Enhanced CSI Report Activation / Deactivation Operation

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution for Extended Channel State Information (CSI) activation / deactivation operations. In the exemplary method, a terminal device receives a MAC CE containing at least one field of a CSI report configuration, the CSI report configuration containing multiple subconfigurations. The terminal device then determines to activate or deactivate at least one of the multiple subconfigurations based at least one field in the MAC CE. Thus, when multiple subconfigurations are included or associated with the same CSI report configuration, it becomes possible to activate / deactivate the CSI report for one or more subconfigurations.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to the field of communications, and more particularly to terminal devices, network devices, methods, apparatus, and computer-readable media for extended channel status information (CSI) activation / deactivation operations. [Background technology]

[0002] Saving network energy is crucial for environmental sustainability, reducing environmental impact (greenhouse gas emissions), and saving operating costs. As the new radio (NR), also known as the fifth generation of broadband cellular network (5G) technology, becomes widespread across industries and geographical areas and handles more advanced services and applications that require very high data rates, networks will become denser, using more antennas, wider bandwidth, and more frequency bands, which means increased energy consumption.

[0003] Therefore, the environmental impact and operating costs of 5G need to be under control, and improved solutions for 5G energy conservation need to be further investigated and researched. [Overview of the project]

[0004] Generally, exemplary embodiments of this disclosure provide solutions for enhanced channel state information (CSI) activation / deactivation operations.

[0005] In a first embodiment, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes at least one processor and at least one memory for storing instructions, and when an instruction is executed by at least one processor, the terminal device is made to receive a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) which includes at least one field of a channel state information (CSI) report configuration, wherein the CSI report configuration includes a plurality of subconfigurations, and to determine whether to activate or deactivate at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations based at least one field in the MAC CE.

[0006] In a second embodiment, a network device is provided. The network device comprises at least one processor and at least one memory for storing instructions, the instructions, when executed by at least one processor, cause the network device to perform at least the following actions: generate a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) including at least one field of a channel state information (CSI) report configuration based on the activation or deactivation of at least one of a plurality of subconfigurations of the CSI report configuration, and transmit the MAC CE to a terminal device.

[0007] In a third embodiment, a method is provided, the method comprising receiving a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) in a terminal device, which includes receiving a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) having at least one field of a channel status information (CSI) report configuration, wherein the CSI report configuration includes a plurality of subconfigurations, and determining to activate or deactivate at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations based at least one field in the MAC CE.

[0008] A fourth aspect provides a method, which includes generating a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) in a network device, which includes at least one field of a channel status information (CSI) report configuration, based on the activation or deactivation of at least one of a plurality of subconfigurations of the CSI report configuration, and transmitting the MAC CE to a terminal device.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes, in a terminal device, means for receiving a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) which includes at least one field of a channel status information (CSI) report configuration, wherein the CSI report configuration includes a plurality of subconfigurations, and means for determining to activate or deactivate at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations based at least one field in the MAC CE.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes, in a network device, means for generating a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) having at least one field of a channel status information (CSI) report configuration based on the activation or deactivation of at least one of a plurality of subconfigurations of the CSI report configuration, and means for transmitting the MAC CE to a terminal device.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium is provided which includes a program instruction. When executed by the device, the program instruction causes the device to perform at least the following actions: receive a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) in a terminal device which includes at least one field of a channel status information (CSI) report configuration, wherein the CSI report configuration includes a plurality of subconfigurations; and determine to activate or deactivate at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations based at least one field in the MAC CE.

[0012] In the eighth aspect, a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium containing program instructions is provided. When executed by the device, the program instructions cause the device to, at least in a network device, generate a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) containing at least one field of a channel status information (CSI) report configuration based on the activation or deactivation of at least one of a plurality of subconfigurations of the CSI report configuration, and transmit the MAC CE to a terminal device.

[0013] In the ninth aspect, a computer program is provided which, when executed by the device, causes the device to perform at least the following actions: receive a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) in a terminal device, which includes at least one field of a channel status information (CSI) report configuration, wherein the CSI report configuration includes a plurality of subconfigurations; and determine to activate or deactivate at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations based at least one field in the MAC CE.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, a computer program is provided which, when executed by the device, causes the device to perform at least the following actions in a network device: generate a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) including at least one field of a channel status information (CSI) report configuration based on the activation or deactivation of at least one of a plurality of subconfigurations of the CSI report configuration; and transmit the MAC CE to a terminal device.

[0015] In an eleventh embodiment, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes a receiving circuit, which is configured to receive a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) which includes at least one field of a channel status information (CSI) report configuration, the CSI report configuration which includes a plurality of subconfigurations, and the receiving circuit is further configured to determine to activate or deactivate at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations based at least one field in the MAC CE.

[0016] In a twelfth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes a transmitting circuit, which is configured to generate a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) having at least one field of a channel state information (CSI) report configuration based on the activation or deactivation of at least one of a plurality of subconfigurations of the CSI report configuration, and to transmit the MAC CE to a terminal device.

[0017] It should be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify any material or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will be readily apparent through the following description.

[0018] Next, some exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] [Figure 1] An exemplary network environment in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown. [Figure 2] An example of a process flow according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. [Figure 3] An exemplary process implemented on a terminal device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. [Figure 4A] A first exemplary MAC CE design for activating / deactivating a semi-persistent CSI report according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. [Figure 4B] A second exemplary MAC CE design for activating / deactivating a semi-persistent CSI report according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. [Figure 4C] A third exemplary MAC CE design for activating / deactivating a semi-persistent CSI report according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. [Figure 4D] A fourth exemplary MAC CE design for activating / deactivating a semi-persistent CSI report according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. [Figure 5] An exemplary flowchart of a method implemented on a terminal device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. [Figure 6] An exemplary flowchart of a method implemented on a network device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. [Figure 7] An exemplary simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. [Figure 8] An exemplary block diagram of an exemplary computer-readable medium according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Throughout the drawing, identical or similar reference figures represent identical or similar elements.

[0021] Next, the principles of this disclosure will be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. These embodiments are provided for illustrative purposes only and are intended to help those skilled in the art understand and implement this disclosure, but should not be considered to imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The disclosures described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0022] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as those widely understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0023] In this disclosure, references to “one embodiment,” “embodiment,” and “example embodiment” indicate that the described embodiment may include certain features, structures, or characteristics, but not all embodiments are required to include such features, structures, or characteristics. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, if certain features, structures, or characteristics are described in relation to an embodiment, it is considered within the knowledge of those skilled in the art that such features, structures, or characteristics will be affected in relation to other embodiments, whether or not they are explicitly stated.

[0024] Terms such as “First,” and “Second” may be used herein to describe various elements, but it should be understood that these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used solely to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, the first element may be called the second element, and similarly, the second element may be called the first element. As used herein, the terms “and / or” include any combination of one or more of the listed terms.

