Reporting non-zero coefficient bitmap for coherent joint transmission with codebook

Abstract

According to some embodiments, a method performed by a user equipment (UE) includes receiving from a network node an indication of a plurality of non-zero power (NZP) channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources for channel measurements (502) and performing channel measurements on the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources (504). The UE selects one or more NZP CSI-RS resources from the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources (505) and generates a CSI report based on the channel measurements and the selected one or more NZP CSI-RS resources (506). The CSI report includes an indicator for the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources and a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources. The UE transmits the CSI report to the network (508).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Related Applications This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 412067, filed September 30, 2022, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 415880, filed October 13, 2022.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to wireless communication networks, and more particularly to wireless communication networks that employ codebook-based precoding for spatial multiplexing. [Background technology]

[0003] Codebook-based Precoding

[0004] Multi-antenna techniques can significantly increase the data rate and reliability of wireless communication systems. Performance can be improved when both the transmitter and receiver are equipped with multiple antennas, resulting in a multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) communication channel. Such systems and / or related techniques are commonly referred to as MIMO.

[0005] A core component of fifth-generation (5G) wireless networks, such as New Radio (NR), is support for MIMO antenna deployment and MIMO-related techniques, such as spatial multiplexing, which can be used to increase data rates in favorable channel conditions.

[0006] Figure 1 shows an example of spatial multiplexing. T × r precoding matrix W or precoder W, which is TThe precoding matrix s acts to distribute transmission energy among subspaces of a -dimensional vector space. The precoding matrix is ​​typically selected from a codebook of possible precoding matrices and is typically indicated by a precoding matrix indicator (PMI), which specifies a unique precoding matrix in the codebook for a given number of symbol streams. Each of the r symbols in s corresponds to a MIMO layer, where r is called the transmission rank and is equal to the number of columns of the precoder W. In this way, spatial multiplexing is achieved since multiple symbols can be transmitted simultaneously on the same time / frequency resource element (RE). The number of symbols r is typically adapted to suit the current channel characteristics.

[0007] NR uses Orthogonal Division Multiplexing (OFDM) in the downlink. R x1 vector y n teeth, TIFF2025535686000002.tif5170, where e n is the receiver noise / interference vector. The precoder W can be constant over frequency (i.e., wideband) or frequency selective (i.e., per subband).

[0008] The precoder W is N R ×N T MIMO channel matrix H n , resulting in so-called channel dependent precoding, which is also commonly referred to as closed loop precoding.

[0009] In closed-loop precoding, the UE feeds back a recommendation for a suitable precoder to the gNodeB (gNB) in the form of PMI based on downlink channel measurements. To this end, the UE is configured with a CSI reporting configuration, including a channel state information (CSI) reference signal (CSI-RS) for channel measurements and a codebook of candidate precoders. In addition to the precoder, the feedback may also include a rank indicator (RI) and one or two channel quality indicators (CQIs). The RI, PMI, and CQI are part of the CSI feedback. In NR, CSI feedback can be either wideband, where one CSI is reported for the entire channel bandwidth, or frequency-selective, where one CSI is reported for each subband, defined as the number of adjacent physical resource blocks (PRBs) ranging from 4 to 32 PRBs, depending on the size of the bandwidth part (BWP).

[0010] Given the CSI feedback from the UE, the gNB determines the transmission parameters that the gNB wants to use to transmit to the UE, including the precoding matrix, transmission rank, and modulation and coding scheme (MCS).

[0011] 2D Antenna Array

[0012] A two-dimensional antenna array has a number of antenna ports in a first dimension (e.g., horizontal dimension), N1, a number of antenna ports in a second dimension (e.g., vertical dimension) orthogonal to the first dimension, N2, and a number of polarizations, N p Therefore, the total number of antenna ports can be expressed as N=N1N2N p The concept of an antenna port is non-limiting in the sense that it can refer to any virtualization (e.g., linear mapping) to a physical antenna element. For example, a pair of physical antenna elements may be fed with the same signal and therefore share the same virtualized antenna port.

[0013] Dual polarized antenna elements (i.e., Np An example of a 4×4 (i.e., N1×N2) array with N1×N2 (=2) is shown in FIG. 2.

[0014] FIG. 2 shows a dual polarized antenna element (N) with N1=4 horizontal antenna elements and N2=4 vertical antenna elements. P FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram of a two-dimensional antenna array (=2).

[0015] Precoding can be interpreted as multiplying the signal to be transmitted by a set of beamforming weights for the antenna ports prior to transmission. A common approach is to tailor the precoder to the antenna form factor, i.e., N1, N2 and N3 when designing the precoder codebook. p The key is to take into consideration the following:

[0016] Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS)

[0017] For CSI measurement and feedback, a CSI-RS is defined. The CSI-RS is transmitted on each antenna port and used by the UE to measure the downlink channel between each transmit antenna port and each receive antenna port. A transmit antenna port is also referred to as a CSI-RS port. The supported number of antenna ports in NR is {1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32}. By measuring the received CSI-RS, the UE can estimate the channel traversed by the CSI-RS, including the radio propagation channel and antenna gain. The CSI-RS for the above purpose is also referred to as a non-zero power (NZP) CSI-RS.

[0018] The CSI-RS may be configured to be transmitted in some REs in a slot and in some slots. Figure 3 shows an example of CSI-RS REs for 12 antenna ports, with one RE per RB per port shown. Figure 3 shows an example of RE allocation for 12-port CSI-RS in NR.

[0019] Additionally, interference measurement resources (IMRs) for UEs to measure interference are also defined in NR. An IMR resource includes four REs, i.e., either four adjacent REs in frequency in the same OFDM symbol, or 2 × 2 adjacent REs in both time and frequency in a slot. By measuring both the channel based on the NZP CSI-RS and the interference based on the IMR, the UE can estimate the effective channel and noise-plus-interference to determine the CSI, i.e., rank, precoding matrix, and channel quality. Furthermore, a UE in NR can be configured to measure interference based on one or more NZP CSI-RS resources.

[0020] CSI Framework in NR

[0021] In NR, a UE may be configured with multiple CSI reporting settings and multiple CSI-RS resource settings. Each resource setting may include multiple resource sets, and each resource set may include up to eight CSI-RS resources. For each CSI reporting setting, the UE feeds back a CSI report.

[0022] Each CSI reporting setting includes at least the following information: CSI-RS resource set for channel measurements Optionally, a CSI-RS resource set for interference measurement Time domain behavior, i.e. periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic reporting Frequency granularity, i.e., wideband or subband CSI parameters to be reported, such as RI, PMI, CQI, and CSI-RS Resource Indicator (CRI), in case of multiple CSI-RS resources in a resource set Codebook type, i.e., Type I or II, and codebook subset restrictions Measurement Limits Subband size. One of two possible subband sizes is indicated, the value range depends on the BWP bandwidth. One CQI / PMI is fed back per subband (if configured for subband reporting).

[0023] NR Rel-16 Extended Type II (eType II) Codebook

[0024] The NR Rel-15 Type II codebook is extended in NR Rel-16, where instead of reporting separate precoders for different subbands, the precoders for all subbands are reported together by using so-called frequency-domain (FD) basis sets. This exploits frequency-domain channel correlation by representing the precoder changes in the frequency domain with a set of frequency-domain DFT basis vectors (simply called frequency-domain basis vectors). Due to the channel correlation in frequency, only a few DFT basis vectors can be used to represent the precoder changes across all subbands. By doing so, feedback overhead can be reduced, or for the same feedback overhead, performance can be improved.

[0025] For a given CSI-RS resource with N CSI-RS antenna ports in one dimension and N CSI-RS antenna ports in another dimension, and with two polarizations, the Rel-16 Type II codebook-based precoding vector for each layer l (l=1,...,v) and across all subbands is TIFF2025535686000003.tif8170, where: · TIFF2025535686000004.tif7170 is the PMI subband with subband index t∈{0,1,...,N3-1} for layer l. CSI-RS × 1 precoding vector, where PCSI-RS = 2N1N2 is the number of CSI-RS ports in the configured NZP CSI-RS resources, N3=N SB × R is the number of subbands for the PMI, where N SB is the number of CQI subbands, R∈{1,2} is a scaling factor, and N SB and R are both RRC settings, W1 is the same as that in the Rel-15 Type II codebook and contains the set of selected beams or SD basis vectors, · TIFF2025535686000005.tif7170 is M v a matrix of size N3 × M for layer l with selected FD basis vectors v is the frequency domain (FD) compression matrix of TIFF2025535686000006.tif9170, The file is TIFF2025535686000007.tif8170. TIFF2025535686000008.tif8170 is the number of selected FD basis vectors, which is determined by the rank v and the RRC-configured parameter p v Depends on p v Supported values ​​of can be found in Table 5.2.2.2.5-1 of 3GPP TS38.214 v16.14.0. · TIFF2025535686000009.tif6170 is size 2L x M v is the coefficient matrix of For layer l, Only a subset of 6170 coefficients are non-zero and reported by the UE. TIFF2025535686000011.tif6170 unreported coefficients are assumed to be 0. ○ TIFF2025535686000012.tif5170 is the maximum number of non-zero coefficients per layer, where β is an RRC configured parameter. Supported β values ​​are shown in the table shown in Table 5.2.2.2.5-1 of 3GPP TS38.214 v16.14.0. ○ If v∈{2,3,4}, the total number of non-zero coefficients summed over all layers, TIFF2025535686000013.tif6170 is It must meet the requirements of TIFF2025535686000014.tif5170. The selected coefficient subset for each layer is of size 2LM. v In the bitmap TIFF2025535686000015.tif6170 1's, i 1,7,l . ○ The strongest coefficient of layer l (whose amplitude and phase are not reported) is i 1,8,l ,∈{0,1,...,2L-1}. ○ W 2,l The amplitude coefficient in i 2,3,l and i 2,4,l Directed by W 2,l The phase coefficient in i 2,5,l is directed by.

