TCI selection with beam prediction

Abstract

An apparatus includes means for determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; means for receiving, from a network entity, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states; means for determining a beam based on the received indication of the active TCI state; and means for applying the determined beam for receiving a downlink channel, or applying the determined beam for transmitting an uplink channel.

Description

TCI Selection With Beam PredictionTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The examples and non-limiting example embodiments relate generally to communications and, more particularly, to a TCI selection with beam prediction.BACKGROUND

[0002] It is known for a communication device to gain access to a communication network via an access network node.SUMMARY

[0003] In accordance with an aspect, an apparatus includes means for determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; means for receiving, from a network entity, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states; means for determining a beam based on the received indication of the active TCI state; and means for applying the determined beam for receiving a downlink channel, or applying the determined beam for transmitting an uplink channel.

[0004] In accordance with an aspect, an apparatus includes means for determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; and means for transmitting, to a user equipment, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states.

[0005] In accordance with an aspect, a method includes determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; receiving, from a network entity, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states; determining a beam based on the received indication of the active TCI state; and applying the determined beam for receiving a downlink channel, or applying the determined beam for transmitting an uplink channel.

[0006] In accordance with an aspect, a method includes determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; and transmitting, to a user equipment, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states.

[0007] In accordance with an aspect, an apparatus comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform: determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; receiving, from a network entity, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states; determining a beam based on the received indication of the active TCI state; and applying thedetermined beam for receiving a downlink channel, or applying the determined beam for transmitting an uplink channel.

[0008] In accordance with an aspect, an apparatus comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform: determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; and transmitting, to a user equipment, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states.

[0009] In accordance with an aspect, a computer readable medium comprises instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform: determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; receiving, from a network entity, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states; determining a beam based on the received indication of the active TCI state; and applying the determined beam for receiving a downlink channel, or applying the determined beam for transmitting an uplink channel.

[0010] In accordance with an aspect, a computer readable medium comprises instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform: determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; and transmitting, to a user equipment, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The foregoing aspects and other features are explained in the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one possible and non-limiting system in which the example embodiments may be practiced.

[0013] FIG. 2 shows an example of TCI selection with beam prediction with an additional (second) set of active TCI states.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a signaling diagram based on the examples described herein.

[0015] FIG. 4 is an example apparatus configured to implement the examples described herein.

[0016] FIG. 5 shows a representation of an example of non-volatile memory media used to store instructions that implement the examples described herein.

[0017] FIG. 6 is an example method, based on the examples described herein.

[0018] FIG. 7 is an example method, based on the examples described herein.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Turning to FIG. 1, this figure shows a block diagram of one possible and non-limiting example in which the examples may be practiced. A user equipment (UE) 110, radio access network (RAN) node 170, and network element(s) 190 are illustrated. In the example of FIG. 1, the user equipment (UE) 110 is in wireless communication with a wireless network 100. A UE is a wireless device that can access the wireless network 100. The UE 110 includes one or more processors 120, one or more memories 125, and one or more transceivers 130 interconnected through one or more buses 127. Each of the one or more transceivers 130 includes a receiver, Rx, 132 and a transmitter, Tx, 133. The one or more buses 127 may be address, data, or control buses, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, fiber optics or other optical communication equipment, and the like. The one or more transceivers 130 are connected to one or more antennas 128. The one or more memories 125 include computer program code 123. The UE 110 includes a module 140, comprising one of or both parts 140-1 and / or 140-2, which may be implemented in a number of ways. The module 140 may be implemented in hardware as module 140-1, such as being implemented as part of the one or more processors 120. The module 140-1 may be implemented also as an integrated circuit or through other hardware such as a programmable gate array. In another example, the module 140 may be implemented as module 140-2, which is implemented as computer program code 123 and is executed by the one or more processors 120. For instance, the one or more memories 125 and the computer program code 123 may be configured to, with the one or more processors 120, cause the user equipment 110 to perform one or more of the operations as described herein. The UE 110 communicates with RAN node 170 via a wireless link 111.

[0020] The RAN node 170 in this example is a base station that provides access for wireless devices such as the UE 110 to the wireless network 100. The RAN node 170 may be, for example, a base station for 5G, also called New Radio (NR). In 5G, the RAN node 170 may be a NG-RAN node, which is defined as either a gNB or an ng-eNB. A gNB is a node providing NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE, and connected via the NG interface (such as connection 131) to a 5GC (such as, for example, the network element(s) 190). The ng-eNB is a node providing E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE, and connected via the NG interface (such as connection 131) to the 5GC. The NG-RAN node may include multiple gNBs, which may also include a central unit (CU) (gNB-CU) 196 and distributed unit(s) (DUs) (gNB-DUs), of which DU 195 is shown. Note that the DU 195 may include or be coupled to and control a radio unit (RU). The gNB-CU 196 is a logical node hosting radio resource control (RRC), SDAP and PDCP protocols of the gNB or RRC and PDCP protocols of the en-gNB that control the operation of one or more gNB-DUs. The gNB-CU 196 terminates the Fl interface connected with the gNB-DU 195. The Fl interface is illustrated as reference 198, although reference 198 also illustrates a link between remote elements of the RAN node 170 and centralized elements of the RAN node 170, such as between the gNB-CU 196 and the gNB-DU 195. The gNB-DU 195 is a logical node hosting RLC, MAC and PHY layers of the gNB or en-gNB, and its operation is partly controlled by gNB-CU 196. One gNB-CU 196 supports one or multiple cells. One cell may be supported with one gNB-DU195, or one cell may be supported / shared with multiple DUs under RAN sharing. The gNB-DU 195 terminates the Fl interface 198 connected with the gNB-CU 196. Note that the DU 195 is considered to include the transceiver 160, e.g., as part of a RU, but some examples of this may have the transceiver 160 as part of a separate RU, e.g., under control of and connected to the DU 195. The RAN node 170 may also be an eNB (evolved NodeB) base station, for LTE (long term evolution), or any other suitable base station or node.

[0021] The RAN node 170 includes one or more processors 152, one or more memories 155, one or more network interfaces (N / W I / F(s)) 161, and one or more transceivers 160 interconnected through one or more buses 157. Each of the one or more transceivers 160 includes a receiver, Rx, 162 and a transmitter, Tx, 163. The one or more transceivers 160 are connected to one or more antennas 158. The one or more memories 155 include computer program code 153. The CU 196 may include the processor(s) 152, one or more memories 155, and network interfaces 161. Note that the DU 195 may also contain its own memory / memories and processor(s), and / or other hardware, but these are not shown.

