Beam Management Extension for FR2 with V-POL / H-POL Virtualization

Abstract

Various systems and methods disclosed herein describe improvements for beam management that leverage virtualization across vertical polarization (V-Pol) and horizontal polarization (H-Pol). One or more of a user equipment (UE) and a base station may include an antenna array including V-Pol and H-Pol antenna elements. The UE may determine the number of receive (Rx) beams required for Rx beam sweeping, signal this number to the base station, and perform beam sweeping according to one or both of the V-Pol and H-Pol. The UE may use group-based beam reporting to indicate to the base station transmit (Tx) beams capable of supporting downlink MIMO using V-Pol and H-Pol by reporting the same transmit configuration indication (TCI) corresponding to the Tx beam for both the first Rx beam and the second Rx beam in a group-based beam report message.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application relates generally to wireless communication systems, including systems and methods that use virtualization across horizontal and vertical polarizations. [Background technology]

[0002] Wireless mobile communication technologies use various standards and protocols to transmit data between base stations and wireless mobile devices. Standards and protocols for wireless communication systems can include the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G) or New Radio (NR) (e.g., 5G), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics, Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standard, commonly known to industry groups as worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), and the IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless local area networks (WLANs), commonly known to industry groups as Wi-Fi. In a 3GPP radio access network (RAN) of an LTE system, a base station may include a RAN node, such as an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly referred to as evolved Node B, enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB) and / or an E-UTRAN Radio Network Controller (RNC), which communicates with wireless communication devices known as user equipment (UE). In a fifth generation (5G) wireless RAN, the RAN node may include a 5G node, an NR node (also referred to as next-generation Node B, or gNode B (gNB)).

[0003] The RAN communicates between the RAN nodes and the UEs using radio access technologies (RATs). The RANs may include global system for mobile communications (GSM), enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), and / or E-UTRAN, which provide access to communication services via a core network. Each of the RANs operates according to a particular 3GPP RAT. For example, the GERAN implements the GSM and / or EDGE RATs, the UTRAN implements the universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) RAT or other 3GPP RATs, the E-UTRAN implements the LTE RAT, and the NG-RAN implements the 5G RAT. In certain deployments, the E-UTRAN may also implement the 5G RAT.

[0004] The 5G NR frequency band can be divided into two different frequency ranges. Frequency Range 1 (FR1) includes sub-6 GHz frequency bands, some of which may be used by previous standards, but which may be extended to cover potential new frequency bands offering 410 MHz to 7125 MHz. Frequency Range 2 (FR2) includes the 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz frequency bands. The FR2 mmWave range bands have a shorter range than the FR1 bands, but the available bandwidth is higher. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that these frequency ranges, provided as examples, may vary from time to time or from region to region. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0005] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an antenna panel configured for V-Pol and H-Pol communications, according to one embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 illustrates an NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element according to one embodiment. [Diagram 3] 1 illustrates a method of wireless communication by a user equipment according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates a table corresponding to pairs of report sets provided by a UE during group-based beam reporting according to one embodiment. [Diagram 5] 1 illustrates a method according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 illustrates a method according to one embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 illustrates a UE according to one embodiment. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates a network node according to one embodiment. [Figure 9] 1 illustrates an exemplary service-based architecture, in accordance with certain embodiments. [Figure 10] 1 illustrates a system according to one embodiment. [Figure 11] 1 illustrates components according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0006] Beam management on both the UE and base station sides is a useful consideration in NR systems. Such considerations may be particularly salient in FR2 where beamforming may be required in some cases. Beam management considerations may include one or more of beam measurement, beam reporting, beam configuration (and associated indications), and beam failure recovery. Beam measurement, beam configuration (with associated indications), and beam failure recovery may be primarily base station driven, while beam reporting may be primarily UE driven.

[0007] During beam reporting by a UE, the UE may report information regarding one or more beams to the base station. It is recognized that NR supports periodic, aperiodic, and / or semi-persistent reference signals, periodic, aperiodic, and / or semi-persistent beam reporting, and group-based and non-group-based beam reporting. NR further supports the use of one or more beam index / transmission configuration indications (TCI) (e.g., synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB) resource indicator (SSBRI) and / or channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource indicator (CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI)) and corresponding reference signal received power (RSRP) information, reference signal received quality (RSRQ) information, and / or signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) level(s) to the base station in beam reporting.

[0008] In group-based beam reporting, the UE reports the quality of G groups of beams, and in each group, K beams are reported. Beams within a group may be received simultaneously, or beams across groups may be received simultaneously. In some aspects, Layer 1 (L1)-RSRQ / L1-SINR can be reported in either non-group-based beam reporting or group-based beam reporting, or both. In one option, the UE reports L1-RSRQ / L1-SINR for each of the beams. In another aspect, the UE reports L1-RSRQ / L1-SINR of the X best beam(s) and differential L1-RSRQ / L1-RSRP of the other beams, where X may be fixed, e.g., 1, for non-group-based beam reporting, and X may be equal to 1 or the number of groups or the number of beams in a group for group-based beam reporting. In some aspects, if X>1 for group-based beam reporting, the differential L1-RSRQ / L1-SINR may be based on a reference beam in the same group or the same index in the group.

[0009] Considering the fact that beam measurements, beam configurations (and related indications), and beam failure recovery may be primarily base station driven, it can be fairly said that beam management may be primarily base station driven. However, it has been observed that under the above conditions, the base station may not (at least initially) have complete information regarding UE radio frequency (RF) and / or UE codebook information useful for efficiently performing beam management.

[0010] In practice, considerations in the UE may make it desirable to implement more advanced beam management processes (and / or improvements to the beam management processes) than those described above. These more advanced / improved processes may enable the UE to have a greater influence over beam management than these conventional systems.

[0011] It has been observed that beam management can be improved by leveraging one or more of the following: use of hybrid analog and digital beamforming, use of dynamic codebook size, use of virtualization across vertical polarization (V-Pol) and horizontal polarization (H-Pol), and use of dynamic antenna element activation and deactivation. Described herein are extensions to various beam management procedures (e.g., receive (Rx) beam sweeping extensions and group-based beam reporting extensions to support downlink (DL) multiple input multiple output (MIMO)) that leverage considerations from one or more of these.

[0012] Some embodiments disclosed herein relate specifically to V-Pol and H-Pol considerations, for example. FIG. 1 illustrates an antenna panel 102 configured for V-Pol and H-Pol communications, according to one embodiment. The antenna panel 102 may include one or more V-Pol antenna elements 104 and one or more H-Pol antenna elements 106. The V-Pol antenna elements 104 and the H-Pol antenna elements 106 may be configured orthogonal to one another. Thus, when data is transmitted using one or more of the V-Pol antenna elements 104, the electric field so generated will be orthogonal to the electric field generated when data is transmitted using one or more of the H-Pol antenna elements 106. The antenna panel 102 (or similar with a different number of elements) may be found in either or both of the UE and the base station in the systems and methods described below. Data transmitted / received on the V-Pol antenna element 104 is said to be transmitted / received using V-Pol, and data transmitted / received on the H-Pol antenna element 106 is said to be transmitted / received using H-Pol.

[0013] The UE may implement and perform beam sweeping across one or more of its Rx beams (at least in part) according to a configuration provided to the UE by the base station. One way in which the base station may communicate said configuration to the UE is through the use of a "non zero power (NZP)-CSI-RS-ResourceSet" information element. FIG. 2 illustrates an NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element 200, according to one embodiment. As shown, the NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element 200 may include a sequence of CSI-RS resources 202 to be transmitted by the base station. As shown, the sequence of CSI-RS resources 202 may include an indication of a maximum number of CSI-RS resources 204 in the sequence of CSI-RS resources 202 (e.g., "maxNrofNZP-CSI-RS-ResourcesPerSet" of the NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element 200).

[0014] The NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element 200 may further include a repetition parameter 206. The repetition parameter 206 may be associated with a sequence of CSI-RS resources 202 and may define whether the UE may assume that the CSI-RS resources in the sequence of CSI-RS resources 202 are transmitted with the same downlink (DL) spatial domain transmit filter (e.g., on the same transmit (Tx) beam). By setting the repetition parameter 206 to "on", the NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element 200 indicates to the UE that the base station transmits the CSI-RS of the sequence of CSI-RS resources 202 on the same Tx beam of the base station. The Tx beam of the base station may have been previously determined (e.g., using Tx beam sweeping at the base station). Then, transmitting some or all of the sequence of CSI-RS resources 202 on the same base station Tx beam may enable the UE to perform Rx beam sweeping, which is useful for determining the best UE Rx beam. The best Rx beam may be determined to be the Rx beam having the best reception, assuming that the current Tx beam will continue to be used in future base stations, and may be determined according to the RSRP and / or SINR corresponding to each of the Rx beams.

