Network energy-saving muting operation with aperiodic channel state information and aperiodic channel state information reporting

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products are provided for muting operations for network energy conservation involving aperiodic channel state information and aperiodic channel state information reporting. For example, the method may include a user equipment receiving a channel state information reporting configuration from a network, where the channel state information reporting configuration indicates a plurality of configurations. The method may also include the user equipment receiving a triggering message from the network. The triggering message may indicate that the user equipment will measure and report for a first configuration of the plurality of configurations and a second configuration of the plurality of configurations. The method also includes measuring a first reference signal and a second reference signal and reporting the measurements.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Some example embodiments may relate generally to communications involving mobile or wireless telecommunications systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) or fifth generation (5G) radio access technologies or new radio (NR) access technologies, or other communications systems including subsequent generations of the same or similar standards. For example, certain example embodiments may relate generally to aperiodic channel state information and muting operations for network energy conservation involving aperiodic channel state information reporting. [Background technology]

[0002] Examples of mobile or wireless telecommunications systems can include the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Long Term Evolution (LTE) Evolved (Evolved) UTRAN (E-UTRAN), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), MultiFire, LTE-A Pro, and / or fifth-generation (5G) radio access technologies, or New Radio (NR) access technologies. A 5G wireless system refers to the next-generation (NG) radio system and network architecture. While 5G systems are often built based on 5G New Radio (NR), 5G (or NG) networks can also be built based on E-UTRA radio. Starting with Release 18 (Rel-18), 5G is referred to as 5G Advanced. NR is estimated to provide bit rates on the order of 10G-20Gbit / s or greater and be capable of supporting at least service categories such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), and massive machine-type communication (mMTC). NR is expected to provide large-scale networking with ultra-wideband, ultra-robust low-latency connectivity to support the Internet of Things (IoT). As IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications become more widespread, networks that meet the needs for lower power, lower data rates, and longer battery life will become increasingly necessary. The next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) represents the RAN for 5G that can provide both NR and LTE (and LTE-Advanced) radio access.It should be noted that in 5G, a node capable of providing radio access functionality to user equipment (i.e., similar to a Node B, NB, in UTRAN, or an evolved NB, eNB, in LTE) may be referred to as a next-generation NB (gNB) if built based on NR radio, or a next-generation eNB (NG-eNB) if built based on E-UTRA radio. 6G is currently under development and may replace 5G and 5G Advanced. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] One embodiment may be directed to an apparatus. The apparatus may include at least one processor and at least a memory having instructions stored thereon. When executed by the at least one processor, the instructions may cause the apparatus to at least receive a channel state information reporting configuration from a network, the channel state information reporting configuration indicating a plurality of configurations. A triggering message is received from the network, the triggering message indicating that the apparatus will measure and report on a first configuration of the plurality of configurations and a second configuration of the plurality of configurations. A first reference signal corresponding to a first configuration of the plurality of configurations is measured at a first predetermined slot. A second reference signal corresponding to a second configuration of the plurality of configurations is measured at a second predetermined slot. A first measurement of the first reference signal from the apparatus is reported, and a second measurement of the second reference signal from the apparatus is reported.

[0004] Another embodiment may be directed to an apparatus. The apparatus may include at least one processor and at least a memory having instructions stored thereon. When executed by the at least one processor, the instructions may cause the apparatus to at least provide a channel state information reporting configuration to a user equipment, the channel state information reporting configuration indicating a plurality of configurations. A triggering message is provided to the user equipment, the triggering message indicating that the user equipment will measure and report for a first configuration of the plurality of configurations and a second configuration of the plurality of configurations. A first reference signal corresponding to a first configuration of the plurality of configurations is provided in a first predetermined slot, and a second reference signal corresponding to a second configuration of the plurality of configurations is provided in a second predetermined slot. A first report of the first reference signal is provided from the user equipment, and a second report of the second reference signal is received from the user equipment.

[0005] Another embodiment may be directed to a method. The method may include receiving a channel state information reporting configuration from a network at a user equipment, the channel state information reporting configuration indicating a plurality of configurations. A triggering message is received from the network, the triggering message indicating that the device will measure and report on a first configuration of the plurality of configurations and a second configuration of the plurality of configurations. A first reference signal corresponding to the first configuration of the plurality of configurations is measured in a first predetermined slot, and a second reference signal corresponding to the second configuration of the plurality of configurations is measured in a second predetermined slot. The first measurement of the first reference signal from the user equipment is reported, and a second measurement of the second reference signal from the user equipment is measured.

[0006] Another embodiment may be directed to a method. The method may include providing, by a network node, a channel state information reporting configuration to a user equipment, the channel state information reporting configuration indicating a plurality of configurations. A triggering message is provided to the user equipment, the triggering message indicating that the user equipment will measure and report for a first configuration of the plurality of configurations and a second configuration of the plurality of configurations. A first reference signal corresponding to the first configuration of the plurality of configurations is provided in a first predetermined slot, and a second reference signal corresponding to the second configuration of the plurality of configurations is provided in a second predetermined slot. A first report of the first reference signal is received from the user equipment, and a second report of the second reference signal is received from the user equipment.

[0007] Another embodiment may be directed to an apparatus. The apparatus may include first receiving means for receiving a channel state information reporting configuration from a network, the channel state information reporting configuration indicating a plurality of configurations, and second receiving means for receiving a triggering message from the network, the triggering message indicating that the apparatus will measure and report on a first configuration of the plurality of configurations and a second configuration of the plurality of configurations. The first measuring means measures a first reference signal corresponding to a first configuration of the plurality of configurations at a first predetermined slot, and the second measuring means measures a second reference signal corresponding to a second configuration of the plurality of configurations at a second predetermined slot. The first reporting means reports the first measurement of the first reference signal from the apparatus, and the second reporting means reports the second measurement of the second reference signal from the apparatus.

[0008] Another embodiment may be directed to an apparatus. The apparatus may include first providing means for providing a channel state information reporting configuration to a user equipment, the channel state information reporting configuration indicating a plurality of configurations. Second providing means provides a triggering message to the user equipment, the triggering message indicating that the user equipment will measure and report for a first configuration of the plurality of configurations and a second configuration of the plurality of configurations. Third providing means provides a first reference signal corresponding to a first configuration of the plurality of configurations in a first predetermined slot. Fourth providing means provides a second reference signal corresponding to a second configuration of the plurality of configurations in a second predetermined slot. First receiving means receives a first report of the first reference signal from the user equipment, and second receiving means receives a second report of the second reference signal from the user equipment.

[0009] For an appreciation of the illustrative embodiments, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 10 illustrates timing of aperiodic channel state information reporting. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates timing of aperiodic channel state information reporting according to certain embodiments. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 illustrates another timing diagram for aperiodic channel state information reporting in accordance with certain embodiments. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates a muting pattern using 32 antenna ports according to a particular embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 illustrates an example block diagram of a system according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] It will be readily appreciated that the components of a particular example embodiment as generally described and illustrated in the Figures herein may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following detailed description of some example embodiments of systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for providing aperiodic channel state information and muting operations for network energy conservation involving aperiodic channel state information reporting is not intended to limit the scope of a particular embodiment, but rather represents selected example embodiments.

