UE-assisted time-domain beam prediction

Abstract

The present disclosure provides systems, devices, apparatuses, and methods, including a computer program encoded on a storage medium, for user equipment (UE)-assisted time-domain beam prediction. A UE (102) receives (316) beam indication signaling from a network entity (304) indicating one or more candidate beams predicted to have improved beam quality over the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams. The UE (102) measures (320) first beam qualities of the one or more current serving beams and second beam qualities of one or more candidate beams, and communicates (326 / 328) with the network entity (304) through the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams based on whether the second beam quality is higher than the first beam quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication, and more particularly to activation of predicted beams based on user equipment (UE) assistance.

Background Art

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP (registered trademark)) defines a radio interface called 5th Generation (5G) New Radio (5G NR). The architecture for a 5G NR wireless communication system can include a 5G Core (5GC) network, a 5G Radio Access Network (5G-RAN), user equipment (UE), etc. The 5G NR architecture can provide increased data rates, reduced latency, and / or increased capabilities compared to other types of wireless communication systems.

[0003] A wireless communication system is generally configured to provide various telecommunication services (e.g., telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcast, etc.) based on multiple access technologies such as orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) technology that supports communication with multiple UEs. As mobile broadband technology has evolved, improvements in mobile broadband have continued to be useful for the advancement of such technology. For example, when the beam quality of a beam pair between a UE and a network entity deteriorates, the network entity may decide to update the beam of the beam pair to a different beam with improved beam quality.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] The following provides a simplified overview of one or more embodiments to offer a basic understanding of such embodiments. This overview is not a comprehensive overview of all intended embodiments. This overview of the invention does not identify any essential or definitive elements of all embodiments, nor does it specify the scope of any or all embodiments. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more embodiments in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed descriptions that will be presented later.

[0005] User equipment (UEs) and network entities such as base stations may perform analog beamforming operations to increase the link budget between the UE and the network entity. Each UE and network entity may support multiple beams. Each UE and network entity selects individual beams from their respective sets of beams to form beam pairs between the UE and the network entity. Beam pairs that provide increased signal strength can reduce coupling loss between the UE and the network entity and provide increased coverage gain. Therefore, UEs and network entities perform beam selection procedures based on beam measurement / reporting operations, as well as beam indication techniques, to select beams for beam pairs that provide increased signal strength.

[0006] Beam indication techniques may include performing beam predictions to enable a network entity to predict / select an updated communications beam that may have improved beam quality compared to the beam quality of the current serving beam. For example, a network entity may predict / select an updated communications beam based on historical observations. However, such predictions may have limited accuracy in unstable conditions, such as when abrupt beam changes occur due to UE rotation, translational movement, and / or antenna interference. Therefore, the UE may perform beam quality measurements on the predicted beam and the current serving beam to verify, based on a comparison of beam quality measurements, whether the beam quality of the predicted beam is actually better than that of the current serving beam.

[0007] In some embodiments, the UE receives beam indication signaling from a network entity, such as a base station, indicating one or more candidate beams that are predicted to provide improved beam quality than the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams. Activation of one or more candidate beams occurs after a beam activation delay time. The UE measures the first beam quality of one or more current serving beams and the second beam quality of one or more candidate beams, and communicates with the network entity through one or more candidate beams or at least one of the one or more current serving beams, based on whether the second beam quality is higher than the first beam quality.

[0008] In some embodiments, a network entity selects one or more candidate beams for communication with the UE based on predictions that one or more candidate beams will provide improved beam quality than the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams. Activation of one or more candidate beams occurs after a beam activation delay time. Based on predictions about one or more candidate beams, the network entity sends beam indication signaling to the UE indicating one or more candidate beams that are predicted to provide improved beam quality. The network entity communicates with the UE through one or more candidate beams or at least one of one or more current serving beams based on whether first measurements of one or more candidate beams and second measurements of one or more current serving beams indicate that one or more candidate beams will provide improved beam quality than the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams.

[0009] To achieve the aforementioned and related objectives, one or more embodiments correspond to features described below and specifically pointed out in the claims. One or more embodiments may be carried out by any apparatus, method, means for carrying out the method, and / or non-temporary computer-readable media. The following description and drawings illustrate in detail specific exemplary features of one or more embodiments. However, these features represent only a small fraction of the various ways in which the principles of the various embodiments can be used. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This diagram illustrates a wireless communication system that includes multiple network entities communicating through multiple cells. [Figure 2A] This timing diagram illustrates a TCI update procedure based on Transmit Configuration Indicator (TCI) signaling between user equipment (UE) and network entities (e.g., base stations). [Figure 2B] This timing diagram illustrates the beam selection procedure for beam pairs between a UE and a base station based on artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML). [Figure 2C] This timing diagram illustrates the TCI signaling procedure associated with non-sequential beam activation times. [Figure 3A] An example of a signaling diagram for time-domain communication during beam activation time, based on a beam prediction procedure using UE-assisted information, is provided. [Figure 3B] An example of a signaling diagram for time-domain communication during beam activation time, based on a beam prediction procedure using beam activation indication, is provided. [Figure 3C] This example illustrates a signaling diagram for time-domain communication during the time before the beam's effective duration expires, based on a beam prediction procedure using UE-assisted information. [Figure 3D] This example illustrates a signaling diagram for time-domain communication during the time before the beam's effective duration expires, based on a beam prediction procedure using beam activation indication. [Figure 4A] This example illustrates TCI state activation / indication for time-domain beam prediction based on media access control-control element (MAC-CE) indication. [Figure 4B] This example illustrates the updating of spatial relationship information based on MAC-CE indication. [Figure 4C] This example illustrates the updating of spatial relationship information based on MAC-CE indication. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart of wireless communication methods in UE. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart illustrating the wireless communication method within a network entity. [Figure 7] This figure illustrates an example of a hardware implementation configuration for the UE device in the embodiment. [Figure 8] This figure illustrates examples of hardware implementations for one or more network entities. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Figure 1 illustrates Figure 100 of a wireless communication system associated with multiple cells 190. The wireless communication system includes user equipment (UE) 102 and base stations 104, some base stations 104a including an aggregated base station architecture, and other base stations 104b including a non-aggregated base station architecture. The aggregated base station architecture includes radio units (RU) 106, distributed units (DU) 108, and centralized units (CU) 110 configured to utilize a physically or logically integrated radio protocol stack within a single radio access network (RAN) node. The non-aggregated base station architecture utilizes a protocol stack physically or logically distributed among two or more units (e.g., RU 106, DU 108, CU 110). For example, CU 110 may be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DU 108 may be co-located with CU 110, or instead may be geographically or virtually distributed across one or more other RAN nodes. DU 108 may be implemented to communicate with one or more RU 106. Each of the RU106, DU108, and CU110 can be implemented as a virtual unit, such as a virtual radio unit (VRU), virtual distributed unit (VDU), or virtual centralized unit (VCU).

[0012] The operation of base station 104 and / or network design may be based on the aggregation characteristics of base station functionality. For example, a non-aggregated base station architecture is used in an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (O-RAN) network, or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN), which may also be called a cloud radio access network (C-RAN). Non-aggregation may involve virtually distributing functionality for at least one unit, which distributes functionality among two or more units in various physical locations and enables flexibility in network design. Various units of a non-aggregated base station architecture, or non-aggregated RAN architecture, can be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit. For example, CU110a communicates with DU108a-108b via their respective midhaul links based on the F1 interface. DU108a-108b may each communicate with RU106a and RU106b-106c via their respective fronthaul links. RU106b~106c can communicate with their respective UE102a~102c and 102s via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links based on the Uu interface. In the embodiment, multiple RU106 and / or base station 104 can simultaneously serve UE102, such as UE102a in cell 190a, which are simultaneously served by access links for RU106a in cell 190a and base station 104a in cell 190e.

[0013] One or more CU110s, such as CU110a or CU110d, may communicate directly with the core network 120 via a backhaul link. For example, CU110d communicates with the core network 120 via a backhaul link based on a next-generation (NG) interface. One or more CU110s may also communicate indirectly with the core network 120 via an E2 link and a Service Management Orchestration (SMO) framework 116, which may be associated with a non-real-time RIC 118, through one or more non-aggregated base station units such as a near-real-time RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 128. The near-real-time RIC 128 may communicate with the SMO framework 116 and / or the non-real-time RIC 118 via an A1 link. The SMO framework 116 and / or the non-real-time RIC 118 may also communicate with the open cloud (O-cloud) 130 via an O2 link. One or more CU110s may further communicate with each other via a backhaul link based on an Xn interface. For example, the CU110d of base station 104a communicates with the CU110a of base station 104b via a backhaul link based on the Xn interface. Similarly, the base station 104a of cell 190e may communicate with the CU110a of base station 104b via a backhaul link based on the Xn interface.

[0014] Together with RU106, DU108, and CU110, the near-real-time RIC128, non-real-time RIC118, and / or SMO framework 116 may include (or be coupled to) one or more interfaces configured to transmit or receive information / signals over a wired or wireless transmission medium. Either base station 104 or one or more non-aggregated base station units may be configured to communicate with one or more other base stations 104 or one or more other non-aggregated base station units over a wired or wireless transmission medium. In embodiments, a processor, memory, and / or controller associated with executable instructions for the interface may be configured to provide communication between base station 104 and / or one or more non-aggregated base station units over a wired or wireless transmission medium. For example, a wired interface may be configured to transmit or receive information / signals over a wired transmission medium to a fronthaul link between RU106d of cell 190d and baseband unit (BBU) 112, more specifically, a fronthaul link between RU106d and DU108d, etc. BBU112 includes DU108d and CU110d, which may also have a wired interface configured between DU108d and CU110d to transmit or receive information / signals between DU108d and CU110d based on a midhall link. In further embodiments, a radio interface, which may include a receiver, transmitter, or transceiver (such as an RF transceiver), may be configured to transmit or receive information / signals via a radio transmission medium for information, etc., communicated between RU106a in cell 190a and base station 104a in cell 190e via the cross-cell communication beams of RU106a and base station 104a.

[0015] One or more upper layer control functions, such as functions related to Radio Resource Control (RRC), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), can be hosted in CU110. Each control function can be associated with an interface for communicating signals based on one or more other control functions hosted in CU110. User plane functionality such as Central Unit - User Plane (CU - UP) functionality, control plane functionality such as Central Unit - Control Plane (CU - CP) functionality, or a combination thereof can be implemented based on CU110. For example, CU110 can include a logical split between one or more CU - UP procedures and / or one or more CU - CP procedures. When implemented in an O - RAN configuration, the CU - UP functionality can be based on bi - directional communication with the CU - CP functionality via an interface such as an E1 interface (not shown).

[0016] CU110 can communicate with DU108 for network control and signaling. DU108 is a logical unit of base station 104 configured to perform one or more base station functionalities. For example, DU108 can control the operation of one or more RUs106. One or more of the upper Physical (PHY) layers, such as the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, or a Forward Error Correction (FEC) module for encoding / decoding, scrambling, or modulation / demodulation, can be hosted in DU108. DU108 can host such functionality based on a functional split of DU108. DU108 can similarly host one or more lower PHY layers, and each lower layer or module can be implemented based on an interface for communication with other layers and modules hosted in DU108 or based on control functions hosted in CU110. The original text to be translated is as below which wraped by :

[0017] RU106 can be configured to implement lower-layer functionality. For example, RU106 may be controlled by DU108 and correspond to a logical node hosting RF processing functions or lower-layer PHY functions such as Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (iFFT), Digital Beamforming, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering. The functionality of RU106 may be based on functional partitioning, such as functional partitioning of lower layers.