[0026] The above is described in section 5.2.2.2.5 of 3GPP TS38.214 v16.14.0.

[0027] An enhanced Type II (eType II) port selection (PS) codebook was also introduced in Rel-16, which is intended to be used for beamformed CSI-RS, i.e., each CSI-RS port corresponds to a 2D spatial beam. Based on measurements, the UE selects the best CSI-RS port and recommends to the gNB the rank, precoding matrix, and CQI conditioned on the rank and precoding matrix.

[0028] The precoding matrix comprises a linear combination of the selected CSI-RS ports. For a given transmission layer l, l∈{1,...,v}, where v is the rank indicated by the rank indicator (RI), the precoder matrix has the same form as the Rel16 extended Type II codebook, i.e., The file is TIFF2025535686000016.tif8170.

[0029] matrix TIFF2025535686000017.tif6170 and W f,l is the same as in the Rel-16 extended type II codebook. The main difference is with respect to W1, which is Size P given by TIFF2025535686000018.tif10170 CSI-RS × 2L port selection matrix, where TIFF2025535686000019.tif6170 is the size Port selection vector in TIFF2025535686000020.tif8170, location indicating the selected CSI-RS port TIFF2025535686000021.tif8170 contains one element with a value of 1, and all other elements have a value of 0, e.g., e0=[1,0,...,0] T and TIFF2025535686000022.tif7170. L is the number of selected CSI-RS ports from each polarization, with the same ports selected for both polarizations. Supported values ​​of L can be found in Table 5.2.2.2.6-1 of 3GPP TS38.214 v16.14.0.

[0030] The upper layer parameter portSelectionSamplingSize is set to the value of d, where d∈{1,2,3,4}, The file is TIFF2025535686000023.tif8170.

[0031] The selected CSI-RS port is TIFF2025535686000024.tif7170, which is reported by the UE to the gNB. 1,2 are not relevant and therefore not reported.

[0032] In Rel-16 Extended Type II CSI feedback, the CSI report includes two parts, namely, Part 1 and Part 2. Part 1 has a fixed payload size and is used to identify the number of information bits in Part 2. Part 1 contains the RI, CQI, and an indication of the overall number of non-zero amplitude coefficients across layers, i.e., TIFF2025535686000025.tif5170. Part 2 contains the PMI. Part 1 and Part 2 of the CSI report are coded separately.

[0033] NR Rel-17 Further Enhanced Type II Port Selection Codebook

[0034] The Rel-16 port selection codebook is further extended in Rel-17, where it is assumed that each CSI-RS port is associated with a channel delay, and different channel delays are associated with different CSI-RS ports. Also, the delays associated with the CSI-RS ports are pre-compensated before transmission, so that only one or two frequency-domain basis vectors are selected by the UE, i.e., M v ∈{1,2}. One or two FD basis vectors are the same for all layers, and therefore M v M is used instead of .

[0035] The number of CSI-RS ports or beams to be selected for each polarization, L, is given by L = αP CSI-RS / 2, where the parameter α is set by the RRC as shown in Table 5.2.2.2.7-1 of 3GPP TS38.214 v17.6.0.

[0036] The 2L total CSI-RS ports are represented by L port selection vectors Based on TIFF2025535686000026.tif5170 CSI-RS A port is selected from the list, which is identified by: m=[m (0) ...m (L-1) ] TIFF2025535686000027.tif8170 This is the index i 1,2 where: The file is TIFF2025535686000028.tif9170.

[0037] M selected FD basis vectors TIFF2025535686000029.tif9170, f∈{0,...,M-1} is identified by n3, where TIFF2025535686000030.tif20170, The index f∈{0,...,M-1} is TIFF2025535686000031.tif7170 is allocated so that it increases with f. n3 is the index i 1,6 is directed by.

[0038] Coherent joint PDSCH transmission from multiple TRPs

[0039] In NR Rel-18, it was agreed to support coherent joint downlink transmission (CJT) from multiple transmit and receive points (TRPs) by extending the Rel-16 and Rel-17 extended Type II codebooks across multiple TRPs. In CJT, each layer of the PDSCH is transmitted from multiple TRPs. An example is shown in Figure 4, which illustrates an example of CJT on two TRPs. A physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) with two layers is transmitted from the two TRPs by applying two different precoding matrices to the PDSCH at TRP1 and TRP2. The two precoders are designed so that, for each layer, the signals received from the two TRPs are phase-aligned and therefore coherently combined at the UE.

[0040] The extension of the NR Rel-16 Type II codebook to CJT has been discussed in 3GPP, and two modes of codebook structure to support CJT have been agreed upon as follows: Mode 1: SD / FD basis selection per TRP / TRP group, allowing independent FD basis selection across N TRPs / TRP groups. Exemplary formulation (N = number of TRPs or TRP groups): TIFF2025535686000032.tif16170 Mode 2: SD basis selection per TRP / TRP group (port group or resource) and joint / common FD basis selection (across N TRPs). Example formulation (N=number of TRPs or TRP groups): TIFF2025535686000033.tif16170Where, W 1,n contains the selected beam or SD basis vectors for the n-th TRP, and W f,n is the selected FD basis vector associated with the n-th TRP, TIFF2025535686000034.tif6170 contains the coefficients related to the nth TRP, and W fis the common set of selected FD basis vectors across all TRPs. Summary of the Invention

[0041] According to some embodiments, a method performed by a user equipment (UE) includes receiving, from a network node, an indication of multiple non-zero power (NZP) channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources for channel measurements and performing channel measurements on the multiple NZP CSI-RS resources. The UE selects one or more NZP CSI-RS resources from the multiple NZP CSI-RS resources and generates a CSI report based on the channel measurements and the selected one or more NZP CSI-RS resources. The CSI report includes an indicator for the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources and a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources. The UE transmits the CSI report to the network.

[0042] According to some embodiments, a user equipment includes a processing circuit, a communications interface coupled to the processing circuit, and a memory coupled to the processing circuit. The memory includes computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processing circuit, cause the user equipment to perform operations including receiving an indication from a network node of a plurality of non-zero power (NZP) channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources for channel measurement, performing channel measurements on the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources, selecting one or more NZP CSI-RS resources from the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources, generating a CSI report based on the channel measurement and the selected one or more NZP CSI-RS resources, the CSI report including an indicator for the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources and a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources, and transmitting the CSI report to a network.

[0043] Some embodiments provide a non-transitory medium including computer-readable program instructions that, when executed by a processing circuit of a user equipment, cause the user equipment to perform operations including receiving an indication from a network node of a plurality of non-zero power (NZP) channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources for channel measurements; performing channel measurements on the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources; selecting one or more NZP CSI-RS resources from the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources; generating a CSI report based on the channel measurements and the selected one or more NZP CSI-RS resources, wherein the CSI report includes an indicator for the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources and a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources; and transmitting the CSI report to a network.

[0044] According to some embodiments, a method implemented by a network node includes transmitting an indication of a plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources for channel measurements to a UE, and receiving a CSI report based on the channel measurements for the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources, wherein the CSI report includes an indicator for one or more NZP CSI-RS resources selected by the UE and a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources.

[0045] According to some embodiments, a network node includes a processing circuit, a communications interface coupled to the processing circuit, and a memory coupled to the processing circuit. The memory includes computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processing circuit, cause the network node to perform operations including sending an indication to a UE of a plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources for channel measurements and receiving a CSI report based on the channel measurements for the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources. The CSI report includes an indicator for one or more NZP CSI-RS resources selected by the UE and a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources.

[0046] Some embodiments provide a non-transitory medium including computer-readable program instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of a network node, cause the network node to perform operations of the above-described methods relating to the network node. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0047] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example transmission structure for spatial multiplexing in NR. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram of a two-dimensional antenna array of dual polarized antenna elements (NP=2) with N1=4 horizontal antenna elements and N2=4 vertical antenna elements. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of CSI-RS RE for 12 antenna ports. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 shows an example of a CJT on two TRPs. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a UE in accordance with some embodiments. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a UE in accordance with some embodiments. [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a network node according to some embodiments. [Figure 8]FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a communication system, according to some embodiments. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 illustrates a UE, according to some embodiments. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 illustrates a network node, according to some embodiments. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a host in accordance with various aspects described herein. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualized environment in which functionality implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. [Figure 13] FIG. 1 is a communication diagram of a host communicating with a UE via a network node over a partial wireless connection, according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0048] Currently, there exists one or more problems. When a Rel-16 eType II codebook is used for multiple TRP (mTRP) coherent joint transmission, not all TRPs are always used / selected by the UE. Therefore, the linear combination coefficient matrix in the eType II codebook contains many zeros, which means that no TRPs are selected at all or not selected for a given transmission layer. If the legacy Rel-16 eType II codebook is reused, the NZC bitmap needs to be reported as long as there is one non-zero coefficient (NZC) for a layer, which results in huge overhead for reporting the NZC bitmap.

