Communication devices, communication methods, and integrated circuits

Abstract

To provide a plurality of mechanisms for achieving flexibility in M-TRP URLLC operation and reducing measurement effort and power consumption of transmitting / receiving devices such as UE.SOLUTION: A communication device includes: a transmitter that transmits a first set of beam failure detection (BFD) reference signal settings, a second set of BFD reference signal settings, a first set of candidate new beam detection (CBD) reference signal settings, and a second set of CBD reference signal settings; and a receiver that receives a signal including a result of a first beam failure detection for a first transmitting / receiving point based on the first set of BFD reference signal settings, a result of a second beam failure detection for a second transmitting / receiving point based on the second set of BFD reference signal settings, and also receives at least one result of a candidate new beam detection for the first transmitting / receiving point based on the first set of CBD reference signal settings and a candidate new beam detection for the second transmitting / receiving point based on the second set of CBD reference signal settings.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device, and more particularly to a beam fault recovery mechanism for such a communication device. [Background technology]

[0002] In modern society, communication devices are widespread in various forms. Examples include telephones, tablets, computers, cameras, digital audio / video players, wearable devices, game consoles, telehealth / telemedicine devices, vehicles with communication capabilities, and combinations of the aforementioned devices. Communication includes data communication via cellular systems, wireless LAN (local area network) systems, and communication satellite systems, as well as data communication through combinations of these.

[0003] As communication generations advance (e.g., 5G NR: 5G new Radio), ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC) are required for many applications (e.g., Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality (AR), e-health, e-safety, and mission-critical applications). URLLC has stringent performance requirements for throughput, latency, and availability, and is envisioned as one of the drivers for future vertical applications such as wireless control of industrial production and manufacturing processes, telemedicine surgery, automated power distribution in smart grids, and traffic safety. In addition, 5G NR features multiple transmission and reception points (M-TRP) to improve reliability, coverage, and capacity performance through flexible deployment scenarios. For example, user equipment (UE) (i.e., communication devices) is expected to access a network consisting of M-TRPs (e.g., macrocells, small cells, picocells, femtocells, remote radio heads, relay nodes) to cope with the rapid increase in mobile data traffic in 5G and to expand coverage. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] While operating, the UE can access signals from the M-TRP. The UE determines that a signal has been lost from one of the M-TRPs through a beam failure detection (BFD) procedure. The UE then attempts to restore communication through a process that includes new beam identification (NBI) (also known as candidate new beam detection (CBD)). Both BFD and CBD are essential UE processes for maintaining ultra-high reliability and low latency in URLLC communication, but recovery from beam failures, including the BFD and CBD processes, requires measurement effort and power consumption.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need for communication devices and systems that conserve power without losing the reliability of URLLC communication during recovery from beam fault conditions. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the following detailed description and the attached claims, in conjunction with the attached drawings and their background. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The non-limiting and exemplary embodiments of this disclosure contribute to providing multiple mechanisms that enable flexibility in the operation of M-TRP URLLC (multiple transmission and reception point ultra-reliable low-latency communication) and reduce measurement effort and power consumption in transceivers such as UEs.

[0007] In one embodiment, the technology disclosed herein is characterized by a transceiver having a transceiver unit and a circuit. The transceiver unit, when in operation, receives signals from multiple transmission and reception points (M-TRPs) in a network, at least on a PDSCH (physical downlink shared channel). The circuit, when in operation, performs beam failure recovery (BFR) by evaluating beam failure detection (BFD) and candidate new beam detection (CBD) on the signal from the first TRP among the M-TRPs. The signal from the first TRP among the M-TRPs includes a signal received on a PDCCH (physical downlink control channel), and the circuit decides, depending on one or more conditions, to skip the evaluation of one or both of the BFD and CBD for one or more additional TRPs among the M-TRPs.

[0008] These comprehensive or specific embodiments may be implemented as a system, method, integrated circuit, computer program, or recording medium, or as any combination of a system, device, method, integrated circuit, computer program, and recording medium.

[0009] Further advantages and effects of one embodiment of this disclosure will be made apparent from the specification and drawings. Such advantages and / or effects are provided by several embodiments and features described in the specification and drawings, but not all of them are necessarily provided in order to obtain one or more identical features. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] In the following, exemplary embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. [Figure 1]It is a diagram illustrating an example of the architecture of a 3GPP NR system. [Figure 2] It is a schematic diagram illustrating the functional split between NG-RAN and 5GC. [Figure 3] It is a sequence diagram for a radio resource control (RRC) connection setup / reconfiguration procedure. [Figure 4] It is a schematic diagram illustrating usage scenarios of enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC), and Ultra Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC). [Figure 5] It is a block diagram illustrating an example of a 5G system architecture for a non-roaming scenario. [Figure 6] It is a diagram illustrating a multi-transmission / reception point (M-TRP) Ultra Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC) system based on one piece of downlink control information (DCI). [Figure 7] It is a diagram illustrating a general beam failure recovery (BFR) procedure. [Figure 8] It is a diagram illustrating user equipment (UE) receiving physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) from a first TRP and a second TRP simultaneously. [Figure 9] It is a diagram illustrating the operation time durations of beam failure detection (BFD) and candidate new beam detection (CBD) in a BFR procedure. [Figure 10] It is a diagram illustrating a first BFR procedure according to the present disclosure. [Figure 11] It is a diagram illustrating a second BFR procedure according to the present disclosure.

[0011] A person skilled in the art will understand that elements in the figures are shown simply and clearly, and are not necessarily drawn to scale. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0012] The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature, and is not intended to limit exemplary embodiments or the application and uses of exemplary embodiments. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the foregoing background or the following detailed description. The present disclosure is intended to present exemplary embodiments of a communication device and a communication system that save power without losing the reliability of ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC) during recovery from a beam failure condition, whereby measurement effort and power consumption during beam failure recovery (BFR) can be reduced while maintaining ultra-reliable and low-latency communications.

[0013] <5G NR System Architecture and Protocol Stack> The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is working on the next release of fifth-generation cellular technology (also simply referred to as 5G), including the development of New Radio (NR) access technology operating in a frequency range up to 100 GHz. The first edition of the 5G standard was completed at the end of 2017, allowing trials and commercial deployment of smartphones compliant with the 5G NR standard to proceed.

[0014] Referring to Figure 1, the overall system architecture assumes an NG-RAN (Next Generation-Radio Access Network) 102 with gNBs (gNodeBs) 104. The gNBs provide the UE-side termination for the NG radio access user plane (SDAP / PDCP / RLC / MAC / PHY) and radio resource control (RRC) protocols. The gNBs 104 are interconnected by Xn interfaces 106. The gNBs are also connected to the Next Generation Core (NGC) 112 by Next Generation (NG) interfaces, more specifically to the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 108 (e.g., a specific core entity that performs AMF) via the NG-C interface 112a, and to the User Plane Function (UPF) 110 (e.g., a specific core entity that performs UPF) via the NG-U interface 112b. The NG-RAN architecture 100 is shown in Figure 1 (see, for example, Section 4 of 3GPP TS 38.300 v15.6.0).

[0015] The NR user plane protocol stack (see, for example, section 4.4.1 of 3GPP TS 38.300) includes the PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol; see section 6.4 of TS 38.300) sublayer, the RLC (Radio Link Control; see section 6.3 of TS 38.300) sublayer, and the MAC (Medium Access Control; see section 6.2 of TS 38.300) sublayer, all of which are terminated on the network side in gNB. Furthermore, a new Access Stratum (AS) sublayer (SDAP: Service Data Adaptation Protocol) is introduced above PDCP (see, for example, sub-clause 6.5 of 3GPP TS 38.300). The NR also defines a control plane protocol stack (see, for example, section 4.4.2 of TS 38.300). An overview of Layer 2 functionality is provided in sub-clause 6 of TS 38.300. The functions of the PDCP sublayer, RLC sublayer, and MAC sublayer are described in sections 6.4, 6.3, and 6.2 of TS 38.300, respectively. The functions of the RRC layer are enumerated in sub-clause 7 of TS 38.300.

[0016] For example, the MAC layer is responsible for scheduling and scheduling-related functions, including logical channel multiplexing and processing of various numerologies.