[0018] RU106 can transmit or receive over-air (OTA) communications with one or more UE102s. For example, RU106b in cell 190b communicates with UE102b in cell 190b via a first set 132 of RU106b's communication beams and a second set 134 of UE102b's communication beams, which may correspond to inter-cell or cross-cell communication beams. Both real-time and non-real-time features of RU106's control plane and user plane communications can be controlled by the associated DU108. Thus, DU108 and CU110 can be used in cloud-based RAN architectures such as vRAN architectures, while the SMO framework 116 can be used to support non-virtualized and virtualized RAN network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 116 can support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage, which can be managed through operation and maintenance interfaces such as the O1 interface. For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 116 may interact with a cloud computing platform such as O-Cloud 130 via an O2 link (e.g., a cloud computing platform interface) to manage the network elements. Virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, RU106, DU108, CU110, near real-time RIC128, etc.

[0019] The SMO framework 116 can be configured to utilize an O1 link to communicate directly with one or more RUs 106. The non-real-time RIC 118 of the SMO framework 116 can also be configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 116. For example, the non-real-time RIC 118 implements logical functionality to enable the control of non-real-time RAN features and resources, features / applications of the near-real-time RIC 128, and / or artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) procedures. The non-real-time RIC 118 can communicate with (or be coupled to) the near-real-time RIC 128, such as through an A1 interface. The near-real-time RIC 128 can implement logical functionality to enable the control of near-real-time RAN features and resources based on data collection and interaction through an E2 interface, such as the E2 interface between the near-real-time RIC 128 and the CU 110a and the DU 108b.

[0020] The non-real-time RIC 118 can receive parameters or other information from an external server to generate an AI / ML model for deployment within the near-real-time RIC 128. For example, the non-real-time RIC 118 receives parameters or other information for the deployment of an AI / ML model to the real-time RIC 128 via an A1 link from the O-cloud 130 via an O2 link. The near-real-time RIC 128 can utilize the parameters and / or other information received from the non-real-time RIC 118 or the SMO framework 116 via an A1 link to execute near-real-time functionality. The near-real-time RIC 128 and the non-real-time RIC 115 can be configured to adjust the performance of the RAN. For example, the non-real-time RIC 116 can monitor patterns and long-term trends to increase the performance of the RAN. The non-real-time RIC 116 can also deploy an AI / ML model to implement corrective actions through the SMO framework 116, such as initiating the reconfiguration of the O1 link or instructing administrative procedures for the A1 link.

[0021] Any combination of RU106, DU108, and CU110, or any reference to them, may individually correspond to base station 104. Thus, base station 104 may include at least one of RU106, DU108, or CU110. Base station 104 provides UE 102 with access to the core network 120. That is, base station 104 can relay communication between UE 102 and the core network 120. Base station 104 may be associated with macrocells for high-power cellular base stations and / or small cells for low-power cellular base stations. For example, cell 190e may correspond to a macrocell, while cells 190a to 190d may correspond to small cells. Small cells include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc. A cell structure including at least one macrocell and at least one small cell may be referred to as a "heterogeneous network".

[0022] Transmission from UE102 to base station 104 / RU106 is called uplink (UL) transmission, while transmission from base station 104 / RU106 to UE102 is called downlink (DL) transmission. Uplink transmission may also be called reverselink transmission, and downlink transmission may also be called forwardlink transmission. For example, RU106d uses the antenna of base station 104a in cell 190d to transmit downlink / forwardlink communication to UE102d or to receive uplink / reverselink communication from UE102d, based on the Uu interface associated with the access link between UE102d and base station 104a / RU106d.

[0023] The communication link between UE102 and base station 104 / RU106 may be based on multi-input, multi-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link may be associated with one or more carriers. UE102 and base station 104 / RU106 may utilize a spectral bandwidth of Y MHz (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100, 400 MHz, etc.) per assigned carrier in carrier aggregation up to a total of Yx MHz, and x component carriers (CCs) are used for communication in the uplink and downlink directions, respectively. The carriers may or may not be in close proximity to each other along the frequency spectrum. In embodiments, the uplink and downlink carriers may be assigned in an asymmetrical manner, with more or fewer carriers assigned to either the uplink or downlink. A primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers may be included in the component carriers. A primary component carrier may be associated with a primary cell (PCell), and a secondary component carrier may be associated with a secondary cell (SCell).

[0024] Some UE102 units, such as UE102a and UE102s, may perform device-to-device (D2D) communication via sidelinks. For example, sidelink communication / D2D links utilize the spectrum for wireless wide-area networks (WWANs) associated with uplink and downlink communication. Sidelink communication / D2D links may also use one or more sidelink channels, such as the Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH), Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), and / or Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), to communicate information between UE102a and UE102s. Such sidelink / D2D communication may be performed through various wireless communication systems, such as Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi®), Bluetooth®, Long-Term Evolution (LTE), and New Radio (NR) systems.

[0025] The electromagnetic spectrum is often subdivided into different classes, bands, channels, etc., based on the different frequencies / wavelengths associated with the electromagnetic spectrum. Fifth-generation (5G) NR is generally associated with two operating bands, referred to as frequency range 1 (FR1) and frequency range 2 (FR2). FR1 spans from 410 MHz to 7.125 GHz, and FR2 spans from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. While some parts of FR1 are actually greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often referred to as the "sub-6 GHz" band. In contrast, FR2 is often referred to as the "millimeter wave" (mmW) band. FR2 spans from 30 GHz to 300 GHz and is sometimes also referred to as the "millimeter wave" band; it is not the "ultra-high frequency" (EHF) band, but is a near-subset of it. Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are often referred to as "intermediate band" frequencies. The operating band for intermediate band frequencies, spanning from 7.125 GHz to 24.25 GHz, may be referred to as frequency range 3 (FR3). The frequency bands within FR3 may include the characteristics of FR1 and / or FR2. Thus, the characteristics of FR1 and / or FR2 may be extended to the intermediate band frequencies. Higher operating bands have been identified to extend 5G NR communications above 52.6 GHz, which is associated with the upper limit of FR2. Three of these higher operating bands include FR2-2, spanning from 52.6 GHz to 71 GHz; FR4, spanning from 71 GHz to 114.25 GHz; and FR5, spanning from 114.25 GHz to 300 GHz. The upper limit of FR5 corresponds to the upper limit of the EHF band. Thus, unless otherwise specified herein, the term “sub-6 GHz” may refer to frequencies that are below 6 GHz, within FR1, or may include intermediate band frequencies. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified herein, the term “millimeter wave” or mmW may refer to frequencies that may include intermediate band frequencies, may be within FR2, FR4, FR2-2, and / or FR5, or may be within the EHF band.

[0026] UE102 and base station 104 / RU106 may each include multiple antennas. The multiple antennas may correspond to antenna elements, antenna panels, and / or antenna arrays that can facilitate beamforming operations. For example, RU106b transmits a downlink beamformed signal to UE102b based on a first set 132 of beams in one or more transmit directions of RU106b. UE102b may receive a downlink beamformed signal from RU106b based on a second set 134 of beams in one or more receive directions of UE102b. In a further embodiment, UE102b may also transmit an uplink beamformed signal to RU106b based on a second set 134 of beams in one or more transmit directions of UE102b. RU106b may receive an uplink beamformed signal from UE102b in one or more receive directions of RU106b. UE102b may perform beam training to determine the best receiving and transmitting directions for the beamformed signal. The transmitting and receiving directions for UE102 and base station 104 / RU106 may be the same or different. In a further embodiment, the beamformed signal may also be communicated between a first base station 104a and a second base station 104b. For example, RU106a of cell 190a may transmit a beamformed signal to base station 104a of cell 190e based on the RU beamset 136 in one or more transmitting directions of RU106a. Base station 104a of cell 190e may receive a beamformed signal from RU106a based on the base station beamset 138 in one or more receiving directions of base station 104a. Similarly, base station 104a of cell 190e may transmit a beamformed signal to RU106a based on the base station beamset 138 in one or more transmitting directions of base station 104a. RU106a can receive beamformed signals from base station 104a of cell 190e based on the RU beamset 136 in one or more receiving directions of RU106a.

[0027] Base station 104 may include and / or be referred to as next-generation advanced node B (ng-eNB), generation NB (gNB), advanced NB (eNB), access point, base transceiver station, radio base station, radio transceiver, transceiver function, basic service set (BSS), extended service set (ESS), transmit / receive point (TRP), network node, network entity, network equipment, or other related terms. Base station 104 or entities in base station 104 may be implemented as an aggregated (monolithic) base station having RU106 and BBU including IAB nodes, relay nodes, sidelink nodes, DU108 and CU110, or as a non-aggregated base station 104b including one or more RU106, DU108, and / or CU110. The set of aggregated or non-aggregated base stations 104a-104b may be referred to as a next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN).

[0028] The core network 120 may include an Access Mobility Management Function (AMF) 121, a Session Management Function (SMF) 122, a User Plane Function (UPF) 123, an Integrated Data Management (UDM) 124, a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 125, and / or a Location Management Function (LMF) 126. The core network 120 may also include one or more location servers, which may include other functional entities along with the GMLC 125 and LMF 126. For example, one or more location servers may include one or more location / positioning servers, which may include the GMLC 125 and LMF 126, in addition to one or more such as a Position Determination Entity (PDE), a Serving Mobile Location Center (SMLC), or a Mobile Positioning Center (MPC).

[0029] AMF121 is a control node that handles signaling between UE102 and the core network 120. AMF121 supports registration management, connection management, mobility management, and other functions. SMF122 supports session management and other functions. UPF123 supports packet routing, packet forwarding, and other functions. UDM124 supports the generation of authentication and key agreement (AKA) credentials, user identification handling, access authorization, and subscription management. GMLC125 provides an interface for clients / applications (e.g., emergency services) to access UE positioning information. LMF126 receives measurement and support information from NG-RAN and UE102 via AMF121 to calculate the position of UE102. NG-RAN may utilize one or more positioning methods to determine the position of UE102. Positioning UE102 may involve signal measurement, position estimation, and optional velocity calculation based on the measurements. Signal measurements may be performed by UE102 and / or serving base station 104 / RU106.

[0030] The transmitted signals may also be based on one or more satellite positioning systems (SPS) 114, such as signals measured for positioning. In the embodiment, the SPS 114 of cell 190c may communicate with one or more UE 102s, such as UE 102c, and one or more base stations 104 / RU 106, such as RU 106c. The SPS 114 may correspond to one or more global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), global positioning systems (GPS), non-terrestrial networks (NTN), or other satellite positioning / location systems. SPS114 may be associated with LTE signals, NR signals (e.g., based on round-trip time (RTT) and / or multi-RTT), radio local area network (WLAN) signals, terrestrial beacon systems (TBS), sensor-based information, NR enhanced cell ID (NR E-CID) technology, downlink emission angle (DL-AoD), downlink arrival time difference (DL-TDOA), uplink arrival time difference (UL-TDOA), uplink arrival angle (UL-AoA), and / or other systems, signals, or sensors.

