Methods performed by user equipment, methods performed by user equipment and a network, and network

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium. The exemplary method includes receiving configuration information for a beam report from a network device. The configuration information includes a first set of reference signal (RS) resources corresponding to a first number of beams. The method further includes generating a beam report including a first group and a second group based on the configuration information. The first group includes beam information for the second number of beams, and the second group includes beam information for a third number of beams. The method further includes transmitting the beam report to the network device. This facilitates data collection and reduces beam reporting overhead.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of communications technology, and more particularly to communications methods, apparatus, and computer-readable media. [Background technology]

[0002] Communications technology is constantly evolving to provide efficient and reliable solutions for utilizing wireless communication networks, with each new generation bringing its own technological challenges to address the different situations and processes required to connect and serve devices connected to wireless networks.

[0003] New technology-based beam management, such as artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML)-based beam management, has been proposed in new communication systems. However, various aspects of the schemes related to new technology-based beam management need to be further studied and improved. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Generally, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes, in a terminal device, receiving configuration information for a beam report from a network device. The configuration information includes a first set of reference signal (RS) resources corresponding to a first number of beams. The method further includes generating the beam report including a first group and a second group based on the configuration information. The first group includes beam information for a second number of beams, and the second group includes beam information for a third number of beams. The method further includes transmitting the beam report to the network device.

[0006] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes, in a network device, transmitting configuration information for a beam report to a terminal device. The configuration information includes a first set of reference signal (RS) resources corresponding to a first number of beams. The method further includes receiving from the terminal device the beam report including a first group and a second group, the beam report being generated based on the configuration information. The first group includes beam information for a second number of beams, and the second group includes beam information for a third number of beams.

[0007] In a third aspect, there is provided a terminal device comprising a processor and a memory storing computer program code, the memory and the computer program code, together with the processor, configured to cause the terminal device to perform a method according to the first aspect.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, there is provided a network device comprising a processor and a memory storing computer program code, the memory and the computer program code, together with the processor, configured to cause the network device to perform a method according to the second aspect.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method according to the first or second aspect above.

[0010] It should be understood that this Summary of the Invention is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will be readily apparent from the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in the accompanying drawings.

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communication system in which some embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0013] [Figure 2A] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a regression-based AI / ML model for predicting beams.

[0014] [Figure 2B] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a classification-based AI / ML model for predicting beams.

[0015] [Figure 3A] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an AI / ML model where the best beam in the output does not overlap with any beam in the input.

[0016] [Figure 3B] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an AI / ML model where the best beam in the output overlaps with a beam in the input.

[0017] [Figure 4]FIG. 10 illustrates an example of input data groups and output data groups, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0018] [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a beam reporting process between a terminal device and a network device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart of an exemplary method implemented in a terminal device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart of an exemplary method implemented in a network device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] In the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers represent the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are provided for illustrative purposes only to aid those skilled in the art in understanding and practicing the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways different from those described below.

[0024] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0025] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "embodiment," "exemplary embodiment," etc., indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but do not necessarily mean that each embodiment includes that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is believed to be within the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0026] While the terms "first," "second," and the like may be used herein to describe various elements, it should be understood that these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element may be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0027] The terminology used herein is used only for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to limit example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "said" include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should be further understood that, as used herein, the terms "comprise," "include," "have," "comprise," "comprises," and / or "have" specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0028] In some instances, values, procedures, or devices are referred to as "best," "lowest," "highest," "minimum," "maximum," etc. It should be understood that such descriptions are intended to illustrate that choices may be made from among many functional alternatives used, and that such choices are not necessarily better, smaller, higher, or otherwise more preferred than other choices.

[0029] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network conforming to any appropriate communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Furthermore, communications between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network may be implemented in accordance with any appropriate generation of communication protocol, including, but not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), 5.5G, 5G-Advanced network, or sixth generation (6G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocol now known or developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communications, there will naturally be future types of communications technologies and systems in which the present disclosure can be embodied, which should not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure to only the aforementioned systems.

[0030] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to any device with wireless or wired communication capabilities. Examples of terminal devices include User Equipment (UE), personal computers, desktops, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), portable computers, tablets, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Ultra-reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC) devices, Internet of Everything (IoE) devices, machine type communication (MTC) devices, vehicle-mounted devices for V2X communications where X stands for pedestrian, vehicle, or infrastructure / network, devices for Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB), satellite- or airborne vehicles in a Non-terrestrial network (NTN) including High Altitude Platforms (HAPs) including satellites and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and other technologies. These include, but are not limited to, extended reality (XR) devices that include different types of reality, such as virtual reality (VR), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are aircraft without a human pilot and are commonly referred to as drones, devices on high speed trains (HSTs), image capture devices such as digital cameras, sensors, gaming devices, music storage and playback devices, or internet devices that enable wireless or wired internet access and browsing.A "terminal device" may also have multicast / broadcast capabilities to support public safety, mission-critical, V2X applications, transparent IPv4 / IPv6 multicast distribution, IPTV, smart TV, wireless services, wireless software distribution, group communication, and IoT applications. It may also incorporate one or more Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), known as multi-SIMs. The term "terminal device" may be used interchangeably with UE, mobile station, subscriber station, mobile terminal, user terminal, or wireless device.

[0031] The term "network device" as used herein means a device capable of providing or hosting a cell or coverage area over which terminal devices can communicate. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, satellites, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) platforms, Node Bs (Node B or NB), evolved Node Bs (eNode B or eNB), next generation Node Bs (gNB), transmission reception points (TRPs), remote radio units (RRUs), radio heads (RHs), remote radio heads (RRHs), IAB nodes, low-power nodes such as femto nodes and pico nodes, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs), etc.

[0032] Communications described herein may conform to any suitable standard, including, but not limited to, New Radio Access (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wide Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), cdma2000, and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). Furthermore, communications may be performed in accordance with any currently known or future-developed generation of communications protocols. Examples of communications protocols include, but are not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.85G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G), and sixth-generation (6G) communications protocols. The techniques described herein may be used for the wireless networks and radio technologies mentioned above, as well as other wireless networks and radio technologies. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed in accordance with any currently known or future developed generation of communication protocols, including, but not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, 5.5G, 5G-Advanced networks, or sixth generation (6G) networks.

[0033] A terminal device or a network device may have artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning capabilities, which generally include a model trained from a large amount of data collected for a specific function and can be used to predict some information.

[0034] The terminal device or network device may operate on several frequency ranges, such as FR1 (410 MHz to 7125 MHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz to 71 GHz), frequency bands greater than 100 GHz, and Terahertz (THz). It can also operate on licensed, unlicensed, and shared spectrum. The terminal device may have two or more connections with the network device under a Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) application scenario. The terminal device or network device can operate in full duplex, flexible duplex, and cross-division duplex modes.

[0035] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in test equipment such as, for example, a signal generator, a signal analyzer, a spectrum analyzer, a network analyzer, a test terminal device, a test network device, or a channel emulator.

[0036] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed in accordance with any currently known or future developed generation of communication protocols, including, but not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, 5.5G, 5G-Advanced networks, or sixth generation (6G) networks.

[0037] As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to a hardware circuit and / or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. For example, a circuit may be a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware. As yet another example, a circuit may be any portion of a hardware processor with software, including a digital signal processor, software, and one or more memories, that cooperate to cause a device, such as a terminal device or a network device, to perform various functions. In yet another example, a circuit may be a hardware circuit and / or a processor, such as a microprocessor or portion thereof, that requires software / firmware for operation, although software may not be present if not necessary for operation. As used herein, the term "circuitry" also includes an implementation of a hardware circuit or one or more processors only, or a hardware circuit or portion of one or more processors and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware.