[0017] The physical layer (PHY) is responsible for tasks such as encoding, PHY HARQ processing, modulation, multi-antenna processing, and the placement of signals to appropriate physical time-frequency resources. It also places transport channels to physical channels. The physical layer provides services to the MAC layer in the form of transport channels. A physical channel corresponds to a set of time-frequency resources used for transmitting a particular transport channel, and each transport channel is placed on its corresponding physical channel. For example, physical channels on the uplink are PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel), PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel), and PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel), and on the downlink are PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel), PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel), and PBCH (Physical Broadcast Channel).

[0018] Use cases / deployment scenarios for NR include eMBB (enhanced Mobile Broadband), URLLC (Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications), and mMTC (massive Machine Type Communication), which have diverse requirements regarding data rate, latency, and coverage. For example, eMBB requires support for peak data rates (20Gbps downlink, 10Gbps uplink) and effective (user-experienced) data rates about three times that of IMT-Advanced. On the other hand, URLLC has even stricter requirements: ultra-low latency (user plane latency of 0.5ms for both UL and DL) and high reliability (1-10ms within 1ms). -5is imposed. Finally, mMTC preferably requires high connection density (1 million devices per square kilometer in urban environments), wide coverage in harsh environments, and ultra-long-life batteries (15 years) for low-cost devices.

[0019] Therefore, OFDM numerology suitable for one use case (e.g., subcarrier spacing, OFDM symbol length, cyclic prefix (CP) length, number of symbols per scheduling interval) may not be effective for other use cases. For example, low-latency services may preferably require shorter symbol lengths (thus larger subcarrier spacing) and / or fewer symbols per scheduling interval (in other words, TTI) than mMTC services. Furthermore, in deployment scenarios with large channel delay spreads, it may preferably be required that the CP length is longer than in scenarios with small delay spreads. To maintain similar CP overhead, the subcarrier spacing needs to be appropriately optimized. NR may support multiple values of subcarrier spacing. Correspondingly, subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, ..., are currently being considered. Symbol length T u and subcarrier spacing Δf are expressed by the formula Δf=1 / T u are directly related to each other. Similar to LTE systems, the term "resource element" can be used to refer to the smallest resource unit consisting of one subcarrier for the length of one OFDM / SC-FDMA symbol.

[0020] In the new radio system 5G-NR, a resource grid of subcarriers and OFDM symbols is defined for each numerology and each carrier, for the uplink and downlink respectively. Each element in the resource grid is called a resource element, and is identified based on a frequency index in the frequency domain and a symbol position in the time domain (see 3GPP TS 38.211 v15.6.0).

[0021] <Functional Split Between NG-RAN and 5GC> (Control signal) In this disclosure, the downlink control signals (information) related to this disclosure may be signals (information) transmitted by the PDCCH of the physical layer, or signals (information) transmitted by the MAC CE (Control Element) or RRC of the upper layer. Alternatively, they may be predetermined signals (information).

[0022] The uplink control signals (information) related to this disclosure may be signals (information) transmitted by PUCCH at the physical layer, or signals (information) transmitted by MAC CE or RRC at the upper layer. Alternatively, they may be predetermined signals (information). They may also be replaced with UCI (uplink control information), 1st stage SCI (sidelink control information), or 2nd stage SCI.

[0023] (base station) In this disclosure, a base station may be a TRP (Transmission Reception Point), cluster head, access point, RRH (Remote Radio Head), eNodeB (eNB), gNodeB (gNB), BS (Base Station), BTS (Base Transceiver Station), master unit, gateway, etc. In side-link communication, a terminal may be used instead of a base station. It may also be a relay device that relays communication between a higher-level node and a terminal. It may also be a roadside unit.

[0024] (Uphill rink / Downhill rink / Side rink) This disclosure may be applied to uplinks, downlinks, or sidelinks.

[0025] For example, this disclosure may be applied to the uplink PUSCH, PUCCH, PRACH, the downlink PDSCH, PDCCH, PBCH, and the sidelink PSSCH (Physical Sidelink Shared Channel), PSCCH (Physical Sidelink Control Channel), and PSBCH (Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel).

[0026] Note that PDCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PUCCH are examples of downlink control channels, downlink data channels, uplink data channels, and uplink control channels. PSCCH and PSSCH are examples of sidelink control channels and sidelink data channels. PBCH and PSBCH are examples of broadcast channels, and PRACH is an example of a random access channel.

[0027] (Data channel / Control channel) This disclosure may be applied to either data channels or control channels. For example, the channels in this disclosure may be replaced with PDSCH, PUSCH, PSSCH for data channels and PDCCH, PUCCH, PBCH, PSCCH, PSBCH for control channels.

[0028] (reference signal) In this disclosure, the reference signal is a signal known to both the base station and the mobile station, and may also be called an RS (Reference Signal) or pilot signal. The reference signal may be any of the following: DMRS, CSI-RS (Channel State Information-Reference Signal), TRS (Tracking Reference Signal), PTRS (Phase Tracking Reference Signal), CRS (Cell-specific Reference Signal), or SRS (Sounding Reference Signal).

[0029] (Time interval) In this disclosure, the unit of time resource is not limited to one or a combination of slots and symbols, but may also be a time resource unit such as a frame, superframe, subframe, slot, time slot subslot, minislot, or symbol, OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) symbol, SC-FDMA (Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiplexing) symbol, or any other time resource unit. Furthermore, the number of symbols contained in one slot is not limited to the number of symbols exemplified in the embodiments described above, but may be any other number of symbols.

[0030] (Frequency band) This disclosure may apply to either the licensed band or the unlicensed band.

[0031] (communication) This disclosure may be applied to any of the following: communication between a base station and a terminal (Uu-link communication), communication between terminals (side-link communication), or V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication. For example, the channels in this disclosure may be replaced with PSCCH, PSSCH, PSFCH (Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel), PSBCH, PDCCH, PUCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, or PBCH.

[0032] Furthermore, this disclosure may be applied to terrestrial networks, non-terrestrial networks (NTN) using satellites or high-altitude pseudo-satellites (HAPS), or other similar systems. It may also be applied to terrestrial networks with large cell sizes, ultra-wideband transmission networks, and other systems where transmission delay is large relative to symbol length or slot length.

[0033] (Antenna port) An antenna port refers to a logical antenna (antenna group) composed of one or more physical antennas. That is, an antenna port does not necessarily refer to a single physical antenna; it can refer to an array antenna or other structure composed of multiple antennas. For example, the number of physical antennas an antenna port consists of is not specified; it is defined as the smallest unit from which a terminal can transmit a reference signal. Furthermore, an antenna port may also be defined as the smallest unit for multiplying the weights of a precoding vector.

[0034] Figure 2 shows the functional partitioning between NG-RAN200 and 5GC250. The NG-RAN logical node is gNB or ng-eNB210. 5GC250 includes the logical nodes AMF260, UPF270, and SMF280.

[0035] gNB and ng-eNB210 specifically provide the following main functions: • Wireless resource management functions 212, such as wireless bearer control 214, wireless admission control 218, connected mobility control 216, and dynamic resource allocation (scheduling) 222 to UEs on both uplink and downlink. • Compression, encryption, and integrity protection of the IP header of the data. • AMF selection during UE attachment when routing to the AMF cannot be determined from the information provided by the UE. • Routing of user plane data for UPF • Routing of control plane information to AMF • Setting up and disconnecting connections • Scheduling and sending paging messages • Scheduling and transmission of system announcement information (sent from AMF or OAM) • Measurement and measurement reporting settings for mobility and scheduling 220 • Transport-level packet marking on the uplink • Session management • Support for network slicing • QoS flow management and deployment to data wireless bearers • Support for UEs in RRC_INACTIVE state • NAS message delivery function • Wireless access network sharing Dual connectivity • Close cooperation between NR and E-UTRA

[0036] The Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 260 provides the following key functions: • Termination of Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling • NAS signaling security 262 • Access Layer (AS) security control • Core Network (CN) node-to-node signaling for mobility between 3GPP access networks • Reachability of idle mode UE (including control and execution of paging retransmissions) 264 • Registration area management • Support for intra-system and inter-system mobility • Access Authentication • Access authorization including roaming permission checks • Mobility management and control (enrollment and policies) • Support for network slicing • Session Management Function (SMF) selection

[0037] Furthermore, the User Plane Function (UPF) provides the following key features: • Anchor points for mobility within / between RATs (when applicable): 272 • External PDU session point 274 for interconnection with the data network • Packet routing and forwarding • Policy rule enforcement for packet inspection and user plane portions • Traffic usage reporting • Uplink classifier that supports routing of traffic flows to data networks • Branching point that supports multi-homed PDU sessions • QoS processing for the user plane, including packet filtering, gating, and UL / DL (uplink / downlink) rate enforcement • Uplink traffic verification (mapping to SDF QoS flows) • Downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering

[0038] Finally, the Session Management Function (SMF) 280 provides the following main functions: • Session management 284 • IP address allocation and management 282 for UEs • UPF selection and control • Configuration of traffic steering in the User Plane Function (UPF) to route traffic to an appropriate destination • Control plane policy enforcement and QoS • Downlink data notification

[0039] <RRC Connection Setup and Reconfiguration Procedure> Figure 3 shows a part of the exchange between UE 310, gNB 320, and AMF 330 (a 5GC entity) when the UE transitions from RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED at the NAS layer (see TS 38.300 v15.6.0).