[0022] The RAN node 170 includes a module 150, comprising one of or both parts 150-1 and / or 150-2, which may be implemented in a number of ways. The module 150 may be implemented in hardware as module 150-1, such as being implemented as part of the one or more processors 152. The module 150-1 may be implemented also as an integrated circuit or through other hardware such as a programmable gate array. In another example, the module 150 may be implemented as module 150-2, which is implemented as computer program code 153 and is executed by the one or more processors 152. For instance, the one or more memories 155 and the computer program code 153 are configured to, with the one or more processors 152, cause the RAN node 170 to perform one or more of the operations as described herein. Note that the functionality of the module 150 may be distributed, such as being distributed between the DU 195 and the CU 196, or be implemented solely in the DU 195.

[0023] The one or more network interfaces 161 communicate over a network such as via the links 176 and 131. Two or more gNBs 170 may communicate using, e.g., link 176. The link 176 may be wired or wireless or both and may implement, for example, an Xn interface for 5G, an X2 interface for LTE, or other suitable interface for other standards.

[0024] The one or more buses 157 may be address, data, or control buses, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, fiber optics or other optical communication equipment, wireless channels, and the like. For example, the one or more transceivers 160 may be implemented as a remote radio head (RRH) 195 for LTE or a distributed unit (DU) 195 for gNB implementation for 5G, with the other elements of the RAN node 170 possibly being physically in a different location from the RRH / DU 195, and the one or more buses 157 could be implemented in part as, for example, fiber optic cable or other suitable network connection to connect the other elements (e.g., a central unit (CU), gNB- CU 196) of the RAN node 170 to the RRH / DU 195. Reference 198 also indicates those suitable network link(s).

[0025] A RAN node / gNB can comprise one or more TRPs to which the methods describedherein may be applied. FIG. 1 shows that the RAN node 170 comprises TRP 51 and TRP 52, in addition to the TRP represented by transceiver 160. Similar to transceiver 160, TRP 51 and TRP 52 may each include a transmitter and a receiver. The RAN node 170 may host or comprise other TRPs not shown in FIG. 1.

[0026] A relay node in NR is called an integrated access and backhaul node. A mobile termination part of the IAB node facilitates the backhaul (parent link) connection. In other words, the mobile termination part comprises the functionality which carries UE functionalities. The distributed unit part of the IAB node facilitates the so called access link (child link) connections (i.e. for access link UEs, and backhaul for other IAB nodes, in the case of multi-hop IAB). In other words, the distributed unit part is responsible for certain base station functionalities. The IAB scenario may follow the so called split architecture, where the central unit hosts the higher layer protocols to the UE and terminates the control plane and user plane interfaces to the 5G core network.

[0027] It is noted that the description herein indicates that “cells” perform functions, but it should be clear that equipment which forms the cell may perform the functions. The cell makes up part of a base station. That is, there can be multiple cells per base station. For example, there could be three cells for a single carrier frequency and associated bandwidth, each cell covering one-third of a 360 degree area so that the single base station’s coverage area covers an approximate oval or circle. Furthermore, each cell can correspond to a single carrier and a base station may use multiple carriers. So if there are three 120 degree cells per carrier and two carriers, then the base station has a total of 6 cells.

[0028] The wireless network 100 may include a network element or elements 190 that may include core network functionality, and which provides connectivity via a link or links 181 with a further network, such as a telephone network and / or a data communications network (e.g., the Internet). Such core network functionality for 5G may include location management functions (LMF(s)) and / or access and mobility management function(s) (AMF(S)) and / or user plane functions (UPF(s)) and / or session management function(s) (SMF(s)). Such core network functionality for LTE may include MME (mobility management entity ) / SGW (serving gateway) functionality. Such core network functionality may include SON (self-organizing / optimizing network) functionality. These are merely example functions that may be supported by the network element(s) 190, and note that both 5G and LTE functions might be supported. The RAN node 170 is coupled via a link 131 to the network element 190. The link 131 may be implemented as, e.g., an NG interface for 5G, or an SI interface for LTE, or other suitable interface for other standards. The network element 190 includes one or more processors 175, one or more memories 171, and one or more network interfaces (N / W I / F(s)) 180, interconnected through one or more buses 185. The one or more memories 171 include computer program code 173. Computer program code 173 may include SON and / or MRO functionality 172.

[0029] The wireless network 100 may implement network virtualization, which is the process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functionality into a single, software-based administrative entity, or a virtual network. Network virtualization involves platform virtualization, often combined with resource virtualization. Network virtualization iscategorized as either external, combining many networks, or parts of networks, into a virtual unit, or internal, providing network-like functionality to software containers on a single system. Note that the virtualized entities that result from the network virtualization are still implemented, at some level, using hardware such as processors 152 or 175 and memories 155 and 171, and also such virtualized entities create technical effects.

[0030] The computer readable memories 125, 155, and 171 may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, non-transitory memory, transitory memory, fixed memory and removable memory. The computer readable memories 125, 155, and 171 may be means for performing storage functions. The processors 120, 152, and 175 may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment, and may include one or more of general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The processors 120, 152, and 175 may be means for performing functions, such as controlling the UE 110, RAN node 170, network element(s) 190, and other functions as described herein.

[0031] In general, the various example embodiments of the user equipment 110 can include, but are not limited to, cellular telephones such as smart phones, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs) having wireless communication capabilities, portable computers having wireless communication capabilities, image capture devices such as digital cameras having wireless communication capabilities, gaming devices having wireless communication capabilities, music storage and playback devices having wireless communication capabilities, internet appliances including those permitting wireless internet access and browsing, tablets with wireless communication capabilities, head mounted displays such as those that implement virtual / augmented / mixed reality, as well as portable units or terminals that incorporate combinations of such functions. The UE 110 can also be a vehicle such as a car, or a UE mounted in a vehicle, a UAV such as e.g. a drone, or a UE mounted in a UAV. The user equipment 110 may be terminal device, such as mobile phone, mobile device, sensor device etc., the terminal device being a device used by the user or not used by the user.

[0032] UE 110, RAN node 170, and / or network element(s) 190, (and associated memories, computer program code and modules) may be configured to implement (e.g. in part) the methods described herein. Thus, computer program code 123, module 140-1, module 140-2, and other elements / features shown in FIG. 1 of UE 110 may implement user equipment related aspects of the examples described herein. Similarly, computer program code 153, module 150-1, module 150-2, and other elements / features shown in FIG. 1 of RAN node 170 may implement gNB / TRP related aspects of the examples described herein. Computer program code 173 and other elements / features shown in FIG. 1 of network element(s) 190 may be configured to implement network element related aspects of the examples described herein.