[0025] The terminology used herein is intended solely to describe specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the embodiments. Where used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Where the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes,” and / or “including” are used herein, it will be understood that these terms specify the existence of the described features, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. Where used herein, “at least one of the following: <list of two or more elements>” and “at least one of the <list of two or more elements>” and similar expressions mean that the lists of two or more elements are joined by “and” or “or,” but mean at least one of the elements, or at least two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0026] As used in this application, the term “circuit” may refer to one, more, or all of the following: (a) Hardware-only circuit implementation (such as implementation using only analog and / or digital circuits), (b) For example (where applicable), the following combinations of hardware circuits and software: (i) A combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits(s) and software / firmware, (ii) Any part of a hardware processor(s), software, and memory(s) that use software (including digital signal processors(s)) to cooperate in causing a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions, (c) Hardware circuit(s)(if any) that require software (e.g., firmware) for operation, and / or processor(s), such as microprocessors(if any) or parts of microprocessors(if any), however the software may be absent if it is not necessary for operation.

[0027] This definition of circuit applies to all use of the term in this application, including in all claims. Further as used in this application, the term circuit also includes, simply, an implementation of a hardware circuit or processor (or more processors), or a part of a hardware circuit or processor and the software and / or firmware associated therewith. The term circuit also includes, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, other computing device, or other network device, where it falls under the element of a particular claim.

[0028] As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network conforming to any appropriate communication standard, such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A, Broadband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), and Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi). Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices / elements within the communication network may be performed according to any preferred generation of communication protocol, including, but not limited to, fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth-generation (5G), IEEE 802.11 communication protocol, and / or any other protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to a variety of communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will of course be future communication technologies and systems that can embody this disclosure. The scope of this disclosure should not be considered to be limited to the aforementioned systems only.

[0029] As used herein, the term “network device” refers to a node in a communication network through which a terminal device accesses and receives services from the network. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, a network device may refer to a base station (BS), access point (AP), or transceiver point (TRP), such as a node B (NodeB or NB), evolved node B (eNodeB or eNB), NR NB (also known as gNB), remote radio unit (RRU), radio header (RH), remote radio head (RRH), WiFi device, relay, or low-power node such as femto or pico. In the following description, the terms “network device,” “AP device,” “AP,” and “access point” may be used interchangeably.

[0030] The term “terminal device” refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. For example, and not an exhaustive list, a terminal device may also be called a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), mobile subscriber station, mobile station (MS), station (STA) or station device, or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cell phones, smartphones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, game terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearables, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of production processing and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronics, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and similar devices. In the following description, the terms “station,” “station device,” “STA,” “terminal device,” “communication device,” “terminal,” “user equipment,” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

[0031] The term "transceiver" may refer to any device that can be coupled to one or more antennas or antenna ports for wirelessly transmitting and / or receiving communication signals. The antennas or antenna ports may be of the same or different types. The antennas or antenna ports may be located at different locations on the device. One or more transceivers can enable the device to communicate with other devices, which may be wired and / or wireless. One or more transceivers may include a processor, controller, radio, socket, plug, buffer, or similar circuitry to form one or more communication channels to one or more radio frequency units. One or more transceivers may be integrated into a device or system, such as a cellular communication device or system, a WLAN system, or a short-range system (e.g., a Bluetooth system).

[0032] For Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) based semi-persistent reporting, activation / deactivation is performed by sending a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC CE) message. The UE sends a Hybrid Auto-Retransmission Request Acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) to slot n, which corresponds to the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PDSCH) carrying the selection command MAC CE, to slot n.

number

[0033] Semi-persistent CSI reports in PUCCH support Type I CSI. Semi-persistent CSI reports in PUCCH Format 2 support Type I CSI with broadband frequency granularity. Semi-persistent CSI reports in PUCCH Format 3 or 4 support Type I CSI with broadband and subband frequency granularity, as well as Type II CSI Part 1.

[0034] The following is an existing MAC CE design for activating / deactivating SP (semi-persistent) CSI reports in PUCCH (within TS38.321). [Table 1]

[0035] The Rel-18 Work Item Description (WID) is approved to specify necessary extensions to CSI and beam management-related procedures, including measurement and reporting, as well as signaling to enable efficient adaptation of spatial elements (e.g., antenna ports, active transceiver chains) [RAN1, RAN2].

[0036] One of the recent RAN1 agreements is as follows: [Table 2]

[0037] As previously mentioned, Rel-18 specifies extensions to network energy saving, including spatial pattern adaptation. RAN1 reached the following agreement regarding support for semi-persistent and aperiodic CSI reporting: In the case of a CSI reporting configuration containing L configurations, N of these L CSIs (here, N <= L) can be triggered in a single reporting instance. [Table 3]

[0038] In consideration of the foregoing, some embodiments of this disclosure propose efficient design and encoding / decoding of MAC CE for activating or deactivating CSI report configurations to enable the above operations.

[0039] For illustrative purposes, the principles and exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are described below with reference to Figures 1 to 8. However, it should be noted that these embodiments are provided to enable those skilled in the art to understand the concepts of the inventions of this disclosure and to implement the solutions proposed herein, and are not intended to limit the scope of this application in any way.

[0040] Figure 1 shows an example of an application scenario 100 in which several exemplary embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented. Application scenario 100 is part of a communication network and includes terminal devices and network devices.

[0041] In the description of the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, the network environment 100 may also be referred to as the communication system 100 (e.g., a part of a communication network). For illustrative purposes only, various aspects of the exemplary embodiments are described in the context of one or more terminal devices and network devices communicating with each other. However, it should be understood that the description herein may be applicable to other types of devices or other similar devices referred to using other terms.

[0042] As shown in Figure 1, the communication network 100 may include network devices 110 (sometimes also called gNBs or BSs). The communication network 100 may further include terminal devices 120 (sometimes also called user equipment 120s or UEs). Although only one network device 110 and one terminal device 120 are shown in Figure 1, the number of network devices and terminal devices is not limited. In other words, there may be one or more network devices 110 and one or more terminal devices 120 in the network.

[0043] The network device 110 can provide services to the terminal device 120, and the network device 110 and the terminal device 120 can communicate data and control information with each other. In some embodiments, the network device 110 and the terminal device 120 may communicate via a direct link / channel.

[0044] In the communication system 100, the link from the network device 110 to the terminal device 120 is called a downlink (DL), while the link from the terminal device 120 to the network device 110 is called an uplink (UL). In a downlink, the network device 110 is the transmit (TX) device (or transmitter), and the terminal device 120 is the receive (RX) device (or receiver). In an uplink, the terminal device 120 is the transmit (TX) device (or transmitter), and the network device 110 is the RX device (or receiver). It should be understood that the network device 110 may provide one or more serving cells. As shown in Figure 1, the network device 110 provides one serving cell 102, and the terminal device 120 camps on to the serving cell 102. In some embodiments, the network device 110 may provide multiple serving cells, and the terminal device 120 may switch between serving cells from source to target during its transit. Please understand that the number of serving cells shown in Figure 1 is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation.

