Terminal device, network device and method

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method of communication, a terminal device, a network device, and a computer-readable medium. In the exemplary method, the terminal device may receive, from a network device, an indication of at least one update type for updating a first plurality of transmission configuration indication (TCI) states, the indication of the at least one update type being determined based on capability information of the terminal device, update the first plurality of TCI states based on the at least one update type to obtain a second plurality of TCI states, and communicate with the network device based on the second plurality of TCI states. Thus, when multiple TCI states are mapped to one TCI codepoint in a DCI, there is a flexible way to update one TCI state of a TRP.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of communication technologies, and more particularly to a method of communication, a terminal device, a network device, and a computer-readable medium. [Background technology]

[0002] Communications technology is constantly evolving to provide efficient and reliable solutions for utilizing wireless communication networks. Each new generation presents unique technical challenges to address the different situations and processes required to connect and serve devices connected to wireless networks. To address the growing demand for wireless data traffic since the introduction of fourth-generation (4G) communication systems, improved fifth-generation (5G) or pre-5G (pre-5G) communication systems are being developed. New communication systems can support various types of service applications for terminal devices.

[0003] In Rel-17, a unified TCI framework was introduced to replace the Rel-15 / 16 TCI state / spatial relationship framework for beam direction. Extending the unified TCI framework to support MTRP is within the scope of Rel-18. At the RAN1 109e meeting, the discussion was further extended to the Rel-18 MTRP method where STxMP is used (if STxMP is supported). Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Overall, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method of communication, a terminal device, a network device, and a computer-readable medium. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In a first aspect, a method of communication is provided, the method including: receiving, at a terminal device from a network device, an indication of at least one update type for updating a first plurality of transmission configuration indication (TCI) states, the indication of the at least one update type determined based on first capability information of the terminal device; updating the first plurality of TCI states based on the at least one update type to obtain a second plurality of TCI states; and communicating with the network device based on the second plurality of TCI states.

[0006] In a second aspect, a method of communication is provided, the method including receiving, at a terminal device, from a network device, an indication of a plurality of TCI states associated with Transmit / Receive Points (TRPs) having different Physical Cell Identifiers (PCIs), selecting a set of TRPs based on capability information of the terminal device, and receiving common information for a plurality of terminal devices from the set of TRPs.

[0007] In a third aspect, a method of communications is provided, the method including: transmitting, at a network device to a terminal device, at least one update type indication for updating a first plurality of transmission configuration indication (TCI) states to a second plurality of TCI states, the at least one update type indication determined by the network device based on first capability information of the terminal device; and communicating with the terminal device based on the second plurality of TCI states.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method of communication is provided, the method including: transmitting, at a network device to a terminal device, an indication of a plurality of TCI states associated with Transmit / Receive Points (TRPs) having different PCIs; determining a set of TRPs selected by the terminal device based on capability information of the terminal device; and transmitting the common information from the set of TRPs to the terminal device.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, there is provided a terminal device, the terminal device comprising a processor and a memory storing computer program code, the memory and the computer program code, together with the processor, being configured to cause the terminal device to perform a method according to the first or second aspect.

[0010] In a sixth 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 third or fourth aspect.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium storing instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause said at least one processor to perform a method according to any of the first to fourth aspects.

[0012] 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]

[0013] 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.

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communication system in which some embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0015] [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating communication between a terminal device and a network device, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0016] [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example format of a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0017] [Figure 4] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary format of a MAC CE in accordance with some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0018] [Figure 5] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary signaling format in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example interpretation of TCI states mapped to code points, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] [Figure 7] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary relationship between C_i and TCI status, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary relationship between C_i and TCI status in accordance with some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] [Figure 9] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of TCI state combinations mapped to TCI code points via MAC CE in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] [Figure 10] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary MAC CE format in accordance with some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a combination of TCI states mapped to TCI code points via a MAC CE according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] [Figure 12] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary MAC CE format in accordance with some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0026] [Figure 13] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary scenario for updating at least one of a plurality of beams, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of all possible combinations of TCI states mapped to TCI code points according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0028] [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating first / second / third / fourth information explicitly indicated via adding additional bits to the TCI field in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0029] [Figure 16] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating communication between a terminal device and multiple TRPs according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0030] [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating communication between a terminal device and multiple TRPs according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0031] [Figure 18] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating several MAC CE formats of TCI states mapped to TCI code points according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0032] [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating communication between a terminal device and a network device in accordance with some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0033] [Figure 20] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0034] In the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers represent the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] 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 assist those skilled in the art in understanding and practicing the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitations on the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways different from those described below.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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 the 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.

[0038] While the terms "first," "second," etc. 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] As used herein, the term "communications network" means a network conforming to any suitable communications 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, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network may be realized according to any suitable 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), 5.5G, 5G-Advanced network, or sixth generation (6G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols now known or developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, there will naturally be future types of communication technologies and systems that can embody the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure should not be considered limited to only the aforementioned systems.

[0042] 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 Communication (URLLC) devices, Internet of Everything (IoE) devices, machine type communication (MTC) devices, in-vehicle devices for V2X communications where X stands for pedestrian, vehicle, or infrastructure / network, devices for Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB), spacecraft or aircraft in a Non-terrestrial network (NTN) including High Altitude Platforms (HAPs) including satellites and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), Virtual Reality (VR), and other technologies. This includes, but is not limited to, extended reality (XR) devices that include different types of reality, such as extended reality (XR), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are aircraft without a human pilot and are commonly referred to as drones, devices on high speed trains (HST), image capture devices such as digital cameras, sensors, gaming devices, music storage and playback devices, or internet appliances that enable wireless or wired internet access and browsing.The "terminal device" may further have "multicast / broadcast" capabilities to support public safety and mission-critical V2X applications, transparent IPv4 / IPv6 multicast distribution, IPTV, smart TV, wireless services, over-the-air 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.

[0043] The term "network device" as used herein means a device capable of providing or hosting a cell or coverage area capable of communicating with a terminal device. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, a satellite, an unmanned aerial systems (UAS) platform, a Node B (Node B or NB), an evolved Node B (eNode B or eNB), a next generation Node B (gNB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), an IAB node, a low-power node such as a femto node or a pico node, and a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS).

[0044] 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), Wideband 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 protocol. 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. 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) communication protocols, 5.5G, 5G-Advanced networks, or sixth generation (6G) networks.

[0045] A terminal device or a network device may have artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning capabilities, which generally involve models that can be learned from a large amount of data collected for a specific function and used to predict some information.

[0046] 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 one 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.

[0047] 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.

[0048] 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.

[0049] 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 with 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 memory, 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 it is not necessary for operation. As used herein, the term "circuitry" also includes implementations solely of a hardware circuit or processor or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware.

[0050] As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "said" include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term "comprises" and variations thereof should be understood as a non-exclusive term meaning "including, but not limited to." The term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on." The terms "one embodiment" and "embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment." The term "another embodiment" should be understood as "at least one other embodiment." Terms such as "first," "second," etc. may refer to different or the same object. The following may include other explicit and implicit definitions.

[0051] 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 preferable than other choices.

[0052] In this disclosure, some terms may refer to the same or similar physical meaning and may be used interchangeably. Some examples are given below: The terms "PDCCH / PDSCH transmission", "PDCCH / PDSCH reception", "PDCCH / PDSCH monitoring", and "PDCCH / PDSCH DMRS port assumption" may be used interchangeably. The terms "transmission capability information", "UE capability information", "capability related information", "capability value set", "panel information" and "panel related information" may be used interchangeably. The terms "precoder", "precoding", "precoding matrix", "beam", "spatial relationship information", "spatial relationship info", "precoding information", "precoding information and number of layers", "precoding matrix indicator (PMI)", "precoding matrix indicator", "transmit precoding matrix indication", "precoding matrix indication", "TCI state", "transmit configuration indicator", "quasi co-location (QCL)", "quasi co-location", "QCL parameters", "QCL assumption", "QCL relationship" and "spatial relationship" may be used interchangeably. The terms "TRP", "TCI state", "TCI", "control resource set (CORESET)", and "CORESET pool" may be used interchangeably. The terms "multiple TRPs", "multiple TCI states", "multiple CORESETs", "multiple control resource set pools", "multi-TRPs", "multiple TCI states", "multi-TCIs", "multiple CORESETs" and "multiple control resource set pools", "MTRPs" and "M-TCIs", "M-TPRs" may be used interchangeably. The terms "resource", "resource within a resource set", and "resource set" may be used interchangeably. The terms "group," "subset," and "set" may be used interchangeably. As used herein, the term "TRP" refers to an antenna array (having one or more antenna elements) available to a network device located at a particular geographic location. While some embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to a multi-TRP scenario (or a single-TRP scenario) as an example, these embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are intended to assist 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. It should be understood that the contents of the present disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways different from those described below. As used herein, the term "network" / "network device" refers to one or more network devices. Thus, the terms "network," "network device," and "one or more network devices" may be used interchangeably. "BWP ID / index" may be used interchangeably with "BWP / CC ID / index", "CC identity / index", "cell identity / index", "physical cell identity / index", "PCI", "physCellId" and "serving cell identity / index". "TCI State" may be used interchangeably with "TCI State ID", "RS ID", "QCL Info", and "Beam ID". "Codepoint" may be used interchangeably with "code value", "bitmap", "bit value", "field value", and "payload".

[0053] To more clearly introduce the technology of this disclosure, we first introduce the 3GPP specifications. According to the 3GPP specifications for TCI status indication, beam indication is used by the network (NW) to provide the UE with beam information about which beam to use for transmission / reception. How the appropriate beam is determined depends on the NW algorithm, information collected during beam measurement, and reports from the UE. For DL, it is determined based on the "TCI status," while for UL, it is determined based on the "spatial relationship." Rel-17 may introduce "UL TCI" or "joint TCI" used for both DL and UL. The current 3GPP specifications adopt the "QCL" concept. For example, "two antenna ports are 'QCLed' with respect to spatial Rx parameters" means that transmissions from these two antenna ports should share the same Rx beam from the UE's perspective. In essence, the use of the same beam as the CSI-RS by the PDSCH is described in the specifications as the "QCL relationship between the DM-RS port of the PDSCH and the CSI-RS port of the CSI-RS resource."

