Timing Advance Improvement Procedure

Abstract

The apparatus may be configured to: receive a plurality of downlink resources, each of the plurality of downlink resources associated with a respective one of a plurality of transmitting and receiving points of a network; determine a respective set of timing offset values, each of the determined respective sets of timing offset values ​​associated with a different one of the plurality of downlink resources; generate a report based at least in part on the determined respective sets of timing offset values; transmit the report to the network; and receive one or more timing advance values ​​in response to the transmitted report.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The exemplary and non-limiting embodiments relate generally to cellular communications, and more particularly to timing advance offsets. [Background technology]

[0002] In cellular communications, it is known to configure user equipment with multiple timing advance groups. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] The following summary is intended to be exemplary only and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0004] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes means for receiving a plurality of downlink resources; determining one or more respective timing offset values, each of the one or more respective timing offset values ​​associated with a different one of the plurality of downlink resources; generating a report based at least in part on the one or more determined respective timing offset values; and transmitting the report to a network.

[0005] According to one aspect, an apparatus comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive a plurality of downlink resources; determine one or more respective timing offset values, each of the one or more respective timing offset values ​​being associated with a different one of the plurality of downlink resources; generate a report based at least in part on the one or more determined respective timing offset values; and transmit the report to a network.

[0006] According to one aspect, a method includes receiving, with a user equipment, a plurality of downlink resources; determining one or more respective timing offset values, each of the one or more respective timing offset values ​​being associated with a different one of the plurality of downlink resources; generating a report based at least in part on the one or more determined respective timing offset values; and transmitting the report to a network.

[0007] According to one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: cause reception of a plurality of downlink resources; determine one or more respective timing offset values, each of the one or more respective timing offset values ​​being associated with a different one of the plurality of downlink resources; generate a report based at least in part on the one or more determined respective timing offset values; and cause transmission of the report to a network.

[0008] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes means for receiving a report from a user equipment; determining, based at least in part on the report, one or more timing advance values ​​associated with each of a plurality of corresponding downlink resources; and transmitting at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values ​​to the user equipment.

[0009] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive a report from a user equipment; determine, based at least in part on the report, one or more timing advance values ​​associated with each of a plurality of corresponding downlink resources; and transmit at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values ​​to the user equipment.

[0010] According to one aspect, a method includes receiving a report from a user equipment; determining, based at least in part on the report, one or more timing advance values ​​associated with each of a plurality of corresponding downlink resources; and transmitting at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values ​​to the user equipment.

[0011] According to one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: cause reception of a report from user equipment; determine, based at least in part on the report, one or more timing advance values ​​associated with each of a plurality of corresponding downlink resources; and cause transmission of at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values ​​to the user equipment.

[0012] According to some aspects, the subject matter of the independent claims is provided. Some further aspects are defined in the dependent claims.

[0013] The foregoing aspects and other features are explained in the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one possible, non-limiting, example system in which the example embodiments may be practiced. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates features described herein. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 illustrates features described herein. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates features described herein. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 illustrates features described herein. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 illustrates features described herein. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 illustrates features described herein. [Figure 8] 1 is a flowchart illustrating the steps described herein. [Figure 9] 1 is a flowchart illustrating the steps described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The following abbreviations that may appear in the specification and / or drawings are defined as follows:

[0016] 3GPP 3rd Generation Partnership Project 5G (5th Generation) 5GC 5G Core Network AMF Access and Mobility Management Functions CBRA Contention-Based Random Access CE Control Elements CFRA Contention-Free Random Access C-JT Coherent Joint Transmission cRAN Cloud Radio Access Network CSI Channel State Information CU Central Unit D2D Device to Device DCI Downlink Control Information DL Downlink DU Distributed Unit eLCID Extended Logical Channel ID eNB (or eNodeB) Evolved Node B (e.g., LTE base station) EN-DC E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity A node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol termination for en-gNB or En-gNB UE and acts as a secondary node in the EN-DC E-UTRA Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access, i.e. LTE radio access technology Evo Evolution FDD Frequency Division Duplex gNB (or gNodeB) A base station for 5G / NR, i.e., a node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol termination for UEs and is connected to 5GC via the NG interface. I / F interface IoT Internet of Things L1 Layer 1 LCID Logical Channel ID LTE Long Term Evolution MAC Media Access Control MIMO Multiple Input Multiple Output MME Mobility Management Entity M-TRP Multiple Transmission and Reception Points ng or NG New Generation ng-eNB or NG-eNB New Generation eNB NR new radio N / W or NW Network NZP-CSI-RS NZP Channel State Information Reference Signal O-RAN Open Radio Access Network PCI Physical Cell ID PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel PDCP Packet Data Convergence Protocol PHY physical layer PRACH Physical Random Access Channel ProSe Proximity Services RA Random Access RAN Radio Access Network RAR Random Access Response RF radio frequency RLC Radio Link Control RRC Radio Resource Control RRH Remote Radio Head RS reference signal RU Wireless Unit Rx Receiver SDAP Service Data Adaptation Protocol SGW Serving Gateway SL Side Link SMF Session Management Facility SRI Sounding Reference Signal Resource Indication SRS Sounding Reference Signal SSB sync signal block TA Timing Advance TAC Timing Advance Command TAG Timing Advance Group TAI Timing Advance Information TAT Timing Alignment Timer TCI Transmission Configuration Indicator TDD Time Division Duplex ToA arrival time TRP sending and receiving point TRS Time and Frequency Tracking Reference Signal Tx transmitter UE User Equipment (e.g., wireless, typically mobile device) UL Uplink UPF User Plane Function V2I Vehicle to Infrastructure V2P pedestrian-vehicle V2V vehicle distance V2X Vehicle to All VNR Virtualized Network Functions

[0017] Referring to FIG. 1, this figure illustrates a block diagram of one possible, non-limiting example in which the examples may be practiced. Shown is a user equipment (UE) 110, a radio access network (RAN) node 170, and a network element 190. In the example of FIG. 1, the user equipment (UE) 110 is in wireless communication with a wireless network 100. The UE is a wireless device that can access the wireless network 100. The UE 110 includes one or more processors 120, one or more memories 125, and one or more transceivers 130 interconnected through one or more buses 127. Each of the one or more transceivers 130 includes a receiver Rx 132 and a transmitter Tx 133. The one or more buses 127 may be address, data, or control buses and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of wires on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fiber, or other optical communication equipment. A "circuit" may include dedicated hardware or hardware associated with software executable thereon. The one or more transceivers 130 are connected to one or more antennas 128. The one or more memories 125 include computer program code 123. The UE 110 includes a module 140 including one or both of components 140-1 and / or 140-2, which may be implemented in many manners. The module 140 may be implemented in hardware as module 140-1, such as implemented as part of one or more processors 120. The module 140-1 may also be implemented as an integrated circuit or through other hardware, such as a programmable gate array. In another example, the module 140 may be implemented as module 140-2, which is implemented as computer program code 123 and executed by the one or more processors 120. For example, the one or more memories 125 and the computer program code 123 may be configured to cause the user equipment 110, using the one or more processors 120, to perform one or more of the operations described herein. The UE 110 communicates with the RAN node 170 via a wireless link 111 .

[0018] The UE 110 may be capable of sidelink communication with other UEs in addition to network communication or when wireless communication with the network is not available or possible. For example, the UE 110 may perform sidelink communication with another UE, which may include some or all of the features of the UE 110 and / or may include additional features. Optionally, the UE 110 may also communicate with other UEs via a short-range communication technology such as Bluetooth®.