[0038] As used herein, the term "beam report" may refer to a channel state information (CSI) report carrying a layer 1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP), a layer 1 signal to interference plus noise ratio (L1-SINR), a CSI-reference signal resource indicator (CRI) or a synchronization signal and PBCH block resource indicator (SSBRI), or a CSI report having a reporting quantity of "cri-RSRP," "ssb-Index-RSRP," "cri-SINR," or "ssb-Index-SINR." The term "beam of a target signal" may refer to a quasi-co-located (QCL) Type D (source) reference signal of the target signal. The term "QCL-TypeD" may refer to spatial Rx parameters. The term "beam information" may refer to beam identity (ID) and / or beam quality. The term "beam ID" may refer to CRI or SSBRI. The term "beam quality" may refer to L1-RSRP, L1-SINR, RSRP, or SINR. L1-RSRP may be synonymous with RSRP, and L1-SINR may be synonymous with SINR.

[0039] According to RAN1#109-e [Chairman's Memo RAN1#109-ev15], AI / ML-based beam management supports BM Case 1 and BM Case 2 for characterization and baseline performance evaluation. For example, for BM Case 1, spatial domain DL beam prediction for set A of beams is based on measurement results for set B of beams. For BM Case 2, temporal DL beam prediction for set A of beams is based on past measurement results for set B of beams. The beams in set A and set B may be in the same frequency range.

[0040] According to RAN1#109-e [Chairman's Memo RAN1#109-ev15] and [R1-2205454, Discussion Summary #4 on Other Aspects of AI / ML for Beam Management], for subcase BM Case 1, two alternatives are considered for further study. The first alternative is that Set B is a subset of Set A. The number of beams in Set A and Set B and how Set B is determined from the beams in Set A (e.g., fixed pattern, random pattern, etc.) can be studied. The second alternative is that Set A and Set B are different (e.g., Set A consists of narrow beams and Set B consists of wide beams). The number of beams in Set A and Set B and the quasi-colocation (QCL) relationship between the beams in Set A and the beams in Set B can be studied. Set A is for DL ​​beam prediction, and Set B is for DL ​​beam measurement. The terms "narrow beam" and "wide beam" are for SI discussion only and have no impact on the specification. The codebook construction of Set A and Set B may be clarified by the company. For sub-use case BM Case 1, both Alternative 1 and Alternative 2 are considered for further study. Alternative 1: AI / ML inference on the network (NW) side. Alternative 2: AI / ML inference on the user equipment (UE) side.

[0041] According to RAN1#109-e [Chairperson's Memo RAN1#109-e v15], for sub-use case BM Case 1, the following alternatives for AI / ML input will be further studied: Alternative 1: Only L1-RSRP measurement based on Set B. Alternative 2: L1-RSRP measurement based on Set B and auxiliary information. During the discussion, the following was mentioned by attendees: Tx and / or Rx beam shape information (e.g., Tx and / or Rx beam pattern, Tx and / or Rx beam aiming direction (azimuth and elevation), 3 dB beam width, etc.), predicted expected Tx and / or Rx beam (e.g., predicted expected Tx and / or Rx angle, Tx and / or Rx beam ID (channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource indicator (CRI) or synchronization signal and PBCH block resource indicator (SSBRI))), UE location information, UE direction information, Tx beam utilization information, UE orientation information, etc. Providing aiding information may not be feasible due to concerns about disclosing confidential information to the other party. Alternative 3: Carrier to Interference Ratio (CIR) based on Set B. Alternative 4: L1-RSRP measurement based on Set B and corresponding DL Tx and / or Rx beam ID. It is up to companies to provide other alternatives, including combinations of several alternatives. All input is "nominal" and for discussion purposes only.

[0042] According to RAN1#109-e [R1-2205454, Discussion Summary #4 on Other Aspects of AI / ML for Beam Management], for the output of the AI ​​model, for subcase BM Case 1, the following alternatives for AI / ML output are further studied. Alternative 1: Tx and / or Rx beam ID and / or predicted L1-RSRP of the top N1 predicted DL Tx and / or Rx beams. Selection method of the top N1 DL Tx and / or Rx beams (e.g., L1-RSRP higher than a threshold, total probability of being the best beam higher than a threshold). Alternative 2: Tx and / or Rx beam ID and other information of the top N1 predicted DL Tx and / or Rx beams (e.g., probability of the beam being the best beam, updated Set B). Alternative 3: Predicted RSRP corresponding to the Tx and / or Rx beam direction input to the model. Alternative 4: Tx and / or Rx beam angles and predicted RSRP (optional) for the top N1 predicted DL Tx and / or Rx beams. It is up to the company to provide other alternatives. Beam IDs are used for discussion purposes only. All outputs are "nominal" and for discussion purposes only. The value of N1 is up to each company.

[0043] As described above, various aspects of schemes related to new technology-based beam management, e.g., AI / ML-based beam management, need to be further studied and improved. To solve at least these and other potential technical problems in the field, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide several solutions for beam reporting based on data collection in new technologies, e.g., AI / ML. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be beneficial in facilitating data collection in new technologies, e.g., model training / validation / testing, and in eliminating the overhead of beam reporting in new technologies, e.g., model training / validation / testing. The principles and several exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0044] 1 illustrates an exemplary communication system 100 in which some embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. The communication system 100, which is part of a communication network, includes a network device 120 and a terminal device 110. The network device 120 provides services to the terminal device 110, and the network device 120 and the terminal device 110 may communicate data and control information with each other. In some embodiments, the network device 120 and the terminal device 110 may communicate using a direct link / channel.

[0045] In system 100, the link from network device 120 to terminal device 110 is referred to as the downlink (DL), and the link from terminal device 110 to network device 120 is referred to as the uplink (UL). In the downlink, network device 120 is the transmit (TX) device (or transmitter) and terminal device 110 is the receive (RX) device (or receiver). In the uplink, terminal device 110 is the transmit TX device (or transmitter) and network device 120 is the RX device (or receiver). It should be understood that network device 120 may provide one or more serving cells. In some embodiments, network device 120 can provide multiple cells.

[0046] Communications in communication system 100 may conform to any suitable standard, including, but not limited to, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). Furthermore, communications may be performed according to any currently known or future-developed generation of communication protocols. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), 5.5G, 5G-Advanced networks, or sixth generation (6G) communication protocols.

[0047] 1 is used for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitations. Communication system 100 may include any suitable number of devices suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, network device 120 may provide multiple cells.

[0048] 2A and 2B, data collection in AI / ML models will be described. Model training requires training data / samples including data (i.e., input data) and corresponding labels (i.e., output data). Similarly, model validation / testing also requires input data and output data. For beam prediction in the spatial domain based on AI / ML, model training may be performed based on regression or classification.

[0049] 2A shows an example of a regression-based AI / ML model for predicting beams. As shown in FIG. 2A, for regression-based model training, the input data may be RSRPs corresponding to beams in set B (e.g., beams 0, 3, 12, and 15), and the output data may be RSRPs corresponding to each beam in set A (e.g., beams 0 through 15). For regression-based model validation / testing, the input data may be RSRPs corresponding to beams in set B, and the output data may be beam identities (IDs) (and RSRPs) corresponding to the top N beams in set A.

[0050] 2B shows an example of a classification-based AI / ML model for predicting beams. As shown in FIG. 2B, for classification-based model training, the input data may be RSRPs corresponding to beams in set B (e.g., beams 0, 3, 12, and 15), and the output data may be beam IDs corresponding to the best beams in set A (e.g., beams 0 through 15). For classification-based model validation / testing, the input data may be RSRPs corresponding to beams in set B, and the output data may be beam IDs (and RSRPs) corresponding to the top N beams in set A.