[0031] UE102 may be configured as a cellular phone, smartphone, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, laptop, personal digital assistant (PDA), satellite radio, GPS, multimedia device, video device, digital audio player (e.g., Moving Picture Expert Group (MPEG) Audio Layer-3 (MP3) player), camera, game console, tablet, smart device, wearable device, vehicle, utility meter, gas pump, appliance, healthcare device, sensor / actuator, display, or any other device with similar functionality. Some UE102s may be referred to as Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as parking meters, gas pumps, appliances, vehicles, and healthcare equipment. UE102 may also be referred to as a station (STA), mobile base station, subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, mobile client, client, or other similar terms. The term UE may also apply to other roadside unit (RSU) UEs, non-RSU UEs, base station 104, and / or RSUs that can communicate with entities at base station 104, such as RU106.

[0032] Referring again to Figure 1, in certain embodiments, the UE 102 may include a predicted beam verification component 140 configured to receive beam indication signaling from a network entity indicating one or more candidate beams that are predicted to provide improved beam quality than the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams after a beam activation delay time. Activation of one or more candidate beams occurs after the beam activation delay time. The predicted beam verification component 140 is further configured to measure a first beam quality of one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality of one or more candidate beams, and to communicate with the network entity through one or more candidate beams or at least one of the one or more current serving beams based on whether the second beam quality is higher than the first beam quality.

[0033] In certain embodiments, a base station 104 or a network entity of base station 104 may include a beam selection component 150 configured to select one or more candidate beams for communication with the UE based on predictions that one or more candidate beams will provide improved beam quality than the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams. Activation of one or more candidate beams occurs after a beam activation delay time. The beam selection component 150 is further configured to transmit beam indication signaling to the UE indicating one or more candidate beams that are predicted to provide improved beam quality, based on predictions for one or more candidate beams. The beam selection component 150 is further configured to communicate with the UE through at least one of the one or more candidate beams or one or more current serving beams based on whether a first measurement of one or more candidate beams and a second measurement of one or more current serving beams indicate that one or more candidate beams will provide improved beam quality than the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams.

[0034] The following description may focus on 5G NR, but the concepts described herein may be applicable to other similar areas such as 5G-Advanced and future versions, LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), and other radio technologies. The wireless communication system in Figure 1, along with the aspects of timing diagrams 200-240 illustrated in Figures 2A-2C, may be used to implement the aspects of the subsequent figures.

[0035] Figure 2A is a timing diagram illustrating a Transmit Configuration Indicator (TCI) update procedure based on TCI signaling between UE102 and base station 104 or an entity of base station 104 (e.g., RU106). The cell radius / coverage area of ​​base station 104 / RU106 may be based on the link budget. "Link budget" refers to the cumulative total gain and loss in the system that provides the overall received power level at a receiver such as UE102. The receiver may compare the received power level to the receiver sensitivity to determine whether the channel provides at least a minimum signal strength for the signal being communicated between the receiver and the transmitter (e.g., UE102 and base station 104).

[0036] To increase the link budget, base station 104 and UE 102 may perform analog beamforming operations to activate beam pairs associated with increased signal strength. Both base station 104 and UE 102 can support multiple beams that may be used for a beam pair. Beam pairs that reduce coupling loss may result in increased coverage gain for base station 104 and UE 102. "Coupling loss" refers to the path loss / reduction in power density between the first antenna of base station 104 and the second antenna of UE 102, and may be indicated in units of decibels (dB).

[0037] The beam selection procedure for a beam pair activated by base station 104 and UE 102 may include UE 102 performing a beam measurement and reporting procedure, followed by base station 104 performing a beam indication procedure. The beam measurement and reporting procedure is obtained by UE 102 measuring multiple downlink reference signals (e.g., synchronization signal block (SSB) and / or channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS)), and different beams of base station 104 can be associated with different signals. For example, UE 102 may perform a beam sweeping operation to measure the signal intensity and / or interference of the reference signal (e.g., SSB / CSI-RS) in different time instances / different symbols associated with the downlink reference signal and report the measurement results. The beam indication procedure may include base station 104 instructing UE 102 on the TCI state based on the beam report received from UE 102. "TCI state" refers to a set of parameters for establishing a pseudo-collocation (QCL) relationship between one or more downlink reference signals and the corresponding antenna port. For example, a TCI state can indicate a QCL relationship between a downlink reference signal and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) demodulation reference signal (DMRS) port in a CSI-RS set. Due to the theorem of antenna interrelationships, a single TCI state can provide beam indication for both downlink channels / signals and uplink channels / signals. Based on the TCI state, base station 104 can transmit one or more downlink reference signals (e.g., SSB / CSI-RS) for beam indication procedures.

[0038] TCI update / indication signaling is transmitted via MAC-Control Element (MAC-CE) or Downlink Control Information (DCI). Base station 104 may indicate separate TCI states for each downlink resource / channel, while base station 104 may indicate separate spatial relation information for each uplink resource / channel. Uplink information may be indicated via RRC or MAC-CE based on techniques similar to those used for downlink signaling. Base station 104 may use a single MAC-CE or DCI to indicate TCI states for multiple downlink / uplink resources / channels. For MAC-CE or DCI-based TCI update / indication signaling, UE102 begins applying the indicated TCI after UE102 sends an acknowledgment (ACK) to a transport block (TB) scheduled by DCI using MAC-CE, or after UE102 sends an ACK to DCI without a scheduled TB, after UE102 sends an ACK to DCI, after UE102 sends an ACK

[0039] Beam indication techniques associated with TCI signaling may include joint beam indication or separate beam indication. "Joint beam indication" refers to a single / joint TCI state used by base station 104 to update the beam for both downlink channel / signal and uplink channel / signal. For example, base station 104 may indicate a single / joint TCI state in downlink TCI signaling configured based on the DLorJointTCIState parameter to update the beam for both downlink channel / signal and uplink channel / signal. For TCI signaling based on a joint TCI state, base station 104 may transmit SSB / CSI-RS to indicate the QCL relationship between downlink channel / signal and the spatial relationship of the uplink channel / signal. In a first embodiment, the 202TCI update / indication signaling transmitted by base station 104 may correspond to joint beam indication for both downlink channel / signal and uplink channel / signal.

[0040] "Separate beam indications" refer to a first TCI state used by base station 104 to update a first beam for a downlink channel / signal, and a second TCI state used by base station 104 to update a second beam for an uplink channel / signal. For example, base station 104 may indicate a first TCI state in downlink TCI signaling configured based on the DLorJointTCIState parameter to update a first beam for a downlink channel / signal, and may indicate a second TCI state in further downlink TCI signaling configured based on the UL-TCIState parameter to update a second beam for an uplink channel / signal. If base station 104 indicates a second TCI state (e.g., uplink TCI) in a downlink reference signal, the downlink reference signal may correspond to SSB / CSI-RS. In an embodiment in which base station 104 uses an uplink reference signal to indicate a second TCI state, the uplink reference signal may correspond to a sounding reference signal (SRS) that can indicate the spatial relationship of the uplink channel / signal. In a second embodiment, the 202TCI update / indication signaling transmitted by base station 104 may correspond to either a downlink channel / signal or an uplink channel / signal based on a separate beam indication technique.

[0041] Base station 104 may configure the QCL type and / or source reference signal for QCL signaling. The QCL type for the downlink reference signal may be based on higher-layer parameters, such as the qcl-Type in the QCL-Info parameter. A first QCL type, typeA, includes values ​​for Doppler shift, Doppler spread, mean delay, and delay spread. A second QCL type, typeB, includes values ​​for Doppler shift and Doppler spread. A third QCL type, typeC, includes values ​​for Doppler shift and mean delay. A fourth QCL type, typeD, includes values ​​for spatial receive (Rx) parameters. UE 102 may use the same spatial transmit filter to indicate spatial relationships, such as those used to receive the downlink reference signal from base station 104 or to transmit uplink TCI signaling to base station 104.

[0042] Figure 2B is a timing diagram 220 illustrating a beam selection procedure for a beam pair between UE102 and base station 104 based on artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML). "AI / ML" refers to one or more data-driven algorithms that generate a set of outputs based on a set of inputs without being explicitly programmed to generate a set of outputs. For example, an AI / ML algorithm may use a data collection process to predict output values ​​based on input values ​​associated with historical data. The data collection process includes network nodes, 106, 108, 110, and others, management entities 121, 122, and others, UE102, etc., which collect data for training AI / ML models, data analysis, inference, etc. An AI / ML model corresponds to a data-driven algorithm that applies AI / ML techniques to generate a set of outputs based on a set of inputs. An AI / ML model is trained by learning input / output relationships of a given set of data, which the trained AI / ML model can use to generate inferences for a set of outputs based on a set of inputs.

[0043] The AI / ML model may be implemented to predict one or more improved beams for future communication between base station 104 and UE 102 based on one or more beam reports indicating past beam / situation information. In an embodiment, a neural network 226 associated with the AI / ML model may receive as input a plurality of input beam indices 222 associated with past beam / situation information for one or more best-reported beams. The plurality of input beam indices 222 for one or more best-reported beams may correspond to beam information about active beams over a duration of X2ms / slot 224. Based on receiving the plurality of input beam indices 222 for one or more best-reported beams, the neural network 226 outputs a corresponding set of one or more output beam indices 228 that the neural network 226 predicts will provide one or more best output beams in the future (e.g., starting at activation time and ending when the effective duration expires). The one or more output beam indices 228 for one or more predicted output beams may correspond to active beams over a second duration of X1ms / slot 230.

[0044] Base station 104 may utilize AI / ML techniques to indicate the TCI state for future beams / situations based on past beam measurements and reported information received from UE 102. However, when future beams are affected by abrupt changes in the situation (e.g., based on UE rotation, translational movement, and / or antenna interference), the neural network 226 may not be able to predict the best future beam due to its accuracy threshold level. Therefore, UE 102 may send a report to base station 104 that includes UE-assisted information indicating whether one or more output beam indices 228 of the neural network 226 actually experience beam quality and / or link budget that is better than one or more current serving beams.

[0045] Figure 2C is a timing diagram 240 illustrating a TCI signaling procedure associated with non-sequential beam activation times. Base station 104 may transmit DCI to UE 102 in a manner that implicitly or explicitly instructs whether a second beam indication 242b to UE 102 will "overwrite" (i.e., be used instead of) the first beam indication 242a to UE 102. Initially, base station 104 first instructs UE 102 to use the first beam indication 242a, and then secondly instructs UE 102 to use the second beam indication 242b.

[0046] Base station 104 may use fields in the DCI to explicitly instruct UE 102 whether a first beam indication is overwritten by a second beam indication indicated in a previous DCI. The first beam associated with the first beam indication and the second beam associated with the second beam indication may correspond to predicted beams in a beam prediction procedure performed at base station 104. In some embodiments, reserved values ​​for certain fields, such as antenna ports, may be used to provide indications in the DCI. In further embodiments, indications in the DCI may correspond to indices of the Start Control Channel Element (CCE) for the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). For example, an odd index may instruct UE 102 that base station 104 is overwriting a previous beam indication, and an even index may instruct UE 102 that base station 104 is not overwriting a previous beam indication. Indications in the DCI may also correspond to a search space or control resource set (CORESET) for the PDCCH. Base station 104 can utilize TCI in PDCCH for search space / CORESET to indicate whether base station 104 is overwriting previous beam indications (for example, based on the search space type, such as a common search space or UE-specific search space, a search space index, and / or a CORESET index configured based on RRC signaling).