[0040] RRC is a higher-layer signaling (protocol) used for configuring the UE and gNB. Specifically, this transition involves the AMF330 preparing UE context data (including, for example, PDU session context, security key, UE Radio Capability, UE Security Capabilities, etc.) and sending it to the gNB320 along with an Initial Context Setup Request 340. The gNB320 then activates AS security together with the UE310. This operation is performed when the gNB sends a SecurityModeCommand message 342 to the UE, and the UE310 responds to the gNB320 with a SecurityModeComplete message 344. Subsequently, the gNB320 sends an RRCReconfiguration message 346 to the UE310, and upon receiving an RRCReconfigurationComplete message 348 from the UE310 in response, the gNB320 performs the reconfiguration to set up Signaling Radio Bearer 2 (SRB2) and Data Radio Bearer (DRB). In the case of a signaling-only connection, SRB2 and DRB are not set up, so the steps related to RRC reconfiguration are omitted. Finally, the gNB320 notifies the AMF330 that the setup procedure is complete with an Initial Context Setup Response 350.

[0041] Therefore, this disclosure provides a fifth-generation core (5GC) entity (e.g., AMF, SMF, etc.) comprising a control circuit that establishes a next-generation (NG) connection with a gNodeB during operation, and a transmitter that sends an initial context setting message to the gNodeB via the NG connection during operation so that a signaling radio bearer between the gNodeB and the terminal (UE) is configured. Specifically, the gNodeB transmits Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, including resource allocation setting information elements, to the UE via the signaling radio bearer. The UE then transmits an uplink or receives a downlink based on the resource allocation setting.

[0042] <IMT Usage Scenarios from 2020 Onward> Figure 4 shows some of the use cases for 5G NR. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project NR (3GPP NR) is considering three use cases where IMT-2020 is expected to support a wide variety of services and applications. The first phase of specification development for High-Speed, High-Capacity (eMBB) 410 has been completed. In addition to further expanding support for eMBB 410, research is currently and will continue on the standardization of Ultra-High Reliability, Low-Latency (URLLC) 430 and Massive Simultaneous Connections 450. Figure 4 shows examples of anticipated usage scenarios for IMT from 2020 onwards (see, for example, Figure 2 of ITU-R M.2083).

[0043] Use case 430 of URLLC has stringent performance requirements for throughput, latency, and availability, and is envisioned as one of the future vertical applications that will enable wireless control of industrial production and manufacturing processes, telemedicine surgery, smart grid power distribution automation, and traffic safety. The ultra-high reliability of URLLC430 is supported by identifying technologies that meet the requirements set by TR 38.913. For NR URLLC in Release 15, the primary requirement is to target user plane latency of 0.5 ms for UL (uplink) and 0.5 ms for DL ​​(downlink). A typical URLLC430 requirement for a single packet transmission is a block error rate (BLER) of 1E-5 for a 32-byte packet size with a user plane latency of 1 ms.

[0044] From a physical layer perspective, there are various ways to improve reliability. Currently, ways to improve reliability include defining a separate CQI table for URLLC430, a more compact DCI (downlink control information) format, and PDCCH repetition. However, as NR becomes more stable and advanced (compared to the main requirements of NR URLC), the range of possible methods to achieve ultra-high reliability may expand. Use cases specific to NR URLLC in Release 15 include augmented reality / virtual reality (AR / VR), e-health, e-safety, and mission-critical applications.

[0045] Furthermore, the technical enhancements targeted by NR URLLC430 are improved latency and increased reliability. Technical enhancements for latency improvement include configurable numerology, non-slot-based scheduling with flexible mapping, grant-free (configured grant) uplink, slot-level repetition on data channels, and downlink preemption. Preemption means stopping a transmission for which resources have already been allocated and using those resources for another transmission requested later that requires less latency or higher priority. Thus, transmissions that were already permitted are replaced by later transmissions. Preemption can be applied regardless of the specific service type. For example, a transmission of service type A (URLLC) may be preempted by a transmission of service type B (e.g., eMBB). Technical enhancements for increased reliability include a dedicated CQI / MCS table for target BLER 1E-5.

[0046] The use cases for mMTC (Massive Number of Simultaneous Connections) 450 typically involve a very large number of connected devices transmitting relatively small amounts of data that are not susceptible to latency. The devices are required to be low-cost and have very long battery life. From a noise reduction (NR) perspective, utilizing a very narrow bandwidth is one way to enable power savings for the UE and extend battery life.

[0047] As mentioned above, the scope of reliability improvements in NR is expected to broaden. One of the important requirements common to all cases, and especially for URLLC430 and mMTC450, is high reliability or ultra-high reliability. Several mechanisms can be considered to improve reliability from both a wireless and network perspective. In general, there are several important areas that help improve reliability. These areas include compact control channel information, data / control channel repetition, and diversity in the frequency, time, and spatial domains. These areas are generally applicable to reliability improvements regardless of the specific communication scenario.

[0048] For the NR URLLC430, further use cases with more stringent requirements have been identified, such as in factory automation, the transportation industry, and power distribution. These stringent requirements include high reliability (up to 10%) depending on the use case. -6 It features high availability, a maximum packet size of 256 bytes, and time synchronization down to a few microseconds (μs) (which can be 1 μs or a few μs depending on the frequency range and short delays of about 0.5 to 1 millisecond (ms) (for example, a 0.5 ms delay in the target user plane)).

[0049] Furthermore, NR URLLC430 has been confirmed to have several technical enhancements from a physical layer perspective. These include enhancements to the PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) for compact DCI, increased PDCCH repetition, and increased PDCCH monitoring. Enhancements to Uplink Control Information (UCI) are related to enhanced HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) and CSI feedback. Enhancements to PUSCH related to minislot level hopping and improvements to retransmission / repetition have also been confirmed. A "minislot" refers to a transmit time interval (TTI) containing fewer symbols than a slot (a slot consisting of 14 symbols).

[0050] <QoS Control> The 5G QoS (Quality of Service) model is based on QoS flows, and supports both QoS flows that require a guaranteed flow bit rate (GBR QoS flows) and QoS flows that do not require a guaranteed flow bit rate (non-GBR QoS flows). Therefore, at the NAS level, a QoS flow is the finest-grained QoS classification in a PDU session. A QoS flow is identified within a PDU session by a QoS flow ID (QFI) carried in an encapsulation header via the NG-U interface.

[0051] For each UE, the 5GC establishes one or more PDU sessions. For each UE, the NG-RAN establishes at least one data radio bearer (DRB) for a PDU session, and an additional DRB for a QoS flow of the PDU session can be configured later, for example, as described above with reference to Figure 3 (the timing of configuration is at the discretion of NG-RAN). NG-RAN places packets belonging to different PDU sessions into different DRBs. NAS-level packet filters in the UE and 5GC associate UL and DL packets with QoS flows, while AS-level mapping rules in the UE and NG-RAN associate UL QoS flows and DL QoS flows with DRBs.

