entity or situation that includes governing equations, assumptions, and constraints. In at least some instances, the term "statistical model" refers to a mathematical model that embodies a set of statistical assumptions regarding sample data from a population and / or the generation of similar data, and in some examples, a "statistical model" represents a data generation process.

[0308] In at least some examples, the term "machine learning algorithm" or "ML algorithm" refers to an application, program, process, algorithm, and / or function that constructs or estimates an ML model based on sample data or training data. Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "machine learning algorithm" or "ML algorithm" refers to a program, process, algorithm, and / or function that learns from experience with respect to some task and some performance measure / metric, and the ML model is an object or data structure created after the ML algorithm is trained with the training data. For the purposes of this disclosure, terms such as "ML algorithm", "AI algorithm", "AI / ML algorithm", etc. may be used interchangeably. Further, the term "ML algorithm" may denote a different concept from the term "ML model", but these terms may be used interchangeably for the purposes of this disclosure.

[0309] In at least some examples, the term "machine learning application" or "ML application" refers to an application, program, process, algorithm, and / or function that includes several AI / ML models and application-level descriptions. Further or alternatively, in at least some examples, the term "machine learning application" or "ML application" refers to a complete and deployable application and / or package that includes at least one ML model and / or other data capable of achieving a particular function and / or executing a set of actions or tasks in an operating environment. For the purposes of this disclosure, terms such as "ML application", "AI application", "AI / ML application", etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0310] The terms "Artificial Neural Network", "Neural Network", or "NN" refer to ML technologies that include a collection of connected artificial neurons or nodes that (loosely) model neurons in the biological brain that can transmit signals to other main neurons or nodes. The connections (or edges) between artificial neurons or nodes are (loosely) modeled after the synapses in the biological brain. Artificial neurons and edges typically have weights that adjust as learning progresses. The weights increase or decrease the strength of the signal in the connection. A neuron may have a threshold such that a signal is transmitted only if the aggregated signal exceeds that threshold. Artificial neurons can be aggregated or grouped into one or more layers, and different layers may perform different transformations on these inputs. Signals move from the first layer (input layer) to the last layer (output layer), sometimes crossing layers multiple times. An NN is usually used for supervised learning but can also be used for unsupervised learning. Examples of NNs include Deep NN (DNN), Feed Forward NN (FFN), Deep FNN (DFF), Convolutional NN (CNN), Deep CNN (DCN), Deconvolutional NN (DNN), Deep Belief NN, Perceptron NN, Recurrent NN (RNN) (including, for example, Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) algorithms, Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU), Echo State Network (ESN), etc.), Spiking NN (SNN), Deep Stacking Network (DSN), Markov Chain, Perceptron NN, Generative Adversarial Network (GAN), Transformer, Probabilistic NN (e.g., Bayesian Network (BN), Bayesian Belief Network (BBN,including neural networks (NNs) for Bayesian belief network, Bayesian NN (BNN), Deep BNN (DBNN), Dynamic BN (DBN), probabilistic graphical model (PGM), Boltzmann machine, restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM), Hopfield network or Hopfield NN, convolutional deep belief network (CDBN), etc., linear dynamical system (LDS), switching LDS (SLDS), optical NN (ONN), reinforcement learning (RL) and / or deep RL (DRL), etc.

[0311] In at least some instances, the term "optimization" refers to an act, process or methodology that makes something (e.g., a design, system, or decision) as complete, functional or effective as possible. Optimization typically involves mathematical procedures for finding the maximum or minimum of a function. In at least some instances, the term "optimal" refers to the most desirable or satisfactory result, outcome or output. In at least some instances, the term "optimum" refers to the amount or degree that is most favorable for some result. In at least some instances, the term "optima" refers to the conditions, degree, amount or compromise that produces the best possible result. Further or alternatively, in at least some instances, the term "optima" refers to the most favorable or advantageous outcome or result.

[0312] In at least some examples, the term "probability" indicates a numerical description of how likely an event is to occur and / or how likely a proposition is to be true. In at least some examples, the term "probability distribution" indicates a mathematical function that gives the probabilities of occurrence of different possible outcomes for an experiment or event.

[0313] In at least some examples, the term "prediction service" indicates a service model that provides reliable performance but allows for specified variations in measured performance criteria.

[0314] In at least some examples, the term "timing advance group" or "TAG" indicates a group of serving cells that are configured by the RRC and use the same timing reference cell and the same timing advance (TA) value for a UL-configured cell. In some examples, a TAG that includes the SpCell of a MAC entity is called a primary TAG (PTAG), and the term secondary TAG (STAG) indicates other TAGs.

