Method and apparatus for beam pointing in a wireless communication system

Abstract

A method performed by a terminal in a wireless communication system includes steps of receiving configuration information, receiving a beam indication, and receiving a physical signal / channel based on the beam indication, wherein the configuration information includes information regarding a plurality of Reference Signals (RS) for beam indication, a plurality of RS sets are configured based on the plurality of RSs, and the beam indication is performed based on one of the plurality of RS sets.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present specification relates to a method and apparatus for beam pointing in a wireless communication system. [Background technology]

[0002] Mobile communication systems were developed to provide voice services while ensuring user activity. However, the scope of mobile communication systems has expanded beyond voice to include data services, and currently, explosive traffic growth is causing resource shortages and users are demanding faster services, so more advanced mobile communication systems are required.

[0003] The requirements for next-generation mobile communication systems are significant: they must be able to accommodate explosive data traffic, dramatically increase the transmission rate per user, accommodate a significantly increased number of connected devices, achieve extremely low end-to-end latency, and be energy efficient. To achieve this, various technologies are being researched, including dual connectivity, massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO), in-band full duplex, non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), super wideband support, and device networking.

[0004] Meanwhile, for beam management, Set A and Set B are defined. Specifically, according to BM-Case 1, the terminal estimates / determines a beam of Set A (e.g., a preferred beam among beams of Set A) based on measurements of beams of Set B (e.g., measurements on RSs related to beams of Set B). Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In a network-sided AI / ML model-based beam prediction operation, situations may arise in which the applied AI / ML model must be changed, (re)trained, updated, or fallbacked to legacy operation due to changes in the terminal's position, movement, or rotation. When one of the above situations occurs, a change in the beam set for beam direction is required. However, existing methods do not support changing the beam set for beam direction. The following problems may arise: Even though the beam set previously used for beam direction has changed due to a change in the network-sided AI / model, (re)training, or legacy fallback, the terminal may analyze the beam direction based on the existing beam set. In other words, the beam instructed by the base station may differ from the beam determined by the terminal. This may reduce the accuracy of beam direction and the reliability of signaling operations based on the instructed beam.

[0006] The purpose of this document is to propose a beam pointing method to solve the aforementioned problems.

[0007] The technical problems to be achieved in this specification are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention pertains from the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A method performed by a terminal in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present specification includes receiving configuration information, receiving a beam instruction, and The step of receiving a physical signal / channel based on the beam indication is included.

[0009] The configuration information includes information about a plurality of reference signals (RS) for beam direction, and a plurality of RS sets are configured based on the plurality of RSs. The beam direction is performed based on one of the plurality of RS sets.

[0010] The plurality of RS sets may include a first RS set and a second RS set.

[0011] The beam indication may include an indicator indicating one of the first and second RS sets. Based on the indicator, a number of bits associated with the beam indication may be determined. The number of bits associated with the beam indication may be i) a first number of bits based on the number of RSs belonging to the first RS set, or ii) a second number of bits based on the number of RSs belonging to the second RS set.

[0012] The first set of RSs may consist of the plurality of RSs, and the second set of RSs may consist of a portion of the plurality of RSs.

[0013] The RSs belonging to the second RS set may include an RS for beam measurement among the plurality of RSs.

[0014] The RSs belonging to the second set of RSs may include RSs determined based on criteria related to RS indexes among the plurality of RSs.

[0015] The first RS set may consist of the plurality of RSs, and the second RS set may consist of RSs mapped to the plurality of RSs.

[0016] The beam indication may include an indicator having a number of bits based on the number of the plurality of RSs.

[0017] Based on the beam indication associated with the first set of RSs, the RS represented by the indicator may be determined as the RS associated with the physical signal / channel.

[0018] Based on the beam indication being associated with a second set of RSs, the RS mapped to the RS represented by the indicator may be determined as the RS associated with the physical signal / channel.

[0019] Each RS in the second set of RSs may be mapped to two or more RSs of the plurality of RSs.

[0020] A QCL relationship (Quasi colocation relation) may be established between each RS belonging to the second set of RSs and two or more RSs of the plurality of RSs.

[0021] A terminal operating in a wireless communication system according to another embodiment of the present specification includes one or more transceivers, one or more processors, and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors and configured to store instructions.

[0022] The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to perform all steps of any one of the methods performed by the terminal.

[0023] According to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, an apparatus includes one or more memories and one or more processors operatively connected to the one or more memories.

[0024] The one or more memories store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to perform all steps of any one of the methods performed by the terminal.

[0025] According to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, one or more non-transitory computer-readable media store instructions, the instructions executable by one or more processors, that configure the one or more processors to perform all steps of any one of the methods performed by the terminal.

[0026] A method performed by a base station in a wireless communication system according to another embodiment of the present specification includes a step of transmitting configuration information, a step of transmitting a beam indication, and a step of transmitting a physical signal / channel based on the beam indication.

[0027] The configuration information includes information about a plurality of Reference Signals (RS) for beam direction, and a plurality of RS sets are configured based on the plurality of RSs. The beam direction is performed based on one of the plurality of RS sets.

[0028] A base station operating in a wireless communication system according to another embodiment of the present specification includes one or more transceivers, one or more processors, and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors and configured to store instructions.

[0029] The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to perform all steps of a method performed by the base station. [Effects of the Invention]

[0030] According to an embodiment of the present specification, the beam instruction includes information about one of a plurality of RS sets. The set associated with the beam instructed to the terminal can be changed efficiently and quickly, and the accuracy of the beam instruction can be prevented from decreasing after a specific point in time. As a specific example, the specific point in time can include the following i) to iii).

[0031] i) After the relevant network-sided AI / model has been changed or (re-)trained

[0032] ii) After the beam direction method is changed from the AI / model-based method to the existing method

[0033] iii) After the beam direction method is changed from the existing method to the AI / model-based method

[0034] That is, according to existing methods, the accuracy of beam instruction performed after points i) to iii) may be reduced. On the other hand, according to the embodiments of the present specification, the accuracy of beam instruction is not reduced because the RS set related to the beam instruction is also indicated. In other words, in relation to beam instruction performed after a specific operation involving a change of beam set has been performed, the beam instruction can be prevented from being interpreted based on the existing beam set.

[0035] The effects obtained in this specification are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains from the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0036] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows an example of beamforming using SSB and CSI-RS. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a DL BM procedure using SSB. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows the functional framework of the AI / ML model. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 illustrates a signaling procedure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method performed by a terminal according to an embodiment of the present specification. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method performed by a base station according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configurations of the first device and the second device according to the embodiment of the present specification. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0037] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The detailed description disclosed below, together with the accompanying drawings, is intended to describe exemplary embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the present invention can be practiced. The following detailed description includes specific details to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention can be practiced without such specific details.

[0038] In some cases, well-known structures and devices may be omitted or shown in block diagram form, focusing on the core functions of each structure and device, in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the present invention.

[0039] Hereinafter, downlink (DL) refers to communication from a base station to a terminal, and uplink (UL) refers to communication from the terminal to the base station. In the downlink, the transmitter may be part of the base station, and the receiver may be part of the terminal. In the uplink, the transmitter may be part of the terminal, and the receiver may be part of the base station. The base station may also be expressed as a first communication device, and the terminal may also be expressed as a second communication device. A base station (BS) may also be replaced with terms such as a fixed station, NodeB, evolved-NodeB (eNB), Next Generation NodeB (gNB), base transceiver system (BTS), access point (AP), network (5G network), AI system, road side unit (RSU), vehicle, robot, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), augmented reality (AR) device, and virtual reality (VR) device. Furthermore, a terminal may be fixed or mobile, and may be replaced with terms such as UE (User Equipment), MS (Mobile Station), UT (user terminal), MSS (Mobile Subscriber Station), SS (Subscriber Station), AMS (Advance Mobile Station), WT (Wireless terminal), MTC (Machine-Type Communication) device, M2M (Machine-to-Machine) device, D2D (Device-to-Device) device, vehicle, robot, AI module, drone (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, UAV), AR (Augmented Reality) device, VR (Virtual Reality) device, etc.