[0054] According to a high-level overview of the general procedure for DL ​​beam indication, in step 1, the radio resource control (RRC) configures a list of TCI states. In Rel-15 / 16, this list was configured per BWP and per CC, and in Rel-17, configuration per CC group was discussed. In step 2, the MAC CE activates a subset of the TCI states configured by the RRC, or the MAC CE indicates the TCI states configured by the RRC. "Activate" is the term used for PDSCH TCI states. The activation command is also used to map the TCI state ID to the codepoint of the TCI field in the downlink control information (DCI). "Activate" means that for the corresponding activated TCI state, the UE should tune its Rx parameters, including Rx beam, time / frequency synchronization, etc., to be ready to immediately receive using this TCI state when indicated in the next step. Alternative wording: The UE tracks these TCI states. Because the NW is transmitting the corresponding reference signal, the UE can "track" it. Here, "track" means more power and complexity than simply "measuring RSRP / SINR," and "indicate" is the term used for the PDCCH TCI state. In the next step (step 3), the TCI field in the DCI indicates the TCI state for the PDSCH from the activated subset of TCI states; if the TCI field is not present in the DCI, the PDSCH beam follows the PDCCH.

[0055] The relevant capacities mainly include maxNumberConfiguredTCIstatesPerCC, maxNumberActiveTCI-PerBWP, and timeDurationForQCL. The UE informs the NW of the maximum number of supported configured TCI states, active TCI states, and the time length required for adjusting Rx parameters (beams) and / or decoding DCI containing TCI state information, respectively.

[0056] The TCI state configuration may include the corresponding ID, QCL type, and corresponding reference signal. For TCI state activation / deactivation for a UE-specific PDSCH MAC CE, this MAC CE is used to activate a subset of TCI states for the UE and is also used to map the TCI state ID to the codepoint of the TCI field in the DCI. For TCI state indication for a UE-specific PDCCH MAC CE, this MAC CE is used to indicate a specific TCI state for the PDCCH per CORESET. The UE needs to acknowledge the correct reception of the PDSCH carrying this MAC CE. The indicated TCI state applies 3 ms after the ACK. As an example, the TCI state configuration may be transmitted from the base station to the UE via an RRC message.

[0057] If tci-PresentInDCI (RRC IE) is enabled, the DCI format (e.g., DCI format 1_1) used to schedule the dedicated PDSCH includes a 3-bit TCI field; otherwise, the PDSCH beam follows the PDCCH beam (scheduling CORESET). If the TCI field is included in the DCI, the indicated TCI state applies to the PDSCH if the time offset between the PDCCH and PDSCH is greater than a threshold based on the UE capability timeDurationForQCL. If the offset < threshold, the PDSCH beam is the default value defined in the specification, which is essentially the PDCCH beam (CORESET with the lowest ID). This can be referred to as the time offset delay_2, counted in symbols such as 7, 14, or 28.

[0058] A UE can only actively track a small number of TCI states (up to 8), but more TCI states (up to 64) can be configured. MAC CE activation is used to request the UE to track a subset of TCI states, and delay_1 is defined in RAN4. A TCI state is known if the following conditions are met: it is in the period from the last transmission of RS resources used for L1-RSRP measurement reporting for the target TCI state until the completion of an active TCI state switch, where the RS resources for L1-RSRP measurements are RSs in the target TCI state or RSs QCL'd to the target TCI state; the TCI state switch command was received within 1280 ms from the last transmission of RS resources for beam reporting or measurements; the UE sent at least one L1-RSRP report for the target TCI state before the TCI state switch command; the TCI state remains detectable during the TCI state switch period; the SSB associated with the TCI state remains detectable during the TCI switch period; the SNR of the TCI state is ≥ -3 dB.

[0059] TCI state switching requires a smaller time delay_2, which is related to the UE capabilities and is typically 1-2 slots. The NW updates the TCI decision and signals to the UE.

[0060] According to the beam indication introduced in Rel-15 / 16, for a target channel / signal, the UE should assume the same transmit / receive beam for the reference signal. Therefore, information including the reference signal index is the beam indication. More specifically, for DL ​​TCI indication, different TCI indication schemes may be used for different channels / signals, and for PDCCH, this may be in the form of RRC(configuration)+MAC CE(indication). For PDSCH, this may be in the form of RRC(configuration)+MAC CE(activation)+DCI RRC(configuration)+MAC CE(indication). For UL spatial relationship indication, different spatial relationship indication schemes may be used for different channels / signals, and for PUCCH, this may be in the form of RRC(configuration)+MAC CE(indication). For PUSCH, DCI indicates SRI, and SRI refers to SRS resources, and for SRS resources, this may be in the form of RRC(configuration)+MAC CE(indication).

[0061] The aggregated TCI state provides a reference signal to determine the QCL relationship, Tx beam, Uplink-power control, and path loss reference RS. Alternatively, the two aggregated TCI state types are DLorJoint and UL. Or, the three aggregated TCI state types (for discussion) are Combined, DL, and UL.

[0062] Using the Rel-17 unified TCI framework, we specify an extension to the Rel-17 unified TCI framework for indication of multiple DL and UL TCI states, focusing on multi-TRP use cases. For the unified TCI framework extension, we consider all intra-cell and inter-cell MTRP methods specified in Rel-16 and Rel-17, and also consider the Rel-18 MTRP method with STxMP if STxMP is supported. At least for the unified TCI framework extension for MTRP based on a single DCI, the existing TCI fields in DCI format 1_1 / 1_2 (with or without DL allocation) can indicate multiple combined / DL / UL TCI states for CCs / BWPs in a CC list or a set of CCs / BWPs. There are several issues for further study (FFS), including the details of mapping Combined / DL / UL TCI State IDs to TCI codepoints (e.g., the possible combinations of Combined, DL, and / or UL TCI State IDs that can be mapped to TCI codepoints), whether to increase the maximum number of MAC CE activation TCI codepoints (i.e., more than 8 codepoints), and whether to increase the maximum number of TCI field bits (i.e., more than 3 bits). Note that this does not imply that support for one additional TCI field or a field associating a TCI field with TRP is ruled out; the term TRP is used only for the purposes of discussion in RAN1, and whether / how this is incorporated is FFS.

[0063] For the unified TCI framework extension for MTRP based on M-DCI, consider the following alternatives for TCI state update (Alternative 1 to Alternative 4): Alternative 1: Reuse the same TCI state update scheme as for MTRP based on S-DCI. Alternative 2: Use an existing TCI field in DCI format 1_1 / 1_2 (with or without DL allocation) associated with one of the CORESETPoolIndex values ​​to indicate the combined / DL / UL TCI state corresponding to the same CORESETPoolIndex value. Alternative 3: Use an existing TCI field in any DCI format 1_1 / 1_2 (with or without DL allocation) to indicate all combined / DL / UL TCI states corresponding to both CORESETPoolIndex values. The association between the indicated combined / DL / UL TCI state and the CORESETPoolIndex value may be studied. Alternative 4: Use an existing TCI field in DCI format 1_1 / 1_2 (with or without DL allocation) associated with one of the CORESETPoolIndex values ​​to indicate the Combined / DL / UL TCI state corresponding to the same or different CORESETPoolIndex values. It may also be studied that the DCI indicates whether the indicated Combined / DL / UL TCI state applies to channels / signals associated with the same or different CORESETPoolIndex values.

[0064] For the unified TCI framework extension for MTRP based on S-DCI, at least the following alternatives (Alternative 1 to Alternative 5) are considered for mapping / associating the bonded / DL TCI state to PDCCH reception: Alternative 1: Using RRC configuration to signal the mapping / association between the configured or indicated bonded / DL TCI state and the CORESET or CORESET group; Alternative 2: Using RRC configuration to signal the mapping / association between the configured or indicated bonded / DL TCI state and the search space set; Alternative 3: Using MAC CE to signal the mapping / association between the activated or indicated bonded / DL TCI state and the CORESET or CORESET group; Alternative 4: Using DCI to signal the mapping / association between the indicated bonded / DL TCI state and the CORESET or CORESET group; Alternative 5: Based on fixed mapping / association rules, e.g., the first indicated bonded / DL TCI state is always applied to PDCCH reception. Consider the above alternatives for potential support of PDCCH repetition, PDCCH-SFN, PDCCH without repetition / SFN, and dynamic switching between S-TRP and M-TRP for PDCCH. It is not excluded to adopt a single alternative or multiple alternatives to support these cases.

[0065] In the discussions at the current 3GPP meeting, several proposals have been mentioned, which are described in detail below. This discussion is about the unified TCI framework extension, and mainly considers at least all MTRP schemes specified in Rel-16 and Rel-17, i.e., the Rel-16 M-DCI based MTRP scheme for PDSCH and PUSCH, the Rel-16 S-DCI based PDSCH SDM scheme, the Rel-16 S-DCI based PDSCH FDM and TDM schemes, the Rel-17 S-DCI based PUSCH TDM scheme, the Rel-17 S-DCI based PDCCH repetition scheme, the Rel-17 S-DCI based PUCCH TDM scheme, the Rel-17 PDCCH-SFN and PDSCH-SFN, the Rel-17 inter-cell MTRP based on the M-DCI based MTRP scheme for PDSCH, and the Rel-18 MTRP scheme with STxMP if STxMP is supported.

[0066] The discussion is on the unified TCI framework extension, which supports up to four indicated TCI states in CC / BWP for MTRP operation. The indicated TCI state is updated by MAC-CE or DCI with required MAC-CE based TCI state activation. For DL ​​and / or UL MTRP operation in CC / BWP, the UE may be configured / provided with one of two combinations of indicated TCI states: one indicated combined TCI state + one indicated combined TCI state; one pair of indicated DL and UL TCI states + one pair of indicated DL and UL TCI states; one pair of indicated DL and UL TCI states + one indicated DL TCI state; and one pair of indicated DL and UL TCI states + one indicated UL TCI state. For further study, the set of indicated states may be one indicated combined TCI state + one pair of indicated DL TCI state and UL TCI state, or one indicated combined TCI state + one indicated DL TCI state, or one indicated combined TCI state + one indicated UL TCI state. Furthermore, how to set / determine one of the above combinations for CC / BWP, details of updating and activating the indicated TCI state for MTRP based on S-DCI, details of updating and activating the indicated TCI state for MTRP based on M-DCI, and how to map / apply one or more indicated TCI states to a target channel / signal are for further study.

[0067] This discussion concerns a unified TCI framework extension for MTRP based on S-DCI, and considers at least the following alternatives (Alternative 1 to Alternative 5) for selecting one or two of the two indicated combined / DL TCI states for PDSCH reception when two combined / DL TCI states are indicated: Alternative 1: Introducing a field (other than the existing TCI field) in the scheduling / activation DCI to indicate the selection; Alternative 2: Using a TDRA in the scheduling / activation DCI to indicate the selection; Alternative 3: Using an existing TCI field to indicate the selection; Alternative 4: Using an RRC configuration and / or MAC CE indication to signal the mapping / association between the configured or indicated combined / DL TCI state and PDSCH reception; Alternative 5: Based on a fixed mapping / association rule, e.g., the first indicated combined / DL TCI state is always applied to PDSCH reception. It should be noted that other alternatives are not excluded. If two combined / DL TCI states are selected for corresponding PDSCH reception, the mapping between the two selected combined / DL TCI states, PDSCH Tx opportunities, and non-overlapping FDRA and CDM groups is studied, and reusing the Rel-16 mapping rules is not excluded.