[0015] The UE may be able to signal to the base station its preferred number of beams to use for Rx beam sweeping at the UE. This signaling may be accomplished by sending a "maxNumberRxBeam" parameter to the base station indicating the preferred number of Rx beams the UE uses for beam sweeping. The preferred number of Rx beams may be based on (and may change based on changes to) a preferred UE data rate and / or a preferred UE power usage. For example, if an application running on the UE requires a high data rate, the UE may determine that a narrow, precisely selected beam is needed to meet the data rate requirement. Thus, the UE may signal a greater number of Rx beams to use for Rx beam sweeping so that the UE can test a large number of relatively narrow, precise beams during Rx beam sweeping. On the other hand, the UE may determine that reducing power usage should be the guiding consideration for Rx beam sweeping. In this case, the UE can signal a relatively small number of Rx beams for Rx beam sweeping, so that the UE can more quickly determine which beam to use (which may be wider and less accurate than the beam selected according to Rx beam sweeping using a relatively larger number of beams).

[0016] To provide transmissions from the base station side for Rx beam sweeping, the base station may then use the fixed Tx beam to individually transmit one or more of the CSI-RS of the sequence of CSI-RS resources 202 for a total number of transmissions equal to the preferred number of Rx beams indicated to the base station by the UE (allowing one such transmission for each Rx beam that the UE sweeps).

[0017] As shown, the sequence of CSI-RS resources 202 may include up to "maxNrofNZP-CSI-RS-ResourcesPerSet" number of CSI-RS resources. In some network configurations, this value may be as large as 64. Thus, in the case of Rx beam sweeping under discussion, it is contemplated that the base station may be able to provide transmission of up to 64 CSI-RS on the same Tx beam. It is also understood that a large number of antenna elements (and a corresponding large codebook for use in forming beams with those antenna elements) may be included in the UE, thereby enabling the UE to use up to a large number of beams (e.g., up to 64 beams in some cases). Thus, it is desirable for the UE to be able to signal (e.g., via the "maxNumberRxBeam" parameter discussed above) an amount of a preferred number of Rx beams greater than 8 (which may be a limitation due to some network configurations) up to, for example, 64. As a specific (non-limiting) example, it is anticipated that the UE may signal a number selected from the set (or any subset thereof) of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, and 64 as the preferred number of Rx beams. Other values ​​between 2 and 64 not listed here are also contemplated. Values ​​greater than 64 are also contemplated (assuming compatibility at the base station side).

[0018] It may be beneficial to allow the UE to dynamically determine (e.g., change) a preferred number of Rx beams to use for Rx beam sweeping at the UE under certain conditions. For example, a UE currently using one number of beams for Rx beam sweeping may dynamically determine (e.g., based on a preferred data rate of a changed application, a changed signal condition, and / or a changed preferred power usage at the UE) that a different beam sweep (of a different number of Rx beams) should be performed to identify a different Rx beam (e.g., a narrower or wider beam determined according to a different number of preferred Rx beams) that is more compatible with the new situation (or to change the power usage and / or time associated with future Rx beam sweeping with the new configuration). Thus, the new preferred number of Rx beams may be indicated to the base station to enable the base station to provide CSI-RS transmissions according to the new preferred number of Rx beams in the indicated amount for the new Rx beam sweeping.

[0019] In some cases, the new preferred number of Rx beams for Rx beam sweeping can be indicated to the base station as part of the MAC-CE, Layer 1 (L1) measurement report, and / or Layer 3 (L3) measurement report. This new preferred number of Rx beams can be indicated using the "maxNumberRxBeam" parameter in the manner described above.

[0020] In some embodiments, the UE may have previously provided the base station with a list of preferred numbers of Rx beams that the UE can potentially use. This list may be a subset of possible values ​​(e.g., a subset of values ​​discussed above) that the UE may be able to indicate to the UE as the preferred number of Rx beams. The UE may then signal one or more of the preferred numbers of Rx beams that are on this pre-transmitted list. Use of such a list may reduce the complexity of the response at the base station to a new number of preferred numbers of Rx beams. For example, if the pre-transmitted list indicates that the UE may potentially indicate to the base station one of 4, 16, and 64 as the preferred number of Rx beams to use for Rx beam sweeping, the base station only needs to consider changes to its process (as described above) in relation to these indicated potential preferred numbers of Rx beams (instead of the full set of possibilities, which may range anywhere from 2 to 64 (or more), in some embodiments described above). This reduction in complexity at the base station may be particularly useful when the base station is, for example, serving a large number of beamforming UEs simultaneously.

[0021] It has further been determined that the above-mentioned flexibility with the preferred number of Rx beams for beam sweeping performed at the UE may be applicable when the UE and the base station are capable of communicating using one or more of the V-Pol and the H-Pol. Due to the orthogonality between the V-Pol and the H-Pol, it may be possible to effectively perform Rx beam sweeping on the V-Pol using the V-Pol antenna element 104 at the same time that beam sweeping is performed on the H-Pol using the H-Pol antenna element 106.

[0022] In one possible application of beam sweeping by polarization, the UE signals to the base station the number of CSI-RS resources required to support reception of a unique CSI-RS on V-Pol, one of H-Pol, or both V-Pol and H-Pol. For example, to perform beam sweeping with 16 beams on only one of V-Pol and H-Pol, the UE may signal "maxNumberRxBeam" equal to 16. To perform beam sweeping with 16 beams on each of V-Pol and H-Pol, the UE may instead signal "maxNumberRxBeam" equal to 32 (since the base station provides 32 CSI-RS corresponding to "maxNumberRxBeam" equal to 32, the UE sweeps 16 beams on one polarization and 16 beams on the other polarization).

[0023] In another possible application of beam sweeping by polarity, the CSI-RS of a first NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element 200 may transmit on the base station's V-Pol antenna element 104 and be received at the UE's V-Pol antenna element 104 at the same time that the CSI-RS of a second NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element 200 is transmitted by the base station's H-Pol antenna element 106 and received at the UE's H-Pol antenna element 106. Thus, the first NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element and the second NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element may include the same number of CSI-RS to achieve this.

[0024] In this case, the first NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element and the second NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element may, if applicable, share the same quasi-colocation (QCL), such as QCL-Type A and / or QCL-Type D. This may mean, among other things, that the Tx beam used by the base station to transmit CSI-RS according to the first NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element on the V-Pol is the same as the Tx beam used by the base station to simultaneously transmit CSI-RS according to the second NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet information element on the H-Pol.

[0025] The UE may then perform its Rx beam sweep through each of its Rx beams on both V-Pol and H-Pol. For example, the UE may receive CSI-RS from the first NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet on Rx beam 0 according to V-Pol at the same time as receiving CSI-RS from the second NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet on Rx beam 0 according to H-Pol. The UE may then proceed to receive the second CSI-RS from the first NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet on Rx beam 1 according to V-Pol at the same time as receiving the second CSI-RS from the second NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet on Rx beam 1 according to H-Pol. This process may proceed through the total number of Rx beams of the beam sweep. In this manner, the UE may determine, for example, the quality of each of the Rx beams on each of V-Pol and H-Pol.

[0026] The UE can then be configured to indicate whether the base station should use V-Pol (and corresponding CSI-RS), H-Pol (and corresponding CSI-RS), or V-Pol and H-Pol (and corresponding CSI-RS on both V-Pol and H-Pol). To achieve this indication, the UE can indicate to the UE whether one or two NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSets should be used. If the UE indicates the use of one NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet, the base station can accordingly transmit only the CSI-RS of one NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet on one of the V-Pol and H-Pol. If the UE indicates the use of two NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSets, the base station can accordingly transmit the CSI-RS of each of the two NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSets on one of each of the V-Pol and H-Pol, as described above.

[0027] The UE may base its decision on whether to use one or two NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSets on the relative strengths of V-Pol and H-Pol at its current location. These strengths may be determined, for example, based on the SINR and / or RSRP of a signal received using V-Pol compared to the SINR and / or RSRP of a signal received using H-Pol. If these strengths are similar, the UE may indicate the use of two NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSets for Rx beam sweeping. If these strengths are not similar and / or one of the polarizations has insufficient strength, the UE may indicate the use of one NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet for Rx beam sweeping. If the use of one NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet is indicated, the use of V-Pol as opposed to H-Pol (or vice versa) may be based on a report from the UE to the base station of the stronger of V-Pol and H-Pol, or may alternatively be predetermined.