[0033] Having thus introduced a suitable but non-limiting technical context for the practice of the example embodiments, the example embodiments are now described with greater specificity.

[0034] TCI is an integral part of the configuration of transmission parameters for uplink and downlink transmissions. The TCI framework is integrated with the beam management operations and the defined fields, such as TCI State ID and TCI State Activation, indicate the configuration of the DL / UL beams to the UE to communicate dynamic changes in beam direction for efficient transmission. For example, different TCI state IDs may correspond to specific DL Tx beams, allowing the gNB to dynamically switch the beams based on channel conditions.

[0035] TCI activation can be dynamically signaled based on beam quality metrics received with UE feedback. For example, if a beam experiences a degradation in received signal strength, TCI activation may signal to the UE to prioritize beams with better signal quality.

[0036] In the TCI framework, initially, the NW configures the UE with the list of possible TCI states to be in use. To narrow down the selection of TCI States, the NW transmits a MAC CE, which specifies a subset of the possible TCI states that the UE should consider as active TCI states for efficient beam management. The DO carrying a TCI field is used to further indicate which TCI state(s) (among the active TCI states) is to be used for receiving DL channels like PDCCH, PDSCH. TCI selection decisions (including activation via MAC CE and indication via DO) are often influenced by the feedback received from the UE. The NW considers the UE feedback to adapt and optimize the selection of TCI state(s) based on the channel conditions.

[0037] By using ML-based beam prediction, the feedback may include predicted beams reported by the UE or measured beams reported by the UE that can be integrated with predicted beams inferred by a NW side model. If beam prediction is performed at the UE, the UE may report the prediction results and the NW may transmit MAC CE to activate TCI states based on the prediction result reported by the UE. If the beam prediction is performed at the NW, the NW may transmit MAC CE to activate TCI states based on the prediction results given by the NW side model. In both cases, the ML model may provide the best predicted beam and / or a list of the Top K best predicted beams to be used, based on certain prediction metrics, such as for example, predicted probability or predicted RSRP of beam / RS resources. However, the prediction may not be as stable and precise as the measurement feedback. The feedback may also contain confidence information related to the prediction results; thus, the NW may make use of this information to evaluate reliable predictions.

[0038] The NW may not directly use the UE prediction feedback to adapt and optimize the selection of TCI state(s), as it can cause much more frequent MAC CE transmissions for activating / deactivating TCI states compared to legacy beam management operations. Such frequent MAC CE transmissions may not be desirable due to the increased signaling overhead. Further, the activation of the TCI state based on the prediction feedback may lead to ambiguities and low efficiency, especially in situations where the beam predictions are inaccurate, e.g., influenced by factors such as generalization issues caused by dynamic channel conditions and / or blockages.

[0039] New solutions are required to mitigate the prediction variabilities and optimize TCI selection decisions (activation and indication of TCI states with MAC CE and DCI) when the prediction feedback received from the UE is used to adaptively decide active TCI states or whenthe predictions are used in combination with the measurement feedback.

[0040] The examples described herein relate to a method for selecting or indicating the TCI state and for the UE to determine the TCI ID based on the received MAC CE and DO in a unified TCI framework. The variability of prediction over time can be mitigated by having a second set of active TCI states. The NW can adaptively switch between sets (with DO) based on the most recent reliable predictions.

[0041] In example embodiments, the following example steps are considered for beam prediction for a UE-sided model and a NW-sided model.

[0042] For UE-sided model (1-3):

[0043] 1. The UE may report that the UE supports beam prediction with the feature groups (within UE capabilities) that are associated with the beam prediction at the UE side.

[0044] 2. The UE may be configured with one AI / ML Functionality or more AI / ML Functionalities, where each Functionality can enable the beam prediction at the UE. Also, each Functionality may be associated with a set of measurement RS resources (used for Set B, measurements for model input at the UE) and a set of prediction RS resources (used for Set A, beam prediction from model output). The UE may also be configured with reporting setting of prediction results from the prediction RS resources. As an example, the UE may be configured to report up to Top-K beams (Top-K predicted RS resources).

[0045] 3. UE performs measurements on the set of measurement RS resources, performs prediction based on measurements on the set of measurement RS resources, and reports k predicted RS resources from the set of prediction RS resources.

[0046] For NW-sided model (1-2):

[0047] 1. The UE may be configured with a set of measurement RS resources (used for Set B, measurements for model input at the NW) and with a reporting setting of measurement results from the set of measurement RS resources. As an example, the UE may be configured to report up to Top-N measured beams (Top-N measured RS resources).

[0048] 2. NW receives Top-N measured beam corresponding to the measurement RS resources (used for Set B, measurements for model input at the NW), performs beam prediction based on Top-N, and determines a Top-K predicted beams (Top-K predicted RS resources) from a set of prediction RS resources (used for Set A, beam prediction from model output).

[0049] Top-K predicted beams (or corresponding Top-K predicted RS resources) refers to the best K beams predicted at the output of the ML model ranked based on certain metrics such as for example, the predicted probability or predicted RSRPs of beams (i.e., the corresponding RS resources). The predicted RS resources may not be fully measured and hence may be less accurate or reliable than fully measured RS resources.

[0050] FIG. 2 shows an example of TCI selection with beam prediction with an additional (second) set 220 of active TCI states. One additional control bit in DO 230 is used to identify the set of active TCI States. When the bit is set to “0”, the TCI field 232 in DO 230 corresponds to the active TCI state (216) in the first set 210 of active TCI states (for example activated by a MAC CE 208), when the bit is set to “1”, the TCI field 232 in DO 230 corresponds to the active TCI state (222) in the second set 220 of active TCI states (for example activated by a MAC CE 218). It is noted that in some example embodiments, the first and the second sets of active TCI states may be activated in one MAC CE.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 2, TCI states may be configured by RRC message 206. Among the configured TCI states, item 202 corresponds to TCI states corresponding to non-predicted RSs, and item 204 corresponds to TCI states corresponding to predicted RSs, while RSs of both items have QCL type D. TCI states corresponding to predicted RSs include TCI state 212, TCI state 214, and TCI state 216 in the first set 210, and TCI state 222, TCI state 224, and TCI state 226 in the second set 220.

[0052] The UE may receive an RRC configuration with a TCI state list that is the TCI State pool applicable for DL channels (e.g., PDSCH, PDCCH) and / or other channels, wherein each TCI state is associated with a RS resource that is associated to a DL Tx beam. The configuration may include an explicit RRC parameter that indicates if the NW supports an additional (second) set of active TCI states.