[0019] The RAN node 170 in this example is a base station that provides access to the wireless network 100 by wireless devices such as the UE 110. The RAN node 170 may be, for example, a base station for 5G, also known as New Radio (NR). In 5G, the RAN node 170 may be an NG-RAN node, which is defined as either a gNB or an ng-eNB. The gNB is a node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations for the UE and connects to the 5GC (e.g., network element 190) via an NG interface. The ng-eNB is a node that provides E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminations for the UE and connects to the 5GC via an NG interface. The NG-RAN node may include multiple gNBs, which may also include a central unit (CU) (gNB-CU) 196 and distributed units (DUs) (gNB-DUs), of which DU 195 is shown. Note that the DU may include a radio unit (RU) or may be coupled to and control the radio unit. The gNB-CU is a logical node that hosts the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP protocols of the gNB or the RRC and PDCP protocols of the en-gNB, controlling the operation of one or more gNB-DUs. The gNB-CU terminates the F1 interface connected to the gNB-DU. The F1 interface is indicated by reference numeral 198, which also indicates a link between a remote element of the RAN node 170 and a centralized element of the RAN node 170, such as between the gNB-CU 196 and the gNB-DU 195. The gNB-DU is a logical node that hosts the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers of the gNB or en-gNB, and its operation is partially controlled by the gNB-CU. One gNB-CU supports one or more cells. A cell is supported by only one gNB-DU. The gNB-DU terminates the F1 interface connected to the gNB-CU.It should be noted that while the DU 195 is considered to include the transceiver 160, e.g., as part of an RU, some examples of this may have the transceiver 160 as part of a separate RU, e.g., under the control of and connected to the DU 195. The RAN node 170 may also be an eNB (Evolved NodeB) base station for LTE (Long Term Evolution), or any other suitable base station, access point, access node, or node.

[0020] The RAN node 170 includes one or more processors 152, one or more memories 155, one or more network interfaces (N / WI / F) 161, and one or more transceivers 160, interconnected through one or more buses 157. Each of the one or more transceivers 160 includes a receiver Rx 162 and a transmitter Tx 163. The one or more transceivers 160 are connected to one or more antennas 158. The one or more memories 155 include computer program code 153. The CU 196 may include the processor 152, the memory 155, and the network interface 161. Note that the DU 195 may also include its own memory / memories and processors, and / or other hardware, which are not shown.

[0021] The RAN node 170 includes a module 150 including one or both of components 150-1 and / or 150-2, which may be implemented in many ways. The module 150 may be implemented in hardware as module 150-1, such as implemented as part of one or more processors 152. The module 150-1 may also be implemented as an integrated circuit or through other hardware such as a programmable gate array. In another example, the module 150 may be implemented as module 150-2, which is implemented as computer program code 153 and executed by the one or more processors 152. For example, the one or more memories 155 and the computer program code 153 are configured to cause the RAN node 170 to perform one or more of the operations described herein using the one or more processors 152. It should be noted that the functionality of the module 150 may be distributed, such as distributed between the DU 195 and the CU 196, or may be implemented solely in the DU 195.

[0022] One or more network interfaces 161 communicate over a network, such as via links 176 and 131. Two or more gNBs 170 may communicate, for example, using link 176. Link 176 may be wired or wireless, or both, and may implement, for example, an Xn interface for 5G, an X2 interface for LTE, or other suitable interface for other standards.

[0023] The one or more buses 157 may be address, data, or control buses and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a set of wires on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fiber or other optical communication equipment, wireless channels, etc. For example, the one or more transceivers 160 may be implemented as a remote radio head (RRH) 195 for LTE or a distributed unit (DU) 195 for a gNB implementation for 5G, where other elements of the RAN node 170 are perhaps in a different physical location than the RRH / DU, and the one or more buses 157 may be implemented in part, for example, as optical fiber cables or other suitable network connections for connecting other elements of the RAN node 170 (e.g., a central unit (CU), gNB-CU) to the RRH / DU 195. Reference numeral 198 also indicates those appropriate network links.

[0024] Note that while the description herein indicates that a "cell" performs a function, it should be clear that the equipment forming the cell performs the function. A cell constitutes part of a base station. That is, there may be multiple cells per base station. For example, there may be three cells for a single carrier frequency and associated bandwidth, each covering one-third of a 360-degree area, such that the coverage area of ​​a single base station covers approximately an ellipse or circle. Furthermore, each cell may correspond to a single carrier, or the base station may use multiple carriers. Thus, if there are three 120-degree cells and two carriers per carrier, the base station has a total of six cells.

[0025] The wireless network 100 may include one or more network elements 190, which may include core network functions that provide connectivity to additional networks, such as telephone networks and / or data communication networks (e.g., the Internet), via one or more links 181. Such core network functions for 5G may include an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) and / or a User Plane Function (UPF) and / or a Session Management Function (SMF). Such core network functions for LTE may include an MME (Mobility Management Entity) / SGW (Serving Gateway) function. Note that these are merely example functions that may be supported by the network element 190, and both 5G and LTE functions may be supported. The RAN node 170 is coupled to the network element 190 via link 131. The link 131 may implement, for example, an NG interface for 5G or an S1 interface for LTE, or other appropriate interfaces for other standards. Network element 190 includes one or more processors 175, one or more memories 171, and one or more network interfaces (N / WI / F) 180 interconnected through one or more buses 185. The one or more memories 171 include computer program code 173. The one or more memories 171 and the computer program code 173 are configured, using the one or more processors 175, to cause network element 190 to perform one or more operations.

[0026] The wireless network 100 may implement network virtualization, which is the process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functions into a single software-based management entity, a virtual network. Network virtualization involves platform virtualization, often combined with resource virtualization. Network virtualization is categorized as either external, combining many networks or portions of networks into virtual units, or internal, providing network-like functionality to software containers on a single system. For example, a network may be deployed in a telecloud using virtualized network functions (VNFs) running on datacenter servers, for example. For example, network core functions and / or radio access networks (e.g., CloudRAN, O-RAN, edge cloud) may be virtualized. It should be noted that virtualized entities resulting from network virtualization are still implemented using hardware, such as processor 152 or 175 and memory 155 and 171, at the same level, and that such virtualized entities produce technical effects.

[0027] It should also be noted that the operations of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed by multiple cooperating devices (e.g., cRANs).

[0028] The computer-readable memories 125, 155, and 171 may be of any type suitable for the local technology environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. The computer-readable memories 125, 155, and 171 may be means for performing storage functions. The processors 120, 152, and 175 may be of any type suitable for the local technology environment 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 processors 120, 152, and 175 may be means for performing functions such as controlling the UE 110, the RAN node 170, and other functions described herein.

[0029] In general, various embodiments of user equipment 110 may include, but are not limited to, cellular phones such as smartphones, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs) with wireless communication capabilities, portable computers with wireless communication capabilities, image capture devices such as digital cameras with wireless communication capabilities, gaming devices with wireless communication capabilities, music storage and playback appliances with wireless communication capabilities, Internet appliances that enable wireless Internet access and browsing, tablets with wireless communication capabilities, and portable units or terminals incorporating a combination of such functionality. Additionally, various embodiments of user equipment 110 may include, but are not limited to, devices integrated into vehicles, infrastructure associated with vehicular travel, wearable devices used by pedestrians or other non-vehicular road users, user equipment not related to traffic users, and user equipment configured to participate in sidelink scenarios, such as public safety user equipment and / or other commercial user equipment.

[0030] Having thus introduced a suitable, but non-limiting, technical context for the practice of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the exemplary embodiments will now be more particularly described.

[0031] Features described herein generally relate to PHY layer enhancements. Features described herein generally relate to multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) evolution (Evo) for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) work items in RAN1 of New Radio (NR) Rel-18. More specifically, features described herein may relate to time division duplex (TDD) downlink (DL) coherent joint transmission (C-JT) and M-TRP timing advance (TA) operations using uplink sounding multiple transmit / receive points (M-TRP), for example, using sounding reference signals (SRS).

[0032] MIMO Evo DL UL in NR Rel-18 is expected to specify support for TDD C-JT and multi-TA operation with UL SRS as follows: "...RAN1: Consider the following and specify if justified: Two TAs for UL Multi-DCI for Multi-TRP Operation Power control for UL single DCI for multi-TRP operation, where the unified TCI framework extension in Objective 2 is envisaged In the case of simultaneous UL transmissions from multiple panels, operation is limited to Objective 6 scenarios only... ...consider, and specify where justified, CSI acquisition enhancements for FR1 and coherent JT targeting up to four TRPs, assuming ideal backhaul and synchronization, and an equal number of antenna ports across the TRPs, as follows: An improved Rel-16 / 17 Type II codebook for CJT mTRP and its associated CSI reporting targeting FDD, considering throughput and overhead trade-offs SRS enhancement to manage inter-TRP cross-SRS interference targeting TDD CJT through SRS capacity enhancement and / or interference randomization, subject to the following constraints: 1) no additional resource consumption for SRS; 2) reuse of existing SRS comb structure; 3) no new SRS root sequences..." The current REL-17 specification includes support for uplink timing advance adjustment. The main target of the timing advance (TA) is to ensure that uplink transmissions from all UEs are synchronized when received by the gNB. As a result, interference, such as inter-symbol interference, multi-user interference, etc., between different signals / channels / reference signals between different UEs at the gNB receiver can be avoided. The TA is an offset that a UE can use to advance its UL transmission relative to the time at which the UE receives a DL transmission from the base station. In other words, it is the offset between the start of the received downlink subframe and the start of the transmitted uplink subframe at the UE.