[0012] The features, structures, or characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more exemplary embodiments. For example, the use of the phrase "certain embodiments," "some embodiments," or other similar language throughout this specification indicates that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases "certain embodiments," "some embodiments," "other embodiments," or other similar language throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same group of embodiments, and the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more exemplary embodiments.

[0013] A particular embodiment may have various aspects and features. These aspects and features may be applied alone or in any desired combination with each other. Other features, procedures, and elements may also be applied in combination with some or all of the aspects and features disclosed herein.

[0014] Moreover, if desired, different functions or procedures described below may be performed in different orders and / or in parallel with one another. Moreover, if desired, one or more of the functions or procedures described may be optional or may be combined. The following description should therefore be considered as illustrative of the principles and teachings of certain exemplary embodiments, and not as a limitation thereof.

[0015] Network (NW) energy saving (ES) may depend on various NW ES techniques in the time, frequency, space / antenna, and power domains. In the space and power domains, there may be a need for enhancements to channel state information (CSI) and beam management (BM)-related procedures, including measurement and reporting and signaling to enable efficient configuration of spatial elements such as antenna ports and active transceiver chains. Similarly, there may be a need for enhancements to CSI-related procedures, including measurement and reporting and signaling to enable efficient configuration of power offset values ​​between the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and the CSI reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0016] Compared with fourth-generation (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE), fifth-generation (5G) New Radio (NR) offers spatial domain improvements in average user / cell throughput and quality of service. One approach is the use of antenna arrays with many antenna elements, called massive multiple-input / multiple-output (MIMO). The power consumption of a massive MIMO base station (BS) is determined by the hardware driving the many antenna ports and elements. Power consumption can scale with the applied hardware, such as the number of transceiver chains to which power amplifiers (PAs) are applied. Similarly, baseband processing power can scale with the number of active antennas. In practice, significant energy savings can be achieved for a massive MIMO BS by using only a subset of the available BS antennas and / or transceiver modules, such as by switching off certain transceiver chains.

[0017] For MIMO operation in 5G NR, antenna array muting and / or MIMO layer adaptation can operate on somewhat larger time scales due to large antenna activation delays in hardware. For Release 16 (Rel. 16) UE power savings, a maximum number of downlink (DL) MIMO layers can be configured per bandwidth part (BWP) via semi-static radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0018] For spatial / antenna area power saving schemes, the number of antenna elements per physical antenna array can be reduced while leaving the number of antenna ports or logical antenna arrays unchanged. In the case of an antenna element reduction from 4X-pol per array to 1X-pol per array while leaving 64 antenna ports unchanged, there may be a power saving gain in terms of appreciable spectral efficiency and average UE throughput impact. In practice, adapting antenna elements per physical antenna array can be achieved via implementation with operation that may be transparent to the user equipment (UE).

[0019] In another approach to spatial / antenna area power conservation, the number of logical antenna ports for power savings may be reduced, and the network can switch off a certain number of transceiver chains with particularly low loads. Typically, each cross-polarized antenna can be connected to two transceiver chains, and each transceiver chain can be connected to one of the polarizations. This approach can achieve even better power saving gains compared to reducing the number of elements per physical antenna array. Semi-statically switching off some of the logical antenna ports, for example, from 64 antenna ports to 16 antenna ports, while keeping the number of elements per antenna array unchanged, can lead to performance and system impacts with reduced antenna gain, horizontally or vertically, depending on the scheme applied. The performance impact may be higher for frequency range 2 (FR2) than for frequency range 1 (FR1) from the perspective of cell coverage considerations. A network next-generation Node B (gNB) can adapt the number of transceiver chains serving a UE, for example, in terms of the UE location, such as cell edge or cell center, or in terms of the guaranteed data rate. From a specification perspective, dynamic antenna port muting on the network side may result in transceiver (TRX) configuration fluctuations, potentially impacting UE beam selection.

[0020] It may be possible to semi-statically configure a UE with multiple CSI-ReportConfig configurations, where different numbers of port parameters nrofPorts configured in different CSI-ReportConfigs may correspond to different transceiver muting patterns. The UE can report CSI feedback for different transceiver muting patterns with different CSI-ReportConfig configurations. There may be many transceiver muting layouts that may ultimately utilize multiple CSI-ReportConfig configurations. There may be limitations on the UE's ability to support the number of CSI reports, such as the ability to support a CSI-ReportConfig containing four P / SP / A-CSI ReportConfigs per BWP and eight simultaneous reports per CC, or the number of CSI-resourceConfigs containing a total of 256 ports per band. Consuming a large number of CSI reports for transceiver muting operations may impact the operation of other features that require CSI reports.

[0021] Transceiver muting operation can be beneficial for NW ESs where performance impact is not significant when traffic and resource utilization can be low due to transmission capacity redundancy. By utilizing a mechanism with semi-static spatial configuration, fairly slow changes in transceiver muting layout may not accurately track traffic and / or resource utilization fluctuations, leading to impacts on coverage and user perceived throughput (UPT) performance. More dynamic antenna port muting with transceiver muting adaptation can accurately fit services and result in better ES performance.

[0022] Dynamic antenna port muting / adaptation can be achieved by dynamically enabling / disabling at least one port subset for one or more CSI-RS resources. When dynamically disabling / enabling a port subset, the impact of such configuration on some CSI-RS configuration parameters can be achieved via legacy codebook-subset restriction (CBSR), which can be configured, for example, in the CSI-ReportConfig. Alternatively, some existing behavior can be leveraged to convey the indication of disabling / enabling an antenna port. For example, ZP-CSI-RS-related behavior can be considered, since the network may need to trigger ZP-CSI-RS for the UE in the case of dynamic port disabling / enabling.

[0023] A further aspect to consider is the impact of dynamic port configuration on UE measurements and reporting. When a port subset is dynamically disabled using an indication sent to the UE, the impact of this disabling and the corresponding indicated / determined CBSR may need to be considered. For example, the UE may not carry measurements and / or reporting corresponding to this port subset. On the other hand, when the port subset is re-enabled, the UE may need to reintegrate or reconsider these ports in measurements and / or reporting.

[0024] CSI-RS can be used for various purposes in NR. CSI-RS may be used in DL CSI acquisition and can be used to guide measurements for mobility and beam management, as well as for interference measurement. In NR, a UE can be configured with one or several CSI-RS resource sets, where each CSI-RS resource set can include one or several configured CSI-RS resources or synchronization signal block (SSB) block resources. CSI-RS resource sets can be operated as periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic. Up to 32 logical antenna ports can be configured on the CSI-RS resources, with configurable density. In the time domain, CSI-RS resources can start at any orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) symbol of a slot and span one, two, or four OFDM symbols depending on the number of configured ports.

[0025] A UE may be configured with one or more non-zero power (NZP) CSI-RS resource set configurations as indicated by higher layer parameters CSI-ResourceConfig and NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet, where each NZP CSI-RS resource set may contain K >= 1 NZP CSI-RS resources.

