User Equipment and Base Stations

Abstract

Some example embodiments relate to a user equipment (UE), a base station, and respective methods for the UE and the base station. For example, the UE includes a transceiver that, in operation, receives a relationship indicator indicating a relative spatial relationship between each of a plurality of beams. The UE further includes circuitry that, in operation, performs a beam management procedure using the relative spatial relationship. The relationship indicator includes a plurality of beam indicators, each of the beam indicators indicating a beam included in the plurality of beams, and each of the beam indicators is associated with at least one element of a grid.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] 1.Technical Field This disclosure relates to transmitting and receiving signals in communication systems such as 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®). In particular, this disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for such transmission and reception. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of Related Technology 3GPP is working on technical specifications for next-generation cellular technology (also known as 5G), including New Radio (NR) access technology (RAT), which will operate in the frequency range up to 100 GHz. NR is the successor to technologies represented by Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE Advanced (LTE-A).

[0003] In systems such as LTE, LTE-A, and NR, further improvements and options may facilitate efficient operation of the communication system and certain devices associated with the communication system. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] One non-limiting exemplary embodiment facilitates improving the efficiency of beam management procedures, particularly in scenarios where artificial intelligence / machine learning models are utilized. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In one embodiment, the technology disclosed herein features a user equipment (UE), the UE including a transceiver that, in operation, receives a relationship indicator indicating a relative spatial relationship between a plurality of beams, the UE further including circuitry that, in operation, performs a beam management procedure using the relative spatial relationships.

[0006] It should be noted that the general or specific embodiments may be implemented as a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, a storage medium, or any selective combination thereof.

[0007] Further advantages and benefits of an embodiment of the present disclosure will become apparent from the specification and drawings. Such advantages and / or benefits may be provided by some of the embodiments and features described in the specification and drawings, but not all of them necessarily need to be provided to obtain one or more identical features.

[0008] The following exemplary embodiments are described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example architecture of a 3GPP NR system. [Figure 2] Schematic diagram showing functional separation between NG-RAN and 5GC [Figure 3] Sequence diagram of RRC connection setup / reconfiguration procedure [Figure 4] Schematic showing enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) usage scenarios [Figure 5] Block diagram illustrating an exemplary 5G system architecture for a non-roaming scenario [Figure 6] FIG. 1 shows an example of antenna array grouping discussed in 3GPP. [Figure 7]FIG. 1 shows an example of a cross-polarized panel array antenna model. [Figure 8] 1A and 1B illustrate examples of spatial relationships between multiple beams, where multiple first beams are a subset of multiple second beams. [Figure 9] 1A and 1B illustrate examples of spatial relationships between multiple beams, where the multiple first beams are different from the multiple second beams. [Figure 10] 1 is a general, simplified, exemplary block diagram of a user equipment and a base station. [Figure 11] 1 illustrates a method performed by a user equipment and a base station. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 illustrates another example of the spatial relationship between multiple beams. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] <5G NR system architecture and protocol stack> 3GPP is working on the next release of fifth-generation cellular technology (known simply as "5G"), which includes the development of a new radio access technology (NR) that will operate in frequencies up to 100 GHz. The first version of the 5G standard was completed at the end of 2017, allowing for the testing and commercial deployment of smartphones compliant with the 5G NR standard.

[0011] In particular, the overall system architecture assumes a Next Generation - Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) with gNBs, which terminate the NG radio access user plane (SDAP / PDCP / RLC / MAC / PHY) protocols and control plane (Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocols) towards UEs. The gNBs are interconnected with each other by an Xn interface. The gNBs are also connected to the Next Generation Core (NGC) by a Next Generation (NG) interface, more specifically to the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) (e.g., a specific core entity running the AMF) by an NG-C interface, and to the User Plane Function (UPF) (e.g., a specific core entity running the UPF) by an NG-U interface. The NG-RAN architecture is shown in Figure 1 (see, e.g., Section 4 of 3GPP TS 38.300 v15.6.0).

[0012] The user plane protocol stack in NR (see, for example, Section 4.4.1 of 3GPP TS 38.300) includes the PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) sublayer, the RLC (Radio Link Control) sublayer, and the MAC (Medium Access Control) sublayer, which are terminated at the gNB on the network side. In addition, a new access stratum (AS) sublayer (SDAP, Service Data Adaptation Protocol) is introduced above PDCP (see, for example, Section 6.5 of 3GPP TS 38.300). A control plane protocol stack is also defined in NR (see, for example, Section 4.4.2 of TS 38.300). An overview of Layer 2 functionality is given in TS 38.300, clause 6. The functionality of the PDCP, RLC, and MAC sublayers is given in TS 38.300, clauses 6.4, 6.3, and 6.2, respectively. The functionality of the RRC layer is given in TS 38.300, clause 7.

[0013] For example, the Medium-Access-Control (MAC) layer handles scheduling and scheduling-related functions, including multiplexing logical channels and handling various numerologies.

[0014] The physical layer (PHY) is responsible for, for example, coding, PHY HARQ processing, modulation, multi-antenna processing, and mapping of signals to appropriate physical time-frequency resources. The physical layer also handles mapping of transport channels to physical channels. The physical layer provides services to the MAC layer in the form of transport channels. A physical channel corresponds to a set of time-frequency resources used for transmitting a specific transport channel, and each transport channel is mapped to a corresponding physical channel. For example, physical channels are the PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel), PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel), and PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel) for the uplink, and the PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel), PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel), and PBCH (Physical Broadcast Channel) for the downlink.

[0015] NR use cases / deployment scenarios include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC), and / or massive machine-type communications (mMTC), which have diverse requirements for data rates, latency, and coverage. For example, eMBB is expected to support peak data rates (20 Gbps downlink and 10 Gbps uplink) and user-perceived data rates on the order of three times those offered by IMT-Advanced. In contrast, URLLC has more stringent requirements, including extremely low latency (user plane latency of 0.5 ms for UL and DL, respectively) and high reliability (1-10 Mbps within 1 ms). -5) and mMTC requires high connection density (1 km in urban environments). 2 1,000,000 devices per second), wide coverage in harsh environments, and extremely long battery life (15 years) to lower device costs may preferably be required.

[0016] Therefore, an OFDM numerology (e.g., subcarrier spacing, OFDM symbol length, cyclic prefix (CP) length, number of symbols per scheduling interval) suitable for one use case may not work well for another use case. For example, low-latency services may preferably require a shorter symbol length (and therefore a larger subcarrier spacing) and / or fewer symbols per scheduling interval (also referred to as TTI) than mMTC services. Furthermore, deployment scenarios with large channel delay spreads may preferably require a longer CP length than scenarios with small delay spreads. To maintain a similar CP overhead, the subcarrier spacing should be optimized depending on the delay spread. In NR, more than one value of subcarrier spacing may be supported. Therefore, subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, ... are currently being considered. The symbol length T u and the subcarrier spacing Δf is given by the formula (Δf=1 / T u ) As in LTE systems, the term "resource element" can be used to denote the smallest resource unit consisting of one subcarrier for the length of one OFDM / SC-FDMA symbol.

[0017] In the new wireless system 5G-NR, for each numerology and carrier, a resource grid of subcarriers and OFDM symbols is defined for both the uplink and the downlink. Each element in the resource grid is called a resource element and is identified based on the frequency index in the frequency domain and the symbol position in the time domain (see, for example, Section 4 of 3GPP TS 38.211, for example, v17.1.0). For example, downlink transmission and uplink transmission are set in frames with a time duration of 10 ms. Each frame consists of 10 subframes each with a time duration of 1 ms. In the implementation of 5G NR, the number of consecutive OFDM symbols per subframe depends on the setting of the subcarrier spacing. For example, for a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz, the subframe has 14 OFDM symbols (assuming a normal cyclic prefix, similar to an LTE-compliant implementation). On the other hand, for a subcarrier spacing of 30 kHz, the subframe has two slots, and each slot contains 14 OFDM symbols.

[0018] <Split of 5G NR functions between NG-RAN and 5GC> Figure 2 shows the split of functions between NG-RAN and 5GC. The logical nodes of NG-RAN are gNB or ng-eNB. The logical nodes of 5GC are AMF, UPF, and SMF.

[0019] In particular, gNB and ng-eNB handle the following major functions.

[0020] - Functions of radio resource management such as radio bearer control, radio admission control, connection mobility control, and dynamic resource allocation (scheduling) to the UE in both the uplink and downlink directions - IP header compression, encryption, and integrity protection of data - AMF selection at UE attach time when routing to the AMF cannot be determined from information provided by the UE - Routing of user plane data to the UPF - Routing of control plane information to AMF - Establishing and releasing connections - scheduling and sending of paging messages - System broadcast information (sent from AMF or OAM) (scheduling and transmission) - Configuring measurements and measurement reporting for mobility and scheduling - Transport-level packet marking in the uplink - Session Management - Network slicing support - QoS flow management and mapping to data radio bearers - Support for UEs in RRC_INACTIVE state - Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message delivery function - Radio Access Network Sharing - Dual Connectivity - Close interworking between NR and E-UTRA

[0021] The Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) handles the following main functions: - Termination of Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling - NAS signaling security - Access Stratum (AS) security control - Core Network (CN) inter-node signaling for mobility between 3GPP access networks - Reachability for idle mode UEs (including control and execution of paging retransmissions) - Registration Area Management - Support for intra-system and inter-system mobility - Access Authentication - Access authentication, including roaming rights checks - Mobility management controls (subscriptions and policies) - Network slicing support - Selection of Session Management Function (SMF)

[0022] Furthermore, the User Plane Function (UPF) handles the following main functions: - Anchor points for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable) - External PDU session points for interconnection with data networks - Packet routing and forwarding - User plane portion of packet inspection and policy rule enforcement - Traffic Usage Report - Uplink classifier to support routing of traffic flows to the data network - Branching points to support multi-homed PDU sessions - User plane QoS processing (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement) - Verification of uplink traffic (mapping from SDF to QoS flow) - Downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering

[0023] Finally, the Session Management Function (SMF) handles the following major functions: - Session Management - UE IP address allocation and management - UP function selection and control - Configuration of traffic steering in the User Plane Function (UPF) for routing traffic to the correct destination - Policy enforcement and QoS control part - Downlink data notification

[0024] <Procedures for establishment and reconfiguration of RRC connection> Figure 3 shows the interaction between the UE, gNB, and AMF (5GC entity) in the NAS part when the UE transitions from RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED (see, for example, TS 38.300 v15.6.0).

[0025] RRC is the upper layer signaling (protocol) used for the configuration of the UE and gNB. In particular, in this transition, the AMF creates UE context data (including, for example, PDU session context, security keys, UE radio capabilities, UE security capabilities, etc.) and sends it to the gNB via INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST. Next, the gNB activates the AS security with the UE, which is performed by the gNB sending a SecurityModeCommand message to the UE and the UE responding to the gNB with a SecurityModeComplete message. Thereafter, the gNB performs reconfiguration to establish signaling radio bearer 2 (SRB2) and data radio bearer (DRB), which is by the gNB sending an RRCReconfiguration message to the UE and receiving RRCReconfigurationComplete from the UE in response. In the case of a signaling-only connection, SRB2 and DRB are not established, so these steps related to RRCReconfiguration are skipped. Finally, the gNB notifies the AMF via INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE that the establishment procedure has completed.