[0052] Figure 5 shows the non-roaming reference architecture for 5G NR (see TS 23.501 v16.1.0, Section 4.23). Application functions (AFs) 500, such as external application servers hosting 5G services as illustrated in Figure 4, interact with the 3GPP core network to provide services. Examples include accessing Network Exposure Functions (NEFs) 505 to support applications that affect traffic routing, and interacting with the policy framework for policy controls such as QoS control (see Policy Control Functions (PCFs)). Application functions 500 that are considered trusted by the operator based on operator deployment can interact directly with the relevant network functions. Application functions 500 that are not authorized by the operator to have direct access to network functions interact with the relevant network functions using the open framework to the outside via the NEF 505.

[0053] Figure 5 shows further functional units of the 5G architecture, namely the Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) 510, Network Repository Function (NRF) 515, Unified Data Management (UDM) 520, Authentication Server Function (AUSF) 525, Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 530, Session Management Function (SMF) 535, and Data Network (DN) 540 (operator services, internet access, third-party services, etc.). All or some of the core network functions and application services may be deployed and operate on a cloud computing environment.

[0054] Accordingly, the Disclosure provides an application server (e.g., AF500 in a 5G architecture) comprising: a transmitter that, in operation, transmits a request to at least one of the 5GC functions (e.g., NEF505, AMF530, SMF535, PCF545, UPF550, etc.) that includes QoS requirements for at least one of the URLLC, eMBB, and mMTC services in order to establish a PDU session including a radio bearer between a gNodeB and a UE in accordance with QoS requirements; and a control circuit that, in operation, executes a service using the established PDU session.

[0055] Figure 6 shows an example of a multiple transmit / receive point (M-TRP) ultra-high reliability low latency (URLLC) network 600 based on a single downlink control information (DCI). M-TRP transmission is used to overcome interference and improve the performance of UE602 at the edge of the cell. In M-TRP URLLC transmission based on a single DCI, network 600 schedules PDSCH transmissions 610, 612 from multiple TRPs (i.e., TRP1 620 and TRP2 622), and PDSCH 610, 612 from different TRPs 620, 622 are transmitted at different layers (i.e., Layer 1 630 and Layer 2 632).

[0056] To facilitate further down-selection of one or more schemes in RAN1#96bis, the schemes for multi-TRP-based URLLCs scheduled by at least one DCI are clarified by the following schemes 2, 2a, and 2b for frequency division multiplexing (FDM), and schemes 3 and 4 for time division multiplexing (TDM).

[0057] Scheme 2 (FDM): Non-overlapping frequency resource allocation within a single slot, n (n ≤ N) fThere are ) TCI states. Each non-overlapping frequency resource allocation is associated with one TCI state, and the same single / multiple DMRS ports are associated with all non-overlapping frequency resource allocations.

[0058] Scheme 2a (FDM): One codeword for one RV is used across all resource allocations. From the UE's perspective, a common RB mapping (a codeword for layer mappings like Rel-15) is applied to the entire resource allocation.

[0059] Scheme 2b (FDM): One codeword for one RV is used for each non-overlapping frequency resource allocation. The RVs corresponding to each non-overlapping frequency resource allocation may be the same or different. It can be considered to apply different MCS / modulation orders to different non-overlapping frequency resource allocations.

[0060] We can also examine the details of the FDM2a / 2b frequency resource allocation mechanism regarding allocation granularity and time-domain allocation.

[0061] Scheme 3 (TDM): n (n ≤ Nt1) TCI states within a single slot, with no overlap in time resource allocation. Each TB transmission opportunity has one TCI and one RV at the time granularity of the mini-slot. A common MCS, including the same, one or more DMRS ports, is used for all transmission opportunities within the slot. RV / TCI states may be the same or different between transmission opportunities. Channel estimation interpolation (detailed analysis) is performed across mini-slots with the same TCI index.

[0062] Scheme 4 (TDM): n (n ≤ Nt²) TCI states across K (n ≤ K) different slots. Each TB transmission opportunity has one TCI and one RV. A common MCS is used across all transmission opportunities across K slots, including the same, single or multiple DMRS ports. RV / TCI states may be the same or different across transmission opportunities. Channel estimation interpolation (detailed analysis) is then performed across slots with the same TCI index.

[0063] Furthermore, the M-TRP / panel-based URLLC scheme should be compared in terms of improved reliability, efficiency, and impact on specifications, and support for the number of layers per TRP should be considered.

[0064] In the case of FDM, schemes 2a and 2b have the number of transmission configuration indication (TCI) states set to 2 according to scheme 2a, supporting a maximum of two transmission layers. In the case of TDM, schemes 3 and 4 also have the number of TCI states set to 2. Resource allocation in the time domain supports the same number of consecutive symbols scheduled for each transmission opportunity. In scheme 3, the network (NW) implementation ensures that all transmission opportunities reside in a single slot without being dropped, and details are considered regarding downlink / uplink (DL / UL) switching within the slot.

[0065] The UE can be configured to receive PDSCH from up to two TRPs, depending on the number of configured TCI states. Figure 7 shows a typical beam failure recovery procedure, which includes four main steps. The first step is beam failure detection (BFD) 702. The UE is provided with a list of reference signals (RS) for detecting beam failures by failureDetectionResources. Alternatively, if no RS is provided by failureDetectionResources, the UE performs BFD 702 based on the TCI states for PDCCH / PDSCH reception (see Section 6 of TS 38.213 and Section 8.5 of TS 38.133).

[0066] The next step is new beam identification (NBI) (also known as candidate new beam detection (CBD)). The UE is provided with a list of CBD RSs via candidateBeamRSList.

[0067] Steps 702 and 704 are performed in UE705. When a new beam is identified, UE705 sends a beam failure recovery request (BFRQ) 706 to the associated gNB710. In response, gNB710 sends a beam failure recovery response (BFRR) 708, and BFR procedure 700 is completed.

[0068] As shown in Figure 6, UE602 is configured to receive PDSCH 610, 612 from both TRP#1 620 and TRP#2 622, and the TRP configured to transmit PDCCH 640 via upper-layer signaling is called TRP#1 620. Figure 8 is a diagram showing that the user terminal (UE) simultaneously receives PDSCH (physical downlink shared channel) 610, 612 from the first TRP (TRP#1) 620 and the second TRP (TRP#2) 622, respectively. UE602 is configured to simultaneously receive PDSCH 610, 612 from TRP#1 620 and TRP#2 622 during operating time (T_state02) 802, according to two TCI states 810 indicated by TCI code point 820.

[0069] Figure 9 shows the operating time lengths for Beam Fault Detection (BFD) 910 and New Beam Candidate Detection (CBD) 920 in the BFR procedure. The UE utilizes measurement effort and power consumption to evaluate the BFD and / or CBD for TRP#2, but does not improve performance if the operating time length 802 is not longer than the required BFD evaluation time 910 and / or CBD evaluation time 920. The BFD evaluation time 910 (T_evaluate_BFD) and CBD evaluation time 920 (T_evaluate_CBD) required by the UE are defined in section 8.5.3 of 38.133 and section 5.17 of 38.321, respectively.

[0070] According to this embodiment, the UE, during operation, receives signals from M-TRPs and includes a circuit that performs BFR from two or more M-TRPs by (a) evaluating BFD and CBD for signals including PDCCH (physical downlink control channel) from at least one TRP, and (b) skipping the evaluation of one or both of the BFD and CBD depending on one or more operating conditions. In this way, the UE reduces measurement effort and power consumption. Furthermore, the adoption of measurement effort and power consumption by the UE within the network enables the flexibility of M-TRP URLLC.

[0071] To evaluate the BFD of two or more M-TRPs, multiple sets of BFD reference signals (BFD-RS) may be explicitly or implicitly configured for the UE, with each set configured for each of the multiple TRPs (i.e., a per-TRP BFD-RS set). Explicitly, the per-TRP BFD-RS set can be configured as a set of periodic channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS) or synchronization signal blocks (SSB). Implicitly, the per-TRP BFD-RS set can be implicitly configured as a quasi-co-location (QCL) reference signal for the corresponding CORESET of that TRP, based on its own TCI state. Similarly, to evaluate the CBD of two or more M-TRPs, multiple sets of CBD reference signals (CBD-RS) (or NBI reference signals (NBI-RS)) may be explicitly or implicitly configured for each TRP. It should be understood that such independent configurations of BFD-RS sets and / or CBD-RS sets per TRP are applicable throughout all embodiments.