[0068] This discussion concerns the unified TCI framework extension for M-DCI based MTRP and considers at least the following alternatives (Alternative 1 to Alternative 3) for mapping / associating the combined / DL TCI state to PDCCH reception on a CORESET that shares the indicated combined / DL TCI state: Alternative 1: For a CORESET that is configured / associated with one of the CORESETPoolIndex values, the UE should apply the indicated combined / DL TCI state corresponding to that CORESETPoolIndex value to PDCCH reception on the CORESET. Alternative 2: Use an RRC configuration other than CORESETPoolIndex to signal the mapping / association between the configured or indicated combined / DL TCI state and a CORESET or CORESET group. Alternative 3: Use an RRC configuration other than CORESETPoolIndex to signal the mapping / association between the configured or indicated combined / DL TCI state and a search space set.

[0069] This discussion is about the Unified TCI Framework Extension and investigates the following points regarding the TCI state list configured by the RRC: first, whether to introduce a TCI state list for each TRP, and second, whether to increase the maximum number of configured TCI states in the Combined / DL TCI state list and the UL TCI state list.

[0070] The following is an introduction to the activation / deactivation of MAC CE TCI states. The TCI codepoint to which a TCI state is mapped is determined by its ordinal position among all TCI codepoints with a set TCI state ID i,j field. That is, the first TCI codepoint with TCI state ID 0,1 and TCI state ID 0,2 should be mapped to codepoint value 0, the second TCI codepoint with TCI state ID 1,1 and TCI state ID 1,2 should be mapped to codepoint value 1, and so on. The TCI state ID i,2 can be selected based on the indication of the Ci field. The maximum number of activated TCI codepoints is 8, and the maximum number of TCI states mapped to a TCI codepoint is 2.

[0071] For the TCI field within the DCI, if the higher layer parameter tci-PresentInDCI is not enabled, the number of bits in the transmission configuration indication (TCI) is 0, otherwise it is 3 as defined in clause 5.1.5 of [TS 38.214]. If the "Bandwidth part indicator" field indicates a bandwidth part other than the active one and the higher layer parameter tci-PresentInDCI is not enabled for a CORESET used for a PDCCH carrying DCI format 1_1, the UE shall assume that tci-PresentInDCI is not enabled for all CORESETs within the indicated bandwidth part, otherwise the UE shall assume that tci-PresentInDCI is enabled for all CORESETs within the indicated bandwidth part.

[0072] As introduced above, the 3-bit TCI field is quite limited in signaling TCI state combinations for MTRPs. When multiple TCI states are mapped to one TCI codepoint in the DCI, there is no flexible way to update the TCI state for one of the TRPs. For example, if TCI state ID 2 and TCI state ID 10 are mapped to TCI codepoint 2, and the TCI codepoint is 2 (i.e., 3 bits 010), the activated TCI states are 2 and 10. The 3-bit TCI field can only indicate a very limited subset of TCI combinations. Considering DL or Joint TCI states, the maximum 8 TCI state combinations are already quite limited, and this problem becomes even more serious when UL TCI states are used. The lack of flexible update of TCI states mapped to one codepoint also needs to be addressed.

[0073] Furthermore, according to the Rel-17 discussion between RAN1 and RAN2, the UE does not need to monitor SI / paging / short messages from two cells with different PCIs. In Rel-17, only one combined TCI state is indicated, so it is associated with either the serving cell TRP or a TRP with a different PCI. In Rel-17, if the UE is receiving DL data from a TRP with a different PCI on a dedicated channel, the UE cannot simultaneously receive short messages (e.g., paging) and system information from the serving cell TRP. If more than one combined TCI state is indicated in Rel-18, it may be associated with both the serving cell TRP and a TRP with a different PCI simultaneously. If more than one combined TCI state is indicated, it is necessary to resolve how to receive short messages and system information.

[0074] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication solution, and more particularly, a solution for updating an integrated TCI state. In some embodiments, application scenarios include a multi-Transmit / Receive Point (MTRP), and additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, an application scenario includes a simultaneous transmission cross multi-panel (STxMP) for a multi-panel UE (MPUE). The principles and implementations of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0075] 1 illustrates an exemplary communication system 100 in which some embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The communication system 100, which is part of a communication network, includes a network device 120 and a terminal device 110.

[0076] Network device 120 may provide services to terminal device 110, and network device 120 and terminal device 110 may communicate data and control information with each other. In some embodiments, network device 120 and terminal device 110 may communicate using a direct link / channel.

[0077] 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 transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter) and terminal device 110 is the receiving (RX) device (or receiver). In the uplink, terminal device 110 is the transmitting TX device (or transmitter) and network device 120 is the RX device (or receiver).

[0078] It should be understood that the network device 120 may provide one or more serving cells. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may provide multiple cells. The network device 120 may support multiple TRPs and communicate with the terminal device 110 via multiple TRPs.

[0079] 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.

[0080] It should be understood that the number of devices and their connectivity and types shown in Figure 1 are provided for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitations. Communication system 100 may include any suitable number of devices suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0081] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating communication between terminal device 110 and network device 120, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2 , network device 120 may transmit at least one update type indication (205) for updating a first plurality of transmission configuration indication (TCI) states to a second plurality of TCI states (210), where the at least one update type indication may be determined by network device 120 based on capability information (first capability information) of terminal device 110. Accordingly, terminal device 110 may receive at least one update type indication from network device 120 (220). Terminal device 110 may update the first plurality of TCI states based on the at least one update type to obtain a second plurality of TCI states (230). Terminal device 110 and network device 120 may communicate based on the second plurality of TCI states (240).

[0082] Thus, the present disclosure can provide a flexible way to update one TCI state of a TRP when multiple TCI states are mapped to one TCI codepoint in a DCI.

[0083] In some embodiments, network device 120 may transmit to terminal device 110 an indication of at least one combination type for terminal device 110 to determine the first plurality of TCI states, and the indication of the at least one combination type may be determined by network device 120 based on capability information (second capability information) of terminal device 110. On the other side of the communication, at terminal device 110, terminal device 110 may receive from network device 120 an indication of the at least one combination type.

[0084] It should be noted that the at least one combination type indication can be used independently of the at least one update type indication, i.e., the network device 120 may send at least one combination type indication but not send at least one update type indication in one communication flow.

[0085] The following is a detailed description of the indication of at least one combination type. In some embodiments, the TCI state activation / deactivation signaling includes at least TCI state combination type information. For example, the TCI state combination type information may be a TCI state combination type indication to indicate a TCI state combination type corresponding to a TCI codepoint, the number of TCI states corresponding to a TCI codepoint, or possible TCI state combination types corresponding to a TCI codepoint, etc. As an example, the TCI state combination type may be indicated to the UE by the base station via a MAC CE.

[0086] Thus, embodiments of the present disclosure can provide a method for activating / deactivating multiple integrated TCI states that are mapped to one TCI code point.

[0087] In some embodiments, the RRC configures a list of joint DLorJointTCI states and a list of UL TCI states. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the RRC configures a list of joint TCI states, a list of DL TCI states, and a list of UL TCI states. Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the RRC configures a list per BWP / CC / band, or a list per group of BWP / CC / band. Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the RRC configures a list per TRP / CORESETPool / CORESET / search space set, or a list per group of TRP / CORESET / search space set.

[0088] In some embodiments, the MAC CE includes a TCI status combination type corresponding to the TCI codepoint based on the combination types that the UE can support or the UE capability report on whether the UE can support a certain combination type.

[0089] In some embodiments, the TCI state combination type may be one of one indicated combined TCI state, one pair of indicated DL TCI state and UL TCI state, one indicated DL TCI state, one indicated UL TCI state, one indicated combined TCI state + one indicated combined TCI state, one pair of indicated DL TCI state and UL TCI state + one pair of indicated DL TCI state and UL TCI state, one pair of indicated DL TCI state and UL TCI state + one indicated DL TCI state, one pair of indicated DL TCI state and UL TCI state + one indicated UL TCI state, one indicated combined TCI state + one pair of indicated DL TCI state and UL TCI state, one indicated combined TCI state + one indicated DL TCI state, one indicated combined TCI state + one pair of indicated DL TCI state and UL TCI state, one indicated combined TCI state + one indicated DL TCI state, one indicated combined TCI state + one indicated UL TCI state.

[0090] In some embodiments, the MAC CE may alternatively include the number of TCI states mapped to each TCI codepoint, with possible values ​​at least {1, 2, 3, 4}.

[0091] In some embodiments, in addition to the number of TCI states mapped to each TCI codepoint, the order of the mapped TCI state types is indicated, for example, a TCI codepoint may have three TCI states, one of which is a combined TCI state, one of which is a DL TCI state, and one of which is a UL TCI state, in the order DL, DL, and UL, or in the order combined, DL, UL.

[0092] In some embodiments, the MAC CE may further include at least one of the following information: TCI State [Set] Type: Combined TCI State or a pair of DL / UL TCI States, TCI State ID: DL or Combined TCI State ID or UL TCI State ID, Serving Cell ID for which the TCI State is set, DL / UL BWP ID for which the TCI State is set, Serving Cell ID for which the TCI State is applied, DL / UL BWP ID for which the TCI State is applied.

[0093] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 can determine the first plurality of TCI states based on a set of fields of at least one combination type indication. In some embodiments, the set of fields of the at least one combination type indication may include a field indicating the number of TCI states for a TCI codepoint. For example, field C_i is used to indicate the number of TCI states (or TCI state pairs) for the i-th codepoint.

[0094] In some embodiments, the set of fields of the at least one combination type indication may include a field indicating the type of each TCI state for the TCI codepoint, for example, field P_i is used to indicate whether the first / second TCI state (TCI state pair) of the ith codepoint is a combined TCI state or a pair of DL and UL TCI states.

[0095] In some embodiments, the set of fields of the at least one combination type indication may further include a field indicating whether the TCI state within an octet is a downlink TCI state or an uplink TCI state, for example, a field D / U is used to indicate whether the TCI state within the same octet is a DL TCI state (or DLorJoint TCI state) or an UL TCI state.

[0096] In some embodiments, the set of fields of the at least one combination type indication may further include a field indicating the number of TCI codepoints used, e.g., field "S" may be used to indicate that the first N C_i are used (i.e., cannot be ignored).

[0097] In some embodiments, the format of the MAC CE (referred to as Format 1) includes a set of fields for indicating at least one of the above combined types. Format 1 is described in detail below.

[0098] In some embodiments, the TCI status combination type information may indicate a TCI status combination type corresponding to a TCI codepoint. In a possible format of MAC CE (referred to as format 1), C_i, P_i, or C_i and P_i are used to indicate a TCI status combination type corresponding to a TCI codepoint.