[0045] Communication in network environment 100 includes, but is not limited to, any other appropriate communication protocol currently known or to be developed in the future, such as cellular communication protocols like 4th generation (4G) and 5th generation (5G), wireless local network communication protocols like IEEE (Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11, and / or Universal Mobile Communication System (UMTS), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 5th Generation (5G) New Radio (NR), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), and Microwave Access Global Interoperability (WiMAX) standards. It may be implemented in accordance with the ), and may employ any appropriate communication technology, including, for example, multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), time division multiplexing (TDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), Bluetooth, ZigBee, and machine type communication (MTC), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), ultra-high reliability low latency communication (URLLC), carrier aggregation (CA), dual connectivity (DC), and unlicensed new radio (NR-U) technology.

[0046] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, terminal device 120 may receive a MAC CE from network device 110 to activate or deactivate at least one CSI report configuration (e.g., preconfigured via a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message). The CSI report configuration may include or be associated with a plurality of subconfigurations. The MAC CE includes at least one field indicating the activation or deactivation status of a subconfiguration of the CSI report configuration. Upon receiving the MAC CE, terminal device 120 may decode or determine whether the subconfiguration is activated or deactivated. The terminal device 120 may then perform a CSI measurement on the activated subconfiguration and report the CSI measurement results to network device 120.

[0047] Figure 2 shows an example of a process flow according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For ease of understanding, process flow 200 is described with reference to Figure 1. Although process flow 200 is described with reference to the communication network 100 in Figure 1, it will be understood that this process flow 200 can be similarly applied to other similar communication scenarios.

[0048] As shown in Figure 2, the network device 110 generates a MAC CE containing at least one field of the CSI report configuration based on the activation or deactivation of at least one of several subconfigurations of the CSI report configuration (202). In some embodiments, the network device 110 may pre-configure the terminal device 120 with at least one CSI report configuration (e.g., four configurations) via, for example, RRC signaling. The CSI report configuration may be used for semi-persistent CSI reporting in the physical PUCCH and may be activated or deactivated by the MAC CE.

[0049] In some embodiments, one or more of the multiple CSI report configurations may include or be associated with multiple subconfigurations. The subconfigurations of the CSI report configurations may also be configured by RRC signaling. In some embodiments, one of the multiple subconfigurations may correspond to, be associated with, or replace one or more of the following: spatial patterns, power levels, energy levels, CSI-reference signal (RS) resources, CSI-RS resource sets, resource settings, CSI report configurations, codebook configurations, or CSI trigger states. A spatial pattern may refer to a spatial configuration of an active / inactive antenna port / element in the network device 120 and may be associated with a corresponding power consumption level.

[0050] In some embodiments, the network device 110 may encode the activation or deactivation status of the CSI report configuration and at least one associated subconfiguration into the MAC CE. The activation or deactivation status of the CSI report configuration may be encoded as a bitmap in at least one octet of the MAC CE, with one bit per CSI report configuration. For example, the value "1" may indicate the activation status, and the value "0" may indicate the deactivation status. Furthermore, the activation or deactivation status of at least one subconfiguration may be encoded in at least one additional field of the MAC CE. This field may indicate, for example, the number of subconfigurations of the CSI report configuration that the terminal device 120 will activate or deactivate, in the form of a code point or bitmap. For brevity, the details will be described from the perspective of the terminal device 120 in the decoding stage with reference to Figure 3.

[0051] Next, the network device 110 sends MAC CE (205) to the terminal device 120 (204). Thus, the terminal device 120 receives MAC CE (206). Upon receiving MAC CE (205), the terminal device 120 determines to activate or deactivate at least one of the multiple subconfigurations based on at least one field in MAC CE.

[0052] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may perform a decoding procedure to obtain the activation or deactivation status of the CSI report configuration and associated subconfigurations encoded in MAC CE. In some embodiments, activation of a subconfiguration or set of subconfigurations may indicate that the subconfiguration or set of subconfigurations is applicable, and deactivation of a subconfiguration or set of subconfigurations may indicate that the subconfiguration or set of subconfigurations is not applicable.

[0053] Subsequently, terminal device 120 may perform CSI measurements on the CSI resource associated with the activated subconfiguration and report the CSI(s) in one report instance to network device 110.

[0054] Figure 3 shows an exemplary process 300 performed on the UE side according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Process 300 may be an exemplary embodiment of block 208 in Figure 2, which may be performed by the UE as an example of a terminal device 120. It should be understood that process 300 includes additional actions not shown and / or some of the actions shown may be omitted. In this regard, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited.

[0055] As mentioned above, the UE may be configured by a CSI report configuration that includes or associates multiple subconfigurations. For semi-persistent CSI reports in PUCCH, examples of encoding / decoding at least some MAC CE to activate / deactivate semi-persistent CSI reports for one or more subconfigurations are described below.

[0056] If at least one bit in MAC CE deactivates a semi-persistent CSI report configuration, for example by bit value "0", then all subconfigurations belonging to or associated with this configuration are considered deactivated. The UE considers that the indicator reserved / existing bits(s) or additional fields(s) / octets(s) / subfield(s) related to the subconfiguration are not used / existent / not available within MAC CE.

[0057] If at least one bit of this MAC CE activates a semi-persistent CSI report configuration in PUCCH, for example by bit value "1", and this configuration includes or is associated with multiple subconfigurations, then activating or deactivating at least one subconfiguration may be done using one or more of the following options:

[0058] In Option 1, the UE assumes that at least one reserved / existing bit in the MAC CE is available and used to indicate the activation or deactivation of at least one subconfiguration. At least one reserved / existing bit may be in the same octet as the activation or deactivation status of multiple preconfigured CSI report configurations.

[0059] In Option 2, the UE assumes that at least one field (e.g., at least one octet (8 bits)) and / or at least one subfield (consisting of at least one or two bits) exists in the MAC CE, or is not reserved, and is used to indicate the activation or deactivation of at least one subconfiguration. At least one field of the subconfiguration may contain at least one bit, exceeding the octet containing the activation or deactivation status of multiple preconfigured CSI report configurations. In some embodiments, the MAC CE may include at least one additional octet for the subconfiguration.

[0060] Option 1 may be assumed when the number of subconfigurations in the report configuration is below a threshold. Option 2 may be assumed when the number of configurations in the report configuration exceeds a threshold. Furthermore, Option 2 may be assumed when a certain number of active CSI report configurations containing multiple subconfigurations are greater than or equal to a threshold such as 2. In addition, Option 1 and Option 2 may be combined.