[0033] The timing advance value may be updated in the Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), which may include a new TA value, and the timeAlignmentTimer may then be restarted. When the timer expires, the UE may release the UL configuration for the cells in the group and may need to perform a random access (RA) procedure before further uplink transmissions within the cells are possible.

[0034] In [TS38.321] Section 6.1.3.4 Timing Advance Command MAC CE, the Timing Advance Command MAC CE is identified by a MAC subheader with a Logical Channel ID (LCID) as specified in Table 6.2.1-1. The Timing Advance Command MAC CE, an example of which is shown in Figure 2, has a fixed size, consists of a single octet, and is defined as follows: "...TAG Identity (TAG ID): This field indicates the TAG identifier of the addressed TAG. The TAG containing the SpCell has TAG Identity 0. The length of the field is 2 bits. Timing Advance Command: This field indicates the index value TA (0, 1, 2...63) used to control the amount of timing adjustment the MAC entity shall apply (as specified in TS 38.213 [6]). The length of the field is 6 bits..." In Section 6.1.3.4a, Absolute Timing Advance Command MAC CE, the Absolute Timing Advance Command MAC CE is identified by a MAC subheader with an eLCID as specified in Table 6.2.1-1b. The Absolute Timing Advance Command MAC CE, an example of which is shown in Figure 3, has a fixed size, consists of two octets, and is defined as follows: "...Timing Advance Command: This field indicates the index value TA, which is used in TS38.213 [6] to control the amount of timing adjustment that the MAC entity must apply. The size of the field is 12 bits. R: Reserved bit, set to "0"..." The RAN1-109e agreement for Rel-18 WI MIMO Evo DL UL includes: "...two TA-related enhancements for UL multi-DCI for multi-TRP operation are supported in Rel-18. Note 1: Either (1) the network signals two TACs, or (2) the network signals one TAC and the UE derives a second TA may be further considered. Note 2: Evaluation may be considered as necessary... ...For multi-DCI based multi-TRP operation, choose one of two alternatives: Alternative 1: Configuring two TAGs in the serving cell Alternative 2: Consider two TAs in one TAG in the serving cell... ...supports two TA enhancements for Rel-18 for both intra-cell and inter-cell multi-DCI multi-TRP scenarios. For multi-DCI multi-TRP operation with two TAs, consider the following alternatives: Alternative 1: Two timing standards are considered Alternative 2: One reference timing is considered Note: The above reference timing is the timing of DL reception... ...For multi-DCI multi-TRP operation with two TAs, Rel-18 will further consider the following alternatives: Alternative 1: One n-TimingAdvanceOffset value per serving cell Alternative: Two n-TimingAdvanceOffset values ​​per serving cell..." The UE may acquire the UL timing advance during a random access procedure (e.g., when the UE does not yet have a TA). As an example, in a contention-based random access (CBRA) procedure, the UE may transmit a random access preamble, and in a random access response (RAR), the network may provide the UE with an absolute timing advance command (TAC). To keep the timing advance adjusted, the network may periodically update the timing advance for the UE by transmitting additional TACs, which may trigger a restart / start of the time alignment timer. In another example, in the case of DL data arrival (and when the UE does not have a valid TA), the NW may trigger a "PDCCH order" (network-initiated random access procedure) to have the UE perform an RA procedure. The triggered procedure may be a contention-free random access (CFRA) procedure (using resources given in the DCI) or a CBRA, depending on the transmitted / received PDCCH order.

[0035] Currently, the NR specifications do not provide support for operation with multiple TA values ​​per serving cell (either in one serving cell, or in inter-cell beam management, or M-TRP communication). A UE may be configured with multiple TA groups, and a group may contain one or more serving cells. However, in the case of a single Timing Advance Group (TAG), the UE may maintain only a single / identical TA for each cell in the same TAG / cell group. In other words, only one TA value may be applied to all uplink physical channels, signals, and reference signals (RS) within a cell, regardless of the propagation delays associated with multiple TRPs.

[0036] Two different alternatives for enhancing the current TA operation for Rel-18 M-TRP operation are discussed. In the first alternative, two different TA values ​​may be indicated to the UE. In the second alternative, only one TA value may be signaled to the UE, based on which the UE may derive a second TA value. However, despite the above-mentioned enhancements to TA operation, issues related to increased UE resource utilization, latency, and / or interference (e.g., leading to reduced DL channel state information (CSI) quality) may arise for DL ​​CSI acquisition for C-JT transmission using M-TRP when UL SRS sounding with one or two TA values ​​is used.

[0037] Referring now to Figure 4, an exemplary M-TRP scenario is shown with four TRPs associated with different propagation delays. i, i=1...4, τ4>τ3>τ2>τ1 is associated with each radio channel between the TRP and the UE. The UE (405) may, for example, receive a downlink transmission of a reference signal TRS#1 (415) from TRP#1 (410) with a delay τ1 and transmit a sounding reference signal resource indication (SRI) SRI#1 (420) to TRP#1 (410). The UE (405) may receive a TRS#2 (430) from TRP#2 (425) and transmit an SRI#2 (435) to TRP#2 (425). The UE (405) may receive a TRS#3 (445) from TRP#3 (440) and transmit an SRI#3 (450) to TRP#3 (440). The UE (405) may receive a TRS#4 (460) from a TRP#4 (455) and transmit an SRI#4 (465) to the TRP#4 (455).

[0038] A UL timing advance diagram related to FIG. 4 for UL transmission is shown in FIG. 5. As can be seen, four different UL SRS transmissions (420, 435, 450, 465) using different TA values ​​may be required. Therefore, a UE may not be able to simultaneously transmit on the uplink to different TRPs (410, 425, 440, 455) using multiple TA values ​​(510). As a result, the UL resource overhead and latency associated with UL SRS transmissions may increase significantly relative to the use of single-resource UL SRS transmissions. The TRPs (410, 425, 440, 455) may belong to the same network entity (e.g., the TRPs may share the same physical cell ID (PCI)), or may belong to different network entities (e.g., the TRPs may have different PCIs), or some may belong to the same network entity and others to various other network entities.

[0039] In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, new UE-initiated and network-based TA improvement procedures for Rel-18 may be implemented. A technical effect of an example embodiment of the present disclosure may be to further enhance multi-TRP TA operation for TDD-based DL C-JT and / or UL C-JT with UL SRS sounding or general multi-TRP operation.

[0040] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be applicable to sidelink (SL) UEs, for example, in scenarios where a network or cell switches off / on for a UE configured to perform sidelink (SL) operations. NR SL methods may be implemented to provide communications between a vehicle and a network, infrastructure, other vehicles, or other road users within a surrounding / neighborhood area. Such communications may enable proximity services (ProSe) or transmission of information about the surrounding environment between nearby devices, e.g., device-to-device (D2D) communication technologies. Such direct communications may be available even when network coverage is unavailable. Additionally or alternatively, NR SL methods may be relevant to the Internet of Things (IoT) and the automotive industry (e.g., for reduced accident risk and a safer driving experience). These use cases may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), and / or vehicle-to-network (V2N) message exchanges, which may also be referred to as vehicle-to-everything (V2X). The allocation of V2V resources, i.e., time and frequency resources, in cellular may be controlled by the cellular network structure or may be performed autonomously by individual vehicles (e.g., their UE devices). The sidelink may use the same or a different carrier frequency or frequency band as the cellular communications.

[0041] In an exemplary embodiment, a timing offset reporting procedure for UL timing advance refinement may be implemented for DL ​​CSI acquisition using M-TRP C-JT with UL SRS antenna switching (of the UE), or for UL simultaneous transmission in general (including multi-panel simultaneous TX using M-TRP). In an exemplary embodiment, a UL timing advance refinement procedure without PDCCH order may be implemented.

[0042] In an example embodiment, a timing offset reporting procedure may be enabled. In this disclosure, the terms “timing offset,” “time offset,” and “timing offset value” may be used interchangeably, and the use of one of these terms does not limit the applicability of another of these terms. A technical effect of an example embodiment of the present disclosure may be to enable UL timing advance refinement for DL ​​CSI acquisition using M-TRP C-JT with UL SRS antenna switching and / or for UL simultaneous transmission (including multi-panel simultaneous TX using M-TRP) in general.