[0028] The particular method of the UE's indication of whether to use one or two NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSets may depend on the type of CSI-RS used for the NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet(s). If periodic CSI-RS (P-CSI-RS) is used, the UE may indicate whether to configure or release one or more NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSets via RRC message(s). If semi-persistent CSI-RS (SP-CSI-RS) is used, the UE may indicate whether to activate or deactivate one or more NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSets via MAC-CE(s). When aperiodic CSI-RS (AP-CSI-RS) is used, the UE may indicate whether one or two NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSets are triggered via uplink control information (UCI).

[0029] 3 illustrates a method 300 of wireless communication by a user equipment according to one embodiment. The method 300 includes determining 302 that one or more of a current UE data rate and a current UE power usage are different from a preferred UE data rate and a preferred UE power usage, respectively.

[0030] The method 300 further includes dynamically determining 304 a preferred number of receive (Rx) beams to use for Rx beam sweeping at the UE based on one or more of a preferred data rate and a preferred power usage, the preferred number of Rx beams being greater than eight.

[0031] The method 300 further includes signaling 306 the preferred number of Rx beams to the base station.

[0032] The method 300 further includes signaling 308 to the base station that the UE is configured to perform Rx beam sweeping using one of vertical polarization, horizontal polarization, and both horizontal and vertical polarization.

[0033] The UE may implement and perform group-based beam reporting. During group-based beam reporting, first and second transmission configuration indicators (TCIs) may be indicated within a single report set. Examples of TCIs may include an SSB resource indicator (SSBRI) and a CSI-RS resource indicator (CRIS).

[0034] One or more single report sets of group-based beam reporting can be used to support virtualization of V-Pol and H-Pol in DL MIMO context. In one embodiment, the UE is configured (whether by itself or by the base station) for group-based beam reporting. The UE determines that a Tx beam from the base station can be received at the UE on both V-Pol and H-Pol based on the strength of the polarization (e.g., by the SINR and / or RSRP of a signal received from a Tx beam using an Rx beam on V-Pol and the SINR and / or RSRP of a signal received from a Tx beam using an Rx beam on H-Pol). This determination can be based on the individual strength of each polarization and / or the relative strength of the polarization. Once the UE determines that a Tx beam from the base station can be received at the UE on both V-Pol and H-Pol, the UE can prepare a group-based beam report message including a report set using a TCI corresponding to the same Tx beam for each of the first and second TCIs of the report set.

[0035] FIG. 4 illustrates a table 400 corresponding to a pair of report sets provided by a UE during group-based beam reporting, according to one embodiment. Table 400 includes a first report set 402 (e.g., the first row of table 400). As illustrated, the first report set 402 indicates SSBRI_0 (or, alternatively, CRI_0) as each of its first and second TCIs. This means that the UE has been able to measure the SSB (or, alternatively, CSI-RS) of a Tx beam with index 0 on both V-Pol and H-Pol, as described above. Furthermore, the second report set 404 indicates SSBRI_3 (or, alternatively, CRI_3) as each of its first and second TCIs. This means that the UE has been able to measure the SSB (or, alternatively, CSI-RS) of a Tx beam with index 3 on both V-Pol and H-Pol, as described above.

[0036] A base station receiving a group-based beam report message including one or more of the report sets having TCIs corresponding to the same Tx beam for both the first and second TCIs can be configured to implicitly understand that this means that the UE can receive Tx beams on both V-Pol and H-Pol. Thus, the base station can understand that it is then free to schedule two-layer DL MIMO for the UE using the Tx beam corresponding to the TCI.

[0037] It is contemplated that for TCI codepoints that include two TCI states, similar inferences may be provided by the UE and made by the base station. In this case, the US may report the two TCI states from the TCI codepoint as each of the first and second TCIs in the report set. For example, each of the SSBRI or CRI in each TCI state may be reported as one of the first and second TCIs in the report set. Two-layer DL MIMO may be scheduled using a TCI codepoint that includes two TCI states.

[0038] 5 illustrates a UE method 500 according to one embodiment. The method 500 includes configuring 502 the UE for group-based beam reporting to report received quality on a first Rx beam and a second Rx beam of a group of beams.

[0039] The method 500 further includes determining 504 that a Tx beam from the base station can be received at the UE using both a horizontally polarized antenna and a vertically polarized antenna.

[0040] The method 500 further includes generating 506 a group-based beam report message for transmission to a base station, the group-based beam report message including TCI corresponding to the Tx beam for both the first Rx beam and the second Rx beam to indicate that the transmit beam can be received using both horizontally polarized and vertically polarized antennas.

[0041] 6 illustrates a base station method 600 according to one embodiment. The method 600 includes configuring 602 a UE for group-based beam reporting to report received quality on a first Rx beam and a second Rx beam of a group of beams.

[0042] The method 600 further includes processing 604 a group-based beam report message from the UE, the group-based beam report message including a TCI corresponding to the same Tx beam for both the first beam and the second beam indicating that the Tx beam can be received at the UE using both horizontally polarized and vertically polarized antennas.

[0043] 700 further includes scheduling 606 two-layer downlink (DL) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) reception at the UE using the TCI in response to the group-based beam report message from the UE.

[0044] 7 is a block diagram of an example UE 700 configurable in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, including execution of instructions on a computer-readable medium corresponding to any of the example methods and / or procedures described herein. The UE 700 comprises one or more processors 702, a transceiver 704, a memory 706, a user interface 708, and a control interface 710.

[0045] The one or more processors 702 may include, for example, an application processor, a voice digital signal processor, a central processing unit, and / or one or more baseband processors. Each of the one or more processors 702 may include an internal memory and / or an interface(s) for communicating with an external memory (including the memory 706). The internal or external memory may store software codes, programs, and / or instructions executed by the one or more processors 702 to configure and / or facilitate the UE 700 to perform various operations, including those described herein. For example, execution of the instructions may configure the UE 700 to communicate using one or more wired or wireless communication protocols, including one or more wireless communication protocols standardized by 3GPP, such as those known as 5G / NR, LTE, LTE-A, UMTS, HSPA, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, etc., or any other current or future protocols that may be utilized in conjunction with the one or more transceivers 704, user interface 708, and / or control interface 710. As another example, the one or more processors 702 may execute program code stored in the memory 706 or other memory that corresponds to MAC, RLC, PDCP, and RRC layer protocols standardized by 3GPP (e.g., for NR and / or LTE). As a further example, the processor 702, in conjunction with the one or more transceivers 704, can execute program code stored in the memory 706 or other memory that implements corresponding PHY layer protocols, such as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), and Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA).

[0046] The memory 706 may include memory areas for one or more processors 702 to store variables used for protocols, configurations, control, and other functions of the UE 700, including operations corresponding to or including any of the example methods and / or procedures described herein. Additionally, the memory 706 may include non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory), volatile memory (e.g., static RAM or dynamic RAM), or a combination thereof. Additionally, the memory 706 may interface with a memory slot into which one or more formats of removable memory cards (e.g., SD cards, memory sticks, compact flash, etc.) may be inserted and removed.

[0047] The one or more transceivers 704 may include radio frequency transmitter and / or receiver circuitry that facilitates the UE 700 to communicate with other devices supporting wireless communication standards and / or protocols, etc. For example, the one or more transceivers 704 may include switches, mixer circuits, amplifier circuits, filter circuits, and combiner circuits. Such RF circuitry may include a receive signal path having circuitry for downconverting RF signals received from a front-end module (FEM) and providing baseband signals to a baseband processor of the one or more processors 702. The RF circuitry may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry for upconverting baseband signals provided by the baseband processor and providing an RF output signal to the FEM for transmission. The FEM may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to the RF circuitry for further processing. The FEM may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF circuitry for transmission by one or more antennas. In various embodiments, amplification through the transmit or receive signal paths may occur in the RF circuitry only, in the FEM circuitry only, or in both the RF and FEM circuits. In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry may include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit and receive modes of operation.

[0048] In some demonstrative embodiments, the one or more transceivers 704 include transmitters and receivers that enable the UE 700 to communicate with various 5G / NR networks in accordance with various protocols and / or methods proposed for standardization by 3GPP and / or other standards bodies. For example, such functionality may operate cooperatively with the one or more processors 702 to implement a PHY layer based on OFDM, OFDMA, and / or SC-FDMA techniques as described herein with respect to other figures.