[0047] The base station 104 can deactivate previous beam indications via DCI or MAC-CE. Fields included in the MAC-CE indication for TCI state / spatial relationship information may indicate whether the base station 104 has deactivated previous beam indications for one or more corresponding channels. In an embodiment, the base station 104 may use a dedicated TCI state / spatial relationship information index to indicate the deactivation of previous beam indications for one or more corresponding channels. In a further embodiment, the base station 104 may use fields in the TCI signaling to indicate the deactivation of previous beam indications.

[0048] For beam indication based on MAC-CE or DCI, base station 104 and UE 102 may determine whether an indicated TCI state in MAC-CE or DCI implicitly overrides a previous beam indication associated with a predicted TCI state based on the activation delay time. For example, in a first time instance, UE 102 receives 242a from base station 104 a first TCI indication signaling with an indicator of a first activation delay time 208a, and in a second time instance, receives 242b from base station 104 a second TCI indication signaling with an indicator of a second activation delay time 208b. However, the activation delay time 208b for the second TCI indication signaling may be shorter than the activation delay time 208a for the first TCI indication signaling. In this embodiment, the UE overrides a shorter activation duration 208b that resulted in the activation of the second beam associated with the second TCI indication signaling, so as to occur before the activation of the first beam associated with the first TCI indication signaling 244a. That is, when the activations of the first / second beams 244a-244b are scheduled so as to occur in no particular order from the order in which the first / second TCI indication signalings are received from the base station 104 242a-242b, the later activation 244a overrides the earlier, no particular order activation 244b. Therefore, when this is done, UE102 may determine that the first TCI indication signaling overrides the second TCI indication signaling and may omit activating the second, out-of-order TCI indication signaling 244b. UE102 may transmit a UE capability report to base station 104 indicating whether UE102 supports explicit and / or implicit out-of-order activation times for the TCI indication signaling.Figures 2A-2C illustrate beam indication / selection techniques, while Figures 3A-3D illustrate beam quality verification procedures for indicated / selected beams.

[0049] Figure 3A illustrates signaling diagram 300 for time-domain communication between network entity 304 and UE 102 after a beam activation delay time, based on a beam prediction procedure associated with UE support information. Network entity 304 may correspond to base station 104 or entities in base station 104 such as RU106, DU108, CU110, etc.

[0050] UE102 transmits a UE capability message to network entity 304 305. The UE capability message may indicate whether UE102 supports unsequential activation times for TCI indication signaling (e.g., skipping 244b), as described with respect to Figure 2C. In a further embodiment, the UE capability message may indicate whether the UE supports beam prediction procedures (e.g., via fields in the UE capability message indicating support for UE support information, beam activation delay times, etc.). Network entity 304 transmits a beam measurement and reporting configuration to UE102 via RRC signaling 306. The beam measurement and reporting configuration may consist of first beam measurement and reporting procedures (e.g., 310-312) and / or second beam measurement and reporting procedures (e.g., 320-322), associated with predicted beam indication signaling. For example, network entity 304 may send at least one first RRC message (e.g., RRCReconfiguration message(s)) that configures UE102 for a first beam measurement and reporting procedure. At least one first RRC message may also include one or more RRC parameters that enable reception 316 of predicted beam indication signaling indicating a predicted beam from network entity 304. In a further embodiment, network entity 304 may send a second RRC message (e.g., RRCReconfiguration message) that configures / enables UE102 for a second beam measurement and reporting procedure associated with a predicted beam indicated in the predicted beam indication signaling.

[0051] Network entity 304 transmits one or more downlink reference signals to UE 102, which may be used by UE 102 for a first beam measurement and reporting procedure (e.g., 310-312). The one or more downlink reference signals may correspond to one or more SSBs, CSI-RS, etc. Network entity 304 transmits one or more downlink reference signals before, during, or after the transmission of at least one first RRC message and / or a second RRC message.

[0052] UE102 measures one or more downlink reference signals received from network entity 304 308 to perform a first beam measurement and reporting procedure 310. Measurement 310 may be performed in response to at least one first RRC message received from network entity 304 306. Based on the beam measurement, UE102 transmits a beam report to network entity 304 312. The beam report may indicate corresponding beam quality information, such as Layer 1 (L1)-Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) (L1-RSRP) information and / or L1-Signal-to-Interference-Plus-Noise Ratio (SINR) (L1-SINR) information, along with one or more beam indices. The beam quality UE report may be activated based on RRC, MAC-CE, or DCI signaling. For example, network entity 304 may indicate, based on MAC-CE, whether a beam report will be transmitted from UE102. In other embodiments, the DCI field may be used to indicate whether UE 102 will send a beam report to the network entity, or the UE report may be based on the DCI format, search space, or CORESET for the DCI. One or more beam indices included in the beam report sent to network entity 304 identify at least a subset of one or more downlink reference signals received from network entity 304. Network entity 304 may request a reference signal beam report 390 of multiple cycles, whether periodic or aperiodic.

[0053] Network entity 304 predicts, based on a beam prediction procedure, a beam that may, in the future, be of higher quality than the current serving beam to UE102. The beam prediction may be based on a cycle of beam reports received from UE102. AI / ML techniques may be utilized for the beam prediction. Network entity 304 transmits a predicted beam indication signaling to UE102 indicating the predicted beam. The predicted beam indication signaling may indicate TCI status and / or spatial relation information that points to the predicted beam. The beam indication signaling may also indicate the time at which UE102 will activate the predicted beam if it contains higher quality than the current serving beam. If the beam indication signaling includes an effective duration for activating the predicted beam that expires before UE102 uses the predicted beam, UE102 will not activate the predicted beam. If the predicted beam is activated by UE102 after the activation time and within the effective duration, the current serving beam will be switched to the predicted beam. These two values, the activation time of 208 and the effective duration, temporally limit the use of the predicted beam by the UE.

[0054] In response to receiving the predicted beam indication signaling 316, UE102 sends a first acknowledgment / negative response (ACK / NACK) feedback to network entity 304 318. For example, UE102 sends an ACK to network entity 304 indicating that UE102 has successfully decoded the predicted beam indication signaling. The first ACK / NACK feedback sent to network entity 304 318 may correspond to a Hybrid Automatic Retransmission Request (HARQ)-ACK (HARQ-ACK). If UE102 has not successfully decoded the predicted beam indication signaling, UE102 sends a negative response (NACK) to network entity 304 318. In such cases, the network entity 304 can retransmit the predicted beam indication signaling to the UE 102, send a different predicted beam indication signaling to the UE 102, or refrain from further transmission of the predicted beam indication signaling to the UE 102. The network entity 304 can configure a dedicated PUCCH resource for the UE 102 such that 318 sends a first ACK / NACK feedback for the predicted beam indication signaling. The UE 102 sends a first ACK / NACK feedback on N slots / symbols of the PUCCH resource before the beam activation time of the predicted beam. The value of N may be predefined or configured by the network entity 304 based on higher-layer signaling (e.g., RRC parameters for PUCCH-config or PDSCH-config). In some embodiments, UE102 transmits a first ACK / NACK feedback on the PUCCH resource 318 based on a first ACK / NACK feedback corresponding to a NACK indication. Thus, if the predicted beam satisfies the beam activation conditions, UE102 can activate the predicted beam without transmitting the first ACK / NACK feedback to the network entity 304.When the PUCCH resource overlaps with PUSCH in the time domain, UE102 may multiplex the transmission of ACK on PUSCH with other information. In other embodiments, UE102 may transmit either PUCCH or PUSCH, one of them.

[0055] Before the expiration of the validity period for activating the predicted beam, UE102 may monitor (e.g., periodically or aperiodicly) whether the predicted beam meets the activation conditions. For example, UE102 may measure the beam quality of the predicted beam and the current serving beam to determine whether the predicted beam meets the activation conditions. If UE102 detects that the predicted beam meets the activation conditions before the validity period expires, UE102 sends UE support information to the network entity 304 322 instructing UE102 to recommend switching to the predicted beam (e.g., using an RRC message, MAC-CE indication, PUCCH transmission, etc.). In an embodiment, UE102 sends UE support information about the predicted beam in the uplink beam associated with the current serving beam. UE102 may send a second ACK / NACK feedback in UE support information for N slots / symbols of the predicted beam before the beam activation time of the predicted beam to indicate whether the predicted beam meets the beam activation conditions(s). UE102 receives UE support information via MAC-CE, such as for sending a second NACK. In embodiments, MAC-CE for 322 to send UE support information may also be used to indicate one or more of the following: serving cell index, BWP index (e.g., DL BWP / UL BWP index), TCI state / spatial relationship information index associated with the NACK, recommended beam, beam quality for the predicted beam, current serving beam, or recommended beam, recommended beam index. UE102 may request network entity 304 to schedule resources for 322 to send UE support information via MAC-CE. For example, network entity 304 may configure resources based on higher-layer signaling or on contention-based random access (CBRA) procedures.

[0056] In some embodiments, network entity 304 sends a command to UE102 to temporarily refrain from performing beam measurements and reporting on beams other than the predicted beam and the serving beam (not shown, performed after 318). The command may be indicated by an RRC message (e.g., an RRC reconfiguration message), MAC-CE, or DCI. In response to the command, the UE stops and / or refrains from measuring beams other than the predicted beam and the current serving beam for a configured period. In further embodiments, successful decoding of predicted beam indication signaling may trigger UE102 to stop and / or refrain from measuring beams other than the predicted beam and the current serving beam.

[0057] After receiving UE support information about the predicted beam 322, the network entity 304 sends a response message to the UE 102 324 instructing acceptance / configuration of the predicted beam. Alternatively, the network entity 304 may decide that a different beam may offer better quality than the predicted beam and, in the response message sent to the UE 102 324, instruct that the different beam will be used for communication with the network entity 304. The UE 102 may send a third ACK / NACK feedback to the network entity 304 (not shown, performed after 324, the second ACK / NACK feedback may correspond to UE support information that is an ACK or NACK).

[0058] UE102 communicates with network entity 304 based on the indicated beam after a beam activation delay time. For example, UE102 may receive a downlink transmission from network entity 304 on the indicated beam (e.g., a predicted beam or a different beam indicated in the response message) after a beam activation delay time. After UE102 activates the indicated beam to communicate with network entity 304, UE102 may stop using the current serving beam for communication with network entity 304. That is, UE102 may switch the current serving beam to the indicated beam. After network entity 304 begins using the indicated beam to communicate with UE102, network entity 304 may also stop using the current serving beam for communication with UE102.

[0059] If UE102 detects a beam fault on the indicated beam after switching the current serving beam to the indicated beam, UE102 may send a request to network entity 304 to switch the serving beam back to the previous serving beam or a different beam. If UE102 detects a beam fault on the current serving beam before the beam activation time, UE102 may perform a beam fault recovery (BFR) procedure with network entity 304 for the current serving beam. UE102 does not have to activate the predicted beam in response to detecting a beam fault or in response to initiating the BFR procedure.