[0061] By using one or more of Option 1 and Option 2, the MAC CE may include at least one field for indicating the activation or deactivation of a subconfiguration(s) of a CSI report configuration(s). In some embodiments, this indication may be in the form of a code point representing the index of the subconfiguration to be activated or deactivated, or a code point representing a set of subconfigurations to be activated or deactivated. The set of subconfigurations may be included in or associated with a CSI report configuration, i.e., one or more subconfigurations may be grouped into a set (there may be several such sets). Alternatively, this indication may be in the form of a bitmap, where bits in the bitmap may indicate the activation or deactivation of at least one subconfiguration(s) (or set of subconfigurations). Alternatively, the number of subconfigurations to activate or deactivate may be specified, and the UE will determine which subconfigurations to activate or deactivate according to a defined order (based on the specification or configuration), for example, by considering the subconfiguration with the lowest / highest index or identity first.

[0062] In some embodiments, a field / subfield / octet may be at least partially shared between at least two CSI report configurations, or alternatively, one field / subfield / octet may be assumed per CSI report configuration.

[0063] In some embodiments, the field / subfield / bitmap size for considering / adding to a CSI report configuration within MAC CE may depend on the number of subconfigurations (or sets of subconfigurations) belonging to or corresponding to this CSI report configuration.

[0064] In some embodiments, the need for a new octet / field / subfield may depend on whether the existing / reserved bits are sufficient, for example, whether option 1 is sufficient. This may also depend on whether at least one other CSI report configuration is activated, and this at least one other configuration includes or is associated with subconfigurations, of which at least one should be activated / deactivated.

[0065] In some embodiments, considering the CSI report configuration, the need for more than one octet / field / subfield may depend on whether the number of subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations exceeds a threshold such as 8. For example, if a bitmap is used and the CSI report configuration contains more than 8 subconfigurations, the fields in the CSI report configuration must be greater than 8 bits (1 octet).

[0066] In some embodiments, the maximum number of subconfigurations or subconfiguration sets belonging to / associated with the same CSI report configuration may be specified / configured so that they cannot be active at one time. For example, if this number is set to 1, this may mean that when one subconfiguration (or subconfiguration set) is activated, other subconfigurations (or subconfiguration sets) will be automatically deactivated. More generally, if this number is set to X, this may mean that when X subconfigurations (or subconfiguration sets) are activated, other subconfigurations (or subconfiguration sets) will be automatically deactivated.

[0067] In process 300, the UE decodes the activation or deactivation status in the MAC CE for each CSI report configuration. In block 301, for a given CSI report configuration, the UE checks whether the CSI report configuration has an activation status. If the bit value of the CSI indicates a deactivation status (e.g., "0"), the process proceeds to block 302, where the UE may determine that all associated subconfigurations of the CSI report configuration are deactivated, and then proceeds to block 306 to check the next CSI report configuration (if any).

[0068] If the CSI report configuration has an activated status, process 300 proceeds to block 303. In block 303, the UE positions a field indicating the activated / deactivated status of a subconfiguration of the CSI report configuration. In some embodiments, the position of the field may be based on the activated or deactivated status of multiple CSI report configurations preconfigured to the UE. If a CSI report configuration is deactivated via MAC CE, there may not be a field in MAC CE corresponding to its subconfiguration. The position may further be based on the index or identity of the CSI report configuration. For example, the fields of an activated CSI configuration may be ordered one by one in MAC CE. Furthermore, the position may be based on the number of each subconfiguration or set of subconfigurations of at least one (activated) of the multiple CSI report configurations. In other words, the position also depends on the size of the fields of the preceding CSI report configuration(s). Alternatively, the field's position may be fixed within MAC CE, regardless of the activation or deactivation status of multiple CSI report configurations.

[0069] After the field is positioned within the MAC CE, the UE may retrieve the value of the field, and in block 304, the field may be decoded. As previously stated, the field may be in the form of a code point representing the index of a subconfiguration to activate or deactivate, or it may represent a set of subconfigurations to activate or deactivate. Alternatively, the field may be in the form of a bitmap, where bits in the bitmap indicate the activation or deactivation of at least one subconfiguration or set of subconfigurations. For example, a bit value of "1" indicates activation status, and a bit value of "0" indicates activation status of the corresponding subconfiguration or set of subconfigurations.

[0070] In some embodiments, the size of a field may be based on the number of subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations in the CSI report configuration. For example, if the field contains a bitmap, the size of the bitmap in bits is equal to the number of subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations. As another example, if the field contains a code point, the size in bits is equal to the number of binary digits representing the highest / highest index of the subconfiguration or set of subconfigurations. By decoding the field, the UE determines which subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations to activate or deactivate. In some embodiments, the UE may be configured or specified for a maximum number of subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations that can be activated for the CSI report configuration. This maximum number may affect the size of the field. In some embodiments, the UE may be configured with constraints on which subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations can or cannot be activated. This constraint can also affect the size of a field, as only subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations that are not constrained to be activated can be shown within the field (via MAC CE).

[0071] Furthermore, in block 305, the UE may check the maximum number of allowed activated subconfigurations or sets of configurations. The UE may be configured or specified by a threshold indicating the maximum number of activated subconfigurations or sets of configurations. Based on the field and the threshold, the UE may decide to activate or deactivate subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations so that the number of activated subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations is less than or equal to the threshold. For example, if this threshold is set to 1, this may mean that when one subconfiguration (or set of subconfigurations) is activated, other subconfigurations (or sets of subconfigurations) (or sets of subconfigurations) are automatically deactivated.

[0072] In block 306, the UE checks whether all CSI report configurations can be decoded. If not, process 300 returns to block 301 and repeats the actions in blocks 301-305 for the next CSI report configuration. If all CSI report configurations can be decoded, process 300 terminates.

[0073] Figure 4A shows a first exemplary MAC CE design for activating / deactivating a semi-persistent CSI report when multiple subconfigurations are associated with a CSI report configuration. The multiple subconfigurations may correspond, for example, to different spatial adaptation patterns or even different power offsets (in the case of PDSCH relative to CSI-RS).

[0074] In Figure 4A, Oct2 includes bits S0-S3, each bit indicating the activation or deactivation status of a CSI report configuration. For example, S0 (0 or 1) refers to a single CSI report configuration. Suppose S0=1, meaning the corresponding CSI report configuration is activated. This configuration contains or is associated with multiple subconfigurations (or sets of subconfigurations). Since S0=1, the existing / reserved bits (3 bits in this example) R0, R1, and R2 in Oct2 are used to indicate the activation / deactivation of at least one subconfiguration belonging to or corresponding to the CSI report configuration referenced by S0. In this example, one of up to eight subconfigurations (or sets of subconfigurations) may be activated / referenced.