[0099] In some embodiments, C_i indicates the number of TCI states (or TCI state pairs) for the i-th TCI codepoint, e.g., whether one combined TCI state (or one pair of DL TCI state and UL TCI state) or two combined TCI states (or two pairs of DL TCI state and UL TCI state) are mapped to the i-th TCI codepoint. C_i=0 indicates that the i-th codepoint indicates one TCI state (or one TCI state pair) and P_(i,1) can be ignored. C_i=1 indicates that the i-th codepoint indicates two TCI states (or two TCI state pairs) and P_(i,1) cannot be ignored.

[0100] In some embodiments, C_i may alternatively be two bits, e.g., C_i,0 and C_i,1, where C_i,0 represents the number of TCI states for the first TRP, or whether P_(i,0) can be ignored, and C_i,1 represents the number of TCI states for the second TRP, or whether P_(i,1) can be ignored.

[0101] In some embodiments, P_i (i.e., P i ) indicates whether the first / second TCI state (TCI state pair) of the i-th code point is a combined TCI state or a pair of DL TCI state and UL TCI state. P_(i,0) indicates whether the first indicated TCI state (or TCI state pair) is a combined TCI state or a pair of DL TCI state and UL TCI state. In particular, P_(i,0)=0 indicates that both DL TCI state and UL TCI state are indicated, and two TCI state IDs include TCI state ID(i,0,a) and TCI state ID(i,0,b). P_(i,0)=1 indicates that either DL TCI state or UL TCI state is indicated, and one TCI state ID includes TCI state ID(i,0,a). Meanwhile, there is no oct that includes TCI state ID(i,0,b). P_(i,1) indicates whether the second indicated TCI state (or TCI state pair) is a combined TCI state or a pair of DL and UL TCI states. In particular, P_(i,1)=0 indicates that both DL and UL TCI states are indicated, and two TCI state IDs include TCI state ID (i,1,a) and TCI state ID (i,1,b). P_(i,1)=1 indicates that either DL or UL TCI state is indicated, and one TCI state ID includes TCI state ID (i,1,a). Meanwhile, there is no oct that includes TCI state (i,1,b).

[0102] In some embodiments, D / U indicates whether the TCI state is a DL TCI state (or DLorJoint TCI state) or a UL TCI state within the same octet. In the case of D, the TCI state ID refers to a DL TCI state or a DLorJoint TCI state, which is 7 bits long. In the case of U, the TCI state ID refers to a UL TCI state, which is 6 bits long and the most significant bit (MSB) is considered reserved.

[0103] Note that if a per-TRP TCI state pool / list is configured, the TCI state ID may be indexed per TRP and may be smaller than 6 or 7 bits.

[0104] In some embodiments, an "S" field, also M (ie, 3) bits long, indicates that the first N C_i are used (ie, cannot be ignored).

[0105] An exemplary format of a MAC CE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 3, and as shown in FIG. 3, the format includes an "S" field.

[0106] In some other embodiments, if C_i is 2 bits, the number of "S" fields can be extended to 2. For example, "S1" is for the first N1 C_i,0, and "S2" is for the first N2 C_i,1.

[0107] An exemplary format of a MAC CE according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 4, and as shown in FIG. 4, this format includes "S1" and "S2" fields.

[0108] Note that Format 1 is used to map multiple TCI states (TCI state pairs) to one TCI code point, and is most useful in the S-DCI MTRP mode, where one DCI is used to indicate the TCI state for multiple TRPs. This is most practical when multiple TRPs share an ideal backhaul. However, Format 1 may also be used in the M-DCI MTRP mode.

[0109] In some embodiments, possible format 1 is used to indicate the following: a first TCI code point: one combined TCI state, a second TCI code point: two combined TCI states, a third TCI code point: one pair of DL and UL TCI states, a fourth TCI code point: two pairs of DL and UL TCI states, a fifth TCI code point: one combined TCI state and one pair of DL and UL TCI states, and a sixth TCI code point: one combined TCI state. An exemplary signaling format according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown in Figure 5, and based on the signaling shown in Figure 5, a schematic diagram of an exemplary interpretation of TCI states mapped to code points can be obtained as shown in Figure 6.

[0110] Note that the above example assumes that a 3-bit TCI field is used in the DCI. The same method can be easily applied when the TCI field is more or less than 3 bits. Furthermore, the TCI field may be configured with a 3-bit code point as the MSB / Least Significant Bit (LSB) and other additional bits. Referring to Figures 5 and 6, in the above example, "S" = 110 indicates that the first 6 C_i (C_0 to C_5) are useful.

[0111] In some embodiments, the TCI state combination type information may indicate the number of TCI states corresponding to the TCI codepoint. For example, the TCI state combination type information may indicate the number of TCI states corresponding to the TCI codepoint using a field (C_i). In some embodiments, in a possible format of MAC CE (referred to as format 2), C_i is used to indicate the number of TCI states corresponding to the TCI codepoint. For example, C_i indicates the number of TCI states. Specifically, C_i=0 means that the i-th codepoint indicates one TCI state, C_i=1 means that the i-th codepoint indicates two TCI states, C_i=2 means that the i-th codepoint indicates three TCI states, and C_i=3 means that the i-th codepoint indicates four TCI states. For example, C_1=2 and C_2=1. Note that C_i is a number that indicates the number of TCI states corresponding to the TCI codepoint. i It may also be written as:

[0112] In some embodiments, if the three TCI states associated with C_1 are D / D / U, the first D is for TRP1 as a combined TCI state, and the following D / U is for TRP2 as an individual DL / UL TCI state. If the three TCI states associated with C_1 are D / U / D, the first D / U is for TRP1 as an individual DL / UL TCI state, and the following D is for TRP2 as a combined TCI state. If the three TCI states associated with C_1 are D / U / U, the first D / U is for TRP1 as an individual DL / UL TCI state, and the following D is for TRP2 as an UL TCI state. In another example, if four TCI states are associated with C_i, the order may be D / U / D / U by default. An exemplary relationship between C_i and the TCI states is shown in FIG. 7.

[0113] In some embodiments, the field indicating the number of TCI states for a TCI codepoint may indicate the number of TCI states for each Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) of multiple TRPs. For example, in some alternative embodiments, C_i may have additional bits, such as 0 and 1. Specifically, C_i,0 represents the number of TCI states for a first TRP. C_i,1 represents the number of TCI states for a second TRP.

[0114] Note that Format 2 is used to map multiple TCI states (TCI state pairs) to one TCI code point, and is most useful in the S-DCI MTRP mode, where one DCI is used to indicate the TCI states for multiple TRPs. This is most practical when multiple TRPs share an ideal backhaul. However, the format may also be used in the M-DCI MTRP mode.

[0115] In some embodiments, the set of fields of the at least one combination type indication includes fields indicating multiple available combination types of the TCI state corresponding to the TCI codepoint. For example, in some embodiments, the TCI state combination type information may indicate possible TCI state combination types corresponding to the TCI codepoint. In a possible format of MAC CE (referred to as format 3), the TCI state combination type information may indicate all possible TCI state combination types corresponding to the TCI codepoint.

[0116] An exemplary relationship between C_i and TCI states is shown in Figure 8. In some embodiments, C_i indicates a possible TCI state combination type, for example, C_i=0 means that the i-th code point may be used for all types of TCI state combinations, see Figure 8; if C_1=0, there are up to six possible TCI states (TCI state ID 0,0,Combined, TCI state ID 0,0,DL, TCI state ID 0,0,UL, TCI state ID 0,1,Combined, TCI state ID 0,1,DL, TCI state ID 0,1,UL) mapped to one TCI code point, i.e., there are six TCI states corresponding to C1 in Figure 8. In some embodiments, C_i=1 means that the ith code point may be used to indicate one type of TCI state combination, e.g., 1 combination + 1 combination. See FIG. 8. When C_2=1, there are up to two possible TCI states mapped to one TCI code point. That is, in FIG. 8, two TCI states (TCI state ID 1,0 combination + TCI state ID 1,1 combination) correspond to C2. In some embodiments, there are other possible types, e.g., two of the TCI state combination types, three of the TCI state combination types, etc. Note that Format 3 is used to map multiple TCI states (TCI state pairs) to one TCI code point and is most useful in the S-DCI MTRP mode, where one DCI is used to indicate the TCI states for multiple TRPs. This is most practical when multiple TRPs share an ideal backhaul. However, Format 3 may also be used in the M-DCI MTRP mode. In some embodiments, all possible TCI state combinations that are mapped to TCI code points may be signaled, for example, via the MAC CE. An example of TCI state combinations that are mapped to TCI code points via the MAC CE is shown in Figure 9.

[0117] In some embodiments, the set of fields of at least one combination type indication may include a field indicating whether each TCI code point has multiple TCI states or one TCI state, a field indicating whether the TCI state ID in the same octet is for a certain type of TCI state, a field indicating the identity of a Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) or Control Resource Set (CORESET) pool, and a field indicating the identity of the TCI state.

[0118] For example, in a possible format of the MAC CE of some embodiments (referred to as format 4), the field P i indicates whether each TCI codepoint has multiple TCI states or a single TCI state. i If the field is set to 1, it indicates that the i-th TCI codepoint contains DL TCI status and UL TCI status. iWhen the field is set to 0, it indicates that the i-th TCI code point contains only DL TCI states or only UL TCI states. The field D / U indicates whether the TCI state ID (i.e., the identity of the TCI state) in this octet is for a combined / downlink or an uplink TCI state; when this field is set to 1, the TCI state ID in this octet is for a combined / downlink, and when this field is set to 0, the TCI state ID in this octet is for an uplink. The field TRP ID (i.e., the identity of the TRP) or CORESET Pool ID indicates that the mapping between the activated TCI state and the code point of the DCI Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) configured by the field Ti is specific to the TRP configured with the TRP ID or the ControlResourceSetId configured with the CORESET Pool ID. Setting this field to 1 indicates that this MAC CE should apply to DL transmissions scheduled by the first TRP or a CORESET with a CORESET Pool ID equal to 1; otherwise, it indicates that this MAC CE should apply to DL transmissions scheduled by the second TRP or a CORESET with a CORESET Pool ID equal to 0. If coresetPoolIndex is not set for any CORESET, the MAC entity should ignore the CORESET Pool ID field in the MAC CE when receiving this MAC CE. If the serving cell in the MAC CE is configured in a cell list containing more than one serving cell, the CORESET Pool ID field should be ignored when receiving a MAC CE. The TCI State ID may be further indexed per TRP ID. An exemplary MAC CE format is shown in Figure 10.

[0119] Note that Format 4 is used to map multiple TCI states to one TCI codepoint for one TRP, and is most useful in the M-DCI MTRP mode, where two DCIs are used to indicate the TCI state for each TRP. Two MAC CEs are required. It may also be used in the S-DCI MTRP mode. Each of the two MAC CEs indicates the TCI state for a specific TCI codepoint, and the TCI fields in the DCI refer to two different TCI states, each indicated separately. An example of a combination of TCI states mapped to TCI codepoints via MAC CEs is shown in Figure 11, where the TCI state is mapped to a TCI codepoint via two MAC CEs.