[0051] Next, the beam reporting mechanism will be described. Beam reporting includes the following steps: Step 1: The UE is configured / activated / indicated by the gNB with beam reporting. A beam report is configured to have (or corresponds to) one or more sets of CSI-RS / SSB resources (each resource corresponds to a specific beam) via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. Assume that one CSI-RS / SSB resource set is configured for beam reporting, and the set of CSI-RS / SSB resources can be considered as Set A. A beam report is configured to have an upper layer parameter (i.e., nrofReportedRS, which may be referred to as K) via RRC signaling. K refers to the number of beams the UE needs to report, e.g., the top K beams among the beams in Set A. Step 2: The UE generates a beam report. The UE needs to calculate the L1-RSRPs corresponding to all beams in Set A and select the top K beams to report (i.e., K beams with higher L1-RSRPs than other beams in Set A). Step 3: The UE transmits the generated beam report to the gNB on the allocated Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) and / or Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) resources. The bit width (or payload size) for the CSI fields (e.g., CRI / SSBRI / RSRP / SINR) of the beam report is shown in Table 0-1. TIFF2025528734000002.tif75168

[0052] The mapping order for the CSI fields of the beam report is shown in Table 0-2. TIFF2025528734000003.tif80168

[0053] If the AI / ML model is provided on the UE side, after receiving the CSI-RS / SSB resources corresponding to the beams in set A, the UE does not need to report any beam information, because the model training / validation / testing can be performed entirely on the UE side and is transparent to the gNB.

[0054] When an AI / ML model is implemented on the gNB side, after receiving CSI-RS / SSB resources corresponding to beams in set A, the UE needs to report beam information. Specifically, for regression-based model training, the UE needs to report beam information corresponding to all beams in set A. For regression-based model validation / testing, the UE may need to simultaneously report beam information (input data) corresponding to beams in set B and beam information (output data) corresponding to the top N beams among the beams in set A. For classification-based model training, the UE needs to simultaneously report beam information (input data) corresponding to beams in set B and beam information (output data) corresponding to the best beam (or top 1 beam) among the beams in set A. For classification-based model validation / testing, the UE may need to simultaneously report beam information (input data) corresponding to beams in set B and beam information (output data) corresponding to the top N beams among the beams in set A.

[0055] The existing beam reporting mechanism can only support reporting the top K beams in set A. This means that for model training / validation / testing, the gNB can only obtain output data at a given time and cannot complete model training / validation / testing. Therefore, it is necessary to solve how to simultaneously report input data and output data in beam reporting, that is, a new beam reporting mechanism may be supported.

[0056] Regarding data collection in the AI / ML model, the top 1 beam is used as the output as an example. However, two cases may exist. In one case, the best beam may be one of the beams other than set B. That is, the best beam does not overlap (or match) with any of the beams in set B. As shown in FIG. 3A, the best beam in the output may be beam 6, which does not overlap with any of the beams in the input. In another case, the best beam may be in set B. That is, the best beam overlaps (matches) with a beam in set B. As shown in FIG. 3B, the best beam in the output may be beam 3, which overlaps with one of the beams in the input. In this case, if the UE reports the input data and the output data separately, unnecessary overhead will be consumed. Therefore, how to solve the overlap problem to reduce the overhead of beam reporting may be considered in a new beam reporting mechanism.

[0057] Therefore, beam reporting based on data collection in AI / ML may take into consideration several issues. For example, how to simultaneously report input data and output data in beam reporting and how to resolve overlapping issues. An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides several solutions to solve at least some of these technical issues and potentially other technical issues. For example, the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure introduces two groups, an input data group (IG) and an output data group (OG), into beam reporting. FIG. 4 shows examples of input data groups and output data groups. As shown in FIG. 4, the input data group may include beam information corresponding to input data, and the output data group may include beam information corresponding to output data. This facilitates data collection in model training / validation / testing and can eliminate the overhead of beam reporting in model training / validation / testing.

[0058] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a process 500 of beam reporting between a terminal device and a network device. For the sake of explanation, process 500 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. In process 500, a terminal device 110 and a network device 120 as shown in FIG. 1 may be involved. Process 500 has already been described in communication network 100 of FIG. 1, but this process may be similarly applicable to other communication scenarios.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 5, the terminal device 110 receives (510) setting information about beam reporting from the network device 120. The setting information includes a set of reference signal (RS) resources for beam reporting, for example, a set of CSI-RS / SSB resources corresponding to a set of beams (for example, set A). Assume that the number of CSI-RS / SSB resources in set A is N, where N is a positive integer.

[0060] Also, the setting information may further include a beam pattern and a number L for beam reporting. Specifically, the beam pattern indicates a set of beam IDs corresponding to the beams in set B (that is, input data). Assume that the number of beams in the set indicated by the beam pattern is M. The number L indicates that the terminal device 110 needs to report the top L beams (that is, output data) out of the N beams to the network device 120. The top L beams may refer to L beams having better beam quality than other beams in set A. Here, M and L are positive integers, and 0 < M ≤ N and 0 < L ≤ N.

[0061] Based on the setting information, the terminal device 110 generates (520) a beam report including a first group (that is, an input data group or IG) and a second group (that is, an output data group or OG). Then, the terminal device 110 transmits (530) the beam report to the network device 120.

[0062] In some embodiments, set B may be a subset of set A, i.e., terminal device 110 may be configured to have one set of CSI-RS / SSB resources for beam reporting, meaning that the beams in the input data group (IG) and the beams in the output data group (OG) are from the same beam set.

[0063] Alternatively or additionally, set B may be different from set A, i.e., terminal device 110 may be configured to have two sets of CSI-RS / SSB resources (e.g., one set of wide beams and one set of narrow beams) for beam reporting. This means that the beams in the IG and the beams in the OG are from two different beam sets. In this case, assume that the number of wide beams and the number of narrow beams are N1 and N2, respectively, where N1 and N2 are positive integers. Because set B may correspond to all beams in a set of wide beams, terminal device 110 may not be configured to have a beam pattern.

[0064] In some embodiments, the IG in the beam report may include M CRI / SSBRI and M RSRP, and the OG in the beam report may include one CRI / SSBRI. In this case, the terminal device 110 may determine the bit width for the CRI / SSBRI and RSRP in the IG based on M, e.g., log2M, and may determine the bit width for the CRI / SSBRI in the OG based on N, e.g., log2N. The terminal device 110 may also report the RSRP in the IG based on the absolute RSRP and the differential RSRP (abbreviated as "partially differential reporting"). For example, CRI#1 in the IG corresponds to RSRP#1 in the IG, CRI#2 in the IG corresponds to differential RSRP#2, and so on. Table 1-1 shows the bit width for the CSI field, where P is an integer greater than 0 and less than 7. TIFF2025528734000004.tif65168

[0065] TIFF2025528734000005.tif75168

[0066] The terminal device 110 may further determine the mapping order of CSI fields. Beam information in an IG may be before or after beam information in an OG. CRI / SSBRI in an IG may be sorted according to the corresponding L1-RSRP. For example, CRI / SSBRI#1 in an IG refers to the CRI / SSBRI corresponding to the beam with the largest L1-RSRP among M beams. RSRP#1 in an IG refers to the absolute value of the largest RSRP, i.e., the L1-RSRP corresponding to CRI / SSBRI#1 in the IG. Differential RSRP#2 / M in an IG refers to the difference between the L1-RSRP corresponding to CRI / SSBRI#2 / M in the IG and the largest L1-RSRP. CRI / SSBRI in an OG refers to the CRI / SSBRI corresponding to the beam with the largest L1-RSRP among all N beams. Table 1-2 shows an example of the mapping order of CSI fields in a beam report. TIFF2025528734000006.tif73168