[0049] Some embodiments may provide solutions to these or other problems. Some embodiments provide a method for identifying which TRPs are not selected / recommended by the UE for transmitting transmission layers. Based on this information, a method is proposed for saving overhead for eType II CSI reporting.

[0050] Some embodiments provide a method for reporting Type II CSI by a UE. According to some embodiments, the UE receives configuration or other indication or signaling for two or more NZP CSI-RS resources for channel measurement from the network. The UE performs channel measurements on the two or more NZP CSI-RS resources for channel measurement and calculates Type II CSI based on the measured channels.

[0051] The UE includes at least one of an indicator for selected NZP CSI-RS resources in Part 1, an indicator for selected NZP CSI-RS resources with a first value (e.g., having a non-zero value) in Part 1, and an indicator for non-selected NZP CSI-RS resources with a second value (e.g., having a zero value) in CSI Part 1 of the Type-II CSI. The indicators may include a bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmaps reported in CSI Part 2.

[0052] Furthermore, the UE may include non-zero coefficient bitmaps corresponding to selected NZP CSI-RS resources in Part 2 of the Type-II CSI and omit non-zero coefficient bitmaps corresponding to non-selected NZP CSI-RS resources in Part 2 of the Type-II CSI.

[0053] The UE may include non-zero coefficients reported via a set of amplitude and phase indicators corresponding to the non-zero coefficients indicated by each non-zero coefficient bitmap included in Part 2.

[0054] The UE reports Type II CSI to the network, which is composed of Part 1 and Part 2. Part 1 CSI may include other quantities, such as a rank indicator and / or a CQI.

[0055] In some embodiments, the indicator for selecting and / or not selecting an NZP CSI-RS resource is an NZP CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI).

[0056] In some embodiments, the indicator for selecting and / or not selecting an NZP CSI-RS resource is a number of selected spatial domain (SD) basis vector indicators per NZP CSI-RS resource (i.e., the number of selected SD basis vectors is indicated by an indicator per NZP CSI-RS resource).

[0057] In some embodiments, the indicator for selecting and / or not selecting an NZP CSI-RS resource is the number of non-zero coefficients indicated per NZP CSI-RS resource (i.e., the number of non-zero coefficients is indicated by an indicator per NZP CSI-RS resource).

[0058] In some embodiments, the indicators in Part 1 for selecting and / or not selecting NZP CSI-RS resources also select the transmission layer. For example, one or more of the following may apply: a first indicator indicating selection / deselection of a first NZP CSI-RS for a first transmission layer; a second indicator indicating selection / deselection of the first NZP CSI-RS for the second transmission layer; a third indicator indicating selection / deselection of the second NZP CSI-RS for the first transmission layer; and / or A fourth indicator indicating selection / deselection of the second NZP CSI-RS for the second transmission layer.

[0059] In some further embodiments, the UE may include one non-zero coefficient bitmap for each indicator indicating selection of one NZP CSI-RS and one of the transmission layers in Part 2 and may omit from Part 2 the non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to each indicator indicating non-selection of one NZP CSI-RS and one of the transmission layers. In some further embodiments, the UE may include in Part 2 the non-zero coefficient indicated by each bitmap, each non-zero coefficient indicated via a set of amplitude and phase indicators.

[0060] In some embodiments, each NZP CSI-RS resource represents a TRP.

[0061] Some embodiments may provide one or more technical advantages. For example, some embodiments enable a UE to omit, when applicable, one or more NZP CSI-RS resources (or TRPs) and / or NZC bitmaps corresponding to transmission layers to save CSI reporting overhead. This may help significantly reduce Type II CSI reporting overhead for CJT use cases.

[0062] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: The embodiments are provided by way of example and to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0063] It is agreed in 3GPP that each TRP or TRP group is associated with an NZP CSI-RS resource, and therefore in this description, TRP, TRP group, and NZP CSI-RS resource are used interchangeably.

[0064] In the legacy Rel-16 Type II codebook, the total number of non-zero coefficients across all layers (NNZC), i.e., K NZ was reported in CSI Part 1, NZis used by the gNB to derive the CSI part 2 payload size. The actual number and location of NZCs for each transmission layer are identified by the layer-specific NZC bitmap. Note that the legacy Rel-16 eType II codebook only supports CSI reporting using a single TRP or a single NZP CSI-RS resource.

[0065] For the Type II codebook extension for mTRP (i.e., with CJT), there are two possible options for NZC bitmap design. One design is to have a single NZC bitmap per layer across all NZP CSI-RS resources (or TRPs). The other design option is to have a separate NZC bitmap per layer for each NZP CSI-RS resource (or each TRP). Because the SD basis (i.e., W1) is selected separately for each NZP CSI-RS resource, it is more reasonable to report one bitmap per layer per NZP CSI-RS resource (i.e., TRP or TRP group). This is because even if multiple NZP CSI-RS resources (i.e., TRPs, TRP groups) are configured, not all NZP CSI-RS resources are always good and will be used / recommended by the UE, and the coefficients in the reported linear combination matrix W2 associated with the unused / unselected NZP CSI-RS resources will have a value of 0. This can occur in many scenarios, for example, when the UE has a much weaker link to some of the TRPs compared to other TRPs, or when different TRPs are good for different transmission layers (e.g., TRP1 and TRP2 are used for Layer 1, and TRP2 and TRP3 are used for Layer 2).

[0066] Furthermore, there is a maximum NNZC that can be reported, and therefore the remaining unreported coefficients need to be set to 0. Since weak TRPs are usually associated with weak linear combination coefficients (LCCs), this further increases the likelihood that weak TRPs will not be selected by the UE. As a result, the W2 matrix (or a portion of W2, if W2 spans all TRPs) associated with unused / not recommended TRPs contains only 0 elements. Note that reporting of NZC bitmaps is the main source of overhead after reporting of actual quantized NZCs (assuming most NZCs are reported), and therefore reporting a bitmap whose corresponding elements are all 0 is a waste of uplink resources.

[0067] In some embodiments, when an eType II codebook is used for mTRP with CJT, it is assumed that separate NZC bitmaps, one for each NZP CSI-RS resource per transmission layer, are used to identify the reported NZC from the LCC matrix W2, where each reported LCC matrix W2 and corresponding NZC bitmap is associated with a TRP and a transmission layer.

[0068] In 3GPP TS38.214 v17.2.0, the Rel-16 eType II NZC bitmap is indexed. As reported / instructed by TIFF2025535686000035.tif8170, where: TIFF2025535686000036.tif8170, TIFF2025535686000037.tif8170, · l=,1,...,v is the layer index and v is the transmission rank. i=0,...,2L-1 is the SD basis index f=0,...,M v -1 is the FD basis index, and M vis the number of selected FD basis vectors.

[0069] The above NZC bitmap for the Rel-16 eType II codebook for a single TRP can be extended to support N TRPs / TRP groups (i.e., N CSI-RS resources) by introducing an index for each TRP / TRP group (i.e., for each CSI-RS resource). In that case, for CSI-RS resource n, the bitmap is represented by index TIFF2025535686000038.tif8170, where: TIFF2025535686000039.tif8170, TIFF2025535686000040.tif8170, l=,1,...,v is the layer index and v is the transmission rank. · i n =0,...,2L n −1 is the SD basis index associated with CSI-RS resource n, and L n is the number of selected SD basis vectors for CSI-RS resource n f n =0,...,M v,n −1 is the FD basis index associated with CSI-RS resource n and layer v, and M v,n is the number of selected FD basis vectors for CSI-RS resource n and layer v n=1,...N is the index associated with the nth CSI-RS resource, and N is the total number of CSI-RS resources.

[0070] It should be noted that the LCCs from matrix W2 corresponding to a given NZP CSI-RS resource (or TRP) and a given transmission layer may be reported as a set of amplitude and phase coefficient indicators, where the number of indicators depends on the number of NZCs indicated by the bitmap corresponding to the given NZP CSI-RS resource (or TRP) and a given transmission layer.

[0071] Some embodiments provide methods for enabling a UE to omit, where applicable, an NZC bitmap corresponding to one or more NZP CSI-RS resources (or TRPs) and / or transmission layers to save CSI reporting overhead.

[0072] An explicit indication may be used to indicate which NZC bitmaps are reported, where each NZC bitmap is associated with a CSI-RS resource and / or transmission layer.

[0073] Omit reporting of NZC bitmap according to NZP CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI)

[0074] In mTRP operation with CJT, each TRP or TRP group is associated with an NZP CSI-RS resource. When a configured TRP (i.e., an NZP CSI-RS resource) is not selected by the UE, for example, because the configured TRP has a weaker link to the served UE compared to other configured TRPs, this TRP may not be selected by the UE, and the CRI associated with the unselected TRP is not reported to the network. Alternatively, the CRI associated with the unselected TRP is indicated with a value of 0 in CSI Part 1. In this way, the corresponding NZC bitmap is omitted in CSI Part 2 from the CSI reported to the gNB because the LCC matrix W2 associated with this TRP only contains 0.