[0072] By configuring an independent BFD-RS set for each TRP, if a failure is identified in the BFD-RS set from one of multiple TRPs (i.e., a failure is identified in one beam of multiple TRPs), a beam fault recovery procedure for that specific TRP can be triggered. This can be considered partial or TRP-specific beam fault recovery. Compared to use case scenarios where the beam fault recovery procedure is only triggered if all BFD-RS sets configured for all TRPs are identified as failed (or if all beams of all TRPs are identified as failed), this is beneficial in that it reduces the overall beam fault recovery delay and improves the transmission efficiency of multi-TRP / panel systems.

[0073] Furthermore, there may be several other BFR parameters that are set based on the TRP level. For example, suppose two TRPs (e.g., TRP#1 and TRP#2) are operating. Then, two sets of thresholds, such as the BFD threshold (Q_out) and the CBD threshold (Q_in), two sets of timers, such as the BFD timer and the BFR timer, and two sets of beam failure instance (BFI) counters and their corresponding maximum number of BFI indications (BFII) can be set independently for TRP#1 and TRP#2, respectively.

[0074] Figure 10 shows the first BFR procedure according to this disclosure. The first BFR procedure queues off the operation time, as shown in Figure 9. TRP#1 620 is one of the M-TRPs that transmits PDCCH 640 via upper-layer signaling.

[0075] First, the UE receives configuration parameters (1002) that include at least a notification (e.g., T_state02 802) indicating the appropriate operating time for TRP#2 622 from higher layer signaling from M-TRP (i.e., PDCCH 640 from TRP#1 620). The appropriate operating time can be a static value of the network (e.g., T_state02 can be defined based on the operating time of TRP#1 620 with an offset) or it can be dynamically determined by the network based on realistic environmental conditions or network configuration. An example of dynamically calculating the appropriate operating time using at least DCI, MAC CE, or RRC signaling is shown in equation (1).

number

[0076] The offset may be the active time or delay (if any) of TRP#2.

[0077] Furthermore, contrary to the above explanation, T_state02 may also be set as an operating time or window during which both TCI states are activated, or both TRP#1 and TRP#2 are activated during operation.

[0078] Next, the UE performs beam fault detection and recovery for TRP#1 as specified in Rel-15 / 16 by applying BFD 1004 and CBD 1006 to TRP#1.

[0079] Specifically, the UE continuously monitors the BFD-RS set configured for TRP#1 to detect beam faults (1004). A BFI can be identified if the link level quality of all corresponding BFD-RS resources exceeds a threshold at some point (this BFD threshold Q_out is defined as the level at which the downlink radio link cannot be reliably received and corresponds to the block error rate outage (BLER_out) of the virtual PDCCH transmission). The physical layer (PHY) provides a BFI notification to the MAC (Media Access Control) layer. The BFD procedure 1004 in the MAC is indicated by a timer and a counter that calculates the number of BFIs. The timer is restarted each time a BFI is received, and the counter is reset when the timer expires. Meanwhile, consecutive N max When 1000 BFIIs (beamFailureInstanceMaxCount) are detected, the UE can declare a beam failure for TRP#1. Subsequently, CBD 1006 for TRP#1 is triggered. The UE monitors the link-level quality of the CBD-RS set (e.g., a set of CSI-RS or SSB) to re-establish connectivity. The UE measures the L1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) for the reference signals of multiple CBD-RS. When the L1-RSRP measurement exceeds a predetermined value, a new beam can be identified.

[0080] The UE can skip or perform the evaluation of BFD and / or CBD based on the value of T_state02. If the UE determines that T_state02 is less than or equal to the time to evaluate the BFD of TRP#2 (e.g., T_evaluate_BFD 910 in Figure 9) (1008), the UE skips both BFD and CBD (1010). If the UE determines that T_state02 is greater than T_evaluate_BFD (1008), the UE performs the BFD for TRP#2 (1012). The UE then compares the duration of T_state02 to T_evaluate_CBD 920 to determine whether T_state02 is less than T_evaluate_CBD (1014). If the UE determines that T_state02 is less than or equal to the time to evaluate the CBD of TRP#2 (e.g., T_evaluate_CBD 920) (1014), the UE skips the CBD (1016). If the UE determines that T_state02 is greater than T_evaluate_CBD (1014), the UE performs the CBD on TRP#2 (1018).

[0081] When running BFD on TRP#2 (1012), the UE is N, similar to TRP#1. maxIt is necessary to detect a series of BFIIs, after which a beam fault can be declared based on the BFD-RS set of TRP#2. Next, an evaluation of the CBD is triggered (1018), and the UE measures link-level quality such as the L1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) with respect to the reference signal of the CBD-RS set of TRP#2. In this way, the BFD procedure of TRP#2 at the MAC layer, indicated by timers and counters (1012), is set independently with respect to TRP#1. In step 1020, the UE declares a beam fault event if a beam fault is identified for TRP#1 and / or TRP#2 during BFRQ (step 706 in Figure 7). With respect to TRP#2, if the CBD is skipped, no action or no new beam information due to no action as the default behavior is reported. The UE reports beam fault content, including (a) beam fault (BF) information for TRP#1 and / or TRP#2, (b) new beam information for TRP#1 (if any), and (c) new beam information for TRP#2, no action, or no new beam information due to no action (if any). The UE then receives BFRRs from the network providing the corresponding beams from TRP#1 and / or TRP#2 (1022).

[0082] The BFRQ generated in step 1020 may include beam fault information for each failed TRP, such as the beam fault index, TRP index, or configuration index for the corresponding TRP. The BFRQ transmitted in step 1020 also includes reporting content for TRP#1 and / or TRP#2, which is reported to the network via at least an uplink control information (UCI) message, a medium access control layer control element (MAC CE) message, or a radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0083] In this way, if the UE detects a beam fault in any TRP from among multiple TRPs (for example, if TRP#2 fails), the UE can send a BFRQ containing beam fault information for the failed TRP and new beam information to the active TRP#1. The active TRP#1 can then forward the BFRQ to the failed TRP#2 via backhaul. This is because the backhaul can have the most up-to-date available uplink resource to carry the BFRQ. In other words, the BFRQ procedure for M-TRP operation should be transmitted over a link with good channel condition. If the backhaul is in the best condition, i.e., if the backhaul delay is assumed to meet the requirements or be close to zero, the BFR procedure can function well. If the backhaul is not in the best condition, or if the UE does not report new beam information for the failed TRP#2, the active TRP#1 can decide to instruct the UE to switch from multi-TRP operation mode to single-TRP operation mode. This situation occurs when the backhaul delay does not meet the delay requirements of the BFR procedure set by the BFR timer, or when the UE may be unable to reach the failed TRP#2 due to being completely blocked. The TRP that transmits PDCCH at a higher level can be configured based on the RRC setting. For example, assuming two TRPs (TRP A and TRP B) are operating, in the first RRC setting, TRP A may be configured to transmit PDCCH, and therefore TRP A becomes the primary TRP or TRP#1, and TRP B becomes TRP#2. In the second RRC setting, TRP B may be configured to transmit PDCCH, in which case TRP B becomes the primary TRP or TRP#1, and TRP A becomes TRP#2. In this way, flexibility in M-TRP URLLC operation can be achieved.

[0084] Furthermore, higher-level parameters allow multiple TRPs to operate under a carrier aggregation (CA) framework. Specifically, TRP A can be configured to operate as a primary cell (PCell) or primary TRP, and TRP B can be configured to operate as a secondary cell (SCell) or secondary TRP. In this way, either the BFR procedure proposed in this embodiment, or Rel-16 BFR for multiple SCells with some extensions, can be used.