[0040] Beam Management (BM)

[0041] The BM procedure is an L1 (layer 1) / L2 (layer 2) procedure for acquiring and maintaining a set of base station (e.g., gNB, TRP, etc.) and / or terminal (e.g., UE) beams that can be used for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmission and reception. It can include the following procedures and terminology:

[0042] - Beam measurement: The operation in which a base station or UE measures the characteristics of a received beamformed signal.

[0043] Beam determination: The action by which a base station or a UE selects its own transmit beam (Tx beam) / receive beam (Rx beam).

[0044] - Beam sweeping: The operation of covering a spatial region using transmit and / or receive beams at regular time intervals in a predetermined manner.

[0045] - Beam report: An operation in which a UE reports information about a beamformed signal based on beam measurements.

[0046] The BM procedure can be divided into (1) a DL BM procedure using a synchronization signal (SS) / physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block or CSI-RS, and (2) a UL BM procedure using a sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0047] Furthermore, each BM procedure may include Tx beam sweeping to determine the Tx beam and Rx beam sweeping to determine the Rx beam.

[0048] DL BM

[0049] The DL BM procedure may include (1) a base station transmission of a beamformed DL reference signal (RS) (e.g., a CSI-RS or SS Block (SSB)) and (2) a terminal beam reporting.

[0050] Here, the beam reporting may include preferred DL RS ID(s) and corresponding L1-RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power).

[0051] The DL RS ID may be an SSB Resource Indicator (SSBRI) or a CSI-RS Resource Indicator (CRI).

[0052] Figure 1 shows an example of beamforming using SSB and CSI-RS.

[0053] As shown in Figure 1, SSB beams and CSI-RS beams can be used for beam measurement. The measurement metric is L1-RSRP per resource / block. SSB is used for coarse beam measurement, and CSI-RS can be used for fine beam measurement. SSB can be used for both Tx beam sweeping and Rx beam sweeping.

[0054] Rx beam sweeping using SSB can be performed by the UE changing the Rx beam for the same SSBRI across multiple SSB bursts, where an SS burst contains one or more SSBs and an SS burst set contains one or more SSB bursts.

[0055] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a DL BM procedure using SSB.

[0056] The configuration of beam reports using SSB is performed during CSI / beam configuration in the RRC connected state (or RRC connected mode).

[0057] - The terminal receives from the base station a CSI-ResourceConfig IE including a CSI-SSB-ResourceSetList including SSB resources to be used for the BM (S210).

[0058] An example of the CSI-ResourceConfig IE is shown in Table 1. As shown in Table 1, the BM configuration using SSB is not separately defined, and the SSB is configured as a CSI-RS resource.

[0059] [Table 1]

[0060] In Table 1, the csi-SSB-ResourceSetList parameter indicates a list of SSB resources used for beam management and reporting in one CSI-RS resource set, where the SSB resource set can be set to {SSBx1, SSBx2, SSBx3, SSBx4, ...}. For example, the SSB index can be defined from 0 to 63.

[0061] The terminal receives SSB resources from the base station based on the CSI-SSB-ResourceSetList (S220).

[0062] If a CSI-ReportConfig related to reporting of SSBRI and L1-RSRP is configured, the terminal reports (beams) the best SSBRI and the corresponding L1-RSRP to the base station (S230).

[0063] That is, if the reportQuantity of the CSI-ReportConfig IE is set to 'ssb-Index-RSRP', the terminal reports the best SSBRI and the corresponding L1-RSRP to the base station.

[0064] Furthermore, if a CSI-RS resource is configured in the same OFDM symbol as the SSB (SS / PBCH Block) and "QCL-Type D" is applicable, the terminal may assume that the CSI-RS and SSB are quasi-colocated from the perspective of "QCL-Type D".

[0065] Here, QCL Type D can mean that antenna ports are QCL-aligned from the viewpoint of spatial Rx parameters. When a terminal receives from multiple DL antenna ports that are in a QCL Type D relationship, the same receive beam may be applied. In addition, the terminal does not expect that CSI-RS is configured in REs that overlap with SSB REs.

[0066] BM enhancements in NR Rel-16

[0067] The DL / UL beam indication standardized in 3GPP (registered trademark) NR Rel-15 is designed to indicate a beam separately for each DL / UL channel / RS resource in order to ensure flexibility of beam indication, and this indication method is designed separately for each channel / RS.

[0068] This design approach ultimately posed problems for many terminals communicating with a base station using a single beam, such as high signaling overhead and beam change latency, as the base station must issue a beam change command to the terminal for each channel / RS resource to change the serving beam. Along with the UL beam change, UL power control-related parameters, especially the pathloss RS (PL RS), must also be changed for each UL channel / RS, resulting in signaling overhead and latency issues. To address these shortcomings, Rel-16 introduced five features. Table 2 below illustrates these five features.

[0069] [Table 2-1] [Table 2-2]

[0070] In addition to the beam / PLRS indication-related enhancements, Rel-16 also includes enhancements related to beam reporting. Rel-15 supports a mode in which the UE measures and reports the L1-RSRP for each beam RS. However, in environments with significant inter-beam interference, it is difficult to guarantee that a specific beam RS has excellent quality as a serving beam, even if its L1-RSRP, i.e., received strength, is high. In other words, the UE may select a beam with high received strength or high beam interference and report it to the base station. To overcome this drawback, Rel-16 supports a new beam reporting mode in which the base station configures not only channel measurement RSs but also interference measurement resources. The UE measures the L1-SINR for the corresponding channel resources and interference resources based on this and reports several RSs with high L1-SINR values.

[0071] BM enhancements in NR Rel-17

[0072] As mentioned above, various BM enhancements were made in Rel-16. In particular, a feature was created that can significantly reduce signaling overhead / latency regarding beam direction methods. However, for terminals operating in a single serving beam, beams are still not configured / directed in a channel / RS-integrated manner.

[0073] Based on this motivation, Rel-17 will standardize channel / RS integrated beam setting / instruction methods. In NR, DL beams are This is called the unified TCI state because it is indicated via the transmit configuration indicator (TCI). While the existing TCI state was configured / indicated separately for each DL RS / channel, the unified TCI state features unified configuration / indication. Essentially, the DL unified TCI state indicates QCL type-D RSs jointly applied to (some) PDCCH, PDSCH, and (some) CSI-RS resources, while the UL unified TCI state indicates spatial relation RSs (and PL RSs) jointly applied to (some) PUCCH, PUSCH, and (some) SRS resources. Furthermore, similar to the Rel-16 default spatial relation / PL RS feature, for UEs with beam correspondence, UL spatial relation and PL RSs can also be matched with DL beam RSs. Therefore, the channels / RSs to which the unified TCI state applies can be combined into DL and UL channels / RSs. This is called the joint DL / UL TCI state. In other words, the following two modes are planned to be supported:

[0074] - Joint DL / UL TCI configuration / indication mode: The DL RS configured / indicated in the Joint TCI state is applied not only as the QCL type-D source RS for the DL channel / RS, but also as the spatial relation RS (and PL RS) for the UL channel / RS. In other words, when the joint TCI state is updated, the beam RS (and PL RS) for the corresponding DL channel / RS and UL channel / RS are changed together.

[0075] - Separate DL and UL TCI configuration / indication mode: QCL type-D source RS for DL ​​channel / RS is jointly configured / indicated in DL TCI state, and spatial relation RS (and PL RS) for UL channel / RS is jointly configured / indicated in UL TCI state, where DL TCI state and UL TCI state are configured / indicated separately.

[0076] The DL / UL / joint TCI states are to be indicated / updated via MAC-CE and / or DCI. More specifically, among multiple TCI states (called a TCI state pool) configured in RRC, MAC-CE activates one or more TCI states. If multiple TCI states are activated in MAC-CE, DCI indicates one of the TCI states.

[0077] Such DCI indication is supported via the downlink DCI format (DCI1-1 / 1-2) that supports the TCI field, and will be supported not only with PDSCH scheduling but also without it. In the latter case, PDSCH scheduling is omitted (similar to the DCI-based semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) release method), so ACK transmission of the UE for the corresponding DCI will be supported.