[0060] Figure 3B illustrates signaling diagram 301 for time-domain communication between network entity 304 and UE102 after a beam activation delay time, based on a beam prediction procedure associated with beam activation indication. Elements 305, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, 316, 318, 320, and 390 of Figure 3B have already been described in relation to Figure 3A. Element 326 has also been described in relation to Figure 3A, although not in combination with element 325.

[0061] Before the effective timer for activating the predicted beam expires, UE102 may monitor whether the predicted beam meets the activation conditions. If UE102 detects that the predicted beam meets the activation conditions before the effective time expires, UE102 sends a beam activation indication to network entity 304 325, informing network entity 304 that the current serving beam is being switched to the predicted beam. UE102 sends the beam activation indication 325 via an RRC message, MAC-CE, or PUCCH transmission. In an embodiment, UE102 sends the beam activation indication to network entity 304 before the beam activation time 325 (i.e., UE102 begins communicating with network entity 304 based on X slots of the predicted beam after sending the beam activation indication 325). In a further embodiment, UE102 transmits a beam activation indication 325 during or after the beam activation time (i.e., immediately after transmitting the beam activation indication, UE102 begins communicating with network entity 304 based on the predicted beam 326). UE102 transmits a beam activation indication to network entity 325 on the uplink beam corresponding to the predicted beam 325. If UE102 detects that the predicted beam does not meet the activation conditions, UE102 may continue communicating with network entity 304 on the current serving beam.

[0062] When UE102 switches the current serving beam to the predicted beam, UE102 may begin communicating 326 with network entity 304 based on the indicated beam (i.e., the predicted beam associated with beam indication signaling). After a beam activation delay time, UE102 communicates 326 with network entity 304 without receiving any subsequent indications from network entity 304, such as the response message 324 in Figure 3A, in order to switch the current serving beam to the predicted beam. After UE102 has activated the predicted beam for communicating 326 with network entity 304, UE102 may cease using the current serving beam for communication with network entity 304. After network entity 304 has begun using the predicted beam for communicating 326 with UE102, network entity 304 may also cease using the current serving beam for communication with UE102. Network entity 304, based on receiving a beam activation indication from UE102 325, communicates with UE102 326 after a beam activation delay time based on the predicted beam.

[0063] In some embodiments, UE102 does not send a beam activation indication 325 to network entity 304 in response to UE102's decision to switch the current serving beam to the predicted beam. Instead, if UE102 detects that the predicted beam meets the activation conditions, UE102 initiates communication 326 based on the predicted beam after a beam activation delay time. In other words, there is a time gap between 325 and 326. If UE102 detects that the predicted beam does not meet the activation conditions, UE102 may send an indication to network entity 304 on the uplink beam associated with the current serving beam, informing network entity 304 that the predicted beam does not meet the activation conditions. Network entity 304 may then decide whether UE102 will use the predicted beam.

[0064] If UE102 detects a beam fault on the current serving beam, UE102 may send a beam activation indication to network entity 304 (for example, on a predicted beam) and switch the current serving beam to the predicted beam in order to communicate with network entity 304. In a further embodiment, if UE102 detects a beam fault on the current serving beam, UE102 may perform a BFR procedure with network entity 304. UE102 does not have to activate the predicted beam in response to detecting a beam fault or initiating a BFR procedure.

[0065] Figure 3C illustrates signaling diagram 302 for time-domain communication between network entity 304 and UE 102 after the beam activation delay time and before the beam effective duration expires, based on a beam prediction procedure associated with UE support information. Elements 305, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, 316, 318, 320, 322, 324, and 390 of Figure 3C have already been described in relation to Figure 3A.

[0066] When network entity 304 transmits a predicted beam indication signaling to UE 102 316, network entity 304 may include / indicate a validity period / duration for activating the predicted beam via the predicted beam indication signaling. If the beam validity period expires before UE 102 can use the predicted beam, UE 102 will not activate the predicted beam.

[0067] Before the beam validity period expires (for example, immediately after receiving a response message from network entity 304 324), UE 102 may communicate with network entity 304 based on the indicated beam 328. For example, UE 102 may receive a downlink transmission from network entity 304 on the indicated beam (for example, the predicted beam or a different beam indicated in the response message) before the beam validity period expires. After UE 102 activates the indicated beam for communication with network entity 304 328, UE 102 may stop using the current serving beam for communication with network entity 304. That is, UE 102 may switch the current serving beam to the indicated beam. After network entity 304 begins using the indicated beam for communication with UE 102 328, network entity 304 may also stop using the current serving beam for communication with UE 102.

[0068] Figure 3D illustrates signaling diagram 303 for time-domain communication between network entity 304 and UE102 after the beam activation delay time and before the beam effective duration expires, based on a beam prediction procedure associated with beam activation indication. Elements 305, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, 316, 318, 320, and 390 of Figure 3D have already been described in relation to Figures 3A and 3C. Element 325 has also been described in relation to Figure 3B, although not in combination with element 328.

[0069] As shown, UE102 sends a beam activation indication to network entity 304 before the beam validity period expires (for example, as soon as it detects that the predicted beam meets the activation conditions, without receiving any subsequent indication from network entity 304, such as response message 324 in Figure 3C, to switch the current serving beam to the predicted beam 325). If UE102 detects that the predicted beam does not meet the activation conditions before the beam validity period expires, UE102 may continue to communicate with network entity 304 on the current serving beam.

[0070] UE102 may communicate with network entity 304 based on the predicted beam before the beam validity period expires. After UE102 activates the predicted beam for communication with network entity 304, UE102 may stop using the current serving beam for communication with network entity 304. That is, UE102 may switch the current serving beam to the predicted beam. After network entity 304 begins using the predicted beam for communication with UE102, network entity 304 may also stop using the current serving beam for communication with UE102. Based on receiving a beam activation indication from UE102, network entity 304 may communicate with UE102 based on the predicted beam before the beam validity period expires.

[0071] For time-domain beam prediction, network entity 304 may indicate beam activation delay times for TCI status, spatial relation information, and / or path loss reference signal updates. For example, network entity 304 may indicate beam activation delay times via MAC-CE or DCI. UE 102 may apply beam activation delay times to target channels associated with indicated / predicted beams. UE 102 receives 305 a report of UE capability for minimum and / or maximum beam activation delays. In embodiments, beam activation delay times may correspond to M symbols based on subcarrier spacing (SCS) for downlink bandwidth portions (BWP) associated with TCI update / indication signaling, or based on SCS for uplink BWP associated with 318,ACK / NACK feedback transmitted for beam indication signaling. UE 102 and network entity 304 may count beam activation times for predicted beams after 318,ACK / NACK feedback transmitted for beam indication signaling.

[0072] If network entity 304 determines that a previously indicated predicted beam does not offer improved beam quality compared to the current serving beam (for example, based on beam measurements and reports from UE102), network entity 304 may deactivate or cancel the previously indicated predicted beam. Network entity 304 may utilize RRC signaling to enable TCI update / indication signaling, which may be configured per search space, per coreset, per beampoint, per serving cell, per serving cell group, per serving cell list, or per UE.

[0073] Network entity 304 may configure beam activation delays based on MAC-CE for TCI state / spatial relationship information. Network entity 304 may indicate a list of candidate beam activation delays via RRC signaling, or the list of candidate beam activation delays may be based on a predefined protocol. Fields in MAC-CE may be used to select beam activation delays for TCI state / spatial relationship information. Alternatively, network entity 304 may indicate beam activation delays separately via RRC signaling or a second MAC-CE. In further embodiments, network entity 304 may indicate beam activation delays via DCI, indicate a list of candidate beam activation delays via RRC signaling, or the list of candidate beam activation delays may be based on a predefined protocol. Fields in DCI format 1_1 or DCI format 1_2 may be used to select beam activation delays for TCI state / spatial relationship information.

[0074] UE102 compares the beam quality of the predicted beam with that of the current serving beam and then transmits a second ACK / NACK feedback corresponding to UE-assisted information. UE102 may determine beam quality based on L1-RSRP information, L1-SINR information, or coupling loss for the downlink reference signal corresponding to TCI state / spatial relationship information for the predicted beam and the current serving beam. UE102 may determine coupling loss based on L1-RSRP / transmit power for the downlink reference signal. In some embodiments, network 304 may constitute a beam quality comparison metric in UE102 (not shown).

[0075] If at least a subset of the predicted beam activation conditions are met, UE102 sends and receives an ACK in a second ACK / NACK feedback associated with UE support information to network entity 304 322. Thus, UE102 sends and receives a first ACK / NACK feedback indicating whether UE102 has successfully decoded the beam indication signaling 318, UE102 sends and receives a second ACK / NACK feedback in UE support information 322 indicating whether the predicted beam satisfies the predicted beam activation conditions, and UE102 may send a third ACK / NACK feedback (not shown, performed after 324) indicating whether UE102 has received a response message from network entity 304 324. One or more thresholds associated with the predicted beam activation conditions may be configured for UE102 based on higher-layer signaling or based on a predefined protocol. Otherwise, UE102 may send a NACK to network entity 304 for a second ACK / NACK feedback. UE102 may send an ACK for the second ACK / NACK feedback based on at least one of the following: the beam quality of the current serving beam is below a first threshold, the beam quality of the predicted beam is above a second threshold, or the beam quality of the predicted beam is above the beam quality of the current serving beam by a third threshold.

[0076] In an embodiment of multi-beam indication, where the 316 predicted beam indication signalings transmitted to UE102 include more than one TCI state / spatial relationship information, the beam quality may be based on the average beam quality, minimum beam quality, or maximum beam quality associated with the multiple beams. In a further embodiment, UE102 may transmit ACK / NACK feedback for each predicted beam of the multi-beam indication. Thus, if T beams are included in the multi-beam indication signaling, UE102 transmits and receives T ACK / NACKs for the T beams to the network entity 304 322.

[0077] Network entity 304 may request beam quality reports for predicted beams and current serving beams (not shown). A request sent may trigger a dedicated CSI-reportConfig in UE 102, which may be configured for a specific beam ID, resulting in UE 102 reporting beam quality (e.g., L1-RSRP / L1-SINR) for predicted beams and current serving beams instead of beam quality for channel measurement resources (CMRs). In a further embodiment, network entity 304 may trigger a CSI-reportConfig whose CMR list includes a downlink reference signal that is quasi-collated (QCLed) with or identical to the downlink reference signal configured for the applicable TCI state or the current TCI state. UE 102 may report at least beam quality for predicted beams and current serving beams in a manner similar to that of transmitting beam reports 312. In a further embodiment, UE 102 may directly report the beam quality for the predicted beam and the current serving beam to network entity 304 as UE-assisted information for the predicted beam in 322, based on PUCCH resources configured in N slots / symbols, before the beam activation time of the predicted beam. Figures 3A-3D illustrate UE-assisted beam activation. In some embodiments, elements 326 and 328 may be combined into a single block (for example, communication may be based on an indicated beam which is activated both after a beam activation delay time and before the expiration of the beam effective duration). Figures 4A-4C support MAC-CE indication for beam activation.

[0078] Figures 4A–4C illustrate MAC-CE indications for time-domain beam prediction, Figures 410–430. MAC-CE based beam prediction indications may be associated with a flag (F) indicating whether a predicted beam will overwrite a previously indicated predicted beam that has not yet been activated, such as the one exemplified in Figure 2C. If network entity 304 determines, based on the updated beam measurement report received from UE102, that the previously indicated / predicted beam does not meet the activation conditions, the network entity may replace the previously indicated / predicted beam with a different beam indicated via MAC-CE. For example, network entity 304 may receive a second NACK for the previously indicated beam, causing network entity 304 to select a different beam by sending a MAC-CE that overwrites the previously indicated beam.