[0053] The NW may receive from UE a report including up to Top-K beams (Top-K predicted RS resources). In a variant, NW may receive from UE a report including Top-N measured beams, then NW performs beam prediction based on the Top-N measured beams, and determines Top-K beams.

[0054] The UE receives activation or deactivation for the TCI State(s) in the first set of active TCI States, where the activated TCI state corresponds to a RS resource. The first set of active TCI states may be decided based on one or more of the rules detailed in Options 1-7.

[0055] To determine the additional (second) set of active TCI states at the UE, in one embodiment, the UE may receive a new activation command / message from the NW to activate (or update) the TCI State(s) in the second set of active TCI States, wherein the second set of active TCI states may be decided based on one or more of the rules detailed in Options 1-7.

[0056] To determine the additional (second) set of active TCI states at the UE, in another embodiment, the UE may derive activated (or updated) TCI State(s) in the second set of active TCI States based on the rules details in Options 1-7. In one example, as the second set of active TCI states are derived by the UE, it may refer also as a virtual set of TCI states at the UE. In one example, dimension for the number of active TCI states in the second set may be configured / defined by the NW. In this case, the new activation command / message from the NW may not be needed.

[0057] To determine the additional (second) set of active TCI states at the UE, in another,embodiment, the UE may autonomously activate (or update) the TCI State(s) in the second set of active TCI States based on the rules details in Options 1-7. In one example, the NW may configure dimension for the number of active TCI states in the second set (virtual set of TCI states at the UE). The UE may autonomously activate the TCI State within the virtual set of TCI states at the UE. The UE may indicate to the NW the activation / deactivation of TCI States within the virtual set.

[0058] The UE may receive a downlink control indication (DO) containing an indication of active TCI States. The indication may specify whether the indicated TCI State corresponds to the first set of active TCI States or the second set of active TCI States. In one example, one control bit can be used to identify the set of active TCI States. If the bit is 0, the TCI codepoint carried in the TCI field of DO relates to the first set of active TCI States. Otherwise, if it is 1, the TCI codepoint carried in the TCI field of DCI relates to the second set of active TCI States. TCI codepoint in the DCI corresponds to one of the active TCI States in the first set of active TCI States or the second set of active TCI States, based on the control bit.

[0059] TCI activation with A I / ML beam management involves processing prediction feedback received from an AI / ML model to make informed decisions. There could be some general aspects considered in processing the prediction feedback for both NW-side and UE-side decisions, the following covers specific aspects related to the NW-side decisions. UE-side decisions may also consider these aspects to derive, decide autonomously, or update the active TCI states in the second set (virtual set of TCI states at the UE). The first / second set of active TCI states may be decided based on one or more of the rules given as options 1-7.

[0060] In a first option (Option 1), the NW analyzes the prediction metrics related to Top-K predicted beams corresponding to predicted RS (predicted CRU predicted SSBRI). For example, the ML model output may provide the probability of each beam to be the best beam (beam having the highest RSRP) over the full set of beams. Top-K beams are therefore ranked based on the ML output probability. The Top-Kl predicted beams with K1<K, may have a higher priority for the NW decision to activate the corresponding TCI states in a first set, whereas the remaining Top-K predicted beams may be used to activate the corresponding TCI states in a second set.

[0061] In a second option (Option 2), the NW analyzes the prediction metrics related to predicted reference signal received power (pRSRP). Top-K beams are therefore ranked based on the pRSRP. The TCI states corresponding to the beams with higher pRSRPs may be activated in a first set, and the TCI states corresponding to the beams with lower pRSRPs may be activated in a second set.

[0062] In a third option (Option 3), the NW and / or UE may employ a threshold mechanism to determine the active TCI states in the first and second sets. A threshold accounts for the frequency that a predicted CRI or predicted SSBRI is predicted in the Top-K predicted ones during the past L prediction instances. If the frequency is higher than a threshold the NW may decide to activate the corresponding TCI state in a first set. Otherwise, if the frequency is lower than a threshold, the NW may decide to deactivate the corresponding TCI state in the first set, or to activate the corresponding TCI state in a second set.

[0063] In a fourth option (Option 4), the NW may maintain a history of predicted RSRP for each TCI state. Analyzing the variations of the signal conditions may condition the NW decisions to activate the TCI state in a first set whenever the predicted RSRP is increasing, and to deactivate the TCI state in the first set or to activate the TCI state in a second set whenever the predicter RSRP is decreasing.

[0064] In a fifth option (Option 5), different use cases may benefit from different sets of active TCI states. For instance, one set could be optimized for spatial beam prediction (applied to UE with low mobility), while a second set could be optimized for time beam prediction (applied to UE in mobility conditions).

[0065] In a sixth option (Option 6), the NW may decide to activate the TCI state based on performance monitoring information (either received from the UE or computed at the NW), indicating prediction accuracy or other performance monitoring related metrics. For example, performance monitoring information related to Top-K predicted CRIs or predicted SSBRIs may indicate higher prediction accuracy and the NW may decide to activate the corresponding TCI states in a first set. If the performance monitoring information of a set of predicted CRIs or predicted SSBRIs shows lower prediction accuracy, the corresponding TCI states may be deactivated in the first set, or activated in a second set.

[0066] In a seventh option (Option 7), the NW may analyze the confidence information contained in the prediction report and related to the predicted CRI or predicted SSBRI for Topic beams. A TCI state corresponding to a RS with higher confidence information may be activated in a first set, while a TCI state corresponding to a RS with lower confidence information may be activated in a second set.

[0067] Some aspects related to the proposed idea can be explained at the high level considering the signaling diagram shown in FIG. 3, which shows signaling between UE 110 and the NW for example RAN node 170. A summary of the signaling steps included in the diagram can be detailed as follows:

[0068] Step 1 (301): The UE receives RRC configuration containing CSI measurements configuration and CSI reporting configuration and other RRC parameters determining the use of an additional set of active TCI States. The CSI reporting configuration may enable one of the ML beam prediction modes, e.g., spatial beam prediction with narrow-to-narrow beam prediction, which uses as input of the ML model the measured CSI-RS resources corresponding to a part of the full set of narrow beams. In one example, the ML model outputs Top-K predicted RS resources corresponding to Top-K predicted beams from the full set of narrow beams.

[0069] Step 2 (302): Based on the ML model output results obtained at the UE side, the UE reports to the NW the predicted beams IDs possibly with the predicted RSRPs.

[0070] Step 3 (303): The NW determines one or more TCI states to activate in a first set and in a second set, based on the prediction feedback received from the UE. The NW may consider making decisions such as switching between sets and / or in which one of the two sets a TCI Stateshould be activated following one or more Options described above.