[0026] Various parameters by which the UE may assume non-zero transmit power for CSI-RS resources may be configured via higher layer parameters NZP-CSI-RS-Resouce, CSI-ResourceConfig, and NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet for each CSI-RS resource configuration; nzp-CSI-RS-ResourceId may determine the CSI-RS resource configuration identity; resourceMapping may define the number of ports, code division multiplexing (CDM) type, and OFDM symbol and subcarrier occupancy of the CSI-RS resources within a slot; nrofPorts in resourceMapping defines the number of CSI-RS ports; powerControlOffset may provide the expected ratio between the energy per resource element (EPRE) of the PDSCH and the NZP CSI-RS EPRE when the UE guides CSI feedback; powerControlOffsetSS may provide the expected ratio between the energy per resource element (EPRE) of the PDSCH and the NZP CSI-RS EPRE when the UE guides CSI feedback; The BWP-Id in the CSI-ResourceConfig may define the bandwidth portion in which the configured CSI-RS is located. All CSI-RS resources in one set may be configured with the same density and the same nrofPorts, except for the NZP CSI-RS resources used for interference measurement.

[0027] In NR, as noted above, the configuration for CSI-RS transmission can include a list of CSI-RS resource sets, as described for CSI-ResourceConfig in 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification (TS) 38.331, where each set can include certain CSI-RS resources. For semi-persistent and aperiodic CSI-RS, the actual triggering of CSI-RS transmission is per CSI-RS resource set via a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) or downlink control information (DCI). The resource set can be used as part of the UE report configuration, describing what will be measured and, correspondingly, which measurement reporting will be performed by the UE.

[0028] Specifically, if a CSI-RS resource set is configured as "aperiodic" by RRC, the CSI-RS resource set configuration includes a slot offset aperiodicTriggeringOffset, which may also be referred to as offset X, that may define the time interval between the triggering DCI and the CSI-RS transmission. When the aperiodic CSI-RS is triggered, the gNB may send the CSI-RS according to the slot offset defined by RRC. The UE may receive the CSI-RS accordingly within the indicated slot.

[0029] Similarly, UE measurement reporting of CSI can be operated periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic, which are the so-called report types in the NR CSI-ReportConfig configuration. UE periodic reporting can operate based on the configured periodic CSI-RS resource set. UE semi-persistent reporting can operate based on both configured periodic and semi-persistent CSI-RS resource sets. UE aperiodic reporting can operate based on all periodic, semi-persistent, and aperiodic CSI-RS resource sets. Thus, periodic CSI-RS resources may be used to generate any report type, semi-persistent and periodic CSI-RS resources may be used to generate semi-persistent CSI reports, and aperiodic CSI-RS may be utilized to generate aperiodic reports.

[0030] If "aperiodic" CSI reporting is configured, the CSI-ReportConfig may include a list of slot offsets, reportSlotOffsetList, also referred to as offset Y, which may define the time gap between the aperiodic CSI reporting triggering DCI, such as 0_1 / 0_2, and the aperiodic CSI reporting in terms of the number of slots. A time domain resource allocation (TDRA) information element (IE) in the aperiodic CSI reporting triggering DCI (0_1 / 0_2) may indicate an index in reportSlotOffsetList for the exact timing between the aperiodic CSI reporting triggering DCI and the aperiodic CSI reporting. The timing may be with respect to the aperiodic CSI-RS transmission and the aperiodic reporting.

[0031] FIG. 1 illustrates the timing of aperiodic channel state information reporting. As shown in FIG. 1, there may be communication between a user equipment and a network element, such as a gNB. The NW may send a higher layer configuration to the UE at 110, e.g., using RRC. The NW may send a lower layer trigger at 120, e.g., using MAC CE or DCI. After X slots corresponding to offset X, the NW may send a CSI-related reference signal at 130. After Y slots corresponding to offset Y from the lower layer trigger at 120, the UE may send a CSI report to the network at 140.

[0032] To assist the NW in making a decision on which transceiver muting pattern to apply when considering dynamic adaptation of NW transceiver muting pattern operation, the NW may request the UE to provide a CSI report corresponding to each of the transceiver muting patterns. Specifically, in the case of aperiodic CSI reporting operation, certain embodiments may relate to timing issues for aperiodic CSI transmission and reporting for different logical antenna port configurations to be measured by the UE.

[0033] 2 illustrates timing of aperiodic channel state information reporting according to a particular embodiment. As shown at 210, a CSI report configuration may be provided by the NW to the UE. Thus, several different port configurations, which may be referred to as multiple configurations, may be provided. To avoid consuming too many limited CSI report configurations, a single CSI report configuration may include a list of nrofPorts configurations corresponding to different transceiver muting patterns. More specifically, a single CSI-ReportConfig configuration may include a list of nrofPorts, such as 4, 8, 16, and 32 ports, which may correspond to different transceiver muting patterns.

[0034] At 220, the NW can trigger the UE to measure or otherwise tell the UE what number of ports, nrofPorts, it should measure. For example, a bitmap can be provided to indicate that 8 / 16 ports will be measured by the UE. In practice, the NW can only ask the UE to report a portion of the transceiver muting pattern configurations related to the logical antenna port configuration. For example, an IE in the MAC or DCI can indicate to the UE which nrofPorts will be measured and reported from the list of configurations provided at 210. Thus, for example, at 220, the MAC / DCI can indicate to the UE to perform measurements on 8 and 16 ports.

[0035] At 230, X slots after 220, the NW can send CSI-related reference signals, for example, at 8 ports. The UE can measure these CSI-related reference signals. At 240, X slots after 220 plus Offset1, the NW can send CSI-related reference signals, for example, at 16 ports. The UE can measure these CSI-related reference signals. Offset1 is shown as being greater than zero. When Offset1 is zero, 8- and 16-port RSs can be transmitted in the same slot in different symbols.

[0036] To define the timing relationship between the triggering DCI and multiple CSI transmissions via different logical antenna ports, Offset1 relative to the offset X may be configured for each subsequent CSI transmission. By default, or if not configured, or if Offset1 is equal to 0, the subsequent CSI transmission may be in the same slot as the previous CSI transmission configured on a different logical antenna port. As another option, there may be explicit timing in terms of the number of slots from the triggering DCI, and this explicit timing may be configured for each subsequent CSI transmission. Alternatively, the timing of the 16-port CSI-related reference signal may be indicated to be X1 slot from the MAC or DCI at 220. In this way, the timing may be indicated directly rather than by reference.

[0037] The NW can perform CSI-RS transmission on 8 ports at 230, X slots away from the time of sending the triggering DCI at 220, and CSI-RS transmission on 16 ports at 240, X+Offset1 slots away from the time of sending the triggering DCI at 220. The 8-port and 16-port examples are just two examples for illustration. The NW can perform CSI transmission on different logical antenna ports based on the above timing configuration.

[0038] At 250, Y slots after the triggering DCI or MAC at 220, the UE may provide a CSI report for 8-port transmission to the network. Similarly, at 260, Y plus Offset2 slots after the triggering DCI or MAC at 220, the UE may provide a CSI report for 16-port transmission to the network. If Offset2 is 0, measurements of both the CSI-related signal provided at 230 and the CSI-related signal provided at 240 may be reported together in the same CSI feedback report.