[0067] Alternatively or additionally, the IG in the beam report may include one CRI / SSBRI and M RSRPs, and the OG in the beam report may include one CRI / SSBRI. In this case, CRI / SSBRI#2 / ... / M may be omitted. At the same time, if a precondition (e.g., log2(M)≦M) is met, in addition to CRI / SSBRI#1, the differential RSRP#2 / ... / M corresponding to CRI / SSBRI#2 / ... / M need to be sorted according to the beam IDs of the M beams, for example, in ascending or descending order of the beam IDs. Table 1-3 shows an example of the mapping order of the CSI fields in this case. TIFF2025528734000007.tif51168

[0068] An overlap solution for this case is described below. If the bit width for CRI / SSBRI in the OG is based on N, the beam indicated by CRI / SSBRI#1 in the OG only needs to point to the best beam. If the bit width for CRI / SSBRI in the OG is based on NM, a new indicator (i.e., the first indicator) is introduced into the beam report. The first indicator indicates whether the beam indicated in the OG overlaps with the beam indicated in the IG. The bit width for the first indicator may be 1 bit, where "1" indicates that the beam in the OG overlaps with the beam in the IG, and "0" indicates that the beam in the OG does not overlap with any beam in the IG. Regarding the mapping order of the first indicator, the first indicator may be part of the IG or the OG (i.e., it may be incorporated or included in the IG or the OG). Alternatively, the first indicator may be an independent part of the IG or the OG, and it may be before or after the IG or the OG, or between the IG and the OG. If the first indicator indicates that a beam in the OG overlaps with a beam in the IG, multiple zeros (e.g., NM) are padded into the "CRI / SSBRI in OG" field. In other words, the bits in the "CRI / SSBRI in OG" field (or the beam information indicated by the field) are invalid for the network device and the terminal device. Table 2-1 and Table 2-2 show the bit width and mapping order of the CSI field including the first indicator, respectively. TIFF2025528734000008.tif138168

[0069] In some embodiments, the IG in the beam report may include M L1-RSRPs, and the OG in the beam report may include one CRI / SSBRI. In this case, the terminal device 110 may determine the bit width for the RSRP in the IG based on the absolute RSRP, which may be abbreviated as "absolute report." Alternatively or additionally, the terminal device 110 may determine the bit width for the RSRP in the IG based on the absolute RSRP, the differential RSRP, and a new indicator (i.e., the second indicator). Specifically, the second indicator may refer to a positive / negative (P / N) indicator. Each differential RSRP corresponds to a P / N indicator, which indicates whether the corresponding differential RSRP is positive or negative, i.e., greater or smaller than RSRP #1 in the IG. The bit width for the second indicator may be 1 bit, where "1" and "0" can correspond to "positive" and "negative," respectively.

[0070] Similar to what has been described above with reference to the case where the IG includes M CRI / SSBRI and M RSRP and the OG includes one CRI / SSBRI, the terminal device 110 may determine the bit width for the CRI / SSBRI in the OG based on N, for example, log2N, or NM, for example, log2N-M. Table 3-1 shows the bit width of the CSI field having the RSRP in the IG determined based on absolute reporting and the CRI / SSBRI in the OG determined based on N. Table 3-1' shows the bit width of the CSI field having the RSRP in the IG determined based on partial differential reporting and the CRI / SSBRI in the OG determined based on N. Note that the bit width for the CRI / SSBRI in the OG may also be determined based on NM, which is not shown in Tables 3-1 and 3-1'. TIFF2025528734000009.tif111168

[0071] Regarding the mapping order of CSI fields, the RSRPs in the IG may be sorted according to the beam IDs of the M beams, for example, in ascending or descending order of the beam IDs. For example, RSRP#1 in the IG refers to the RSRP corresponding to the beam with the smallest beam ID. Assuming that the IG is before the OG, Table 3-2 and Table 3-2' show the mapping order of CSI fields based on absolute reporting and partial differential reporting, respectively. TIFF2025528734000010.tif116168

[0072] The overlap solution for this case is similar to the solution described above with reference to the case where the IG contains M CRI / SSBRI and M RSRP, and the OG contains 1 CRI / SSBRI.

[0073] In some embodiments, the IG in the beam report may include M L1-RSRPs, and the OG in the beam report may include one CRI / SSBRI and one L1-RSRP. In this case, the terminal device 110 may determine the bit width for the RSRP in the IG based on the differential RSRP. For example, differential RSRP #1 / 2 / M in the IG refers to the difference between the RSRP corresponding to beam #1 / 2 / M in the IG and the largest RSRP (i.e., RSRP #1 in the OG). This may be abbreviated as "full differential reporting." Similar to what has been described above with reference to the case where the IG includes M CRI / SSBRI and M RSRPs and the OG includes one CRI / SSBRI, the terminal device 110 may determine the bit width for the CRI / SSBRI in the OG based on N, for example, log2N, or NM, for example, log2N-M. Furthermore, the terminal device 110 may determine the bit width for the RSRP in the OG based on the absolute RSRP. Table 4-1 shows the bit width of the CSI field with RSRP in the IG determined based on full differential reporting and CRI / SSBRI in the OG determined based on N. Note that the bit width for CRI / SSBRI in the OG may also be determined based on NM, which is not shown in Table 4-1. TIFF2025528734000011.tif54168

[0074] Similar to the above-described mapping order of CSI fields, the differential RSRPs in the IG may be sorted according to the beam IDs of the M beams. Table 4-2 shows the mapping order of CSI fields in this case. TIFF2025528734000012.tif57168

[0075] An overlap solution for this case is described below. If the bit width for CRI / SSBRI in OG is based on N, the beam indicated by CRI / SSBRI#1 in OG only needs to point to the best beam. If the bit width for CRI / SSBRI in OG is based on NM, a first indicator is introduced similar to that described above. If the first indicator indicates that a beam in OG overlaps with a beam in IG, multiple zeros (e.g., NM) are padded into the "CRI / SSBRI in OG" field. In other words, the bits in the "CRI / SSBRI in OG" field (or the beam information indicated by the field) are invalid for the network device and the terminal device. For the "RSRP in OG" field, RSRP#1 in OG (i.e., the best beam) still needs to be reported.

[0076] Alternatively or additionally, if the bit width for CRI / SSBRI in OG is based on NM, a new state is introduced in the "RSRP in OG" field to indicate that a beam in OG overlaps with a beam in IG. For example, a predefined state of RSRP#1 in OG (e.g., "0000000") may be used to indicate that a beam in OG (i.e., a beam indicated by CRI / SSBRI#1 in OG) overlaps with a beam in IG. In this case, multiple zeros (e.g., NM) are padded into the "CRI / SSBRI in OG" field. In other words, the bits in the "CRI / SSBRI in OG" field (or the beam information indicated by the field) are invalid for the network device and the terminal device.

[0077] Similar to what was described above with reference to the case where the IG includes M L1-RSRPs and the OG includes one CRI / SSBRI, terminal device 110 may determine that the bit width for the RSRP in the IG needs to be based on the absolute RSRP, or based on the absolute RSRP, the differential RSRP, and the second indicator. Alternatively, the IG needs to include a CRI / SSBRI and an RSRP. Similar to what was described above with reference to the case where the IG includes M CRI / SSBRIs and M RSRPs and the OG includes one CRI / SSBRI, terminal device 110 may determine the bit width for the CRI / SSBRI in the IG based on M, and may determine the bit width for the RSRP in the IG based on the absolute RSRP and the differential RSRP.

[0078] Alternatively or additionally, if the bit width for CRI / SSBRI in OG is equal to or greater than the bit width for RSRP in OG (e.g., 7 bits), the 7 MSB or LSB bits may be used to indicate the maximum RSRP.