[0071] Step 4 (304): The NW transmits a message to activate, deactivate, or update TCI State in the first set and / or in the second set. In one variant, the NW may transmit a MAC CE message to activate one TCI state in the first set of active TCI states and deactivate this TCI state in the second set of active TCI states. In one example, the prediction reliability reported for one predicted RS resource may influence the NW to switch the corresponding active TCI State between sets. Thus, transmitting one command to activate the TCI State in one set and a second command to deactivate the TCI State in another set. In another variant, the NW may transmit a MAC CE message to activate one TCI state that was not active before, thus transmitting one command to activate the TCI State in one set. Alternatively, the NW may transmit a MAC CE message to deactivate one TCI state that was active before, thus transmitting one command to deactivate the TCI State in one set.

[0072] The determining to activate or deactivate the at least one TCI state (by the network and / or the UE) in the first set or the second set may be based on a prediction information for a reference signal corresponding to the at least one TCI state. Prediction reliability is only one example of prediction information. Other prediction information could be predicted CRI (predicted CSI-RS resource indicator), predicted SSBRI (predicted SSB resource indicator) and predicted RSRP.

[0073] Step 5 (305): The NW transmits a message to indicate the TCI State to be used. In one example, a DO command may be used to indicate to which set of active TCI States the TCI State indicated in the DO command belongs, in addition to specify the TCI codepoint that enables the UE to identify the TCI State within the corresponding set.

[0074] The examples described herein provide an approach that allows a more stable response to variable prediction feedback from the UE. Among the different steps proposed, the use of a second set of active TCI states increases the flexibility and adaptability of beam management in certain scenarios and may be a valuable strategy for optimizing TCI state activation and indication in dynamic and diverse environments, at the cost of a limited additional complexity given by the introduction of the second set of active TCI states.

[0075] The benefits and technical effects include at least the following (1-3): 1) The second set of active TCI states provides the NW with the ability to diversify beam management strategies, useful for dealing with different prediction feedback, 2) The UE feedback that influences the TCI state activation decisions can dynamically affect both TCI state sets. The NW can intelligently adjust the composition of each TCI state set based on real-time feedback, ensuring that the set of active TCI states is optimally matched to the prevailing UE conditions, 3) The second set of active TCI states provides the NW with the ability to diversify beam management strategies useful for handling different UE mobility patterns and / or variations in channel conditions. Different use cases may benefit from different sets of active TCI states. For example, one set could be optimized for spatial beam prediction (low mobility), while a second set could be optimized for temporal beam prediction (applied to UEs in mobility conditions).

[0076] In some example embodiments, a first set of active TCI states may be generally used to activate TCI states corresponding to measured RS resources, and a second set may be used to activate TCI states that correspond to predicted RS resources . The UE may autonomously activate (or update) the TCI State(s) in the second set, while it is desirable for the NW to control the first set of active TCI states. In some example embodiments, a size of the second set can be configured by the NW or predefined in standard specification. For instance, the size of the second set may be limited to only 1 TCI state.

[0077] FIG. 4 is an example apparatus 400, which may be implemented in hardware, configured to implement the examples described herein. The apparatus 400 comprises at least one processor 402 (e.g. an FPGA and / or CPU), one or more memories 404 including computer program code 405, the computer program code 405 having instructions to carry out the methods described herein, wherein the at least one memory 404 and the computer program code 405 are configured to, with the at least one processor 402, cause the apparatus 400 to implement circuitry, a process, component, module, or function (implemented with control module 406) to implement the examples described herein. The memory 404 may be a non-transitory memory, a transitory memory, a volatile memory (e.g. RAM), or a non-volatile memory (e.g. ROM).

[0078] TCI selection 430 may implement the examples described herein related to TCI selection with beam prediction.

[0079] The apparatus 400 includes a display and / or RO interface 408, which includes user interface (UI) circuitry and elements, that may be used to display aspects or a status of the methods described herein (e.g., as one of the methods is being performed or at a subsequent time), or to receive input from a user such as with using a keypad, camera, touchscreen, touch area, microphone, biometric recognition, one or more sensors, etc. The apparatus 400 includes one or more communication e.g. network (N / W) interfaces (I / F(s)) 410. The communication I / F(s) 410 may be wired and / or wireless and communicate over the Internet / other network(s) via any communication technique including via one or more links 424. The link(s) 424 may be the link(s) 131 and / or 176 from FIG. 1. The link(s) 131 and / or 176 from FIG. 1 may also be implemented using transceiver(s) 416 and corresponding wireless link(s) 426. The communication I / F(s) 410 may comprise one or more transmitters or one or more receivers.

[0080] The transceiver 416 comprises one or more transmitters 418 and one or more receivers 420. The transceiver 416 and / or communication I / F(s) 410 may comprise standard well-known components such as an amplifier, filter, frequency-converter, (de)modulator, and encoder / decoder circuitries and one or more antennas, such as antennas 414 used for communication over wireless link 426.

[0081] The control module 406 of the apparatus 400 comprises one of or both parts 406-1 and / or 406-2, which may be implemented in a number of ways. The control module 406 may be implemented in hardware as control module 406-1, such as being implemented as part of the one or more processors 402. The control module 406-1 may be implemented also as an integrated circuit or through other hardware such as a programmable gate array. In another example, the control module 406 may be implemented as control module 406-2, which is implemented ascomputer program code (having corresponding instructions) 405 and is executed by the one or more processors 402. For instance, the one or more memories 404 store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors 402, cause the apparatus 400 to perform one or more of the operations as described herein. Furthermore, the one or more processors 402, the one or more memories 404, and example algorithms (e.g., as flowcharts and / or signaling diagrams), encoded as instructions, programs, or code, are means for causing performance of the operations described herein.

[0082] The apparatus 400 to implement the functionality of control 406 may be UE 110, RAN node 170 (e.g. gNB), or network element(s) 190 (e.g. LMF 190). Thus, processor 402 may correspond to processor(s) 120, processor(s) 152 and / or processor(s) 175, memory 404 may correspond to one or more memories 125, one or more memories 155 and / or one or more memories 171, computer program code 405 may correspond to computer program code 123, computer program code 153, and / or computer program code 173, control module 406 may correspond to module 140-1, module 140-2, module 150-1, and / or module 150-2, and communication I / F(s) 410 and / or transceiver 416 may correspond to transceiver 130, antenna(s) 128, transceiver 160, antenna(s) 158, N / W I / F(s) 161, and / or N / W I / F(s) 180. Alternatively, apparatus 400 and its elements may not correspond to either of UE 110, RAN node 170, or network element(s) 190 and their respective elements, as apparatus 400 may be part of a self- organizing / optimizing network (SON) node or other node, such as a node in a cloud.