[0039] Therefore, the UE can perform measurements for 8 ports and 16 ports, respectively, and perform CSI reporting to the NW based on the configured timing. For example, at 250, the UE can report a CSI report for 8 ports that is Y slots away from the time of sending the triggering DCI, and at 260, the UE can report a CSI-RS report for 16 ports that is Y+Offset2 slots away from the time of sending the triggering DCI.

[0040] To define the timing relationship between the triggering DCI and multiple CSI reporting corresponding to UE measurements of different logical antenna ports, an offset from offset Y may be configured for each subsequent CSI reporting corresponding to each configured logical antenna port. By default, or if not configured, or if Offset2 is equal to 0, multiple subsequent CSI reporting may be carried in the same CSI feedback report. As another alternative, there may be explicit timing in terms of the number of slots from the triggering DCI, and this explicit timing may be configured for each subsequent CSI reporting corresponding to each configured logical antenna port. Alternatively, the timing of the reporting of the 16-port CSI-related reference signal may be indicated to be Y1 slots from the MAC or DCI at 220. In this way, the timing may be indicated directly rather than by reference.

[0041] FIG. 3 illustrates another timing of aperiodic channel state information reporting according to a particular embodiment. To assist the NW in making a decision about which transceiver muting pattern to apply, a CSI report configuration may be provided by the NW to the UE, as shown at 210. Thus, several different port configurations, which may be referred to as multiple configurations, may be provided. To avoid consuming too many limited CSI report configurations, a single CSI report configuration may include a list of nrofPorts configurations corresponding to different transceiver muting patterns. More specifically, a single CSI-ReportConfig configuration may include a list of nrofPorts, such as 4, 8, 16(L), 16(R), 24, and 32 ports, that may correspond to different transceiver muting patterns. For example, 16(L) may correspond to the 16 ports on the left of the active panel, and 16(R) may correspond to the 16 ports on the right of the active panel.

[0042] At 220, the NW can trigger the UE to measure or otherwise tell the UE how many ports, nrofPorts, it should measure. For example, a bitmap can be provided to indicate that 8 / 16(L) / 24 ports are to be measured by the UE. In practice, the NW can only ask the UE to report a portion of the transceiver muting pattern configurations related to the logical antenna port configuration. For example, an IE in the MAC or DCI can indicate to the UE which nrofPorts are to be measured and reported from the list of configurations provided at 210. Thus, for example, at 220, the MAC / DCI can indicate to the UE to perform measurements on 8, 16(L), and 24 ports.

[0043] At 230, X slots after 220, the NW can send CSI-related reference signals, for example, on 8 ports. The UE can measure these CSI-related reference signals. At 340, X slots after 220 plus periodAndoffset1, the NW can send CSI-related reference signals, for example, on 16(L) ports. The UE can measure these CSI-related reference signals. periodAndoffset1 is shown as being greater than zero. When periodAndoffset1 is zero, 8- and 16-port RSs can be transmitted in the same slot in different symbols. The parameter periodAndoffset1 can be both offset amounts and can also indicate the period, period1. After another period1 slot, at 310, the network can transmit CSI-related signals, for example, on 24 ports.

[0044] To define the timing relationship between the triggering DCI and multiple CSI transmissions via different logical antenna ports, period1 with an offset X may be configured for each subsequent CSI transmission. By default, or if not configured, or if Offset1 is equal to 0, the subsequent CSI transmission may be in the same slot as the previous CSI transmission configured on a different logical antenna port. As another option, there may be explicit timing in terms of the number of slots from the triggering DCI, and this explicit timing may be configured for each subsequent CSI transmission. Alternatively, the timing of the 16-port CSI-related reference signal may be indicated to be X1 slots from the MAC or DCI at 220. In this way, the timing may be indicated directly rather than by reference.

[0045] The NW can perform CSI-RS transmission on 8 ports at 230, X slots away from the time of sending the triggering DCI at 220, and CSI-RS transmission on 16(L) ports at 340, X+Offset1 slots away from the time of sending the triggering DCI at 220, and CSI-RS transmission on 24 ports, (X+Offset1+P) slots away from the time of sending the triggering DCI. The 8-port and 16-port examples are just two examples for illustration. The NW can perform CSI transmission on different logical antenna ports based on the above timing configuration.

[0046] At 250, Y slots after the triggering DCI or MAC at 220, the UE may provide a CSI report for 8 port transmissions to the network. Similarly, at 360, Y plus periodAndoffset2 slots after the triggering DCI or MAC at 220, the UE may provide a CSI report for 16 port transmissions to the network. If periodAndoffset2 is 0, measurements of both the CSI-related signal provided at 230 and the CSI-related signal provided at 340 may be reported together in the same CSI feedback report.

[0047] Therefore, the UE can perform measurements for 8, 16(L), and 24 ports, respectively, and perform CSI reporting to the NW based on the configured timing. For example, at 250, the UE can report a CSI report for 8 ports that is Y slots away from the time of sending the triggering DCI, at 360, the UE can report a CSI-RS report for 16(L) ports that is Y+Offset2 slots away from the time of sending the triggering DCI, while at 320, the UE can report a CSI-RS report for 24 ports that is (Y+Offset2+P) slots away from the time of sending the triggering DCI.

[0048] Figure 4 shows a muting pattern using 32 antenna ports according to a specific embodiment. Taking 32 antenna ports with (N1, N2) = (8, 2) as an example, the muting layout shown in Figure 4 can be considered by the network, where black crosses are not muted and gray crosses are muted. This is the case for a single panel as an example. The numbering of various patterns can correspond to 3GPP TS38.214 v15.3-Table 5.2.2.2.2-1. The number of supported CSI-RS antenna ports can be, for example, 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, and 32.

[0049] 5 illustrates an example system including apparatus 10 according to one embodiment. In one embodiment, apparatus 10 may be a node, host, or server in a communications network or serving such a network. For example, apparatus 10 may be a network node, satellite, base station, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), 5G Node B or access point, next generation Node B (NG-NB or gNB), TRP, HAPS, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, and / or WLAN access point associated with a radio access network such as an LTE network, 5G, or NR. In some example embodiments, apparatus 10 may be, for example, a gNB or other similar wireless node.

[0050] In some exemplary embodiments, apparatus 10 may include an edge cloud server as a distributed computing system, in which case it should be understood that the server and wireless node may be standalone devices that communicate with each other via wireless paths or via wired connections, or may be located within the same entity that communicates via wired connections. For example, in one particular exemplary embodiment in which apparatus 10 represents a gNB, apparatus 10 may be configured with a central unit (CU) architecture and a distributed unit (DU) architecture that divides gNB functions. In such an architecture, the CU may be a logical node that includes gNB functions such as user data transmission, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, and / or session management. The CU may control the operation of the DU over a midhaul interface called the F1 interface, and the DU may have one or more radio units (RUs) connected to the DU over a fronthaul interface. The DU may be a logical node that includes a subset of gNB functions, depending on the functional division option. Note that those skilled in the art will recognize that apparatus 10 may include components or features not shown in FIG. 5 .