[0049] The user interface 708 may take various forms or may not be present in the UE 700 depending on the particular embodiment. In some embodiments, the user interface 708 has a microphone, a loudspeaker, a slidable button, a depressible button, a display, a touch screen display, a mechanical or virtual keypad, a mechanical or virtual keyboard, and / or any other user interface features commonly found on a mobile phone. In other embodiments, the UE 700 may include a tablet computing device with a larger touch screen display. In such an embodiment, one or more of the mechanical features of the user interface 708 may be replaced by an equivalent or functionally equivalent virtual user interface feature (e.g., a virtual keypad, virtual buttons, etc.) implemented with a touch screen display, as is well known to those skilled in the art. In other embodiments, the UE 700 may be a digital computing device, such as a laptop computer, desktop computer, workstation, etc., with a mechanical keyboard that may be integrated, separate, or removable depending on the particular exemplary embodiment. Such a digital computing device may also include a touch screen display. Many exemplary embodiments of a UE 700 having a touch screen display can receive user input, such as input related to the exemplary methods and / or procedures described herein or known to one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0050] In some example embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE 700 may include an orientation sensor that may be used in a variety of ways depending on the features and capabilities of the UE 700. For example, the UE 700 may use the output of the orientation sensor to determine when a user changes the physical orientation of the UE 700's touch screen display. An indication signal from the orientation sensor may be available to any application program running on the UE 700, such that the application program may automatically change the orientation of the screen display (e.g., from portrait to landscape) when the indication signal indicates an approximately 90 degree change in the device's physical orientation. In this manner, the application program may maintain the screen display in a manner that is readable by the user regardless of the device's physical orientation. Additionally, the output of the orientation sensor may be used with various example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0051] The control interface 710 can take a variety of forms depending on the particular embodiment. For example, the control interface 710 can be an RS-232 interface, an RS-485 interface, a USB interface, an HDMI interface, a Bluetooth interface, an IEEE ("Firewire") interface, an I 2 C interface, PCMCIA interface, etc. In some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the control interface 1260 may include an IEEE 802.3 Ethernet interface as described above. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control interface 710 may include analog interface circuitry including, for example, one or more digital-to-analog (D / A) and / or analog-to-digital (A / D) converters.

[0052] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above list of features, interfaces, and radio frequency communication standards are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, the UE 700 may include more functionality than that shown in FIG. 7, including, for example, a video and / or still image camera, a microphone, a media player and / or recorder, etc. Additionally, the one or more transceivers 704 may include communication circuitry using additional radio frequency communication standards, including Bluetooth, GPS, and / or others. Additionally, the one or more processors 702 may execute software code stored in the memory 706 to control such additional functionality. For example, the direction speed and / or position estimate output from the GPS receiver may be available to any application program executing on the UE 700, including various exemplary methods and / or computer readable media according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0053] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an example network node 800 configurable in accordance with various embodiments of the disclosure, including execution of instructions on a computer-readable medium corresponding to any of the example methods and / or procedures described herein.

[0054] The network node 800 includes one or more processors 802, a radio network interface 804, a memory 806, a core network interface 808, and other interfaces 810. The network node 800 may include, for example, a base station, an eNB, a gNB, an access node, or components thereof.

[0055] The one or more processors 802 may include any type of processor or processing circuitry and may be configured to perform one of the methods or procedures disclosed herein. The memory 806 may store software codes, programs, and / or instructions executed by the one or more processors 802 to configure the network node 800 to perform various operations, including those described herein. For example, execution of such stored instructions may configure the network node 800 to communicate with one or more other devices using a protocol according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, including one or more of the methods and / or procedures described above. Furthermore, execution of such stored instructions may also configure and / or facilitate the network node 800 to communicate with one or more other devices using other protocols or protocol layers, such as one or more of the PHY layer protocol, MAC layer protocol, RLC layer protocol, PDCP layer protocol, and RRC layer protocol standardized by 3GPP for LTE, LTE-A, and / or NR, or any other higher layer protocol utilized in combination with the radio network interface 804 and the core network interface 808. By way of example, and not limitation, the core network interface 808 may include an S1 interface and the radio network interface 804 may include a Uu interface standardized by 3GPP. The memory 806 may also store variables used for protocols, configuration, control, and other functions of the network node 800. Thus, the memory 806 may include non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory, hard disk, etc.), volatile memory (e.g., static RAM or dynamic RAM), network-based (e.g., "cloud") storage, or a combination thereof.

[0056] The radio network interface 804 may include transmitters, receivers, signal processors, ASICs, antennas, beam forming units, and other circuitry that enables the network node 800 to communicate with other devices, such as, in some embodiments, multiple compatible user equipment (UE). In some embodiments, the network node 800 may include various protocols or protocol layers, such as PHY layer protocols, MAC layer protocols, RLC layer protocols, PDCP layer protocols, and RRC layer protocols standardized by 3GPP for LTE, LTE-A, and / or 5G / NR. According to further embodiments of the present disclosure, the radio network interface 804 may include a PHY layer based on OFDM, OFDMA, and / or SC-FDMA technologies. In some embodiments, the functionality of such a PHY layer may be provided cooperatively by the radio network interface 804 and one or more processors 802.

[0057] The core network interface 808 may include transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry that enable the network node 800 to communicate with other equipment in a core network, such as, in some embodiments, a circuit-switched (CS) and / or packet-switched Core (PS) network. In some embodiments, the core network interface 808 may include an S1 interface standardized by 3GPP. In some embodiments, the core network interface 808 may include one or more interfaces to one or more SGWs, MMEs, SGSNs, GGSNs, and other physical devices, including functions found in GERAN, UTRAN, E-UTRAN, and CDMA2000 core networks known to those skilled in the art. In some embodiments, these one or more interfaces may be multiplexed together on a single physical interface. In some embodiments, the lower layers of the core network interface 808 may include one or more of asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), Internet Protocol (IP) over Ethernet, SDH over fiber optics, T1 / E1 / PDH over copper wire, microwave radio, or other wired or wireless transmission technologies known to those skilled in the art.

[0058] Other interfaces 810 may include transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry that enables network node 800 to communicate with external networks, computers, databases, etc., for purposes of operation, management, and maintenance of network node 800 or other network equipment operatively connected thereto.

[0059] Exemplary System Architecture

[0060] In certain embodiments, the 5G system architecture supports data connectivity and services that are deployable using technologies such as network function virtualization and software defined networks. The 5G system architecture can leverage service-based interactions between control plane network functions. Separating user plane functions from control plane functions allows for independent scalability, evolution, and flexible deployment (e.g., centralized or distributed (remote) deployment). Modularized function design allows for reuse of functions, enabling flexible and efficient network slicing. A network function and its network function services can interact directly or indirectly with another NF and its network function services via a service communication proxy. Another intermediate function can assist in routing of control plane messages. The architecture minimizes dependencies between the AN and the CN. The architecture can include a converged core network with a common AN-CN interface that integrates different access types (e.g., 3GPP access and non-3GPP access). The architecture also supports a unified authentication framework, stateless NFs where computational resources are separated from storage resources, functionality exposure, simultaneous access to local and centralized services (to support low latency services and access to local data networks, user plane functions may be deployed in close proximity to the AN), and / or roaming for both home routed traffic and local breakout traffic within visited PLMNs.

[0061] The 5G architecture may be defined as service-based, and interactions between network functions may include service-based representations, where network functions in the control plane (e.g., AMF) allow other authorized network functions to access their services. The service-based representations may also include point-to-point reference points. The reference point representations may also be used to indicate interactions between NF services in network functions described by a point-to-point reference point (e.g., N11) between any two network functions (e.g., AMF and SMF).

[0062] FIG. 9 illustrates a service-based architecture 900 in 5GS according to one embodiment. As described in 3GPP TS 23.501, the service-based architecture 900 includes NFs such as NSSF 908, NEF 910, NRF 914, PCF 912, UDM 926, AUSF 918, AMF 920, and SMF 922 to communicate with UE 916, (R)AN 906, UPF 902, and DN 904. NFs and NF services can communicate directly, referred to as direct communication, or indirectly via SCP 924, referred to as indirect communication. FIG. 9 also illustrates corresponding service-based interfaces, including Nutm, Naf, Nudm, Npcf, Nsmf, Nnrf, Namf, Nnef, Nnssf, and Nausf, and reference points N1, N2, N3, N4, and N6. Some exemplary functions provided by the NFs illustrated in FIG. 9 are described below.