[0083] The apparatus 400 may also be distributed throughout the network (e.g. 100) including within and between apparatus 400 and any network element (such as a network control element (NCE) 190 and / or the RAN node 170 and / or UE 110).

[0084] Interface 412 enables data communication and signaling between the various items of apparatus 400, as shown in FIG. 4. For example, the interface 412 may be one or more buses such as address, data, or control buses, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, fiber optics or other optical communication equipment, and the like. Computer program code (e.g. instructions) 405, including control 406 may comprise object-oriented software configured to pass data or messages between objects within computer program code 405, or computer program code (e.g. instructions) 405, including control 406 may include functional, scripting, or procedural code. The apparatus 400 need not comprise each of the features mentioned, or may comprise other features as well. The various components of apparatus 400 may at least partially reside in a common housing 428, or a subset of the various components of apparatus 400 may at least partially be located in different housings, which different housings may include housing 428.

[0085] FIG. 5 shows a schematic representation of non-volatile memory media 500a (e.g. computer / compact disc (CD) or digital versatile disc (DVD)) and 500b (e.g. universal serial bus (USB) memory stick) and 500c (e.g. cloud storage for downloading instructions and / or parameters 502 or receiving emailed instructions and / or parameters 502) storing instructions and / or parameters 502 which when executed by a processor allows the processor to perform one or more of the steps of the methods described herein. Instructions and / or parameters 502 may represent a non-transitory computer readable medium.

[0086] FIG. 6 is an example method 600 based on the examples described herein. At 610, the method includes determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states. At 620, the method includes receiving, from a network entity, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states. At 630, the method includes determining a beam based on the received indication of the active TCI state. At 640, the method includes applying the determined beam for receiving a downlink channel, or applying the determined beam for transmitting an uplink channel. Method 600 may be performed with UE 110 or apparatus 400.

[0087] FIG. 7 is an example method 700 based on the examples described herein. At 710, the method includes determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states. At 720, the method includes transmitting, to a user equipment, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states. Method 700 may be performed with RAN node 170, one or more network elements 190, or apparatus 400.

[0088] The following examples are provided and described herein.

[0089] Example 1. An apparatus including: means for determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; means for receiving, from a network entity, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states; means for determining a beam based on the received indication of the active TCI state; and means for applying the determined beam for receiving a downlink channel, or applying the determined beam for transmitting an uplink channel.

[0090] Example 2. The apparatus of example 1, further including: means for receiving at least one command from the network entity to indicate or update at least one of the at least two sets of active TCI states, and wherein the determining the at least two sets of active TCI states is based on the received at least one command.

[0091] Example 3. The apparatus of example 2, wherein the at least one command is a MAC- CE.

[0092] Example 4. The apparatus of any of examples 1 to 3, wherein the means for determining the at least two sets of active TCI states comprises means for deriving or autonomously activating a set of TCI states to be one of the at least two sets of active TCI states, or updating at least one of the at least two sets of active TCI states.

[0093] Example 5. The apparatus of example 4, wherein the means for autonomously activating comprises means for indicating to the network entity the activated set of TCI states.

[0094] Example 6. The apparatus of example 4 or 5, further including: means for receiving, from the network entity, a configuration of a number of the active TCI states in the derived or autonomously activated set.

[0095] Example 7. The apparatus of any of examples 2 to 6, wherein the updating comprisesat least one of deactivating an active TCI state in a first set or a second set, adding an active TCI state into at least one of the at least two sets of active TCI states, or switching an active TCI state from a first set of the at least two sets to a second set of the at least two sets.

[0096] Example 8. The apparatus of any of examples 1 to 7, wherein the indication of the active TCI state to use comprises a control indication indicating which set of the at least two sets the active TCI state belongs to.

[0097] Example 9. The apparatus of example 8, wherein the indication of the active TCI state to use is comprised in downlink control information, and the control indication is a one-bit indicator.

[0098] Example 10. The apparatus of any of examples 1 to 9, further including: means for receiving, from the network entity, a configuration with a TCI state list comprising TCI states in the at least two sets, wherein each TCI state in the list corresponds to a reference signal.

[0099] Example 11. The apparatus of example 10, wherein the configuration comprises an indication indicating that the network entity supports at least two sets of active TCI states.

[0100] Example 12. The apparatus of example 10 or 11, wherein whether a TCI state in the list is activated in at least one of the at least two sets is based on prediction information for the reference signal corresponding to the TCI state.

[0101] Example 13. The apparatus of example 12, wherein the prediction information is obtained by the apparatus or the network entity according to an AI / ML functionality based on a measurement result of a set of reference signals corresponding to a set of TCI states in the list.

[0102] Example 14. The apparatus of example 13, further including means for transmitting to the network entity, the prediction information or the measurement result.

[0103] Example 15. The apparatus of any of examples 12 to 14, wherein: a TCI state is activated in a first or a second set of the at least two sets based on a rank of one or more predicted metrics of the corresponding reference signal in a prediction procedure.

[0104] Example 16. The apparatus of example 15, wherein the one or more predicted metrics comprises a predicted probability or a predicted reference signal received power.

[0105] Example 17. The apparatus of any of examples 12 to 16, wherein: a TCI state is activated in a first or a second set of the at least two sets based on whether the frequency one or more predicted metrics of the corresponding reference signal are among the highest predicted metrics relative to at least one other reference signal during a past number of prediction instances is higher or lower than a threshold.

[0106] Example 18. The apparatus of any of examples 12 to 17, wherein: a TCI state is activated in a first or a second set of the at least two sets based on whether a predicted reference signal received power value of the corresponding reference signal is increasing or decreasingduring a time interval.

[0107] Example 19. The apparatus of any of examples 12 to 18, wherein: a TCI state is activated in a first or a second set of the at least two sets based on whether a spatial beam prediction or a time beam prediction is in use, or whether mobility of the apparatus is lower or higher than a mobility metric threshold.

[0108] Example 20. The apparatus of any of examples 12 to 19, wherein: a TCI state is activated in a first or a second set of the at least two sets based on a prediction accuracy of the corresponding reference signal.

[0109] Example 21. The apparatus of any of examples 12 to 20, wherein a TCI state is activated in a first or a second set of the at least two sets based on a confidence information associated with a prediction of the corresponding reference signal.

[0110] Example 22. An apparatus including: means for determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; and means for transmitting, to a user equipment, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states.

[0111] Example 23. The apparatus of example 22, further including: means for transmitting at least one command to the user equipment to indicate or update at least one of the at least two sets of active TCI states.

[0112] Example 24. The apparatus of example 23, wherein the at least one command is a MAC-CE.