[0315] Many of the above examples are provided using specific cellular / mobile network terms, including the use of 4G / 5G 3GPP network components (or the supposed terahertz-based 6G / 6G+ technology), but it is understood that these examples may apply to many other deployments of wide area and local wireless networks, as well as the integration of wired networks (including optical networks and related fibers, transceivers, etc.). Further, various standards (e.g., 3GPP, ETSI, etc.) may define various message formats, PDUs, containers, frames, etc. as including sequences of optional or mandatory data elements (DEs), data frames (DFs), information elements (IEs), etc. However, the requirements of any particular standard should not limit the examples discussed herein, and thus any combination of containers, DFs, DEs, values, actions, and / or features that are strictly required to comply with such standards, or any combination of containers, frames, DFs, DEs, IEs, values, actions, and / or features that are strongly recommended and / or used with optional elements or in the presence / absence of optional elements, are understood to be possible in various examples.

[0316] Aspects of the subject matter of the present invention are mentioned herein individually and / or collectively merely for convenience and without intent to voluntarily limit the scope of the present application to any single aspect or inventive concept if more than one is actually disclosed. Accordingly, it should be recognized that while specific aspects are illustrated and described herein, any configuration calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific aspects shown. The present disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various aspects. Combinations of the above aspects with other aspects not specifically described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the above description.

Claims

1. A method for operating a Media Access Control (MAC) entity for single or multi-Transmission / Reception Point (TRP) operation, comprising: receiving a Timing Advance Command (TAC) including a Timing Advance (TA) value; determining a TRP identity (TRP-Id) associated with the TA value, wherein the TRP-Id is assigned to a TRP in a set of TRPs belonging to a serving cell; determining an uplink (UL) transmission to which the TA value is applied; adjusting UL timing for the determined UL transmission using the TA value; performing the UL transmission according to the adjusted UL timing. A method as described above.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the serving cell is associated with at least two TAs.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the at least two TAs are associated with at least two TRP-Ids.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the serving cell is associated with at least two TACs.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving a Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration indicating a TA group (TAG) identity to which the serving cell belongs.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the TAG is associated with a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource, SRS resource identifier (ID), SRS resource set, SRS resource set ID, or SRS spatial relationship information configuration.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the TAG is associated with an SRS resource set or SRS resource set ID associated with a "codebook" or "non-codebook" type.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the TAG is associated with physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) power control information.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein the TAG is associated with a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource, PUCCH power control information, or PUCCH spatial relationship information.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a TAG identifier (TAG-Id) of the TAG to which the serving cell belongs based on an SRS resource indication field in received downlink control information (DCI).

11. The method according to claim 1, comprising the step of determining a TAG-Id of a TAG to which the serving cell belongs based on a PUCCH resource indication field in the received DCI.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the TRP-Id is associated with a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state associated with the TRP-Id, and the TRP-Id is associated with a TA.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the TAC is included in a TAC medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), an absolute TAC MAC CE, or a random access response (RAR) message.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the UL transmission is a PUSCH transmission, a PUCCH transmission, or an SRS transmission.

15. Performing measurements on a set of received channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS) within a time window; and Determining predicted Doppler domain compressed CSI after reporting channel state information (CSI) to a radio access network (RAN) node. The method according to claim 1, comprising the steps of.

16. Performing measurements on a set of received CSI-RS within a time window; and Determining predicted Doppler domain compressed CSI associated with a reference resource before reporting channel state information (CSI) to a RAN node. The method according to claim 1, comprising the steps of.

17. The method according to claim 15, comprising the step of performing the measurements on each CSI-RS of the set of received CSI-RS during each CSI-RS sampling period within the time window.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the length of each CSI-RS sampling period and the maximum Doppler satisfy the Nyquist criterion.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of performing the UL transmission includes performing the UL transmission according to a codebook-based transmission method.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the codebook-based transmission method includes a codebook having a spatial dimension, a frequency dimension, and a time dimension.

21. One or more computer-readable media including instructions, Execution of the instructions by a processor circuit causes the processor circuit to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20. One or more computer-readable media.

22. A computer program comprising the instruction according to claim 21.

23. An application programming interface defining functions, methods, variables, data structures and / or protocols for the computer program according to claim 22.

24. An apparatus comprising a circuit in which the instruction according to claim 21 is loaded.

25. An apparatus comprising a circuit operable to execute the instruction according to claim 21.

26. An integrated circuit comprising one or more of the processor circuits according to claim 21 and one or more computer-readable media according to claim 21.

27. A computing system comprising one or more computer-readable media and processor circuits according to claim 21.

28. An apparatus comprising means for executing the instruction according to claim 21.

29. A signal generated as a result of executing the instruction according to claim 21.

30. A data unit generated as a result of executing the instruction according to claim 21.

31. The data unit according to claim 30, wherein the data unit is a datagram, a network packet, a data frame, a data segment, a protocol data unit (PDU), a service data unit (SDU), a message or a database object.

32. A signal encoded with the data unit according to claim 30 or 31.

33. An electromagnetic signal carrying the instruction according to claim 21.

34. An apparatus comprising means for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

Images