[0026] Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a fifth generation core (5GC) entity (e.g., AMF, SMF, etc.) having, in operation, a control circuit that establishes a next generation (NG) connection with a gNodeB such that a signaling radio bearer is established between the gNodeB and a user equipment (UE), and a transmitter that, in operation, transmits an initial context setup message to the gNodeB over the NG connection. In particular, the gNodeB transmits radio resource control (RRC) signaling including a resource allocation configuration information element to the UE over the signaling radio bearer. The UE then performs uplink transmission or downlink reception based on the resource allocation configuration.

[0027] <IMT usage scenarios after 2020> Figure 4 shows some use cases for 5G NR. The 3GPP NR (3rd Generation Partnership Project New Radio) is considering three use cases envisioned for IMT-2020 to support a wide variety of services and applications. Phase 1 specifications for enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) have been finalized. Current and future work includes standardization for ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC) and large-scale machine-type communications, in addition to further extending eMBB support. Figure 4 shows some example IMT usage scenarios envisioned for 2020 and beyond (see, for example, Figure 2 in ITU-R M.2083).

[0028] URLLC use cases have stringent requirements for capabilities such as throughput, latency, and availability, and are envisioned as one of the enablers for future vertical applications, such as wireless control of industrial manufacturing or production processes, remote medical surgery, power distribution automation in smart grids, and transportation safety. URLLC's ultra-high reliability is supported by identifying technologies to meet the requirements set by TR 38.913. For NR URLLC in Release 15, key requirements include a user plane target latency of 0.5 ms for the uplink (UL) and 0.5 ms for the downlink (DL). A typical URLLC requirement for a single packet transmission is a block error rate (BLER) of 1E-5 for a 32-byte packet size with a 1-ms user plane latency.

[0029] From a physical layer perspective, there are several possible ways to improve reliability. Current scope for improving reliability includes defining a separate CQI table for URLLC, a more compact DCI format, PDCCH repetition, etc. However, as NR becomes more stable and developed (a key requirement for NR URLLC), the scope for achieving ultra-high reliability may expand. Specific use cases for NR URLLC in Release 15 include augmented reality / virtual reality (AR / VR), e-health, e-safety, and mission-critical applications.

[0030] Furthermore, technology enhancements targeted at NR URLLC target latency improvement and reliability enhancement. Technology enhancements for latency improvement include configurable numerology, non-slot-based scheduling with flexible mapping, grant-free (configured grant) uplink, slot-level repetition of data channels, and downlink preemption. Preemption means that a transmission for which resources have already been allocated is aborted and the already allocated resources are used for another transmission requested later with smaller latency / higher priority requirements. Thus, an already granted transmission is preempted by a later transmission. Preemption applies regardless of the specific service type. For example, a transmission of service type A (URLLC) can be preempted by a transmission of service type B (e.g., eMBB). Technology enhancements for reliability improvement include dedicated CQI / MCS tables for a target BLER of 1E-5.

[0031] The mMTC (Massive Machine Type Communication) use case is characterized by a very large number of connected devices transmitting relatively small amounts of data that are generally latency sensitive. The devices need to be low cost and have extremely long battery life. From an NR perspective, utilizing very narrow bandwidth portions is one possible solution to achieve power savings from the UE perspective, enabling long battery life.

[0032] As mentioned above, it is expected that the range of reliability in NR will expand. One key requirement for all cases, especially for URLLC and mMTC, is high or ultra-high reliability. Several mechanisms can be considered to improve reliability from a radio perspective and a network perspective. In general, there are several key areas that can help improve reliability. These areas include compact control channel information, data channel / control channel repetition, and diversity related to the frequency, time, and / or spatial domains. These areas are generally applicable to reliability, regardless of the specific communication scenario.

[0033] Additional use cases with more stringent requirements are envisioned for NR URLLC, such as factory automation, transportation, and power distribution. The more stringent requirements include higher reliability (up to 10 times faster), depending on the use case. -6 level), higher availability, packet size up to 256 bytes, time synchronization on the order of a few microseconds (values ​​range from 1 to a few microseconds depending on the frequency range), and short latency on the order of 0.5 to 1 ms (target latency for the user plane in particular is 0.5 ms).

[0034] Furthermore, for NR URLLC, there can be several technical enhancements from the perspective of the physical layer. In particular, enhancements related to PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) include compact DCI, repetition of PDCCH, and increased PDCCH monitoring. Also, enhancements related to UCI (Uplink Control Information) include enhancements of HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) and CSI feedback. In addition, enhancements of PUSCH related to mini-slot level hopping and retransmission / repetition have also been recognized. The term "mini-slot" means a transmission time interval (TTI: Transmission Time Interval) that contains a smaller number of symbols than a slot (a slot contains, for example, 14 symbols).

[0035] <QoS Control> The 5G QoS (Quality of Service) model is based on QoS flows and supports both QoS flows that require a guaranteed flow bit rate (GBR QoS flows) and QoS flows that do not require a guaranteed flow bit rate (non-GBR QoS flows). Therefore, at the NAS level, the QoS flow is the finest granularity for QoS differentiation in a PDU session. A QoS flow is identified within a PDU session by a QoS flow ID (QFI) that is transmitted within the encapsulation header through the NG-U interface.

[0036] The 5GC establishes one or more PDU sessions for each UE. The NG-RAN establishes at least one Data Radio Bearer (DRB) for each UE along with the PDU session, and can then configure additional DRBs for the QoS flows of that PDU session (as determined by the NG-RAN, e.g., as described above with reference to Figure 3). The NG-RAN maps packets belonging to different PDU sessions to different DRBs. NAS-level packet filters in the UE and 5GC associate UL and DL packets with QoS flows, and AS-level mapping rules in the UE and NG-RAN associate UL and DL QoS flows with DRBs.

[0037] Figure 5 illustrates the 5G NR non-roaming reference architecture (see Section 4.23 of TS 23.501 v16.1.0). Application Functions (AFs) (e.g., external application servers handling the 5G services exemplarily illustrated in Figure 4) interact with the 3GPP Core Network to provide services. For example, they may support application influence on traffic routing, access Network Exposure Functions (NEFs), or interact with a policy framework (see Policy Control Function (PCF)) for policy control (e.g., QoS control). Based on the operator's deployment, application functions deemed trusted by the operator may be allowed to interact directly with the relevant Network Functions. Application Functions not permitted by the operator to directly access Network Functions interact with the relevant Network Functions using an external exposure framework via the NEF.

[0038] Figure 5 shows further functional units of the 5G architecture: Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), Network Repository Function (NRF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), and Data Network (DN) (e.g., operator services, internet access, or third-party services). All or part of the core network functions and application services may be located and run in a cloud computing environment.

[0039] Therefore, the present disclosure provides an application server (e.g., an AF in a 5G architecture) having: a transmitter unit that, in operation, sends a request including QoS requirements for at least one of a URLLC service, an eMMB service, and an mMTC service to at least one of 5GC functions (e.g., an NEF, an AMF, an SMF, a PCF, an UPF, etc.) to establish a PDU session including a radio bearer between a gNodeB and a UE in accordance with the QoS requirements; and a control circuit that, in operation, executes the service using the established PDU session.

[0040] <Control signal> In the present disclosure, the downlink control signal (information) according to the present disclosure may be a signal (information) transmitted via a PDCCH of a physical layer, or may be a signal (information) transmitted via a MAC Control Element (CE) of a higher layer or an RRC. The downlink control signal may be a predefined signal (information).

[0041] The uplink control signal (information) according to the present disclosure may be a signal (information) transmitted via a PUCCH of a physical layer, or may be a signal (information) transmitted via a MAC CE of a higher layer or RRC. The uplink control signal may also be a predefined signal (information). The uplink control signal may be uplink control information (UCI), first-stage sidelink control information (SCI), or second-stage SCI.

[0042] <Base station> In the present disclosure, a base station may be, for example, a Transmission Reception Point (TRP), a cluster head, an access point, a Remote Radio Head (RRH), an eNodeB (eNB), a gNodeB (gNB), a Base Station (BS), a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), a base unit, or a gateway. Furthermore, in sidelink communication, a terminal may be used instead of a base station. The base station may be a relay device that relays communication between an upper node and a terminal. The base station may be a roadside unit.

[0043] <Uplink / Downlink / Sidelink> The present disclosure may be applied to any of the uplink, downlink, and sidelink.

[0044] For example, the present disclosure may be applied to uplink channels such as PUSCH, PUCCH, and PRACH, downlink channels such as PDSCH, PDCCH, and PBCH, and sidelinks such as PSSCH (Physical Sidelink Shared Channel), PSCCH (Physical Sidelink Control Channel), and PSBCH (Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel).

[0045] The PDCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PUCCH are examples of a downlink control channel, a downlink data channel, an uplink data channel, and an uplink control channel, respectively. The PSCCH and PSSCH are examples of a sidelink control channel and a sidelink data channel, respectively. The PBCH and PSBCH are examples of a broadcast channel, and the PRACH is an example of a random access channel.

[0046] <Data channel / control channel> The present disclosure may be applied to both data channels and control channels. The channels in the present disclosure may be replaced with data channels including PDSCH, PUSCH, and PSSCH, and / or control channels including PDCCH, PUCCH, PBCH, PSCCH, and PSBCH.

[0047] <Reference signal> In this disclosure, a reference signal is a signal known to both a base station and a mobile station, and each reference signal may be referred to as a reference signal (RS) or a pilot signal. A reference signal may be any of a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a channel state information - reference signal (CSI-RS), a tracking reference signal (TRS), a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), a cell-specific reference signal (CRS), and a sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0048] <time interval> In the present disclosure, the time resource unit is not limited to one or a combination of a slot and a symbol, and may be a time resource unit such as a frame, a superframe, a subframe, a slot, a subslot of a time slot, a minislot, or a symbol, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, a Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiplexing Access (SC-FDMA) symbol, or other time resource unit. The number of symbols included in one slot is not limited to the number of symbols exemplified in the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be other numbers of symbols.

[0049] <Frequency band> The present disclosure may be applied to both licensed and unlicensed bands.

[0050] <Communication> The present disclosure may be applied to communication between a base station and a terminal (Uu link communication), communication between terminals (sidelink communication), and V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication. The channels in the present disclosure may be rephrased as PSCCH, PSSCH, physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH), PSBCH, PDCCH, PUCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PBCH.

[0051] The present disclosure can be applied to both terrestrial networks and non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) using satellites or high altitude pseudo satellites (HAPSs). The present disclosure can also be applied to networks with large cell sizes and terrestrial networks with large delays compared to the symbol length or slot length, such as ultra-wideband transmission networks.

[0052] <Antenna port> An antenna port refers to a logical antenna (antenna group) formed from one or more physical antennas. That is, an antenna port does not necessarily refer to a single physical antenna, but may refer to an array antenna consisting of multiple antennas. For example, the number of physical antennas constituting an antenna port is not defined. Instead, an antenna port is defined as the smallest unit through which a terminal is permitted to transmit a reference signal. An antenna port can also be defined as the smallest unit for multiplication of precoding vector weights.