[0075] Figure 4B shows a second exemplary MAC CE design for activating / deactivating a semi-persistent CSI report when multiple subconfigurations are associated with a CSI report configuration. The multiple subconfigurations may, for example, correspond to different spatial adaptation patterns.

[0076] In Figure 4B, Oct2 includes bits S0-S3, each bit indicating the activation or deactivation status of the CSI report configuration. For example, S0 (0 or 1) refers to a single CSI report configuration. Suppose S0=1, meaning the corresponding CSI report configuration is activated. This configuration contains, or is associated with, up to eight subconfigurations. Since S0=1, the existing / reserved bits in Oct2 (3 bits in this example) R 00 , R 01 , R 02This indicates the activation / deactivation of at least one subconfiguration belonging to or corresponding to the CSI report configuration referenced by S0. In this example, one of up to eight subconfigurations may be activated / referenced.

[0077] Furthermore, S1 (0 or 1) refers to one CSI report configuration. Suppose S1=1, meaning the corresponding CSI report configuration is activated. This configuration contains, for example, up to four subconfigurations, or is associated with them. Since S1=1, 2 bits S 11 S 10 However, a new field / octet (Oct3) is added that considers the activation / deactivation of at least one subconfiguration among the CSI report configurations referenced by S1, or the corresponding subconfigurations. In this example, one of (up to) four subconfigurations may be activated / referenced.

[0078] Figure 4C shows a third exemplary MAC CE design for activating / deactivating a semi-persistent CSI report when multiple subconfigurations are associated with the CSI report configuration. The multiple subconfigurations may, for example, correspond to different spatial adaptation patterns.

[0079] In Figure 4C, Oct2 contains bits S0-S3, each bit indicating the activation or deactivation status of a CSI report configuration. S0 (0 or 1): Refers to one CSI report configuration. Suppose S0=1, meaning the corresponding CSI report configuration is activated. This configuration contains or is associated with 7 subconfigurations. Since S0=1, a new field / octet (Oct3) is added, with a bitmap of size 7, which considers the activation / deactivation of at least one of the CSI report configurations or corresponding subconfigurations that belong to the CSI report configuration referenced by S0. In this example, any combination of 1 to 7 subconfigurations can be activated / deactivated / referenced. If the size of the bitmap exceeds 8, the field may span multiple octets.

[0080] Furthermore, S1(0 or 1) refers to a single CSI report configuration. Suppose S1=1, meaning the corresponding CSI report configuration is activated. This configuration contains or is associated with four subconfigurations. Because S1=1, a new field / octet (Oct4) is added, where a bitmap of size 4 is considered for activation / deactivation of at least one of the subconfigurations belonging to or corresponding to the CSI report configuration referenced by S1. In this example, any combination of 1 to 4 subconfigurations can be activated / deactivated / referenced.

[0081] Figure 4D shows a fourth exemplary MAC CE design for activating / deactivating a semi-persistent CSI report when multiple sub-configurations are associated with a CSI report configuration. The multiple sub-configurations may correspond to different spatial adaptation patterns, for example.

[0082] In Figure 4D, Oct2 includes bits S0 to S3, and each bit indicates the activation or deactivation status of a CSI report configuration. S0 (0 or 1) refers to one CSI report configuration. Assume S0 = 1, that is, the corresponding CSI report configuration is activated. This configuration includes or is associated with four sub-configurations. Since S0 = 1, a new field / octet (Oct3) of size 4 (S 00 , S 01 , S 02 , and S 03 ) belonging to the CSI report configuration referred to by S0 or considered for the activation / deactivation of at least one of the sub-configurations corresponding to the sub-configurations is added. In this example, any combination of 1 to 4 sub-configurations can be activated / deactivated / referred to.

[0083] Furthermore, S1 (0 or 1) refers to one CSI report configuration. Assume S1 = 1, that is, the corresponding CSI report configuration is activated. This configuration includes or is associated with four sub-configurations. Since S1 = 1, of size 4 (S 10 , S 11 , S 12 , and S 13A new field / octet is added where the bitmap of ) belongs to the CSI report configuration referenced by S1, or considers the activation / deactivation of at least one of the corresponding subconfigurations. In this example, any combination of 1 to 4 subconfigurations can be activated / deactivated / referenced. Note that the field of CSI report configuration S1 is located in the same octet as S1 because there is enough space in Oct3.

[0084] Please understand that the examples of MAC CEs in Figures 4A to 4D are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not limiting. MAC CEs according to embodiments of this disclosure may have different designs, such as designs with many or few CSI report configurations, designs with many or few subconfigurations associated with CSI report configurations, or designs with fields(s) that indicate the activation or deactivation of subconfigurations in sets.

[0085] In consideration of the foregoing, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide an efficient design / encoding of MAC CE for activating a semi-persistent CSI report to enable the operation of activating / deactivating the CSI of one or more subconfigurations (e.g., referring to different spatial adaptation patterns) when multiple subconfigurations (e.g., referring to different spatial adaptation patterns) are included in or associated with the same CSI report configuration.

[0086] Figure 5 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method 500 implemented on a terminal device according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. For ease of understanding, method 500 is described in terms of terminal device 120 with reference to Figure 1.

[0087] In block 510, the terminal device 120 receives a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) which includes at least one field of a channel status information (CSI) report configuration, the CSI report configuration which includes a plurality of subconfigurations. In block 520, the terminal device 120 determines to activate or deactivate at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations based at least one field in the MAC CE.

[0088] In some embodiments, at least one field may indicate an index of one subconfiguration or set of subconfigurations to be activated or deactivated from among a plurality of subconfigurations.

[0089] Furthermore, or alternatively, at least one field may contain a bitmap of multiple subconfigurations. Each bit in the bitmap indicates the activation or deactivation status of one of the multiple subconfigurations or a set of subconfigurations.

[0090] Furthermore, or alternatively, at least one field may indicate the number of subconfigurations to activate or deactivate among multiple subconfigurations. Based on the indicated number and the defined order of the indices of the multiple subconfigurations, the terminal device 120 may determine at least one index to activate or deactivate among the multiple subconfigurations.

[0091] In some embodiments, the size of at least one field may be based on the number of subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations in the CSI report configuration.

[0092] In some embodiments, MAC CE may further include the activation or deactivation status of multiple CSI report configurations configured on the terminal device. In some embodiments, the activation or deactivation status of multiple CSI report configurations may be contained within at least one octet. Furthermore, or alternatively, at least one field may contain at least one reserved bit of at least one octet. Furthermore, or alternatively, at least one field may contain at least one bit exceeding at least one octet. Furthermore, or alternatively, at least one field may contain at least one additional octet other than at least one octet.

[0093] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may determine to activate or deactivate at least one of the subconfigurations of the CSI report configuration by determining to deactivate the subconfigurations of the CSI report configuration based on the determination that the CSI report configuration has an inactive status.