[0079] As an extension of the IG including M CRI / SSBRI and M RSRP and the OG including 1 CRI / SSBRI, in some embodiments, the IG in the beam report may include M CRI / SSBRI and M RSRP, and the OG in the beam report may include L CRI / SSBRI. In this case, the bit width for the CSI field will be similar to Table 1-1 and Table 1-1'. An example of the mapping order of the CSI field for this case is shown in Table 5-2. TIFF2025528734000013.tif94168

[0080] As an extension of the IG including M L1-RSRPs and the OG including one CRI / SSBRI, in some embodiments, the IG in the beam report may include M L1-RSRPs, and the OG in the beam report may include L CRI / SSBRIs. In this case, the bit width for the CSI field is the same as the bit width for the CSI field when the IG includes M L1-RSRPs and the OG includes one CRI / SSBRI. Assuming that the IG is before the OG, Tables 6-2 and 6-2' show the mapping order of the CSI field in this case based on absolute reporting and partial differential reporting, respectively. TIFF2025528734000014.tif132168

[0081] As an extension of the IG including M L1-RSRPs and the OG including one CRI / SSBRI and one L1-RSRP, in some embodiments, the IG in the beam report may include M L1-RSRPs, and the OG in the beam report may include L CRI / SSBRIs and L L1-RSRPs. In this case, a "differential RSRP in OG" field is introduced in the CSI field. The bit width and mapping order of the CSI field in this case are shown in Tables 7-1 and 7-2, respectively. Here, Q is an integer greater than 0 and less than 7. The value of Q may be the same as or different from the value of P. TIFF2025528734000015.tif139168

[0082] For the overlap solution, if the bit width for CRI / SSBRI in the OG is based on N, the beam indicated by CRI / SSBRI#1 / 2 / L in the OG only needs to point to the top 1 / 2 / L beams. If the bit width for CRI / SSBRI in the OG is based on NM, L first indicators are introduced, each corresponding to a CRI / SSBRI in the OG, i.e., CRI / SSBRI#1 / 2 / L in the OG. In this case, the first indicator indicates whether the corresponding beam in the OG overlaps with a beam in the IG. Tables 8-1 and 8-2 show the bit width and mapping order of the CSI field including the first indicator, respectively. TIFF2025528734000016.tif179168

[0083] Alternatively or additionally, if the bit width for CRI / SSBRI in the OG is based on NM, a new state (e.g., "0000000", "0000") is used in the "RSRP in OG" field or the "differential RSRP in OG" field to indicate that the corresponding beam in the OG overlaps with the beam in the IG. At the same time, the terminal device may determine the bit width for RSRP in the IG based on the absolute RSRP and the differential RSRP.

[0084] In some embodiments, the beam report may include two parts (i.e., CSI Part 1 and CSI Part 2). Part 1 may include beam information in the IG and a third indicator. Similar to the first indicator, the third indicator is used to indicate whether a beam in the OG overlaps with a beam in the IG. Part 2 may include beam information in the OG.

[0085] Specifically, Part 1 has a fixed payload size (or bit width) and is used to identify the number of information bits in Part 2; thus, Part 1 will be transmitted as a whole before Part 2. In some embodiments, Part 1 may include M CRI / SSBRI and M RSRP in the IG. In this case, the terminal device 110 may determine the bit width for the CRI / SSBRI in the IG based on M, and may determine the bit width for the RSRP in the IG based on the absolute RSRP and the differential RSRP. Alternatively, Part 1 may include only M RSRP in the IG. In this case, the terminal device 110 may determine the bit width for the RSRP in the IG based on the absolute RSRP, or based on the absolute RSRP, the differential RSRP, and the second indicator. Part 1 may also further include a third indicator. The bit width for the first indicator may be 1 bit, where “1” indicates that a beam in the OG overlaps with a beam in the IG, and “0” indicates that a beam in the OG does not overlap with any beam in the IG.

[0086] If the third indicator indicates "1", that is, if overlap occurs, part 2 may not include any beam information (that is, the bit width for part 2 is equal to 0). Otherwise, part 2 may include one CRI / SSBRI in the OG. In this case, the terminal device 110 may determine the bit width for the CRI / SSBRI in the OG based on NM or N. Alternatively, part 2 may include one CRI / SSBRI in the OG and one RSRP in the OG. In this case, the terminal device 110 may determine the bit width for the CRI / SSBRI in the OG based on NM or N, and may determine the bit width for the RSRP in the OG based on the absolute RSRP.

[0087] For example, if part 1 includes M CRI / SSBRI and M RSRP in the IG and a third indicator, and part 2 includes 1 CRI / SSBRI and 1 RSRP in the OG, and no overlap occurs, the bit width and mapping order of the CSI field may be as shown in Tables 9-1 and 9-2, respectively. TIFF2025528734000017.tif165168

[0088] In some embodiments, Part 1 may include beam information in the OG and a third indicator, and Part 2 may include beam information in the IG. Specifically, Part 1 may include one CRI / SSBRI in the OG. In this case, the terminal device 110 may determine a bit width for the CRI / SSBRI in the OG based on N. Alternatively, Part 1 may include one CRI / SSBRI in the OG and one RSRP in the OG. In this case, the terminal device 110 may determine a bit width for the CRI / SSBRI in the OG based on N and may determine a bit width for the RSRP in the OG based on the absolute RSRP. Part 1 may also further include a third indicator.

[0089] If part 1 includes one CRI / SSBRI in the OG and the third indicator indicates "1", i.e., overlapping occurs, part 2 may include M-1 CRI / SSBRI in the IG and M RSRP in the IG. In this case, terminal device 110 may determine the bit width for the CRI / SSBRI in the IG based on M, and may determine the bit width for the RSRP in the IG based on the absolute RSRP and the differential RSRP. Otherwise, part 2 may include M CRI / SSBRI in the IG and M RSRP in the IG.

[0090] If part 1 includes one CRI / SSBRI in the OG and one RSRP in the OG, and the third indicator indicates "1," i.e., overlapping occurs, part 2 may include M-1 RSRPs in the IG. In this case, terminal device 110 may determine the bit width for the RSRP in the IG based on the differential RSRP. Otherwise, part 2 may include M CRI / SSBRIs in the IG and M RSRPs in the IG. In this case, terminal device 110 may determine the bit width for the CRI / SSBRI in the IG based on M, and may determine the bit width for the RSRP in the IG based on the absolute RSRP and the differential RSRP. Alternatively, part 2 may include only M RSRPs in the IG. In this case, terminal device 110 may determine the bit width for the RSRP in the IG based on the differential RSRP.

[0091] For example, if part 1 includes one CRI / SSBRI and one RSRP in the OG and a third indicator, and part 2 includes only M RSRPs in the IG, and no overlap occurs, the mapping order of the CSI fields may be as shown in Table 10-2. TIFF2025528734000018.tif64168

[0092] In some embodiments, part 1 may include a third indicator, and part 2 may include beam information in the IG and beam information in the OG. If the third indicator indicates "1," i.e., if an overlap occurs, part 2 may include information in the IG. Otherwise, part 2 may include beam information in the IG and beam information in the OG.

[0093] Specifically, if the third indicator indicates "1," part 2 may include M CRIs / SSBRIs in the IG and M RSRPs in the IG. In this case, the terminal device 110 may determine the bit width for the CRIs / SSBRIs in the IG based on M, and may determine the bit width for the RSRPs in the IG based on the absolute RSRPs and the differential RSRPs. Alternatively, part 2 may include only M RSRPs in the IG. In this case, the terminal device 110 may determine the bit width for the RSRPs in the IG based on the absolute RSRPs or based on the absolute RSRPs, the differential RSRPs, and the second indicator. Otherwise, part 2 may include M CRIs / SSBRIs in the IG, M RSRPs in the IG, and one CRI / SSBRI in the OG. The corresponding bit widths may refer to the bit widths described when the IG includes M CRIs / SSBRIs and M RSRPs, and the OG includes one CRI / SSBRI. Alternatively, Part 2 may include M RSRPs in the IG and one CRI / SSBRI in the OG. The corresponding bit width may refer to the bit width described when the IG includes M RSRPs and the OG includes one CRI / SSBRI. Alternatively, Part 2 may include M RSRPs in the IG, one CRI / SSBRI in the OG, and one RSRP in the OG. The corresponding bit width may refer to the bit width described when the IG includes M RSRPs and the OG includes one CRI / SSBRI and one RSRP.