[0043] In an exemplary embodiment, a UE may be configured / indicated with a set of DL reference signal or synchronization signal block (SSB) resources or joint / UL / DL TCI states for UL timing advance refinement measurements at the UE side. In an exemplary embodiment, the DL resources or joint / UL / DL TCI states may be associated with a TRP (e.g., CORESETPoolIndex) from the serving cell and / or non-serving cells. For example, the DL resources or joint / UL / DL TCI states may be associated with an NZP-CSI-RS for time and frequency tracking. In an exemplary embodiment, one or more DL resources (i.e., DL RS or SSB resources) or joint / UL / DL TCI states may be configured as anchor resources for UL timing advance refinement measurements at / by the UE.

[0044] In an exemplary embodiment, the UE may determine a received timing offset value (i.e., a propagation delay associated with a channel between a given TRP and the UE) based on configured DL RS / SSB resources for one or more configured anchor resources. In an exemplary embodiment, the timing offset value for each resource may be associated with a "first path" of a power delay profile associated with a channel between the TRP and the UE. In an exemplary embodiment, the "first path" of the power delay profile may exceed a power threshold Y, which may be configured by the network. Alternatively, in addition to the power threshold, the network may configure relative power offsets between different multipath components to distinguish between "first paths."

[0045] In an exemplary embodiment, based on the determined timing offset value, the UE may determine a relative timing offset value for the configured anchor resource and select a relative timing offset value that falls within a refinement timing offset window. x ,+T x ], and T x may be configured by the network and may define the time domain granularity in terms of time samples according to the numerology used. In an exemplary embodiment, when a UE is not configured with anchor resources, the relative timing offset values ​​may represent absolute timing offset values ​​associated with each configured resource.

[0046] In an example embodiment, the UE's timing advance refinement measurement report may consist of one or more of the following information: an absolute timing offset value (e.g., having K-bits, e.g., in quantized form) associated with the configured anchor DL ​​resource or joint / UL / DL state, a relative timing offset value (e.g., having (L+1)-bits, e.g., in quantized form) of other DL resources / TCI states with respect to the anchor DL ​​resource or joint / UL / DL state, and / or absolute and / or relative timing offset values.

[0047] In an example embodiment, the relative timing offset value for an anchor DL ​​resource or joint / UL / DL state may exclude the relative timing offset value between anchor resources or joint / UL / DL TCI states. In other words, if there are multiple anchor resources, the relative timing offset value between each of the multiple anchor resources may not be included, and only the relative timing offset between each of the multiple anchor resources and the non-anchor resources may be included.

[0048] In an exemplary embodiment, when beam-domain operation is used, Rel-17 capability value set index value reporting can be extended to include absolute and / or relative timing offset values. In Rel-17 capability value set index reporting, the UE may measure DL SSB / NZP-CSI-RS resources and report the N best SSB / NZP-CSI-RS resources associated with a UL TX capability set index. For example, a UE uplink single CSI reporting instance may have N=2 and consist of the following values: CRI#23, CRI#43, RSRP(#23), RSRP(#43), c-value-set-ind#2, and c-value-set-ind#3. As a result of this UL CSI reporting, the network may know the number of UL TX antenna ports associated with several reported DL RSs associated with the UL SRS resource. Based on this, the network may configure / schedule codebook-based UL SRS resource transmissions at the time associated with a single TRP.

[0049] In an example embodiment, one possible implementation of an M-TRP network deployment for DL ​​joint coherent transmission may use multiple TRPs with ideal / non-ideal backhaul networks using carrier frequencies synchronized to the FR1 TDD carrier frequency (TDD FR2 operation is not excluded). The TRPs may be assumed to transmit DL signals / channels / reference signals towards the UE in a phase-aligned manner between different TRPs, defining a cooperating set / active set.

[0050] 6 illustrates an exemplary UL TA refinement reporting procedure in an exemplary manner. A UE may be configured with four time and frequency reference signal (TRS) resources (605, 610, 615, 620) with two TRS resources (605, 615) as anchor resources. Here, the TRS resources may be NZP-CSI-RS resources for time-frequency tracking (periodic / semi-persistent / aperiodic) and may be associated with different TRPs via / using CORESETSetPool indexes.

[0051] In an exemplary embodiment, the UE may generate a timing advance refinement report. Upon receiving different single-antenna port DL TRS resources, the UE may determine a channel estimate associated with each antenna port. Based on the channel estimate, the UE may determine the time of arrival (ToA) of each multipath component (e.g., in the time domain) and, for each TRS resource, may select only one ToA value associated with the multipath component whose received power is above the noise floor at the UE receiver or above a configured power threshold. When the UE is not configured with a power threshold, the UE may determine / select a ToA value for each multipath component using the noise floor at the UE receiver as a threshold. In the example of FIG. 6, a power threshold Y (625) may be configured. In the example of FIG. 6, each of TRS#1 (605), TRS#2 (610), TRS#3 (615), and TRS#4 (620) is shown to have a detected RX power above the power threshold Y (625). The TOA at which each TRS is received is shown along the x-axis. However, this is not a limitation, and one or more DL resources may be below the power threshold Y (625) and may be ignored as unreliable.

[0052] An exemplary embodiment for determining the ToA of each multipath component is provided below. As a first step, antenna port-specific channel estimates for TRS resources may need to be determined at the UE side. To calculate the channel estimate, the necessary TRS resource (NZP-CSI-RS for time and frequency tracking) parameters (e.g., sequence initialization, resource allocation, comb type, etc.) may be preconfigured for the UE. Depending on the UE implementation, the channel estimation may be performed, for example, in the frequency domain. Once the antenna port-specific channel estimates are obtained for the configured TRS measurement resources, the UE may calculate a reference signal received power (RSRP) for each TRS resource. The UE may then select TRS resources that are equal to or greater than some preconfigured power threshold. The frequency domain channel estimates for the selected TRS resources may then be transformed to the time domain, where the time domain channel estimate is available. Based on the time domain channel estimate, an autocorrelation function of the channel estimate may be calculated to form a power-delayed presentation of the channel estimate, which may represent different TOA values. The UE may then select a TOA value that is, for example, the same as or equal to or greater than the configured power threshold.

[0053] The UE may calculate a relative reception time difference offset between the selected ToA value and the ToA value between the "anchor" TRS resources. In the example of FIG. 6, the anchor resources are TRS#1 (605) and TRS#3 (615). The UE may estimate that the anchor resources are received at the UE with the same or higher received signal power relative to other configured measurement resources. In an alternative embodiment, the gNB may configure a specific power threshold (i.e., 625), and if the received reference signal power of the anchor resource is equal to or greater than the power threshold, the UE may be able to make a reliable ToA measurement (rather than a TOA measurement below an acceptable or predetermined reliability level). The relative reception time difference offset may be calculated for TRS#1 (605, anchor) and TRS#2 (610) as follows: Δ(1) τ1=τ1−τ2, where the values ​​of τ1 and τ2 may be related to the corresponding ToA values ​​of the TRS resources. In the example of Figure 6, the relative receive timing difference offset between the first anchor resources TRS#1 (605) and TRS#2 (610) is Δ (1) The relative reception time difference offset between TRS#1 (605) and TRS#4 (620) is Δ (1) The relative reception time difference offset between the second anchor resource TRS#3 (615) and the second anchor resource TRS#2 (610) is Δ (2) The relative reception time difference offset between TRS#3 (615) and TRS#4 (620) is Δ (2) τ2 (645). Note that the UE may omit relative timing offset calculation of anchor resources and their reporting. For example, the relative timing offset between TRS#1 (605) and TRS#3 (615) may not be calculated or reported. Alternatively, the relative timing offset between anchor resources may not be reported by default, but may be reported based on an indication or configuration that reporting between different anchor resources should be reported, and in such a case, the UE may also report timing difference values ​​between the anchor resources.