[0075] In one embodiment, NZC bitmaps associated with non-selected NZP CSI-RS resources (i.e., TRPs or TRP groups) are not reported to the gNB.

[0076] In some embodiments, the non-selected NZP CSI-RS resources are identified from the reported CRI values ​​(eg, a reported value of 0 for the CRI corresponding to the first NZP CSI-RS resource).

[0077] Omit reporting of NZC bitmaps according to selected SD basis vectors

[0078] In some cases, the UE is provided with a total number of SD basis vectors, L, by the gNB. tot is set, it is up to the UE to determine the number of selected SD basis vectors for each NZP CSI-RS resource (i.e., TRP or TRP group). The number of selected SD basis vectors for NZP CSI-RS resource n is defined as L n In this case, TIFF2025535686000041.tif5170, where N is the total number of configured NZP CSI-RS resources (i.e., TRPs or TRP groups). tot If is set as the maximum number of selected SD basis vectors across all NZP CSI-RS resources, Note that TIFF2025535686000042.tif5170 (i.e., the number of selected SD basis vectors across all NZP CSI-RS resources by the UE may be less than the maximum number of selected SD basis vectors across all NZP CSI-RS resources).

[0079] The SD basis vectors are only selected from a subset of the NZP CSI-RS resources, i.e., L for some n values. n= 0. This may be because there is an NZP CSI-RS resource (i.e., a TRP or TRP group) with a weak link to the served UE, in which case the corresponding bitmap is not reported by the UE.

[0080] In some embodiments, if the number of selected SD basis vectors for an NZP CSI-RS resource (i.e., a TRP or a TRP group) is 0, then the associated bitmap for said NZP CSI-RS resource is not reported.

[0081] In some embodiments, the number of selected SD basis vectors per TRP, i.e., L for n=1,...N, n was reported to gNB, and L n = 0, no bitmap related to NZP CSI-RS resource n is reported.

[0082] In some examples, the selected SD basis vectors are reported to the gNB in ​​a bitmap whose size is equal to the total number of configured NZP CSI-RS ports divided by two, then the sum across all configured NZP CSI-RS resources. In the bitmap, a "1" indicates a selected SD basis vector, and a "0" indicates a non-selected SD basis vector. If the total number of "1"s associated with an NZP CSI-RS resource is 0, then the bitmap associated with said NZP CSI-RS resource is not reported.

[0083] In some embodiments, the number of selected SD basis vectors is indicated in Part 1 of the CSI report, and the associated bitmap for the NZP CSI-RS(s) from which the SD basis vectors were selected is in Part 2 of the CSI report.

[0084] Omit reporting of NZC bitmap according to reported number of NZCs (NNZC)

[0085] The decision as to whether the NZC bitmap is reported may also be based on the reported NNZC.

[0086] One possible solution is, for example ,N is the NZP CSI-RS resource index. If TRP is not recommended by the UE, TIFF2025535686000044.tif5170 is reported (e.g., in CSI Part 1) and no corresponding bitmap is reported in CSI Part 2.

[0087] Another alternative is e.g. ,v are layer indices. If an NZP CSI-RS resource is not recommended by the UE for a layer, TIFF2025535686000046.tif6170 is reported (e.g., in CSI Part 1) and no corresponding bitmap is reported in CSI Part 2.

[0088] Omitting reporting of NZC bitmaps following explicit instructions to use bitmaps ("bitmaps of bitmaps").

[0089] In some cases, the indication of the bitmap to be reported is only TRP-specific, i.e., per NZP CSI-RS resource. In one embodiment, a bitmap of size N, where N is the number of TRPs selected by the UE, is used to indicate the NZC bitmap to be reported by the UE. In an alternative embodiment, a bitmap of size N, where N is the number of CSI-RS resources configured by the gNB, is used. In this way, a bitmap of length N can be used to select a subset of TRPs (i.e., a subset of CSI-RS resources among the N CSI-RS resources). In some embodiments, the bitmap of length N is reported as part of CSI Part 1.

[0090] For example, in the 3GPP specification, the bitmap for indicating the reported NZC bitmap is, for example: TIFF2025535686000047.tif8170, where n=1,...,N The file is TIFF2025535686000048.tif7170. TIFF2025535686000049.tif7170, the associated NZC bitmap for TRP n (i.e., CSI-RS resource n), i.e., for l=1,...,v, 1,7,l,n contains only 0 and is therefore not reported. The corresponding LCC should be treated as 0 and not reported as part of the CSI feedback by the UE.

[0091] In an alternative embodiment, the number of selected (or unselected) TRP or NZP CSI-RS resources is reported in Part 1 of the CSI. The selected NZP CSI-RS resources or TRPs are reported in Part 2 of the CSI (e.g., 1,9,nThis reduces the payload size of Part 1 CSI at the expense of a slight increase in the payload size of Part 2 CSI. For example, for four configured NZP CSI-RS resources / TRPs, two bits are required, but the bitmap (e.g., i 1,9,n ) is used in Part 1 CSI, 4 bits are needed. A smaller payload size of Part 1 CSI is desirable for reliable decoding.

[0092] In another embodiment, the total number of UE selected SD basis vectors or beams across all TRP / NZP CSI-RS resources is reported in Part 1 CSI. The selected NZP CSI-RS resources or TRPs and the selected number of SD basis vectors associated with each selected TRP (i.e., L n ) in Part 2 of CSI (e.g., i 1,9,n (instructed by)

[0093] In some other cases, the indication for the reported bitmap is both TRP-specific and layer-specific, i.e., both per NZP CSI-RS resource and per layer. In one embodiment, a bitmap of size Nv', where v' is the maximum transmission rank configured by the gNB or supported or reported by the UE (i.e., Nv' is known by the gNB prior to receiving the CSI), is used to indicate the NZC bitmap to be reported by the UE.

[0094] For example, in the 3GPP specification, a bitmap for indicating the reported NZC bitmap for CSI-RS resource n and layer l may be, for example: TIFF2025535686000050.tif8170, where n=1,...,N and l=1,...,v' TIFF2025535686000051.tif7170. For n=1,...,N and l=1,...,v' TIFF2025535686000052.tif7170, the associated NZC bitmap for TRP n (i.e., NZP CSI-RS resource n) and layer l, i.e., 1,7,l,n contains only zeros and is therefore not reported. The corresponding LCC should be treated as zero and not reported as part of the CSI by the UE. When v'>v, for n=1,...,N and l=v+1,...,v', Please note that the file is TIFF2025535686000053.tif7170.

[0095] i for TRP-specific instructions 1,9,n , or i for TRP-specific and layer-specific instructions 1,9,l,n The bitmaps mentioned above for indicating the reported NZC bitmaps are reported in CSI Part 1, and 1,9,n or i 1,9,l,n NZC bitmaps, except for the NZC bitmaps with all zeros indicated in {i 1,7,l ,n, n=1,...,N, l=1,...,v} are reported in CSI Part 2. Then, i 1,9,n or i 1,9,l,n is i 1,7,l,n This may be used by the gNB to determine the payload size to report.

[0096] In an alternative embodiment, the total number of selected layers across all TRPs is reported in Part 1 of the CSI. The selected NZP CSI-RS resources or TRPs and the selected layers for each TRP are reported in Part 2 of the CSI (e.g., 1,9,l,nThis reduces the payload size of Part 1 CSI by a small amount at the expense of a small increase in the payload size of Part 2 CSI. For example, when four NZP CSI-RS resources / TRPs are configured and the maximum rank is 4, four bits are needed to indicate the total number of layers (e.g., from 1 to 16) across all TRPs, but the bitmap in Part 1 CSI (e.g., i 1,9,l,n ), 16 bits are required.

[0097] gNB reconfigures precoder

[0098] When an NZC bitmap is not reported by the UE, the gNB shall assume that all corresponding elements in the LCC W2 matrix are all zeros.

[0099] 5 illustrates a method performed by a UE according to some embodiments. The steps illustrated in FIG. 5 may be performed in the order and combination shown, or in different orders or combinations. The method includes receiving an indication, configuration, or other signaling from the network for a plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources for channel measurements (block 502). In response to the indication, the UE performs channel measurements on the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources for channel measurements (block 504).

[0100] At block 805, the UE selects one or more NZP CSI-RS resources from the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources.

[0101] The UE generates Type-II CSI based on the channel measurements and the selected one or more NZP CSI-RS resources in block 806. The UE reports the Type-II CSI, which is composed of Part 1 and Part 2, to the network (block 508).