[0094] For example, if overlap occurs and part 2 includes M CRI / SSBRI and M RSRP in the IG, the mapping order of the CSI fields may be as shown in Table 11-2. TIFF2025528734000019.tif82168

[0095] For example, if no overlap occurs and Part 2 includes M CRI / SSBRI in the IG, M RSRP in the IG, and 1 CRI / SSBRI in the OG, the mapping order of the CSI fields may be as shown in Table 12-2. TIFF2025528734000020.tif87168

[0096] In some embodiments, L may be greater than 1, in which case Part 1 may include beam information in the IG, a third indicator, and a fourth indicator. The fourth indicator is used to indicate how many beams in the OG overlap with the beams in the IG. Part 2 may include beam information in the OG.

[0097] Specifically, the beam information in the IG may include M CRI / SSBRI and M RSRP in the IG, or only M RSRP in the IG. Regarding the bit width for the fourth indicator, if M>L, the terminal device 110 may determine the bit width based on L. If M≦L, the terminal device 110 may determine the bit width based on M. In other words, the terminal device 110 may determine the bit width based on the minimum value of M and L. For example, assume that the bit width for the fourth indicator is 2 bits, where “00” indicates that there is one overlapping beam in the IG and OG, and “01” indicates that there are two overlapping beams in the IG and OG, etc.

[0098] When the third indicator indicates "0", i.e., when no duplication occurs, a plurality of zeros (e.g., M / L) may be padded in the "fourth indicator" field. In other words, the bits in the "fourth indicator" field are invalid for the network device and the terminal device. In this case, part 2 may include L CRI / SSBRI in the OG, or alternatively, part 2 may include L CRI / SSBRI and L CRI / SSBRI in the OG. Otherwise, i.e., when duplication occurs, part 2 (assuming there are X duplicate beams in the IG and OG), when X = min(L,M), it may not include any beam information, or when X < min(L,M), it may include L - X CRI / SSBRI in the OG (and optionally L - X CRI / SSBRI in the OG), which means that only the L - X non-duplicate beams in the OG need to be reported.

[0099] In some embodiments, part 1 may include beam information in the OG, the third indicator, and the fourth indicator. Part 2 may include beam information in the IG.

[0100] Specifically, the beam information in the OG may include L CRI / SSBRI and L RSRP in the OG. When the third indicator indicates "0", i.e., when no duplication occurs, part 2 may include M CRI / SSBRI in the IG and M RSRP in the IG, or M RSRP in the IG. Otherwise, i.e., when duplication occurs, part 2 (assuming there are X duplicate beams in the IG and OG), when X = min(L,M), it may not include any beam information, or when X < min(L,M), it may include M - X CRI / SSBRI and M - X CRI / SSBRI in the IG, which means that only the M - X non-duplicate beams in the IG need to be reported.

[0101] In some embodiments, Part 1 may include a third indicator and a fourth indicator. Part 2 may include beam information within IG and beam information within OG.

[0102] When the third indicator indicates "0", i.e., when no duplication occurs, Part 2 may include only the beam information within IG, such as M CRI / SSBRI and M RSRP within IG, or only M RSRP within IG, and may include the beam information within OG, such as L CRI / SSBRI within OG (and optionally L RSRP within OG). Otherwise, i.e., when duplication occurs, Part 2 (assuming there are X duplicate beams within IG and OG), When X = min(L,M) and M ≤ L, it may include only the beam information within OG, such as L CRI / SSBRI and L or M RSRP within OG, When X = min(L,M) and M > L, it may include only the beam information within IG, such as M CRI / SSBRI and M RSRP within IG, or only M RSRP within IG, or When X < min(L,M), it may include the beam information within IG, such as M - X CRI / SSBRI and M - X CRI / SSBRI within IG, or only M - X RSRP within IG, and the beam information within OG, such as L CRI / SSBRI and L or X RSRP within OG, and alternatively or additionally, it may include the beam information within IG, such as M CRI / SSBRI and M CRI / SSBRI within IG, or only M RSRP within IG, and the beam information within OG, such as L - X CRI / SSBRI (and optionally L - X RSRP within OG).

[0103] In some embodiments, the IG in the beam report may include N1 CRI / SSBRI and N1 L1-RSRP, and the OG in the beam report may include L CRI / SSBRI. The terminal device 110 may determine the bit width for the CRI / SSBRI in the IG based on N1, and may determine the bit width for the RSRP in the IG based on the absolute RSRP and the differential RSRP. The terminal device 110 may also determine the bit width for the CRI / SSBRI in the OG based on N2. Tables 13-1 and 13-2 show the bit width and mapping order of the CSI field for this case, respectively. TIFF2025528734000021.tif141168

[0104] In some embodiments, the IG in the beam report may include N1 L1-RSRPs, and the OG in the beam report may include L CRI / SSBRIs. The terminal device 110 may determine the bit width for the RSRP in the IG based on the absolute RSRP (as shown in Table 14-1) or based on the absolute RSRP, the differential RSRP, and the second indicator (as shown in Table 15-1). Furthermore, the RSRPs or differential RSRPs in the IG may be sorted according to the beam IDs of the M beams, for example, in ascending or descending order of the beam IDs. Tables 14-1 and 15-1 and corresponding mapping orders Tables 14-2 and 15-2 are as follows: TIFF2025528734000022.tif233168

[0105] In some embodiments, the IG in the beam report may include N1 CRI / SSBRI and N1 L1-RSRP, and the OG in the beam report may include L CRI / SSBRI and L L1-RSRP. The terminal device 110 may determine the bit width for the RSRP in the IG or OG based on the absolute RSRP and the differential RSRP. Tables 16-1 and 16-2 show the bit width and mapping order of the CSI field for this case, respectively. TIFF2025528734000023.tif189168

[0106] In some embodiments, the IG in the beam report may include N L1-RSRPs, and the OG in the beam report may include L CRIs / SSBRIs and L L1-RSRPs. The terminal device 110 may determine a bit width for the RSRP in the IG based on the absolute RSRP, or based on the absolute RSRP, the differential RSRP, and the second indicator. The terminal device 110 may determine a bit width for the RSRP in the OG based on the absolute RSRP and the differential RSRP. The RSRPs or differential RSRPs in the IG may also be sorted according to the beam IDs of the M beams, for example, in ascending or descending order of the beam IDs.

[0107] 6 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method 600 implemented in a terminal device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 600 can be implemented in the terminal device 110, as shown in FIG.

[0108] In block 610, terminal device 110 receives configuration information for a beam report from a network device (e.g., network device 120 as shown in FIG. 1). The configuration information includes a first set of RS resources corresponding to a first number of beams (e.g., number N as described above).

[0109] In block 620, the terminal device 110 generates a beam report including a first group and a second group based on the configuration information, where the first group includes beam information for a second number of beams (e.g., number M as described above), and the second group includes beam information for a third number of beams.

[0110] In some embodiments, the configuration information may further include a second set of RS resource IDs and a third value (e.g., a number L as described above). The second set of RS resource IDs may indicate a second number of beams from the first number of beams. The third value may also indicate a third number of beams from the first number of beams that have better beam quality than other beams from the first number of beams.

[0111] In some embodiments, the first group may include a second number of beam qualities (e.g., RSRP). Alternatively or additionally, the first group may include a second number of beam qualities and a second number of beam IDs (e.g., CRI / SSBRI). Alternatively or additionally, the first group may include a second number of beam qualities and one beam ID. In some embodiments, the second group may include a third number of beam IDs. Alternatively or additionally, the second group may include a third number of beam IDs and a third number of beam qualities.