[0085] Furthermore, to send BFRQs for two TRPs, TRP#1 and TRP#2, up to two separate scheduling request (SR) settings can be assigned, each containing a separate PUCCH resource (i.e., an SR-PUCCH resource). If a single common SR-PUCCH resource is assigned to both TRP#1 and TRP#2, and either TRP fails, the UE can use this common SR-PUCCH resource to send the BFRQ for the failed TRP to the operational TRP. If two separate SR-PUCCH#1 and SR-PUCCH#2 resources are assigned to TRP#1 and TRP#2 respectively, and TRP#2 fails, the UE can use one of the assigned SR-PUCCH#1 and SR-PUCCH#2 resources to send the BFRQ information for TRP#2 to the operational TRP#1. If three or more TRPs are operational, multiple TRPs can be grouped into multiple groups, and each group can be assigned an SR-PUCCH resource for sending BFRQ information. For example, if there are two TRP groups, with the first group containing the primary TRP (or TRP#1) and the second group containing the remaining TRPs (or secondary TRPs), then the resources for SR-PUCCH#1 and SR-PUCCH#2 can be assigned to the first and second groups, respectively. However, as mentioned above, a common SR-PUCCH resource may be assigned to both groups in order to transmit BFRQ information. This may depend on the network implementation or pre-configured provisions in the specification.

[0086] As shown in Figure 8, the UE is configured to simultaneously receive an independent PDSCH 610 from TRP#1 and an independent PDSCH 612 from TRP#2 within the time of T_state02. Figure 11 shows a second BFR procedure relating to this disclosure. First, the network is parameterized to send PDSCHs from a maximum of two TRPs (e.g., TRP#1 and TRP#2) (1102). As seen in Figure 10, the UE always performs both BFD and CBD for TRP#1. To help the UE conserve power, the network determines whether the UE will perform either BFD and CBD or both for TRP#2 and sends an explicit notification to the UE.

[0087] The network first determines whether T_state02 is less than or equal to T_evaluate_BFD (1104), and then determines whether the UE will perform either BFD and / or CBD on TRP#2. If T_state02 is greater than T_evaluate_BFD (1104), the network sets the parameter BFDTRP2 to enable (1106), indicating that the UE will perform a normal BFD / BFR on TRP#2. If T_state02 is less than or equal to T_evaluate_BFD (1104), the network sets the parameter BFDTRP2 to disable (1108), indicating that the UE will not perform either BFD or CBD on TRP#2.

[0088] Next, the network determines whether T_state02 is less than or equal to T_evaluate_CBD (1110). If T_state02 is greater than T_evaluate_CBD (1110), the network sets the parameter CBDTRP2 to enable (1112), indicating that the UE will perform a normal CBD for TRP#2. If T_state02 is less than or equal to T_evaluate_CBD (1110), the network sets the parameter CBDTRP2 to disable (1114), indicating that the UE will not perform a CBD for TRP#2.

[0089] The decision criteria for steps 1104 and 1110 depend on the gNB implementation, and other criteria may be used. The network then transmits the parameters BFDTRP2 and CBDTRP2, which the UE receives (1116). The values ​​of BFDTRP2 and CBDTRP2 can be set and updated by using at least DCI, MAC CE, or RRC signaling.

[0090] Furthermore, the BFD and / or CBD parameters can be implicitly set by the UE through the interpretation of notifications for setting up BFD-RS and / or NBI-RS sets. Here, as an example, suppose two sets of BFD-RS and two sets of CBD-RS are set up for TRP#1 and TRP#2. The UE implicitly understands that it needs to perform BFD and CBD evaluations for both TRP#1 and TRP#2.

[0091] Next, similar to the BFD(1004) and CBD(1006) procedures, the UE performs beam fault detection and recovery for TRP#1 as defined in Rel-15 / 16 by performing BFD(1118) and CBD(1120) on TRP#1. Depending on the values ​​of BFDTRP2(1122) and CBDTRP2(1124), the UE performs beam fault detection and recovery for TRP#2. In step 1122, if the value of BFDTRP2 is "disable", no BFD action is performed on TRP#2; otherwise, BFD is performed on TRP#2. In step 1124, if the value of CBDTRP2 is "disable", no CBD action is performed on TRP#2; otherwise, CBD is performed on TRP#2.

[0092] The UE declares a BF event if a beam fault is identified on TRP#1 and / or TRP#2 during the BFRQ (1126). The UE reports BF content which may include BF information for TRP#1 and / or TRP#2, new beam information for TRP#1 (if any), and / or new beam information for TRP#2, no action, or no new beam information due to no action (if any). Finally, in step 1128, the network generates and transmits a BFRR containing the corresponding beam information from TRP#1 and / or TRP#2.

[0093] In this way, the network reduces the number of reference signals (RS) to the UE by not setting BFD and / or CBD reference signals, and by not sending T_state02 to the UE. Furthermore, the UE reduces measurement effort and power consumption.

[0094] Since the operation in Figure 11 involves explicit notification of the network to be determined for the TRP, the specific conditions based on the aforementioned explicit notification of the network can be extended to three or more TRPs. That is, BFDTRP (disable / enable) and / or CBDTRP (disable / enable) can be determined individually for each TRP and sent to the UE for use in the corresponding TRP. Alternatively, a common BFDTRP value (i.e., disable / enable) and / or a common CBDTRP value (i.e., disable / enable) can be notified to all TRPs, respectively.

[0095] Other operating conditions that enable the reduction of UE measurement effort and power consumption as described herein are defining a new timer value (i.e., active operating time length T_state02) for each individual TRP. The new timer is set in the UE. In this way, the TRP is activated for communication with the UE via a TCI state activation MAC CE and deactivated when the UE receives a TCI state deactivation MAC CE or when the timer expires. The timer value is communicated to the UE by using at least DCI (per TCI state), MAC CE, or RRC signaling.

[0096] Since BFD and CBD are always performed for TRP#1, the timer value for TRP#1 is set as a symbolic value such as infinity to prevent timer-based deactivation. For TRP#2, the timer value (T_state02) is set as a finite value (i.e., TRP#2 is activated on demand). Since the timer value is a finite value, the evaluation of BFD / CBD for TRP#2 may be skipped as follows: If T_state02 ≤ T_evaluate_BFD, the UE skips BFD and CBD; if T_state02 > T_evaluate_BFD and T_state02 ≤ T_evaluate_CBD, the UE performs BFD and skips CBD.

[0097] When a beam fault in TRP#2 is identified, it is reported as "no action" or "no new beam information due to no action as the default behavior." This allows for greater flexibility in M-TRP URLLC operation and reduces UE measurement effort and power consumption. Furthermore, since TRP#2 is deactivated upon timer expiration, explicit deactivation of TRP#2 (i.e., TCI state deactivation MAC CE) is unnecessary.

[0098] The network has N in one DCI. maxis enabled to support transmission of TRPs. N max is a value (pre-)configured in the network specification. For a high-level solution, the evaluation of BFD and CBD is based on the maximum number of TRPs that a UE can be associated with, N UE is skipped based on the flexible value of . N UE value is indicated at least by using DCI, MAC CE, or RRC signaling.

[0099] N max >N UE in the case of , (N max -N UE ) evaluation of BFD and CBD for TRPs is skipped. N UE list of values can be selected according to a configured rule such as a list of TRPs with the strongest RSRP, ascending / descending order of indices, or other rules. N UE configuration value depends on UE capability, so N UE value is flexible, thereby enabling flexibility for M-TRP URLLC operation and reducing UE measurement effort and power consumption.

[0100] In another high-level solution, evaluation of BFD and CBD is based on N min is skipped based on the (pre-)fixed value of . N min is the number of TRPs that need to be evaluated by the UE. N max >N min in the case of , (N max -N min ) evaluation of BFD and CBD for TRPs is skipped. N min list can be selected according to a (pre-)configured rule such as a list of TRPs with the strongest RSRP, ascending / descending order of indices, or other rules. N min this method of setting the value of provides consistency across the network. Furthermore, N min since it is only necessary to evaluate BFD and CBD for TRPs, the BFD measurement effort of the UE can be reduced.

[0101] Although the flowcharts and their descriptions in Figures 10 and 11, as well as the timer settings, discussed two TRP scenarios, the methods proposed therein are directly applicable to scenarios with N TRPs (i.e., T_stateN, BFDTPRN, and CBDTRPN to support URLLC transmission of N TRPs using one DCI). The value of N can be (pre-configured) or flexibly communicated, depending on the UE capability, by using at least DCI, MAC CE, or RRC signaling.