[0063] The NSSF 908 supports functions such as selecting a set of network slice instances to serve the UE, determining an allowed NSSAI and mapping it to a subscribed S-NSSAI, if necessary, determining a configured NSSAI and mapping it to a subscribed S-NSSAI, if necessary, and / or determining an AMF set to be used to serve the UE, or determining a list of candidate AMF(s) based on the configuration, possibly by querying the NRF.

[0064] The NEF 910 supports publishing of functions and events. NF functions and events can be securely published by the NEF 910 (e.g., for third parties, application functions, and / or edge computing). The NEF 910 can store / retrieve information as structured data using a standardized interface (Nudr) to the UDR. The NEF 910 can also protect the provision of information from external applications to the 3GPP network and provide application functions to securely provide information (e.g., expected UE behavior, 5G LAN group information, and service specific information) to the 3GPP network, where the NEF 910 can authenticate, authorize, and assist in the coordination of application functions. The NEF 910 can provide internal-external information translation by translating between information exchanged with the AF 928 and information exchanged with internal network functions. For example, the NEF 910 translates between AF service identifiers and internal 5G core information such as DNN and S-NSSAI. The NEF 910 can handle masking of network and user sensitive information to external AFs according to network policies. The NEF 910 can receive information from other network functions (based on their published capabilities) and store the received information in the UDR as structured data with standardized interfaces. The stored information can be accessed by the NEF 910 and republished to other network and application functions and used for other purposes such as analysis. For external publication of services related to a particular UE(s), the NEF 910 can be present in the HPLMN. Depending on the operator's agreement, the NEF 910 in the HPLMN can have an interface(s) with the NF(s) in the VPLMN. If the UE is capable of switching between EPC and 5GC, the SCEF+NEF can be used for service publication.

[0065] The NRF 914 supports service discovery functionality by receiving NF discovery requests from NF instances or SCPs and providing information of discovered NF instances to the NF instances or SCPs. The NRF 914 also supports P-CSCF discovery (a special case of AF discovery by the SMF), maintains NF profiles of available NF instances and their supported services, and / or can notify subscribed NF service consumers or SCPs about newly registered / updated / deregistered NF instances along with their NF services. In the context of network slicing, based on the network implementation, multiple NRFs may be deployed at various levels, such as at the PLMN level (the NRF is configured with information about the entire PLMN), at the shared slice level (the NRF is configured with information belonging to a set of network slices), and / or at a slice-specific level (the NRF is configured with information belonging to an S-NSSAI). In the context of roaming, multiple NRFs may be deployed in different networks, where the NRF(s) in a visited PLMN (known as a vNRF) are configured with information about the visited PLMNs, and the NRF(s) in a home PLMN (known as a hNRF) are configured with information about the home PLMN referenced by the vNRF via the N27 interface.

[0066] The PCF 912 supports a unified policy framework to manage network behavior. The PCF 912 provides policy rules to the control plane function(s) and enforces them. The PCF 912 accesses subscription information relevant to policy decisions in a Unified Data Repository (UDR). The PCF 912 can access a UDR located in the same PLMN as the PCF.

[0067] The UDM 926 supports generation of 3GPP AKA authentication credentials, user identification handling (e.g., storage and management of per-subscriber SUPI in 5G systems), deciphering of privacy-protected subscription identifiers (SUCI), access authorization based on subscription data (e.g., roaming restrictions), serving NF registration management for the UE (e.g., storing the serving AMF for the UE, storing the serving SMF for the UE's PDU sessions), service / session continuity (e.g., by maintaining SMF / DNN assignments for ongoing sessions), MT-SMS delivery, lawful interception functionality (especially in the case of outbound roaming where the UDM is the only point of contact for the LI), subscription management, SMS management, 5G LAN group management handling, and / or external parameter provisioning (expected UE behavior parameters or network configuration parameters). To provide such functionality, the UDM 926 uses subscription data (including authentication data) that can be stored in the UDR, in which case the UDM implements the application logic and may not require internal user data storage, and several different UDMs can serve the same user in different transactions. The UDM 926 may be located in the HPLMN of the subscribers it serves and may access information of UDRs located in the same PLMN.

[0068] AUSF 918 supports authentication for 3GPP access and untrusted non-3GPP access. AUSF 918 can also provide network slice-specific authentication and authorization support.

[0069] The AMF 920 supports termination of the RAN CP interface (N2), termination of the NAS (N1) for NAS encryption and integrity protection, registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception (for AMF events and interface to the LI system), transport of SM messages between the UE and the SMF, transparent proxy for routing SM messages, access authentication, access authorization, transport of SMS messages between the UE and the SMSF, the SEAF, location service management for barring services, transport of location service messages between the UE and the LMF and between the RAN and the LMF, EPS bearer ID allocation for interworking with the EPS, UE mobility event notification, control plane CIoT 5GS optimization, user plane CIoT 5GS optimization, provisioning of external parameters (expected UE behavior parameters or network configuration parameters), and / or network slice specific authentication and authorization. Some or all of the AMF functions may be supported within a single instance of the AMF 920. Regardless of the number of network functions, in certain embodiments, there is only one NAS interface instance per access network between the UE and the CN, terminating in one of the network functions that implements at least NAS security and mobility management. The AMF 920 may also include policy-related functions.

[0070] In addition to the above-mentioned functions, the AMF 920 may include the following functions to support non-3GPP access networks: support for an N2 interface with the N3IWF / TNGF, where some information (e.g., 3GPP cell identification) and procedures (e.g., handover-related) defined on 3GPP access cannot be applied and non-3GPP access-specific information that does not apply to 3GPP access can be applied; support for NAS signaling with the UE on the N3IWF / TNGF, where some procedures supported by NAS signaling on 3GPP access may not be applicable to untrusted non-3GPP (e.g., paging) access; support for authentication of UEs connected via the N3IWF / TNGF; management of mobility, authentication, and separate security context state(s) of UEs connected via non-3GPP access or connected simultaneously via 3GPP access and non-3GPP access; support for coordinated RM management contexts valid on 3GPP access and non-3GPP access; and / or support for a dedicated CM management context of the UE for connection via non-3GPP access. It may not be necessary for all of the above functions to be supported within an instance of a network slice.

[0071] The SMF 922 performs session management (e.g., session establishment, modification, release, including tunnel maintenance between the UPF and AN nodes), UE IP address allocation and management (including optional authorization) (the UE IP address can be received from the UPF or from an external data network), DHCPv4 (server and client) and DHCPv6 (server and client) functions, responding to Address Resolution Protocol requests and / or IPv6 Neighbor Solicitation requests based on locally cached information in Ethernet PDUs (e.g., the SMF responds to ARP and / or IPv6 Neighbor Solicitation requests by providing the MAC address corresponding to the IP address sent in the request), selection and control of user plane functions including controlling the UPF to proxy ARP or IPv6 Neighbor Discovery or forwarding all ARP / IPv6 Neighbor Solicitation traffic to the SMF for Ethernet PDU sessions, traffic steering configuration in the UPF to route traffic to the appropriate destination, 5G VN group management (e.g., maintaining the topology of the associated PSA UPFs, PSA Establishment and release of N19 tunnels between UPFs, configuration of traffic forwarding in the UPF to apply local switching and / or N6 based forwarding or N19 based forwarding), termination of interface to policy control function, Lawful Interception (for SM events and interface to LI system), collection of charging data and support of charging interface, control and coordination of charging data collection in the UPF, termination of SM part of NAS message, downlink data notification, initiation of AN specific SM information sent from N2 to AN via AMF, determination of SSC mode of session, control plane CIoT 5GS optimization, header compression, acting as I-SMF in deployments where I-SMF can be inserted / removed / relocated, provisioning of external parameters (expected UE behavior parameters or network configuration parameters), P-CSCF discovery of IMS services, Roaming functionality (e.g. handling local enforcement and QoSSupports applying SLA (VPLMN), charging data collection and charging interface (VPLMN) and / or lawful intercept (at VPLMN for SM events and interface to LI system), bidirectional interaction with external DN for forwarding of signaling for PDU session authentication / authorization by external DN, and / or instructing UPF and NG-RAN to perform redundant transmission on N3 / N9 interface. Some or all of the SMF functions may be supported within a single instance of SMF. However, in certain embodiments, it is not necessary that all of the functions be supported within an instance of a network slice. In addition to this function, SMF 922 may include policy related functions.