[0054] The relative reception time difference offset value may be quantized with L bits, and an additional bit may be reserved for the sign of the value, i.e., 0 = - / negative and 1 = + / positive, and the ToA value of the anchor resource may be quantized with K bits. The UE may provide a TA refinement report periodically / semi-persistently / irregularly via higher layer radio signaling (e.g., L1 or L2 or L3). The TA refinement report includes the following information: the first DL reference signal / TCI state anchor resource absolute ToA value, τ, quantized with K bits. (1) , a first relative receive timing offset value, quantized by L bits, for the first anchor reference signal / TCI state resource in DL, Δ (1)τ1, a second relative receive timing offset value, quantized by L bits, for the first DL anchor reference signal / TCI state resource, Δ (1) τ2, the second DL reference signal / TCI state anchor resource absolute ToA value, quantized by K bits, τ (2) , a first relative receive timing offset value, quantized by L bits, for a second anchor reference signal / TCI state resource in the DL, Δ (2) τ, and / or a second relative receive timing offset value, Δ, quantized by L bits for the second DL anchor reference signal / TCI state resource. (2) τ2. In the example of FIG. 6, the report may be in the following format: (1) , Δ (1) τ1, Δ (1) τ2, τ (2) , Δ (2) τ1, Δ (2) However, this format is not limiting and other formats containing relevant information may be possible.

[0055] In an example embodiment, one or more of the timing offset values ​​reported by the UE may be considered candidate timing advance values ​​for uplink transmissions, i.e., the reported timing offset values ​​may be selected by the gNB and returned to the UE as a timing advance.

[0056] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one, some, or all of these steps may be performed simultaneously with one another.

[0057] In an example embodiment, based on the uplink TA refinement report, the gNB may determine two different TA values ​​indicated by MAC level signaling or L1 level signaling for the UE to apply to uplink RS / signal / channel transmissions, e.g., using two different TA values ​​with different TRPs. For example, the TA values ​​may be selected from the report.

[0058] In an exemplary embodiment, the UE may report a timing offset per anchor DL ​​resource and / or anchor joint / UL / DL TCI state, and / or for a non-anchor DL ​​resource and / or non-anchor joint / UL / DL state. Only a single timing offset value may be applied to simultaneous UL transmissions, regardless of whether multi-panel transmission capability is present. Additionally, a single timing offset value may be reported for each configured anchor resource / TCI state. In an exemplary embodiment, the single timing offset value may represent a timing advance offset value that the UE may use for simultaneous UL transmissions on the reported timing offset measurement resource. In an exemplary embodiment, the reported single timing offset value may satisfy one or more power threshold and / or timing offset window conditions. For example, a UE may be configured with four DL TRS resources #1, ... #4, and TRS #1 may be configured as the anchor resource for timing offset measurements. The UE may report a single timing offset value, τ, with TRS resource #1, TRS resource #2, and TRS resource #3 all / each having a timing offset value of 0 (i.e., indicating that measurements on those resources are not considered valid and / or reliable and / or have a quality defined by the configured power thresholds). Note that a "zero" value between resources may define the reported timing offset as invalid for / on TRS resource #4.

[0059] 7 illustrates, in an exemplary manner, an example of a UL TA improved reporting procedure for simultaneous uplink transmissions with a single timing offset on corresponding TRS resources. A UE may be configured with four TRS resources (710, 720, 730, 740) with one TRS resource as the anchor resource (710). TRS resources, e.g., NZP-CSI-RS resources for time-frequency tracking (periodic / semi-persistent / aperiodic), may be associated with different TRPs by CORESETSetPool index.

[0060] In an exemplary embodiment, a timing advance refinement report for simultaneous uplink transmissions may be generated. Upon receiving different single-antenna port DL TRS resources, the UE may determine a channel estimate associated with each antenna port of the configured / indicated resource / TCI state. Based on the channel estimate, the UE may determine the time of arrival (ToA) of each multipath component (in the time and / or frequency domain) and may select only one ToA value for each TRS resource that is above the noise floor or a configured power threshold (e.g., power threshold Y (750)). The UE may calculate the relative timing offset between the selected ToA value and the ToA value of the "anchor" TRS resource. In the example of FIG. 7, TRS#1 (710), TRS#2 (720), TRS#3 (730), and TRS#4 (740) are each shown as having a detected RX power that is above power threshold Y (750). The timing offset is shown along the x-axis of FIG. 7.

[0061] The UE may select a single relative timing offset value for the anchor resource / TCI state, which may represent the timing advance offset value that the UE may use for simultaneous UL transmissions for the selected DL resource / TCI state. For example, in FIG. 7, the UE may determine that simultaneous UL transmissions are possible for anchor TRS#1 (710) and TRS#3 (730) using a single offset (770). The timing offset value for anchor TRS#1 (710) is τ(1) may be.

[0062] The relative reception time difference offset value may be quantized with L bits, and an additional bit may be reserved for the sign of the value, i.e., 0=- / negative and 1=+ / positive, and the ToA value of the anchor resource may be quantized with K bits.

[0063] The UE may simultaneously provide uplink TX TA refinement reports periodically / semi-persistently / aperiodically via higher layer radio signaling (e.g., L1 or L2 or L3). The reports may include the following information: anchor DL ​​reference signal / TCI status, anchor resource absolute ToA value, τ, quantized by K bits. (1) , the relative receive timing offset value, quantized by L bits, for the first anchor reference signal / TCI state resource in DL, Δ (1) The reported TA may include τ1, and / or a list of DL reference signal resources or TCI states (e.g., TRS#2 (720), TRS#3 (730)) for which the reported single TA may be applied for simultaneous uplink transmissions.

[0064] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one, some, or all of these steps may be performed simultaneously with one another.

[0065] In an exemplary embodiment, a TA refinement procedure that does not use PDCCH order may be defined. The UE may be configured with multiple TA reference resources (e.g., TRS) / TCI states. The relationship between the (received) reference resource and the PRACH preamble may be preconfigured. Upon receiving a DL resource, the UE may transmit a UL PRACH preamble associated with the received DL resource. In beam-domain operation, the beam correspondence between DL RX and UL TX may be estimated. Upon receiving a UL PRACH preamble resource, the gNB may indicate to the UE a timing advance value and the corresponding DL resource, from which the TA value may be determined accordingly.

[0066] In an exemplary embodiment, for an indicated DL reference signal to enable UL TA refinement, the UE may be configured with one or more (unified) TCI states. The TCI state ID may be activated for TA refinement measurements, e.g., using the MAC CE (or RRC / DCI), as described herein. The MAC CE may include one or more TCI state IDs. The UE may determine a timing offset value for a reference RS indicated by a TCI state based on the TCI state (e.g., the RS indicated by the TCI state) listed in the MAC CE. The reference RS may be explicitly indicated. For example, one or more TCI states in the MAC CE may be tagged or associated with an indication that a particular TCI state should be used as a reference. The indication may be a one-bit flag / tag associated with the TCI state index field. The reference RS may also be configured individually. Based on the listed TCI states in the MAC CE and the indicated reference TCI state (or multiple reference TCI states) (e.g., there may be one or more reference values ​​indicated in the MAC CE), the UE may determine a timing offset value (as described herein) for the one or more indicated references.

[0067] A technical effect of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be to enable a reduction in UL SRS resource usage (reducing UL resource overhead).

[0068] A technical effect of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be to provide support for both TRP-specific TAs (multiple TA values) and a single TA (a common TA value for a set of TRPs).

[0069] A technical effect of example embodiments of the present disclosure may be to enable identification of DL resources / TCI states that may be used for simultaneous uplink transmissions with or without beam domain operation.

[0070] A technical effect of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be to enable a UE-friendly implementation (e.g., no need to use multiple TA values ​​on the UE side).

[0071] A technical effect of example embodiments of the present disclosure may be to facilitate reducing uplink SRS resource overhead and latency in the context of UL SRS antenna switching for DL ​​C-JT.

[0072] A technical effect of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be improved coordination between the NW and the UE in the context of resource management (i.e., which UL resources associated with reported DL resources can be used for simultaneous multi-antenna port / panel transmissions).

[0073] 8 shows possible steps of an example method 800. The example method 800 may include receiving 810 a plurality of downlink resources, determining 820 one or more respective timing offset values, where each of the one or more determined respective timing offset values ​​is associated with a different one of the plurality of downlink resources, generating 830 a report based at least in part on the one or more determined respective timing offset values, and transmitting 840 the report to a network. The example method 800 may be performed, for example, in a UE.

[0074] 9 shows possible steps of an example method 900. The example method 900 may include receiving 910 a report from a user equipment, determining 920 one or more timing advance values ​​associated with each of a plurality of corresponding downlink resources based at least in part on the report, and transmitting 930 at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values ​​to the user equipment. The example method 900 may be performed, for example, in a base station or other network entity.