[0102] 6 illustrates some operations that may be performed as part of generating a Type-II CSI report in block 806 of FIG. 5. For example, to generate a Type-II CSI report, the UE may include in CSI Part 1 of the Type-II CSI at least one of (a) an indicator for one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources in Part 1 and / or (b) an indicator for one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources with a first value (e.g., having a non-zero value) and an indicator for one or more non-selected NZP CSI-RS resources with a second value (e.g., having a zero value) in Part 1 (block 506A). In some embodiments, the UE may include a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources in Part 2 of the Type-II CSI and omit a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to one or more non-selected NZP CSI-RS resources in Part 2 of the Type-II CSI (block 506B). In some embodiments, the UE may include the non-zero coefficients reported via a set of amplitude and phase indicators corresponding to each non-zero coefficient indicated by the non-zero coefficient bitmap included in Part 2 of the Type II CSI (block 506C).

[0103] The steps shown in FIG. 6 may be performed in the order and combination shown, or in different orders or combinations.

[0104] An indicator for one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources is included in Part 1 of the Type II CSI report, and the non-zero coefficient bitmap is included in Part 2 of the Type II CSI report.

[0105] Part 2 of the Type II CSI report may omit non-zero coefficient bitmaps corresponding to non-selected NZP CSI-RS resources among the multiple NZP CSI-RS resources.

[0106] The non-zero coefficients indicated by the non-zero coefficient bitmaps corresponding to one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources may be reported in the Type-II CSI report via a set of amplitude and phase indicators corresponding to the non-zero coefficients indicated by each of the non-zero coefficient bitmaps included in the Type-II CSI report.

[0107] Part 1 of the Type II CSI report may further include a rank indicator (RI) and / or a channel quality indicator (CQI). The indicator for the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources may include an NZP CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI).

[0108] The indicator for the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources may include a number of selected spatial domain (SD) basis vectors per NZP CSI-RS resource.

[0109] The indicator for the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources may include an indicated number of non-zero coefficients for each one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources.

[0110] The indicator for one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources may also indicate the number of transmission layers associated with those selected NZP CSI-RS resources.

[0111] In some embodiments, the indicator for the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources may include a first indicator indicating selection of a first NZP CSI-RS resource for a first transmission layer, and / or a second indicator indicating selection of a first NZP CSI-RS resource for a second transmission layer, and / or a third indicator indicating selection of a second NZP CSI-RS resource for the first transmission layer, and / or a fourth indicator indicating selection of a second NZP CSI-RS resource for the second transmission layer.

[0112] A Type II CSI report may include one non-zero coefficient bitmap for each indicator that indicates the selection of one NZP CSI-RS resource and one of the transmission layers.

[0113] Each non-zero coefficient may be indicated via a set of amplitude and phase indicators.

[0114] Each NZP CSI-RS resource may represent a transmission / reception point (TRP).

[0115] An indicator for one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources may be provided in a bitmap to indicate the non-zero coefficient bitmaps included in Part 2 of the Type II CSI report.

[0116] The bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap may be included in Part 1 of the Type II CSI report, and the non-zero coefficient bitmap may be included in Part 2 of the Type II CSI report.

[0117] Each bit in the bitmap for indicating a non-zero coefficient bitmap may be associated with a configured NZP CSI-RS resource.

[0118] Each bit in the bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap associated with a selected NZP CSI-RS resource may indicate one non-zero coefficient bitmap for each transmission layer.

[0119] In some embodiments, each bit in the bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap associated with the selected NZP CSI-RS resource n is assigned to one of v different non-zero coefficient bitmaps i (1,7,l,n) (l=1,2,....,v), where v is the transmission rank, l is the transmission layer index, and i (1,7,l,n) is the non-zero coefficient bitmap associated with the selected NZP CSI-RS resource n and transmission layer l.

[0120] A Type II CSI report may include one non-zero coefficient bitmap for each indicator that indicates the selection of one NZP CSI-RS resource and one of the transmission layers.

[0121] The non-zero coefficients indicated by each non-zero coefficient bitmap may be indicated via a set of amplitude and phase indicators.

[0122] Type II CSI reports may include non-zero coefficients.

[0123] The non-zero coefficients may be reported in the Type II CSI report via a set of amplitude and phase indicators corresponding to the non-zero coefficients indicated by each non-zero coefficient bitmap included in the Type II CSI report. 7 illustrates a method performed by a network node according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The steps illustrated in FIG. 7 may be performed in the order and combination shown, or in a different order. The network node sends an indication to a UE of multiple NZP CSI-RS resources for channel measurement (block 702). The network node receives a CSI report based on the channel measurements for the multiple NZP CSI-RS resources (block 704). The CSI report includes an indicator for one or more NZP CSI-RS resources selected by the UE and a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources.

[0124] The CSI report may be a type II CSI report, which includes a non-zero coefficient bitmap based on channel measurements and a bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap included in the type II CSI report.

[0125] When an NZC bitmap is not reported by the UE, the network node assumes that all corresponding elements in the LCC W2 matrix are all zeros (block 705).

[0126] The network node selects a precoding matrix based on the Type II CSI report (block 706) and transmits a signal to the UE using the selected precoding matrix (block 708).

[0127] The Type II CSI report may include a non-zero coefficient bitmap based on channel measurements and a bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap included in the Type II CSI report.

[0128] The bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap may be included in Part 1 of the Type II CSI report, and the non-zero coefficient bitmap may be included in Part 2 of the Type II CSI report.

[0129] Part 1 of a Type II CSI report may include RI and / or CQI.

[0130] Each bit in the bitmap for indicating a non-zero coefficient bitmap may be associated with a configured NZP CSI-RS resource.

[0131] Each bit in the bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap associated with a selected NZP CSI-RS resource may indicate one non-zero coefficient bitmap for each transmission layer.

[0132] Each bit in the bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap associated with the selected NZP CSI-RS resource n is one of v different non-zero coefficient bitmaps i (1,7,l,n) (l=1,2,....,v), where v is the transmission rank, l is the transmission layer index, and i (1,7,l,n) is the non-zero coefficient bitmap associated with the selected NZP CSI-RS resource n and transmission layer l.

[0133] The Type II CSI report may include one non-zero coefficient bitmap for each indicator that indicates the selection of one NZP CSI-RS resource and one of the transmission layers, and the Type II CSI report may omit the non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to each indicator that indicates the non-selection of one NZP CSI-RS resource and one of the transmission layers.

[0134] The non-zero coefficients indicated by each non-zero coefficient bitmap may be indicated via a set of amplitude and phase indicators.

[0135] Type II CSI reports may include non-zero coefficients.

[0136] The non-zero coefficients may be reported in the Type II CSI report via a set of amplitude and phase indicators corresponding to the non-zero coefficients indicated by each non-zero coefficient bitmap included in the Type II CSI report.

[0137] Each NZP CSI-RS resource may represent a TRP.

[0138] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a communication system 800, according to some embodiments.

[0139] In this example, the communications system 800 includes a communications network 802 including an access network 804, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 806 including one or more core network nodes 808. The access network 804 includes one or more access network nodes (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 810), such as network nodes 810a and 810b, or any other similar 3GPP access nodes or non-3GPP access points. The network nodes 810 facilitate direct or indirect connectivity of UEs 812a, 812b, 812c, and 812d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 812) to the core network 806, such as by connecting the UEs over one or more wireless connections.

[0140] Exemplary wireless communication over a wireless connection includes sending and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, communication system 800 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals, whether via a wired or wireless connection. Communication system 800 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, wireless network, and / or other similar type systems.

[0141] The UE 812 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including a wireless device configured, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network node 810 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network node 810 is configured, capable of, configured, and / or operable to communicate, directly or indirectly, with the UE 812 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the communications network 802 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration, in the communications network 802.

[0142] In the illustrated example, the core network 806 connects the network node 810 to one or more hosts, such as the host 816. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediate networks or devices. In other examples, the network nodes may be directly coupled to the hosts. The core network 806 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., the core network node 808) structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, and therefore, those descriptions are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 808. Exemplary core network nodes include one or more of the following functions: a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), a Session Management Function (SMF), an Authentication Server Function (AUSF), a Subscription Identifier Deciphering Function (SIDF), a Unified Data Management (UDM), a Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), a Network Publishing Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0143] The host 816 may be owned or under the control of, and operated by or on behalf of, a service provider other than the operator or provider of the access network 804 and / or the communications network 802. The host 816 may host various applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data about various ambient conditions detected by multiple UEs, analytics functions, social media, functions for controlling or possibly interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0144] 8 enables connectivity between UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as a particular standard, including, but not limited to, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G), a wireless local area network (WLAN) standard such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard (WiFi), and / or any other suitable wireless communication standard, such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communications (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low power wide area network (LPWAN) standard such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0145] In some examples, communication network 802 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Thus, communication network 802 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices connected to communication network 802. For example, communication network 802 may provide Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs and / or providing Massive Machine-Based Communications (mMTC) / Massive IoT services to still further UEs.

[0146] In some examples, the UE 812 is configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, the UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 804 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to a request from the access network 804. Furthermore, the UE may be configured to operate in a single or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, the UE may operate with any one or a combination of Wi-Fi, NR, and LTE, i.e., configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Enhanced UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio-Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0147] In this example, the hub 814 communicates with the access network 804 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UEs 812c and / or 812d) and a network node (e.g., network node 810b). In some examples, the hub 814 may be a controller, a router, a content source, a content analyzer, or any of the other communication devices described herein with respect to UEs. For example, the hub 814 may be a broadband router that enables access to the core network 806 for the UE. As another example, the hub 814 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UE. The commands or instructions may be received from the UE, the network node 810, or may be due to executable code, scripts, processes, or other instructions in the hub 814. As another example, the hub 814 may be a data collector that serves as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 814 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker, or other media distribution device, the hub 814 may retrieve, via a network node, VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information, which the hub 814 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In yet another example, the hub 814 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, particularly in the case where one or more of the UEs are low-energy IoT devices.