[0072] The SCP 924 includes any one or more of the following: indirect communication, delegation discovery, message forwarding and routing to destination NF / NF service, communication security (e.g., authorization of NF service consumers to access NF service producers' APIs), load balancing, monitoring, overload control, etc., and / or optionally interacting with UDRs to resolve UDM Group ID / UDR Group ID / AUSF Group ID / PCF Group ID / CHF Group ID / HSS Group ID based on UE ID (SUPI or IMPI / IMPU, etc.). Some or all of the SCP functions may be supported within a single instance of an SCP. In certain embodiments, the SCP 924 may be deployed in a distributed manner and / or more than one SCP may be in the communication path between NF services. SCPs may be deployed at the PLMN level, the shared slice level, and the slice-specific level. It may be up to the operator to ensure that the SCP communicates with the associated NRF.

[0073] The UE 916 may include devices having wireless communication capabilities. For example, the UE 916 may include smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices capable of connecting to one or more cellular networks). The UE 916 may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing devices, such as Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), pagers, laptop computers, desktop computers, wireless handsets, or any computing device that includes a wireless communication interface. The UE may also be referred to as a client, mobile, mobile device, mobile terminal, user terminal, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, wireless device, reconfigurable wireless device, or reconfigurable mobile device. The UE 916 may include an IoT UE, which may include a network access layer designed for low power IoT applications that utilize short-term UE connections. An IoT UE may utilize technologies (e.g., M2M, MTC, or mMTC technologies) to exchange data with other UEs using MTC servers or devices, ProSe or D2D communications, sensor networks, or IoT networks via the PLMN. M2M or MTC data exchanges may be machine-initiated exchanges of data. An IoT network describes interconnecting IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure). IoT UEs may run background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate IoT network connectivity.

[0074] The UE 916 may be configured to connect or communicatively couple with the (R)AN 906 via a radio interface 930, which may be a physical communication interface or layer configured to operate with a cellular communication protocol, such as a GSM protocol, a CDMA network protocol, a Push-to-Talk (PTT) protocol, a PTT over Cellular (POC) protocol, a UMTS protocol, a 3GPP LTE protocol, a 5G protocol, a NR protocol, or the like. For example, the UE 916 and the (R)AN 906 may exchange control plane data via a protocol stack including a PHY layer, a MAC layer, an RLC layer, a PDCP layer, and an RRC layer using a Uu interface (e.g., an LTE-Uu interface). DL transmissions may be from the (R)AN 906 to the UE 916, and UL transmissions may be from the UE 916 to the (R)AN 906. The UE 916 may further use a sidelink to directly communicate with another UE (not shown) for D2D, P2P, and / or ProSe communications. For example, the ProSe interface may comprise one or more logical channels including, but not limited to, a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), and a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH).

[0075] The (R)AN 906 may include one or more access nodes, which may be referred to as base stations (BS), Node Bs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), next generation NodeBs (gNBs), RAN nodes, controllers, transmission reception points (TRPs), etc., and may include ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). The (R)AN 906 may include one or more RAN nodes for providing a macrocell, a picocell, a femtocell, or other type of cell. A macrocell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with a service subscription. A picocell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with a service subscription. A femtocell may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may allow limited access by UEs that have an association with the femtocell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs for users in the home, etc.).

[0076] Although not shown, multiple RAN nodes (such as (R)AN 906) may be used, where an Xn interface is defined between two or more nodes. In some implementations, the Xn interface may include an Xn user plane (Xn-U) interface and an Xn control plane (Xn-C) interface. The Xn-U may provide non-guaranteed delivery of user plane PDUs and support / provide data forwarding and flow control functions. The Xn-C may provide mobility support for the UE 916 in connected mode (e.g., CM connected) including management and error handling functions, functions to manage the Xn-C interface, and functions to manage UE mobility in connected mode between one or more (R)AN nodes. Mobility support may include context transfer from an old (source) serving (R)AN node to a new (target) serving (R)AN node, and control of user plane tunnels between the old (source) serving (R)AN node and the new (target) serving (R)AN node.

[0077] The UPF 902 can function as an anchor point for intra-RAT and inter-RAT mobility, an external PDU session point interconnecting to the DN 904, and a branching point to support multi-homed PDU sessions. The UPF 902 can also perform packet routing and packet forwarding, packet inspection, enforce the user plane portion of policy rules, lawfully intercept packets (UP collection); traffic usage reporting, perform QoS processing (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement) for the user plane, perform uplink traffic validation (e.g., SDF to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in the uplink and downlink, and downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering. The UPF 902 can include an uplink classifier to support routing traffic flows to the data network. The DN 904 can represent various network operator services, Internet access, or third party services. The DN 904 may include, for example, an application server.

[0078] 10 illustrates an architecture of a system 1000 of a network, according to some embodiments. The system 1000 includes one or more user equipment (UE), shown in this example as UE 1036 and UE 1034. The UE 1036 and UE 1034 are illustrated as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices capable of connecting to one or more cellular networks), but may include any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as a personal data assistant (PDA), a pager, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a wireless handset, or any computing device that includes a wireless communication interface.

[0079] In some embodiments, either the UE 1036 or the UE 1034 may include an Internet of Things (IoT) UE, which may include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications utilizing short-term UE connections. The IoT UE may utilize technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M) or MTC to exchange data with a machine-type communication (MTC) server or device over a public land mobile network (PLMN), a proximity-based service (ProSe) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, a sensor network, or an IoT network. The M2M data exchange or MTC data exchange may be a machine-initiated exchange of data. An IoT network refers to IoT UEs connecting with each other, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure) over short-lived connections. The IoT UE may run background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate IoT network connectivity.

[0080] The UE 1036 and the UE 1034 may be configured to connect to, e.g., be communicatively coupled to, a Radio Access Network (RAN), shown as RAN 1008. The RAN 1008 may be, for example, an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), a Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a NextGen RAN (NG RAN), or some other type of RAN. The UE 1036 and the UE 1034 utilize a connection 1004 and a connection 1002, respectively, which each include a physical communication interface or layer (described in more detail below). In this embodiment, connection 1004 and connection 1002 are illustrated as air interfaces to enable a communicative coupling and may be consistent with cellular communication protocols such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocols, code-division multiple access (CDMA) network protocols, Push-to-Talk (PTT) protocols, POC (PTT over Cellular) protocols, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) protocols, 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocols, fifth generation (5G) protocols, New Radio (NR) protocols, and the like.

[0081] In this embodiment, the UE 1036 and the UE 1034 may further directly exchange communication data via the ProSe interface 1010. The ProSe interface 1010 may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink interface and comprises one or more logical channels including, but not limited to, a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), and a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH).

[0082] The UE 1034 is configured to access an access point (AP), shown as AP 1012, via a connection 1038 as shown. The connection 1038 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection conforming to any IEEE 802.11 protocol, and the AP 1012 may comprise a wireless fidelity (WiFi) router. In this example, the AP 1012 may be connected to the Internet without connecting to a core network of a wireless system (described in more detail below).

[0083] The RAN 1008 may include one or more access nodes that enable the connections 1004 and 1002. These access nodes (ANs) may be referred to as base stations (BSs), NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), next generation NodeBs (gNBs), RAN nodes, etc., and may comprise ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). The RAN 1008 may include one or more RAN nodes for providing macrocells, e.g., macro RAN nodes 1014, and one or more RAN nodes for providing femtocells or picocells (e.g., cells having a smaller coverage area, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to a macrocell), e.g., low power (LP) RAN nodes, such as LP RAN nodes 1016.

[0084] Either the Macro RAN node 1014 or the LP RAN node 1016 may terminate the air interface protocols and may be the first point of contact for the UE 1036 and the UE 1034. In some embodiments, either the Macro RAN node 1014 or the LP RAN node 1016 may perform various logical functions for the RAN 1008, including, but not limited to, Radio Network Controller (RNC) functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

[0085] According to some embodiments, the UEs 1036 and 1034 may be configured to communicate with one another or with either the macro RAN node 1014 and the LP RAN node 1016 using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals over multi-carrier communication channels according to various communication technologies, such as, but not limited to, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication technology (e.g., for downlink communications) or a Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) communication technology (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communications), and the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. An OFDM signal may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0086] In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid can be used for downlink transmissions from either the macro RAN node 1014 and the LP RAN node 1016 to the UE 1036 and UE 1034, while uplink transmissions can utilize similar techniques. The grid can be a time-frequency grid, called a resource grid or a time-frequency resource grid, which is the physical resources of the downlink in each slot. Such a time-frequency plane representation is common in OFDM systems, making the allocation of radio resources intuitive. Each column and each row of the resource grid corresponds to one OFDM symbol and one OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to one slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit of the resource grid is denoted as a resource element. Each resource grid contains a number of resource blocks, which represent the mapping of a particular physical channel to the resource elements. Each resource block contains a set of resource elements, which in the frequency domain can represent the smallest amount of resources that can currently be allocated. There are several different physical downlink channels that are conveyed using such resource blocks.