[0120] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine multiple available media access control element (MAC CE) formats, including combinations of at least two TCI states, based on the indication of at least one combination type. For example, in some embodiments, there are multiple possible MAC CE formats based on the setting / indication of the TCI state combination type. Exemplary MAC CE formats are shown in FIG. 12. As an example, possible format 5-1 may be 1 combination + 1 combination. Possible format 5-2 may be 1 pair + 1 pair. Possible format 5-3 may be 1 combination + 1 pair. Possible format 5-4 may be 1 pair + 1 combination (not shown). In the above possible formats, "combined" refers to one type of integrated TCI state, and "pair" refers to the UL TCI state and the DL TCI state.

[0121] In some embodiments, one bit or field may also be reserved within the MAC CE to indicate the possible format that may have been applied.

[0122] In some embodiments, the TCI state combination type mapped to a TCI codepoint is determined by default without explicit configuration / instruction.

[0123] The following is a detailed description of the indication of at least one update type. Terminal device 110 may update the first plurality of TCI states based on the at least one update type to obtain the second plurality of TCI states. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may update at least one of the first plurality of TCI states based on first information of the indication of the at least one update type, the first information indicating a TCI state corresponding to an indicated TCI codepoint in Downlink Control Information (DCI) to perform the update.

[0124] Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may update a TCI state among the first plurality of TCI states for the same Transmit / Receive Point (TRP), different TRPs, or multiple TRPs based on second information of the at least one update type indication.

[0125] Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, terminal device 110 may update at least some of the TCI states of the first plurality of TCI states based on third information of the at least one update type indication.

[0126] Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may update one type of TCI state of the first plurality of TCI states based on fourth information of the indication of at least one update type.

[0127] Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may update TCI states of the first plurality of TCI states that are associated with the same physical cell identifier (PCI) or different PCIs based on the fifth information of the at least one update type indication.

[0128] In some embodiments, for example, the TCI status indication includes a TCI status update type, and the TCI status update type includes at least one of first information (update the first / second / all TCI states corresponding to the indicated TCI codepoints in the DCI), second information (update the TCI states for the same / different / all TRPs), third information (update all TCI states, update a portion of the TCI states), and fourth information (update a combined TCI state, update a DL TCI state, update a UL TCI state, or update a pair of a DL TCI state and a UL TCI state). The TCI status indication including the TCI status update type is an example of an indication of at least one update type. In this way, the terminal device 110 can update a portion of the TCI states as needed.

[0129] In some embodiments, for example, the TCI state update type may be indicated via one or more of the first information, second information, third information, and fourth information. The first information may be used to update a first TCI state corresponding to an indicated TCI codepoint in the DCI and a second TCI state corresponding to an indicated TCI codepoint in the DCI. Furthermore, the first information may be used to update all TCI states corresponding to an indicated TCI codepoint in the DCI. The second information may be used to update TCI states for the same TRP or for different TRPs, and further, the second information may be used to update TCI states for all TRPs. In other words, the second information may be used to update TCI states associated with the same CORESETPoolIndex or for different CORESETPoolIndexes. The third information may be used to update all TCI states or a portion of the TCI states. Note that in some embodiments, the third information may be merged with the first information or the second information. The fourth information can be used to update a combined TCI state, a DL TCI state, a UL TCI state, or a pair of a DL TCI state and a UL TCI state. In other words, the fourth information can be used to update a specific TCI state type of a specific TCI state combination type. The combined TCI state, the DL TCI state, the UL TCI state, or a pair of a DL TCI state and a UL TCI state are examples of TCI state types. In some embodiments, other information can also be included, such as information for updating TCI states associated with the same PCI, information for updating TCI states associated with different PCIs, etc. This information can be fifth information for indicating at least one update type.

[0130] Based on the method of the present disclosure, flexible updating of one of multiple beams can be realized in some scenarios. Exemplary scenarios for updating at least one of multiple beams are shown in FIG. 13 (including (i) and (ii)), where a solid line corresponds to using beams from two TRPs (TRP1 and TRP2) at Position 1, and a dashed line corresponds to using beams from two TRPs (TRP1 and TRP2) at Position 2. The solid or dashed lines indicate beam coverage, e.g., a solid or dashed circle indicates that the corresponding beam is narrow or wide. As shown in FIG. 13(i), there are two beams that need to be updated from Position 1 to Position 2. In other words, a beam needs to be updated for each TRP, e.g., two combined TCI states or two DL TCI states need to be updated. As shown in FIG. 13(ii), one beam needs to be updated from Position 1 to Position 2. As shown in a0, the beam is wide and does not need to be changed, in other words, update the beam for TRP1 and continue to use the same beam for TPR2, for example, update one combined TCI state and continue to use one combined TCI state, or update one DL TCI state and continue to use one DL TCI state.

[0131] Examples of all possible combinations of TCI states mapped to TCI code points are shown in Figure 14. In some embodiments, the TCI states mapped to TCI code points in all possible combinations can be signaled, for example, via MAC CE. Referring to Figure 14, the following are some examples showing that the same 3-bit TCI field can cause different TCI state update operations. In Example 1, the first information indicates that the first TCI state is to be updated, and the TCI field (3 bits) is 010. As a result, the first TCI state is updated to combined TCI state ID 2, and the second TCI state remains unchanged. In Example 2, the first information indicates that the second TCI state is to be updated, and the TCI field (3 bits) is 010. As a result, the second TCI state is updated to combined TCI state ID 10, and the first TCI state remains unchanged. In Example 3, the first / third information indicates that both TCI states are to be updated, and the TCI field (3 bits) is 010, resulting in updating the first TCI state to combined TCI state ID 2 and the second TCI state to combined TCI state ID 10. In Example 4, the third information indicates that part of the TCI state is to be updated, and the fourth information indicates that the UL TCI state is to be updated, and the TCI field (3 bits) is 010, resulting in updating the first TCI state to UL TCI state ID 2 and the second TCI state to UL TCI state ID 10.

[0132] In some embodiments, the first / second / third / fourth / fifth information can be explicitly indicated. Alternative 1 is via an RRC configuration or MAC CE indication, such as an MTRP mode indication or a TCI state update type indication. Alternative 2 is via adding an additional bit to the TCI field. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of the first / second / third / fourth information being explicitly indicated via adding an additional bit to the TCI field. As shown in FIG. 15, for example, the TCI field is (3+x) bits, where x is the bit for the first information and the 3 MSBs or LSBs are for mapping the TCI state. Alternative 3 is via adding an additional field. For example, the 3-bit TCI field is reserved and a 2-bit TCI state update type field is introduced. As an example, the TCI state update type indication may be transmitted from the base station to the UE via DCI.

[0133] In some embodiments, the first / second / third / fourth information can be indicated implicitly; alternative 1 is via reinterpretation of other DCI fields, for example, the "MTRP mode indication" field (if present) in the DCI. Alternative 2 is via setting special values ​​in other DCI fields. If the DCI has no DL allocation, other fields set to all "0" indicate updating the first TCI state. Other fields set to all "1" indicate updating all TCI states. In some other embodiments, if the DCI has no DL allocation, other fields set to all "0" indicate updating the TCI state for the same TRP, and other fields set to all "1" indicate updating the TCI state for all TRPs.

[0134] The TCI status update types that the UE can support may be determined based on a UE capability report. For example, the UE capability may be reported by the UE to the base station via a UE capability report.

[0135] In some embodiments, the TCI state update type is determined by default without explicit configuration or instruction, for example, the default TCI state update type is to update all TCI states mapped to the TCI codepoint.

[0136] 16 is a schematic diagram of communication between terminal devices 110 having multiple TRPs according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 16, two TRPs are used as an example, and the terminal devices 110 may be UEs. A first TRP (TRP1) may transmit a first DCI indicating a first TCI state to the UE, and a second TRP (TRP2) may transmit a second DCI indicating a second TCI state to the UE. The UE may receive a PDCCH / PDSCH from TRP1 via the first TCI state and may receive a PDCCH / PDSCH from TRP2 via the second TCI state. The UE may transmit a PUCCH / PUSCH to TRP1 via the first TCI state and transmit a PUCCH / PUSCH to TRP2 via the second TCI state.

[0137] 17 is a schematic diagram of communication between terminal devices 110 having multiple TRPs according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 17, two TRPs are used as an example, and the terminal devices 110 may be UEs. The first TRP (TRP1) may transmit a single DCI indicating a first TCI state and a second TCI state (if any) to the UE, and the second TRP (TRP2) may transmit a single DCI indicating the first TCI state and the second TCI state (if any) to the UE. The UE may receive a PDCCH / PDSCH from TRP1 via the first TCI state and may receive a PDCCH / PDSCH from TRP2 via the second TCI state. The UE may transmit a PUCCH / PUSCH to TRP1 via the first TCI state and a PUCCH / PUSCH to TRP2 via the second TCI state.

[0138] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may transmit capability information of terminal device 110 to network device 120, and network device 120 may therefore receive capability information of terminal device 110 from terminal device 110.

[0139] In some embodiments, the capability information of terminal device 110 is the second capability information and may be used by network device 120 to set the first plurality of TCI states. In other words, the capability information of terminal device 110 may be used by network device 120 to determine at least one combination type indication.

[0140] Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the capability information of terminal device 110 may be the first capability information and may be used by network device 120 to determine an indication of at least one update type.

[0141] In some embodiments, the capability information of terminal device 110 includes capability information regarding whether terminal device 110 supports a Simultaneous Transmission from Multiple Panels (STxMP) transmission mode.

[0142] Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the capability information of terminal device 110 includes capability information regarding whether terminal device 110 supports both joint TCI states and individual TCI states.

[0143] In some embodiments, multiple TCI states can be mapped to TCI code points depending on the UE capabilities and TA configuration. In some embodiments, at least one of the following constraints can be considered: UE capability regarding whether the UE can support STxMP transmission mode, UE capability regarding whether the UE can support both combined TCI state or individual DL / UL TCI state, and TA value.

[0144] In some embodiments, with respect to the UE capability regarding whether the UE can support the STxMP transmission mode, if the UE cannot support the STxMP transmission mode, the UE does not expect that TCI state combination types corresponding to TCI codepoints including more than two simultaneous UL TCI states are configured / activated. For example, the UE does not expect that the following TCI state combination types are configured / activated: one indicated combined TCI state + one indicated combined TCI state, one pair of indicated DL TCI state and UL TCI state + one pair of indicated DL TCI state and UL TCI state, one pair of indicated DL TCI state and UL TCI state + one indicated UL TCI state, one indicated combined TCI state + one pair of indicated DL TCI state and UL TCI state, and one indicated combined TCI state + one indicated UL TCI state.