[0078] Beam report-related enhancements are planned for Rel-17. The Rel-17 beam report mode will support a mode in which the terminal measures and reports the optimal beam RS for each TRP, targeting multi-TRP environments. To achieve this, the base station will divide the beam measurement RS set / group into two subsets / sub-groups and configure them. The terminal will then select an RS for each subset / sub-group and report it along with the quality value of the corresponding RS (L1-RSRP, [L1-SINR]).

[0079] AIML related explanation

[0080] Advances in AI / ML (artificial intelligence / machine learning) technology are making the nodes and terminals that make up wireless communication networks more intelligent and sophisticated.

[0081] In particular, the intelligence of networks / base stations is expected to enable the rapid optimization, derivation, and application of various network / base station decision parameter values ​​according to various environmental parameters.

[0082] The environmental parameters may include at least one of the distribution / location of base stations, the distribution / location / material of buildings / furniture, etc., the location / movement direction / speed of the terminal, and weather information. However, the above parameters are merely examples, and the environmental parameters may further include other environmental parameters associated with the network / base station determination parameters in addition to the listed parameters.

[0083] The network / base station determined parameter values ​​may include at least one of the transmit / receive power of each base station, the transmit power of each terminal, the precoder / beam of the base station / terminal, the time / frequency resource allocation for each terminal, and the duplex mode of each base station, although the above parameters are only examples, and the network / base station determined parameter values ​​may further include other parameters determined by the network / base station in addition to the listed parameters.

[0084] In line with this trend, many standardization organizations (e.g., 3GPP, O-RAN) are considering the introduction of AI / ML, and active studies on this are underway.

[0085] Although AI / ML can easily be referred to as deep learning-based artificial intelligence in a narrow sense, it can be conceptually divided as follows:

[0086] - Artificial Intelligence: This refers to all automation in which machines can replace the work that humans should do.

[0087] - Machine Learning: Machines learn patterns for decision-making from data without being explicitly programmed with rules.

[0088] - Deep Learning: An artificial neural network-based model that allows machines to perform feature extraction and judgment from unstructured data in one go. The algorithm relies on a multi-layer network of interconnected nodes for feature extraction and transformation inspired by the biological nervous system, i.e., the neural network. Common deep learning network architectures include deep neural networks (DNNs), recurrent neural networks (RNNs), and convolutional neural networks (CNNs).

[0089] As mentioned above, artificial intelligence (AI) is the broadest concept of AI / ML, and deep learning is the narrowest concept of AI / ML. Machine learning (ML) can be interpreted as a narrower concept than artificial intelligence, but broader than deep learning.

[0090] AI / ML typologies based on various criteria

[0091] - Offline vs Online

[0092] Offline Learning

[0093] - Offline learning strictly follows the sequential steps of database collection, learning, and prediction. In other words, collection and learning are performed offline, and the completed program can be installed in the field and used for prediction work. This offline learning method is used in most situations.

[0094] Online Learning

[0095] - Recently, data that can be used for learning is continuously generated via the Internet. This method of incrementally improving performance through intensive additional learning using additional data is called online learning.

[0096] Classification by AI / ML Framework Concept

[0097] -Centralized Learning

[0098] In centralized learning, training data collected from multiple different nodes is reported to a centralized node, and all data resources, storage, learning (e.g., supervised, unsupervised, reinforcement learning), etc. are executed on a single centralized node.

[0099] - Federated Learning

[0100] Federated learning is where a collective model is built on data spread across distributed data owners. Instead of bringing the data to the model, the AI / ML model is brought to the data source, allowing local nodes / individual devices to collect data and train their own copies of the model, without the need to report source data back to a central node.

[0101] In federated learning, the parameters / weights of an AI / ML model are returned to a centralized node to support general model training. The advantages of federated learning include increased computational speed and superior information security. This means that there is no need to upload personal data to a central server, preventing the leakage and misuse of personal information.

[0102] - Distributed Learning

[0103] Distributed learning describes the concept of machine learning processes being scaled and distributed across a cluster of nodes: training models are split and shared across multiple nodes working simultaneously to speed up model training.

[0104] Classification by learning method

[0105] - Supervised Learning

[0106] Supervised learning is a machine learning task whose goal is to learn a mapping function from input to output given a labeled dataset. The input data is called training data, and has known labels or outcomes. Examples of supervised learning include:

[0107] 1) Regression: Linear Regression, Logistic Regression

[0108] 2) Instance-based Algorithms: k-Nearest Neighbor(KNN)

[0109] 3)Decision Tree Algorithms:CART

[0110] 4) Support Vector Machines (SVM)

[0111] 5) Bayesian Algorithms: Naive Bayes

[0112] 6) Ensemble Algorithms: Extreme Gradient Boosting, Bagging: Random Forest

[0113] Supervised learning can be further grouped into regression and classification problems, where classification is about predicting a label and regression is about predicting a quantity.

[0114] Unsupervised Learning

[0115] Unsupervised learning is a machine learning task that aims to learn functions that explain hidden structure from unlabeled data. The input data is unlabeled and there is no known outcome. Some examples of unsupervised learning include K-means clustering, principal component analysis (PCA), nonlinear independent component analysis (ICA), and LSTM.

[0116] - Reinforcement Learning

[0117] In reinforcement learning (RL), an agent interacts with the environment based on a trial-and-error process with the aim of optimizing a long-term goal through goal-directed learning. Below are some example RL algorithms:

[0118] 1) Q-learning

[0119] 2) Multi-armed bandit learning

[0120] 3) Deep Q Network

[0121] 4)State-Action-Reward-State-Action (SARSA)

[0122] 5)Temporal Difference Learning

[0123] 6)Actor-critic reinforcement learning

[0124] 7) Deep deterministic policy gradient

[0125] 8) Monte-Carlo tree search

[0126] Reinforcement learning can be further grouped into model-based reinforcement learning and model-free reinforcement learning.

[0127] Model-based reinforcement learning: RL algorithms that use predictive models, different dynamic states of the environment, and models that lead to compensation to obtain transition probabilities between states.

[0128] Model-free reinforcement learning: RL algorithms based on values ​​or policies that achieve maximum future rewards, in multi-agent environments / states, are computationally less complex, and do not require an accurate representation of the environment.

[0129] RL algorithms can also be classified as value-based RL vs. policy-based RL, policy-based RL vs. policy-free RL, etc.

[0130] Representative model of deep learning

[0131] 1. FFNN (Feed-Forward Neural Network)

[0132] An FFNN consists of an input layer, a hidden layer, and an output layer.

[0133] 2. RNN (Recurrent Neural Network)

[0134] RNN is a type of artificial neural network in which hidden nodes are connected by directional edges to form a cyclic structure (directed cycle). It is a model suitable for processing sequential data such as voice and text.

[0135] 3. CNN(Convolution Neural Network)

[0136] CNNs are used for two purposes: to reduce model complexity and to extract good features by applying convolution operations, which are commonly used in the fields of video processing and image processing.

[0137] - Kernel or filter: a unit / structure that applies weights to inputs of a certain range / unit

[0138] - Stride: The range of movement of the kernel within the input.

[0139] - feature map: the result of applying a kernel to the input

[0140] - padding: Value added to adjust the size of the feature map

[0141] - Pooling: Operations to downsample feature maps to reduce their size (e.g., max pooling, average pooling)

[0142] 4. Auto encoder

[0143] An autoencoder is a neural network that receives a feature vector x and outputs the same or similar vector x'. In an autoencoder, the input and output nodes have the same features.

[0144] Figure 3 shows the functional framework of the AI / ML model.

[0145] The definitions of each term and the operations by function in the framework shown in FIG. 3 are based on Table 3 below.

[0146] [Table 3-1] JPEG2025540584000006.jpg79150 [Table 3-2]

[0147] Data Set

[0148] Data sets used in AI / ML are divided into training data, validation data, and test data, which are defined as follows:

[0149] - Training data

[0150] Data set for training the model

[0151] - Validation data

[0152] A data set for validating a model that has already been trained

[0153] Validation data is a data set that is typically used to prevent overfitting of the training data set.