[0113] Example 25. The apparatus of any of examples 22 to 24, wherein the means for determining the at least two sets of active TCI states comprise means for receiving from the user equipment an indication of at least one of the at least two sets of active TCI states.

[0114] Example 26. The apparatus of example 25, further including: means for transmitting, to the user equipment, a configuration of a number of the active TCI states in at least one of the at least two sets of active TCI states.

[0115] Example 27. The apparatus of any of examples 23 to 26, wherein the updating command comprises at least one of a command to deactivate an active TCI state in a first set or a second set, a command to add an active TCI state into at least one of the at least two sets of active TCI states, or a command to switch an active TCI state from a first set of the at least two sets to a second set of the at least two sets.

[0116] Example 28. The apparatus of any of examples 22 to 27, wherein the indication of the active TCI state to use comprises a control indication indicating which set of the at least two sets the active TCI state belongs to.

[0117] Example 29. The apparatus of example 28, wherein the indication of the active TCIstate to use is comprised in downlink control information, and the control indication is a one-bit indicator.

[0118] Example 30. The apparatus of any of examples 22 to 29, further including: means for transmitting, to the user equipment, a configuration with a TCI state list comprising TCI states in the at least two sets, wherein each TCI state in the list corresponds to a reference signal.

[0119] Example 31. The apparatus of example 30, wherein the configuration comprises an indication indicating that the apparatus supports at least two sets of active TCI states.

[0120] Example 32. The apparatus of example 30 or 31 , wherein whether a TCI state in the list is activated in at least one of the at least two sets is based on prediction information for the reference signal corresponding to the TCI state.

[0121] Example 33. The apparatus of example 32, wherein the prediction information is obtained by the user equipment or the apparatus according to an AI / ML functionality based on a measurement result of a set of reference signals corresponding to a set of TCI states in the list.

[0122] Example 34. The apparatus of example 33, further including means for receiving from the user equipment, the prediction information or the measurement result.

[0123] Example 35. The apparatus of any of examples 32 to 34, wherein: a TCI state is activated in a first or a second set of the at least two sets based on a rank of one or more predicted metrics of the corresponding reference signal in a prediction procedure.

[0124] Example 36. The apparatus of example 35, wherein the one or more predicted metrics comprises a predicted probability or a predicted reference signal received power.

[0125] Example 37. The apparatus of any of examples 32 to 36, wherein: a TCI state is activated in a first or a second set of the at least two sets based on whether the frequency one or more predicted metrics of the corresponding reference signal are among the highest predicted metrics relative to at least one other reference signal during a past number of prediction instances is higher or lower than a threshold.

[0126] Example 38. The apparatus of any of examples 32 to 37, wherein: a TCI state is activated in a first or a second set of the at least two sets based on whether a predicted reference signal received power value of the corresponding reference signal is increasing or decreasing during a time interval.

[0127] Example 39. The apparatus of any of examples 32 to 38, wherein: a TCI state is activated in a first or a second set of the at least two sets based on whether a spatial beam prediction or a time beam prediction is in use, or whether mobility of the user equipment is lower or higher than a mobility metric threshold.

[0128] Example 40. The apparatus of any of examples 32 to 39, wherein: a TCI state is activated in a first or a second set of the at least two sets based on a prediction accuracy of thecorresponding reference signal.

[0129] Example 41. The apparatus of any of examples 32 to 40, wherein a TCI state is activated in a first or a second set of the at least two sets based on a confidence information associated with a prediction of the corresponding reference signal.

[0130] Example 42. A method including: determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; receiving, from a network entity, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states; determining a beam based on the received indication of the active TCI state; and applying the determined beam for receiving a downlink channel, or applying the determined beam for transmitting an uplink channel.

[0131] Example 43. A method including: determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; and transmitting, to a user equipment, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states.

[0132] Example 44. A computer readable medium including instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; receiving, from a network entity, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states; determining a beam based on the received indication of the active TCI state; and applying the determined beam for receiving a downlink channel, or applying the determined beam for transmitting an uplink channel.

[0133] Example 45. A computer readable medium including instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; and transmitting, to a user equipment, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states.

[0134] Example 46. An apparatus including: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: determine at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; receive, from a network entity, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states; determine a beam based on the received indication of the active TCI state; and apply the determined beam for receiving a downlink channel, or applying the determined beam for transmitting an uplink channel.

[0135] Example 47. An apparatus including: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: determine at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; and transmit, to a user equipment, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states.

[0136] References to a ‘computer’, ‘processor’, etc. should be understood to encompass not only computers having different architectures such as single / multi-processor architectures and sequential or parallel architectures but also specialized circuits such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific circuits (ASICs), signal processing devices and other processing circuitry. References to computer program, instructions, code etc. should be understood to encompass software for a programmable processor or firmware such as, for example, the programmable content of a hardware device whether instructions for a processor, or configuration settings for a fixed-function device, gate array or programmable logic device etc.

[0137] The memories as described herein may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, non-transitory memory, transitory memory, fixed memory and removable memory. The memories may comprise a database for storing data.

[0138] As used herein, the term ‘circuitry’ may refer to the following: (a) hardware circuit implementations, such as implementations in analog and / or digital circuitry, and (b) combinations of circuits and software (and / or firmware), such as (as applicable): (i) a combination of processor(s) or (ii) portions of processor(s) / software including digital signal processor(s), software, and memories that work together to cause an apparatus to perform various functions, and (c) circuits, such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor s), that require software or firmware for operation, even if the software or firmware is not physically present. As a further example, as used herein, the term ‘circuitry’ would also cover an implementation of merely a processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term ‘circuitry’ would also cover, for example and if applicable to the particular element, a baseband integrated circuit or applications processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or another network device.