[0145] In some embodiments, for a UE capability regarding whether the UE can support both a combined TCI state or separate DL / UL TCI states, if the UE cannot support multiple TCI state types, the UE does not expect a TCI state combination type corresponding to a TCI codepoint that includes more than one TCI state type to be configured / activated. For example, the UE does not expect TCI state combination types of one indicated combined TCI state + one pair of indicated DL TCI state and UL TCI state, one indicated combined TCI state + one indicated DL TCI state, and one indicated combined TCI state + one indicated UL TCI state to be configured / activated.

[0146] In some embodiments, when multiple TA values ​​are associated with an UL transmission, this may be achieved by one of the following: configuring multiple TAs within one TAG; configuring multiple TAGs (or TAG IDs) for a cell; configuring multiple n-TimingAdvanceOffset values ​​for a cell; or considering multiple DL reception reference timings.

[0147] In some embodiments, for UEs that do not support STxMP, the timing of transmissions to the two TRPs may require an additional gap. The UE does not expect TCI state combination types corresponding to TCI codepoints containing more than two simultaneous UL TCI states or two UL TCI states associated with UL transmissions within a particular gap to be configured / activated. For UEs that support STxMP, the timing of transmissions to the two TRPs may need to be aligned, and if the two TRPs are associated with different PCIs, the UE expects at least one of the TA values ​​to be the same for the two TRPs.

[0148] Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the capability information of the terminal device 110 includes information on the number of TCI state combinations that can be configured and activated per BWP / CC across each BWP / CC. In some embodiments, the capability information of the terminal device 110 includes information on the number of different PCIs that can be updated within one indicated TCI state combination. For a UE that supports updating only one different PCI, the PCI for the newly indicated TCI state combination is at least partially the same as the old TCI state combination. For example, the old TCI state combination is configured with TCI state ID 1 with PCI 1 and TCI state ID 2 with PCI 2, and the newly indicated TCI state combination is configured with TCI state ID 3 with PCI 1 and TCI state ID 4 with PCI 3, with at least PCI 1 being maintained. For a UE that supports updating two different PCIs, the PCI for the newly indicated TCI state combination is different from the old TCI state combination. For example, if the old TCI state combination consists of TCI state ID 1 with PCI 1 and TCI state ID 2 with PCI 2, and the newly indicated TCI state combination consists of TCI state ID 5 with PCI 3 and TCI state ID 4 with PCI 3, then both PCI 1 and PCI 2 are not maintained and are updated to PCI 3 and PCI 4.

[0149] In some embodiments, the method for mapping multiple TCI states to TCI code points may be a form of RRC signaling, i.e., a TCI state combination type used within the MAC CE. The MAC CE format may be determined based on the indicated mapping method. In this way, the complexity of TCI state activation / deactivation may be reduced.

[0150] In some embodiments, the RRC configures the available TCI state combination types, for example, one indicated combined TCI state + one indicated combined TCI state, one pair of indicated DL TCI state and UL TCI state + one pair of indicated DL TCI state and UL TCI state, or one indicated combined TCI state + one pair of indicated DL TCI state and UL TCI state.

[0151] MIMOParam-r18 ::= SEQUENCE {

[0152] …

[0153] unifiedTCI-State-Combination-Type-r18 ENUMERATED {separate, joint, both}

[0154] unifiedTCI-State-Combination-Type: indicates the unified TCI state combination type configured in the UE for this serving cell. The value "separate" means that this serving cell is configured with dl-orJoint-TCI-ToAddModList for the DL TCI state and ul-TCI-ToAddModList for the UL TCI state, and the combination is 1 individual + 1 individual (or 1 pair + 1 pair). The value "joint" means that this serving cell is configured with dl-orJoint-TCI-ToAddModList for the combined TCI state for UL and DL operation, and the TCI state combination type is 1 combined + 1 combined. The value "both" means that the combination type is 1 combined + 1 individual (or 1 combined + 1 pair).

[0155] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of several MAC CE formats of TCI states mapped to TCI code points. As shown in Figure 18, the UE assumes the MAC CE format accordingly based on the following examples:

[0156] For TCI state mapping to TCI codepoints, if the TCI state combination type is one indicated combined TCI state + one indicated combined TCI state, there are two TCI states mapped to the codepoint and two octs are used in the MAC CE (as shown in Figure 18(i)). If the TCI state combination type is one pair of indicated DL TCI state and UL TCI state + one pair of indicated DL TCI state and UL TCI state, there are four TCI states mapped to the codepoint and four octs are used in the MAC CE (as shown in Figure 18(ii)). If the TCI state combination type is one indicated combined TCI state + one pair of indicated DL TCI state and UL TCI state, there are three TCI states mapped to the codepoint and three octs are used in the MAC CE (as shown in Figure 18(iii)).

[0157] In some embodiments, the fields C_i and P_i introduced above may alternatively be used in a MAC CE format.

[0158] In some embodiments, when a single TCI state combination is provided to the UE, or when the UE receives a MAC CE activation command for a TCI state combination, the UE assumes that the DM-RS antenna port associated with the PDCCH / PDSCH is quasi-co-located with one or more RSs configured by that TCI state, and further assumes that the PUCCH / PUSCH Tx beam and power control parameters are associated with one or more RSs configured by the TCI state.

[0159] In some embodiments, a default UE behavior can be defined when the UE is provided with configuration for more than one TCI state combination but has not received a MAC CE activation command for one of the TCI state combinations. For example, the UE assumes that the DM-RS antenna port associated with PDCCH / PDSCH reception is quasi-co-located with the set of SS / PBCH blocks or CSI-RS resources that the UE identified in the initial access procedure during the random access procedure initiated by reconfiguration with synchronization procedure or for the most recently configured granted PUSCH transmission for the same HARQ process. Furthermore, the UE assumes that the PUCCH / PUSCH Tx beam and power control parameters are associated with the set of SS / PBCH blocks or CSI-RS resources.

[0160] In some embodiments, for a TCI state combination type set to "1 combined TCI state + 1 combined TCI state," if the UE is provided with two combined TCI states (e.g., via RRC) or if the UE receives a MAC CE activation command for two combined TCI states, the UE assumes that the DM-RS antenna port associated with the PDCCH / PDSCH is quasi-co-located with the two DL RSs configured by the TCI states. Furthermore, the UE assumes that the PUCCH / PUSCH Tx beam and power control parameters are associated with the two indicated combined TCI states. If more than two combined TCI states are provided but the UE has not received MAC CE activation for two combined TCI states, default UE behavior may apply. For example, the UE assumes that PDCCH / PDSCH reception is QCL'd with the two SS / PBCH blocks or two CSI-RS resources identified by the UE in the initial access procedure during a random access procedure initiated by a reconfiguration with synchronization procedure or for the most recently configured granted PUSCH transmission for the same HARQ process.

[0161] In some embodiments, for a TCI state combination type set to "one pair of DL / UL TCI states + one pair of combined DL / UL TCI states," if the UE is provided with two DL TCI states and two UL TCI states (e.g., via RRC) or if the UE receives a MAC CE activation command for two pairs of DL TCI states and a UL TCI state, the UE assumes that the DM-RS antenna port associated with the PDCCH / PDSCH is quasi-co-located with the two DL RSs configured by the DL TCI states. Furthermore, the UE assumes that the PUCCH / PUSCH Tx beam and power control parameters are associated with the two indicated UL TCI states. If more than two DL TCI states and / or more than two UL TCI states are provided but the UE has not received MAC CE activation for the two DL TCI states and the two UL TCI states, default UE behavior may be applied.

[0162] According to the above-described embodiment, the network device 120 transmits one or both of the TCI state combination type and the TCI state update type, e.g., an indication of the TCI state combination type (included in the MAC CE) for multiple TCI states mapped to one TCI codepoint, along with restrictions based on UE capabilities. In some embodiments, the TCI state combination type and the TCI state update type may be transmitted in separate instructions. Furthermore, the TCI state update type indication can be used to update one or more of the indicated TCI states, thereby realizing updating the TCI states for other TRPs / cells. Thus, the problem that the current 3-bit TCI field is quite limited for signaling TCI state combinations for MTRPs and does not provide a flexible way to update the TCI state for one of the TRPs when multiple TCI states are mapped to one TCI codepoint in the DCI is resolved.

[0163] FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram illustrating communication between a terminal device 110 and a network device 120 in accordance with some other embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 19, in method 1900, the network device 120 may transmit 1910 to the terminal device 110 an indication of multiple TCI states associated with transmit / receive points (TRPs) having different PCIs, and thus the terminal device 110 may receive 1920 from the network device 120 an indication of multiple TCI states associated with transmit / receive points (TRPs) having different physical cell identifiers (PCIs). The terminal device 110 may select 1930 a set of TRPs based on the terminal device 110's capability information. The terminal device 110 transmits 1940 the selection of the set of TRPs to the network device 120. Thus, the network device 120 may receive 1950 the selection. The network device 120 may determine 1960 a set of TRPs selected by the terminal device 110. The network device 120 may transmit 1970 common information 1925 from the set of TRPs to the terminal device 110. Thus, the terminal device 110 may receive 1980 common information for multiple terminal devices 110 from the set of TRPs.

[0164] According to the Rel-17 discussion between RAN1 and RAN2, a UE does not need to monitor SI / paging / short messages from two cells with different PCIs. Therefore, in Rel-17, only one combined TCI state is indicated, either the serving cell TRP or a TRP with a different PCI. If more than one combined TCI state is indicated in Rel-18, they may be associated with both the serving cell TRP and a TRP with a different PCI simultaneously. However, the above embodiment solves the problem of whether / how a UE receives short messages and system information from more than one cell.

[0165] In some embodiments, to select a set of TRPs, terminal device 110 may select the serving cell TRP or a TRP with a PCI different from the serving cell TRP based on the capability information, based on one of the TCI state ID, the CORESET ID, or the CORESET 0 setting.

[0166] In some embodiments, to select a set of TRPs, the terminal device 110 may select a serving cell TRP or a TRP with a PCI different from the serving cell TRP based on the capability information, based on one of the quality of the received signal of the terminal device 110, the trajectory of the terminal device 110, or a higher layer instruction or procedure.

[0167] In some embodiments, the common information may be one of a short message, system information, a common physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a common physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a common search space (CSS), or a synchronization signal block (SSB).

[0168] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a UE can receive short messages and system information from TRPs associated with different PCIs using a selection method provided by the present disclosure depending on the UE capabilities, so that common information can be correctly received by the terminal device 110.

[0169] In some embodiments, the UE can always receive short messages and system information from the serving cell TRP or from a TRP with a different PCI, or in some embodiments, the UE can receive short messages and system information from both TRPs.