[0154] Validation data is a dataset used to select the best model from various models trained during the training process. Therefore, validation data can be considered a dataset related to training.

[0155] - Test data

[0156] Dataset for final evaluation. Test data is unrelated to training.

[0157] For the data set, a full training set containing a certain percentage of the aforementioned data may be used.

[0158] As an example, a training set containing training data and validation data in a ratio of 8:2 or 7:3 may be used.

[0159] As an example, a training set containing training data, validation data, and test data in a ratio of 6:2:2 may be used.

[0160] Collaboration level

[0161] Depending on whether or not the AI ​​ / ML function is capable between the base station and the terminal, the cooperation level can be defined as shown in Table 4 below.

[0162] [Table 4]

[0163] The cooperation levels in Table 4 are merely examples and may be modified and utilized differently depending on the implementation. For example, a cooperation level that combines two or more of the cooperation levels illustrated may be defined / utilized. For example, a cooperation level that excludes one or more of the cooperation levels illustrated may be utilized.

[0164] In this specification, " / " means "and," "or," or "and / or" depending on the context. In this specification, "beam" can mean a source RS for a "spatial filter" or a "spatial relation," and can be interpreted as a QCL (type-D) RS, a TCI state, or (in the case of uplink) a spatial relation RS.

[0165] As an example, a "beam" in this specification may refer to a spatial filter determined based on the reference RS or the source RS. The spatial filter may include a spatial domain filter, a spatial domain transmission filter, and a spatial domain receive filter.

[0166] As an example, the beam associated with the UL may be referred to as i) a spatial filter (for uplink transmission or uplink reception), ii) a spatial domain filter (for uplink transmission or uplink reception), iii) an uplink spatial domain transmission filter, iv) an uplink spatial domain receive filter, v) an uplink transmit spatial filter (UL Tx spatial filter), or vi) an uplink receive spatial filter (UL Rx spatial filter).

[0167] As an example, a beam associated with the DL may be referred to as i) a spatial filter (for downlink transmission or downlink reception), ii) a spatial domain filter (for downlink transmission or downlink reception), iii) a downlink spatial domain transmission filter, iv) a downlink spatial domain receive filter, v) a downlink transmit spatial filter (DL Tx spatial filter), or vi) a downlink receive spatial filter (DL Rx spatial filter).

[0168] According to the existing 3GPP NR beam indication scheme, a beam RS ID (e.g., CRI, SSBRI) is indicated as the source / reference RS to be used for transmission and / or reception of the target RS / channel.

[0169] According to the DL beam direction method, the base station sends the target channel / RS The QCL source RS from the perspective of spatial Rx parameters is designated as a specific CSI-RS resource or SSB resource (QCL type-D RS). The terminal receiving this instruction can receive the corresponding target channel / RS in the beam that received the corresponding source RS. In this case, the terminal is not forced to receive in the same beam as the beam that received the source RS. The base station informs the terminal of the corresponding source RS to prevent unnecessary reception beam searches by the terminal.

[0170] According to the UL beam direction method, the base station assigns a source RS to the terminal in terms of spatial parameters for the target channel / RS as a specific CSI-RS resource, SSB resource, or SRS resource (spatial assignment RS).

[0171] If the Source RS is a DL RS (e.g., CSI-RS, SSB), the UE receiving the instruction transmits the target UL channel / RS to a Tx beam corresponding to the Rx beam used to receive the DL RS. If the Source RS is a UL RS (e.g., SRS), the UE receiving the instruction transmits the target UL channel / RS to a Tx beam used to transmit the UL RS. The DL beam RS (e.g., QCL type-D RS) may be indicated by being included in the DL TCI state, and the UL beam RS (e.g., spatial leation RS) may be indicated by being included in the UL TCI state.

[0172] In addition, (for a terminal in which a one-to-one correspondence is established between the Tx and Rx beams), the source RS for the DL and UL beams may be the same DL RS (e.g., CSI-RS, SSB) resource. A joint DL / UL TCI state for jointly indicating the corresponding DL RS may be configured / indicated.

[0173] For the sake of technical convenience, the above TCI / QCL / spatial relation RS instruction method will be referred to as "beam instruction" below.

[0174] 3GPP Rel-18 has started a study on how to utilize AI / ML in the air-interface. The relevant SI (study item) deals with beam management, CSI, and positioning as the main use cases of AI / ML. This specification deals with beam management techniques.

[0175] Use cases for improved beam management using AI / ML can be broadly considered to be "improved beam management performance through spatial beam prediction" and "improved beam management performance through temporal beam prediction." In this specification, we will mainly consider "improved beam management performance through spatial beam prediction," but it goes without saying that the techniques in this specification can be modified and applied to "improved beam management performance through temporal beam prediction."

[0176] "Improving beam management performance through spatial beam prediction" is a use case for achieving improved beam management accuracy with lower RS ​​overhead based on current / past beam RS measurement results, terminal position / movement information, etc. In this case, AI / ML of the UE and / or network (NW) can be used for spatial beam prediction operations. For example, AI / ML can be used to achieve performance secondary to beam selection from a larger number of beam RSs based on measurement results from a smaller number of beam RSs.

[0177] AI / ML-based beam prediction can be defined based on inputs and outputs associated with an AI / ML model (of the terminal and / or network).

[0178] For example, the input may be information related to measurements on a beam (eg, RSs associated with a beam), and the output may be information related to a particular beam (eg, ID(s) of RSs associated with a particular beam).

[0179] For example, the input may be the Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) of beams in a first set, and the output may be the RSRP of beams in a second set (e.g., the RSRP of RSs associated with all beams or the RSRP of RSs associated with beams in Set A). The RSRP of beams in the first set may include the RSRP of RSs associated with some beams out of all beams and / or the RSRP of RSs associated with beams in Set B. For beams in the second set, the RSRP may include the RSRP of RSs associated with all beams and / or the RSRP of RSs associated with beams in Set A.

[0180] Table 5 below summarizes the discussion and results of the discussion regarding improvements in beam performance.

[0181] [Table 5]

[0182] In the above results, BM-Case 1 means "a case where estimation / prediction is performed for beams in Set A based on measurement results of beams included in Set B." Here, Set A and Set B are different.

[0183] Set A and Set B related to the embodiments of this specification described later may be defined based on Table 5. Set B may be a set including beams related to RSs transmitted by a base station (RSs received by a terminal). Set A may be a set of beams used to estimate / determine a beam based on measurement results of RSs related to Set B. Set A may be a set of beams used to indicate a specific beam.

[0184] The purpose of BM-Case 1 is to select / estimate / predict a beam more precisely than beam selection according to existing methods. Specifically, according to BM-Case 1, a beam is selected / estimated / predicted based on Set A, which is more precise than Set B (e.g., selected from Set A including more beams than Set B, or Set A having a narrower beam shape than the beams in Set B).

[0185] In this specification, we assume an environment in which a base station performs beam direction for Set A based on Set B-based beam measurement and UE report results based on a network (NW)-sided AI / ML model. Here, "beam direction for Set A" refers to beam direction for higher beam granularity (e.g., more beams, larger maximum / minimum beam angle difference, smaller inter-beam angle difference, etc.) than Set B, and may be applied even when Set A is not explicitly defined / configured.

[0186] As an example, in this specification, "Set A" and "Set B" are terms for referring to beam sets defined / configured for measurement / reporting by a terminal, and a beam set defined / configured for beam instruction by a base station may be referred to separately. In other words, a beam set for beam instruction by a base station may be configured separately from a beam set for measurement / reporting by a terminal. In the embodiments described below, the terms "Set A" and "Set B" are used with respect to beam instruction, but these terms may mean that the characteristics of a beam instructed by a base station are the same as those of "Set A" or "Set B."

[0187] In a network-sided AI / ML model-based beam prediction operation, a situation may arise where the applied AI / ML model needs to be changed, (re)trained, or updated due to a change in the position, movement, rotation, etc. of the terminal. Whether or not to perform such an operation can be determined based on i) a terminal report, ii) monitoring / measuring the beam / channel quality of the base station, iii) monitoring / measuring the suitability of the environment for applying the AI / ML model, iv) a validation procedure of the AI / ML model (e.g., comparison with ground-truth values), v) the amount / degree of change in the distribution of model input / output data, etc. The terminal report can include at least one of a model change / update request, a beam quality value report, and / or a report on the occurrence of an event in which the beam quality value drops below a certain threshold.