[0087] A physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) may carry user data and higher layer signaling to the UE 1036 and the UE 1034. A physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) may carry, among other things, information regarding transport format and resource allocation for the PDSCH channel. It may also inform the UE 1036 and the UE 1034 about the transport format, resource allocation, and Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (H-ARQ) information for the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (allocating control and shared channel resource blocks to the UE 1034 in a cell) may be performed in either the macro RAN node 1014 or the LP RAN node 1016 based on channel quality information fed back from either the UE 1036 or the UE 1034. Downlink resource allocation information may be transmitted on the PDCCH used (e.g., assigned) for the UE 1036 and the UE 1034, respectively.

[0088] The PDCCH may convey control information using control channel elements (CCEs). Before being mapped to resource elements, the PDCCH complex-valued symbols may first be organized into quadruplets and then permuted using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. Each PDCCH may be transmitted using one or more of these CCEs, and each CCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements known as a resource element group (REG). Four quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) symbols may be mapped to each REG. The PDCCH may be transmitted using one or more CCEs depending on the size of the downlink control information (DCI) and the channel conditions. There may be four or more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation levels, L=1, 2, 4, or 8).

[0089] Some embodiments may use a concept for resource allocation for control channel information that is an extension of the concept above. For example, some embodiments may utilize an Enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel (EPDCCH) that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. The EPDCCH may be transmitted using one or more Enhanced Control Channel Elements (ECCEs). As above, each ECCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements known as Enhanced Resource Element Groups (EREGs). An ECCE may have other numbers of EREGs in some circumstances.

[0090] The RAN 1008 is communicatively coupled to a core network (CN), shown as the CN 1006, via an S1 interface 1018. In an embodiment, the CN 1006 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) network, a NextGen Packet Core (NPC) network, or some other type of CN. In this embodiment, the S1 interface 1018 is split into two parts: an S1-U interface 1040 that carries traffic data between the macro RAN node 1014 and the LP RAN node 1016 and a serving gateway (S-GW), shown as the S-GW 1024, and an S1-mobility management entity (MME) interface, shown as the S1-MME interface 1042, which is a signaling interface between the macro RAN node 1014 and the LP RAN node 1016 and the MME(s) 1020.

[0091] In this embodiment, the CN 1006 comprises MME(s) 1020, S-GW 1024, a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW) (shown as P-GW 1032), and a home subscriber server (HSS) (shown as HSS 1022). The MME(s) 1020 may be similar in function to the control plane of a legacy Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (SGSN). The MME(s) 1020 may manage mobility aspects of access such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. The HSS 1022 may comprise a database of network users, including subscription related information that supports the network entity's handling of communication sessions. The CN 1006 may comprise one or several HSSs 1022, depending on the number of mobile subscribers, equipment capacity, network organization, etc. For example, the HSS 1022 may provide support for routing / roaming, authentication, authorization, naming / address resolution, location dependency, and the like.

[0092] The S-GW 1024 terminates the S1 interface 322 towards the RAN 1008 and can route data packets between the RAN 1008 and the CN 1006. In addition, the S-GW 1024 may be a local mobility anchor point for inter-RAN node handovers and may also provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities may include lawful interception, charging, and some policy enforcement.

[0093] The P-GW 1032 may terminate an SGi interface to the PDN. The P-GW 1032 may route data packets between the CN 1006 (e.g., an EPC network) and an external network, such as a network including an application server 1030 (alternatively referred to as an application function, AF), via an Internet Protocol (IP) interface (shown as IP communication interface 1028). In general, the application server 1030 may be an element that provides applications that use IP bearer resources with a core network (e.g., UMTS Packet Services (PS) domain, LTE PS data services, etc.). In this embodiment, the P-GW 1032 is communicatively coupled to the application server 1030 via the IP communication interface 1028 as shown. The application server 1030 may also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.) for the UEs 1036 and 1034 via the CN 1006.

[0094] The P-GW 1032 may further be a node for policy enforcement and charging data collection. The Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCRF) (denoted as PCRF 1026) is the policy and charging control element of the CN 1006. In a non-roaming scenario, there may be a single PCRF in the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) associated with the UE's Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session. In a roaming scenario with local breakout of traffic, there may be two PCRFs associated with the UE's IP-CAN session, namely, a Home PCRF (H-PCRF) in the HPLMN and a Visited PCRF (V-PCRF) in the Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN). The PCRF 1026 may be communicatively coupled to the application server 1030 via the P-GW 1032. The application server 1030 may signal the PCRF 1026 to indicate the new service flow and select appropriate Quality of Service (QoS) and charging parameters. The PCRF 1026 can provision this rule to a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) (not shown) with the appropriate traffic flow template (TFT) and QoS class of identifier (QCI), which initiates the QoS and charging specified by the application server 1030.

[0095] 11 is a block diagram illustrating a component 1100 that can read instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein, according to some demonstrative embodiments. Specifically, FIG. 11 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of hardware resources 1102, including one or more processors 1106 (or processor cores), one or more memory / storage devices 1114, and one or more communication resources 1124, each of which may be communicatively coupled via a bus 1116. In embodiments in which node virtualization (e.g., NFV) is utilized, a hypervisor 1122 may be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices / sub-slices that utilize the hardware resources 1102.

[0096] Processor 1106 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP) such as a baseband processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, processor 1108 and processor 1110.

[0097] Memory / storage 1114 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. Memory / storage 1114 may include any type of volatile or non-volatile memory, such as, but not limited to, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random-access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state storage, etc.

[0098] Communications resources 1124 may include interconnect or network interface components or other suitable devices for communicating with one or more peripherals 1104 or one or more databases 1120 over network 1118. For example, communications resources 1124 may include wired communications components (e.g., for coupling via Universal Serial Bus (USB)), cellular communications components, NFC components, Bluetooth® components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and other communications components.

[0099] The instructions 1112 may include software, programs, applications, applets, apps, or other executable code to cause at least one of the processors 1106 to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein. The instructions 1112 may reside, completely or partially, in at least one of the processors 1106 (e.g., in a cache memory of the processor), the memory / storage 1114, or any suitable combination thereof. Additionally, any portion of the instructions 1112 may be transferred to the hardware resources 1102 from any combination of the peripherals 1104 or the database 1120. Thus, the memory of the processor 1106, the memory / storage 1114, the peripherals 1104, and the database 1120 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0100] In one or more embodiments, at least one of the components described in one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to perform one or more of the operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods as described in the Examples section below. For example, the baseband circuitry described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described below. As another example, circuitry associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc. as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described below in the Examples section.

[0101] Example Section

[0102] The following examples relate to further embodiments.

[0103] Example 1 is a method of wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), the method including: determining that one or more of a current UE data rate and a current UE power usage are different from a preferred UE data rate and a preferred UE power usage, respectively; dynamically determining a preferred number of receive (Rx) beams to use at the UE for Rx beam sweeping based on one or more of the preferred data rate and the preferred power usage, the preferred number of Rx beams being greater than eight; and signaling the preferred number of Rx beams to a base station.

[0104] Example 2 is the method of example 1, wherein the preferred number of Rx beams is a number selected from the group consisting of 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, and 64.

[0105] Example 3 is a method as described in Example 1 or 2, in which the preferred number of Rx beams is signaled to the base station as part of one of a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a Layer 1 measurement report, and a Layer 3 measurement report.

[0106] Example 4 is a method according to any one of Examples 1 to 3, wherein the preferred number of the Rx beam is a number present in a list of preferred numbers of Rx beams previously transmitted by the UE to the base station.

[0107] Example 5 is the method of any one of Examples 1 to 4, further comprising signaling to the base station that the UE is configured to perform Rx beam sweeping using one of vertical polarization, horizontal polarization, and both vertical polarization and horizontal polarization.

[0108] Example 6 is the method of Example 5, in which signaling that the UE is configured to perform Rx beam sweeping using one of vertical polarization, horizontal polarization, and both vertical polarization and horizontal polarization is included in one of a radio resource control (RRC) message, a MAC-CE, and an uplink control information (UCI).