[0112] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine a bit width for the beam IDs in the first group based on the second number of beams.

[0113] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine a bit width for the beam IDs in the second group based on the first number of beams. Alternatively or additionally, the terminal device 110 may determine a bit width for the beam IDs in the second group based on the first number of beams and the second number of beams.

[0114] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may report the second number of beam qualities in the first group based on absolute reporting based on absolute values ​​of the second number of beam qualities. Alternatively or additionally, the terminal device 110 may report the second number of beam qualities in the first group based on partial differential reporting based on the absolute value of the best beam quality in the first group and a differential value between the best beam quality in the first group and at least one beam quality other than the best beam quality in the first group. Alternatively or additionally, the terminal device 110 may report the second number of beam qualities in the first group based on full differential reporting based on differential values ​​between the best beam quality in the second group and each of the second number of beam qualities.

[0115] In some embodiments, following a determination that the first group does not include a beam ID, the terminal device 110 may sort the second number of beam qualities in the first group based on the order of the second number of beam IDs corresponding to the second number of beam qualities.

[0116] In some embodiments, following a determination that the first group includes one beam ID, the terminal device 110 may sort the second number of beam qualities based on the order of the beam IDs corresponding to the second number of beam qualities in the first group.

[0117] In some embodiments, the beam report may further include a third number of first indications, each of which may indicate whether a corresponding beam in the second group overlaps with a beam in the first group.

[0118] In some embodiments, following a determination that the first indication indicates that a corresponding beam in the second group overlaps with a beam in the first group, the terminal device 110 may pad a beam ID in the second group that indicates the overlapping beam with multiple zeros.

[0119] In some embodiments, following a determination that the beam quality in the second group indicates a predefined state, the terminal device 110 may determine that the corresponding beam in the second group overlaps with a beam in the first group.

[0120] In some embodiments, following a determination that the bit width for the beam ID in the second group is greater than or equal to the bit width for the beam quality in the second group, the terminal device 110 may indicate the best beam quality in the second group using multiple most significant bits (MSBs) or least significant bits (LSBs) of the beam ID.

[0121] In some embodiments, the beam report may include a first portion and a second portion, and the first portion may include a second indicator that indicates whether a corresponding beam indicated in the second group overlaps with a beam indicated in the first group.

[0122] In some embodiments, the first portion may further include the first group and the second portion may include the second group. Alternatively or additionally, the first portion may further include the second group and the second portion may include the first group.

[0123] In some embodiments, the second portion may include the first group if the second indicator indicates that corresponding beams indicated in the second group overlap with beams indicated in the first group. Alternatively or additionally, the second portion may include the first group and the second group if the second indicator indicates that corresponding beams indicated in the second group do not overlap with beams indicated in the first group.

[0124] In some embodiments, the first portion may further include a third indicator indicating the number of beams indicated in the second group that overlap with the beams indicated in the first group.

[0125] In some embodiments, the first portion may further include the first group and the second portion may include the second group. Alternatively or additionally, the first portion may further include the second group and the second portion may include the first group. Alternatively or additionally, the second portion may include the first group and the second group.

[0126] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine a bit width for the third indicator based on the minimum value of the third number and the second number, and further pad the fourth indicator with one or more zeros in accordance with determining that the second indicator indicates that the beam indicated in the second group does not overlap with the beam indicated in the first group.

[0127] In some embodiments, the configuration information may further include a second set of RS resources corresponding to a fourth number of beams and a third value, which may indicate a third number of beams among the first number of beams that have better beam quality than other beams among the first number of beams.

[0128] In some embodiments, the first group may include a fourth number of beam qualities. Alternatively or additionally, the first group may include a fourth number of beam qualities and a fourth number of beam IDs. Also, the second group may include a third number of beam IDs. Alternatively or additionally, the second group may include a third number of beam IDs and a third number of beam qualities.

[0129] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine a bit width for the beam ID in the first group based on the fourth number, and may also determine a bit width for the beam ID in the second group based on the first number.

[0130] In block 630, the terminal device 110 transmits the beam report to the network device.

[0131] 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example method 700 implemented in a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 700 can be implemented in the network device 120 as shown in FIG.

[0132] In block 710, terminal device 120 transmits configuration information for beam reporting to a terminal device (e.g., terminal device 110 as shown in FIG. 1 ). The configuration information includes a first set of RS resources corresponding to a first number of beams.

[0133] In block 720, the terminal device 120 receives a beam report from the terminal device, the beam report including a first group and a second group, the beam report being generated based on the configuration information, where the first group includes beam information for a second number of beams and the second group includes beam information for a third number of beams.

[0134] Figure 8 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 800 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Apparatus 800 may be considered another exemplary implementation of terminal device 110 and / or network device 120 as shown in Figure 1. Accordingly, apparatus 800 may be implemented in, or as at least a part of, terminal device 110 or network device 120.

[0135] As shown, the apparatus 800 comprises a processor 810, a memory 820 coupled to the processor 810, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 840 coupled to the processor 810, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 840. The memory 810 stores at least a portion of a program 830. The TX / RX 840 is used for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 840 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, although the access nodes referred to in this disclosure may actually have multiple antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface required for communication with other network elements, such as an X2 interface for bidirectional communication between eNBs, an S1 interface for communication between a Mobility Management Entity (MME) / Serving Gateway (S-GW) and an eNB, a Un interface for communication between an eNB and a relay node (RN), or a Uu interface for communication between an eNB and a terminal device.

[0136] The program 830 is assumed to include program instructions that, when executed by the associated processor 810, enable the device 800 to operate according to embodiments of the present disclosure, as described herein with reference to Figures 1-7. The embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 810 of the device 800, by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 810 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the combination of the processor 810 and the memory 820 may form a processing means 850 suitable for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0137] Memory 820 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, including, by way of non-limiting example, non-transitory computer-readable storage media, semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. While only one memory 820 is shown in device 800, there may be several physically distinct memory modules within device 800. Processor 810 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may include, by way of non-limiting example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 800 may have multiple processors, for example, application-specific integrated circuit chips time-slaved to a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0138] In summary, the embodiments of the present disclosure can provide the following solutions:

[0139] The communication method includes receiving, in a terminal device, configuration information for a beam report from a network device, the configuration information including a first set of reference signal (RS) resources corresponding to a first number of beams; generating a beam report based on the configuration information, the beam report including a first group including beam information for a second number of beams and a second group including beam information for a third number of beams; and transmitting the beam report to the network device.

[0140] In one embodiment, the configuration information further includes a second set of RS resource identities (IDs) and a third value, wherein the second set of RS resource IDs indicate the second number of beams from the first number of beams, and the third value indicates the third number of beams among the first number of beams that have better beam quality than other beams among the first number of beams.

[0141] In one embodiment, the first group includes one of a second number of beam qualities, the second number of beam qualities and a second number of beam IDs, or the second number of beam qualities and one beam ID, and the second group includes one of a third number of beam IDs, or the third number of beam IDs and a third number of beam qualities.

[0142] In one embodiment, the method further includes determining a bit width for beam IDs in the first group based on the second number of beams.

[0143] In one embodiment, the method further includes determining a bit width for beam IDs in the second group based on the first number of beams, or determining a bit width for beam IDs in the second group based on the first number of beams and the second number of beams.

[0144] In one embodiment, the method further includes reporting the second number of beam qualities in the first group based on one of: an absolute report based on absolute values ​​of the second number of beam qualities; a partial differential report based on the absolute value of a best beam quality in the first group and a differential value between the best beam quality in the first group and at least one beam quality other than the best beam quality in the first group; or a full differential report based on differential values ​​between the best beam quality in the second group and each of the second number of beam qualities.