[0094] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may determine the activation or deactivation of at least one of a plurality of subconfigurations by determining the activation or deactivation of at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations based on at least one field in the MAC CE, based on the determination that the CSI report configuration has an activation status.

[0095] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may determine the activation or deactivation of at least one of a plurality of subconfigurations by positioning at least one field of the CSI report configuration in MAC CE and determining the activation or deactivation of at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations based on the value of at least one field.

[0096] In some embodiments, the positioning of at least one field may be based on at least one of the following: the activation or deactivation status of multiple CSI report configurations, the number of multiple subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations for at least one of the multiple CSI report configurations, or the index or identity of the CSI report configuration.

[0097] In some embodiments, at least one field may be shared between a CSI report configuration and another of several CSI report configurations.

[0098] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may determine the activation or deactivation of at least one of a plurality of subconfigurations by determining the activation or deactivation of at least one subconfiguration or set of subconfigurations based on at least one field and a threshold, such that the number of activated subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations is less than or equal to a threshold.

[0099] In some embodiments, activating or deactivating at least one of a plurality of subconfigurations may indicate that at least one subconfiguration is applicable or inapplicable.

[0100] In some embodiments, one of a plurality of subconfigurations may correspond to or be associated with at least one of the following: spatial pattern, power level, energy level, CSI-reference signal (RS) resource, CSI-RS resource set, resource setting, CSI report configuration, codebook configuration, or CSI trigger state.

[0101] In some embodiments, the CSI report configuration may be for semi-persistent CSI reporting in the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

[0102] Figure 6 shows another flowchart of an exemplary method implemented on a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ease of understanding, method 600 will be described in terms of network device 110 with reference to Figure 1.

[0103] In block 610, the network device 110 generates a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) that includes at least one field of the channel state information (CSI) report configuration, based on the activation or deactivation of at least one of several subconfigurations of the CSI report configuration. In block 620, the network device 110 sends the MAC CE to the terminal device.

[0104] In some embodiments, at least one field may indicate the index of one subconfiguration or set of subconfigurations to be activated or deactivated from among a plurality of subconfigurations. Furthermore, or alternatively, at least one field may include a bitmap of the plurality of subconfigurations. Each bit in the bitmap indicates the activation or deactivation status of one subconfiguration or set of subconfigurations from among the plurality of subconfigurations. Furthermore, or alternatively, at least one field may indicate the number of subconfigurations to be activated or deactivated from among the plurality of subconfigurations.

[0105] In some embodiments, the size of at least one field may be based on the number of subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations in the CSI report configuration.

[0106] In some embodiments, the MAC CE may further include the activation or deactivation status of multiple CSI report configurations configured on the terminal device. In some embodiments, the activation or deactivation status of multiple CSI report configurations may be contained within at least one octet. Furthermore, or alternatively, at least one field may contain at least one reserved bit of at least one octet. Furthermore, or alternatively, at least one field may contain at least one bit exceeding at least one octet. Furthermore, or alternatively, at least one field may contain at least one additional octet other than at least one octet.

[0107] In some embodiments, the location of at least one field may be based on at least one of the following: the activation or deactivation status of multiple CSI report configurations, the number of multiple subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations for at least one of the multiple CSI report configurations, or the index or identity of the CSI report configuration.

[0108] In some embodiments, at least one field may be shared between a CSI report configuration and another of several CSI report configurations.

[0109] In some embodiments, activating or deactivating at least one of a plurality of subconfigurations may indicate that at least one subconfiguration is applicable or inapplicable.

[0110] In some embodiments, one of a plurality of subconfigurations may correspond to or be associated with at least one of the following: spatial pattern, power level, energy level, CSI-reference signal (RS) resource, CSI-RS resource set, resource setting, CSI report configuration, codebook configuration, or CSI trigger state.

[0111] In some embodiments, the CSI report configuration may be for semi-persistent CSI reporting in the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

[0112] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing Method 500 (e.g., a terminal device 120) may include means for performing each step of Method 500. These means can be implemented in any preferred form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0113] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus includes means for receiving a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) in a terminal device, wherein the CSI report configuration includes at least one field of a channel status information (CSI) report configuration, and the CSI report configuration includes a plurality of subconfigurations; and means for determining to activate or deactivate at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations based at least one field in the MAC CE.

[0114] In some embodiments, at least one field may indicate an index of one subconfiguration or set of subconfigurations to be activated or deactivated from among a plurality of subconfigurations.

[0115] Furthermore, or alternatively, at least one field may contain a bitmap of multiple subconfigurations. Each bit in the bitmap indicates the activation or deactivation status of one of the multiple subconfigurations or a set of subconfigurations.

[0116] Furthermore, or alternatively, at least one field may indicate the number of subconfigurations to activate or deactivate from among a plurality of subconfigurations. The device may also include means for determining at least one index to activate or deactivate from among the plurality of subconfigurations, based on the indicated number and a defined order of the indices of the plurality of subconfigurations.

[0117] In some embodiments, the size of at least one field may be based on the number of subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations in the CSI report configuration.

[0118] In some embodiments, MAC CE may further include the activation or deactivation status of multiple CSI report configurations configured on the terminal device. In some embodiments, the activation or deactivation status of multiple CSI report configurations may be contained within at least one octet. Furthermore, or alternatively, at least one field may contain at least one reserved bit of at least one octet. Furthermore, or alternatively, at least one field may contain at least one bit exceeding at least one octet. Furthermore, or alternatively, at least one field may contain at least one additional octet other than at least one octet.

[0119] In some embodiments, means for determining the activation or deactivation of at least one of a plurality of subconfigurations may include means for determining the deactivation of a plurality of subconfigurations of a CSI report configuration based on the determination that the CSI report configuration has a deactivation status.

[0120] In some embodiments, means for determining the activation or deactivation of at least one of a plurality of subconfigurations may include means for determining the activation or deactivation of at least one of a plurality of subconfigurations based on at least one field in MAC CE, on the basis that the CSI report configuration has an activation status.

[0121] In some embodiments, means for determining the activation or deactivation of at least one of a plurality of subconfigurations may include means for positioning at least one field of the CSI report configuration in MAC CE, and means for determining the activation or deactivation of at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations based on the value of at least one field.

[0122] In some embodiments, the positioning of at least one field may be based on at least one of the following: the activation or deactivation status of multiple CSI report configurations, the number of multiple subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations for at least one of the multiple CSI report configurations, or the index or identity of the CSI report configuration.

[0123] In some embodiments, at least one field may be shared between a CSI report configuration and another of several CSI report configurations.

[0124] In some embodiments, means for positioning at least one field of a CSI report configuration within MAC CE may include means for determining whether to activate or deactivate at least one subconfiguration or set of subconfigurations, based on at least one field and a threshold, such that the number of activated subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations is less than or equal to the threshold.