[0053] According to ongoing 3GPP discussions, antenna arrays may be grouped into multiple panel groups. Figure 6 shows an example of antenna array grouping as discussed in 3GPP (see, for example, "RAN1 Chair's note," 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 #110, Toulouse, France, August 22-26, 2022, Version 21, https: / / www.3gpp.org / ftp / tsg_ran / WG1_RL1 / TSGR1_110 / Inbox / Chair_notes, especially pages 121-126). In the example shown in Figure 6, separate Tx / Rx antenna arrays are modeled by two panel groups. For this purpose, legacy parameters (M, N, P, M) are used to describe each panel group. g , N g ), (d H , d V ), and (d g,H , d g,V ) may also be used.

[0054] M represents the number of vertical antenna elements in the panel in one polarization, N represents the number of horizontal antenna elements in the panel in one polarization, P indicates the number of polarizations, M g represents the number of panels in the column within the panel group, N g represents the number of panels in a row within a panel group, ·d g,H represents the horizontal antenna spacing within the panel group, ·d g,V represents the vertical antenna spacing within the panel group.

[0055] To indicate the separation of the two panel groups, the parameter (d a,H , d a,V ) may be introduced, ·d a,H indicates the horizontal panel group spacing, e.g., d a,H may be 0, ·da,V indicates the vertical panel group spacing.

[0056] Additionally, as detailed in, for example, 3GPP TR 38.901 v17.0.0, “Study on channel model for frequencies from 0.5 to 100 GHz” (Release 17) (March 2022, Section 7.3), the antenna panel may be dual polarized in some scenarios.

[0057] The antenna elements can be arranged vertically and horizontally, and the panels can be either single polarized (P=1) or dual polarized (P=2). Figure 7 shows an example of a cross-polarized panel array antenna model. In the illustration, the antenna array is viewed from the front. In the model, the antenna elements are evenly spaced horizontally and vertically. The panel array is modeled using the parameters (M g , N g , M, N, P).

[0058] <Multiple sending and receiving points> 5G wireless networks are expected to support massive connectivity, high capacity, ultra-high reliability, and low latency. Such diverse use case scenarios require innovative approaches for the realization of future 5G systems. In 5G, multiple transmission / reception points (multi-TRPs) are expected to be important to improve reliability, coverage, and capacity performance through flexible deployment scenarios.

[0059] Cell edge users are typically provided with a lower quality of service (QoS) due to a relatively long distance from the base station and unfavorable channel conditions (e.g., intercell interference (ICI) from neighboring base stations). Multi-TRP is a technology that has been investigated in 4G mobile communications to mitigate ICI and provide joint scheduling and transmission / reception through dynamic coordination between multiple TRPs. In this way, wireless devices located at the cell edge are served by multiple TRPs, improving signal transmission / reception and increasing throughput.

[0060] Multi-TRP is a feature that allows a gNB to use multiple TRPs to communicate with a UE. This type of communication can be achieved in several different ways, which can be summarized as follows: A first TRP and a second TRP may transmit two different PDSCHs, but the control signals (PDCCH / DCI) for the two PDSCHs are transmitted only by the first TRP. In this case, if there is a problem with the radio link involving the first TRP and it fails to receive the PDCCH, communication via the second TRP will also be affected. Furthermore, if the first and second TRPs transmit two different PDSCHs and each TRP transmits its corresponding PDCCH / DCI, a problem with the radio link involving one of the TRPs will not affect communication via the other TRP. Furthermore, the first TRP and the second TRP may jointly process DL and UL signals.

[0061] Higher carrier frequencies in 5G (e.g., millimeter waves) make it easier to deploy a larger number of antennas at base stations (e.g., so-called massive MIMO), but this requires beam management procedures for multi-TRP technologies.

[0062] <Beamforming> Beamforming allows a steered array of antennas to transmit radio signals in a directional manner, instead of spreading the signal in all directions. Using this technique, the antenna can determine a specific direction for a stronger beam by distributing and concentrating the energy into one lobe or narrow beam. This technique is commonly used in high-data-rate wireless communications because beamforming can maximize signal transmission efficiency in both transmission and reception.

[0063] The benefits of beamforming include higher RSRP and SINR, which can be important in 5G broadcasting. UEs have stringent requirements in terms of coverage, interference, and SINR. To achieve these requirements, high-precision beamforming is required to form narrow beams for multiple UEs with maximum gain and precise beam steering. By carefully adjusting and configuring antenna elements, energy radiation from the antenna array can be focused in one specific direction, a process called transmit beamforming, or Tx spatial filtering. Alternatively, a receive antenna array can be focused in one receive direction, a process called receive beamforming, or Rx spatial filtering. Beamforming can increase directionality and result in a higher link budget. This results in improved cell coverage and data rates, while reducing signal interference.

[0064] <Synchronization signal block measurement timing setting - SMTC-PSS / SSS, PBCH> 5G NR introduces so-called synchronization signal blocks, or SS blocks (SSBs), which contain a Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS), a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS), and a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) (actually, PBCH DMRS and PBCH data). The PSS and SSS can be used by UEs to discover, synchronize to, and identify networks. The PBCH carries a minimal amount of system information, including indication of where the remaining broadcast system information is transmitted.

[0065] In LTE, these three signals (PSS, SSS, and PBCH) have also been used, but they were not part of one SSB. In NR, the three SSB elements are always transmitted together, e.g., they have the same periodicity. A given SSB may be repeated within an SS burst set, which could potentially be used for gNB beam-sweeping transmissions.

[0066] The 5G NR PSS is a physical layer-specific signal for identifying radio frame boundaries and is a type of m-sequence. The 5G NR SSS is a physical layer-specific signal for identifying subframe boundaries and is also an m-sequence. The PSS / SSS sequences are defined in 3GPP TS 38.212 and consist of complex values ​​used by each element / sample of the sequence. Information about current exemplary 5G implementations of PSS and SSS, including their respective sequence generation and mapping to physical resources, is available in TS 38.211 v16.7.0, Sections 7.4.2 and 7.4.3.

[0067] The time-frequency structure of the SS / PBCH block is described in Section 7.4.3.1 of TS 38.211. In one such example 5G implementation, in the time domain, the SS / PBCH block consists of four OFDM symbols numbered in increasing order from 0 to 3.

[0068] In the frequency domain, an SS / PBCH block consists of 240 contiguous subcarriers indexed from 0 to 239. The exact subcarriers used for each PSS, SSS, and PBCH signal within the SS / PBCH block are also defined by Table 7.4.3.1-1.

[0069] The timing (OFDM symbols) at which the SS blocks are transmitted by the gNB can be defined differently. In particular, the first symbol index (within each half-frame having an SSB) at which a candidate SSB starts is determined according to section 4.1 "Cell search" of 3GPP 38.213 v16.7.0.

[0070] The candidate SS / PBCH blocks in a half-frame (e.g., referred to as a set of SSBs) are indexed in time in ascending order from 0 to Lmax-1. Accordingly, each SSB in the set of SSBs is assigned a unique number (incrementing from 0 by 1).

[0071] All possible candidate SSBs may be transmitted by the base station. However, not all SSBs need to be transmitted. Rather, the gNB may select and transmit only a subset of the SSBs in the set of SSBs. The set of SSBs that are actually transmitted and those that are not can be referred to as an SSB pattern. An SSB pattern has essentially the same characteristics as the corresponding set of SSBs, including periodicity.

[0072] The gNB informs the UE of the SSB pattern, i.e., which SSBs are actually transmitted and which are not transmitted. This can be done, for example, by the gNB transmitting an SSB bitmap that defines the SSB pattern, with each bit in the SSB bitmap indicating which SSBs are actually transmitted and which are not transmitted.

[0073] All SSBs can be transmitted on all beams in the system. Alternatively, SSBs can be transmitted on different beams, for example, if SSB beamforming is enabled. In that case, each SSB is transmitted on a different beam (spatial filter). Thus, a beam-swept form of SSB transmission is realized. In other words, the beam (and SSB) sweep transmissions are time-division multiplexed and occur at different times. UEs at different locations may receive different SSBs at different times. Each beam may have a beam index, which corresponds to the SSB index (also known as an SSB identifier, or SSB ID) transmitted via that beam.

[0074] <Beam management> Beam management is a set of Layer 1 (PHY) and Layer 2 (MAC) procedures to establish and maintain optimal beam pairs for good connectivity. A beam pair consists of a transmit beam in one link direction and a corresponding receive beam.

[0075] Before a UE can communicate with the network, it must perform a cell search and selection procedure to obtain initial cell synchronization and system information. The first steps in that process are to obtain frame synchronization, find the cell identity, and decode MIB and SIB1.

[0076] For multi-antenna systems transmitting multiple beams, detecting the beam from the gNB is also part of the initial procedure in which the UE typically detects all beams in the search space.

[0077] Beam management can be categorized into three main procedures: initial beam establishment, beam adjustment (also called beam tracking and refinement), and beam failure recovery.

[0078] The operations performed during one of these main procedures may be called beam sweeping, i.e., covering a spatial region with a set of beams transmitted and received according to pre-specified intervals and directions; beam measurement, i.e., evaluating the quality of the received signal at the gNB or UE; beam determination, i.e., selecting a suitable beam at either the gNB or the UE according to the measurements obtained in the beam measurement procedure; and beam reporting, i.e., the procedure used by the UE to transmit beam quality and beam determination information to the gNB.

[0079] <Initial beam establishment> Initial beam establishment includes procedures and functions by which beam pairs are initially established in the downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmission directions, for example, when a connection is established. In current 5G NR standards, this is done by beam sweeping, where different SSBs associated with different transmit (Tx) beams are transmitted in different OFDM symbols.

[0080] During beam sweeping, the gNB transmits beams in omnidirectional bursts at defined regular intervals. Each time the UE synchronizes with the network, it reads the synchronization signal block (SSB) and extracts the primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and demodulation reference signal (DMRS).

[0081] A single SS block spans four OFDM symbols in time and 240 subcarriers (20 resource blocks) in frequency. Each SS block corresponds to a specific beam formed in a different direction. A group of SS blocks forms an SS burst set spanning a 5 ms window. SS bursts are repeated periodically with a period of 20 ms, and the maximum number of SS blocks in an SS burst set depends on the operating frequency range.

[0082] The UE can then search for the strongest DL receive (Tx) beam, for example by also adjusting the corresponding DL Rx beam at the UE side, and report the selection to the gNB via the corresponding RACH occasion and preamble. In this way, an initial beam pair is established and remains active after the connection is set up until the UE receives a new beam indication.

[0083] <Beam adjustment> After the initial beam pair is established, the beam pair may be constantly adjusted to account for UE movement and / or environmental changes. This is sometimes referred to as beam adjustment. Beam management may also include refining the beam shape, for example, by using narrower CSI-RS beams compared to the relatively wide SSB beams used for initial beam establishment.