[0102] Furthermore, while this explanation focuses on a single DCI-based M-TRP transmission scenario, the methods discussed are applicable to multiple DCI-based M-TRP transmission scenarios with some modifications. In particular, the evaluation of BFD and / or CBD for each individual TRP can be skipped according to specific conditions based on one or a combination of the following: (a) operating time length for each individual TRP, (b) explicit network notification, (c) timer settings (active time length for each individual TRP), (d) UE capabilities, and (e) minimum number of TRPs.

[0103] Thus, the exemplary embodiments demonstrate that they provide flexibility in M-TRP URLLC operations and offer multiple mechanisms to reduce UE measurement effort and power consumption.

[0104] This disclosure can be implemented by software, hardware, or software that interacts with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of each embodiment described above can be implemented partially or entirely by an LSI (Large Scale Integration) such as an integrated circuit, and each process described in each embodiment may be controlled partially or entirely by the same LSI or a combination of LSIs. The LSI may be formed as individual chips, or a single chip may be formed to include some or all of the functional blocks. The LSI may include data inputs and outputs coupled thereto. Here, LSIs may be called ICs, system LSIs, super LSIs, or ultra LSIs depending on the degree of integration. However, the technology for realizing integrated circuits is not limited to LSIs, and may be implemented using dedicated circuits, general-purpose processors, or application-specific processors. Furthermore, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) that can be programmed after manufacturing of an LSI or reconfigurable processor in which the connections and settings of circuit cells arranged inside the LSI can be reconfigured may be used. This disclosure can be implemented as digital processing or analog processing. As a result of advancements in semiconductor technology and other derivative technologies, if future integrated circuit technology replaces LSIs, functional blocks can be integrated using future integrated circuit technology. Biotechnology can also be applied.

[0105] This disclosure can be implemented by any type of device, apparatus, or system having communication capabilities, referred to as a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus may have a transceiver and a processing / control circuit. The transceiver may have and / or function as a receiver and a transmitter. The transceiver as a transmitter and receiver may include an RF (Radio Frequency) module including an amplifier, an RF modulator / demodulator, etc., and one or more antennas. The processing / control circuit may include a power management circuit which may include a dedicated circuit, a processor, and instructions for power management control as either firmware or instructions stored in memory provided in the processor.

[0106] Some non-exclusive examples of such communication devices include telephones (e.g., cell phones, smartphones), tablets, personal computers (PCs) (e.g., laptops, desktops, netbooks), cameras (e.g., digital still / video cameras), digital players (digital audio / video players), wearable devices (e.g., wearable cameras, smartwatches, tracking devices), game consoles, digital book readers, telehealth / telemedicine (remote health and telemedicine) devices, and vehicles providing communication capabilities (e.g., automobiles, airplanes, ships), as well as various combinations thereof.

[0107] Communication devices are not limited to being portable or mobile, and may include any type of device, system, or apparatus that is non-portable or fixed, such as smart home devices (e.g., appliances, lighting, smart meters, control panels), vending machines, and any other “thing” in the “Internet of Things (IoT)” network.

[0108] Communication may include, for example, the exchange of data via cellular systems, wireless LAN systems, satellite systems, and various combinations thereof. Communication equipment may include devices such as controllers or sensors coupled to communication devices that perform the communication functions described in this disclosure. For example, communication equipment may include controllers or sensors that generate control signals or data signals used by communication devices that perform the communication functions of the communication equipment.

[0109] The communication equipment may also include infrastructure facilities such as base stations and access points, and any other equipment, devices, or systems that communicate with or control such equipment as those in the non-limiting examples above.

[0110] While exemplary embodiments have been shown in the above-mentioned detailed description of the present invention, it should be understood that a vast number of modifications are possible. Furthermore, it should be understood that these embodiments are illustrative only and are not intended to limit in any way the scope, applicability, operation, or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, it should be understood that the above-mentioned detailed description provides a useful roadmap for realizing the exemplary embodiments, and that various modifications can be made to the function and arrangement of the network and / or UE transceiver described in the exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure as set forth in the appended claims.

[0111] 1. During operation, the transceiver unit receives signals from multiple transmission and reception points (M-TRP) within the network, at least via the PDSCH (physical downlink shared channel), A transceiver comprising: a circuit that performs beam failure recovery (BFR) by evaluating beam failure detection (BFD) and candidate new beam detection (CBD) on the signal from the first TRP among the M-TRPs during operation; A transceiver in which the signal from the first TRP among the M-TRPs includes a signal received by a PDCCH (physical downlink control channel), and the circuit decides to skip the evaluation of one or both of the BFD and CBD for one or more additional TRPs among the M-TRPs, depending on one or more conditions.

[0112] 2. The transceiver according to claim 1, wherein the one or more conditions include the operating time of the one or more additional TRPs among the M-TRPs, determined by the circuit in accordance with the operating time length for performing BFR on signals from the one or more additional TRPs among the M-TRPs.

[0113] 3. The transceiver according to claim 2, wherein the operating time length of one or more additional TRPs among the M-TRPs is notified from one of the M-TRPs using at least one of a DCI (downlink control information) message, a MAC CE (medium access control layer control element) message, or an RRC (radio resource control) message.

[0114] 4. The transceiver according to claim 2, wherein the one or more conditions include the operating time of the one or more additional TRPs among the M-TRPs, determined according to the operating time and offset value of the first TRP among the M-TRPs for performing BFR.

[0115] 5. The transceiver according to claim 4, wherein the one or more conditions include the operating time length of one or more additional TRPs among the M-TRPs determined by the circuit in accordance with the PDCCH transmission time.

[0116] 6. The transceiver according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the circuit skips the evaluation of both the BFD and the CBD for one or more additional TRPs among the M-TRPs, depending on whether the operating time of the one or more additional TRPs is longer than the evaluation time of the BFD.

[0117] 7. The transceiver according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the circuit skips the evaluation of the CBD of one or more additional TRPs among the M-TRPs and performs the evaluation of the BFD, depending on whether the operating time of one or more additional TRPs is longer than the evaluation time of the BFD and not longer than the evaluation time of the CBD.

[0118] 8. The transmitting and receiving unit declares a beam failure event and transmits a beam failure recovery request (BFRQ) to one or more of the M-TRPs, the BFRQ identifies one or more beam failure (BF) events and reports content to one or more of the M-TRPs, the BF information including BF information and CBD information, for each of the M-TRPs, the BF information including a beam failure index, a TRP index, or a configuration index, and the CBD information including corresponding new beam information (if any) and default information if there is no new beam information, according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

[0119] 9. The transceiver according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the circuit declares a beam fault event and generates beam fault report content for one or more of the M-TRPs, and the transceiver unit transmits the report content to the network via at least one of a UCI (uplink control information) message, a MAC CE (medium access control layer control element) message, or an RRC (radio resource control) message.

[0120] 10. The transmitting and receiving device according to claim 9, wherein the reporting content generated by the circuit includes beam obstruction information (if identified) for one or more of the additional TRPs of the M-TRP, and CBD information, the CBD information comprising new beam information (if present) for the first TRP of the M-TRP, and default information if there is no new beam information for the one or more additional TRPs of the M-TRP.

[0121] 11. The transmitting and receiving device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein one or more of the conditions further include the operating time length of each independent TRP of the M-TRP.

[0122] 12. The transmitting and receiving device according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the conditions include information received by the transmitting and receiving device.

[0123] 13. The transceiver according to claim 12, wherein the information is communicated using at least one of DCI (downlink control information) messages, MAC CE (medium access control layer control element) messages, or RRC (radio resource control) messages.

[0124] 14. The transmitting and receiving device according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the information includes BFD parameters and / or CBD parameters corresponding to one or more of the additional TRPs of the M-TRP, and the circuit skips the evaluation of BFD in accordance with the BFD parameters corresponding to one or more of the additional TRPs of the M-TRP, and / or skips the evaluation of CBD in accordance with the CBD parameters corresponding to one or more of the additional TRPs of the M-TRP.

[0125] 15. The transceiver according to claim 14, wherein one or more of the conditions include not receiving a reference signal for BFD and / or CBD for one or more of the additional TRPs of the M-TRP, and instead receiving the BFD parameters and / or the CBD parameters.