[0051] As shown in the example of FIG. 5, device 10 may include processor 12 for processing information and executing instructions or operations. Processor 12 may be any type of general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Indeed, processor 12 may include, by way of example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture, or any other processing means. While a single processor 12 is shown in FIG. 5, multiple processors may be utilized according to other embodiments. For example, it should be understood that in certain embodiments, device 10 may include two or more processors capable of forming a multiprocessor system capable of supporting multiprocessing (e.g., in this case, processor 12 may represent the multiprocessor). In certain embodiments, the multiprocessor system may be tightly coupled or loosely coupled (e.g., to form a computer cluster).

[0052] The processor 12 may perform functions associated with the operation of the device 10, which may include, for example, precoding of antenna gain / phase parameters, encoding and decoding of individual bits forming communication messages, formatting of information, and overall control of the device 10, including processes related to aperiodic channel state information and muting operations for network energy conservation involving aperiodic channel state information reporting.

[0053] Apparatus 10 may further include or be coupled to memory 14 (internal or external) that may be coupled to processor 12 for storing information and instructions that may be executed by processor 12. Memory 14 may be one or more memories and may be of any type suitable for the local application environment and may be implemented using any suitable volatile or non-volatile data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and / or removable memory. For example, memory 14 may include any combination of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), static storage such as a magnetic or optical disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), or any other type of non-transitory machine- or computer-readable medium, or other suitable storage means. The instructions stored in memory 14 may include program instructions or computer program code that, when executed by processor 12, enable apparatus 10 to perform tasks as described herein.

[0054] In one embodiment, device 10 may further include or be coupled to a drive or port (internal or external) configured to accept and read an external computer-readable storage medium, such as an optical disk, a USB drive, a flash drive, or any other storage medium. For example, the external computer-readable storage medium may store a computer program or software for execution by processor 12 and / or device 10.

[0055] In some embodiments, device 10 may also include or be coupled to one or more antennas 15 for transmitting signals and / or data to and receiving signals and / or data from device 10. Device 10 may further include or be coupled to a transceiver 18 configured to transmit and receive information. Transceiver 18 may include multiple wireless interfaces that may be coupled to antennas 15, for example, or may include any other suitable transmission and reception means. The wireless interfaces may support multiple wireless access technologies, including one or more of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), LTE, 5G, WLAN, Bluetooth (BT), Bluetooth Low Energy (BT-LE), Near Field Communications (NFC), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Ultra-Wideband (UWB), MulteFire, etc. The air interface may include components such as filters, converters (e.g., digital-to-analog converters), mappers, fast Fourier transform (FFT) modules, etc., to generate symbols for transmission over one or more downlinks and to receive symbols (e.g., over an uplink).

[0056] Thus, transceiver 18 may be configured to modulate information onto a carrier waveform for transmission by antenna 15, and to demodulate information received via antenna 15 for further processing by other elements of device 10. In other embodiments, transceiver 18 may be capable of directly transmitting and receiving signals or data. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, device 10 may include input and / or output devices (I / O devices) or input / output means.

[0057] In one embodiment, memory 14 may store software modules that provide functionality when executed by processor 12. The modules may include, for example, an operating system that provides operating system functionality for device 10. The memory may also store one or more functional modules, such as applications or programs, to provide additional functionality for device 10. Components of device 10 may be implemented in hardware or as any suitable combination of hardware and software.

[0058] According to some embodiments, the processor 12 and memory 14 may be included in or form part of a processing or control circuit / means. Further, in some embodiments, the transceiver 18 may be included in or form part of a transceiver circuit / means.

[0059] As used herein, the term “circuitry” may refer to a hardware-only circuit implementation (e.g., analog and / or digital circuitry), a combination of hardware circuitry and software, a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware, any portion of a hardware processor (including a digital signal processor) with software that work together to cause a device (e.g., device 10) to perform various functions, and / or a hardware circuit and / or processor, or portion thereof, that uses software for operation but may not be present when the software is not necessary for operation. As a further example, as used herein, the term “circuitry” may cover an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors), or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor, and its accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry may also cover baseband integrated circuits, for example, in a server, a cellular network node or device, or other computing or network device.

[0060] As introduced above, in certain embodiments, apparatus 10 may be, or may be part of, a network element or RAN node, such as a base station, access point, Node B, eNB, gNB, TRP, HAPS, IAB node, relay node, WLAN access point, satellite, etc. In one exemplary embodiment, apparatus 10 may be a gNB or other radio node, or may be a CU and / or DU of a gNB. According to certain embodiments, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to perform functions associated with any of the embodiments described herein. For example, in some embodiments, apparatus 10 may be configured to perform one or more of the processes illustrated in any of the flowcharts or signaling diagrams described herein, such as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, or any other method described herein. In some embodiments, as discussed herein, apparatus 10 may be configured to perform procedures related to providing aperiodic channel state information and muting operations for network energy conservation involving aperiodic channel state information reporting, for example.

[0061] 5 further illustrates an example of apparatus 20 according to one embodiment. In one embodiment, apparatus 20 may be a node or element in a communications network or associated with such a network, such as a UE, communications node, mobile equipment (ME), mobile station, mobile device, fixed device, IoT device, or other device. As described herein, a UE may alternatively be referred to as, for example, a mobile station, mobile equipment, mobile unit, mobile device, user device, subscriber station, wireless terminal, tablet, smartphone, IoT device, sensor or NB-IoT device, watch or other wearable, head-mounted display (HMD), vehicle, drone, medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial device and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronic device, device operating in a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. By way of example, apparatus 20 may be implemented as, for example, a wireless handheld device, a wireless plug-in accessory, etc.

[0062] In some example embodiments, device 20 may include one or more processors, one or more computer-readable storage media (e.g., memory, storage, etc.), one or more wireless access components (e.g., modems, transceivers, etc.), and / or a user interface. In some embodiments, device 20 may be configured to operate using one or more wireless access technologies, such as GSM, LTE, LTE-A, NR, 5G, WLAN, WiFi, NB-IoT, Bluetooth, NFC, MulteFire, and / or any other wireless access technology. Note that those skilled in the art will understand that device 20 may include components or features not shown in FIG. 5 .

[0063] As shown in the example of FIG. 5, device 20 may include or be coupled to processor 22 for processing information and executing instructions or operations. Processor 22 may be any type of general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Indeed, processor 22 may include, by way of example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. While a single processor 22 is shown in FIG. 5, multiple processors may be utilized according to other embodiments. For example, it should be understood that in certain embodiments, device 20 may include two or more processors capable of forming a multiprocessor system capable of supporting multiprocessing (e.g., in this case, processor 22 may represent the multiprocessor). In certain embodiments, the multiprocessor system may be tightly coupled or loosely coupled (e.g., to form a computer cluster).

[0064] The processor 22 may perform functions associated with the operation of the device 20, including, as some examples, precoding of antenna gain / phase parameters, encoding and decoding of individual bits forming communication messages, formatting of information, and overall control of the device 20, including processes related to management of communication resources.

[0065] Apparatus 20 may further include or be coupled to memory 24 (internal or external) that may be coupled to processor 22 for storing information and instructions that may be executed by processor 22. Memory 24 may be one or more memories and may be of any type suitable for the local application environment and may be implemented using any suitable volatile or non-volatile data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and / or removable memory. For example, memory 24 may include any combination of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), static storage such as a magnetic or optical disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), or any other type of non-transitory machine- or computer-readable medium. The instructions stored in memory 24 may include program instructions or computer program code that, when executed by processor 22, enable apparatus 20 to perform tasks as described herein.