[0075] According to one example embodiment, an apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least receive a plurality of downlink resources; determine one or more respective timing offset values, where each of the one or more respective timing offset values ​​may be associated with a different one of the plurality of downlink resources; generate a report based at least in part on the one or more determined respective timing offset values; and transmit the report to a network.

[0076] The reports may include a timing advance refinement report.

[0077] A plurality of downlink resources may be associated with each of a plurality of transmitting and receiving points of the network.

[0078] The exemplary apparatus may be further configured to receive one or more timing advance values.

[0079] Receiving one or more timing advance values ​​may include the example apparatus being configured to receive one or more timing advance values ​​in response to the transmitted report.

[0080] The example apparatus may be further configured to transmit at least one uplink message to the network using at least one of the one or more timing advance values.

[0081] Generating the report may include the example apparatus being configured to determine at least one first timing offset value associated with a first downlink reference signal associated with one of the plurality of downlink resources and determine at least one second timing offset value associated with a second downlink reference signal associated with another one of the plurality of downlink resources.

[0082] Generating the report may include the example apparatus being configured to include an indication of the at least one first timing offset value and an indication of the at least one second timing offset value in the report.

[0083] At least one of the at least one first timing offset value or the at least one second timing offset value may include a candidate timing advance value for the uplink transmission.

[0084] The multiple downlink resources may include at least one of multiple downlink reference signals, multiple synchronization signal block resources, downlink resources indicated by multiple joint downlink and uplink transmission configuration indicator states, downlink resources indicated by multiple downlink transmission configuration indicator states, or downlink resources indicated by multiple uplink transmission configuration indicator states.

[0085] The plurality of downlink resources may include at least one anchor resource, and determining the one or more respective timing offset values ​​may include an example apparatus configured to: determine a respective relative timing offset value for each of the plurality of downlink resources relative to a timing offset value associated with the at least one anchor resource, wherein the respective relative timing offset value is associated with a first path of one or more power delay profiles associated with the plurality of downlink resources, the first path may exceed a configured power threshold; determine one or more of the respective relative timing offset values ​​that may be within a timing window; and generate a report based at least in part on the determined one or more of the timing offset value associated with the at least one anchor resource and the respective relative timing offset values.

[0086] The one or more determined respective timing offset values ​​may include one or more absolute timing offset values.

[0087] The report may include an indication of a single timing offset value for simultaneous uplink transmissions associated with at least two of the plurality of downlink resources, where the single timing offset value may be at least one of a timing offset value associated with one or more downlink resources, or a timing offset value associated with one or more downlink resources having a signal quality equal to or greater than a received power threshold, or a timing offset value associated with one or more downlink resources within a timing offset window.

[0088] Determining the one or more respective timing offset values ​​includes an example apparatus configured to receive an indication of at least one of a plurality of downlink resources or at least one reference resource of the plurality of downlink resources, where the indication may include at least one of a media access control element, radio resource control, downlink control information, or physical layer control information.

[0089] Determining the one or more respective timing offset values ​​may include an example apparatus configured to: determine a channel estimate for each of a plurality of downlink resources; determine arrival time values ​​based at least in part on the determined channel estimate, where the determined arrival time values ​​may include a value that is equal to or greater than at least one of a noise floor or a received power threshold; and determine relative timing offset values ​​between selected ones of the arrival time values, where the one or more determined respective timing offset values ​​may include the determined relative timing offset value.

[0090] The example apparatus may be further configured to determine a random access preamble associated with at least one of the plurality of downlink resources and transmit the determined random access preamble.

[0091] According to one aspect, an example method may be provided that includes receiving, with a user equipment, a plurality of downlink resources; determining one or more respective timing offset values, where each of the one or more respective timing offset values ​​may be associated with a different one of the plurality of downlink resources; generating a report based at least in part on the one or more determined respective timing offset values; and transmitting the report to a network.

[0092] A plurality of downlink resources may be associated with each of a plurality of transmitting and receiving points of the network.

[0093] The example method may further include receiving one or more timing advance values.

[0094] Receiving the one or more timing advance values ​​may include receiving the one or more timing advance values ​​in response to the transmitted report.

[0095] The example method may further include transmitting at least one uplink message to the network using at least one of the one or more timing advance values.

[0096] The generating of the report may further include determining at least one first timing offset value associated with a first downlink reference signal associated with one of the plurality of downlink resources and determining at least one second timing offset value associated with a second downlink reference signal associated with another one of the plurality of downlink resources.

[0097] Generating the report may further include including an indication of the at least one first timing offset value and an indication of the at least one second timing offset value in the report.

[0098] At least one of the at least one first timing offset value or the at least one second timing offset value may include a candidate timing advance value for the uplink transmission.

[0099] The multiple downlink resources may include at least one of multiple downlink reference signals, multiple synchronization signal block resources, downlink resources indicated by multiple joint downlink and uplink transmission configuration indicator states, downlink resources indicated by multiple downlink transmission configuration indicator states, or downlink resources indicated by multiple uplink transmission configuration indicator states.

[0100] The plurality of downlink resources may include at least one anchor resource, and determining the one or more respective timing offset values ​​may include: determining a respective relative timing offset value for each of the plurality of downlink resources relative to a timing offset value associated with the at least one anchor resource, wherein the respective relative timing offset value is associated with a first path of one or more power delay profiles associated with the plurality of downlink resources, the first path may exceed a configured power threshold; determining one or more of the respective relative timing offset values ​​that may be within a timing window; and generating a report based at least in part on the determined one or more of the timing offset value associated with the at least one anchor resource and the respective relative timing offset values.

[0101] The one or more determined respective timing offset values ​​may include one or more absolute timing offset values.

[0102] The report may include an indication of a single timing offset value for simultaneous uplink transmissions associated with at least two of the plurality of downlink resources, where the single timing offset value may be at least one of a timing offset value associated with one or more downlink resources, a timing offset value associated with one or more downlink resources having a signal quality equal to or greater than a received power threshold, or a timing offset value associated with one or more downlink resources within a timing offset window.

[0103] Determining the one or more respective timing offset values ​​includes receiving an indication of at least one of the plurality of downlink resources or a reference resource of at least one of the plurality of downlink resources, where the indication may include at least one of a media access control element, radio resource control downlink control information, or physical layer control information.

[0104] Determining the one or more respective timing offset values ​​may include: determining a channel estimate for each of the plurality of downlink resources; determining arrival time values ​​based at least in part on the determined channel estimate, where the determined arrival time values ​​may include values ​​that are at least one of equal to or above at least one of a noise floor or a received power threshold; and determining relative timing offset values ​​between selected ones of the arrival time values, where the one or more determined respective timing offset values ​​may include the determined relative timing offset value.

[0105] The example method may further include determining a random access preamble associated with at least one of the plurality of downlink resources and transmitting the determined random access preamble.

[0106] According to one example embodiment, an apparatus may include: circuitry configured to receive, with a user equipment, a plurality of downlink resources; circuitry configured to determine one or more respective timing offset values, where each of the one or more respective timing offset values ​​may be associated with a different one of the plurality of downlink resources; circuitry configured to generate a report based at least in part on the one or more determined respective timing offset values; and circuitry configured to transmit the report to a network.

[0107] According to one example embodiment, an apparatus may include a processing circuit and a memory circuit including computer program code, the memory circuit and the computer program code configured to enable, using the processing circuit, the apparatus to receive a plurality of downlink resources; determine one or more respective timing offset values, where each of the one or more respective timing offset values ​​may be associated with a different one of the plurality of downlink resources; generate a report based at least in part on the one or more determined respective timing offset values; and transmit the report to a network.

[0108] As used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations with only analog and / or digital circuitry), and (b) combinations of hardware circuitry and software, such as (where applicable): (i) combinations of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware, and (ii) hardware processors (including digital signal processors) with software, software, and any portions of memory that work together to cause a device such as a cell phone or server to perform various functions, and (c) hardware circuits and / or processors, such as microprocessors or portions of microprocessors, that require software (e.g., firmware) for operation but where the software is not necessary for operation, the definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used herein, the term circuitry also encompasses implementations of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors), or portions of a hardware circuit or processor, and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuit also encompasses, for example, and where applicable to particular claim elements, a baseband or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0109] According to one example embodiment, an apparatus may include means for receiving a plurality of downlink resources; determining one or more respective timing offset values, where each of the one or more respective timing offset values ​​may be associated with a different one of the plurality of downlink resources; generating a report based at least in part on the one or more determined respective timing offset values; and transmitting the report to a network.