[0109] Example 7 is a computing device for a user equipment (UE), comprising: a memory; and a processing circuit coupled to the memory and configured to determine that one or more of a current UE data rate and a current UE power usage are different from a preferred UE data rate and a preferred UE power usage, respectively; dynamically determine a preferred number of receive (Rx) beams to use at the UE for Rx beam sweeping based on one or more of the preferred data rate and the preferred power usage, where the preferred number of Rx beams is greater than eight; and generate a message indicating the preferred number of Rx beams.

[0110] Example 8 is the computing device of example 7, wherein the preferred number of Rx beams is a number selected from the group consisting of 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, and 64.

[0111] Example 9 is the computing device of example 7 or 8, wherein the message is included in one of a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a Layer 1 measurement report, and a Layer 3 measurement report.

[0112] Example 10 is a computing device described in any one of Examples 7 to 9, wherein the preferred number of the Rx beam is a number present in a list of preferred numbers of Rx beams previously transmitted by the UE to the base station.

[0113] Example 11 is the computing device of any one of Examples 7 to 10, further comprising generating a second message indicating that the UE is configured to perform Rx beam sweeping using one of vertical polarization, horizontal polarization, and both vertical polarization and horizontal polarization.

[0114] Example 12 is the computing device of example 11, wherein the second message is included in one of a radio resource control (RRC) message, a MAC-CE, and an uplink control information (UCI).

[0115] Example 13 is a UE method, the method including: configuring the UE for group-based beam reporting, the UE reporting on a first receive (Rx) beam and a second Rx beam of a group of beams; determining that a transmit (Tx) beam from a base station can be received at the UE using both a horizontally polarized antenna and a vertically polarized antenna; and generating a group-based beam report message for transmission to the base station, the group-based beam report message including the same TCI corresponding to the Tx beam for both the first Rx beam and the second Rx beam to indicate that the Tx beam can be received using both the horizontally polarized antenna and the vertically polarized antenna.

[0116] Example 14 is a method as described in Example 13, in which the TCI corresponding to the Tx beam for each of the first Rx beam and the second Rx beam includes a channel state information (CSI) reference signal (CSI-RS) resource indicator (CRI) or a synchronization signal block resource indicator (SSBRI).

[0117] Example 15 is a method described in Example 13 or 14, wherein the group-based beam report message includes a TCI code point including two TCI states, each TCI state corresponding to one of a first beam and a second beam, each indicating the same TCI corresponding to a Tx beam.

[0118] Example 16 is a base station method including: configuring a UE for group-based beam reporting, the UE reporting on a first receive (Rx) beam and a second Rx beam of a group of beams; processing a group-based beam report message from the UE, the group-based beam report message including the same transmit configuration indication (TCI) corresponding to the Tx beam for both the first Rx beam and the second Rx beam indicating that the Tx beam can be received at the UE using both horizontally polarized and vertically polarized antennas; and scheduling two-layer downlink (DL) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) reception at the UE using the TCI in response to the group-based beam report message from the UE.

[0119] Example 17 is a method as described in Example 16, in which the TCI corresponding to the same Tx beam for each of the first Rx beam and the second Rx beam includes a channel state information (CSI) reference signal (CSI-RS) resource indicator (CRI) or a synchronization signal block resource indicator (SSBRI).

[0120] Example 18 is a method described in Example 16 or 17, wherein the group-based beam report message includes a TCI code point including two TCI states, each TCI state corresponding to one of a first beam and a second beam, each using the same TCI corresponding to a Tx beam.

[0121] Example 19 may include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of a method described or related to any of the above examples, or any other method or process described herein.

[0122] Example 20 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media containing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of the above examples, or any other method or process described herein.

[0123] Example 21 may include an apparatus having logic, modules, or circuitry that performs one or more elements of a method described or related to any of the above examples, or any other method or process described herein.

[0124] Example 22 may include any method, technique, or process described or related to any of the above examples or any portion or part thereof.

[0125] Example 23 may include an apparatus comprising one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process described in or related to any of the preceding examples or portions thereof.

[0126] Example 24 may include a signal as described or related to any of the above examples or portions or parts thereof.

[0127] Example 25 may include a datagram, packet, frame, segment, protocol data unit (PDU), or message described or associated with any of the above examples or any portion or part thereof, or described in the present disclosure.

[0128] Example 26 can include a signal encoded with data as described or related to any of the above examples or portions or parts thereof or as described in this disclosure.

[0129] Example 27 may include a signal encoded using a datagram, packet, frame, segment, PDU, or message described or associated with any of the above examples or any portion or part thereof or described in the present disclosure.

[0130] Example 28 may include an electromagnetic signal carrying computer-readable instructions that, upon execution of the computer-readable instructions by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process described in or related to any of the above examples or portions thereof.

[0131] Example 29 may include a computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by a processing element, cause the processing element to perform a method, technique, or process described in or related to any of the above examples or portions thereof.

[0132] Example 30 may include signals in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0133] Example 31 may include a method of communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0134] Example 32 may include a system for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

[0135] Example 33 may include a device for providing wireless communication, as shown and described herein.

[0136] Any of the above-described examples can be combined with any other example (or combination of examples) unless otherwise stated. The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various embodiments.

[0137] The embodiments and implementations of the systems and methods described herein may include various operations that may be embodied in machine-executable instructions executed by a computer system. The computer system may include one or more general-purpose or special-purpose computers (or other electronic devices). The computer system may include hardware components that contain specific logic for performing the operations, or may include a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0138] It should be appreciated that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific embodiments. These embodiments may be combined into a single system, partially combined into other systems, split into multiple systems, or otherwise split or combined. In addition, it is contemplated that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of one embodiment may be used in another embodiment. It is appreciated that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. are described in one or more embodiments for clarity only, and that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. may be combined or substituted with parameters, attributes, etc. of another embodiment, unless specifically disclaimed herein.

[0139] It is well understood that use of personal information should comply with privacy policies and practices generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personal information data should be managed and handled in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintended or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of permitted uses should be clearly indicated to users.

[0140] Although the foregoing has been described in some detail for clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications can be made without departing from the principles thereof. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing both the processes and the apparatus described herein. Thus, the present embodiments should be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the description should not be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. 1. A method of wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), comprising: determining that one or more of a current UE data rate and a current UE power usage differ from a preferred UE data rate and a preferred UE power usage, respectively; dynamically determining a preferred number of receive (Rx) beams to use for Rx beam sweeping at the UE based on one or more of the preferred data rate and the preferred power usage, the preferred number of Rx beams being greater than eight; signaling said preferred number of Rx beams to a base station; signaling to the base station that the UE is configured to perform the Rx beam sweeping using one of vertical polarization, horizontal polarization, and both the vertical polarization and the horizontal polarization; A method comprising:

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferred number of Rx beams is a number selected from the group including: 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, and 64.

3. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferred number of Rx beams is signaled to the base station as part of one of a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a layer 1 measurement report, and a layer 3 measurement report.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the preferred number of Rx beams is a number present in a list of preferred numbers of Rx beams previously transmitted by the UE to the base station.

5. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the signaling that the UE is configured to perform the Rx beam sweeping using one of the vertical polarization, the horizontal polarization, and both the vertical polarization and the horizontal polarization is included in one of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, a MAC-CE, and an Uplink Control Information (UCI).

6. A computing device of a user equipment (UE), comprising: Memory, a memory coupled to said memory; determining that one or more of a current UE data rate and a current UE power usage differ from a preferred UE data rate and a preferred UE power usage, respectively; dynamically determining a preferred number of receive (Rx) beams to use for Rx beam sweeping at the UE based on one or more of the preferred data rate and the preferred power usage, the preferred number of Rx beams being greater than eight; generating a message indicating said preferred number of Rx beams; generating a second message indicating that the UE is configured to perform the Rx beam sweeping using one of vertical polarization, horizontal polarization, and both the vertical polarization and the horizontal polarization; A processing circuit configured as above; A computing device comprising:

7. 7. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the preferred number of Rx beams is a number selected from the group consisting of 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, and 64.

8. The computing device of claim 6 , wherein the message is included in one of a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE), a Layer 1 measurement report, and a Layer 3 measurement report.

9. The computing device of claim 6 , wherein the preferred number of Rx beams is a number present in a list of preferred numbers of Rx beams previously transmitted by the UE to the base station.

10. The computing device of claim 6 , wherein the second message is included in one of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, a MAC-CE, and an Uplink Control Information (UCI).

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