[0066] In one embodiment, device 20 may further include or be coupled to a drive or port (internal or external) configured to accept and read an external computer-readable storage medium, such as an optical disk, a USB drive, a flash drive, or any other storage medium. For example, the external computer-readable storage medium may store a computer program or software for execution by processor 22 and / or device 20.

[0067] In some embodiments, device 20 may also include or be coupled to one or more antennas 25 for receiving downlink signals and for transmitting from device 20 via an uplink. Device 20 may further include a transceiver 28 configured to transmit and receive information. Transceiver 28 may also include a wireless interface (e.g., a modem) coupled to antenna 25. The wireless interface may support multiple wireless access technologies, including one or more of GSM, LTE, LTE-A, 5G, NR, WLAN, NB-IoT, Bluetooth, BT-LE, NFC, RFID, UWB, etc. The wireless interface may include other components, such as filters, converters (e.g., digital-to-analog converters), symbol demappers, signal shaping components, Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) modules, etc., to process symbols, such as OFDM symbols, carried by the downlink or uplink.

[0068] For example, transceiver 28 may be configured to modulate information onto a carrier waveform for transmission by antenna 25 and to demodulate information received via antenna 25 for further processing by other elements of device 20. In other embodiments, transceiver 28 may be capable of directly transmitting and receiving signals or data. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, device 20 may include input and / or output devices (I / O devices). In particular embodiments, device 20 may further include a user interface, such as a graphical user interface or a touch screen.

[0069] In one embodiment, memory 24 stores software modules that provide functionality when executed by processor 22. The modules may include, for example, an operating system that provides operating system functionality for device 20. The memory may also store one or more functional modules, such as applications or programs, to provide additional functionality to device 20. Components of device 20 may be implemented in hardware or as any suitable combination of hardware and software. According to an exemplary embodiment, device 20 may optionally be configured to communicate with device 10 via a wireless or wired communication link 70 using any radio access technology, such as NR.

[0070] According to some embodiments, the processor 22 and memory 24 may be included in or form part of processing or control circuitry. Additionally, in some embodiments, the transceiver 28 may be included in or form part of transmitting and receiving circuitry.

[0071] As discussed above, according to some embodiments, apparatus 20 may be, for example, a UE, a SL UE, a relay UE, a mobile device, a mobile station, a ME, an IoT device, and / or a NB-IoT device, etc. According to certain embodiments, apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to perform functions associated with any of the embodiments described herein, such as one or more of the operations shown in or described with respect to Figures 1 and 2, or any other method described herein. For example, in one embodiment, apparatus 20 may be controlled to perform processes related to providing aperiodic channel state information and muting operations for network energy conservation involving aperiodic channel state information reporting, as detailed elsewhere herein.

[0072] In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., apparatus 10 and / or apparatus 20) may include means for performing any of the methods, processes, or variations discussed herein. Examples of means may include one or more processors, memories, controllers, transmitters, receivers, and / or computer program code for causing implementation of any of the operations discussed herein.

[0073] In view of the foregoing, certain example embodiments provide several technical improvements, enhancements, and / or advantages over existing technical processes and constitute improvements to at least the field of radio network control and / or management. Particular embodiments may have various benefits and / or advantages. For example, certain embodiments enable efficient operation of network-saving muting operations even when using aperiodic CSI and aperiodic CSI reporting. Similarly, certain embodiments may enhance the efficiency of operation in the case of semi-persistent CSI and semi-persistent CSI reporting, or periodic CSI and semi-persistent CSI reporting, or periodic CSI and any report type.

[0074] In some example embodiments, the functions of any of the methods, processes, signaling diagrams, algorithms or flowcharts described herein may be implemented by software and / or computer program code or portions of code stored in a memory or other computer-readable or tangible medium and executed by a processor.

[0075] In some exemplary embodiments, an apparatus may include or be associated with at least one software application, module, unit, or entity configured as an arithmetic operation or as a program or part of a program (including additional or updated software routines) that can be executed by at least one operating processor or controller. Programs, also referred to as program products or computer programs, including software routines, applets, and macros, may be stored on any device-readable data storage medium and may include program instructions for performing certain tasks. A computer program product may include one or more computer-executable components configured to perform some exemplary embodiments when the program is executed. One or more computer-executable components may be at least one software code or part of code. Modifications and configurations required to implement the functionality of the exemplary embodiments may be made as routines that may be implemented as additional or updated software routines. In one example, the software routines may be downloaded to the apparatus.

[0076] For example, the software or computer program code or portions of code may be in source code form, object code form, or some intermediate form, and may be stored on some kind of carrier, distribution medium, or computer-readable medium, which may be any entity or device capable of carrying a program. Such a carrier may include, for example, a recording medium, a computer memory, a read-only memory, an optical-electronic and / or electric carrier wave signal, a telecommunications signal, and / or a software distribution package. Depending on the processing power required, the computer program may be executed in a single electronic digital computer or distributed among several computers. The computer-readable medium or computer-readable storage medium may be a non-transitory medium. The term "non-transitory" as used herein is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), as opposed to a limitation on data storage permanence (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0077] In other exemplary embodiments, the functionality of the exemplary embodiments may be performed by hardware or circuitry included in the apparatus, for example, through the use of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable gate array (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or any other combination of hardware and software. In yet another exemplary embodiment, the functionality of the exemplary embodiments may be implemented as signals, such as non-tangible means that may be carried by electromagnetic signals downloaded from the Internet or other networks.

[0078] According to example embodiments, an apparatus such as a node, device, or corresponding component may be configured as a circuit, computer, or microprocessor, such as a single-chip computer element, or as a chipset, which may include at least a memory for providing storage capacity used for arithmetic operations and / or an arithmetic processor for performing arithmetic operations.

[0079] The example embodiments described herein may apply to both singular and plural implementations, regardless of whether singular or plural terms are used in describing a particular embodiment. For example, an embodiment describing the operation of a single network node may also apply to an example embodiment including multiple instances of the network node, and vice versa.

[0080] In some embodiments, means may be provided in user equipment, wherein the channel state information reporting configuration includes a number of different port configurations corresponding to a number of different transceiver muting patterns.

[0081] In some embodiments, the means may be provided in a user equipment, and the triggering message is provided as an information element in downlink control information or a control element of a medium access control message.

[0082] In some embodiments, means may be provided in a user equipment, wherein the triggering message comprises an indication of the particular antenna port to be measured.

[0083] In some embodiments, means may be provided in a user equipment, wherein the triggering message indicates a first offset between the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

[0084] In some embodiments, means may be provided in a user equipment, wherein when the first offset is zero, the first reference signal and the second reference signal are measured in the same slot.

[0085] In some embodiments, means may be provided in a user equipment, wherein the triggering message indicates transmission timing of a subsequent reference signal on a different antenna port relative to transmission timing of a first reference signal.

[0086] In some embodiments, means may be provided in a user equipment, where subsequent reference signals following a first reference signal are provided by periodic transmission on different antenna ports from a time relative to the timing of the first reference signal.