[0188] Table 6 below shows the agreements reached at the RAN1#110bis meeting, including those related to AI / ML model monitoring and lifecycle management (LCM).

[0189] [Table 6-1] [Table 6-2] [Table 6-3]

[0190] As described above, if the application of the AI / ML model must be temporarily suspended due to a model update, fallback operation, etc., the base station must perform non-AI / ML-based beam instruction. That is, the beam must be instructed based on Set B. In such a case, the following detailed description will be given of an embodiment for performing beam instruction.

[0191] Method 1

[0192] The base station sets / instructs the terminal whether the candidate beam set to be used for beam instruction is Set B or Set A.

[0193] The setting / instruction of a candidate beam set for performing the beam instruction may be performed based on an RRC message, a MAC-CE, and / or a DCI.

[0194] As an example, the information can be included (as 1-bit information) in a message instructing a beam (e.g., TCI / SRI field in DCI, TCI activation MAC-CE, PUCCH spatial relation MAC-CE).

[0195] As an example, a candidate beam set change message (eg, via MAC-CE) may be defined and set / instructed separately from the beam instruction message.

[0196] For example, the setting / instruction may be a response message to a specific report / request from the UE. For example, while the UE is monitoring the quality of a beam instructed by the base station based on AI / ML prediction, the UE may report to the base station that an event has occurred in which the beam quality has fallen below a specific value. Based on the response message from the base station to the corresponding event occurrence report, the candidate beam set may be specified to be changed from Set A to Set B.

[0197] According to one embodiment, it may be assumed that Set B is a subset of Set A. Set B may also be referred to as a reduced beam RS set. Whether or not the reduced beam RS set is applicable may be set / indicated.

[0198] For example, 64 CSI-RS resources may be configured (based on RRC signaling) to comprise a first set (e.g., Set A), and the 64 CSI-RS resources may be CSI-RS resources for Beam Management (BM).

[0199] The base station (or network) can configure / instruct the terminal to either i) perform a 6-bit beam indication based on a first set (e.g., Set A) consisting of the 64 CSI-RS resources, or ii) perform a 4-bit beam indication based on a second set (e.g., Set B) consisting of a portion of the 64 CSI-RS resources (e.g., 16 CSI-RS resources). Information regarding the determination of the set / number of bits associated with the beam indication (e.g., 6-bit indication or 4-bit indication) can be included in the configuration / instruction.

[0200] The part of CSI-RS resources (e.g., configuration for Set B) may be determined / configured based on at least one of the following 1 to 3.

[0201] A rule may be defined that allows some CSI-RS resources to be determined / configured as CSI-RS resources on which a terminal performs beam measurement / report.

[0202] The partial CSI-RS resources may be extracted from Set A beam (i.e., 64 CSI-RS resources) according to a specific (configured) rule.

[0203] For example, the partial CSI-RS resources may be composed of CSI-RS resources having indices corresponding to modulo-N among 64 CSI-RS resources. Specifically, assuming modulo-16, 16 CSI-RS resources having indices of 0 to 15 may be determined as the partial CSI-RS resources (Set B).

[0204] For example, the partial CSI-RS resources may be composed of CSI-RS resources having indices obtained by adding a specific offset value to an index corresponding to modulo-N among 64 CSI-RS resources. Specifically, assuming modulo-16 and a specific offset value of 10, 16 CSI-RS resources having indices ranging from 10 to 25 may be determined as the partial CSI-RS resources (e.g., modulo-16).

[0205] For example, the N value and / or the offset value may be set to the terminal by the base station. For example, the N value and / or the offset value may be specified in advance between the terminal and the base station as a specific value.

[0206] The base station can specify to the terminal (through a bitmap or the like) resources included in Set B from among the resources (64 CSI-RS resources) in Set A.

[0207] According to one embodiment, it may be assumed that Set B and Set A are configured with different RSs. For example, Set A may be configured with CSI-RS resources, and Set B may be configured with SSB resources. The base station may configure / instruct the terminal to select / switch the candidate beam RS set.

[0208] For example, 64 CSI-RS resources may be configured in a first set (e.g., Set A) (based on RRC signaling), and 16 SSBs (or SSB resources) may be configured in a second set (e.g., Set B).

[0209] The base station (or network) can configure / instruct the terminal to either i) perform a 6-bit beam indication based on the first set, or ii) perform a 4-bit beam indication based on the second set. The configuration / instruction can include information regarding the determination of the set / number of bits (e.g., 6-bit indication or 4-bit indication) associated with the beam indication.

[0210] The configuration of the second set can be determined based on at least one of the following (1) and (2).

[0211] The second set may define rules that allow a terminal to be configured with resources to perform beam measurement / report.

[0212] The base station can set / instruct the second set (Set B) (separate from Set A) to the terminal.

[0213] Method 1 can be utilized for AI / ML model re-training and fallback operations by (instantly) changing the candidate beam set.

[0214] Unlike Method 1, the candidate beam set is maintained in Set A, but a method of instructing Set B beams using the relationship between Set A and Set B can be considered. Method 2 will be described in detail below.

[0215] Method 2

[0216] The base station can set / instruct the terminal whether the beam indication is for Set B or Set A. The terminal that receives the beam setting / instruction for Set B can analyze the beam indication of the base station based on the association information between Set A and Set B beams.

[0217] According to Method 2, the base station's beam instruction may be interpreted by the terminal as follows:

[0218] For example, it may be assumed that 64 CSI-RS resources are configured in Set A and the terminal receives a beam indication based on a 6-bit indicator from the base station.

[0219] [1] The base station can set / indicate to the terminal that the corresponding beam indication (6-bit indicator) is for Set A. The terminal can interpret the 6-bit indicator as representing one of the corresponding 64 beams (one of the 64 CSI-RS resources).

[0220] [2] The base station may configure / indicate to the terminal that a corresponding beam indication (6-bit indicator) is for Set B. The terminal may not interpret the 6-bit indicator as representing one of the corresponding 64 beams. That is, the terminal may interpret the 6-bit indicator as representing one of the 16 beams that are in a mapping relationship with the corresponding 64 beams. As an example, 16 CSI-RS resources that are in a mapping relationship with the 64 CSI-RS resources may be defined / configured. As an example, 16 SSBs that are in a mapping relationship with the 64 CSI-RS resources may be defined / configured. As an example, 16 CSI-RS resources and SSBs that are in a mapping relationship with the 64 CSI-RS resources may be defined / configured.

[0221] The information for "setting / indicating whether the beam indication is for Set B or Set A" can be set / indicated to the terminal based on an RRC message, MAC-CE, and / or DCI.

[0222] As an example, the information can be included (as 1-bit information) in a message instructing a beam (eg, TCI / SRI field in DCI, TCI activation MAC-CE, PUCCH spatial leation MAC-CE).

[0223] As an example, a candidate beam set change message (eg, via MAC-CE) may be defined and set / instructed separately from the beam instruction message.

[0224] For example, the setting / instruction may be a response message to a specific report / request from the terminal. For example, while the terminal is monitoring the quality of a beam instructed by the base station based on AI / ML prediction, the terminal may report to the base station that an event has occurred in which the beam quality has fallen below a specific value. Based on the base station's response message to the corresponding event occurrence report, the candidate beam set may be specified to be changed from Set A to Set B.

[0225] According to one embodiment, it may be assumed that Set B is a subset of Set A. In this case, information regarding a many-to-one correspondence between beams in Set A and beams in Set B may be set / indicated / defined.

[0226] As an example, a rule may be set / indicated / defined that one beam RS in Set B is mapped to N beam RSs in Set A in the order of beam RS indexes. If such a relationship is defined / set and the base station sets a beam indication based on Set B (for fallback, model update, etc.), the terminal interprets the beam indication of the base station as a beam indication for Set B according to the mapping information.