[0079] Figure 4A illustrates TCI state activation / indication for time-domain beam prediction based on the first MAC-CE indication diagram 410. The first MAC-CE indication diagram 410 includes an “Action Delay” field used to indicate the beam activation delay. The first MAC-CE indication diagram 410 also includes a field “F” used to indicate whether the MAC-CE is overwriting a previous MAC-CE for a previously predicted beam. Other fields in the first MAC-CE indication diagram 410 correspond to fields associated with predefined protocols.

[0080] Figures 4B-4C illustrate MAC-CE indications of embodiments for updating spatial relation information. For example, Figure 4B illustrates PUCCH spatial relation information for time-domain beam prediction based on the second MAC-CE indication figure 420. Figure 4C illustrates SRS spatial relation information for time-domain beam prediction based on the third MAC-CE indication figure 430. The second / third MAC-CE indication figures 420-430 also include an action delay field and an F field, and additional octets may be added to MAC-CE indication figure 430 to indicate the action delay and the F field. In some embodiments, the F field may be replaced by a reserved field R. Other fields in the second / third MAC-CE indication figures 420-430 correspond to fields associated with predefined protocols. Figures 3A-3D illustrate the activation of predicted beams based on UE assistance (Figures 3A and 3C) or UE beam activation (Figures 3B and 3D). Figures 5-6 illustrate how to implement one or more embodiments of Figures 3A-3D. In particular, Figure 5 shows an implementation of one or more embodiments of Figures 3A-3D using UE102. Figure 6 shows an implementation of one or more embodiments of Figures 3A-3D using network entity 304.

[0081] Figure 5 illustrates a flowchart 500 of a wireless communication method in a UE. Referring to Figures 1 and 7, the method may be performed by a UE 102, a UE device 702, etc., which may include memory 724', and may correspond to the entire UE 102 or UE device 702, or to components of the UE 102 or UE device 702 such as a wireless baseband processor 724 and / or an application processor 706.

[0082] UE102 transmits a UE capability message 505 indicating at least one of the following: a first UE capability regarding beam prediction procedure, a second UE capability regarding out-of-order beam activation time, or a third UE capability regarding the duration of beam activation delay. For example, referring to Figures 3A-3D, UE102 transmits a UE capability message 305 to network entity 304.

[0083] UE102 receives an RRC message 506 indicating the configuration for beam reporting of one or more candidate beams indicated in beam indication signaling. For example, referring to Figures 3A-3D, UE102 receives beam measurement and reporting configuration 306 from network entity 304.

[0084] UE102 receives beam indication signaling from the network entity 516, indicating one or more candidate beams predicted to have improved beam quality than the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams. For example, referring to Figures 3A-3D, UE102 receives predicted beam indication signaling from the network entity 304 based on beam predictions performed by the network entity 304 316. Referring to Figure 2C, the neural network 226 may predict a small number of candidate beams.

[0085] UE102 measures the first beam quality of one or more current serving beams and the second beam quality of one or more candidate beams.520 For example, referring to Figures 3A-3D, UE102 measures the beam quality of the predicted beam and the current serving beam.320

[0086] When the beam prediction procedure is activated by the network, UE102 transmits beam quality information to the network entity 304, indicating a first beam quality measured for one or more current serving beams and / or a second beam quality measured for one or more candidate beams.522 For example, referring to Figures 3A and 3C, UE102 transmits UE support information to the network entity 304 about the predicted beams.322 The UE support information indicates the measured beam quality of the predicted beams and / or the current serving beams.320

[0087] UE102 receives a message from the network entity 524 instructing it to use a communication beam to communicate with the network entity, based on the transmission of beam quality information 524. For example, referring to Figures 3A and 3C, UE102 receives a response message from the network entity 304 324 after it has transmitted UE assistance information about the predicted beam to the network entity 304 322. The response message instructs the beam activation time or beam effective duration along with the beam to communicate with the network entity 304.

[0088] When the beam prediction procedure is activated by the UE, the UE 102 sends a beam activation indication to the network entity 525 based on measurements of the first beam quality of one or more current serving beams and the second beam quality of one or more candidate beams. For example, referring to Figures 3B and 3D, the UE 102 sends a beam activation indication to the network entity 304 based on the measured beam quality of the predicted beam and the current serving beam 325.

[0089] UE102 communicates with network entities through one or more candidate beams or one or more current serving beams based on whether the second beam quality is higher than the first beam quality 527. For example, referring to Figures 3A-3D, UE102 communicates with network entities 304 based on the indicated beam 326 / 328. If the indicated beam is activated by the network, the activation duration 208 may begin when UE102 receives a response message 324. If the indicated beam is activated by the UE, the activation duration 208 may begin when UE102 transmits a beam activation indication 325. Figure 5 illustrates the method from the UE side of the radio communication link, while Figure 6 illustrates the method from the network side of the radio communication link.

[0090] Figure 6 is a flowchart 600 of a method of wireless communication in a network entity. Referring to Figures 1 and 8, the method may be performed by a base station 104 or by one or more network entities 804 in the base station 104, where one or more network entities 804 in the base station 104 may correspond to RU106, DU108, CU110, RU processor 842, DU processor 832, CU processor 812, etc. The base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 in the base station 104 may include memory 812' / 832' / 842', where memory 812' / 832' / 842' may correspond to one or more network entities 804 or the entire base station 104, or to one or more network entities 804 or components of the base station 104, such as RU processor 842, DU processor 832, or CU processor 812.

[0091] The base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 in the base station 104 transmits an RRC message 606 that indicates the configuration for beam reporting of one or more candidate beams indicated in beam indication signaling. For example, referring to Figures 3A-3D, the base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 in the base station 104 transmits to the UE 102 the beam measurement and reporting configuration for the predicted beam indicated in predicted beam indication signaling.

[0092] A base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 in base station 104 receives a UE capability message indicating at least one of the following: a first UE capability regarding beam prediction procedure, a second UE capability regarding out-of-order beam activation time, or a third UE capability regarding beam activation delay duration. For example, referring to Figures 3A-3D, network entity 304 receives a UE capability message from UE 102.

[0093] Base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 in base station 104 select one or more candidate beams for communication with the UE 614 based on the prediction that one or more candidate beams have improved beam quality than the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams. For example, referring to Figures 3A-3D, base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 in base station 104 perform a beam prediction procedure 314 to select a predicted beam for communication with the UE 102. Beam selection components 150 of base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 in base station 104, such as RU106, DU108, and / or CU110, may perform the selection 614.

[0094] The base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 in the base station 104 transmits a beam indication signaling to the UE indicating a selected beam from one or more candidate beams based on predictions for one or more candidate beams 616. For example, referring to Figures 3A-3D, the base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 in the base station 104 transmits a predicted beam indication signaling to the UE 102 based on beam predictions performed by network entity 304 316.

[0095] When the beam prediction procedure is activated by the network, base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 in base station 104 receive beam quality information from the UE, showing a first beam quality measured for one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality measured for one or more candidate beams.622 For example, referring to Figures 3A and 3C, base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 in base station 104 receive UE support information from the UE 102 about the predicted beams322.322 The UE support information may show the measured beam quality of the predicted beams and / or the current serving beams320.320

[0096] The base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 in the base station 104 transmits a message to the UE indicating a communication beam for communication with the UE, based on the reception of beam quality information. For example, referring to Figures 3A and 3C, the base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 in the base station 104 transmits a response message to the UE 102 after receiving UE assistance information about a predicted beam from the UE 102. The response message may indicate a beam for communication with the UE 102.

[0097] When the beam prediction procedure is activated by the UE, base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 in base station 104 receive a beam activation indication from the UE based on a measurement of the first beam quality of one or more current serving beams and a measurement of the second beam quality of one or more candidate beams. For example, referring to Figures 3B and 3D, base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 in base station 104 receive a beam activation indication from the UE based on the measured beam quality of the predicted beam and the current serving beam.

[0098] A base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 in base station 104 communicates with the UE through one or more candidate beams or one or more current serving beams based on whether a first measurement of one or more candidate beams and a second measurement of one or more current serving beams indicate that one or more candidate beams have improved beam quality than the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams 627. For example, referring to Figures 3A-3D, a base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 in base station 104 communicates with the UE 102 based on the indicated beams 326 / 328. If the indicated beams are activated by the network, the activation duration 208 may begin when the UE 102 receives a response message 324. If the indicated beams are activated by the UE, the activation duration 208 may begin when the UE 102 transmits a beam activation indication 325. As illustrated in Figure 7, the UE device 702 may perform the method of flowchart 500. A base station 104 or one or more network entities 804 in base station 104, as described in Figure 8, may perform the method shown in flowchart 600.

[0099] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a UE device 702. The device 702 may be a UE102, a UE102 component, or implement UE functionality. In some embodiments, the device 702 may include a wireless baseband processor 724 (also referred to as a modem) coupled to one or more transceivers 722 (e.g., a wireless RF transceiver). The wireless baseband processor 724 may include on-chip memory 724'. In some embodiments, the device 702 may further include an application processor 706 coupled to one or more subscriber identification module (SIM) cards 720 and a secure digital (SD) card 708 and a screen 710. The application processor 706 may include on-chip memory 706'.

[0100] The device 702 may further include a Bluetooth module 712, a WLAN module 714, an SPS module 716 (e.g., a GNSS module), and a cellular module 717 within one or more transceivers 722. The Bluetooth module 712, WLAN module 714, SPS module 716, and cellular module 717 may include an on-chip transceiver (TRX) (or, in some cases, just a receiver (RX)). The Bluetooth module 712, WLAN module 714, SPS module 716, and cellular module 717 may include their own dedicated antennas and / or utilize an antenna 780 for communication. The device 702 may further include one or more sensor modules 718 (e.g., motion sensors such as a barometric pressure sensor / altimeter, an inertial management unit (IMU), a gyroscope, and / or accelerometer(s), light detection and ranging (LIDAR), radio-assisted detection and ranging (RADAR), sound navigation and ranging (SONAR), a magnetometer, audio, and / or other technologies used for positioning), an additional module of memory 726, a power supply device 730, and / or a camera 732.

[0101] The wireless baseband processor 724 communicates with another UE 102 and / or RU associated with base station 104 via one or more antennas 780 and transceiver(s) 722. The wireless baseband processor 724 and the application processor 706 may each include computer-readable media / memories 724', 706', respectively. Additional modules of memory 726 may also be considered computer-readable media / memories. Each of the computer-readable media / memories 724', 706', 726 may be non-temporary. The wireless baseband processor 724 and the application processor 706 are each responsible for overall processing, including the execution of software stored in the computer-readable media / memories. When the software is executed by the wireless baseband processor 724 / application processor 706, it causes the wireless baseband processor 724 / application processor 706 to perform the various functions described. The computer-readable media / memories may also be used to store data manipulated by the wireless baseband processor 724 / application processor 706 when the software is executed. The wireless baseband processor 724 / application processor 706 may be components of UE102. Device 702 may be a processor chip (modem and / or application) and may include only the wireless baseband processor 724 and / or application processor 706, or in another configuration, device 702 may be the entire UE102 and may include additional modules of device 702.