[0084] The UE measures the beam strength by measuring the received signal power. In idle mode, it can be based on the synchronization signal, and in connected mode, it can be based on the Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) in DL and the Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) in UL. The UE periodically searches for the best beam using a threshold criterion predefined by the gNB and identifies the beam with the highest Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP). The UE may perform a beam reporting procedure.

[0085] Measurements and reporting may be performed periodically, semi-periodically, or aperiodically. Because beam adjustment is not performed simultaneously at the gNB and the UE, one beam per procedure (identified by an index) may be used for UL or DL ​​communications. The gNB may use information and recommendations from the UE to enhance beam adjustment. Because beam adjustment aims to improve link quality based on constantly changing radio channel conditions, control signaling and data transmission may benefit from the beam selected in the process. The gNB is responsible for determining which UL Rx and DL Tx beams to use and instructing the UE about them. Once the gNB knows which beams are in use, the UE can select its own UL Tx and DL Rx beams.

[0086] In current NR, for DL ​​Tx beam alignment, the gNB can rely on UE reports on beam measurements, for which different reference signals (RS) such as CSI-RS or SSB can be configured.

[0087] <Beam Damage Recovery> Beam failure can occur when beam adjustments are unable to track a beam, which can be the case, for example, if the current beam pair is suddenly and unexpectedly interrupted and the beam tracking function cannot react quickly enough.

[0088] When a beam failure occurs, beam recovery typically requires the following steps: Beam obstruction detection Identifying candidate beams Submit a recovery request Network response to beam recovery requests

[0089] In the case of beam failure, for example, due to poor channel conditions, a beam recovery procedure is triggered to recover a new beam. The UE monitors the reference signal and identifies the beam failure when the failure trigger condition is met. In the event of beam failure, the UE selects the next best beam for transmission in a Random Access (RA) preamble. If the first attempt of RA fails, the UE switches to another beam for another RA procedure. The RA preamble is transmitted in the PRACH. Finally, the UE receives downlink resource allocation and uplink grants in the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

[0090] <Transmission Setting Indicator Status and Quasi-Co-Location> According to 3GPP TS 38.214: "Physical layer procedures for data (Release 17)" (Version 17.3.0, September 2022), two reference signals can have a quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship. Two antenna ports are said to be quasi-co-located if the characteristics of the channel on which symbols on one antenna port are carried can be inferred from the channel on which symbols on the other antenna port are carried.

[0091] In a 5G NR system, the Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) state is used to establish a quasi-co-location (QCL) connection between a target reference signal (RS) and a source RS. The QCL type of an antenna port is defined as follows:

[0092] Type Description QCL-TypeA Doppler shift, Doppler spread, mean delay, delay spread QCL-TypeB Doppler shift, Doppler spread QCL-TypeC Doppler shift, average delay QCL-TypeD spatial Rx parameters

[0093] TCI states are configured for the PDCCH, PDSCH, and channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) to convey QCL indication for each RS. In frequency range 1 (FR1, below 7.125 GHz), QCL types A to C are applied, and in frequency range 2 (FR2, above 24.250 GHz), QCL types A to D are applied. QCL Type D in FR2 indicates that the PDCCH / PDSCH / CSI-RS is transmitted with the same spatial filter as the reference signal associated with that TCI. In FR2, the network can indicate a change in the transmit beam of the PDSCH or PDCCH by switching the TCI state.

[0094] Each TCI state may include a TCI state identifier, a TCI state ID, and an RS set, or one or more individual RSs used for QCL reference. Each RS within a TCI state may be associated with a set of one or more Tx (transmit) beams and / or Rx (receive) beams.

[0095] <Artificial intelligence / machine learning for beam management> In real-world scenarios, beam management faces various sources of nonlinearity. For ease of processing, traditional mathematical methods typically simplify real-world scenarios by ignoring these nonlinear factors. In contrast, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) can accurately model these complex nonlinear relationships, facilitating efficient beam management.

[0096] For example, machine learning may be applied to the beam selection procedure to avoid repeated exhaustive searches and reduce communication overhead. The beam selection procedure may include a classification task whose target output is the best beam pair index. The trained AI / ML model may recommend a set of beam pairs. By searching only the recommended beam pairs instead of exhaustively searching all beam pairs, the overhead of beam sweeping can be reduced.

[0097] That is, if AI / ML is used by the UE in the initial beam establishment procedure, instead of measuring all SSB beams, the UE only needs to measure a subset of the SSB beams. The AI / ML model in the UE may then determine the best SSB beam based on the partial beam set measurements.

[0098] Furthermore, in the beam adjustment procedure, by using AI / ML, a set of SSB beams can be set B for measurement and a set of CSI-RS beams can be set A for prediction. Based on the measurement results, the AI / ML module in the UE (and / or gNB) can predict the optimal refined CSI-RS beam for a given UE. This can significantly reduce the UE's measurement effort associated with measuring a large set of CSI-RS beams to find the strongest refined beam. At the same time, RS overhead can be optimized.

[0099] Furthermore, if beam failures are predicted in advance using AI / ML, failure events can be avoided by proactively switching to other beams.

[0100] The ongoing 3GPP Rel-18 study item, "AI / ML Research for the NR Air Interface," has agreed on a use case in which artificial intelligence / machine learning algorithms are applied to predict the best beam or other quantities / characteristics, such as RSRP, from a second set of beams (e.g., set A) based on measurements of a first set of beams (e.g., set B). For more details, see, e.g., "Discussion on sub use cases of beam management," 3GPP TSG-RAN WG1 #109-e Meeting, May 9-20, 2022, R1-2204078, and "Discussion on sub use cases of beam management," 3GPP TSG-RAN WG1 #110 Meeting, May 9-20, 2022, R1-2207506.

[0101] In the first beam management use case, DL beam prediction in the spatial domain is performed for a set A of beams (plurality of second beams) based on measurement results of a set B (plurality of first beams). Set B may be a subset of set A. Alternatively, set A and set B may not have beams in common. In other words, set A and set B may be different from each other.

[0102] In a second beam management use case, temporal DL beam prediction may be performed for a set of beams A (plurality of second beams) based on previous measurements of set B (plurality of first beams). In this case, set A may be a subset of set B and may be different from set B in the sense that set A and set B do not exhibit common beams. However, set A and set B may be equal, i.e., contain identical beams.

[0103] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of the spatial relationship between multiple beams, where multiple first beams (set B) are a subset of multiple second beams (set A). Specifically, the multiple beams include six beams (beams #1 to #6) that extend in multiple different directions and are not quasi-colocated (QCL). In the figure, set A includes beams #1 to #6, and set B includes beams #1, #3, and #5. That is, set A = {#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6}, and set B = {#1, #3, #5}. Therefore, in the illustrated example, set B is a subset of set A, and the UE may perform a beam management procedure based on measurement results for the beams in set B. For example, the UE may use an AI / ML module to determine a first characteristic of a beam included in set A using measurement results of a second characteristic of a beam included in set B. The first characteristic and the second characteristic may be equal to or different from each other. For example, the characteristics may relate to signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio, etc. In another example, the AI / ML module may determine the best beam from among the beams included in set A.

[0104] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of the spatial relationship between multiple beams, where multiple first beams (Set A) are distinct from multiple second beams (Set B). Specifically, Set A includes beams #1 through #6, and Set B includes beams #7 and #8. That is, Set A = {#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6}, and Set B = {#7, #8}. Sets A and B are distinct from each other because they do not share common beams. In the illustrated example, beams #7 and #8 each overlap with multiple beams included in Set A to exhibit a wider beam profile. That is, beam #7 is quasi-colocated with beams #1 through #3, and beam #8 is quasi-colocated with beams #4 through #6. Using the AI / ML module with measurement results for beams #7 and #8, the UE may determine, for example, the characteristics of beams #1 through #7. Alternatively, or in addition, the AI / ML module may determine the best beam from among the beams in Set A.

[0105] When using an AI / ML module in a beam management procedure, it is desirable to provide information as input to the AI / ML module, which allows the AI / ML module to provide accurate and reliable prediction results.

[0106] <Embodiment> The inventors have found a possibility to provide an improved procedure and avoid disadvantages, especially when performing a beam management procedure using an AI / ML model. The present disclosure relates to different solutions and variants for such an improved procedure. Thus, the present disclosure provides a technique for improving the beam management procedure, especially in scenarios using an AI / ML module for beam prediction.

[0107] When an AI / ML module is located in a user equipment (UE) for training an AI / ML model and / or predicting beam characteristics, the training or prediction results may be improved if the relative spatial relationship between multiple beams, including beams included in set A and / or beams included in set B, is taken into account. For example, if the trained AI / ML model does not take into account that beam #2 is spatially located between beam #1 and beam #3, the trained AI / ML model may not provide reliable prediction results for beam #2. In a potential application scenario, when selecting a beam for connection with a gNB, the UE may not predict whether beam #2 should be used based on measurement results of beams #1 and #3.

[0108] However, according to the current 5G NR specification, the DL transmission beam is determined by the gNB, and the UE cannot determine information about the relative spatial relationship between multiple beams.

[0109] The present disclosure provides, inter alia, base stations, corresponding base station methods, user equipment (UE), corresponding UE methods, communication systems including such base stations and UEs, and integrated circuits that, in operation, control base station / UE processes to perform the respective methods.

[0110] <Terminology> The following describes UEs, base stations, scheduling devices, and procedures related to new radio access technologies envisioned in 5G mobile communication systems (although they can also be used in LTE mobile communication systems). Various implementations and variations are also described. The following disclosure is facilitated by, and may be based, for example, at least in part on, the above discussions and discoveries.

[0111] Generally, it should be noted that many assumptions have been made herein so as to explain the principles underlying the present disclosure in a clear and understandable manner. However, it should be understood that these assumptions are merely examples made herein for illustrative purposes, are not necessarily essential to the invention, and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles described in the following disclosure and claims can be applied to different scenarios and in ways not explicitly described herein.

[0112] Furthermore, although specific terminology used in the context of new radio access technologies for upcoming communication systems has not yet been fully determined or may ultimately change, some of the terms used below, such as procedures, entities, and layers, are closely related to those used in LTE / LTE-A systems or in the current 3GPP 5G standardization. Therefore, the terminology may change in the future without affecting the functionality of the embodiments. Therefore, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments and their scope of protection are not limited to the specific terminology illustratively used herein due to the absence of newer or ultimately agreed-upon terminology, but should be understood more broadly in terms of the functions and concepts underlying the functions and principles of the present disclosure. Specific examples are provided below.

[0113] <terminal> A terminal, user terminal, user device, mobile station, or mobile node is referred to as user equipment (UE) in LTE and NR. User equipment may be a mobile device or communication device, such as a wireless telephone, smartphone, tablet computer, or universal serial bus (USB) stick with user equipment functionality. However, the term mobile device is not limited thereto; in general, a relay may also have such mobile device functionality or function as a relay. For example, a terminal is a physical entity (physical node) in a communication network. Furthermore, a communication device may be any machine-type communication device, such as an IoT device. A node may have several functional entities. A functional entity refers to a software or hardware module that realizes and / or provides a predetermined set of functions to the same node or other nodes or other functional entities of the network. A node may have one or more interfaces that attach the node to a communication facility or medium over which the node can communicate. Similarly, a network entity may have logical interfaces that attach the functional entity to a communication facility or medium over which the functional entity may communicate with other functional entities or corresponding nodes.