[0227] According to one embodiment, it may be assumed that Set B and Set A are configured with different RSs. For example, Set A may be configured with CSI-RS resources, and Set B may be configured with SSB resources. In this case, a mapping relationship between Set A beams and Set B beams may be configured.

[0228] For example, an implicit mapping relationship may be established based on QCL relationship information (e.g., QCL Type-D). As a specific example, if Set B is configured with SSB resources and Set A is configured with CSI-RS resources, a mapping relationship (association relationship) between Set A beams and Set B beams may be implicitly established through the SSB resources that have a QCL relationship with the CSI-RS resources. In other words, the SSB resources mapped to the CSI-RS resources may be SSB resources that have a QCL relationship with the corresponding CSI-RS resources.

[0229] When the base station configures / instructs the UE on a beam for Set B and indicates a specific CSI-RS resource through the beam instruction, the UE may interpret the beam instruction as follows: Specifically, the UE may interpret the beam instruction as a beam instruction for an SSB resource having a QCL relationship with the specific CSI-RS resource.

[0230] When applying the above method, during fallback or model update operation, the beam set to which the proposed method is applied may differ from Set B defined in the existing 3GPP RAN1 agreement.

[0231] In the previous agreement, as described above, the measurement beam set for estimating a beam based on Set A (e.g., used as input to an AI / ML model, UE beam report in the case of a NW-sided model, beam measurements in the case of a UE-sided model) was defined as Set B. The distinction between "Set A" and "Set B" used in the above method is not intended to limit the beam sets to which the embodiments defined in this specification can be applied to beam sets based on the corresponding Set A / Set B definition.

[0232] In other words, a (separate) RS set different from the corresponding beam RS set (the measurement beam set) can be defined / set as the beam set for the proposed operation.

[0233] In addition, the proposed method assumes the selection / change operation between two beam RS sets (Set A, Set B), but can be extended to the selection / change operation of three or more beam RS sets. Set C can be further defined / configured for the two beam RS sets.

[0234] As an example, the base station may set / instruct the terminal to select one of Set A, Set B, and Set C to be used / applied for beam direction.

[0235] As an example, it may be specified which set to fall back to (or which set to apply) between Set B and Set C depending on a specific condition / case.

[0236] As an example, i) a beam RS set used while the model is being re-trained / updated, and ii) a beam RS set used when the model is turned off and the beam instruction method falls back to legacy operation may be defined / configured separately. The beam RS set in i) may be a beam RS set that is temporarily applied / used until a specific timer is completed when the timer is running. The beam RS set in ii) may be a beam RS set that is continuously applied / used until a separate instruction / configuration is received from the base station.

[0237] In the above embodiment, the beam instruction based on Set A is described on the assumption that it is an indicator of the RS included in Set A. However, this is only an example of a Set A-based beam instruction, and the Set A-based beam instruction may be replaced with other types of information that are not an indicator representing a specific RS.

[0238] As an example, a beam of Set A may be represented based on a linear combination of RSs belonging to Set B. The beam instruction based on Set A may include multiple RSs and combining coefficients associated with the multiple RSs.

[0239] As an example, the beams of Set A may be represented by 2D / 3D coordinate values. The beam instructions based on Set A may include information about the coordinates associated with the beams of Set A.

[0240] Although the proposed technology in this specification has been described based on NW AI / ML, this does not mean that the technology in this specification can be applied only in a network AI / ML-enabled environment, but can also be applied in a terminal AI / ML-enabled environment or a non-AI / ML-enabled environment. Furthermore, the proposed technology in this specification can be applied to sidelink communication by applying another UE instead of a base station / network. Furthermore, while it has been primarily assumed that the NW AI / ML performs training / inference based on a terminal beam report, this is not a limitation, and training / inference on the NW AI / ML model can also be performed through the terminal's uplink transmission and / or other terminal report information (e.g., CSI report, RRM report), etc.

[0241] In this specification, a "beam" instruction may include an instruction for a PL RS in the case of a UL beam. That is, an operation of changing / setting / instructing a candidate beam set to Set A and Set B may be linked with an operation of changing / setting / instructing a candidate RS set for a PL RS (e.g., a PL RS set for Set A and a PL RS set for Set B are set separately).

[0242] In terms of implementation, the operation of the base station / terminal according to the above-described embodiments (e.g., operation based on at least one of Methods 1 to 2) can be processed by the apparatus of Figure 7 (e.g., processors 110, 210 of Figure 7) described below.

[0243] In addition, the operation of the base station / terminal according to the above-described embodiments (e.g., operation based on at least one of Methods 1 and 2) may be stored in a memory (e.g., 140, 240 in FIG. 7) in the form of commands / programs (e.g., instructions, executable code) for driving at least one processor (e.g., 110, 210 in FIG. 7).

[0244] In the following, the signaling procedure based on the above embodiment will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

[0245] FIG. 4 illustrates a signaling procedure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0246] FIG. 4 shows an example of signaling between a user equipment (UE) and a network (NW) based on the proposed methods (e.g., Method 1 and Method 2). Here, the UE / NW is merely an example, and various devices, such as the devices in FIG. 7, may be substituted. However, FIG. 4 is merely for convenience of explanation and does not limit the scope of this specification. Also, some steps shown in FIG. 4 may be omitted depending on the situation and / or settings. The NW in FIG. 4 may correspond to any entity, such as a base station (BS), Node B, or TRP.

[0247] The UE may receive configuration related to Set B and Set A from the NW (S405). The configuration may include setting information related to the TCI state, ID information related to the UE beam, transmission period and time / frequency position information, sequence information, and / or information related to the relationship between RSs (e.g., presence or absence of QCL).

[0248] After the beam-related configuration (S405), the base station transmits RSs belonging to Set B (and Set A) to the terminal, and the terminal can measure them (S410).

[0249] The terminal that has performed the beam-related setting information (S405) and measurement on the Set B beam (S410) can report the corresponding measurement value (S415).

[0250] Based on the reported information of the terminal and / or other uplink signals / information, the NW (AI / ML) can perform beam prediction / selection and perform beam instruction for the target channel / RS in Set A (S420).

[0251] The NW or UE monitors the AI / ML model and / or associated beam / channel quality (S425), and based on the results, can change / select the beam set to Set B by applying the technique of the present invention (S430). Based on this, beam instruction can be performed in Set B (S435).

[0252] In applying the above operation, step S430 and step S435 may occur simultaneously.

[0253] The above operation is illustrated assuming that Set A-based beam instructions are applied in priority over Set B-based beam instructions, but conversely, Set A-based beam instructions may be applied at a point during the priority application of Set B-based beam instructions when it is determined that application of an AI / ML model is appropriate.

[0254] As mentioned above, the above-described NW / UE signaling and operations may be realized by the devices 100 and 200 of Figure 7. For example, the NW may correspond to the first device 100 and the UE may correspond to the second device 200, and vice versa may also be considered in some cases.

[0255] For example, the above-mentioned NW / UE signaling and operations may be processed by at least one processor 110, 210 of FIG. 7, and the above-mentioned NW / UE signaling and operations may be stored in memory (140, 240 of FIG. 7) in the form of instructions / programs (e.g., instructions, executable code) for driving at least one processor 110, 210 of FIG. 7.

[0256] Hereinafter, the above-mentioned embodiment will be described in detail from the viewpoint of the operation of a terminal and a base station with reference to Figures 5 and 6. The methods described below are separated for the convenience of explanation, and it goes without saying that they may be substituted with part of any other method or may be applied in combination with each other.

[0257] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method performed by a terminal in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present specification.

[0258] Referring to FIG. 5, a method performed by a terminal in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present specification includes a step S510 of receiving configuration information, a step S520 of receiving beam instructions, and a step S530 of receiving physical signals / channels.

[0259] At S510, the terminal receives configuration information from the base station, which may be received via higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling).

[0260] The configuration information may include information regarding a plurality of reference signals (RS) for beam direction. A plurality of RS sets may be configured based on the plurality of RSs. The plurality of RS sets may be configured based on Method 1 and / or Method 2. For example, the plurality of RS sets may include a first RS set and a second RS set.

[0261] At S520, the terminal receives a beam instruction from the base station.