[0102] As discussed, the predicted beam verification component 140 is configured to receive beam indication signaling from a network entity indicating one or more candidate beams predicted to have improved beam quality than the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams. The predicted beam verification component 140 is further configured to measure a first beam quality of one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality of one or more candidate beams, and to communicate with the network entity through one or more candidate beams or one or more current serving beams based on whether the second beam quality is higher than the first beam quality. The predicted beam verification component 140 may be in the radio baseband processor 724, the application processor 706, or both the radio baseband processor 724 and the application processor 706. Specifically, the predicted beam verification component 140 may be one or more hardware components configured to perform the described processing / algorithm, implemented by one or more processors configured to perform the described processing / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium for implementation by one or more processors, or a combination of some of these.

[0103] As shown, the apparatus 702 may include various components configured for various functions. In one configuration, the apparatus 702, in particular the wireless baseband processor 724 and / or application processor 706, includes means for receiving beam indication signaling from a network entity indicating one or more candidate beams predicted to have improved beam quality than the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams; means for measuring a first beam quality of one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality of one or more candidate beams; and means for communicating with the network entity through one or more candidate beams or one or more current serving beams based on whether the second beam quality is higher than the first beam quality.

[0104] The device 702 further includes means for receiving RRC messages indicating configuration for beam reporting of one or more candidate beams indicated in beam indication signaling. The device 702 further includes means for receiving control signaling from a network entity indicating uplink resources for transmitting beam reports to the network entity. The device 702 further includes means for transmitting beam quality information to the network entity indicating a first beam quality measured for one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality measured for one or more candidate beams, and means for receiving messages from the network entity indicating communication beams for communicating with the network entity based on the transmission of beam quality information. The device 702 further includes means for transmitting an ACK to the network entity indicating at least one of the following: the first beam quality of one or more current serving beams is below a first threshold, the second beam quality of one or more candidate beams is above a second threshold, or the second beam quality of one or more candidate beams is above the first beam quality of one or more current serving beams by a third threshold. The apparatus 702 further includes means for transmitting beam activation indications to network entities based on measuring a first beam quality of one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality of one or more candidate beams. The means may be a predicted beam verification component 140 of the apparatus 702 configured to perform the functions described by the means.

[0105] Figure 8 is an example of a hardware implementation embodiment for one or more network entities 804. One or more network entities 804 may be a base station, a component of a base station, or implement base station functionality. One or more network entities 804 may include at least one of CU110, DU108, or RU106. For example, depending on where neural network processing power is available, the beam selection component 150 may be present in one or more network entities 804 such as CU110, both CU110 and DU108, each of CU110, DU108, and RU106, DU108, both DU108 and RU106, or RU106.

[0106] CU110 may include a CU processor 812. The CU processor 812 may include on-chip memory 812'. In some embodiments, CU110 may further include an additional memory module 814 and a communication interface 818. CU110 communicates with DU108 via a mid-haul link such as an F1 interface. DU108 may include a DU processor 832. The DU processor 832 may include on-chip memory 832'. In some embodiments, DU108 may further include an additional memory module 834 and a communication interface 838. DU108 communicates with RU106 via a front-haul link. RU106 may include an RU processor 842. The RU processor 842 may include on-chip memory 842'. In some embodiments, RU106 may further include an additional memory module 844, one or more transceivers 846, an antenna 880, and a communication interface 848. RU106 communicates wirelessly with UE102.

[0107] On-chip memories 812', 832', 842' and additional memory modules 814, 834, 844 can each be considered computer-readable media / memory. Each computer-readable media / memory may be non-temporary. Each of the processors 812, 832, 842 is responsible for overall processing, including the execution of software stored in computer-readable media / memory. When the software is executed by the corresponding processor(s), it causes the processor(s) to perform the various functions described. Computer-readable media / memory can also be used to store data manipulated by the processor(s) when the software is executed.

[0108] As discussed, the beam selection component 150 is configured to select one or more candidate beams for communication with the UE based on the prediction that one or more candidate beams have improved beam quality than the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams. The beam selection component 150 is further configured to send beam indication signaling to the UE indicating the selected beam from the one or more candidate beams based on the prediction for one or more candidate beams. The beam selection component 150 is further configured to communicate with the UE through one or more candidate beams or one or more current serving beams based on whether a first measurement of one or more candidate beams and a second measurement of one or more current serving beams indicate that one or more candidate beams have improved beam quality than the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams. The beam selection component 150 may be in one or more processors of CU110, DU108, and RU106. The beam selection component 150 may be one or more hardware components configured to perform the described process / algorithm, implemented by one or more processors configured to execute the described process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium for implementation by one or more processors, or a combination of some of these.

[0109] One or more network entities 804 may include various components configured for various functions. In one configuration, one or more network entities 804 include means for selecting one or more candidate beams for communication with the UE based on the prediction that one or more candidate beams have improved beam quality than the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams; means for transmitting beam indication signaling to the UE indicating the beam selected from the one or more candidate beams based on the prediction for one or more candidate beams; and means for communicating with the UE through one or more candidate beams or one or more current serving beams based on whether a first measurement of one or more candidate beams and a second measurement of one or more current serving beams indicate that one or more candidate beams have improved beam quality than the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams.

[0110] One or more network entities 804 further include means for transmitting an RRC message indicating a configuration for beam reporting of one or more candidate beams indicated in beam indication signaling. One or more network entities 804 further include means for transmitting control signaling to the UE indicating an uplink resource for receiving beam reports from the UE. One or more network entities 804 further include means for receiving beam quality information from the UE indicating a first beam quality measured for one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality measured for one or more candidate beams, and means for transmitting a message to the UE indicating a communication beam for communicating with the UE based on the reception of the beam quality information. One or more network entities 804 further include means for receiving an ACK from the UE indicating at least one of the following: the first beam quality of one or more current serving beams is below a first threshold, the second beam quality of one or more candidate beams is above a second threshold, or the second beam quality of one or more candidate beams is above the first beam quality of one or more current serving beams by a third threshold. One or more network entities 804 further include means for receiving beam activation indications from the UE based on a first beam quality measurement of one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality measurement of one or more candidate beams. The means may be beam selection components 150 of one or more network entities 804 configured to perform the functions described by the means.

[0111] The specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the processes and flowcharts disclosed herein is illustrative. Therefore, the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the processes and flowcharts may be rearranged. Some blocks may also be combined or deleted. Optional blocks in the processes and flowcharts may be indicated by dashed lines. The accompanying claims present elements of various blocks in an exemplary order and are not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented in the claims, processes, and flowcharts.

[0112] The detailed descriptions provided herein illustrate various configurations related to the drawings and do not represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be implemented. The detailed descriptions include specific details for the purpose of providing a complete explanation of the various concepts. However, these concepts may be implemented without these specific details. In some cases, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagrams to avoid obscuring such concepts.

[0113] Embodiments of wireless communication systems, such as telecommunications systems, are presented with reference to various devices and methods. These devices and methods are described in the following detailed description and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, components, circuits, processes, call flows, systems, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as “elements”). These elements can be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0114] An element, or any part of an element, or any combination of elements, may be implemented as a “processing system” comprising one or more processors. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, systems on a chip (SoC), baseband processors, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gating logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other similar hardware configured to perform various functions described throughout this disclosure. One or more processors in a processing system may run software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise referred to as software. Software is broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, procedures, functions, or any combination thereof.

[0115] If the functions described herein are implemented in software, the functions may be stored in or encoded as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium, such as a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, combinations of these types of computer-readable media, or any other medium that can be used to store computer executable code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed by a computer. The storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer.

[0116] The embodiments, embodiments, and / or use cases described herein can be implemented across many different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and packaging arrangements. For example, embodiments, embodiments, and / or use cases can arise through integrated chip implementations and other non-modular component-based devices, such as end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment, retail / purchase devices, medical devices, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled devices, and machine learning (ML)-enabled devices. Embodiments, embodiments, and / or use cases can range from chip-level or modular components to non-modular or non-chip-level implementations, and even to aggregated, distributed, or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) devices or systems incorporating one or more of the technologies described herein.

[0117] Devices incorporating the embodiments and features described herein may also include additional components and features for implementing and carrying out the claimed and described embodiments and features. For example, the transmission and reception of radio signals necessarily include several components for analog and digital purposes, such as hardware components, antennas, RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors, interleavers, and adders / summers. The technologies described herein can be implemented in a wide variety of devices, chip-level components, systems, distributed, aggregated or unaggregated components, and end-user devices in various configurations.

[0118] The descriptions herein are provided to enable those skilled in the art to carry out the various embodiments described herein. Various modifications of these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other embodiments. Accordingly, the claims are not limited to the embodiments described herein and should be interpreted in light of the entire scope of this disclosure, consistent with the language of the claims.

[0119] Referencing an element in the singular form, unless otherwise specified, means "one or more," rather than "just one." Terms such as "when," "and," and "during" do not imply an immediate temporal relationship or response. That is, these phrases, for example, "when," do not suggest an immediate action in response to or during the occurrence of an action, but simply that, if the conditions are met, the action will occur without requiring any specific or immediate temporal constraints for it to occur. Unless otherwise specified, the term "several" refers to one or more. Combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C" or "one or more of A, B, or C" include any combination of A, B, and / or C, such as A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, and may include multiple A, multiple B, and / or multiple C, or may include only A, only B, or only C. A set should be interpreted as a set of elements in which elements number one or more.

[0120] Unless otherwise specified, ordinal terms such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily refer to order in time, sequence, or numerical value, but are used to distinguish different instances of the terms or phrases that follow each ordinal number.

[0121] Structural and functional equivalents of the various aspects of the elements described throughout this disclosure, whether known or subsequently known to those skilled in the art, are expressly incorporated by reference herein and are covered by the claims. Words such as “module,” “mechanism,” “element,” and “device” may not be substitutes for the word “means.” Accordingly, claimed elements should not be interpreted as means plus function unless the elements are expressly enumerated using the phrase “means for.” Where used herein, the phrase “based on” shall not be interpreted as a reference to a closed set of information, one or more conditions, one or more factors, etc. In other words, the phrase “based on A” shall be interpreted as “at least based on A” where “A” may be information, conditions, factors, etc., unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0122] The following examples are illustrative and may be combined with other examples or teachings described herein without limitation. Embodiment 1 is a method of wireless communication in a UE, comprising: receiving beam indication signaling from a network entity indicating one or more candidate beams predicted to provide improved beam quality than the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams, wherein the activation of the one or more candidate beams takes place after a beam activation delay time; measuring a first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams; and communicating with the network entity through the one or more candidate beams or at least one of the one or more current serving beams, based on whether the second beam quality is higher than the first beam quality.

[0123] Embodiment 2 may be combined with Embodiment 1 and includes the fact that the communication with the network entity through the one or more candidate beams takes place at least one of the following times: after the beam activation delay time for the one or more candidate beams, or before the effective duration for the one or more candidate beams expires, wherein parameters for the beam activation delay time and the effective duration are specified for each of the one or more candidate beams.

[0124] Embodiment 3 may be combined with any of Embodiments 1 to 2, and includes the fact that the communication with the network entity is performed through one or more candidate beams when the second beam quality is higher than the first beam quality, and the communication with the network entity is performed only through one or more current serving beams when the second beam quality is less than or equal to the first beam quality.