[0114] <Base station> In the present disclosure, a base station may be, for example, a Transmission Reception Point (TRP), a cluster head, an access point, a Remote Radio Head (RRH), an eNodeB (eNB), a gNodeB (gNB), a Base Station (BS), a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), a base unit, a gateway, or a scheduling device. Also, in sidelink communication, a terminal may be used instead of a base station. The base station may be a relay device that relays communication between an upper node and a terminal. The base station may be a roadside unit. The base station may be, for example, a scheduling node, a scheduling device, or a network node that forms part of a network for providing services to terminals. In particular, the base station may provide wireless access to terminals. Communication between terminals and base stations is generally standardized and can be defined by different layers, such as PHY, MAC, and RRC. In LTE and NR, the air interface protocol stack includes a physical layer, a medium access layer (MAC), and upper layers. The control plane is provided with a radio resource control protocol, which is an upper layer protocol. Through RRC, base stations can control the configuration of terminals, and terminals can communicate with base stations to perform control tasks such as establishing and modifying connections and bearers, measurements, and other functions. The term used in LTE is eNB (or eNodeB), and the term currently used in 5G NR is gNB. The term base station or radio base station here refers to a physical entity in a communication network. Similar to a mobile station, a base station may have several functional entities. A functional entity refers to a software or hardware module that realizes and / or provides a predetermined set of functions to other functional entities of the same or other nodes or networks. The physical entity performs several control tasks for communication devices, including one or more of scheduling and configuration.It should be noted that base station functionality and communication device functionality may also be integrated within a single device. For example, a mobile terminal may also implement the functionality of a base station for other terminals. The term used in LTE is eNB (or eNodeB), and the term currently used in 5G NR is gNB. In particular, a base station may be a gNB in ​​a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) NR system.

[0115] As already mentioned, the present disclosure provides a user equipment and a base station. The present disclosure further provides a corresponding method and program. An example of such a communication system is shown in FIG. 10. The communication system 1 may be a wireless communication system according to 5G technical specifications, particularly an NR communication system. However, the present disclosure is not limited to 3GPP NR and may also be applied to other wireless systems or cellular systems such as NTN.

[0116] FIG. 10 shows a general and simplified exemplary block diagram of a user equipment (UE) 100 (also referred to as a communication device) and a base station 200 (e.g., an eNB (also referred to as an ng-eNB) in LTE or a gNB in ​​5G NR). However, in general, the base station may be a terminal in the case of a sidelink connection between two terminals. Furthermore, particularly with regard to URLLC, eMBB, and mMTC use cases, the user equipment 100 may be a sensor device, a wearable device, or a connected vehicle or a controller of an automated machine in an industrial factory. The user equipment 100 may also function as a relay between the base station 200 and other communication devices (e.g., the present disclosure is not limited to communication “terminals” or user “terminals”). As shown in FIG. 10 , the UE 100 and the base station 200 (e.g., an eNB / gNB) may communicate with each other via a (wireless) physical channel 300 using respective transceivers 110 (on the UE 100 side) and 210 (on the base station 200 side). The base station 200 and the user equipment 100 together form a communication system 1. The communication system 1 may further include other entities than those shown in Figure 1. The communication between the UE 100 and the base station 200 is usually standardized and may be defined by different layers such as PHY, MAC, RRC, etc. (see background description above).

[0117] As shown on the left side of FIG. 10 , the user equipment 100 may include a transceiver 110 and a circuit 120 (or processing circuit), and the base station 200 may include a transceiver 210 and a (processing) circuit 220. The transceivers 110, 210 may include and / or function as a receiver and a transmitter. In other words, in this disclosure, the term “transceiver” is used for hardware and software components that enable the user equipment 100 or the base station 200, respectively, to transmit and / or receive wireless signals over a wireless channel. Thus, a transceiver corresponds to a receiver, a transmitter, or a combination of a receiver and a transmitter. Typically, it is assumed that the base station 200 and the user equipment 100 can both transmit and receive wireless signals. However, for some applications, particularly eMBB, mMTC, and URLLC (smart home, smart city, industrial automation, etc.), it is possible that a device such as a sensor only receives signals. Furthermore, the term “circuit” includes processing circuits formed by one or more processors or processing units, etc. The transmitter may be responsible for executing the transmission process and other processes related thereto. The receiver may be responsible for executing the reception process and other processes related thereto, such as monitoring a channel. The circuit (or processing circuit) may be one or more hardware components, such as one or more processors or any LSI. There is an input / output point (or node) between the transceiver and the processing circuit, and the processing circuit, in operation, controls the transceiver, i.e., controls the receiver and / or transmitter, and exchanges receive / transmit data. The transceiver may include an RF front end, including one or more antennas, amplifiers, RF modulators / demodulators, etc., as the transmitter and receiver. The processing circuit may control the transceiver to perform control tasks, such as transmitting user data and control data provided by the processing circuit and / or receiving user data and control data that are further processed by the processing circuit. The processing circuit may also be responsible for executing other processes, such as judgment, decision, calculation, measurement, etc.

[0118] According to an exemplary embodiment, there is provided a user equipment 100 as illustrated in Figure 10. The user equipment 100 comprises a transceiver 110 and a circuit 120. In operation, the transceiver 110 receives a relationship indicator indicating a relative relationship of each of a plurality of beams. The user equipment 100 further comprises a circuit 120 that, in operation, performs a beam management procedure using the relative spatial relationships.

[0119] The plurality of beams may include or be equal to a plurality of first beams (Set B). The plurality of beams may include or be equal to a plurality of second beams (Set A). The plurality of first beams (Set B) may be equal to the plurality of second beams (Set A), may be a subset of the plurality of second beams (Set A), or may be different from the plurality of second beams (Set A).

[0120] The relative spatial relationship may include information about the relative positions of the beams with respect to one another, for example, the relative position information may include nearest neighbor information in a number of predetermined directions as seen from the gNB or from the UE.

[0121] The circuitry 120 may perform functions beyond performing the beam management procedures described above, for example, further controlling the transceiver unit 110 to receive control signaling and / or to transmit and receive data. Thus, the circuitry 120 may be considered to include, for example, a beam management circuit 121 that performs the beam management procedures. The configuration may be provided by hardware adaptation and / or software.

[0122] Corresponding to the above-mentioned UE 100, a method executed by the UE 100 (or a communication device) is provided. As shown in Figure 11 (left side), the method includes (i) step S101 of receiving a relationship indicator indicating a relative spatial relationship of each of a plurality of beams. The method further includes (ii) step S102 of performing a beam management procedure using the relative spatial relationship. For example, the method may further include (iii) step S103 of transmitting and / or receiving data using a result of the beam management procedure.

[0123] 10 (right side), according to another exemplary embodiment, a base station 200 is provided. The base station 200 comprises a transceiver 210 and a circuit 220. The circuit 220, in operation, determines a relationship indicator indicative of a relative spatial relationship between a plurality of beams. The base station further comprises the transceiver 210, in operation, transmitting the relationship indicator.

[0124] The circuitry 220 may implement more functions than the above-mentioned determination, for example, may transmit control signaling and / or further control the transceiver unit 210 to receive or transmit data. Thus, the circuitry 220 may be considered to include, for example, a relationship determination circuitry 221, which is configured to make the above-mentioned determination. The configuration may be provided by hardware adaptation and / or software.

[0125] Further, a method executed by the base station 200 is provided corresponding to the above-described base station 200. As shown in Fig. 11 (right side), the method includes (i) a step S201 of determining a relationship indicator indicating a spatial relationship between a plurality of beams. The method further includes (ii) a step S202 of transmitting the relationship indicator. For example, the method may further include (iii) a step S203 of transmitting and / or receiving data.

[0126] It is further noted that any of the described steps / operations may be performed or controlled by circuit 120 (UE 100 side) and / or circuit 220 (base station 200 side). In the following description, unless expressly stated or otherwise indicated by the context, details and embodiments apply to each of UE 100, base station 200, and method.

[0127] Furthermore, it should be noted that since the present disclosure relates to beam management, entities from both the user equipment 100 (typically a communication device / transceiver device) and the base station 200 (typically a network node) are involved.

[0128] First Embodiment FIG. 12 shows an example of the spatial relationship between multiple beams (#1-#9) served by base station 200. Beams #1-#3, beams #4-#6, and beams #7-#9 point in the same horizontal direction but different vertical directions when viewed from the perspective of base station 200. Beams #1, #4, #7, beams #2, #5, #8, and beams #3, #6, #9 point in the same vertical direction but different horizontal directions. None of the illustrated beams are quasi-collocated.

[0129] The beam indicator may be used to uniquely indicate a beam. That is, the beam indicator uniquely identifies one of multiple beams. In this example, a newly introduced parameter, a beam identifier (beam ID), is used as the beam indicator. However, the beam indicator is not limited to the beam ID, and may be realized by, for example, an SSB ID, a reference signal resource ID such as a CSI-RS ID, a TCI state ID, or a combination thereof.

[0130] The user equipment 100 receives a relationship indicator indicating the relative spatial relationship of each of the multiple beams (in this example, beams #1 to #9). The relationship indicator may include one or more beam indicators for each of the multiple first beams, each of which indicates the beam closest to the respective first beam in one of multiple directions. The multiple directions may be directions that are not parallel to the propagation direction of the respective beams. For example, the multiple directions may be left, right, up, or down relative to the propagation direction of the respective beams.

[0131] In an embodiment, the relationship indicator may include nine entries corresponding to each of a plurality of beams #1 to #9. For each of the plurality of beams, the relationship indicator may indicate the neighboring beam to the left, the neighboring beam to the right, the neighboring beam above, and the neighboring beam below.

[0132] Entry 1:-Beam #1:{Left: None; Right: Beam #4; Top: None; Bottom: Beam #2} Entry 2:-Beam #2: {Left: None; Right: Beam #5; Top: Beam #1; Bottom: Beam #3} Entry 3:-Beam #3: {Left: None; Right: Beam #6; Top: Beam #2; Bottom: None} Entry 4:-Beam #4: {Left: Beam #1; Right: Beam #7; Top: None; Bottom: Beam #5} Entry 5:-Beam #5: {Left: Beam #2; Right: Beam #8; Top: Beam #4; Bottom: Beam #6} Entry 6:-Beam #6: {Left:Beam #3; Right:Beam #9; Top:Beam #5; Bottom:None} Entry 7:-Beam #7:{left:beam #4;right:none;upper:none;lower:beam #8} Entry 8:-Beam #8:{left:beam #5;right:none;upper:beam #7;lower:beam #9} Entry 9:-Beam #9:{Left:Beam #6;Right:None;Top:Beam #8;Bottom:None}

[0133] In this exemplary embodiment, the direction is set when heading from base station 200 to UE 100. However, the direction may be indicated based on the direction from UE 100 to base station 200. In other words, the direction is indicated from the perspective of base station 200 (Tx perspective), but may also be indicated from the perspective of UE 100 (Rx perspective).