[0262] For example, the beam indication may be based on Downlink Control Information (DCI) or Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE). For example, the beam indication may be based on DCI scheduling a physical signal / channel (e.g., PDSCH).

[0263] According to an embodiment, the beam direction may be performed based on one of the plurality of RS sets. The beam direction may be based on Method 1 or Method 2, which will be described in detail below.

[0264] For example, the beam indication may be an indicator consisting of a number of bits (6 bits) representing one of all RSs (e.g., 64 RSs), or an indicator consisting of a number of bits (4 bits) representing one of a portion of RSs (e.g., 16 RSs). In this case, the beam indication may further include a bit number related indicator. Specifically, the beam indication may include an indicator representing one of the first RS set and the second RS set. The number of bits related to the beam indication may be determined based on the indicator. This embodiment may be based on Method 1.

[0265] The number of bits associated with the beam direction may be i) a first number of bits (e.g., 6) based on the number of RSs belonging to the first RS set, or ii) a second number of bits (e.g., 4) based on the number of RSs belonging to the second RS set.

[0266] The first set of RSs may be composed of the plurality of RSs. The second set of RSs may be composed of a portion of the plurality of RSs. The second set of RSs may be configured / determined based on at least one of (1) to (3) of Method 1.

[0267] As an example, the RSs belonging to the second RS set may include an RS for beam measurement among the plurality of RSs (eg, (1) of Method 1).

[0268] For example, the RSs belonging to the second RS set may include an RS determined based on a criterion related to an RS index among the plurality of RSs (e.g., (2) of Method 1). An RS based on a specific RS index may be determined based on a criterion related to the RS index. The specific RS index may be determined based on the above-mentioned modulo-N and / or offset.

[0269] According to one embodiment, the first set of RSs may be composed of the plurality of RSs, and the second set of RSs may be composed of RSs mapped to the plurality of RSs. This embodiment may be based on Method 2.

[0270] The beam indicator may include an indicator having a number of bits based on the number of the plurality of RSs (e.g., a 6-bit indicator). The interpretation of the indicator may vary depending on the RS set associated with the beam indicator. This will be described in detail below.

[0271] Based on the beam designation associated with the first set of RSs: the RS represented by the designation may be determined as the RS associated with the physical signal / channel.

[0272] Based on the beam indication associated with a second set of RSs: the RS mapped to the RS represented by the indication may be determined as the RS associated with the physical signal / channel.

[0273] For example, the beam instruction may be implicitly associated with the first or second set of RSs. As a specific example, if the beam instruction is based on a response to a report of an event occurrence associated with the first or second set of RSs, the beam instruction may be defined as associated with the second or first set of RSs.

[0274] As an example, the beam indication may further include an indicator representing one of the first and second RS sets.

[0275] The RSs belonging to the second RS set have a mapping relationship (N-to-1 mapping and / or QCL) with the RSs belonging to the first RS set.

[0276] For example, each RS belonging to the second RS set may be mapped to two or more RSs among the plurality of RSs. As a specific example, the first RS set may consist of 64 RSs, and the second RS set may consist of 16 RSs that are in a mapping relationship with the 64 RSs. In this case, each RS belonging to the second RS set is mapped to four RSs belonging to the first RS set.

[0277] For example, a QCL relationship (Quasi Colocation Relation) is established between each RS belonging to the second RS set and two or more RSs among the plurality of RSs. As a specific example, the first RS set may be composed of 64 RSs, and the second RS set may be composed of 16 RSs that have a QCL relationship with the 64 RSs. In this case, a QCL relationship may be established between each RS belonging to the second RS set and four RSs belonging to the first RS set.

[0278] At S530, the terminal receives a physical signal / channel from the base station based on the beam instruction.

[0279] The physical signal / channel may be a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), or a Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS).

[0280] A beam (e.g., a spatial domain receive filter) associated with the physical signal / channel may be determined based on the beam designation. For example, an RS belonging to one of a plurality of RS sets may be determined as the RS associated with the physical signal / channel based on the beam designation.

[0281] The operations based on steps S510 to S530 described above may be implemented by the apparatus of Fig. 7. For example, terminal 200 may control one or more transceivers 230 and / or one or more memories 240 to perform the operations based on steps S510 to S530.

[0282] The above-described embodiment will now be described in detail from the perspective of the operation of the base station.

[0283] S610 to S630 described below correspond to S510 to S530 described in FIG. 5. In consideration of this correspondence, duplicated descriptions will be omitted. That is, specific descriptions of base station operations described below can be replaced with the descriptions / embodiments of FIG. 5 corresponding to the operations. As an example, the descriptions / embodiments of S510 to S530 in FIG. 5 can also be applied to the base station operations of S610 to S630 described below.

[0284] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method performed by a base station according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0285] Referring to FIG. 6, a method performed by a base station in a wireless communication system according to another embodiment of the present specification includes a setting information transmission step S610, a beam indication transmission step S620, and a physical signal / channel transmission step S630.

[0286] At S610, the base station transmits configuration information to the terminal.

[0287] In S620, the base station transmits a beam instruction to the terminal.

[0288] At S630, the base station transmits a physical signal / channel to the terminal based on the beam instruction.

[0289] The operations according to S610 to S630 described above may be implemented by the apparatus of Fig. 7. For example, the base station 100 may control one or more transceivers 130 and / or one or more memories 140 to perform the operations according to S610 to S630.

[0290] An apparatus to which the embodiments of the present specification can be applied (an apparatus that implements the methods / operations according to the embodiments of the present specification) will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0291] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configurations of the first device and the second device according to the embodiment of the present specification.

[0292] The first device 100 may include a processor 110 , an antenna unit 120 , a transceiver 130 , and a memory 140 .

[0293] The processor 110 performs baseband-related signal processing and may include an upper layer processing unit 111 and a physical layer processing unit 115. The upper layer processing unit 111 may process operations of the MAC layer, the RRC layer, or higher layers. The physical layer processing unit 115 may process operations of the PHY layer. For example, when the first device 100 is a base station device in base station-terminal communication, the physical layer processing unit 115 may perform uplink reception signal processing, downlink transmission signal processing, etc. For example, when the first device 100 is a first terminal device in terminal-terminal communication, the physical layer processing unit 115 may perform downlink reception signal processing, uplink transmission signal processing, sidelink transmission signal processing, etc. In addition to performing baseband-related signal processing, the processor 110 may also control the overall operation of the first device 100.

[0294] The antenna unit 120 may include one or more physical antennas, and when multiple antennas are included, MIMO transmission and reception may be supported. The transceiver 130 may include an RF (Radio Frequency) transmitter and an RF receiver. The memory 140 may store information processed by the processor 110, as well as software, an operating system, applications, etc. related to the operation of the first device 100, and may also include components such as buffers.

[0295] The processor 110 of the first device 100 can be configured to implement the operation of a base station in base station-terminal communication (or the operation of a first terminal device in terminal-terminal communication) in the embodiments described in this disclosure.

[0296] The second device 200 may include a processor 210 , an antenna unit 220 , a transceiver 230 , and a memory 240 .

[0297] The processor 210 performs baseband-related signal processing and may include an upper layer processing unit 211 and a physical layer processing unit 215. The upper layer processing unit 211 may process operations of the MAC layer, the RRC layer, or higher layers. The physical layer processing unit 215 may process operations of the PHY layer. For example, when the second device 200 is a terminal device in base station-terminal communication, the physical layer processing unit 215 may perform downlink reception signal processing, uplink transmission signal processing, etc. For example, when the second device 200 is a second terminal device in terminal-terminal communication, the physical layer processing unit 215 may perform downlink reception signal processing, uplink transmission signal processing, sidelink reception signal processing, etc. In addition to performing baseband-related signal processing, the processor 210 may also control the overall operation of the second device 200.

[0298] The antenna unit 220 may include one or more physical antennas, and if multiple antennas are included, MIMO transmission and reception may be supported. The transceiver 230 may include an RF transmitter and an RF receiver. The memory 240 may store information processed by the processor 210, as well as software, an operating system, applications, etc. related to the operation of the second device 200, and may also include components such as buffers.