[0110] A plurality of downlink resources may be associated with each of a plurality of transmitting and receiving points of the network.

[0111] The means may be further configured to execute receiving one or more timing advance values.

[0112] The means configured to perform receiving one or more timing advance values ​​may include means configured to perform receiving one or more timing advance values ​​in response to the transmitted report.

[0113] The means may be further configured to perform transmitting at least one uplink message to the network using at least one of the one or more timing advance values.

[0114] The means configured to perform generating the report may be further configured to perform: determining at least one first timing offset value associated with a first downlink reference signal associated with one of the plurality of downlink resources; and determining at least one second timing offset value associated with a second downlink reference signal associated with another one of the plurality of downlink resources.

[0115] The means configured to perform generating the report may be further configured to perform including in the report an indication of the at least one first timing offset value and an indication of the at least one second timing offset value.

[0116] At least one of the at least one first timing offset value or the at least one second timing offset value may include a candidate timing advance value for the uplink transmission.

[0117] The multiple downlink resources may include at least one of multiple downlink reference signals, multiple synchronization signal block resources, downlink resources indicated by multiple joint downlink and uplink transmission configuration indicator states, downlink resources indicated by multiple downlink transmission configuration indicator states, or downlink resources indicated by multiple uplink transmission configuration indicator states.

[0118] The plurality of downlink resources may include at least one anchor resource, and the means configured to perform determining one or more respective timing offset values ​​may include means configured to perform: determining a respective relative timing offset value for each of the plurality of downlink resources relative to a timing offset value associated with the at least one anchor resource, wherein the respective relative timing offset value is associated with a first path of one or more power delay profiles associated with the plurality of downlink resources, the first path may exceed a configured power threshold; determining one or more of the respective relative timing offset values ​​that are within a timing window; and generating a report based at least in part on the determined one or more of the timing offset value associated with the at least one anchor resource and the respective relative timing offset values.

[0119] The one or more determined respective timing offset values ​​may include one or more absolute timing offset values.

[0120] The report may include an indication of a single timing offset value for simultaneous uplink transmissions associated with at least two of the plurality of downlink resources, where the single timing offset value may be at least one of a timing offset value associated with one or more downlink resources, a timing offset value associated with one or more downlink resources having a signal quality equal to or greater than a received power threshold, or a timing offset value associated with one or more downlink resources within a timing offset window.

[0121] The means configured to perform determining one or more respective timing offset values ​​comprises means configured to perform receiving an indication of at least one of the plurality of downlink resources or a reference resource of at least one of the plurality of downlink resources, wherein the indication may include at least one of a media access control element, radio resource control downlink control information, or physical layer control information.

[0122] The means configured to perform determining one or more respective timing offset values ​​may include means configured to perform: determining a channel estimate for each of a plurality of downlink resources; determining an arrival time value based at least in part on the determined channel estimate, where the determined arrival time value may include a value that is at least one of equal to or above at least one of a noise floor or a received power threshold; and determining relative timing offset values ​​between selected ones of the arrival time values, where the one or more determined respective timing offset values ​​may include a determined relative timing offset value.

[0123] The means may be further configured to determine a random access preamble associated with at least one of the plurality of downlink resources and transmit the determined random access preamble.

[0124] A processor, memory, and / or exemplary algorithms (which may be encoded as instructions, programs, or code) may be provided as exemplary means for providing or causing the performance of operations.

[0125] According to one example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions stored on at least one processor that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: cause reception of a plurality of downlink resources; determine one or more respective timing offset values, where each of the one or more respective timing offset values ​​may be associated with a different one of the plurality of downlink resources; generate a report based at least in part on the one or more determined respective timing offset values; and cause transmission of the report to a network.

[0126] According to another example embodiment, a machine-readable non-transitory program storage device may be provided that tangibly embodies machine-executable instructions for performing operations including: causing reception of a plurality of downlink resources; determining one or more respective timing offset values, wherein each of the one or more respective timing offset values ​​may be associated with a different one of the plurality of downlink resources; generating a report based at least in part on the one or more determined respective timing offset values; and causing transmission of the report to a network.

[0127] According to another example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least receive a plurality of downlink resources; determine one or more respective timing offset values, where each of the one or more respective timing offset values ​​may be associated with a different one of the plurality of downlink resources; generate a report based at least in part on the one or more determined respective timing offset values; and transmit the report to a network.

[0128] The computer-implemented system includes at least one processor and at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to at least receive a plurality of downlink resources; determine one or more respective timing offset values, where each of the one or more respective timing offset values ​​may be associated with a different one of the plurality of downlink resources; generate a report based at least in part on the one or more determined respective timing offset values; and transmit the report to a network.

[0129] The computer-implemented system includes means for receiving a plurality of downlink resources; means for determining one or more respective timing offset values, where each of the one or more respective timing offset values ​​may be associated with a different one of the plurality of downlink resources; means for generating a report based at least in part on the one or more determined respective timing offset values; and means for transmitting the report to a network.

[0130] According to one example embodiment, the apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive a report from a user equipment; determine, based at least in part on the report, one or more timing advance values ​​associated with each of a plurality of corresponding downlink resources; and transmit at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values ​​to the user equipment.

[0131] The reports may include a timing advance refinement report.

[0132] The exemplary apparatus may be further configured to receive, from the user equipment, at least one uplink message transmitted using at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values.

[0133] The plurality of corresponding downlink resources may include at least one of a plurality of downlink reference signals, a plurality of synchronization signal block resources, downlink resources indicated by a plurality of joint downlink and uplink transmission configuration indicator states, downlink resources indicated by a plurality of downlink transmission configuration indicator states, or downlink resources indicated by a plurality of uplink transmission configuration indicator states.

[0134] The report may include at least one of: an indication of a timing offset value associated with at least one anchor resource; an indication of one or more relative timing offset values; an indication of one or more absolute timing offset values; a single timing offset value for simultaneous uplink transmission using at least two of the multiple transmission and reception points; an indication of timing offset values ​​associated with one or more downlink resources having a signal quality above a received power threshold; an indication of timing offset values ​​associated with one or more downlink resources within a timing offset window; or an indication of timing offset values ​​that are candidate timing advance values ​​for uplink transmission.

[0135] The exemplary apparatus may be further configured to send an indication to the user equipment to perform measurements for generation of the report, where the indication may include at least one of: one or more identifiers of the plurality of corresponding downlink resources or an identifier of at least one reference resource of the plurality of corresponding downlink resources, and the indication may include at least one of a media access control element, radio resource control downlink control information, or physical layer control information.

[0136] The example apparatus may be further configured to receive, from the user equipment, a random access preamble associated with at least one of the plurality of corresponding downlink resources, and to transmit, to the user equipment, at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values ​​in response to the received random access preamble.

[0137] According to one aspect, an example method may be provided that includes receiving a report from a user equipment; determining, based at least in part on the report, one or more timing advance values ​​associated with each of a plurality of corresponding downlink resources; and transmitting at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values ​​to the user equipment.

[0138] The example method may further include receiving, from the user equipment, at least one uplink message transmitted using at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values.

[0139] The plurality of corresponding downlink resources may include at least one of a plurality of downlink reference signals, a plurality of synchronization signal block resources, downlink resources indicated by a plurality of joint downlink and uplink transmission configuration indicator states, downlink resources indicated by a plurality of downlink transmission configuration indicator states, or downlink resources indicated by a plurality of uplink transmission configuration indicator states.

[0140] The report may include at least one of: an indication of a timing offset value associated with at least one anchor resource; an indication of one or more relative timing offset values; an indication of one or more absolute timing offset values; a single timing offset value for simultaneous uplink transmission using at least two of the multiple transmission and reception points; an indication of timing offset values ​​associated with one or more downlink resources having a signal quality above a received power threshold; an indication of timing offset values ​​associated with one or more downlink resources within a timing offset window; or an indication of timing offset values ​​that are candidate timing advance values ​​for uplink transmission.

[0141] The example method may further include transmitting an indication to the user equipment to perform measurements for generation of the report, wherein the indication may include at least one of: one or more identifiers of the plurality of corresponding downlink resources or an identifier of at least one reference resource of the plurality of corresponding downlink resources, and the indication may include at least one of a media access control element, radio resource control downlink control information, or physical layer control information.