[0126] 16. The transceiver according to claim 14 or 15, wherein either or both of the BFD parameter and / or the CBD parameter are independently communicated to each of the M-TRPs.

[0127] 17. The transceiver according to claim 14 or 15, wherein either or both of the BFD parameters and / or the CBD parameters are common to all of the M-TRPs.

[0128] 18. The transceiver according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the information includes a timer value corresponding to one of the one or more additional TRPs of the M-TRP, and the circuit skips the evaluation of the BFD and / or the CBD for one of the one or more additional TRPs of the M-TRP in accordance with the timer value corresponding to one of the M-TRPs.

[0129] 19. The transmitting and receiving device according to claim 18, wherein the timer value includes a finite value, and the transmitting and receiving device is deactivated when the timer expires.

[0130] 20. The transceiver according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the information includes a value corresponding to the maximum number of TRPs to which the transceiver can be associated, and the circuit skips the evaluation of the BFD and / or the CBD for one or more of the M-TRPs in accordance with the value corresponding to the maximum number of TRPs to which the transceiver can be associated.

[0131] 21. The transceiver according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the information includes a value corresponding to the number of TRPs that need to be evaluated by the transceiver, and the circuit skips the evaluation of the BFD and / or the CBD for one or more of the M-TRPs in accordance with the value corresponding to the number of TRPs that need to be evaluated by the transceiver.

[0132] 22. The transceiver according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the list of M-TRPs evaluated by the transceiver is selected by a set rule such as a list of TRPs having the strongest RSRP, ascending / descending order of the index, or by the implementation of the transceiver.

[0133] 23. The transmitting and receiving device according to any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the circuit identifies the first TRP among the M-TRPs in accordance with the signal received by the PDCCH according to the RRC setting of the network.

[0134] 24. The transmitting and receiving device according to any one of claims 1 to 23, wherein the transmitting and receiving unit simultaneously receives PDSCH from two or more M-TRPs, and the PDSCH received from each of the two or more M-TRPs is received at a different layer.

[0135] 25. The transmitting and receiving device according to any one of claims 1 to 24, wherein the transmitting and receiving unit receives a signal for M-TRP transmission based on one DCI.

[0136] 26. The transmitting and receiving device according to any one of claims 1 to 24, wherein the transmitting and receiving unit receives signals for M-TRP transmission based on a plurality of DCIs.

[0137] 27. A network equipped with multiple transmission and reception points (M-TRP) for sending and receiving signals, A system comprising a transceiver comprising: a transceiver unit that, during operation, receives signals from one or more of the M-TRPs; and a circuit that, during operation, performs beam failure recovery (BFR) by evaluating beam failure detection (BFD) and candidate new beam detection (CBD) on the signal from the first TRP of the M-TRPs, wherein the network generates one or more values ​​for performing BFD and CBD on one or more of the M-TRPs and transmits the one or more values ​​to the transceiver, and the circuit skips the evaluation of one or both of the BFD and CBD for one or more of the additional TRPs of the M-TRPs, depending on one of the one or more values ​​corresponding to one or more additional TRPs of the M-TRPs.

[0138] 28. The system according to claim 27, wherein one or more values ​​corresponding to one or more of the M-TRPs can be notified using at least one of DCI (downlink control information) messages, MAC CE (medium access control layer control element) messages, or RRC (radio resource control) messages.

[0139] 29. The system according to claim 27 or 28, wherein the network generates one or more values ​​for performing BFD and CBD on one or more of the M-TRPs, depending on the network implementation.

[0140] 30. The system according to any one of claims 27 to 29, wherein the transmitting and receiving unit receives the signals from one or more of the M-TRPs as an M-TRP transmission based on a single DCI.

[0141] 31. The system according to any one of claims 27 to 29, wherein the transmitting and receiving unit receives the signals from one or more of the M-TRPs as M-TRP transmissions based on multiple DCIs.

[0142] 32. The system according to claim 31, wherein the one or more values ​​include the operating time length or information of each independent TRP received by the transmitting / receiving unit of the transmitting / receiving device.

Claims

1. A transmitter that transmits a first set of beam fault detection (BFD) reference signal settings, a second set of BFD reference signal settings, a first set of candidate new beam detection (CBD) reference signal settings, and a second set of CBD reference signal settings. A receiver that receives a signal including the result of a first beam obstruction detection for a first transmit / receive point based on a first set of BFD reference signal settings, the result of a second beam obstruction detection for a second transmit / receive point based on a second set of BFD reference signal settings, and at least one result of candidate new beam detection for the first transmit / receive point based on a first set of CBD reference signal settings and candidate new beam detection for the second transmit / receive point based on a second set of CBD reference signal settings, Equipped with, Communication device.

2. The transmitter instructs the first set of BFD reference signal settings, the second set of BFD reference signal settings, the first set of CBD reference signal settings, and the second set of CBD reference signal settings via Medium Access Control Element (MAC CE) or Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. The communication device according to claim 1.

3. The first set of BFD reference signal settings and the second set of BFD reference signal settings, and / or the first set of CBD reference signal settings and the second set of CBD reference signal settings are settings for channel state information (CSI) reference signals or settings for synchronization signal blocks. The communication device according to claim 1.

4. Whether or not both the beam fault detection based on the first set of BFD reference signal settings and the beam fault detection based on the second set of BFD reference signal settings are performed is determined by the transmission configuration indication (TCI) of the downlink control information. The communication device according to claim 1.

5. A signal is received that includes the results of a first beam fault detection associated with a first set of BFD reference signal settings or a second beam fault detection associated with a second set of BFD reference signal settings, and the results of a candidate new beam detection associated with a first set of CBD reference signal settings and the results of a candidate new beam detection associated with a second set of CBD reference signal settings. The communication device according to claim 1.

6. The communication device The system transmits a first set of Beam Fault Detection (BFD) reference signal settings, a second set of BFD reference signal settings, a first set of Candidate New Beam Detection (CBD) reference signal settings, and a second set of CBD reference signal settings. A signal including the result of a first beam obstruction detection for a first transmit / receive point based on a first set of BFD reference signal settings, the result of a second beam obstruction detection for a second transmit / receive point based on a second set of BFD reference signal settings, and receiving at least one result of candidate new beam detection for the first transmit / receive point based on a first set of CBD reference signal settings and candidate new beam detection for the second transmit / receive point based on a second set of CBD reference signal settings. Communication method.

7. The first set of BFD reference signal settings, the second set of BFD reference signal settings, the first set of CBD reference signal settings, and the second set of CBD reference signal settings are indicated by Medium Access Control Element (MAC CE) or Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. The communication method according to claim 6.

8. The first set of BFD reference signal settings and the second set of BFD reference signal settings, and / or the first set of CBD reference signal settings and the second set of CBD reference signal settings are settings for channel state information (CSI) reference signals or settings for synchronization signal blocks. The communication method according to claim 6.

9. A signal including the results of the first beam obstruction detection and the results of the second beam obstruction detection is transmitted to the base station. The communication method according to claim 6.

10. Whether or not both the beam fault detection based on the first set of BFD reference signal settings and the beam fault detection based on the second set of BFD reference signal settings are performed is determined by the transmission configuration indication (TCI) of the downlink control information. The communication method according to claim 6.

11. A signal is received that includes the results of a first beam fault detection associated with a first set of BFD reference signal settings or a second beam fault detection associated with a second set of BFD reference signal settings, and the results of a candidate new beam detection associated with a first set of CBD reference signal settings and the results of a candidate new beam detection associated with a second set of CBD reference signal settings. The communication method according to claim 6.

12. The process involves transmitting a first set of beam fault detection (BFD) reference signal settings, a second set of BFD reference signal settings, a first set of candidate new beam detection (CBD) reference signal settings, and a second set of CBD reference signal settings. A signal including the result of a first beam fault detection for a first transmit / receive point based on a first set of BFD reference signal settings, the result of a second beam fault detection for a second transmit / receive point based on a second set of BFD reference signal settings, and a process for receiving at least one result of candidate new beam detection for the first transmit / receive point based on a first set of CBD reference signal settings and candidate new beam detection for the second transmit / receive point based on a second set of CBD reference signal settings, Integrated circuit.

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