[0125] In some embodiments, activating or deactivating at least one of a plurality of subconfigurations may indicate that at least one subconfiguration is applicable or inapplicable.

[0126] In some embodiments, one of a plurality of subconfigurations may correspond to or be associated with at least one of the following: spatial pattern, power level, energy level, CSI-reference signal (RS) resource, CSI-RS resource set, resource setting, CSI report configuration, codebook configuration, and CSI trigger state.

[0127] In some embodiments, the CSI report configuration may be for semi-persistent CSI reporting in the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

[0128] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other steps in some embodiments of Method 500. In some embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to cause the apparatus to run using the at least one processor.

[0129] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing Method 600 (e.g., a network device 110) may include means for performing each step of Method 600. These means can be implemented in any preferred form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0130] In some exemplary embodiments, the device includes means for generating a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) in a network device, which includes at least one field of a channel status information (CSI) report configuration, based on the activation or deactivation of at least one of a plurality of subconfigurations of the CSI report configuration, and means for transmitting the MAC CE to a terminal device.

[0131] In some embodiments, at least one field may indicate the index of one subconfiguration or set of subconfigurations to be activated or deactivated from among a plurality of subconfigurations. Furthermore, or alternatively, at least one field may include a bitmap of the plurality of subconfigurations. Each bit in the bitmap indicates the activation or deactivation status of one subconfiguration or set of subconfigurations from among the plurality of subconfigurations. Furthermore, or alternatively, at least one field may indicate the number of subconfigurations to be activated or deactivated from among the plurality of subconfigurations.

[0132] In some embodiments, the size of at least one field may be based on the number of subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations in the CSI report configuration.

[0133] In some embodiments, the MAC CE may further include the activation or deactivation status of multiple CSI report configurations configured on the terminal device. In some embodiments, the activation or deactivation status of multiple CSI report configurations may be contained within at least one octet. Furthermore, or alternatively, at least one field may contain at least one reserved bit of at least one octet. Furthermore, or alternatively, at least one field may contain at least one bit exceeding at least one octet. Furthermore, or alternatively, at least one field may contain at least one additional octet other than at least one octet.

[0134] In some embodiments, the location of at least one field may be based on at least one of the following: the activation or deactivation status of multiple CSI report configurations, the number of multiple subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations for at least one of the multiple CSI report configurations, or the index or identity of the CSI report configuration.

[0135] In some embodiments, at least one field may be shared between a CSI report configuration and another of several CSI report configurations.

[0136] In some embodiments, activating or deactivating at least one of a plurality of subconfigurations may indicate that at least one subconfiguration is applicable or inapplicable.

[0137] In some embodiments, one of a plurality of subconfigurations may correspond to or be associated with at least one of the following: spatial pattern, power level, energy level, CSI-reference signal (RS) resource, CSI-RS resource set, resource setting, CSI report configuration, codebook configuration, or CSI trigger state.

[0138] In some embodiments, the CSI report configuration may be for semi-persistent CSI reporting in the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

[0139] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other steps in some embodiments of Method 600. In some embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to cause the apparatus to run using the at least one processor.

[0140] Figure 7 shows a simplified block diagram of a device 700 suitable for carrying out some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 700 may be provided to carry out a communication device, such as the network device 110 or terminal device 120 shown in Figure 1. As shown, the device 700 includes one or more processors 710, one or more memories 720 coupled to the processors 710, and one or more communication modules 740 coupled to the processors 710.

[0141] The communication module 740 is for bidirectional communication. The communication module 740 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements.

[0142] The processor 710 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may include, in non-limiting examples, one or more of general-purpose computers, dedicated computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and processors based on multicore processor architectures. The device 700 may have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips, which are slave-connected in time to a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0143] Memory 720 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 724, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact discs (CDs), digital video discs (DVDs), and other magnetic and / or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random-access memory (RAM) 722, and other volatile memories that do not persist while the power is off.

[0144] The computer program 730 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 710. The program 730 may be stored in ROM 724. The processor 710 can perform any appropriate operations and processes by loading the program 730 into RAM 722.

[0145] Embodiments of the Disclosure may be implemented by program 730 so that device 700 can perform any process of the Disclosure as described with reference to Figures 3, 5, and 6. Embodiments of the Disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0146] In some exemplary embodiments, the program 730 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium (such as memory 720) that may be contained within device 700, or in other storage devices accessible by device 700. Device 700 may load the program 730 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 722 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile storage device, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc.

[0147] Figure 8 shows a block diagram of an example of a computer-readable medium 600 according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The computer-readable medium 800 stores the program 730. Although the computer-readable medium 800 is depicted in the form of a CD or DVD in Figure 8, it should be noted that the computer-readable medium 800 may be any other form suitable for transporting or holding the program 730.

[0148] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware, dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some embodiments may be implemented in hardware, while others may be implemented by firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Various embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described using block diagrams, flowcharts, or some other graphical descriptions, but it should be understood that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented, in non-limiting examples, in hardware, software, firmware, specialized circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or any combination thereof.

[0149] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium. This computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those contained in a program module and executed on a device on a target real or virtual processor, to perform methods 300, 500, or 600 described above with reference to Figures 3, 5, or 6. Generally, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform a specific task or implement a specific abstract data type. The functionality of program modules can be combined or divided among program modules as desired in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions of a program module may be executed on a local device or on a distributed device. On a distributed device, program modules may reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0150] Program code for performing the methods disclosed herein may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, or other programmable data processing device, and as a result, when the program code is executed by the processor or controller, it will perform the functions / operations defined in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams. The program code may run entirely on the machine, partially on the machine as a standalone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0151] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, and similar entities.

[0152] Computer-readable media may be computer-readable signal media or computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media would include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof. The term “non-temporary” as used herein refers to the limitations of the medium itself (i.e., tangible rather than signaling), not to limitations on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0153] Furthermore, although the operations are shown in a specific order, this should not be interpreted as requiring that such operations be performed in the specific order or sequentially shown, or that all exemplified operations be performed, in order to obtain the desired results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although details of several specific embodiments are included in the above discussion, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination within a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately in multiple embodiments or in any preferred subcombination.

[0154] While this disclosure describes structural features and / or methodological actions in language specific to those features, it should be understood that the disclosure as set forth in the attached claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. At least one processor, At least one memory to store instructions, A terminal device including, where the instruction, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the terminal device to have at least, A media access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) is received, which includes at least one field of a channel status information (CSI) report configuration, and the CSI report configuration includes a plurality of subconfigurations. The terminal device determines whether to activate or deactivate at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations based on at least one field in the MAC CE.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one field indicates an index of one subconfiguration or set of subconfigurations to be activated or deactivated from among the plurality of subconfigurations.

3. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one field includes a bitmap of the plurality of subconfigurations, and one bit in the bitmap indicates the activation or deactivation status of one of the plurality of subconfigurations or a set of subconfigurations.

4. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one field indicates the number of subconfigurations to be activated or deactivated from among the plurality of subconfigurations, and the terminal device determines the activation or deactivation of at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations by determining the index of at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations to be activated or deactivated based on the indicated number and a defined order of the indices of the plurality of subconfigurations.

5. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the size of the at least one field is based on the number of subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations of the CSI report configuration.

6. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the MAC CE further includes activation or deactivation statuses of a plurality of CSI report configurations configured on the terminal device.

7. The activation or deactivation status of the plurality of CSI report configurations is contained in at least one octet, and the at least one field is as follows: The aforementioned at least one reserved bit of the at least one octet, At least one bit exceeding the aforementioned at least one octet, At least one additional octet other than the aforementioned at least one octet, The terminal device according to claim 6, comprising at least one of the following.

8. The terminal device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the terminal device determines to activate or deactivate at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations of the CSI report configuration by determining to deactivate the plurality of subconfigurations of the CSI report configuration based on the determination that the CSI report configuration has an inactive status.

9. The terminal device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the terminal device determines the activation or deactivation of at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations based on the determination that the CSI report configuration has an activation status, by determining the activation or deactivation of at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations based on the at least one field in the MAC CE.

10. The aforementioned terminal device is Positioning at least one field of the CSI report configuration within the MAC CE, Based on the value of the at least one field, determine whether to activate or deactivate at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations, The terminal device according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the activation or deactivation of at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations is determined by the method.

11. The positioning of the at least one field is as follows: The activation or deactivation status of the multiple CSI report configurations, The number of each of the multiple subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations in at least one of the multiple CSI report configurations, or The index or identity of the aforementioned CSI report configuration, The terminal device according to claim 10, which is based on at least one of the following.

12. The terminal device according to any one of claims 6 to 11, wherein at least one of the fields is shared between the CSI report configuration and another one of the plurality of CSI report configurations.

13. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the terminal device determines the activation or deactivation of at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations by determining the activation or deactivation of at least one subconfiguration or set of subconfigurations such that the number of activated subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations is less than or equal to the threshold, based on the at least one field and threshold.

14. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the activation or deactivation of at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations indicates that the at least one subconfiguration is applicable or inapplicable, respectively.

15. One of the aforementioned subconfigurations is as follows: Spatial patterns, Power level, Energy level, CSI - Reference Signal (RS) Resources, CSI-RS resource set, Resource settings, CSI report configuration, Codebook configuration, or CSI trigger state, A terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, which corresponds to or is associated with at least one of the following.

16. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the CSI report configuration is for semi-persistent CSI reporting on a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

17. At least one processor, At least one memory to store instructions, A network device including, where the instruction, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the network device to have at least, A media access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) including at least one field of a channel status information (CSI) report configuration is generated based on the activation or deactivation of at least one of a plurality of subconfigurations of the CSI report configuration. The network device that causes the MAC CE to be transmitted to the terminal device.

18. The network device according to claim 17, wherein the at least one field indicates an index of one subconfiguration or set of subconfigurations to be activated or deactivated from among the plurality of subconfigurations.

19. The network device according to claim 17, wherein the at least one field includes a bitmap of the plurality of subconfigurations, and one bit in the bitmap indicates the activation or deactivation status of one of the plurality of subconfigurations or a set of subconfigurations.

20. The network device according to claim 17, wherein the at least one field indicates the number of subconfigurations to be activated or deactivated from among the plurality of subconfigurations.

21. The network device according to any one of claims 17 to 20, wherein the size of the at least one field is based on the number of subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations of the CSI report configuration.

22. The network device according to any one of claims 17 to 21, wherein the MAC CE further includes activation or deactivation statuses of a plurality of CSI report configurations configured on the terminal device.

23. The activation or deactivation status of the plurality of CSI report configurations is contained in at least one octet, and the at least one field is as follows: The aforementioned at least one reserved bit of the at least one octet, At least one bit exceeding the aforementioned at least one octet, At least one additional octet other than the aforementioned at least one octet, A network device according to any one of claims 17 to 22, comprising at least one of the following.

24. The location of the at least one field within the MAC CE is as follows: The activation or deactivation status of the multiple CSI report configurations, The number of each of the multiple subconfigurations or sets of subconfigurations in at least one of the multiple CSI report configurations, or The index or identity of the aforementioned CSI report configuration, The network device according to claim 23, which is based on at least one of the following.

25. The network device according to any one of claims 22 to 24, wherein at least one of the fields is shared between the CSI report configuration and another one of the plurality of CSI report configurations.

26. One of the aforementioned subconfigurations is as follows: Spatial patterns, Power level, Energy level, CSI - Reference Signal (RS) Resources, CSI-RS resource set, Resource settings, CSI report configuration, Codebook configuration, or CSI trigger state, A network device according to any one of claims 17 to 25, which corresponds to or is associated with at least one of the following.

27. The network device according to any one of claims 17 to 26, wherein the CSI report configuration is for semi-persistent CSI reporting on a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

28. In a terminal device, receiving a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) which includes at least one field of a channel status information (CSI) report configuration, wherein the CSI report configuration includes a plurality of subconfigurations, Based on at least one of the MAC CE fields, determine whether to activate or deactivate at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations. Methods that include...

29. In a network device, a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) including at least one field of a channel status information (CSI) report configuration is generated based on the activation or deactivation of at least one of a plurality of subconfigurations of the CSI report configuration, The above MAC CE is transmitted to the terminal device, Methods that include...

30. A means for receiving a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) in a terminal device, wherein the CSI report configuration includes at least one field of the CSI report configuration, and the means includes a plurality of subconfigurations. Means for determining the activation or deactivation of at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations based at least on the at least one field in the MAC CE, A device including a device.

31. A network device comprising means for generating a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) including at least one field of a channel status information (CSI) report configuration based on the activation or deactivation of at least one of a plurality of subconfigurations of the CSI report configuration, Means for transmitting the MAC CE to a terminal device, A device including a device.

32. A non-temporary computer-readable medium containing program instructions, wherein, when executed by the device, the device contains at least: In a terminal device, receiving a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) which includes at least one field of a channel status information (CSI) report configuration, wherein the CSI report configuration includes a plurality of subconfigurations, Based on at least one of the MAC CE fields, determine whether to activate or deactivate at least one of the plurality of subconfigurations. The non-temporary computer-readable medium that causes the execution of the above.

33. A non-temporary computer-readable medium containing program instructions, wherein, when executed by the device, the device contains at least: In a network device, a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) including at least one field of a channel status information (CSI) report configuration is generated based on the activation or deactivation of at least one of a plurality of subconfigurations of the CSI report configuration, The above MAC CE is transmitted to the terminal device, The non-temporary computer-readable medium that causes the execution of the above.

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