[0139] It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative. Various alternatives and modifications may be devised by those skilled in the art. For example, features recited in the various dependent claims could be combined with each other in any suitable combination(s). In addition, features from different example embodiments described above could be selectively combined into a new example embodiment. Accordingly, this description is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

[0140] The following acronyms and abbreviations that may be found in the specification and / or the drawing figures are given as follows (the abbreviations and acronyms may be appended / combined with each other or with other characters using e.g. a dash, hyphen, slash, letter, or number, and may be case insensitive):4G fourth generation5G fifth generation5GC 5G core networkAl artificial intelligenceAMF access and mobility management functionASIC application-specific integrated circuitCD compact / computer discCE control elementCSI channel state informationCSI-RS channel state information reference signalCP carrier phaseCPU central processing unitCRI CSI-RS resource indicator cu central unit or centralized unit DCI downlink control information DL downlinkDSP digital signal processorDU distributed unitDVD digital versatile disc eNB evolved Node B (e.g., an LTE base station) EN-DC E-UTRAN new radio - dual connectivity en-gNB node providing NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE, and acting as a secondary node in EN-DCE-UTRA evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access, i.e., the LTE radio access technologyE-UTRAN E-UTRA network Fl interface between the CU and the DU FPGA field-programmable gate array gNB base station for 5G / NR, i.e., a node providing NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE, and connected via the NG interface to the 5GCIAB integrated access and backhaulID identifierPF interfaceRO input / outputK a number of (e.g. Top-K or top k)LMF location management functionLTE long term evolution (4G)MAC medium access controlMAC CE MAC control elementML machine learningMME mobility management entityMRO mobility robustness optimizationN indication of a number for variable number N (e.g. Top-N)NCE network control element ng or NG new generationng-eNB new generation eNBNG-RAN new generation radio access networkNR new radioNW networkN / W networkPBCH physical broadcast channelPDA personal digital assistantPDCCH physical downlink control channelPDCP packet data convergence protocolPDSCH physical downlink shared channelPHY physical layer pRSRP predicted reference signal received powerQCL quasi co locationRAM random access memoryRAN radio access networkRLC radio link controlROM read-only memoryRRC radio resource controlRRM radio resource managementRS reference signalRSRP reference signal received powerRU radio unitRx, RX receive, or receiver, or receptionSDAP service data adaptation protocolSGW serving gatewaySMF session management functionSON self-organizing / optimizing networkSSB synchronization signal block or synchronization signal and PBCH blockSSBRI SSB resource indicatorTCI transmission configuration indicatorTRP transmission reception pointTx, TX transmit, or transmitter, or transmissionUAV unmanned aerial vehicleUE user equipment (e.g., a wireless, typically mobile device)UI user interfaceUL uplinkUMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications SystemUPF user plane functionUSB universal serial busUTRAN UMTS terrestrial radio access networkX2 network interface between RAN nodes and between RAN and the core networkXn network interface between NG-RAN nodes

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising: means for determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; means for receiving, from a network entity, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states; means for determining a beam based on the received indication of the active TCI state; and means for applying the determined beam for receiving a downlink channel, or applying the determined beam for transmitting an uplink channel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: means for receiving at least one command from the network entity to indicate or update at least one of the at least two sets of active TCI states, and wherein the determining the at least two sets of active TCI states is based on the received at least one command.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one command is a MAC-CE.

4. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the means for determining the at least two sets of active TCI states comprises means for deriving or autonomously activating a set of TCI states to be one of the at least two sets of active TCI states, or updating at least one of the at least two sets of active TCI states.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the means for autonomously activating comprises means for indicating to the network entity the activated set of TCI states.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 or 5, further comprising: means for receiving, from the network entity, a configuration of a number of the active TCI states in the derived or autonomously activated set.

7. The apparatus of any of claims 2 to 6, wherein the updating comprises at least one of deactivating an active TCI state in a first set or a second set, adding an active TCI state into at least one of the at least two sets of active TCI states, or switching an active TCI state from a first set of the at least two sets to a second set of the at least two sets.

8. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the indication of the active TCI state to use comprises a control indication indicating which set of the at least two sets the active TCI state belongs to.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the indication of the active TCI state to use is comprised in downlink control information, and the control indication is a one-bit indicator.

10. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 9, further comprising: means for receiving, from the network entity, a configuration with a TCI state list comprising TCI states in the at least two sets, wherein each TCI state in the list corresponds to a reference signal.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the configuration comprises an indication indicating that the network entity supports at least two sets of active TCI states.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 or 11, wherein whether a TCI state in the list is activated in at least one of the at least two sets is based on prediction information for the reference signal corresponding to the TCI state, and wherein the prediction information is obtained by the apparatus or the network entity according to an AI / ML functionality based on a measurement result of a set of reference signals corresponding to a set of TCI states in the list.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising means for transmitting to the network entity, the prediction information or the measurement result.

14. An apparatus comprising: means for determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; and means for transmitting, to a user equipment, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising: means for transmitting at least one command to the user equipment to indicate or update at least one of the at least two sets of active TCI states.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the at least one command is a MAC-CE.

17. The apparatus of any of claims 14 to 16, wherein the means for determining the at least two sets of active TCI states comprise means for receiving from the user equipment an indication of at least one of the at least two sets of active TCI states.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising: means for transmitting, to the user equipment, a configuration of a number of the active TCI states in at least one of the at least two sets of active TCI states.

19. The apparatus of any of claims 15 to 18, wherein the updating command comprises at least one of a command to deactivate an active TCI state in a first set or a second set, a command to add an active TCI state into at least one of the at least two sets of active TCI states, or a command to switch an active TCI state from a first set of the at least two sets to a second set of the at least two sets.

20. The apparatus of any of claims 14 to 19, wherein the indication of the active TCI state to use comprises a control indication indicating which set of the at least two sets the active TCI state belongs to.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the indication of the active TCI state to use is comprised in downlink control information, and the control indication is a one-bit indicator.

22. The apparatus of any of claims 14 to 21, further comprising: means for transmitting, to the user equipment, a configuration with a TCI state list comprising TCI states in the at least two sets, wherein each TCI state in the list corresponds to a reference signal.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the configuration comprises an indication indicating that the apparatus supports at least two sets of active TCI states.

24. The apparatus of claim 22 or 23, wherein whether a TCI state in the list is activated in at least one of the at least two sets is based on prediction information for the reference signal corresponding to the TCI state, and wherein the prediction information is obtained by the user equipment or the apparatus according to an AI / ML functionality based on a measurement result of a set of reference signals corresponding to a set of TCI states in the list.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising means for receiving from the user equipment, the prediction information or the measurement result.

26. A method, comprising: determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; receiving, from a network entity, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states; determining a beam based on the received indication of the active TCI state; and applying the determined beam for receiving a downlink channel, or applying the determined beam for transmitting an uplink channel.

27. A method, comprising: determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; and transmitting, to a user equipment, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states.

28. An apparatus, comprising: at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform: determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; receiving, from a network entity, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states;determining a beam based on the received indication of the active TCI state; and applying the determined beam for receiving a downlink channel, or applying the determined beam for transmitting an uplink channel.

29. An apparatus, comprising: at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform: determining at least two sets of active transmission configuration indicator, TCI, states; and transmitting, to a user equipment, an indication of an active TCI state to use, wherein the active TCI state belongs to one of the at least two sets of active TCI states.

30. A computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform at least a method according to claim 26 or claim 27.

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