[0145] In one embodiment, the method further includes, in accordance with a determination that the first group does not include a beam ID, sorting the second number of beam qualities in the first group based on an order of the second number of beam IDs corresponding to the second number of beam qualities.

[0146] In one embodiment, the method further includes, in accordance with a determination that the first group includes one beam ID, sorting the portion of the second number of beam qualities based on an order of beam IDs corresponding to the portion of the second number of beam qualities in the first group.

[0147] In one embodiment, the beam report further includes a third number of first indications, each of which indicates whether a corresponding beam in the second group overlaps with a beam in the first group.

[0148] In one embodiment, the method further includes padding a beam ID in the second group that indicates an overlapping beam with a plurality of zeros in accordance with a determination that the first indication indicates that the corresponding beam in the second group overlaps with the beam in the first group.

[0149] In one embodiment, the method further includes, in accordance with determining that the beam quality in the second group indicates a predefined state, determining that the corresponding beam in the second group overlaps with a beam in the first group.

[0150] In one embodiment, the method further includes indicating a best beam quality in the second group using multiple most significant bits (MSBs) or least significant bits (LSBs) of the beam ID in accordance with a determination that the bit width for the beam ID in the second group is greater than or equal to the bit width for the beam quality in the second group.

[0151] In one embodiment, the beam report includes a first portion and a second portion, the first portion including a second indicator indicating whether a corresponding beam indicated in the second group overlaps with a beam indicated in the first group.

[0152] In one embodiment, the first portion further comprises the first group and the second portion comprises the second group, or the first portion further comprises the second group and the second portion comprises the first group.

[0153] In one embodiment, if the second indicator indicates that the corresponding beam indicated in the second group overlaps with the beam indicated in the first group, the second portion includes the first group, or if the second indicator indicates that the beam indicated in the second group does not overlap with the beam indicated in the first group, the second portion includes the first group and the second group.

[0154] In one embodiment, the first portion further includes a third indicator indicating the number of beams indicated in the second group that overlap with beams indicated in the first group.

[0155] In one embodiment, the first portion further comprises the first group and the second portion comprises the second group, or the first portion further comprises the second group and the second portion comprises the first group, or the second portion comprises the first group and the second group.

[0156] In one embodiment, the method further includes determining a bit width for the third indicator based on the minimum of the third number and the second number, and padding a fourth indicator with one or more zeros in accordance with a determination that the second indicator indicates that the beam indicated in the second group does not overlap with the beam indicated in the first group.

[0157] In one embodiment, the configuration information further includes a second set of RS resources corresponding to a fourth number of beams and a third value, the third value indicating the third number of beams among the first number of beams having better beam quality than other beams among the first number of beams.

[0158] In one embodiment, the first group includes one of a fourth number of beam qualities, or the fourth number of beam qualities and a fourth number of beam IDs, and the second group includes one of a third number of beam IDs, or the third number of beam IDs and a third number of beam qualities.

[0159] In one embodiment, the method further includes determining a bit width for beam IDs in the first group based on the fourth number, and determining a bit width for beam IDs in the second group based on the first number.

[0160] The terminal device comprises a processor and a memory storing computer program code, the memory and the computer program code being configured to, together with the processor, cause the terminal device to perform the above-described method of communication.

[0161] The communication method includes, in a network device, transmitting configuration information for a beam report to a terminal device, the configuration information including a first set of reference signal (RS) resources corresponding to a first number of beams, and receiving from the terminal device the beam report generated based on the configuration information, the beam report including a first group including beam information for a second number of beams and a second group including beam information for a third number of beams.

[0162] The network device comprises a processor and a memory storing computer program code, the memory and the computer program code being configured, together with the processor, to cause the network device to perform the above-described method of communication.

[0163] A computer-readable medium stores instructions that, when executed by a processor of a device, cause the device to perform the above-described method of communication.

[0164] Overall, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software executable by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described using block diagrams, flowcharts, or other pictorial representations, it should be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented, by way of non-limiting example, in hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing device, or any combination thereof.

[0165] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in program modules, that execute within a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the processes or methods described above with reference to FIGS. 1-7. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules may be executed within local or distributed devices. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0166] Program code for carrying out the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, and when executed by the processor or controller, cause the program code to implement the functions / acts specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams. The program code may run entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a separate software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0167] The above-described program code may be embodied on a machine-readable medium, which may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program used by or associated with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the aforementioned media. More specific examples of a machine-readable storage medium may include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above.

[0168] Although operations have been described in a particular order, it should not be understood that performing these operations in the particular order or sequence shown, or performing all of the operations described, is required to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Some features that are described in the context of individual embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[0169] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the present disclosure, as defined in the appended claims, is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A method performed by a user device (UE), Receiving configuration information from the network, To transmit CSI report #n, which includes CRI or SSBRI#1, RSRP#1 and differential RSRP#M, to the aforementioned network, Equipped with, If M satisfies the first condition, the CSI report #n does not include CRI or SSBRI #2 to SSBRI #M. M is the number of measured reference signal resources that should be reported. method.

2. The method performed by the UE according to claim 1, wherein the first condition is that M is equal to the size of the resource set for channel measurement.

3. The differential RSRP#m (m=2, ..., M) corresponds to the (m-1)th SSB / CSI-RS resource other than the resource corresponding to CRI / SSBRI#1, and the method is performed by the UE according to claim 1.

4. The method performed by the UE according to claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes information indicating the number of measured reference signal resources to be reported.

5. A means of receiving configuration information from the network, The aforementioned network includes means for transmitting a CSI report #n including CRI or SSBRI#1, RSRP#1 and differential RSRP#M, Equipped with, If M satisfies the first condition, the CSI report #n does not include CRI or SSBRI #2 to SSBRI #M. M is the number of measured reference signal resources to be reported, in the user equipment (UE).

6. The user apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first condition is that M is equal to the size of the resource set for channel measurement.

7. The user device according to claim 5, wherein the differential RSRP#m (m=2, ..., M) corresponds to the (m-1)th SSB / CSI-RS resource other than the resource corresponding to CRI / SSBRI#1.

8. The user device according to claim 5, wherein the configuration information includes information indicating the number of measured reference signal resources to be reported.

9. A method that is performed over a network, To send configuration information to the user device (UE), The UE receives a CSI report #n including CRI or SSBRI#1, RSRP#1 and differential RSRP#M. Equipped with, If M satisfies the first condition, the CSI report #n does not include CRI or SSBRI #2 to SSBRI #M. M is the number of measured reference signal resources to be reported, by method.

10. The method performed by the network according to claim 9, wherein the first condition is that M is equal to the size of the resource set for channel measurement.

11. The method performed by the network according to claim 9, wherein the differential RSRP#m (m=2, ..., M) corresponds to the (m-1)th SSB / CSI-RS resource other than the resource corresponding to CRI / SSBRI#1.

12. The method performed by the network according to claim 9, wherein the configuration information includes information indicating the number of measured reference signal resources to be reported.

13. Means for transmitting configuration information to the user device (UE), Means for receiving a CSI report #n from the aforementioned UE, including CRI or SSBRI#1, RSRP#1 and differential RSRP#M, A network equipped with, If M satisfies the first condition, the CSI report #n does not include CRI or SSBRI #2 to SSBRI #M. M is the number of measured reference signal resources that should be reported. network.

14. The network according to claim 13, wherein the first condition is that M is equal to the size of the resource set for channel measurement.

15. The network according to claim 13, wherein the differential RSRP#m (m=2, ..., M) corresponds to the (m-1)th SSB / CSI-RS resource other than the resource corresponding to CRI / SSBRI#1.

16. The network according to claim 13, wherein the configuration information includes information indicating the number of measured reference signal resources to be reported.

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