[0299] The processor 210 of the second device 200 may be configured to implement the operation of a terminal in base station-terminal communication (or the operation of a second terminal device in terminal-terminal communication) in the embodiments described in this disclosure.

[0300] In the operation of the first device 100 and the second device 200, the matters described in the examples of the present disclosure regarding the base station and terminal in base station-terminal communication (or the first terminal and second terminal in terminal-terminal communication) can be equally applied, and duplicate explanations will be omitted.

[0301] Here, the wireless communication technology implemented by the devices 100 and 200 of the present disclosure may include not only LTE, NR, and 6G, but also Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) for low-power communication. For example, the NB-IoT technology is an example of a Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) technology, and can be implemented by standards such as LTE Cat NB1 and / or LTE Cat NB2, and is not limited to the aforementioned names.

[0302] Additionally or alternatively, the wireless communication technology implemented in the devices 100 and 200 of the present disclosure may perform communication based on LTE-M technology. For example, LTE-M technology is an example of LPWAN technology and is referred to by various names such as enhanced machine type communication (eMTC). For example, LTE-M technology may be implemented by at least one of various standards such as 1) LTE CAT 0, 2) LTE Cat M1, 3) LTE Cat M2, 4) LTE non-BL (non-Bandwidth Limited), 5) LTE-MTC, 6) LTE Machine Type Communication, and / or 7) LTE M, and is not limited to the above names.

[0303] Additionally or alternatively, the wireless communication technology implemented in the devices 100 and 200 of the present disclosure may include at least one of ZigBee, Bluetooth, and a Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN), which consider low-power communication, but is not limited to the aforementioned names. For example, ZigBee technology can create personal area networks (PANs) related to small / low-power digital communication based on various standards such as IEEE 802.15.4, and may be called by various names.

[0304] [Claims at the time of international application] [Claim 1] 1. A method performed by a terminal (User Equipment: UE) in a wireless communication system, comprising: receiving configuration information; The setting information includes information about a plurality of reference signals (RS) for beam instruction, and a plurality of RS sets are configured based on the plurality of RSs; receiving beam instructions; and receiving a physical signal / channel based on said beam direction; The method, wherein the beam directing is performed based on one of the plurality of RS sets. [Claim 2] The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of RS sets includes a first RS set and a second RS set. [Claim 3] the beam instruction includes an indicator indicating one of the first RS set and the second RS set; determining a number of bits associated with the beam designation based on the designator; The number of bits associated with the beam direction is i) a first bit number based on the number of RSs belonging to the first RS set; or ii) a second number of bits based on the number of RSs belonging to the second RS set. [Claim 4] the first RS set is composed of the plurality of RSs; The method of claim 2 , wherein the second set of RSs is composed of a subset of the plurality of RSs. [Claim 5] The method of claim 4, wherein the RSs belonging to the second set of RSs include an RS for beam measurement among the plurality of RSs. [Claim 6] The method of claim 4, wherein the RSs belonging to the second set of RSs include RSs determined based on a criterion related to an RS index among a plurality of RSs. [Claim 7] the first RS set is composed of the plurality of RSs; The method of claim 2 , wherein the second set of RSs is composed of RSs mapped to the plurality of RSs. [Claim 8] the beam instruction includes an indicator having a number of bits based on the number of the plurality of RSs; determining, based on the beam designation associated with the first set of RSs, the RS represented by the designator as the RS associated with the physical signal / channel; The method of claim 7, characterized in that, based on the beam indication associated with the second set of RSs, the RS mapped to the RS represented by the indicator is determined as the RS associated with the physical signal / channel. [Claim 9] The method of claim 7, wherein each RS belonging to the second set of RSs is mapped to two or more RSs among the plurality of RSs. [Claim 10] The method of claim 7, wherein a QCL relationship (Quasi colocation relationip) is established between each RS belonging to the second RS set and two or more RSs among the plurality of RSs. [Claim 11] A terminal (User Equipment: UE) operating in a wireless communication system, one or more transceivers; one or more processors; one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors and configured to store instructions; A terminal characterized in that the instructions are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform all stages (steps) of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 based on the execution of the one or more processors. [Claim 12] 1. An apparatus comprising: One or more memories; one or more processors operatively connected to said one or more memories; An apparatus characterized in that the one or more memories store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform all steps of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 10. [Claim 13] one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions, One or more non-transitory computer-readable media, wherein the instructions executable by one or more processors configure the one or more processors to perform all steps of the method of any one of claims 1 to 10. [Claim 14] 1. A method performed by a base station (BS) in a wireless communication system, comprising: transmitting the configuration information; the configuration information includes information about a plurality of Reference Signals (RS) for beam direction, and a plurality of RS sets are configured based on the plurality of RSs; transmitting the beam indication; transmitting a physical signal / channel based on the beam designation; The method, wherein the beam directing is performed based on one of the plurality of RS sets. [Claim 15] A base station (BS) operating in a wireless communication system, one or more transceivers; one or more processors; one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors and configured to store instructions; 15. A base station configured to cause the one or more processors to perform all steps of the method according to claim 14 based on the instructions being executed by the one or more processors.

Claims

1. 1. A method performed by a terminal (User Equipment: UE) in a wireless communication system, comprising: receiving configuration information; The setting information includes information regarding a plurality of reference signals (RS) for beam instruction, and a plurality of RS sets are configured based on the plurality of RSs; receiving beam instructions; and receiving a physical signal / channel based on said beam designation; The method, wherein the beam directing is performed based on one of the plurality of RS sets.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of RS sets includes a first RS set and a second RS set.

3. the beam instruction includes an indicator indicating one of the first RS set and the second RS set; determining a number of bits associated with the beam designation based on the designator; The number of bits associated with the beam direction is i) a first number of bits based on the number of RSs belonging to the first RS set; or ii) a second number of bits based on the number of RSs belonging to the second RS set.

4. the first RS set is composed of the plurality of RSs; The method of claim 2 , wherein the second set of RSs is comprised of a subset of the plurality of RSs.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the RSs belonging to the second set of RSs include an RS for beam measurement among the plurality of RSs.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the RSs belonging to the second set of RSs include RSs determined based on a criterion related to an RS index among a plurality of RSs.

7. the first RS set is composed of the plurality of RSs; The method of claim 2 , wherein the second set of RSs is composed of RSs mapped to the plurality of RSs.

8. the beam instruction includes an indicator having a number of bits based on the number of the plurality of RSs; determining, based on the beam designation associated with the first set of RSs, the RS represented by the designator as the RS associated with the physical signal / channel; The method of claim 7, characterized in that, based on the beam indication associated with the second RS set, the RS mapped to the RS represented by the indicator is determined as the RS associated with the physical signal / channel.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein each RS belonging to the second set of RSs is mapped to two or more RSs among the plurality of RSs.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein a QCL relationship is established between each RS belonging to the second RS set and two or more RSs among the plurality of RSs.

11. A terminal (User Equipment: UE) operating in a wireless communication system, one or more transceivers; one or more processors; one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors and configured to store instructions; A terminal characterized in that the instructions are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform all stages (steps) of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 based on the execution of the instructions by the one or more processors.

12. 1. An apparatus comprising: one or more memories; one or more processors operatively connected to the one or more memories; The apparatus, characterized in that the one or more memories store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to perform all steps of the method of any one of claims 1 to 10.

13. one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions, One or more non-transitory computer-readable media, wherein the instructions executable by one or more processors configure the one or more processors to perform all the steps of the method of any one of claims 1 to 10.

14. 1. A method performed by a base station (BS) in a wireless communication system, comprising: transmitting the configuration information; The setting information includes information regarding a plurality of reference signals (RS) for beam instruction, and a plurality of RS sets are configured based on the plurality of RSs; transmitting the beam indication; transmitting a physical signal / channel based on said beam designation; The method, wherein the beam directing is performed based on one of the plurality of RS sets.

15. A base station (BS) operating in a wireless communication system, comprising: one or more transceivers; one or more processors; one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors and configured to store instructions; 15. A base station configured to cause said one or more processors to perform all steps of the method according to claim 14 upon said instructions being executed by said one or more processors.

Images