[0125] Example 4 may be combined with Example 1 and further includes receiving an RRC message indicating a configuration for beam reporting of the one or more candidate beams indicated in the beam indication signaling.

[0126] Example 5 may be combined with any of Examples 1 to 4 and further includes receiving control signaling from the network entity indicating uplink resources for transmitting the beam report to the network entity.

[0127] Example 6 may be combined with any of Examples 1 to 5, and the beam indication signaling includes indicating at least one of the TCI state or spatial relation information for one or more candidate beams.

[0128] Example 7 may be combined with any of Examples 1 to 6 and includes the fact that at least one of the beam indication signaling or the beam activation delay time for one or more candidate beams is indicated using MAC-CE or DCI.

[0129] Example 8 may be combined with any of Examples 1 to 6, wherein the beam indication signaling includes an information element (IE) indicating whether at least one TCI state or spatial relation information replaces at least one previous TCI state or previous spatial relation information, and the beam indication signaling is transmitted to the UE using the MAC-CE or the DCI and directed to the UE based on at least one of the start CCE index, the search space for the DCI, or the CORESET for the DCI.

[0130] Embodiment 9 may be combined with any of Embodiments 1 to 8 and further includes transmitting beam quality information to the network entity indicating the first beam quality measured for the one or more current serving beams and the second beam quality measured for the one or more candidate beams, and, based on the transmission of the beam quality information, receiving a message from the network entity indicating at least one of the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams to communicate with the network entity after the beam activation time.

[0131] Example 10 may be combined with Example 9, and the beam quality information indicates at least one of L1-RSRP information or L1-SINR information for at least one of the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams.

[0132] Example 11 may be combined with any of Examples 1 to 10, and the transmission of the beam quality information to the network entity includes using a dedicated PUCCH resource configured via the RRC signaling or using the MAC-CE to indicate at least one of the serving cell index, BWP index, the first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams, or the second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams.

[0133] Embodiment 12 may be combined with any of Embodiments 1 to 11 and further includes sending an ACK to the network entity indicating that the first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams is below a first threshold, the second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams is above a second threshold, or the second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams is above the first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams by a third threshold.

[0134] Example 13 may be combined with Example 12 and includes the fact that transmitting the ACK to the network entity includes multiplexing the ACK with other information transmitted to the network entity.

[0135] Embodiment 14 may be combined with any of Embodiments 1 to 13, and the transmission of the beam quality information to the network entity includes initiating the beam activation delay time in a first number of slots prior to the activation of the one or more candidate beams, the first number of slots being based on a predefined protocol or configured based on the RRC signaling.

[0136] Example 15 may be combined with any of Examples 1 to 14, and the beam quality information indicates that the activation of the one or more candidate beams is within a second number of slots after the beam activation delay time for the one or more candidate beams, the second number of slots being based on a predefined protocol or configured based on the RRC signaling.

[0137] Example 16 may be combined with any of Examples 1 to 8 and further includes transmitting a beam activation indication to the network entity based on the measurement of the first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams and the second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams.

[0138] Example 17 is a method for wireless communication in a network entity, comprising: selecting one or more candidate beams for communication with a UE based on the prediction that one or more candidate beams will provide improved beam quality than the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams, wherein the activation of the one or more candidate beams is performed after a beam activation delay time; transmitting beam indication signaling to the UE indicating the one or more candidate beams predicted to provide the improved beam quality based on the prediction for the one or more candidate beams; and communicating with the UE through the one or more candidate beams or at least one of the one or more current serving beams based on whether a first measurement of the one or more candidate beams and a second measurement of the one or more current serving beams indicate that the one or more candidate beams will provide improved beam quality than the current beam quality of the one or more current serving beams.

[0139] Example 18 may be combined with Example 17 and includes the fact that the communication with the UE through the one or more candidate beams takes place at least one of the following times: after the beam activation delay time associated with the one or more candidate beams, or before the effective duration for the one or more candidate beams expires.

[0140] Example 19 may be combined with any of Examples 17 to 18, and the communication with the UE is performed only through the one or more current serving beams when the first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams is equal to or greater than the second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams, and the communication with the UE is performed through the one or more candidate beams when the first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams is lower than the second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams.

[0141] Example 20 may be combined with Example 17 and further includes sending an RRC message indicating the configuration for beam reporting of the one or more candidate beams indicated in the beam indication signaling.

[0142] Example 21 may be combined with any of Examples 17 to 20 and further includes transmitting a control signaling to the UE indicating an uplink resource for receiving the beam report from the UE.

[0143] Example 22 may be combined with any of Examples 17 to 21, and the beam indication signaling includes indicating at least one of the TCI state or spatial relational information for one or more candidate beams.

[0144] Example 23 may be combined with any of Examples 17 to 22 and includes the fact that at least one of the beam indication signaling or the beam activation delay time for one or more candidate beams is instructed to the UE using MAC-CE or DCI.

[0145] Example 24 may be combined with any of Examples 17 to 22, wherein the beam indication signaling includes an IE that indicates whether at least one TCI state or spatial relation information replaces at least one previous TCI state or previous spatial relation information, the IE being transmitted to the UE using the MAC-CE or the DCI and instructing the UE based on at least one of the CCE index, the search space for the DCI, or the CORESET for the DCI.

[0146] Example 25 may be combined with any of Examples 17 to 24 and further includes receiving beam quality information from the UE indicating a first beam quality measured for the one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality measured for the one or more candidate beams, and, based on the receipt of the beam quality information, sending a message to the UE indicating at least one of the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams.

[0147] Example 26 may be combined with Example 25, and the beam quality information indicates at least one of L1-RSRP information or L1-SINR information for at least one of the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams.

[0148] Example 27 may be combined with any of Examples 17 to 26, and the receiving of the beam quality information from the UE includes using a dedicated PUCCH resource configured via the RRC signaling or using the MAC-CE to indicate at least one of the serving cell index, BWP index, the first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams, or the second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams.

[0149] Example 28 may be combined with any of Examples 17 to 27 and further includes receiving an ACK from the UE indicating at least one of the following: the first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams is below a first threshold; the second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams is above a second threshold; or the second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams is above the first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams by a third threshold.

[0150] Example 29 may be combined with Example 28, and the receiving of the ACK from the UE includes the multiplexing of the ACK with other information received from the UE.

[0151] Example 30 may be combined with any of Examples 17 to 29, and includes the fact that the reception of the beam quality information from the UE is performed in a first number of slots prior to the beam activation delay time for one or more candidate beams, the first number of slots being based on a predefined protocol or configured based on the RRC signaling.

[0152] Example 31 may be combined with any of Examples 17 to 30, and the beam quality information indicates that the activation of the one or more candidate beams is within a second number of slots after the beam activation delay time for the one or more candidate beams, the second number of slots being based on a predefined protocol or configured based on the RRC signaling.

[0153] Example 32 may be combined with any of Examples 17 to 24 and further includes receiving a beam activation indication from the UE based on a first beam quality measurement of the one or more current serving beams and a second beam quality measurement of the one or more candidate beams.

[0154] Example 33 is a device for wireless communication that implements one of the methods described in Examples 1 to 32. Example 34 is a device for wireless communication that includes means for implementing one of the methods in Examples 1 to 32.

[0155] Example 35 is a non-temporary computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code, which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform any of the methods described in Examples 1 to 32.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication in a user device UE (102), Receiving beam indication signaling from a network entity (304) indicating one or more candidate beams predicted to provide improved beam quality than the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams (316), wherein the activation of the one or more candidate beams occurs after a beam activation delay time (316), Based on receiving the beam indication signaling, the first beam quality of one or more current serving beams and the second beam quality of one or more candidate beams are measured (320), Based on whether the second beam quality is higher than the first beam quality, communicate with the network entity through at least one of the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams (326, 328), Methods that include...

2. Communicating with the network entity through one or more candidate beams means After the beam activation delay time for the one or more candidate beams, or before the effective duration for the one or more candidate beams expires, This is performed in at least one of the following cases: when the second beam quality is higher than the first beam quality. The communication with the network entity is performed only through the one or more current serving beams when the second beam quality is less than or equal to the first beam quality. The method according to claim 1.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving a radio resource control (RRC) message indicating a configuration for beam reporting of the one or more candidate beams indicated in the beam indication signaling (306).

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising receiving control signaling from the network entity instructing the network entity to provide an uplink resource for transmitting the beam report (308).

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the beam indication signaling indicates at least one of the transmit configuration indicator (TCI) status or spatial relation information for one or more candidate beams.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein at least one of the beam indication signaling or the beam activation delay time for one or more candidate beams is indicated using MAC-CE, which is a media access control-control element, or DCI, which is downlink control information.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the beam indication signaling includes an IE which is an information element that indicates whether at least one of a TCI state or spatial relation information replaces at least one of a previous TCI state or spatial relation information, and the beam indication signaling is contained within the MAC-CE or the DCI.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising transmitting a beam quality report to the network entity, which includes at least one of a first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams or a second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams, wherein the beam quality report is based on an ID which is a specific beam identifier of the one or more current serving beams or the one or more candidate beams.

9. Based on transmitting the beam quality report, the network entity receives a message from the network entity indicating at least one of the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams for communication with the network entity (324), The beam quality report indicates at least one of the following for at least one of the one or more candidate beams or the one or more current serving beams: Layer 1 (L1) reference signal received power (RSRP) information (L1-RSRP information), or L1 signal-to-interference-plus-noise (SINR) information (L1-SINR information). The method according to claim 8.

10. The network entity, The first beam quality of one or more of the current serving beams falls below a first threshold. The second beam quality of one or more candidate beams exceeds the second threshold, or The second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams exceeds the first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams by a third threshold, The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising sending an acknowledgment (ACK) indicating at least one of the following.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein transmitting the beam quality information to the network entity starts the beam activation delay time in a first number of slots prior to the activation of the one or more candidate beams, the first number of slots being based on a predefined protocol or configured based on RRC signaling.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the beam quality information indicates that the activation of one or more candidate beams is within a second number of slots after the beam activation delay time for the one or more candidate beams, and the second number of slots are based on a predefined protocol or are configured based on RRC signaling.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising transmitting a beam activation indication to the network entity based on the measurement of the first beam quality of the one or more current serving beams and the second beam quality of the one or more candidate beams (325).

14. A method for wireless communication in a network entity (304), Selecting one or more candidate beams for communication with a user equipment (UE) based on the prediction that one or more candidate beams will provide improved beam quality than the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams (314), wherein the activation of the one or more candidate beams is performed after a beam activation delay time (314), Based on the predictions for one or more candidate beams, the UE is to transmit beam indication signaling to the one or more candidate beams that are predicted to provide the improved beam quality (316), Based on whether a first measurement by the UE(102) of one or more candidate beams and a second measurement by the UE(102) of one or more current serving beams indicates that one or more candidate beams provide improved beam quality than the current beam quality of one or more current serving beams, the UE communicates with the UE through at least one of the one or more candidate beams or one or more current serving beams (326, 328), Methods that include...

15. An apparatus for wireless communication comprising a transceiver, a memory, and a processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the apparatus is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and 14.

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