[0148] The hub 814 may have a constant / permanent or intermittent connection to the network node 810b. The hub 814 may also enable different communication schemes and / or schedules between the hub 814 and the UEs (e.g., UEs 812c and / or 812d) and between the hub 814 and the core network 806. In other examples, the hub 814 is connected to the core network 806 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 814 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 804 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, a UE may establish a wireless connection with the network node 810 while still connected via a wired or wireless connection through the hub 814. In some embodiments, the hub 814 may be a dedicated hub, i.e., a hub whose primary function is to route communications from / to the UE to / from the network node 810b. In other embodiments, the hub 814 may be a non-dedicated hub, i.e., a device that is capable of operating to route communications between the UE and the network node 810b, but that is further capable of operating as a communication initiation and / or termination point for some data channels.

[0149] 9 illustrates a UE 900, according to some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable of, set up, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a cell phone, a voice-over-IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a desktop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless camera, a gaming console or device, a music storage device, a playback appliance, a wearable terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a tablet, a laptop computer, a laptop embedded equipment (LEE), a laptop mounted equipment (LME), a smart device, a wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), a vehicle-mounted or vehicle-embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by 3GPP, including a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine-type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0150] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communications, for example, by implementing 3GPP standards for sidelink communications, dedicated short-range communications (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE does not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates an associated device. Instead, a UE may represent a device (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller) that is intended for sale to or operation by a human user, but may not be associated with or initially associated with a particular human user. Alternatively, a UE may represent a device (e.g., a smart power meter) that is not intended for sale to or operation by an end user, but may be associated with or operated for the user's benefit.

[0151] The UE 900 includes a processing circuit 902 operably coupled to an input / output interface 906, a power source 908, a memory 910, a communication interface 912, and / or any other components, or any combination thereof, via a bus 904. Some UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in FIG. 9. The level of integration between components may vary from UE to UE. Additionally, some UEs may include multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0152] The processing circuit 902 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operable to execute instructions stored in memory 910 as a machine-readable computer program. The processing circuit 902 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.), programmable logic together with appropriate firmware, one or more stored computer programs such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP) together with appropriate software, a general-purpose processor, or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuit 902 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0153] In this example, input / output interface 906 may be configured to provide one or more interfaces to an input device, an output device, or one or more input and / or output devices.

[0154] In a particular embodiment, a UE 900 is configured to receive, from a network node, an indication of multiple non-zero power (NZP) channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources for channel measurements and to perform channel measurements on the multiple NZP CSI-RS resources. The UE 900 selects one or more NZP CSI-RS resources from the multiple NZP CSI-RS resources and generates a CSI report based on the channel measurements and the selected one or more NZP CSI-RS resources. The CSI report includes an indicator for the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources and a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources. The UE 900 transmits the CSI report to the network.

[0155] In some embodiments, the power source 908 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources may be used, such as an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a battery. The power source 908 may further include power circuitry for delivering power to various portions of the UE 900 from the power source 908 itself and / or from an external power source via an interface such as an input circuit or a power cable. Delivering power may be for charging the power source 908, for example. The power circuitry may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modification on the power from the power source 908 to make it suitable for the respective component of the UE 900 being powered.

[0156] The memory 910 may be or be configured to include memory, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), magnetic disk, optical disk, hard disk, removable cartridge, flash drive, etc. In one example, the memory 910 includes one or more application programs 914, such as an operating system, a web browser application, a widget, a gadget engine, or other applications, and corresponding data 916. The memory 910 may store any of a variety of different operating systems or combinations of operating systems for use by the UE 900.

[0157] The memory 910 may be configured to include several physical drive units, such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, a USB flash drive, an external hard disk drive, a thumb drive, a pen drive, a key drive, a high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, an internal hard disk drive, a Blu-ray optical disc drive, a holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, an external mini dual in-line memory module (DIMM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), an external micro-DIMM SDRAM, a smart card memory such as a tamper-resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may be, for example, an embedded UICC (eUICC), an integrated UICC (iUICC), or a removable UICC commonly known as a "SIM card." The memory 910 may enable the UE 900 to access, offload, or upload data, instructions, application programs, and the like stored on a temporary or non-transitory memory medium. An article of manufacture, such as an article of manufacture utilizing a communication system, may be tangibly embodied as or in memory 910, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0158] The processing circuit 902 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other networks using a communication interface 912. The communication interface 912 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 922. The communication interface 912 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or network node in the access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 918 and / or a receiver 920 suitable for providing network communication (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocation, etc.). Moreover, the transmitter 918 and receiver 920 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 922) and may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or may alternatively be implemented separately.

[0159] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication capabilities of communication interface 912 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as using a Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine location, another similar communication capability, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in accordance with one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), etc.

[0160] Regardless of the type of sensor, the UE may provide an output of data captured by the UE's sensors to a network node via a wireless connection through the UE's communications interface 912. Data captured by the UE's sensors may be communicated to a network node via another UE over a wireless connection. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes when reporting sensed temperature), in response to a triggering event (e.g., an alert is sent when humidity is detected), in response to a request (e.g., a user-initiated request), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0161] The UE, when in the form of an IoT device, may be a device for use in one or more application areas, including, but not limited to, urban wearable technology, extended industrial applications, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such IoT devices are devices that are or are embedded in, such as connected refrigerators or freezers, TVs, connected lighting devices, and any type of medical device, such as a heart rate monitor or a remotely controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an IoT device comprises circuitry and / or software according to the intended application of the IoT device, in addition to the other components described with respect to the UE 900 shown in FIG. 9.

[0162] As yet another particular example, in an IoT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements and transmits results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or network node. The UE, in this case, may be an M2M device, which may be referred to as an MTC device in a 3GPP context. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, bus, truck, ship, and airplane, or other equipment capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operating status or other functions related to its operation.

[0163] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together for a single use case. For example, a first UE may be a drone or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone's speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller that operates the drone. When a user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust a throttle on the drone (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone's speed. The first and / or second UE may also include two or more of the functions described above. For example, a UE may include a sensor and an actuator and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuator.

[0164] 10 illustrates a network node 1000 according to some embodiments. As used herein, a network node refers to a device capable of, set up, configured, and / or operable to communicate, directly or indirectly, with UEs and / or other network nodes or devices in a communication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., wireless access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., wireless base stations, eNBs, and gNBs).

[0165] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated another way, their transmit power level) and may therefore be referred to as femto, pico, micro, or macro base stations depending on the amount of coverage provided. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node that controls a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station, such as a centralized digital unit and / or a remote radio unit (RRU), sometimes referred to as a remote radio head (RRH). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna, as in an antenna-integrated radio. Portions of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0166] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, MSR equipment such as a multi-standard radio (MSR) BS, a network controller such as a radio network controller (RNC) or base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a transmission point, a transmitting node, a multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), an operation and maintenance (O&M) node, an operation support system (OSS) node, a self-organizing network (SON) node, a positioning node (e.g., an evolved serving mobile location center (E-SMLC)), and / or a minimized drive test (MDT).

[0167] The network node 1000 includes a processing circuit 1002, a memory 1004, a communication interface 1006, and a power source 1008. The network node 1000 may be assembled from multiple physically separate components (e.g., an NB component and an RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In some scenarios in which the network node 1000 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., a BTS component and a BSC component), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NBs. In such scenarios, each unique NB and RNC pair may, in some cases, be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 1000 may be configured to support multiple RATs. In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 1004 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 1010 may be shared by different RATs). Network node 1000 may also include multiple sets of the various shown components for different wireless technologies, e.g., GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, radio frequency identification (RFID), or Bluetooth wireless technologies, integrated into network node 1000. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or sets of chips and other components within network node 1000.

[0168] The processing circuit 1002 may comprise one or more combinations of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or coded logic operable to provide the network node 1000 functionality, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 1000 components such as memory 1004.

[0169] In a particular embodiment, the network node 1000 transmits an indication of a plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources for channel measurement to a user equipment and receives a CSI report based on the channel measurements for the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources. In response to determining that the CSI report does not include a non-zero coefficient bitmap for a first NZP CSI-RS resource of the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources, the network node may assume that a corresponding element in a linear combination coefficient (LCC) matrix is ​​zero. The network node selects a precoding matrix for transmission to the UE based on the CSI report and transmits a signal to the UE using the selected precoding matrix.

[0170] In some embodiments, the processing circuit 1002 comprises a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuit 1002 includes one or more of a radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 1012 and a baseband processing circuit 1014. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 1012 and the baseband processing circuit 1014 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as a radio unit and a digital unit. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuit 1012 and the baseband processing circuit 1014 may be on the same chip or set of chips, board, or unit.