[0170] In some embodiments, the UE's capabilities support receiving the same common information from different TRPs because the UE does not assume different information. Network device 120 can restrict the transmission of the same common information to the UE from the serving cell TRP and TRPs with different PCIs. In some embodiments, the UE assumes the same PDCCH for Type0 / 0A / 1 / 2-PDCCH CSS sets if the active TCI states for the corresponding CORESETs are not associated with the same PCI.

[0171] In some embodiments, if the UE can process both PCIs, a UE capability report regarding whether it can receive short messages and system information for TRPs with different PCIs, for example, can be sent to the network device 120. The network device 120 may send different common information from TRPs with different PCIs than the serving cell TRP. In some embodiments, the UE monitors PDCCH candidates for the Type0 / 0A / 1 / 2-PDCCH CSS set if the active TCI state for the corresponding CORESET is not associated with the same PCI.

[0172] In some embodiments, the UE capabilities may support the UE receiving short messages and system information from one cell. The UE may perform selection between a serving cell TRP and a TRP with a different PCI, using at least one of a TCI state ID (e.g., selecting one of the TRPs with a lower or higher TCI state ID), a CORESET ID (e.g., selecting one of the TRPs with a lower or higher CORESET ID), or a CORESET 0 (e.g., CORESET 0 is associated with the serving cell TRP or a TRP with a different PCI). In some embodiments, the UE monitors PDCCH candidates for the Type0 / 0A / 1 / 2-PDCCH CSS set that applies the active TCI state for the corresponding CORESET associated with the selected TRP.

[0173] In some embodiments, based on the UE selection, additional UE reporting may be required to inform the network which configuration applies from this UE's perspective.

[0174] In some embodiments, the UE's selection may be based on received signal quality, for example, which TRP has higher received power or increased received power based on past measurements.

[0175] In some embodiments, UE selection may be based on UE trajectories moving towards TRPs with different PCIs, for example.

[0176] In some embodiments, the UE selection may be based on higher layer instructions or higher layer procedures.

[0177] It should be noted that the above-described method can be applied to whether / how a UE receives common channels (such as common PDCCH / PDSCH, CSS) and common signals (such as SSB).

[0178] In some embodiments, when a UE monitors PDCCH candidates for a Type0-PDCCH CSS set (or a Type0A / 1 / 2-PDCCH CSS set) on a serving cell (e.g., from a serving cell TRP) and / or on a cell with a different PCI (e.g., from a TRP with a different PCI), the UE may assume that no SS / PBCH blocks are transmitted in the REs used to monitor PDCCH candidates on the serving cell and / or on a cell with a different PCI.

[0179] In some embodiments, if at least one RE of a PDCCH candidate for a UE on a serving cell and / or a cell with a different PCI overlaps with at least one RE of the LTE-CRS-ToMatchAround or LTE-CRS-PatternList (or the LTE CRS of the serving cell and / or a cell with a different PCI), the UE does not need to monitor the PDCCH candidate on the serving cell and / or a cell with a different PCI.

[0180] In some embodiments, if the UE is provided with available RB-SetsPerCell (or available RB sets of the serving cell and / or cells with different PCIs), the UE does not need to monitor PDCCH candidates on the serving cell and / or cells with different PCIs that overlap with any RBs from the RB sets indicated as unavailable for reception by the available RB sets indicator.

[0181] In some embodiments, for a CORESET or common PDCCH / PDSCH with index 0, the UE assumes that a CSI-RS configured with qcl-Type set to "type D" in the TCI state is provided by an SS / PBCH block from the serving cell or a cell with a different PCI.

[0182] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the network device 120 may transmit a TCI state combination type indication to the terminal device 110. For example, the TCI state activation / deactivation signaling includes at least TCI state combination type information, which indicates the TCI state combination type corresponding to the TCI codepoint, the number of TCI states corresponding to the TCI codepoint, the possible TCI state combination types corresponding to the TCI codepoint, and the four different MAC CE formats introduced in the above embodiment. In some embodiments, there are constraints based on UE capabilities and TA configuration. In some embodiments, separate signaling is used for the TCI state combination type. In some embodiments, the UE capabilities of which TCI state combination types and which MAC CE formats to support are taken into consideration. Furthermore, the TCI status indication may include a TCI status update type, where the TCI status update type includes at least one of: first information for updating the first / second / all TCI states corresponding to the indicated TCI codepoint in the DCI; second information for updating the TCI states for the same / different / all TRPs; third information for updating all or some TCI states; and fourth information for updating a combined TCI state, a DL TCI state, an UL TCI state, or a pair of a DL TCI state and an UL TCI state. In some embodiments, the UE's capability of supporting which TCI status update types and which DCI formats is taken into consideration. This solves the problem that the current 3-bit TCI field is quite limited for signaling TCI state combinations for MTRPs and there is no flexible way to update the TCI state for one of the TRPs when multiple TCI states are mapped to one TCI codepoint in the DCI.

[0183] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a terminal device 110, e.g., a UE, can receive short messages and system information from TRPs associated with different PCIs, taking into account the relevant UE capabilities, and further providing a selection method, thereby solving the problem of whether / how a UE receives short messages and system information from multiple cells.

[0184] In summary, the embodiments of the present disclosure can provide the following solutions:

[0185] The communication method includes receiving, from a network device in a terminal device, an indication of at least one update type for updating a first plurality of transmission configuration indication (TCI) states, the indication of the at least one update type being determined based on first capability information of the terminal device; updating the first plurality of TCI states based on the at least one update type to obtain a second plurality of TCI states; and communicating with the network device based on the second plurality of TCI states.

[0186] In one embodiment, in the method, updating the first plurality of TCI states includes one of: updating at least one of the first plurality of TCI states based on first information of the at least one update type indication, the first information indicating a TCI state corresponding to an indicated TCI codepoint in Downlink Control Information (DCI) to be updated; updating a TCI state of the first plurality of TCI states for the same Transmit / Receive Point (TRP), different TRPs, or multiple TRPs based on second information of the at least one update type indication; updating at least some of the TCI states of the first plurality of TCI states based on third information of the at least one update type indication; updating one type of TCI state of the first plurality of TCI states based on fourth information of the at least one update type indication; and updating TCI states of the first plurality of TCI states associated with the same or different Physical Cell Identifiers (PCIs) based on fifth information of the at least one update type indication.

[0187] In one embodiment, the method further includes receiving, in the terminal device, from the network device an indication of at least one combination type for determining the first plurality of TCI states, wherein the indication of the at least one combination type is determined based on second capability information of the terminal device.

[0188] In one embodiment, the method determines the first plurality of TCI states based on a set of fields of the at least one combination type indication, the set of fields including a field indicating the number of TCI states for a TCI codepoint, a field indicating the type of each TCI state for the TCI codepoint, a field indicating whether the TCI state within an octet is a downlink TCI state or an uplink TCI state, and a field indicating the number of TCI codepoints used.

[0189] In one embodiment, in the method, the field indicating the number of TCI states for the TCI codepoint indicates the number of TCI states for each Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) of a plurality of TRPs.

[0190] In one embodiment, the method determines the first plurality of TCI states based on a set of fields indicating the at least one combination type, the set of fields including a field indicating a plurality of available combination types of TCI states corresponding to a TCI codepoint.

[0191] In one embodiment, the method determines the first plurality of TCI states based on a set of fields of the at least one combination type indication, the set of fields including a field indicating whether each TCI code point has multiple TCI states or one TCI state, a field indicating whether the TCI state ID in the same octet represents a certain type of TCI state, a field indicating the identity of a Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) or a Control Resource Set (CORESET) pool, and a field indicating the identity of the TCI state.

[0192] In one embodiment, the method further includes determining a plurality of available Media Access Control Element (MAC CE) formats comprising combinations of at least two TCI states based on the indication of the at least one combination type.

[0193] In one embodiment, the method further includes transmitting to the network device capability information of the terminal device used to set the first plurality of TCI states, wherein the capability information of the terminal device includes at least one of capability information regarding whether the terminal device supports a Simultaneous Transmission from Multiple Panels (STxMP) transmission mode, and capability information regarding whether the terminal device supports both a combined TCI state and an individual TCI state.

[0194] In one embodiment, the method includes receiving the indication of at least one update type via one of Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling or a Media Access Control (MAC) CE, an additional bit in a TCI field, or an additional field different from a default TCI field.

[0195] In one embodiment, the method receives the indication of at least one update type via one of a Downlink Control Information (DCI) field by reinterpreting a field or a special value set for a DCI field.

[0196] In one embodiment, in the method, receiving the indication of at least one update type includes one of receiving multiple DCIs via different Transmit / Receive Points (TRPs), each DCI indicating one TCI state, or receiving a single DCI via different Transmit / Receive Points (TRPs), indicating at least one TCI state.

[0197] In one embodiment, in the method, receiving the indication of at least one combination type comprises receiving Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling that includes the indication of at least one combination type.

[0198] The communication method includes receiving, in a terminal device, from a network device, an indication of a plurality of TCI states associated with Transmit / Receive Points (TRPs) having different Physical Cell Identifiers (PCIs), selecting a set of TRPs based on capability information of the terminal device, and receiving common information for a plurality of terminal devices from the set of TRPs.

[0199] In one embodiment, in the method, selecting the set of TRPs includes selecting a serving cell TRP or a TRP with a PCI different from the serving cell TRP based on the capability information and based on one of a TCI State ID, a CORESET ID, or a CORESET 0 setting.

[0200] In one embodiment, in the method, selecting the set of TRPs includes selecting a serving cell TRP or a TRP having a PCI different from the serving cell TRP based on the capability information and based on one of a quality of a received signal of the terminal device, a trajectory of the terminal device, or a higher layer instruction or procedure.

[0201] In one embodiment, in the method, the common information is one of a short message, system information, a common physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a common physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a common search space (CSS), or a synchronization signal block (SSB).

[0202] The communication method includes transmitting, in a network device, to a terminal device at least one update type indication for updating a first plurality of transmission configuration indication (TCI) states to a second plurality of TCI states, the at least one update type indication determined by the network device based on first capability information of the terminal device, and communicating with the terminal device based on the second plurality of TCI states.

[0203] In one embodiment, the method further includes, in the network device, sending to the terminal device an indication of at least one combination type for the terminal device to determine the first plurality of TCI states, wherein the indication of the at least one combination type is determined by the network device based on the second capability information of the terminal device.

[0204] In one embodiment, the method further includes receiving from the terminal device the capability information of the terminal device used by the network device to set the first plurality of TCI states, wherein the capability information of the terminal device includes at least one of capability information regarding whether the terminal device supports a Simultaneous Transmission from Multiple Panels (STxMP) transmission mode, and capability information regarding whether the terminal device supports both a combined TCI state and an individual TCI state.

[0205] In one embodiment, in the method, the indication of at least one update type includes first information for updating at least one of the first plurality of TCI states, the first information indicating a TCI state corresponding to an indicated TCI codepoint in Downlink Control Information (DCI) to be updated.