[0142] The example method may further include receiving, from the user equipment, a random access preamble associated with at least one of the plurality of corresponding downlink resources; and transmitting, to the user equipment, at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values ​​in response to the received random access preamble.

[0143] According to one example embodiment, an apparatus may include circuitry configured to receive a report from a user equipment; circuitry configured to determine, based at least in part on the report, one or more timing advance values ​​associated with each of a plurality of corresponding downlink resources; and circuitry configured to transmit at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values ​​to the user equipment.

[0144] According to one example embodiment, an apparatus may include a processing circuit and a memory circuit including computer program code, the memory circuit and the computer program code configured to enable, using the processing circuit, the apparatus to receive a report from a user equipment, determine, based at least in part on the report, one or more timing advance values ​​associated with each of a plurality of corresponding downlink resources, and transmit at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values ​​to the user equipment.

[0145] According to one example embodiment, the apparatus may include means for receiving a report from a user equipment; determining, based at least in part on the report, one or more timing advance values ​​associated with each of a plurality of corresponding downlink resources; and transmitting at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values ​​to the user equipment.

[0146] The means may be further configured to perform receiving, from the user equipment, at least one uplink message transmitted using at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values.

[0147] The plurality of corresponding downlink resources may include at least one of a plurality of downlink reference signals, a plurality of synchronization signal block resources, downlink resources indicated by a plurality of joint downlink and uplink transmission configuration indicator states, downlink resources indicated by a plurality of downlink transmission configuration indicator states, or downlink resources indicated by a plurality of uplink transmission configuration indicator states.

[0148] The report may include at least one of: an indication of a timing offset value associated with at least one anchor resource; an indication of one or more relative timing offset values; an indication of one or more absolute timing offset values; a single timing offset value for simultaneous uplink transmission using at least two of the multiple transmission and reception points; an indication of timing offset values ​​associated with one or more downlink resources having a signal quality above a received power threshold; an indication of timing offset values ​​associated with one or more downlink resources within a timing offset window; or an indication of timing offset values ​​that are candidate timing advance values ​​for uplink transmission.

[0149] The means may be further configured to perform transmitting an indication to the user equipment to perform measurements for generation of the report, where the indication may include at least one of: one or more identifiers of the plurality of corresponding downlink resources or an identifier of at least one reference resource of the plurality of corresponding downlink resources, and the indication may include at least one of a media access control element, radio resource control downlink control information, or physical layer control information.

[0150] The means may be further configured to receive, from the user equipment, a random access preamble associated with at least one of the plurality of corresponding downlink resources; and transmit at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values ​​to the user equipment in response to the received random access preamble.

[0151] According to one example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: cause reception of a report from user equipment; determine, based at least in part on the report, one or more timing advance values ​​associated with each of a plurality of corresponding downlink resources; and cause transmission of at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values ​​to the user equipment.

[0152] According to another example embodiment, a machine-readable non-transitory program storage device may be provided that tangibly embodies machine-executable instructions for performing operations including causing reception of a report from user equipment; determining, based at least in part on the report, one or more timing advance values ​​associated with each of a plurality of corresponding downlink resources; and causing transmission of at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values ​​to the user equipment.

[0153] According to another example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least receive a report from a user equipment; determine, based at least in part on the report, one or more timing advance values ​​associated with each of a plurality of corresponding downlink resources; and transmit at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values ​​to the user equipment.

[0154] The computer-implemented system includes at least one processor and at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to at least receive a report from a user equipment; determine, based at least in part on the report, one or more timing advance values ​​associated with each of a plurality of corresponding downlink resources; and transmit at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values ​​to the user equipment.

[0155] The computer-implemented system includes means for receiving a report from a user equipment; means for determining, based at least in part on the report, one or more timing advance values ​​associated with each of a plurality of corresponding downlink resources; and means for transmitting at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values ​​to the user equipment.

[0156] The term non-transitory as used herein is not a limitation on data storage permanence (eg, RAM vs. ROM), but rather a limitation on the medium itself (ie, tangible, not a signal).

[0157] It should be understood that the foregoing description is merely illustrative. Various alternatives and modifications may be devised by those skilled in the art. For example, the features recited in the various dependent claims may be combined with each other in any suitable combination. In addition, features from different embodiments described above may be selectively combined to form new embodiments. Accordingly, this description is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. 1. An apparatus comprising: receiving a plurality of downlink resources; determining one or more respective timing offset values, each of the one or more respective timing offset values ​​being associated with a different one of a plurality of downlink resources; generating a report based at least in part on the one or more determined respective timing offset values; Sending the report to the network; and An apparatus comprising: means for performing

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of downlink resources are associated with each of a plurality of transmitting and receiving points of the network.

3. The means is, Receiving one or more timing advance values The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, further configured to perform:

4. The means configured to perform receiving one or more timing advance values ​​comprises: receiving one or more timing advance values ​​in response to the transmitted report; 4. The apparatus of claim 3, comprising means configured to perform:

5. The means is, transmitting at least one uplink message to the network using at least one of the one or more timing advance values; 5. The apparatus of claim 3 or 4, further configured to perform:

6. means configured to perform generating a report, determining at least one first timing offset value associated with a first downlink reference signal associated with one of the plurality of downlink resources; determining at least one second timing offset value associated with a second downlink reference signal associated with another one of the plurality of downlink resources; The apparatus of claim 1 , further configured to:

7. means configured to perform generating a report, Including in the report an indication of at least one first timing offset value and an indication of at least one second timing offset value. The apparatus of claim 6 , further configured to perform:

8. 8. The apparatus of claim 6 or 7, wherein at least one of the at least one first timing offset value or the at least one second timing offset value comprises a candidate timing advance value for uplink transmission.

9. The plurality of downlink resources includes at least one anchor resource, and the means configured to perform determining one or more respective timing offset values ​​comprises: determining a respective relative timing offset value for each of a plurality of downlink resources relative to a timing offset value associated with at least one anchor resource, wherein the respective relative timing offset value is associated with a first path of one or more power delay profiles associated with the plurality of downlink resources, the first path exceeding a configured power threshold; determining one or more of the respective relative timing offset values ​​within the timing window; generating a report based at least in part on the determined one or more of the timing offset values ​​associated with the at least one anchor resource and their respective relative timing offset values; 9. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising means adapted to perform:

10. 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more determined respective timing offset values ​​comprise one or more absolute timing offset values.

11. the report includes an indication of a single timing offset value for simultaneous uplink transmissions associated with at least two of the plurality of downlink resources, the single timing offset value being: a timing offset value associated with one or more downlink resources; a timing offset value associated with one or more downlink resources having a signal quality equal to or greater than a received power threshold; or a timing offset value associated with one or more downlink resources within the timing offset window; 11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device is at least one of:

12. means configured to perform determining one or more respective timing offset values, Multiple downlink resources, or At least one reference resource of the plurality of downlink resources and means configured to perform receiving an indication of at least one of: The indication is Media access control elements, Radio resource control downlink control information, or Physical Layer Control Information 12. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising at least one of:

13. means configured to perform determining one or more respective timing offset values, determining a channel estimate for each of a plurality of downlink resources; determining a time of arrival value based at least in part on the determined channel estimate, the determined time of arrival value comprising a value that is at least one of equal to or above at least one of a noise floor or a received power threshold; determining relative timing offset values ​​between selected ones of the arrival time values, wherein the one or more determined respective timing offset values ​​comprise the determined relative timing offset values; 13. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, comprising means adapted to perform:

14. The means is, determining a random access preamble associated with at least one of a plurality of downlink resources; transmitting the determined random access preamble; 14. The apparatus of claim 1, further configured to:

15. 1. A method comprising: receiving, with a user equipment, a plurality of downlink resources; determining one or more respective timing offset values, each of the one or more respective timing offset values ​​being associated with a different one of a plurality of downlink resources; generating a report based at least in part on the one or more determined respective timing offset values; Sending the report to the network; and A method comprising:

16. 1. An apparatus comprising: receiving a report from a user equipment; determining, based at least in part on the report, one or more timing advance values ​​associated with each of a plurality of corresponding downlink resources; transmitting at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values ​​to a user equipment; An apparatus comprising: means for performing

17. 1. A method comprising: receiving a report from a user equipment; determining, based at least in part on the report, one or more timing advance values ​​associated with each of a plurality of corresponding downlink resources; transmitting at least one of the one or more determined timing advance values ​​to a user equipment; A method comprising:

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