[0171] The memory 1004 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including, but not limited to, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, RAM, ROM, mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drive, compact disc (CD) or digital video disc (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable, and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuit 1002. The memory 1004 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including applications including one or more of computer programs, software, logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions that can be executed by the processing circuit 1002 and utilized by the network node 1000. The memory 1004 may be used to store computations performed by the processing circuit 1002 and / or data received via the communications interface 1006. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 1002 and the memory 1004 are integrated.

[0172] The communication interface 1006 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network nodes, access networks, and / or UEs. As shown, the communication interface 1006 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 1016 for sending and receiving data to and from a network, e.g., over a wired connection. The communication interface 1006 also includes radio front-end circuitry 1018, which is coupled to an antenna 1010 or, in some embodiments, may be part of the antenna 1010. The radio front-end circuitry 1018 comprises a filter 1020 and an amplifier 1022. The radio front-end circuitry 1018 may be connected to the antenna 1010 and the processing circuit 1002. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna 1010 and the processing circuit 1002. The radio front-end circuitry 1018 may receive digital data to be sent to another network node or UE via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 1018 may convert the digital data into radio signals having appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1020 and / or amplifiers 1022. The radio signals may then be transmitted via the antenna 1010. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 1010 may collect the radio signals, which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 1018. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 1002. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0173] In some alternative embodiments, the network node 1000 does not include a separate radio front-end circuit 1018; instead, the processing circuit 1002 includes the radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 1010. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or a portion of the RF transceiver circuitry 1012 is part of the communications interface 1006. In still other embodiments, the communications interface 1006 includes one or more ports or terminals 1016, the radio front-end circuitry 1018, and the RF transceiver circuitry 1012 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communications interface 1006 communicates with baseband processing circuitry 1014 that is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0174] The antenna 1010 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 1010 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 1018 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, the antenna 1010 is separate from the network node 1000 and connectable to the network node 1000 through an interface or port.

[0175] The antenna 1010, the communication interface 1006, and / or the processing circuit 1002 may be configured to perform any receiving operation and / or some obtaining operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 1010, the communication interface 1006, and / or the processing circuit 1002 may be configured to perform any transmitting operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment.

[0176] The power source 1008 provides power to the various components of the network node 1000 in a form suitable for each component (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required for each respective component). The power source 1008 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry for supplying power to the components of the network node 1000 for performing the functions described herein. For example, the network node 1000 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., a power grid, an electrical outlet) via an input circuit or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to the power circuit of the power source 1008. As a further example, the power source 1008 may comprise a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack connected to or integrated in the power circuit. The battery may provide backup power in the event that the external power source fails.

[0177] 10 to provide certain aspects of the network node's functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, network node 1000 may include user interface devices to enable input of information into network node 1000 and output of information from network node 1000. This may enable a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for network node 1000.

[0178] 11 is a block diagram of a host 1100, which may be an embodiment of the host 1016 of FIG. 10, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 1100 may be or comprise various combinations of hardware and / or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, a container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host 1100 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0179] Host 1100 includes a processing circuit 1102 operably coupled to an input / output interface 1106, a network interface 1108, a power supply 1110, and memory 1112 via a bus 1104. In other embodiments, other components may be included. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures, such as FIGS. 11 and 12, and therefore, those descriptions are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 1100.

[0180] The memory 1112 may include one or more computer programs, including one or more host application programs 1114 and data 1116, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host 1100 or data generated by the host 1100 for the UE. An embodiment of the host 1100 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 1114 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UE (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, heads-up display systems). The host application program 1114 may also provide user authentication and license checks, and may periodically report health, route, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in the core network or a device on the edge of the core network. Thus, the host 1100 may select and / or direct different hosts for over-the-top services for the UE. The host application program 1114 may support various protocols, such as HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0181] FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1200 in which functionality implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In this context, virtualizing means creating a virtual version of an apparatus or device, which may include virtualizing a hardware platform, storage devices, and networking resources. Virtualization, as used herein, may apply to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to implementations in which at least a portion of functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functionality described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1200 hosted by one or more of the hardware nodes, such as a network node, a UE, a core network node, or a hardware computing device acting as a host. Furthermore, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require wireless connectivity (e.g., to a core network node or host), the node may be fully virtualized.

[0182] An application 1202 (which may alternatively be referred to as a software instance, a virtual appliance, a network function, a virtual node, a virtual network function, etc.) is run in the virtualized environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0183] Hardware 1204 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by the hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices described herein, such as network interfaces, input / output interfaces, etc. Software is executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1206 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1208a and 1208b (one or more of which may be referred to generically as VMs 1208), and / or implement any of the functions, features, and / or benefits described with respect to some embodiments described herein. Virtualization layer 1206 may present to VMs 1208 a virtual operating platform that appears to be networking hardware.

[0184] VMs 1208 may comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interfaces, and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1206. Different embodiments of virtual appliance 1202 instances may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1208, and the implementations may be done in different ways. Hardware virtualization is referred to in some contexts as network functions virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry-standard high-volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage that may be located in data centers and customer premises equipment.

[0185] In the context of NFV, a VM 1208 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if those programs were running on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each VM 1208 and the portion of the hardware 1204 on which it runs, whether hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with other VMs, form a separate virtual network element. Further, in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling a particular network function running in one or more VMs 1208 on the hardware 1204 and corresponds to the application 1202.

[0186] The hardware 1204 may be implemented in a standalone network node with general or specific components. The hardware 1204 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, the hardware 1204 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g., as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes cooperate and are managed via a management and orchestration 1210 that, among other things, oversees the lifecycle management of the application 1202. In some embodiments, the hardware 1204 is coupled to one or more radio units, each including one or more transmitters and one or more receivers, which may be coupled to one or more antennas. The radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with virtual components to provide a virtual node with wireless capabilities, such as a wireless access node or base station. In some embodiments, some signaling may be provided using a control system 1212, which may alternatively be used for communication between the hardware nodes and the radio units.

[0187] 13 shows a communication diagram of a host 1302 communicating with a UE 1306 via a network node 1304 over a partial wireless connection, according to some embodiments. Exemplary implementations according to various embodiments of a UE (such as the UE 1012a of FIG. 10 and / or the UE 1100 of FIG. 11), a network node (such as the network node 1010a of FIG. 10 and / or the network node 1200 of FIG. 12), and a host (such as the host 1016 of FIG. 10 and / or the host 1300 of FIG. 13) described in the previous paragraphs will now be described with reference to FIG. 13.

[0188] Like the host 1300, an embodiment of the host 1302 includes hardware, such as a communications interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 1302 also includes software stored on or accessible by the host 1302 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be operable to provide services to a remote user, such as a UE 1306, connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1350 extending between the UE 1306 and the host 1302. In providing services to the remote user, the host application may provide user data that is transmitted using the OTT connection 1350.

[0189] The network node 1304 includes hardware that enables the network node 1304 to communicate with the host 1302 and the UE 1306. The connection 1360 may be direct or may pass through one or more other intermediate networks, such as a core network (similar to the core network 1006 of FIG. 10) and / or one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, the intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0190] The UE 1306 includes hardware and software stored on or accessible by the UE 1306 and executable by the UE's processing circuitry. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or operator-specific "app," that may be operable to provide services to a human or non-human user via the UE 1306, with the support of the host 1302. An executing host application on the host 1302 may communicate with an executing client application via an OTT connection 1350 that terminates at the UE 1306 and the host 1302. In providing services to the user, the UE's client application may receive request data from the host application on the host and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1350 may transfer both request data and user data. The UE's client application may interact with the user to generate user data that the UE's client application provides to the host application through the OTT connection 1350.

[0191] The OTT connection 1350 may extend via a connection 1360 between the host 1302 and a network node 1304 and via a wireless connection 1370 between the network node 1304 and the UE 1306 to provide connectivity between the host 1302 and the UE 1306. The connections 1360 and wireless connections 1370 over which the OTT connection 1350 may be provided are depicted abstractly to show communication between the host 1302 and the UE 1306 via the network node 1304, without explicit reference to intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages through these devices.

[0192] As an example of transmitting data over the OTT connection 1350, in step 1308, the host 1302 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with the UE 1306. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with the UE 1306 sharing data with the host 1302 without explicit human interaction. In step 1310, the host 1302 initiates a transmission carrying the user data toward the UE 1306. The host 1302 may initiate the transmission in response to a request sent by the UE 1306. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1306 or by the operation of a client application executing on the UE 1306. The transmission may proceed via the network node 1304 in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Thus, in step 1312, the network node 1304 transmits the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the host 1302 to the UE 1306, in accordance with the teachings of embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1314, the UE 1306 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executing on the UE 1306 associated with the host application executed by the host 1302.

[0193] In some examples, the UE 1306 executes a client application that provides user data to the host 1302. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to data received from the host 1302. Thus, in step 1316, the UE 1306 may provide the user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from a user via an input / output interface of the UE 1306. Regardless of the particular manner in which the user data is provided, the UE 1306 initiates transmission of the user data towards the host 1302 via the network node 1304 in step 1318. In step 1320, in accordance with the teachings of embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 1304 receives the user data from the UE 1306 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 1302. In step 1322, the host 1302 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1306.