[0206] In one embodiment, in the method, the indication of at least one update type comprises:

[0207] and second information for performing one of updating a TCI state from the first plurality of TCI states for the same Transmit / Receive Point (TRP), updating a TCI state from the first plurality of TCI states for different TRPs, or updating a TCI state from the first plurality of TCI states for multiple TRPs.

[0208] In one embodiment, in the method, the indication of at least one update type includes third information for updating at least some TCI states of the first plurality of TCI states.

[0209] In one embodiment, in the method, the indication of at least one update type includes fourth information for updating a TCI state of one type among the first plurality of TCI states.

[0210] In one embodiment, in the method, the instruction of at least one update type includes fifth information for updating TCI states associated with the same Physical Cell Identifier (PCI) or different PCIs among the first plurality of TCI states.

[0211] In one embodiment, the method comprises transmitting the TCI state update type indication via one of Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling or a Media Access Control (MAC) control element, an additional bit in a TCI field, or an additional field different from a default TCI field.

[0212] In one embodiment, the method transmits the TCI state update type indication via one of a Downlink Control Information (DCI) field by reinterpreting a DCI field or a special value set for a DCI field.

[0213] In one embodiment, in the method, transmitting the indication of at least one update type includes one of transmitting multiple DCIs via different Transmit / Receive Points (TRPs), each DCI indicating one TCI state, or transmitting a single DCI via different Transmit / Receive Points (TRPs), indicating at least one TCI state.

[0214] In one embodiment, in the method, the indication of at least one combination type includes a set of fields for determining the first plurality of TCI states.

[0215] In one embodiment, in the method, the set of fields of the indication of at least one combination type includes a field indicating the number of TCI states for the TCI codepoint, a field indicating the type of each TCI state for the TCI codepoint, a field indicating whether the TCI state in the same octet is a downlink TCI state or an uplink TCI state, and a field indicating the number of TCI codepoints used.

[0216] In one embodiment, in the method, the field indicating the number of TCI states for the TCI codepoint indicates the number of TCI states for each Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) of a plurality of TRPs.

[0217] In one embodiment, in the method, the set of fields of the indication of at least one combination type includes a field indicating a plurality of available combination types of a TCI state corresponding to a TCI codepoint.

[0218] In one embodiment, in the method, the set of fields of the indication of at least one combination type includes a field indicating whether each TCI code point has multiple TCI states or a single TCI state, a field indicating whether the TCI state ID in the same octet represents a certain type of TCI state, a field indicating the identity of a Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) or a Control Resource Set (CORESET) pool, and a field indicating the identity of the TCI state.

[0219] In one embodiment, in the method, the instructions of at least one combination type include instructions to determine a plurality of available Media Access Control Control Element (MAC CE) formats, the MAC CE formats including combinations of at least two TCI states.

[0220] In one embodiment, in the method, transmitting the indication of at least one combination type comprises transmitting Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling including the indication of at least one combination type.

[0221] The communication method includes transmitting, in a network device, to a terminal device, indications of multiple TCI states associated with Transmit / Receive Points (TRPs) having different PCIs; determining a set of TRPs selected by the terminal device based on capability information of the terminal device; and transmitting the common information from the set of TRPs to the terminal device.

[0222] In one embodiment, the method further includes receiving a report to determine that the terminal device can receive the same common information from TRPs with the different PCIs.

[0223] In one embodiment, the method further includes receiving a capability report to determine that the terminal device can receive the common information from a TRP having the different PCI.

[0224] In one embodiment, the method further includes receiving a report including a TRP selected by the terminal device.

[0225] In one embodiment, the method further includes selecting the TRP in the report based on at least one of a received signal quality and a trajectory of the terminal device.

[0226] In one embodiment, in the method, the common information is one of a short message, system information, a common physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a common physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a common search space (CSS), or a synchronization signal block (SSB).

[0227] 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 method described above.

[0228] The network 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 network device to perform the method described above.

[0229] A computer readable medium stores instructions that, when executed by a processor of a device, cause the device to perform the method described above.

[0230] 20 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 2000 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Apparatus 2000 may be considered as another exemplary implementation of terminal device 110 and / or network device 120 as shown in FIG. 1. Thus, apparatus 2000 may be implemented in, or as at least a part of, terminal device 110 or network device 120.

[0231] As shown, the apparatus 2000 comprises a processor 2010, a memory 2020 coupled to the processor 2010, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 2040 coupled to the processor 2010, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 2040. The memory 2010 stores at least a portion of a program 2030. The TX / RX 2040 is used for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 2040 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, an 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.

[0232] The program 2030 is assumed to include program instructions that, when executed by an associated processor 2010, enable the device 2000 to operate according to embodiments of the present disclosure, as described herein with reference to Figures 3-14. The embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 2010 of the device 2000, by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 2010 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the combination of the processor 2010 and the memory 2020 may form a processing means 2050 suitable for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0233] The memory 2020 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 2020 is shown in the device 2000, there may be several physically distinct memory modules within the device 2000. The processor 2010 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. The device 2000 may have multiple processors, for example, application-specific integrated circuit chips time-slaved to a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0234] 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.

[0235] 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 Figures 6-20. 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.

[0236] 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.

[0237] 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 disk, 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 disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above.

[0238] It should be noted that, although operations have been described in a particular order, it should not be understood that performing such operations in the particular order shown, or in any sequential order, 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.

[0239] 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 of communication comprising: receiving, from a network device at the terminal device, an indication of at least one update type for updating a first plurality of transmission configuration indication (TCI) states, the indication of the at least one update type determined based on first capability information of the terminal device; updating the first plurality of TCI states based on the at least one update type to obtain a second plurality of TCI states; communicating with the network device based on the second plurality of TCI states; A method comprising:

2. Updating the first plurality of TCI states comprises: updating at least one of the first plurality of TCI states based on first information of the at least one update type indication, the first information indicating a TCI state corresponding to an indicated TCI codepoint in Downlink Control Information (DCI) to be updated; updating a TCI state of the first plurality of TCI states for the same Transmit / Receive Point (TRP), different TRPs, or multiple TRPs based on second information of the at least one update type indication; updating at least some of the TCI states of the first plurality of TCI states based on third information in the at least one indication of an update type; updating a TCI state of one type among the first plurality of TCI states based on fourth information of the indication of the at least one update type; updating TCI states associated with the same Physical Cell Identifier (PCI) or different PCIs among the first plurality of TCI states based on fifth information of the at least one update type indication. The method of claim 1.

3. The method further includes receiving, in the terminal device, from the network device, an indication of at least one combination type for determining the first plurality of TCI states, wherein the indication of the at least one combination type is determined based on second capability information of the terminal device. The method of claim 1.

4. determining the first plurality of TCI states based on a set of fields of the at least one combination type indication, the set of fields comprising: a field indicating the number of TCI states for the TCI codepoint; a field indicating the type of each TCI state for said TCI codepoint; a field indicating whether the TCI state in the octet is a downlink TCI state or an uplink TCI state; a field indicating the number of TCI codepoints used; The method of claim 3.

5. The field indicating the number of TCI states for the TCI code point indicates the number of TCI states for each TRP (Transmit / Receive Point) of multiple TRPs. The method of claim 4.

6. determining the first plurality of TCI states based on a set of fields indicating the at least one combination type, the set of fields including a field indicating a plurality of available combination types of TCI states corresponding to a TCI codepoint; The method of claim 3.

7. determining the first plurality of TCI states based on a set of fields of the at least one combination type indication, the set of fields comprising: a field indicating whether each TCI codepoint has multiple TCI states or one TCI state; a field indicating whether the TCI state ID in the same octet represents a certain type of TCI state; a field indicating the identity of a Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) or Control Resource Set (CORESET) pool; a field indicating the identity of the TCI state; 4. The method of claim 3, comprising:

8. determining a plurality of available Media Access Control Control Element (MAC CE) formats comprising combinations of at least two TCI states based on the indication of the at least one combination type; The method of claim 3 further comprising:

9. and transmitting, to the network device, second capability information of the terminal device used to set the first plurality of TCI states, wherein the second capability information of the terminal device comprises: Capability information on whether the terminal device supports Simultaneous Transmission from Multiple Panels (STxMP) transmission mode; and and capability information regarding whether the terminal device supports both combined TCI state and individual TCI state. The method of claim 3.

10. A method of communication comprising: receiving, at the terminal device, from a network device, indications of a plurality of TCI states associated with Transmit / Receive Points (TRPs) having different Physical Cell Identifiers (PCIs); Selecting a set of TRPs based on the capability information of the terminal device; receiving common information of a plurality of terminal devices from the set of TRPs; A method comprising:

11. Selecting the set of TRPs comprises: and selecting, based on the capability information, a serving cell TRP or a TRP having a PCI different from that of the serving cell TRP, based on one of a TCI state ID, a CORESET ID, or a CORESET 0 setting. The method of claim 10.

12. Selecting the set of TRPs comprises: Based on the capability information, selecting a serving cell TRP or a TRP having a PCI different from the serving cell TRP based on one of a quality of a received signal of the terminal device, a trajectory of the terminal device, or a higher layer instruction or procedure. The method of claim 10.

13. The common information is Short message, System information, a common physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a common physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a common search space (CSS), or Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), which is one of The method of claim 10.

14. A method of communication comprising: transmitting, at the network device, to the terminal device, at least one update type indication for updating a first plurality of transmission configuration indication (TCI) states to a second plurality of TCI states, the at least one update type indication determined by the network device based on first capability information of the terminal device; communicating with the terminal device based on the second plurality of TCI states; A method comprising:

15. The method further includes transmitting, to the terminal device, an indication of at least one combination type for the terminal device to determine the first plurality of TCI states, wherein the indication of the at least one combination type is determined by the network device based on second capability information of the terminal device.

15. The method of claim 14.

16. receiving, from the terminal device, the second capability information of the terminal device used by the network device to set the first plurality of TCI states, wherein the second capability information of the terminal device is: Capability information on whether the terminal device supports Simultaneous Transmission from Multiple Panels (STxMP) transmission mode; and and capability information regarding whether the terminal device supports both combined TCI state and individual TCI state.

16. The method of claim 15.

17. A method of communication comprising: transmitting, in a network device, to a terminal device, indications of a plurality of TCI states associated with Transmit / Receive Points (TRPs) having different PCIs; determining a set of TRPs selected by the terminal device based on capability information of the terminal device; transmitting the common information from the set of TRPs to the terminal device; A method comprising:

18. A terminal device comprising a processor and a memory storing computer program code, The memory and the computer program code together with the processor are configured to cause the terminal device to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13. Terminal device.

19. 1. A network device comprising a processor and a memory storing computer program code, The memory and the computer program code together with the processor are configured to cause the network device to perform the method of any one of claims 14 to 17. Network equipment.

20. storing instructions which, when executed by a processor of a device, cause said device to carry out a method according to any one of claims 1 to 17; Computer-readable medium.

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