[0134] Furthermore, the direction is indicated horizontally and vertically as four directions: left, right, up, and down, relative to a line connecting the UE 100 and the base station 200. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and in other embodiments, absolute expressions of direction may be used. For example, an azimuth angle (e.g., north / south / east / west, or a combination thereof) and an elevation angle indicating an angle relative to the horizontal plane may be used to indicate the nearest neighbor beam. This approach decouples the indication of the direction of the nearest neighbor beam from the position and / or orientation of the base station 200 and / or the UE 100.

[0135] Further, in the example, the number of entries in the relationship indicator corresponds to the number of beams in the plurality of beams (i.e., 9). However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the number of entries in the relationship indicator may be different from the number of beams included in the plurality of beams. For example, the relationship indicator may include a number of entries corresponding to the number of first beams (Set B). The plurality of first beams may equal the plurality of beams or may be a subset of the plurality of beams.

[0136] For example, if the plurality of first beams (set B) is equal to {#1, #5, #9} and the plurality of second beams (set A) is equal to {#2, #3, #4, #6, #7, #8}, the relationship indicator may include only entries 1, 5, and 9 corresponding to beams included in the plurality of first beams. In this case, the relationship indicator indicates the relative spatial relationships of beams #1, #2, #4, #5, #6, #8, and #9 to one another. That is, the relationship indicator does not need to indicate each relative spatial relationship between all beams, but only needs to indicate the relative spatial relationship between at least two beams.

[0137] In another example, the number of entries in the relationship indicator may be equal to the number of beams included in the plurality of second beams, i.e., set A. Specifically, if the set of first beams (set B) is a subset (set A) of the plurality of second beams, the relationship indicator may include entries corresponding to beams included in the plurality of second beams (set A), and the relationship indicator may indicate nearest neighbors in each direction of the beams of the plurality of second beams (set A).

[0138] Generally, when beam prediction is performed using an AI / ML module located in UE 100, the more entries in the relationship indicators there are, i.e., the better knowledge there is about the relative spatial relationship between the beams, the more accurate and reliable the prediction results can be obtained.

[0139] <Second embodiment> In a second embodiment, the relationship indicator includes a plurality of beam indicators, each beam indicator indicating a beam included in the plurality of beams, and each beam indicator is associated with at least one element of the grid.

[0140] Table 1 below shows a grid with 9 (3x3) grid elements in a checkerboard arrangement. Each grid element is associated with a beam ID. The relationship indicators represent the relative spatial relationships of the beams shown in Figure 12. Specifically, from the Tx's perspective, beam #1 is located to the left of beam #4 and above beam #2. Furthermore, beam #4 is located to the right of beam #1, to the left of beam #7, and above beam #5. Furthermore, beam #7 is located to the right of beam #4 and above beam #8. Furthermore, beam #2 is located to the left of beam #5, below beam #1, and to the left of beam #8. [Table 1]

[0141] As with the first embodiment, the present disclosure is not limited to grids having grid elements associated with beam IDs from the Tx perspective, but may also include beam IDs from the Rx perspective.

[0142] The grid is not limited to a rectangular 3x3 grid, but may be a rectangular grid with grid elements of different sizes, a regular hexagonal grid, a two-dimensional grid, an irregular grid, or the like.

[0143] The grid indicates the relative spatial relationship between each element of the grid. By associating a beam ID with the grid element, the relative spatial relationship between the beams is mapped to the grid. The relative positions of the grid and its grid elements may be predetermined, e.g., determined by the base station 200 and signaled to the UE 100.

[0144] The association of the grid and beam IDs to the grid elements may represent a mapping of the positions of the coverage areas of the beams on a reference plane. The reference plane may be a (virtual) plane located on the surface of the Earth. The positions of the coverage areas on the reference plane are mapped to the correspondence between the beam IDs and the elements of the grid. In other words, the association of the beam IDs to the grid elements having specific relative positions to each other represents the physical locations of the coverage areas of multiple beams on the reference plane.

[0145] That is, the relative spatial positions of multiple beams may be indicated using multiple beam identifiers associated with elements of the grid. The resolution of the grid, i.e., the number of grid elements used to represent a given area of ​​the reference plane (the more grid elements that represent a given area of ​​the reference plane, the higher the resolution), may be predetermined by a standard, set semi-statically by RRC signaling, or determined by applying a rule, for example.

[0146] For example, the resolution may be set such that from multiple beams, the beam exhibiting the narrowest beam profile is mapped to only one grid element. Beams with wider beam profiles may be mapped / associated with multiple grid elements to resemble the coverage area in the beam's reference plane. Furthermore, multiple beams may be mapped to one grid element / multiple beam IDs may be associated with one grid element. Furthermore, a grid element may not be associated with any beam IDs.

[0147] Table 2 below shows an example of beam mapping / beam indicator association to grid elements of a rectangular 3x3 grid. In the example, the beam indicator is realized by an SSB ID and a CSI-RS ID. As described for the first embodiment, the beam indicator may be an SSB ID, a reference signal resource identifier, a transmission configuration state identifier (TCI state ID), a beam identifier, etc. [Table 2]

[0148] The beams represented by SSB#1 and SSB#2 are beams with coverage areas that map to multiple elements of the grid. That is, these beams can be considered wide beams. The beams represented by CSI-RS#1-#7 are narrow beams that each map to one element of the grid. Furthermore, the beams represented by SSB#1 and CSI-RS#1 are quasi-colocated with beam CSI-RS#1, which has beam SSB#1 as its QCL source. Similarly, beam CSI-RS#3 and beam CSI-RS#4 have beam SSB#2 as its QCL source.

[0149] In the example shown below in Table 3, beams are mapped to grid elements and beam identifiers are associated with grid elements. No beams are mapped to two grid elements. [Table 3]

[0150] Beams mapped to grid elements are indicated using the TCI status ID as a beam indicator, but may be indicated using a different beam indicator as described above. Note that "none" in the table means that there is no beam mapped to the corresponding grid element. This mapping indicates that there is no beam associated / mapped to each grid element and transmitted in a particular direction.

[0151] Similar to the first embodiment, different and / or mixed beam representations (beam indicators) may be shown for the grid. Furthermore, the shown beams may be beams included only in a first plurality of beams (set A), beams included only in a second plurality of beams (set B), or beams included in both the first plurality of beams and the second plurality of beams (i.e., set A and set B).

[0152] <Other aspects> Certain aspects of the present disclosure are described below, which may be applied, for example, to the first and / or second embodiment.

[0153] <Beam Representation / Relationship Indicator Signaling> As described above, a beam may be indicated by a beam indicator such as an SSB ID, a reference signal resource ID such as a CSI-RS ID, a transmission configuration indicator status ID (TCI ID), or a beam identifier.

[0154] Further, the relationship indicator may be received by the UE 100 via a broadcast signal dedicated to the UE 100 or radio resource control (RRC) signaling. However, or in addition, the UE 100 may receive the AI / ML model along with the relationship indicator. That is, the AI / ML model may be trained using a specific relative spatial relationship between multiple beams. The applied relative spatial relationship may be included when receiving the AI / ML model. Alternatively, the relative spatial relationship may be associated with the AI / ML model. Thus, the UE 100 may not receive an explicit indication of the relative spatial relationship between multiple beams. Alternatively, the relative spatial relationship may be implicitly signaled by transmitting the AI / ML model. In other words, the AI / ML model itself may function as the relationship indicator. The UE 100 may receive the AI / ML model from the base station 200 or may receive it independently of wireless communication within the base station 200 and the wireless network. For example, the UE 100 may be pre-configured with an AI / ML model and may receive the AI / ML model when connected to a different communication network, such as the Internet via a WLAN.

[0155] In one embodiment, the UE 100 may acquire multiple AI / ML models. This may be achieved by installing multiple built-in AI / ML models (e.g., during manufacturing) or by training multiple AI / ML models using results of a beam measurement procedure and / or, for example, known or assumed relative spatial relationships between multiple beams. In this case, the relationship indicator may indicate one of the multiple AI / ML models as the AI / ML model to be used to perform the beam management procedure. That is, the relative spatial relationship between the multiple beams may not be explicitly indicated by the relationship indicator. In contrast, the relationship indicator may indicate the AI / ML model to be used, thereby implicitly indicating the relative spatial relationship associated with the indicated AI / ML model.

[0156] <Use as support information> In the above description, the relationship indicators indicate the relative spatial relationships between the beams. However, the relative spatial relationships indicated by the relationship indicators are not necessarily required to accurately represent the actual relative spatial relationships between the beams.

[0157] That is, the network, e.g., base station 200, may consider effects such as beam shadowing and multipath reflections when determining the relative spatial relationship indicated by the relationship indicator. The indicated relative spatial relationship may differ from the actual, real-world, physical relative spatial relationship to improve the performance of the AI / ML model.

[0158] With this approach, the network has the ability to influence the inputs that the UE 100 makes to the AI / ML model to improve the prediction results. Furthermore, the actual beam deployment does not need to be disclosed to the UE 100.

[0159] <Logical definition of a beam> Furthermore, it should be understood that the illustrated beams are defined in a logical, rather than a physical, manner, i.e., the illustrated beams do not necessarily correspond to actual antennas or actual antenna arrays.

[0160] <Multiple Transmit Reception Points (TRPs)> In a multi-TRP scenario, some beams are provided by a first TRP and some other beams are provided by different TRPs, and the first and second TRPs belong to the same cell, and the relationship indicator as described above may be transmitted for each TRP. Alternatively, one relationship indicator may be transmitted for both TRPs of a cell. That is, in a multi-TRP scenario with multiple TRPs of the same cell, multiple relationship indicators may be transmitted to the UE 100, each corresponding to one of the TRPs, or one relationship indicator may be transmitted to the UE 100, including information about the beams of all TRPs.

[0161] Furthermore, if UE 100 may be served by multiple beams of different cells or if it needs to switch serving beams between different cells (e.g., inter-cell beam switching, inter-cell L1 / L2 handover), UE 100 may receive a relationship indicator indicating the relative spatial relationship of the beams of different cells. In this case, the relationship indicator may include a cell indicator indicating one of the cells in association with the beam indicator.

[0162] For example, in a variation of the first embodiment, each entry and each indicated beam may be associated with a respective cell indicator, as shown in the following exemplary entries:

[0163] Entry 1 - Cell A Beam #1: {Left: Beam #1 of Cell B; Right: Beam #4 of Cell A; Top: None; Bottom: Beam #2 of Cell A} …

[0164] <Additional Information - Tx Power Indicator> In addition to the relative spatial relationship between the beams, the relationship indicator may include information regarding the transmit power (Tx power) for each indicated beam.

[0165] For example, one or more beam indicators may be associated with a transmit power indicator indicating a respective transmit power. The UE 100 may determine a relative power difference between the indicated beams and use the relative power difference as an input to the AI / ML model. This may further improve prediction accuracy and reliability.