[0194] One or more of various embodiments improve the performance of the OTT service provided to the UE 1306 using the OTT connection 1350, of which the radio connection 1370 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may reduce the CSI reporting overhead for coherent joint downlink transmission, thereby providing benefits such as increased network capacity and reduced latency.

[0195] In an exemplary scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 1302. As another example, the host 1302 may process audio and video data that may have been retrieved from UEs for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 1302 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicular congestion (e.g., controlling traffic signals). As another example, the host 1302 may store surveillance video uploaded by UEs. As another example, the host 1302 may store or control access to media content, such as video, audio, VR or AR, that the host 1302 may broadcast, multicast, or unicast to UEs. As other examples, the host 1302 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time-critical electrical loads to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams, etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing, and / or transmitting data.

[0196] In some examples, measurement procedures may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rates, latency, and other factors that one or more embodiments improve upon. There may further be optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1350 between the host 1302 and the UE 1306 in response to fluctuations in the measurement results. The measurement procedures and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware in the host 1302 and / or the UE 1306. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 1350 passes, and the sensors may participate in the measurement procedures by providing values ​​of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or other physical quantities from which software can calculate or estimate the monitored quantities. Reconfiguration of the OTT connection 1350 may include message formats, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc., and the reconfiguration need not directly change the operation of the network node 1304. Such procedures and functionality may be known and practiced in the art. In some embodiments, the measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation time, latency, etc. by the host 1302. The measurements may be implemented in software causing messages, particularly empty or "dummy" messages, to be sent using the OTT connection 1350 while monitoring propagation time, errors, etc.

[0197] While the computing devices (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) described herein may include the depicted combinations of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It should be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. The determining, calculating, obtaining, or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, transforming the obtained information to other information, comparing the obtained or transformed information to information stored in a network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained or transformed information and as a result of the processing making a decision. Moreover, while a component is illustrated as a single box located within a larger box or nested within multiple boxes, in reality the computing device may comprise multiple different physical components that make up the single depicted component, and functionality may be partitioned among the separate components. For example, a communications interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of those components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communications interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functionality of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware, and computationally intensive functionality may be implemented in hardware.

[0198] In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by a processing circuit executing instructions stored in a memory, which in some embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuit without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hardwired manner. In any of these particular embodiments, the processing circuit may be configured to perform the described functionality, regardless of whether or not it executes instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuit alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole and / or by end users and wireless networks generally.

Claims

1. 1. A method implemented by a user equipment (UE), comprising: Receiving 502 an indication from a network node of a plurality of non-zero power (NZP) channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources for channel measurements; performing channel measurements on the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources (504); selecting one or more NZP CSI-RS resources from the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources (505); generating 506 a channel state information (CSI) report based on the channel measurements and the selected one or more NZP CSI-RS resources, the CSI report including an indicator for the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources and a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources; transmitting the CSI report to the network (508); A method comprising:

2. 2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indicator for the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources is included in Part 1 of the CSI report and the non-zero coefficient bitmap is included in Part 2 of the CSI report.

3. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator for the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources is a bitmap including a plurality of bits, each bit in the bitmap being associated with one of the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources, and wherein an NZP CSI-RS resource is selected if a corresponding bit in the bitmap is set to one value, and an NZP CSI-RS resource is not selected if a corresponding bit in the bitmap is set to another value.

4. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein non-zero coefficients indicated by the non-zero coefficient bitmaps corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources are reported in the CSI report via a set of amplitude and phase indicators corresponding to the non-zero coefficients indicated by each of the non-zero coefficient bitmaps included in the CSI report.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein part 1 of the CSI report further comprises a rank indicator and / or a channel quality indicator (CQI).

6. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator for the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources comprises an NZP CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI) each associated with one of the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources, and an NZP CSI-RS resource is selected if a corresponding CRI is reported.

7. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator for the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources includes a number of selected spatial domain (SD) basis vectors for each of the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources, and an NZP CSI-RS resource is selected if a corresponding number of selected spatial domain (SD) basis vectors is non-zero.

8. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator for the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources comprises an indicated number of non-zero coefficients for each of the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources, and an NZP CSI-RS resource is selected if a corresponding number of non-zero coefficients is non-zero.

9. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator for the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources also indicates a number of transmission layers associated with the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources.

10. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the indicator for the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources comprises a bitmap, each bit in the bitmap being associated with one of the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources and one of a maximum number of transmission layers, and wherein a non-zero coefficient bitmap for an NZP CSI-RS resource and a transmission layer is included in the CSI report if a corresponding bit is set to a value.

11. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein each bit in a non-zero coefficient bitmap is associated with a coefficient, a coefficient is reported in the CSI report if a corresponding bit in the bitmap is set to a value, and each reported coefficient or non-zero coefficient includes an amplitude and phase indicator.

12. The method of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein each NZP CSI-RS resource represents a transmission / reception point (TRP).

13. 2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indicator for the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources includes a bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap included in Part 2 of the CSI report.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap is included in Part 1 of the CSI report.

15. 15. The method of claim 13 or 14, wherein each bit in the bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap is associated with a configured NZP CSI-RS resource and a transmission layer.

16. 16. The method of claim 13, wherein each bit in the bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap is associated with one non-zero coefficient bitmap for one of a maximum number of transmission layers and one of the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources, and a non-zero coefficient bitmap is included in the CSI report if a corresponding bit in the bitmap is set to a value.

17. 17. The method of claim 13, wherein the CSI report includes one non-zero coefficient bitmap for each indicator that indicates the selection of one NZP CSI-RS resource and one of the transmission layers.

18. 18. The method of claim 13, wherein non-zero coefficients are reported in the CSI report via a set of amplitude and phase indicators corresponding to the non-zero coefficients indicated by a respective non-zero coefficient bitmap included in the CSI report.

19. 19. The method of claim 1, wherein the CSI report comprises a Type II CSI report.

20. A user equipment (900), A processing circuit (902); a communication interface (912) coupled to the processing circuit; a memory (910) coupled to the processing circuit; wherein the memory comprises computer readable instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the user equipment to perform the operations of any one of claims 1 to 19. User equipment (900).

21. 20. A non-transitory medium comprising computer-readable program instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of a user equipment, cause the user equipment to perform the operations of any one of claims 1 to 19.

22. 1. A method implemented by a network node, comprising: transmitting (702) to a user equipment (UE) an indication of a plurality of non-zero power (NZP) channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources for channel measurements; receiving a CSI report based on channel measurements for the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources (704), the CSI report including an indicator for one or more NZP CSI-RS resources selected by the UE and a non-zero coefficient bitmap corresponding to the one or more selected NZP CSI-RS resources; A method comprising:

23. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the CSI report includes a bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmaps included in the CSI report.

24. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap is included in part 1 of the CSI report and the non-zero coefficient bitmap is included in part 2 of the CSI report.

25. 25. The method of claim 23 or 24, wherein the bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap comprises a plurality of bits, each bit in the bitmap is associated with one of the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources, an NZP CSI-RS resource is selected if a corresponding bit in the bitmap is set to one value, and an NZP CSI-RS resource is not selected if a corresponding bit in the bitmap is set to another value.

26. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein part 1 of the CSI report includes a rank indicator and / or a channel quality indicator (CQI).

27. 27. The method of claim 24, wherein each bit in the bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap is associated with a configured NZP CSI-RS resource and a transmission layer.

28. 28. The method of claim 24, wherein each bit in the bitmap for indicating the non-zero coefficient bitmap associated with a selected NZP CSI-RS resource indicates one non-zero coefficient bitmap for each transmission layer.

29. 30. The method of claim 24, wherein each bit of a non-zero coefficient bitmap is associated with a coefficient, a coefficient is reported in the CSI report if a corresponding bit in the bitmap is set to a value, and each reported coefficient or non-zero coefficient includes an amplitude and a phase indicator.

30. 30. The method of claim 22, wherein non-zero coefficients are reported in the CSI report via a set of amplitude and phase indicators corresponding to the non-zero coefficients indicated by a respective non-zero coefficient bitmap included in the CSI report.

31. The method of any one of claims 22 to 30, wherein each NZP CSI-RS resource represents a transmission / reception point (TRP).

32. In response to determining that the CSI report does not include a non-zero coefficient bitmap for a first NZP CSI-RS resource of the plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources, assuming a corresponding element in a linear combination coefficient (LCC) matrix to be zero (705); selecting (706) a precoding matrix for transmission to the UE based on the CSI report; transmitting a signal to the UE using the selected precoding matrix (708); 32. The method of any one of claims 22 to 31, further comprising:

33. 33. The method of any one of claims 22 to 32, wherein the CSI report comprises a Type II CSI report.

34. A network node (1000), A processing circuit (1002); a communication interface (1006) coupled to the processing circuit; a memory (1004) coupled to said processing circuit; 34. A network node (1000) comprising: a memory comprising computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the network node to perform the operations of any one of claims 22 to 33.

35. 34. A non-transitory medium comprising computer-readable program instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of a network node, cause the network node to perform the operations of any one of claims 22 to 33.

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