[0087] In some embodiments, means may be provided in a user equipment, wherein the triggering message indicates transmission timing of subsequent measurement reports on different antenna ports relative to transmission timing of the first measurement report.

[0088] In some embodiments, means may be provided in the user equipment, whereby subsequent measurement reporting is provided by periodic transmission on different antenna ports from a time relative to the timing of the first measurement reporting.

[0089] In some embodiments, means may be provided in a user equipment, wherein the triggering message separately indicates a first timing of the first reference signal and a second timing of the second reference signal.

[0090] In some embodiments, means may be provided in the user equipment whereby the timing of subsequent reference signal transmissions on different antenna ports is explicitly signaled as a time from receipt of the triggering message.

[0091] In some embodiments, means may be provided in the user equipment, wherein the triggering message indicates a second offset between reporting the first measurement and reporting the second measurement.

[0092] In some embodiments, means may be provided in the user equipment, wherein when the second offset is zero, reporting the first measurement and reporting the second measurement are performed in the same slot.

[0093] In some embodiments, means may be provided in a user equipment, wherein the triggering message separately indicates a third timing for reporting the first measurement and a fourth timing for reporting the second measurement.

[0094] In some embodiments, means may be provided in a network node, wherein the channel state information reporting configuration includes a number of different port configurations corresponding to a number of different transceiver muting patterns.

[0095] In some embodiments, the means may be provided in a network node, and the triggering message is provided as an information element in downlink control information or a control element of a medium access control message.

[0096] In some embodiments, means may be provided in a network node, wherein the triggering message indicates a first offset between the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

[0097] In some embodiments, means may be provided in a network node, wherein when the first offset is zero, the first reference signal and the second reference signal are provided in the same slot.

[0098] In some embodiments, means may be provided in a network node, wherein the triggering message indicates transmission timing of a subsequent reference signal on a different antenna port relative to the transmission timing of a first reference signal.

[0099] In some embodiments, means may be provided in a network node, wherein subsequent reference signals following a first reference signal are provided by periodic transmission on different antenna ports from a time relative to the timing of the first reference signal.

[0100] In some embodiments, means may be provided in a network node, wherein the triggering message separately indicates a first timing of the first reference signal and a second timing of the second reference signal.

[0101] In some embodiments, means may be provided in a network node whereby the timing of subsequent reference signal transmissions on different antenna ports is explicitly signaled as a time from receipt of the triggering message.

[0102] In some embodiments, means may be provided in a network node, wherein the triggering message indicates a second offset between the first report and the second report.

[0103] In some embodiments, means may be provided in a network node, wherein when the second offset is zero, reporting the first measurement and reporting the second measurement are performed in the same slot.

[0104] In some embodiments, means may be provided in a network node, wherein the triggering message separately indicates the third timing of the first report and the fourth timing of the second report.

[0105] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the exemplary embodiments as discussed above may be practiced in a different order and / or with hardware elements in different configurations than those disclosed. Thus, while certain embodiments have been described based on these exemplary embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative constructions will be apparent while remaining within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments.

[0106] Partial Glossary 3GPP 3rd Generation Partnership Project 4G 4th Generation 5G 5th generation (5G) BM Beam Management BS base station BWP Bandwidth Portion CBSR Codebook Subset Restriction CDM code division multiplexing CE Control Elements CSI Channel State Information CSI-RS CSI reference signal DCI Downlink Control Information DL Downlink EPRE Energy per Resource Element ES Energy Savings FR1 Frequency Range 1 - Up to 7GHz frequency band FR2 Frequency Range 2 - Frequency band from approximately 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz GHz Gigahertz gNB Next Generation Node B IE Information Elements LTE Long Term Evolution MAC Media Access Control MIMO Multiple Input / Multiple Output NR new radio NW Network NZP Non-Zero Power OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (-ed) (-ing) PA power amplifier PBCH Physical Broadcast Channel PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel Rel.16 Release 16 RRC Radio Resource Control SS Sync Signal SSB sync signal block TDRA Time Domain Resource Allocation TRX Transceiver TS Technical Specifications UE User Equipment UPT User Perceived Throughput

Claims

1. at least one processor; at least one memory for storing instructions; wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least receiving a channel state information reporting configuration from a network, the channel state information reporting configuration indicating a plurality of configurations; receiving a triggering message from a network, the triggering message indicating that the device will measure and report on a first configuration of the plurality of configurations and a second configuration of the plurality of configurations; measuring a first reference signal corresponding to a first configuration of the plurality of configurations in a first predetermined slot; measuring a second reference signal corresponding to a second configuration of the plurality of configurations in a second predetermined slot; reporting a first measurement of a first reference signal from the device; reporting a second measurement of a second reference signal from the device; and A device that performs the following.

2. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the channel state information reporting configuration includes a number of different port configurations corresponding to a number of different transceiver muting patterns.

3. 3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the triggering message is provided as an information element in downlink control information or as a control element in a medium access control message.

4. 4. The apparatus of claim 1 or 3, wherein the triggering message comprises an indication of the particular antenna port to be measured.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the triggering message indicates a first offset between the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein when the first offset is zero, the first reference signal and the second reference signal are measured in the same slot.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the triggering message indicates the transmission timing of a subsequent reference signal on a different antenna port relative to the transmission timing of a first reference signal.

8. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein subsequent reference signals following a first reference signal are provided by periodic transmission on different antenna ports from a time relative to the timing of the first reference signal.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the triggering message indicates transmission timings of subsequent measurement reports on different antenna ports relative to the transmission timing of a first measurement report.

10. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein subsequent measurement reporting is provided by periodic transmissions on different antenna ports from a time relative to the timing of the first measurement reporting.

11. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the triggering message separately indicates a first timing of the first reference signal and a second timing of the second reference signal.

12. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the timing of transmission of subsequent reference signals on different antenna ports is explicitly signaled as a time from receipt of the triggering message.

13. 13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the triggering message indicates a second offset between reporting the first measurement and reporting the second measurement.

14. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein when the second offset is zero, reporting the first measurement and reporting the second measurement occur in the same slot.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the triggering message separately indicates a third time point for reporting the first measurement and a fourth time point for reporting the second measurement.

16. at least one processor; at least one memory for storing instructions; wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least providing a channel state information reporting configuration to a user equipment, the channel state information reporting configuration indicating a plurality of configurations; providing a triggering message to a user equipment, the triggering message indicating that the user equipment will measure and report for a first configuration of the plurality of configurations and a second configuration of the plurality of configurations; providing a first reference signal corresponding to a first configuration of the plurality of configurations in a first predetermined slot; providing a second reference signal corresponding to a second configuration of the plurality of configurations in a second predetermined slot; receiving a first report of a first reference signal from a user equipment; receiving a second report of a second reference signal from the user equipment; A device that performs the following.

17. 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the channel state information reporting configuration includes a number of different port configurations corresponding to a number of different transceiver muting patterns.

18. 18. The device according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the triggering message is provided as an information element in downlink control information or as a control element in a medium access control message.

19. 19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the triggering message indicates a first offset between the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

20. 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein when the first offset is zero, the first reference signal and the second reference signal are provided in the same slot.