[0166] <Antenna array grouping> As described above with reference to FIG. 6, the antenna array can be grouped into a plurality of panel groups. In this case, the relationship indicator may indicate the relative spatial relationship between the plurality of beams for each of the panel groups or for the plurality of panel groups. For example, UE 100 may receive a relationship indicator for each of the panel groups, and each relationship indicator indicates the relative spatial relationship between the plurality of beams of each panel group.

[0167] <Polarization of Antenna Panel> As described above with reference to FIG. 7, the panel antenna array may be single polarization (P = 1) or dual polarization (P = 2). For example, in the case of dual polarization, the polarizations may be referred to as x polarization and y polarization. The relationship indicator may separately indicate the relative spatial relationship between the plurality of beams for each of the polarizations or for both polarizations. For example, UE 100 may receive a relationship indicator for each polarization, and each relationship indicator indicates the relative spatial relationship between the plurality of beams of each polarization.

[0168] <AI / ML - based Beam Management> As described above, UE 100 may perform beam management procedures using the relationship indicator and the relative spatial relationship between the plurality of beams. During the AI / ML - based beam management procedure, the characteristics of the beams included in the second beam set (set A) can be predicted using the beam measurement results of the plurality of first beams (set B).

[0169] To this end, the UE 100 may determine the first beam itself or may be configured by the base station 200 by broadcasting or via RRC signaling, for example, along with the beam to be used for beam measurement when performing a beam management procedure using the AI / ML model. The determination of the multiple first beams may be based on random selection or on some predefined rule, or may be part of the output of the AI / ML model. In other words, the AI / ML model used for beam prediction may also generate or update set B.

[0170] After the AI / ML model provides the prediction result, the UE 100 may transmit the prediction result to the base station 200 when in the RRC_CONNECTED state. For example, the UE 100 may transmit a result indicator to the base station 200 indicating the result of the beam management procedure. An example of such a result is the top N beams with the strongest RSRP values ​​(N is a natural number). Additionally or alternatively, the result indicator may include other information such as the probability that the beam is the best beam, an associated reliability, the application time / lifetime of the beam, predicted beam failure, etc. The base station 200 may then use the indicated prediction result. For example, the base station 200 may change the DL beam currently serving the UE 100, or may maintain the current DL beam for the UE 100 if the predicted beam quality is sufficiently good. For example, if a beam quality measurement meets a predetermined condition, it may be determined that the beam quality is sufficiently good. Furthermore, the base station 200 may decide to trigger additional measurement reports from the UE 100 to further verify the prediction result. In the RRC_IDLE state or the RRC_INACTIVE state, the UE 100 may use the prediction result to determine for itself whether to switch to monitoring another DL beam.

[0171] However, the present disclosure is not limited to using AI / ML models to perform beam management procedures, and relative spatial relationships may be used in other implementations of beam management procedures.

[0172] Further technical advantages The above aspects of the present disclosure may improve the reliability and accuracy of beam management procedures by using relative spatial relationships between multiple beams. By indicating relative spatial relationships rather than detailed beam shapes, signaling overhead may be reduced. Furthermore, the base station need not disclose its implementation details. Furthermore, the UE may be in a position to perform machine learning / training of AI / ML models using the relative spatial relationships and the results of the beam measurement procedures.

[0173] Hardware and Software Implementations of the Disclosure The present disclosure can be realized by software, hardware, or software in conjunction with hardware. Each functional block described in the above embodiments may be partially or entirely realized as an LSI, which is an integrated circuit. Each process described in the above embodiments may be partially or entirely controlled by a single LSI or a combination of LSIs. The LSI may be composed of individual chips, or may be composed of a single chip that includes some or all of the functional blocks. The LSI may have data inputs and outputs. Depending on the level of integration, the LSI may be referred to as an IC, system LSI, super LSI, or ultra LSI. The integration method is not limited to LSIs; it may also be realized by dedicated circuits, general-purpose processors, or dedicated processors. Furthermore, FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), which can be programmed after LSI fabrication, or reconfigurable processors, which allow the connections and settings of circuit cells within the LSI to be reconfigured, may also be used. The present disclosure may be realized as digital or analog processing. Furthermore, if an integrated circuit technology that can replace LSI emerges due to advances in semiconductor technology or other derivative technologies, it is natural that such technology can be used to integrate functional blocks. The application of biotechnology is also a possibility.

[0174] The present disclosure may be implemented in any type of apparatus, device, or system having a communication function (collectively referred to as a communication apparatus).

[0175] A communications device may include a wireless transceiver (transmitter / receiver) and processing / control circuitry. The wireless transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter, or both. The wireless transceiver (transmitter / receiver) may include an RF (Radio Frequency) module and one or more antennas. The RF module may include an amplifier, an RF modulator / demodulator, or the like.

[0176] Non-limiting examples of communication devices include telephones (e.g., cell phones, smartphones), tablets, personal computers (PCs) (e.g., laptops, desktops, notebooks), cameras (e.g., digital still / video cameras), digital players (e.g., digital audio / video players), wearable devices (e.g., wearable cameras, smartwatches, tracking devices), game consoles, digital book readers, telehealth / telemedicine devices, communication-enabled vehicles or mobile transportation (e.g., cars, airplanes, ships), and combinations of the above devices.

[0177] Communications equipment is not limited to portable or mobile equipment, but also includes non-portable or fixed equipment, devices, and systems of any kind, such as smart home devices (appliances, lighting equipment, smart meters or metering devices, control panels, etc.), vending machines, and any other "things" that may exist on an Internet of Things (IoT) network.

[0178] Communications include data communications via cellular systems, wireless LAN systems, communications satellite systems, etc., as well as data communications via combinations of these.

[0179] A communications apparatus also includes devices such as controllers and sensors connected or coupled to a communications device that performs the communications functions described in this disclosure, such as controllers and sensors that generate control and data signals used by the communications device to perform the communications functions of the communications apparatus.

[0180] The communication devices also include infrastructure facilities, such as base stations, access points, and any other devices, devices, or systems that communicate with or control the above-mentioned non-limiting devices. Furthermore, the various embodiments may also be implemented by software modules. These software modules are executed by a processor or directly in hardware. A combination of software modules and hardware implementation is also possible. The software modules may be stored in any type of computer-readable storage medium, such as RAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, registers, hard disks, CD-ROMs, DVDs, etc. Furthermore, it should be noted that individual features of different embodiments may be the subject of other embodiments, individually or in any combination.

[0181] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes and / or modifications may be made to the present disclosure as set forth in the specific embodiments without departing from the concept or scope of the invention as broadly described. The embodiments described herein are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

[0182] Further Aspects According to a first aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes a transceiver that, in operation, receives a relationship indicator indicating a relative spatial relationship between each of a plurality of beams. The UE further includes circuitry that, in operation, performs a beam management procedure using the relative spatial relationships.

[0183] For example, the beam management procedures may include beam measurement procedures, beam reporting procedures, beam feature detection procedures, and / or beam quality prediction procedures.

[0184] In one embodiment, the relationship indicator includes one or more beam indicators for each of the plurality of first beams, each of the one or more beam indicators may indicate a beam that is closest to the respective first beam in one of the plurality of directions.

[0185] In one embodiment, the relationship indicator includes a plurality of beam indicators, each beam indicator indicating a beam included in the plurality of beams. Further, each beam indicator may be associated with at least one element of the grid.

[0186] For example, a grid indicates the relative spatial relationships between each element of the grid.

[0187] For example, a grid represents a reference plane, and the association of beam indicators with each element of the grid represents a mapping of the coverage areas of multiple beams to the reference plane.

[0188] The reference plane may be a virtual plane that includes the coverage areas of multiple beams. For example, the reference plane may be located in a predetermined area on the Earth's surface. Alternatively, for example, the reference plane may be located between the location of the UE and a base station serving the UE, and the reference plane may be oriented perpendicular to the line of sight between the base station and the UE.

[0189] In an embodiment, at least one of the plurality of beam indicators is associated with two or more elements of the grid, and / or at least two of the plurality of beam indicators are associated with the same element of the grid.

[0190] In one embodiment, each beam indicator is a synchronization signal block identifier (SSB ID), a reference signal resource identifier, and / or a transmission configuration indication state identifier (TCI state ID).

[0191] In one embodiment, the transceiver unit, in operation, receives the relationship indicator via broadcast signaling or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0192] In one embodiment, the beam management procedure includes (i) a beam measurement procedure that uses a transceiver to measure a first characteristic of each of a plurality of first beams, and (ii) a beam prediction procedure that predicts a second characteristic of a beam included in the plurality of second beams.

[0193] The first characteristic may be different from or equal to the second characteristic. Examples of the first characteristic and / or the second characteristic include signal strength, spatial distribution of signal strength, reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR), signal-to-noise ratio, etc.

[0194] For example, the plurality of second beams may be equal to the plurality of first beams, may be a subset of the plurality of first beams, or may be different from the plurality of first beams.

[0195] If the plurality of first beams and the plurality of second beams are different from each other, they may not include any common beams, i.e., if the plurality of first beams do not overlap with the plurality of second beams, they are different from each other.

[0196] In one embodiment, the circuitry, in operation, performs beam management procedures using artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) models.

[0197] For example, during operation, the transceiver unit receives an AI / ML model that includes a relationship indicator indicating the relative spatial relationship between each of the multiple beams and / or is associated with the relative spatial relationship between each of the multiple beams.

[0198] For example, the AI / ML model may be learned by a base station and transmitted to a UE. When the UE receives the AI / ML model associated with the relative relationship between each of the multiple beams, the AI / ML model functions as a relationship indicator. In other words, the relative spatial relationship of the multiple beams is implicitly indicated by the AI / ML model.

[0199] For example, the relationship indicator indicates one AI / ML model among a plurality of AI / ML models, and the circuit, during operation, determines the AI / ML model indicated by the relationship indicator as the AI / ML model for performing the beam management procedure.

[0200] For example, the UE may obtain multiple AI / ML models by performing machine learning assuming multiple relative spatial relationships between each of the multiple beams. In this case, indicating the AI / ML model with a relationship indicator implicitly indicates the relative spatial relationship between each of the multiple beams. An explicit indication of the relative spatial relationship is not necessarily transmitted.

[0201] According to a second aspect, a method is provided for a user equipment (UE) to (i) receive a relationship indicator indicating a relative spatial relationship between each of a plurality of beams, and (ii) perform a beam management procedure using the relative spatial relationship.

[0202] For example, the beam management procedures may include beam measurement procedures, beam reporting procedures, beam feature detection procedures, and / or beam quality prediction procedures.

[0203] In one embodiment, the relationship indicator includes one or more beam indicators for each of the plurality of first beams, each of the one or more beam indicators may indicate a beam that is closest to the respective first beam in one of the plurality of directions.

[0204] In one embodiment, the relationship indicator includes a plurality of beam indicators, each beam indicator indicating a beam included in the plurality of beams. Further, each beam indicator may be associated with at least one element of the grid.

[0205] For example, a grid indicates the relative spatial relationships between each element of the grid.

[0206] For example, a grid represents a reference plane, and the association of a beam indicator with each element of the grid represents a mapping of the coverage areas of multiple beams to the reference plane.