21. 19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the triggering message indicates a transmission timing of a subsequent reference signal on a different antenna port relative to a transmission timing of a first reference signal.

22. 19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein subsequent reference signals following a first reference signal are provided by periodic transmission on different antenna ports from a time relative to the timing of the first reference signal.

23. 19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the triggering message separately indicates a first timing of the first reference signal and a second timing of the second reference signal.

24. 19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the timing of transmission of subsequent reference signals on different antenna ports is explicitly signaled as a time from receipt of the triggering message.

25. 25. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the triggering message indicates a second offset between the first report and the second report.

26. 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein when the second offset is zero, reporting the first report and reporting the second report occur in the same slot.

27. 25. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the triggering message separately indicates a third timing of the first report and a fourth timing of the second report.

28. receiving a channel state information reporting configuration from a network at a user equipment, the channel state information reporting configuration indicating a plurality of configurations; receiving a triggering message from a network, the triggering message indicating that the device will measure and report on a first configuration of the plurality of configurations and a second configuration of the plurality of configurations; measuring a first reference signal corresponding to a first configuration of the plurality of configurations in a first predetermined slot; measuring a second reference signal corresponding to a second configuration of the plurality of configurations in a second predetermined slot; reporting a first measurement of a first reference signal from a user equipment; reporting a second measurement of a second reference signal from the user equipment; A method comprising:

29. 30. The method of claim 28, wherein the channel state information reporting configuration includes a number of different port configurations corresponding to a number of different transceiver muting patterns.

30. 30. The method according to claim 28 or 29, wherein the triggering message is provided as an information element in downlink control information or as a control element in a medium access control message.

31. 30. A method according to claim 28 or 29, wherein the triggering message comprises an indication of the particular antenna port to be measured.

32. 32. The method of any one of claims 28 to 31, wherein the triggering message indicates a first offset between the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

33. 33. The method of claim 32, wherein when the first offset is zero, the first reference signal and the second reference signal are measured in the same slot.

34. 32. The method of any one of claims 28 to 31, wherein the triggering message indicates the transmission timing of a subsequent reference signal on a different antenna port relative to the transmission timing of a first reference signal.

35. 32. The method of any one of claims 28 to 31, wherein subsequent reference signals following a first reference signal are provided by periodic transmission on different antenna ports from a time relative to the timing of the first reference signal.

36. 29. The method of claim 28, wherein the triggering message indicates transmission timings of subsequent measurement reports on different antenna ports relative to transmission timings of the first measurement report.

37. 29. The method of claim 28, wherein subsequent measurement reporting is provided by periodic transmissions on different antenna ports from a time relative to the timing of the first measurement reporting.

38. 32. The method of any one of claims 28 to 31, wherein the triggering message separately indicates a first timing of the first reference signal and a second timing of the second reference signal.

39. 32. The method of any one of claims 28 to 31, wherein the timing of transmission of subsequent reference signals on different antenna ports is explicitly signaled as a time from receipt of the triggering message.

40. 40. The method of any one of claims 28 to 39, wherein the triggering message indicates a second offset between reporting the first measurement and reporting the second measurement.

41. 41. The method of claim 40, wherein when the second offset is zero, reporting the first measurement and reporting the second measurement occur in the same slot.

42. 40. The method of any one of claims 28 to 39, wherein the triggering message separately indicates a third time point for reporting the first measurement and a fourth time point for reporting the second measurement.

43. providing, by a network node, a channel state information reporting configuration to a user equipment, the channel state information reporting configuration indicating a plurality of configurations; providing a triggering message to a user equipment, the triggering message indicating that the user equipment will measure and report for a first configuration of the plurality of configurations and a second configuration of the plurality of configurations; providing a first reference signal corresponding to a first configuration of the plurality of configurations in a first predetermined slot; providing a second reference signal corresponding to a second configuration of the plurality of configurations in a second predetermined slot; receiving a first report of a first reference signal from a user equipment; receiving a second report of a second reference signal from the user equipment; A method comprising:

44. 44. The method of claim 43, wherein the channel state information reporting configuration includes a number of different port configurations corresponding to a number of different transceiver muting patterns.

45. 45. The method of claim 43 or 44, wherein the triggering message is provided as an information element in downlink control information or as a control element in a medium access control message.

46. 46. ​​The method of any one of claims 43 to 45, wherein the triggering message indicates a first offset between the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

47. 47. The method of claim 46, wherein when the first offset is zero, the first reference signal and the second reference signal are provided in the same slot.

48. 46. ​​The method of any one of claims 43 to 45, wherein the triggering message indicates the transmission timing of a subsequent reference signal on a different antenna port relative to the transmission timing of a first reference signal.

49. 46. ​​The method of any one of claims 43 to 45, wherein subsequent reference signals following a first reference signal are provided by periodic transmission on different antenna ports from a time relative to the timing of the first reference signal.

50. 46. ​​The method of any one of claims 43 to 45, wherein the triggering message separately indicates a first timing of the first reference signal and a second timing of the second reference signal.

51. 46. ​​A method according to any one of claims 43 to 45, wherein the timing of transmission of subsequent reference signals on different antenna ports is explicitly signalled as a time from receipt of the triggering message.

52. 52. The method of any one of claims 43 to 51, wherein the triggering message indicates a second offset between the first report and the second report.

53. 53. The method of claim 52, wherein when the second offset is zero, reporting the first measurement and reporting the second measurement occur in the same slot.

54. 52. The method of any one of claims 43 to 51, wherein the triggering message separately indicates a third timing of the first report and a fourth timing of the second report.

55. first receiving means for receiving a channel state information reporting configuration from a network, the channel state information reporting configuration indicating a plurality of configurations; second receiving means for receiving a triggering message from the network, the triggering message indicating that the device is to measure and report on a first configuration of the plurality of configurations and a second configuration of the plurality of configurations; first measuring means for measuring a first reference signal corresponding to a first configuration of the plurality of configurations in a first predetermined slot; second measuring means for measuring a second reference signal corresponding to a second configuration of the plurality of configurations in a second predetermined slot; first reporting means for reporting a first measurement of a first reference signal from the device; second reporting means for reporting a second measurement of a second reference signal from the device; An apparatus comprising:

56. 43. Apparatus comprising means for carrying out the method of any one of claims 28 to 42.

57. a first providing means for providing a channel state information reporting configuration to a user equipment, the first providing means indicating a plurality of configurations; second providing means for providing a triggering message to a user equipment, the triggering message indicating that the user equipment will measure and report on a first configuration of the plurality of configurations and a second configuration of the plurality of configurations; third providing means for providing a first reference signal corresponding to a first configuration of the plurality of configurations in a first predetermined slot; fourth providing means for providing a second reference signal corresponding to a second configuration of the plurality of configurations in a second predetermined slot; first receiving means for receiving a first report of a first reference signal from a user equipment; second receiving means for receiving a second report of a second reference signal from the user equipment; An apparatus comprising:

58. 55. Apparatus comprising means for carrying out the method of any one of claims 43 to 54.

59. 55. A computer program product encoded with instructions for performing the method of any one of claims 28 to 54.

60. 55. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with instructions that, when executed in hardware, cause the hardware to perform the method of any one of claims 28 to 54.

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