[0207] The reference plane may be a virtual plane that includes the coverage areas of multiple beams. For example, the reference plane may be located in a predetermined area on the Earth's surface. Alternatively, for example, the reference plane may be located between the location of the UE and a base station serving the UE, and the reference plane may be oriented perpendicular to the line of sight between the base station and the UE.

[0208] In an embodiment, at least one of the plurality of beam indicators is associated with two or more elements of the grid, and / or at least two of the plurality of beam indicators are associated with the same element of the grid.

[0209] In one embodiment, each beam indicator is a synchronization signal block identifier (SSB ID), a reference signal resource identifier, and / or a transmission configuration indication state identifier (TCI state ID).

[0210] In one embodiment, the method includes receiving the relationship indicator via broadcast signaling or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0211] In one embodiment, the beam management procedure includes (i) a beam measurement procedure that uses a transceiver to measure a first characteristic of each of a plurality of first beams, and (ii) a beam prediction procedure that predicts a second characteristic of a beam included in the plurality of second beams.

[0212] The first characteristic may be different from or equal to the second characteristic. Examples of the first characteristic and / or the second characteristic include signal strength, spatial distribution of signal strength, reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR), signal-to-noise ratio, etc.

[0213] For example, the plurality of second beams may be equal to the plurality of first beams, may be a subset of the plurality of first beams, or may be different from the plurality of first beams.

[0214] If the plurality of first beams and the plurality of second beams are different from each other, they may not include any common beams, i.e., if the plurality of first beams do not overlap with the plurality of second beams, they are different from each other.

[0215] In one embodiment, the beam management procedure is performed using an artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) model.

[0216] For example, an AI / ML model may be received that includes a relationship indicator and / or is associated with the relative spatial relationship of each of the multiple beams.

[0217] For example, the AI / ML model may be learned by the base station and transmitted to the UE. When the base station receives an AI / ML model associated with the relative relationship between each of the multiple beams, the AI / ML model functions as a relationship indicator. In other words, the relative spatial relationship of the multiple beams is implicitly indicated by the AI / ML model.

[0218] For example, the relationship indicator indicates one AI / ML model among multiple AI / ML models, and the AI / ML model indicated by the relationship indicator is determined as the AI / ML model for performing the beam management procedure.

[0219] For example, the AI / ML models may be derived by performing machine learning assuming multiple relative spatial relationships between each of the multiple beams. In this case, indicating the AI / ML model with a relationship indicator implicitly indicates the relative spatial relationship between each of the multiple beams. No explicit indication of the relative spatial relationship is necessarily transmitted.

[0220] According to a third aspect, there is provided a base station comprising: circuitry that, in operation, determines a relationship indicator that indicates a relative spatial relationship between a plurality of beams; and a transceiver that, in operation, transmits the relationship indicator.

[0221] In one embodiment, the relationship indicator includes one or more beam indicators for each of the plurality of first beams, each of the one or more beam indicators may indicate a beam that is closest to the respective first beam in one of the plurality of directions.

[0222] In one embodiment, the relationship indicator includes a plurality of beam indicators, each beam indicator indicating a beam included in the plurality of beams. Further, each beam indicator may be associated with at least one element of the grid.

[0223] For example, a grid indicates the relative spatial relationships between each element of the grid.

[0224] For example, a grid represents a reference plane, and the association of a beam indicator with each element of the grid represents a mapping of the coverage areas of multiple beams to the reference plane.

[0225] The reference plane may be a virtual plane that includes the coverage areas of multiple beams. For example, the reference plane may be located in a predetermined area on the Earth's surface. Alternatively, for example, the reference plane may be located between the UE and a base station serving the UE, and the reference plane may be oriented perpendicular to the line of sight between the base station and the UE.

[0226] In an embodiment, at least one of the plurality of beam indicators is associated with two or more elements of the grid, and / or at least two of the plurality of beam indicators are associated with the same element of the grid.

[0227] In one embodiment, each beam indicator is a synchronization signal block identifier (SSB ID), a reference signal resource identifier, and / or a transmission configuration indication state identifier (TCI state ID).

[0228] In one embodiment, the transceiver unit, in operation, transmits the relationship indicator via broadcast signaling or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0229] For example, the transceiver unit, when operational, transmits an AI / ML model that includes a relationship indicator and / or is associated with the relative spatial relationship of each of the multiple beams.

[0230] For example, the AI / ML model may be learned by a base station and transmitted to a UE. When the UE receives the AI / ML model associated with the relative relationship between each of the multiple beams, the AI / ML model functions as a relationship indicator. In other words, the relative spatial relationship of the multiple beams is implicitly indicated by the AI / ML model.

[0231] For example, the relationship indicator indicates one AI / ML model among multiple AI / ML models as the AI / ML model for performing the beam management procedure.

[0232] For example, the UE may obtain multiple AI / ML models by performing machine learning assuming multiple relative spatial relationships between each of the multiple beams. In this case, indicating the AI / ML model with a relationship indicator implicitly indicates the relative spatial relationship between each of the multiple beams. An explicit indication of the relative spatial relationship is not necessarily transmitted.

[0233] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a method for a base station, the method including: (i) determining a relationship indicator indicative of a relative spatial relationship between a plurality of beams; and (ii) transmitting the relationship indicator.

[0234] In one embodiment, the relationship indicator includes one or more beam indicators for each of the plurality of first beams, each of the one or more beam indicators may indicate a beam that is closest to the respective first beam in one of the plurality of directions.

[0235] In one embodiment, the relationship indicator includes a plurality of beam indicators, each beam indicator indicating a beam included in the plurality of beams. Further, each beam indicator may be associated with at least one element of the grid.

[0236] For example, a grid indicates the relative spatial relationships between each element of the grid.

[0237] For example, a grid represents a reference plane, and the association of a beam indicator with each element of the grid represents a mapping of the coverage areas of multiple beams to the reference plane.

[0238] The reference plane may be a virtual plane that includes the coverage areas of multiple beams. For example, the reference plane may be located in a predetermined area on the Earth's surface. Alternatively, for example, the reference plane may be located between the UE and a base station serving the UE, and the reference plane may be oriented perpendicular to the line of sight between the base station and the UE.

[0239] In an embodiment, at least one of the plurality of beam indicators is associated with two or more elements of the grid, and / or at least two of the plurality of beam indicators are associated with the same element of the grid.

[0240] In one embodiment, each beam indicator is a synchronization signal block identifier (SSB ID), a reference signal resource identifier, and / or a transmission configuration indication state identifier (TCI state ID).

[0241] In one embodiment, the relationship indicator is transmitted via broadcast signaling or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0242] For example, an AI / ML model may be transmitted that includes a relationship indicator and / or is associated with the relative spatial relationship between each of the multiple beams.

[0243] For example, the AI / ML model may be learned by a base station and transmitted to a UE. When the UE receives the AI / ML model associated with the relative relationship between each of the multiple beams, the AI / ML model functions as a relationship indicator. In other words, the relative spatial relationship of the multiple beams is implicitly indicated by the AI / ML model.

[0244] For example, the relationship indicator indicates one AI / ML model among multiple AI / ML models as the AI / ML model for performing the beam management procedure.

[0245] For example, the UE may obtain multiple AI / ML models by performing machine learning assuming multiple relative spatial relationships between each of the multiple beams. In this case, indicating the AI / ML model with a relationship indicator implicitly indicates the relative spatial relationship between each of the multiple beams. An explicit indication of the relative spatial relationship is not necessarily transmitted.

[0246] In summary, some exemplary embodiments relate to a user equipment (UE), a base station, and respective methods for the UE and the base station. For example, the UE includes a transceiver that, in operation, receives a relationship indicator indicating a relative spatial relationship between each of a plurality of beams. The UE further includes circuitry that, in operation, performs a beam management procedure using the relative spatial relationships.

Claims

1. a transceiver that, in operation, receives a relationship indicator indicating a relative spatial relationship between each of the plurality of beams; circuitry that, in operation, performs a beam management procedure using the relative spatial relationship; A communication device comprising:

2. the relationship indicators include one or more beam indicators for each of a plurality of first beams; each of the one or more beam indicators indicates a beam closest to a respective one of the first beams in one of a plurality of directions; The communication device according to claim 1 .

3. the relationship indicator includes a plurality of beam indicators; each of the beam indicators indicates a beam included in the plurality of beams; each of the beam indicators is associated with at least one element of a grid; The communication device according to claim 1 .

4. the grid indicating the relative spatial relationship between each of the elements of the grid; The communication device according to claim 3 .

5. the grid represents a reference plane; an association of the beam indicators with respective elements of the grid representing a mapping of coverage areas of the plurality of beams to the reference plane; The communication device according to claim 3 .

6. At least one of the plurality of beam indicators is associated with two or more elements of the grid; and / or at least two of the plurality of beam indicators are associated with the same element of the grid; The communication device according to claim 3 .

7. Each of the beam indicators is a Synchronization Signal Block Identifier (SSB ID), a Reference Signal Resource Identifier, and / or a Transmission Configuration Indication State Identifier (TCI State ID). The communication device according to claim 2 .

8. In operation, the transceiver receives the relationship indicator via broadcast signaling or Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. The communication device according to claim 1 .

9. The beam management procedure includes: a beam measurement step of measuring a first characteristic of each of the plurality of first beams using the transceiver; a beam prediction step for predicting a second characteristic of a beam included in the plurality of second beams; Including, The communication device according to claim 2 .

10. the plurality of second beams are equal to, a subset of, or different from the plurality of first beams; The communication device according to claim 9.

11. wherein the circuitry, in operation, uses an artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) model to perform the beam management procedure. The communication device according to claim 1 .

12. wherein the transceiver unit, in operation, receives an AI / ML model that includes the relationship indicator and / or is associated with a relative spatial relationship between each of the plurality of beams. The communication device according to claim 11.

13. the relationship indicator indicates an AI / ML model from among a plurality of AI / ML models; the circuit, in operation, determines the AI / ML model indicated by the relationship indicator as the AI / ML model for performing the beam management procedure. The communication device according to claim 11.

14. 1. A method for a communication device, comprising: receiving a relationship indicator indicative of a relative spatial relationship between each of the plurality of beams; performing a beam management procedure using the relative spatial relationship; A method comprising:

15. a circuit that, in operation, determines a relationship indicator indicative of a relative spatial relationship between the plurality of beams; a transceiver that, in operation, transmits said relationship indicator; A base station comprising:

16. 1. A method of a base station, comprising: determining a relationship indicator indicative of a relative spatial relationship between the plurality of beams; transmitting said relationship indicator; and a method.

17. 1. An integrated circuit configured to control a communication device, comprising: a transmitter / receiver circuit that, in operation, receives a relationship indicator indicating a relative spatial relationship between each of the plurality of beams; a control circuit that, in operation, uses the relative spatial relationship to perform a beam management procedure; 1. An integrated circuit comprising:

18. 1. An integrated circuit configured to control a base station, comprising: a control circuit that, in operation, determines a relationship indicator indicative of a relative spatial relationship between the plurality of beams; a transmitter / receiver circuit that, in operation, transmits the relationship indicator; 1. An integrated circuit comprising:

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